Hello loves!
I want to apologize for my disappearance. I promise you I will not forget about this story and it will be finished along with the third book! I have been very busy but now I have found inspiration again to continue this story.
Thank you to those who have waited for me and I hope you like this chapter!
My hands tighten over the bath towel wrapped around my body. I finished wrapping my hair and clipping my bangs out of my face. Usually I stride over confidentally before sinking in to the steamy bath water, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Temari is beautiful and she doesn't have to put in the effort. I mean, she caught Shikamaru's attention over me and maybe it's for those reasons.
What am I thinking? I'm Ino Yamanaka. Men would kill to sleep with me. Well... not all men. I rolled my eyes inwardily before glancing back at myself in the mirror. No, he would too. I try to bring confidence to myself.
"Are you going to stare at yourself all day?" Temari's question broke my train of thought and I glanced at her through the mirror.
Her usual quad ponytail style was replaced with a high ponytail. She clipped her bangs back to keep it out of her face and I was transfixed. Her face looked more delicate and feminine with all her hair out of the way. Temari was gorgeous, and it made me beyond jealous.
"How could you not with a face like mine?" I compose myself quickly while turning to face her. She rolled her eyes before turning her back on me to head towards the warm bath.
Feeling proud of myself, I follow her with my eyes glued to her. She looked so slim in that towel, I can see how she wins Shikamaru's attention. I made a note to cut my food portions in half. I have to look better. I glance towards the wall and up at the small windows towards the ceiling. I blush knowing Gaara and the others are over there.
I glance back at the water and walk towards the edge of the bath. Exhaling softly, I let my towel drop to the floor, step into the bath, and sink in. My eyes immediately closed as the hot water hit my skin. How relaxing.
I open my eyes to find Temari looking at me before quickly looking away and doing the same. I took that moment to look at her. Fuck. She has a WAY better body than me. All curves and a tiny waist, I looked down in defeat. I can never win against someone like her. I've worked very hard to have this body, to be seen as one of the most desirable kunoichi in Konoha. I'm not going to let some sand kunoichi ruin that for me.
I lean my head back against the tile and close my eyes in contempt. This feels nice, really nice. I wonder how it's going over there for them.
"We need one of these in Suna," Temari sighed. I looked towards her. She opened her eyes and looked back towards me.
"Well, you're the sister of the Kazekage, why not ask him to build one?" I raised a brow at her while crossing my arms. We both held a small stare before laughing.
"Right, like Gaara is going to add this when he has other priorities." She rolled her eyes.
"Hey! This is important to the people of Suna. They need this to get away from the pressure of the damn sun beating on their faces every day!" I raised my finger to add emphasis to my valid reasoning.
"You have a point," Temari sighed, "But this is my brother we are talking about here." She crossed her arms and gave me a pointed look.
True, Gaara wasn't one to just add something for fun to his town. He is busy adding improvements to their hospitals, schools, and other things. Plus, his beloved council wouldn't feel keen to the idea. I rolled my eyes inwardily to myself. Stupid council.
"Eh, maybe one day?" I siged in defeat and she did the same as well. I laughed slightly, mainly in disbelief. I'm having an actual conversation with Temari and it's going well.
"Well! Look who's here!" A familiar voice rang loudly from the other room. Temari and I sat up and looked towards the vents at the top of the wall. She frowned and I gave a slight giggle.
"Leave it to Naruto to come to the baths when we are all here." I glared at the wall before looking at Temari.
"He's just too loud. He's ruining my relaxation." She lowered her head.
"Eh, that's your brother's best friend." I shrugged my shoulders.
"I don't see why," she brought her hand to forehead and mumbled.
Hmmm, since she's been so talkative, I wonder if I can pry more information about this woman Gaara spoke about earlier. I can't lie, it's been eating me up since he told me. A part of me wanted to be his first but you can't expect that from a God like himself. Woman throw themselves at him daily but he's so damn oblivious.
"Temari, who's Antwanetsu?" No point beating around the bush.
"Ugh, who told you about her? Was it Kankuro?" She crossed her arms and anger flashed across her face. "I swear I'll kill him this time.
Whoa, well she doesn't seem to be a fan.
"No, Gaara mentioned her to me." I muttered. It wasn't a full lie right?
"He told you?" She raised a brow at me and I looked down.
"Okay, I got it out of him," I looked up at her and frowned. "I was curious as to who he slept with and one thing lead to another and he told me it was her and her age."
I muttered the last part in disgust.
"You can't keep your mouth shut can you?" She sighed in annoyance and I scowled at her.
"Will you tell me or not?" I crossed my arms and glared at her.
"There's not much to tell," She glared back and I rolled my eyes.
"Oh come on," I whined, "I know there's more to it. He said they're still friends and he talks to her. I still don't understand how and why! Like she's way older?!" I brought my hands to my face in frustration.
"Alright, stop screaming." She scowled. "But you don't tell him I told you. If he wants to tell you, he'll tell you in his own time."
"I know, I know." I responded quickly. Why won't she just tell me already?
"So, as you know before Gaara became Kazekage, he was working intensely on training..."
"Gaara, you need to take it easier." The blonde sand kunoichi scowled at her brother as she poured him a bowl of soup.
"Relax, Temari." Kankuro mumbled before sampling the soup. He shrugged his shoulders and began to dig in. She sighed before serving herself.
"I've found someone who specializes in taijutsu," Gaara stated as he stared down at the soup.
"That's great." She smiled at him while taking a seat at the table.
"Is it Karemaru-san?" Kankuro looked at his brother. The redhead kept eating, not bothering to look at either his brother or sister.
"No, her name is Antwanetsu."
"Is she from this village?" She furrowed her brow trying to recall any kunoichi with that name.
"No." He anwsered in between tastes of soup. She frowned knowing he wouldn't respond more. Kankuro looked at her and shrugged while rolling his eyes.
"Where is she located then?" He asked annoyingly.
"About 80 kilometers south from Suna." He anwsered and the blonde about choked on her soup.
"That's very far... How long will this training be for?" She asked, trying to hide her worry from her brothers.
"3 months. I have a place to stay. I've already been in contact with her."
"When do you leave?" Kankuro raised an eyebrow at Gaara but he never looked in his direction. He picked up his bowl of soup and finished it before looking at him.
"Tomorrow," Gaara stood up, thanked her for the dinner and left.
"Gaara!" She called after him. Worry and pain written all over her face.
"Leave it Temari, he wants to do this," Kankuro reassured her. She only stared at the doorway where her brother stood for a brief moment.
"He wanted to focus on taijutsu since he mainly relied on his sand. So he found a woman who was known for her taijutsu and she trained many great shinobi in the Sand country.
"In order to do so, he had to go to another village to train with her since she was far. He spent a total of 3 months over there. Of course he never wrote to us, but what can you expect?" She rolled her eyes. Temari really cared for Gaara and it was nice to see. I see why he treasures her so much, in his odd way.
"Anything?" The older blonde snapped at the girl working in the mail room. She shifted through stacks of letters. She worked quickly but nervously. She dropped three letters and knocked over two piles in the span of 10 minutes.
"No, Temari-san. N-nothing yet." She anwsered nervously. She stared up at the blonde in fear, worried to feel her rath the 60th day in a row. The blonde took a deep breath, anger all over her face.
"Temari," Her brother scowled. He stared at his sister. His eyes told her to calm down.
"Sorry," She sighed in defeat. "Thank you for checking."
The two siblings left the room and began to head their familiar ways back home.
"Nothing! It's been two months and not a damn thing from him." She shouted towards the sky. The burnette looked at his older sister. The worry and fear he saw two months ago plastered on her face once more.
"He's busy Temari, you know he's okay. It's Gaara we are talking about here." He reassured her, trying to give her a small smile. She only gave a half hearted smile back before staring down at the ground the rest of their walk home.
"Anyways, I'm not sure what happened there. He hasn't told either of us. But when he came back home, he brought her with him."
"Kankuro! Hurry up! He's going to be back any moment, he finally wrote back!" The blonde screamed for her brother as she set the table for three. With her youngest brother's favorite soup on the stove, she was beyond excited to have him back.
"Hey! So he gets his favorite soup when he leaves and I don't get shit?" The middle sibling mumbled while staring at the food.
"When you leave for three months, I'll make you a feast," she shouted back at him from her bedroom.
The burnette rolled his eyes before taking a seat on the couch. There was a knock at the door and he called for his sister. She ran out of the room and went to anwser the door.
"Gaara," She called happily before being taken back. "H-hello, you must be Antwanetsu-san?"
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you," A deep womanly voice anwser Temari back.
The puppet ninja perked up at the sound of someone else.
"Holy shit, he brought someone back," He whispered in astonishment before getting up to join his sister at the door.
"What does she look like?" I quickly interjected.
The two siblings stood there in shock at the sight of their youngest brother with a woman. She had sleek, platinum, blonde hair that came down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark blue, when you looked in them it was like falling into the ocean. They were very intense and watched your every move. She had a beautiful smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her skin was a golden honey, tan from the years of living in the sand country.
But the sight of this beautiful woman hanging over their youngest brother wasn't what shocked them the most. It was her age. She was definitely older than their oldest sister, by a few years. The fan yielding kunoichi gulped lightly while taking in the sight of her brother and this stranger. While her brother, Kankuro, grinned from ear to ear.
"Like your older sister," she rolled her eyes again and I raised my brows. "She has blonde hair like yours but much shorter, about shoulder length. Her eyes are darker blue and she has tan skin."
That little shit. I glared at her as I thought about Gaara. I'm just another one of his "type". I wanted to be his only blonde.
"Anyways," She sighed, "He brought her with and I was just as shocked as you with her age. I thought he wasn't finished but then I noticed other things."
"Well, you two must be hungry from your trip." The sand sister smiled trying to make light of the situation. "Please, come in. I have some soup ready."
Temari made her way in with the others to follow her. She made her way to the counter, pouring four bowls of soup, trying to distract herself. Kankuro brought up an extra seat to the table and sat in as he watched his brother and his new friend intensely. The grin never leaving his face.
"I hope you'll like this, it's Gaara's favorite." Temari apologized to the older woman while placing two bowls of soup in front of them.
"I'm sure it will be just fine," she smiled at Temari. She smiled back before bringing another two bowls for her brother and herself. The blonde sibling took her seat next to Kankuro and began eating.
"This soup is very good." Antwanetsu stated but almost sounded like a song from her. Her voice was very smooth and womanly. It was sensual, like her.
"Indeed, Temari." Gaara interjected and Temari visibly relaxed.
"Thank you," she thanked them both while continuing to eat. There was an awkward silence among the table.
"So, what brings you here, Antwanetsu-san?" Kankuro asked while raising a brow. He couldn't deny it either. She was hot and he was jealous of his brother at the moment.
"Kankuro," Gaara mumbled in a harsh tone but his brother didn't ease up.
"I had some time to spare and decided it was time to see Suna," she looked over at Gaara and smiled at him. The kind of smile that was made for just a him and her moment. "I know he's been working hard to become Kazekage and I wanted to see the place that is bringing up his ambition."
Temari and Kankuro only stared at the blonde, trying to process what just happened. Temari looked at her brother with a questioning glance and he shrugged his shoulders in response.
"He got his own place and she moved in with him. He spent every moment with her when he wasn't busy trying to become the Kazekage. When that moment finally came, he went to her instead of us. Then she was gone the next day." Temari gulped lightly and looked down at that last statement.
"I still think something's fishy about this," Temari growled while washing the dishes from lunch. Kankuro handed her the rest of the plates from the table. He sighed while standing next to his sister. He didn't understand how he got dragged in helping with the dishes.
"He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't want it, you know that." He grumbled while grabbing a nearby towel to start drying the dishes she handed him-more like threw at him.
"But I mean, that age difference is... large. What could she want to do with him?" She spoke in a harsh whisper so her younger brother and his friend wouldn't hear her conversation.
"I don't know, maybe he's good in the sack?" Kankuro questioned mumbled with a roll of his eyes. He didn't understand why his sister was so stuck on the topic. He was surprised but relieved for his brother. Why couldn't she be that way?
"Kankuro," She scowled at him while putting down a plate. He stared back at her with an empty gaze before the two turned around. They sensed the presence of someone and saw their younger sibling watching them.
"Shit," the word simultaneously crossed their minds before Temari gave a small smile to her brother.
"Yes, Gaara?" She asked softly and Kankuro just looked at her. She always spoke so kindly to him like he was a child. Ever since Gaara changed, Temari almost mothered him and it annoyed the hell out of him.
"I have arranged to have my own place while I was away. I want to let you know that we will be heading there now." He stated so matter-of-fact and Kankuro eyes widened for a second. He could feel his sister's presence tense and he only knew the thoughts going through her mind.
"O-oh," Temari spoke but caught herself quickly. "Is the place nearby?"
"Closer to the tower, about a 20 minutes walk from here." He anwsered her. His jade eyes staring back at his siblings, no expression to be given. Temari smiled, trying to hide back her frown.
"Do you need any help with anything? Moving? Unpacking?" Her eyes showed worry but she looked calm other than that. Kankuro just watching his brother.
"No. It's furnished." He anwsered before walking away from the two.
"It's going to be fine, Temari," Kankuro sighed. When he didn't get a response, he looked over at his sister.
She stared down at the white plate in her hands. Her reflection shining off the already clean plate. Her sadness etched on the china, like an artist's vision of sorrow. The water remained running but she never made a move to turn it off.
"Temari?" Kankuro asked hesitantly, putting a hand on her shoulder. His sister never budged and he briefly wondered what to do.
"He'll be fine..." She muttered under her breath, trying to reassure the sad blonde looking back at her from the china plate.
I looked down in... what? Jealousy? Sadness?
"Did he love her?" I whispered without looking at Temari. She sighed.
"He claims he didn't, but," She trailed off and I looked towards her. She was looking down at the water. She closed her eyes.
"Will you visit?" The sand sibling asked her youngest brother. He stood with his trainer at the doorway while her and Kankuro stood on the other side.
"When I can," He responded briefly and the older blonde looked at him. Her eyes were melting as she stared at her student. She looked happy and... in love.
"The door will always be open for you." Temari smiled at her brother and his... what friend? Lover? She didn't know what to call her. Kankuro just looked at the two. Not saying a word because, frankly, he didn't feel like he needed to say anything. He was just moving out, not leaving the damn country.
Gaara and Antwanetsu turned away and started to walk off in the new direction. Her hair swayed softly with the wind and the streets began to fill with more and more villagers. She gave him a glance and a huge, white smile. He looked at her, and the two siblings swore they saw a hint of a smile on his lips as well.
"He really likes her," Kankuro mumbled then looked at his sister. She kept watching them, her look was hard to read.
"Yeah, he does." She responded before turning inside and closing the door.
"I think he did. When she left, he was very reserved for a long time." Temari finished opening her eyes and looking back at me.
That bitch. She's the reason he's so damn broken. I frowned and furrowed my brow.
"Listen, my brother really cares for you. I don't know why but he does. He hasn't been this way with anyone since her. Even though with her, he wasn't as... attentive as he is with you." She brought her hand to her forehead as she spoke with a tone of defeat. I raised my brow in surprise. "What happened between you two in the end anyways?"
She crossed her arms, raised her brow at me and I gulped. I haven't really talked about it since with Shikamaru. But she just told me what I wanted to hear and I should be honest with her. I hate to admit but this time is actually making me like Temari.
"Well your brother and I had sex the last night I was there. Before you say anything, I was a virgin before him." I crossed my arms at her and she stared at me in disbelief. But I knew deep down she was happy with it cause she probably can have peace knowing Shikamaru and I didn't do anything.
"Anyways, well afterwards... I told him I loved him."
"YOU DID WHAT?" She exclaimed and I was taken back.
"Well your brother told me 'no' and said I was being irrational when I explained why. So I kicked him out respectfully and we didn't talk since.. well when you guys got here."
I looked down away from her. The pain resurfaced itself and I gulped it down before it could take over me again.
"I'm sorry I had no idea," She muttered and I looked up at her. Sympathy was written all over her face.
"I thought you broke his heart when you left." She trailed and for a moment she looked... sad. As if she was remembering the days after my departure.
What?
"Well that clears that up. Thanks for telling me." She smiled and I smiled back.
"Well, this sucks." I muttered and she looked at me with a raised brow. "I don't think I can hate you anymore. I'm actually starting to like you."
We both laughed and Temari nodded in agreement.
"Well let's get out of here, I'm sure the guys are almost done." Temari stated while getting out of the water.
I smiled at myself before getting up and walked towards the lockers. We quickly get dressed and I begin to unpin my bangs and my bun. My hair swiftly fell back into place and she began to work at making her usual quad ponytails. She did it quickly and I was amazed.
"You can make your hairstyle faster than it takes for me to make one ponytail," I shared in astonishment and she smirked at me.
"I don't have fifty pounds of hair like you do," She anwser and I furrowed my brow at her.
"Why do you think I subtract 10 pounds everytime I get on a scale?" I grinned at her and she smiled back. Gosh, Temari's beautiful.
"Can I see that necklace?" Her gaze fell to my neck where Gaara's necklace perfectly laid.
"Uh, yeah?" Taken back, I take the necklace off and hand it to her.
She lets the charm hand from her grip and stares at it. Placing two fingers behind it so it wouldn't turn.
"It's beautiful," she murmured while looking at the silver.
"You haven't seen it?" I questioned her and she shook her head. She gave the jewelry back to me and I quickly put it behind my head.
"I don't know where and who he got that from. I didn't even know he got that made. I was just as shocked as you when I saw it." Temari stated and I couldn't help but smile. That means that woman never wore it. It was just for... me.
"I see what Shikamaru sees in you," I smile at her and Temari looked away with a small flush creeping over her face.
"Let's go," she mumbles and turns away quickly to begin walking forward.
I took the silver charm in my hand and smiled to myself lightly before running ahead to catch up with Temari.