VI: Meet the Family
It was the day after Ino's big reunion dinner and Shikamaru was slow getting up on this morning. Still groggy from sleep, he looked over at his clock. It was pretty late, he'd have to hurry up if he was going to get to work on time.
"This is such a drag," Shikamaru said to himself as he grabbed some clean clothes and ran into the shower. While normally he liked to take long, languid, hot showers there was no time for that this morning. In five minutes he was out and ready to go, half jogging out of the house.
As he approached the front door he heard his mother's voice calling out to him. "Shikamaru, aren't you going to have breakfast?"
Shikamaru stopped and turned to face his mother, who was peeking out from the kitchen. "Sorry Mom, I don't have enough time this morning. I need to get to work."
"Oh, ok," Yoshino said, looking a little disappointed. "Hey, you haven't been coming home for dinner very often, why don't you have a meal with your mother today?"
"Yeah, sure, ok," Shikamaru said quickly, in a hurry to get to work. "I'll see you'll when I get home."
With that said Shikamaru left his house and hurried to the Hokage Residence, arriving to work just on time.
Temari leaned back and reclined in her seat as she sighed. It was late in the day and the work on the Chunin Exams was as tiring as ever. Even just the task of coordinating the applicants from her village was proving to be a major undertaking. She stood up and walked into the common room. Darui had already left the office and Kitsuchi was still hard at work. Temari turned to look in on Akira.
"You waiting for Shikamaru?" the Mist kunoichi said from an uncomfortably close distance as Temari turned in her direction.
"Um-maybe," Temari said awkwardly.
Akira took a step back and chuckled. "Maybe? Are you that bad at lying or are you just flustered by the subject-matter?"
Temari took a step back and a moment to recompose herself. "Look, I don't know what you think is going on here, but stop it."
"Oh, stop what?" Akira replied. "I just thought that I'd tell you that Shikamaru has a visitor and will be a while. Some guy with giant eyebrows and a tasteless green jump suit."
"Um, thank you," Temari said as she slowly turned away and walked towards Shikamaru's office.
As she came up to the door she leaned against the wall and listened in on the conversation going on within.
"…and that is the message that Lord Hokage wanted me to bring to you," said a voice that was obviously Rock Lee's.
"Understood," Shikamaru replied. "Was there anything else?"
"Yes," Lee said, "it is not related to the message, but I heard that there was a large reunion dinner for the Hidden Leaf 12 last night."
"Oh," Shikamaru responded, feigning interest, "you got invited too?"
Lee seemed oblivious to the insincerity of Shikamaru's reaction. "Yes, Tentan and I received the invitations, unfortunately we were both away on a mission and did not return until earlier today. I am sorry that I could not be there."
"I see," Shikamaru said, "if that's all?"
Temari heard the sound of a chair shifting as Lee stood. "That is all. Take care, Shikamaru."
As he stepped out of the office he noticed Temari leaning against the wall. "Oh, I am sorry to keep you waiting, Temari. Please forgive me."
Temari shrugged and started to turn the corner into Shikamaru's office. "Don't worry about it."
"Very good," Lee replied, "oh, and before I forget, congratulations to the both of you!"
Temari stopped in her tracks. "Did Ino tell you about that?" she asked without turning, her back to Lee.
"Um, no," Lee said, "I heard about it from Guy-sensei."
"What?!" Temari exclaimed as she turned to face Lee. "Even Guy's heard about that stupid rumor?!"
"Um, rumor?" Lee responded. "Then I guess it is not true."
"No, it isn't!" Temari exclaimed.
"Relax, Temari, stop being such a drag," Shikamaru said calmly from his desk.
"Hm, fine," Temari said as she went to take a seat in front of Shikamaru desk.
"Please forgive me for the assumption," Lee said as he bowed. He then left the offices.
Her arms and legs crossed, Temari turned her attention to Shikamaru. "I swear, does the whole damn village believe that?"
"Probably," Shikamaru said flatly.
"Hmph," Temari replied, "in any case, you promised me dinner yesterday."
Shikamaru's eyes widened at this statement, then suddenly closed as he slammed the palm of his hand against his forehead.
Temari looked at him quizzically. "What? Don't tell me you're backing out," she said with an accusatory jab of her finger.
Shikamaru shook his head. "No, I just remembered, I promised my mom that I would come eat with her at home."
Temari shrugged. "Alright, then just I'll be having dinner with you and your mother."
Shikamaru lifted his head from his hand and looked at the Sand kunoichi with a look of mild confusion on his face. "You want to eat with me? At my house? With my mother?"
"Yeah," Temari answered.
Shikamaru returned his forehead to the palm of his hand and shook his head. "Yeah, because that's not going to encourage the rumors that you love so much."
Temari shrugged her shoulders. "You made too many promises for your own good. But a man has to keep his promises."
Shikamaru looked at her from behind his hand. "This is such a drag."
Temari shrugged again. "It's your own fault."
Temari took in the sights of the recently rebuilt Nara Clan Complex as Shikamaru walked her through the area near the edge of the village. It was not especially large and was not the most beautifully decorated district, but there was a simple elegance and efficiency in design about it. Even to a newcomer such as herself it was easy to navigate.
Shikamaru stopped walking down the street they were on and changed direction towards one of the houses.
Temari followed suit. "Is that you're home?"
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah."
"It's one of larger houses in the neighborhood," Temari said, trying to fill the silence.
"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, "happens when you come from the main line of a clan."
By that point they reached the entrance to the home and Shikamaru opened the door and stepped in.
"Mom, I'm home,' Shikamaru yelled as he pulled off his sandals.
Temari had scarcely removed her own footwear when Yoshino Nara appeared from around a corner. Her eyes widened when she saw Temari. "Oh, is this that girlfriend of yours that Ino told me so much about?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Yes-I mean no-I mean that…yes, she is that girl, no she is not my girlfriend."
Yoshino put a finger to her chin and strode towards Temari, eying her carefully. After getting a little to close for Temari's comfort and examining her thoroughly, she stepped back and turned to her son. "Are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Shikamaru asked with sigh.
Yoshino returned the sigh. "Just hoping against hope, I guess."
Temari threw a questioning look at Shikamaru as his mother turned away from them. He responded with a shrug.
A short time later they were sitting at the family table with a home cooked meal that Yoshino had started preparing before they had arrived. Surprisingly, there was enough food for three already. Had Shikamaru's mother expected him to bring company?
"So, Temari," Yoshino said as she set the last of the food on the table, "I've heard a lot about you, some of it from Shikamaru."
"Oh?" Temari said as she started to fill her plate. "I hope they were good things."
"Yes," Yoshino confirmed as she took a seat. "He's always said that you were strong."
"Thank…" Temari started.
"He's also said that you're scary and overbearing," Yoshino continued.
"Um?" Temari said, glancing over at Shikamaru, who had his arms crossed and was looking away from the other people at the table.
"But," Yoshino interjected, "that's just his way of saying 'good motivator.' I find that most Nara men need to be scared or nagged into doing most things."
"What are you…?" Shikamaru started.
"Be quiet!" Yoshino said sharply to her son.
Shikamaru made as if to respond, but he simply smiled instead and shook his head.
"If I may ask," Temari said, "I never knew Shikamaru's father that well, was he like that?"
At the mention of her husband Yoshino's expression darkened and she stopped eating. Temari suddenly felt bad for bringing up a still relatively new wound, it had not even been nine months since Shikaku's death during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Shikamaru also seemed to notice this. "Mom, it's OK if you don't want to talk about it."
"No," Yoshino said sternly as she closed her eyes, "Shikaku was one of the laziest men I ever knew. He rarely did anything of his own initiative and he was so noncommittal. Overly logical too." Her eyes opened. "But he was one of the smartest men I knew. A great shinobi who never shirked his duty. And he'd never abandon his friends." She looked at her son and smiled. "Shikamaru is every inch his father's son."
Temari smiled sheepishly at that, her chin resting on her hand and looking at Shikamaru.
She must have stared at him for too long. "Temari, why are you looking at me like that?"
The Sand kunoichi snapped out of her trance. "What? Why would I be looking at you? I wasn't looking at anything."
"Sure," Shikamaru replied in a deadpan tone.
Dinner had recently ended and Temari had already said her thank you's and goodbyes. Shikamaru watched her leave from a living room window. Behind him he could her his mother moving the dishes into the kitchen.
"Shikamaru," he heard from the kitchen, "what do you think of her?"
Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders, though he knew that his mother wasn't there to see it. "I don't know. I guess she's a friend."
Yoshino poked her head in from the kitchen. "What kind of friend?"
Shikamaru laid down where he was as Temari disappeared from view. "I don't know. A comrade. She's strong and smart, I'm glad to have her on my side in battle. But she can be overbearing, loud, and a total drag."
Yoshino walked into the living room, drying her hands off with a rag. "Don't you say that about all of the most important women in your life?"
Shikamaru turned his head to look at his mother. "What do you mean?"
"You say the same things about me, Ino, and Lady Tsunade, for starters," Yoshino said.
"Yeah, but…" Shikamaru said as he trailed off. If that was true, then what about Temari? His mother was, well, his mother, Ino was like his sister and his teammate, and the Fifth Hokage had been the one who'd promoted and placed so much trust in him, forced him to put on more responsibility and mature. But where did that leave Temari? He looked out at the night sky through the window looming above him.
