I do not own Naruto
Xxx Temari xxx
I woke up groggy and grouchy. After being stirred up by Shika yesterday, it took an act of God (and four shots of rum) to get to bed last night. Opening up the door to my bedroom, I was met by Gaara peering up at me from his sleeping bag.
"Good morning." He stated. "Did you sleep well?"
I shook my head and nearly kicked him down the stairs. "Coffee," was all I answered as I stepped over him and stumbled down to the kitchen. He got up and plodded behind me. Kankuro was already there his head in his hands. "…She went home with that Botan guy." He whined. "What does that guy have that I don't?"
I glared at him and he looked back at me in surprise. "What's with the death look?"
"Argh, I'm just tired." I quipped while thinking, more like sexually frustrated. Gaara remained silent. After I had amply plied myself with coffee, I stood to leave when Gaara mentioned "We are going to the lizard farms today after lunch."
I wandered around town, but Shika was nowhere to be found. He arrived with Ino and Chouji just before we left for the lizard farms and my heart skipped. I looked towards him and our eyes met briefly before he suddenly looked away, the tips of his ears had reddened. HOW CUTE! Gaara walked between us as we made our way to the lizard farm.
Xxx Shikamaru xxx
I spent the morning planning feverishly to counteract what I suspected Gaara had planned for today. Knowing his motives made his actions very predictable…such a novice. Not to mention, I still had several aces in my hand that he was completely unaware of.
When I saw Temari waiting, the desire of the evening before returned in all its intensity. I could barely look at her without the hair on the back of my head (and other things) standing on end. Walking to the farm allowed us to sneak glances at each other, though Gaara was keeping a very close eye on the both of us.
The lizard farm, was not what I expected at all-it was highly industrialized. Temari (normally not a lover of cute furry things) seemed to be quite fond of these scaly mini-dragons. I did have to admit, it was impressive the way they managed to use every bit of product these organisms could provide: meat, eggs, scales, skin, saliva-which they turned into all sorts of products from medicine to alcohol to cosmetic products. Chouji looked somewhat nauseated when he realized the exact source of the sand cow "milk" that he had greedily been consuming.
Arrival at a large corral resulted in the appearance of a farm hand leading one of those giant lizards. "Temari sama here is your lizard." She smiled as she handled a beautifully jewel toned lizard and jumped on bare back racing across the sands. "Why don't you take a ride Nara san?" Gaara offered before calling out "Bring Nightmare."
A lizard so dark green he almost appeared black was brought before me by four farm hands. He bucked and snorted and glared at me through red beady eyes. "Um…"
With a heavily weighted tongue Gaara continued with "Hurry, if you want to catch up with Temari." Shaking my head, I looked at him in challenge and opened my palm to reveal several sugar cubes. I offered them to the beast who immediately calmed and greedily lapped at my hand. After partaking in the treat, it turned and licked my face before kneeling down to allow me to board. I got up on the beast and trotted off in the direction Temari had fled off to. Looking back, the rest of the party was trying to board their lizards which had all become quite nervous due to the sudden overflow of Gaara's killing intent.
Nightmare was fast and I swiftly caught up with Temari. Thankfully the skill I had gained deer riding translated well to lizards. We raced through the sands together and her face wore the calm, ecstatic expression that she so often had in Konoha, and nearly never had in Suna. Freedom! I thought, if only Gaara could see her like this, he would never attempt to cage her. We slowed as we neared a rather large oasis. Dismounting, we allowed our lizards to lap at the cool blue water as we rested in the shade of a large palm. Her sweet and plump lips against mine and a tender embrace was all I needed to be convinced to wait here for the rest of the party. Temari suspected at the rate we were going we would have at least 10 minutes alone. Shaded from the blaze of the desert sun, I enjoyed the smell of her hair, the feel of her waist and then her backside, the taste of the nape of her neck.
Suddenly, our lizards looked up in fright and bolted. We glanceded at each other quizzically before her eyes enlarged and she pointed behind me. Looking back I saw a large, shiny, black, pointy, thing coming directly towards us. We barely dodged in time, and when I took another look I realized that black, pointy thing belonged to a gigantic scorpion. Temari swore like a rain nin when she realized she had left her fan bolted onto her lizard. It came swiftly at us and we jumped apart, the tail again barely missing. I watched almost helplessly as it turned away from me and started to make its way to …"NO!" I frantically screamed as I rushed towards her.
Xxx Temari xxx
The scorpion had locked its eyes on to me. I hoped to lure it away from Shika, to buy him time to think of a way to defeat this thing before we were in any real danger. As I jumped away, my foot accidently landed and turned on a rock that had been hidden underneath a thin veil of sand. I tried to stand on that foot, but collapsed again in pain. Looking up, I found the sky was being replaced by a dark ominous form. Closing my eyes, I readied myself for impact when I was suddenly engulfed in familiar arms. Shika…
Xxx Shikamaru xxx
I shielded her and immediately felt an intensely burning sensation over my right shoulder. The pain was nothing like I had ever felt before. Luckily this lasted mere seconds before it was replaced by numbness. However, the numbness then began crawling over my neck, my arms and down my body. Temari for now was safe but I had to get her elsewhere. I stood with the both of, and jumped away. With every move, more and more of my body became numb until I could no longer feel my feet. With the numbness, came the inability of my body to respond to my commands, it was as if I had been trapped by Ino's jutsu. I glanced at Temari's face and she looked at me with an expression I had never before seen on her: absolute fear as conveyed by large and unremitting tears. I opened my mouth to console her, but sound could no longer escape. A shadow crept over the both of us and I turned my eyes to see the scorpion looming, its sticky drool slowly dripping.
Suddenly we were surrounded by sand. She cried out in relief saying "It's Gaara, it's Gaara." When the sun poked through the sand again, the scorpion was nowhere to be found. Instead we saw Gaara on his lizard perched atop one of the highest dunes. It was the last thing I recalled before blacking out completely.
---days later---
I woke in a bed that smelled of Temari. My hand was being tightly gripped. "Temari?" I hoarsely called out and was swiftly answered by kisses and hugs. "Where am I?"
She slowly explained that shortly after Gaara appeared, Ino, Chouji and Kankuro arrived. After she informed Ino of the nature of the sting she was able to use her training as a medic nin to slow the poison until we arrived back in the village. Here I was given appropriate treatment. Apparently I had been out cold for two days.
She then explained that Gaara had witnessed most of our interaction with the scorpion and had initially intended to let me die. However, when he realized she too was in danger he intervened eliminating the scorpion. After witnessing my act of protection and her frantic tears he allowed her to nurse me in her room with the help of the Kazekage's medic nins of course. As we talked, she fed me some coconut curry, one of my favorites since arriving in Suna. I could barely move, but I willed my right hand up and around her neck and led her close to me kissing her as if my life depended on it. We spent the next few hours holding hands and when I finally began to drift back to sleep I felt her snuggling in next to me.
The next time I awoke I was alone in bed. Before I could call out I was met with Gaara's voice. "I sent here to get something to eat. She hasn't touched any food since you've been hurt. " My body stiffened like a Pavlovian response to his voice, but I could no longer detect the malice that had previously laced it. "You've won. For one year, I will say and do nothing to keep you apart. But Nara san, do not make my sister betray me." I looked at him quizzically. The dark aura again began to seep out. "She has promised me she will keep herself pure so as not to embarrass me when I present her to her future husband." I began to feel faint, this aura was stronger than usual and in my current state it was overpowering. I managed to let out "I understand," before I blacked out again.
SCORE: Shikamaru 3 Gaara 2