-smashes my head against my laptop- _ It was difficult for me to write this especially with my midterms i_i which I did not do so well!! -sceams- And then test-test-test who the hell told my teachers to set test dates AT THE SAME TIME o no one can study. (I did not study) oh my gosh. oh well. my fault. my doings. xD But seriously it means total CANNOT touch laptop. -___-;
And -_- if you're wondering...oh no...my grade just went down to 3.6 oh yeaaah...-_- i was not complaining. but my aunts decides to compare me to her daughter who gets a 4.0 o_O need i mention i have those honor class in high school n my cuzn is a 6th grader? It is not fair comparison o but noo, slams me here and there, my mom agreeing.
oh and i totally hate honors geo o like us trick questions sheet. how am i suppose to put all those formulas into memories and know how to plug it in so i can work the problem out? i mean if u see the pics of those probs ill be twisting it around and stuff. AND THEY SAID GEO IS EASY. _ I CANNOT even WORK a simple THING like THAT THING U USE TO MAKE A PERFECt CIRCLE XD (yeah i dont care much for the name N who needs a perfect circle) it should be easy! THEYRE FRICKEN PICTURES!!!! and frankly i dont know why i need to know the length or arc of those polygons //circle, if they are congruent or similar. -_-; Dont mind Me.
Oh and please don't bitch at me, and say "you did not answer the questions you said would be answered in this chapter" READ o
Have you read the chapter? its effing long. i make up for it.
I would bitch right back and say "wait the fuck up! Okay, its difficult to write and bother myself if it would please you guys or not. I TRIED my best. So screw you all, mwahahaha." JK JK
XD im too nice to do that. You guys should celebrate xD i had not left this story!! omg new record. mwahahaha.
******
Surrounded by the dark forest, Shikamaru hid himself, making sure his presence was not known. He had told Naruto and Sai the plan, and he would end it now. It's not that hard. It's not that hard, he repeated it many times. It was easier said than done, he had faced them before, it was a horrible experience.
He controlled his heart, he moved, lurking around the shadows as he was one with them. The whispering of the trees, rustling leaves, and the fast movements everywhere.
Here and There.
They were here.
And utter silence.
He was afraid to breath, holding his breath, he waited for their noises. But no, only the winds smoothly carressing the forest could be heard.
Where are they? His heart ached all of a sudden.
Oh no! Not again, he was trapped? So soon.
His own shadow turned red and his legs gave out on him, on his knees, he looked up. Shadows all around him didn't look that friendly anymore. It's almost like everywhere he looks there were eyes looking at him, and then it seemed like they were smiling. Smiling, it was creepy.
He made no further move, it was long ago since he fought with them and the last time he barely escaped alive. Indeed, he even put some of his friends in complete danger. Not this time around. If he were to do anything anymore, he would suffer alone.
And then the sound started, a flute playing, and then the forest was clearing. It was replaced with him tied to a cross on a high up rock and he was surrounded by the violent waters that were blood red. He was starting to hate red, by this point.
"Play fair you bastards!" He shouted. He wanted to see them.
One appeared, covered with a dark cloak, and it suddenly hissed at him. He took of his hat and revealed none other than Orochimaru, the snake.
"Afraid?"
"No, unlike you I'm not afraid of dying!" Shikamaru said. "And I would never kill my friends to live longer, you're a fucking selfish useless pathetic and ugly."
Orochimaru laughed, that pyschotic laugh of his and then he opened his mouth.
His tongue coming, growing longer and longer, heading for Shikamaru. Shikamaru squirmed a bit as the disgusting shit wrapped around him and then licked his face. The tongue was pulled back again and then it transformed into a sword and it striked him.
Shikamaru yelled in pain. The simple thing was being repeated plenty of times. It was painful, and it looked like he was bleeding, but he knows this is just an illusion he needs to snap out of it. Because he's at a disadvantage, he needs to make it even fast.
Quickly thinking, he called the shadow he had hidden himself before he was trapped, he made that own very shadow control himself and without doubt he pulled out his dagger and stabbed his legs. He bit his lips, drawing blood out for real. Eyes closed and when he opened it, he was out of it.
He quickly moves forward jumping from trees to trees. Going somewhere he was safe, at least safe to go on with his plan. It was not over yet. He expected the trap and he encountered it, now it's time to attack, he can't keep hiding, he would definitely lose.
But he stopped dead on his track when he spotted them.
"Well, well, well. I see the mouse is back. Had fun with our snake?" He asked.
Shikamaru took a step back, putting his hands behind him, reaching for his daggers. He pulled them and flew it at him, flying daggers.
It hit him, one straight at where the heart and brain should be.
Shouldn't he be dead? But he wasn't. He laughed like an insane freak and started walking towards Shikamaru.
"We just wanna play,"
Fuck! They're only playing with me!?
And that's when he saw the strangest thing, he never seen one before, ever. A chimera.
It was quick, and it was odd. The thing...was human, tiger and snake. It must be one of Orochimaru's experiments.
"Does it look odd to you? It's our new baby and it's hungry. It's hungry for your type."
***********
He woke up gasping for air. He sat up and leaned foward covered his face with his hands. He was wet with sweat, his shirt sticking to him like a second skin. He got off the bed slowly with a frown, he stood up and almost fell backward but he regained his balance.
I had enough moonlight to see his handsome troubled face.
"Are you okay, Shikamaru?" I asked him.
He looked at me; it was like he hadn't realized I was there all along watching him. How could he have missed me? I'm merely some few feet away from him, leaning against his bedroom wall, my arms crossed against my chest.
"Ah, yeah. Why are you still up?" He asked me.
"You were having a nightmare," I told him.
He didn't say anything. It was the second time I've seen those shadow appear beside him, it was his own. His own shadow seems to have its own life and I don't even think he knows I see them, or does he not see them?
"Maybe you should sit down," It was not a suggestion even if I said it that way. He sat down almost immediately I could tell from the lost look he has and his tired eyes that he was out of it. Thinking again.
For a moment I just looked at him again and his slow breathing, it was another side of him I learned a couple of days ago. There were some things that haunts him and hunts him, it seems.
Who knew, my husband was this vulnerable. I wasn't even fully aware of it.
I want him to feel safe; I want him to be happy truly.
I almost choked at my very own feeling towards him. It was strong and it was new to me.
And I would not name it yet.
*********
The next day, he was again himself. Or his other side I've seen many times and that's the lazy ass. He had stubbornly said No, he wasn't about to go back and see his parents and tell him he got himself hitched. I threw his stupid book at him. He glared at me and mumbled yet again, I am a troublesome woman. If he had a choice in the matter he would have chose death.
That hit me.
I saved his life.
I wanted him alive, and I still do.
I blinked a couple of times and my eyes watered.
Again, I don't know why I felt these strong emotions when his concern. His comments shouldn't bother me that much. But I knew I pay close attention to what he says and doesn't say. I watch him ever more closely ever since I find him having nightmares and he was my husband.
It was my fault we're together anyways. My own choice led me here, to him. It was not a bad thing.
I turned around and went to his room, locked myself there and sulked down. It was sort of humorous to think my comfort zone would be the lazy ass room. Everything in the room shouts his name, Shikamaru Nara. In fact I was caught staring at his young picture with his parents. He was expressionless in the picture while his parents were smiling.
I wondered something.
And wonder, is this how it feels like to be married? Married to him?
My brothers had warn me that it would be trouble being with him seeing now that they know what he truly is. I do too, but I want him to tell me himself.
He knocked on the door, "Go away lazy ass" I said with bitterness and harshness all mix it in.
"Look, Temari," He started. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that you know. I'm very happy...being alive...seeing you...every day now." He laughed lightly and I wanted to laugh too, but I waited for him to finish. "I'm very happy you saved my life. And...well I'll be happy in fact even more happy when I get to show you around my hometown and show them that I have a beautiful wife."
I didn't say anything. I just bit my lips to refrained myself and telling him that it made me very happy to hear him say that. He would probably be surprise because I never showed him how emotional I can be and how vulnerable I am, and it only seems to come around him.
Oh, boy. And I told him no more secrets.
I make him happy. I want him happy.
A smile escaped my lips, I felt butterflies and that's just odd.
*******
It wasn't exactly what he wanted to say to his 'new' wife.
He looked at her as she was staring out the window, looking at the scenery they are passing so fast. Earlier this week before some strange reason he made Temari's eyes misty, he said he wouldn't go back to his home town and see his parents. It wasn't because he didn't want to see his parents. It was the place that bothers him. There were too many dreadful memories.
But she was smiling, she was happy that they were going and that was enough for him.
He owed her his life.
She saved him, literally. Now how many men can say that the girl they married truly gave him another chance to live?
Live.
"Say, Temari, are we going to your hometown too?" I asked her. She told me before her parents were dead. I didn't mention parents at all. Thinking I would send her to another misty eyes episode
She looked at me with a raise eyebrow and seems to think about it.
"We agreed, no more secrets, right?" She said, "So yeah the best way of learning each other is going back to our past, or in this case our hometown."
She seems to be nervous about it though. She tucked in a strand of blond hair behind her ears, I learned it was her usual thing to do when she's nervous. It was cute and I believe she's not aware that she does it. It was her secret that she doesn't know about and mines now.
I smile at her, and you would expect your wife to smile back, but not her. She looked at me as if something's wrong with me. In fact she felt my head and said "You don't have a fever or anything."
I laughed. Seriously, at least I know without her saying it, I know from her action...
My wife cares about me. Temari cares about me, Shikamaru Nara the lazy ass she calls.
When she calls me that, it was not with annoyance-it was her teasing me lightly, like flirting.
And as a new husband I still yet have to feel that dreadful feeling of a shackle going around my ankle, with the idiotic thinking of never being free again till I die.
But then again, like what Temari said, we still need to go through the whole plan the marriage thing. Even if we are married I guess, spiritually, because I even get confused over my own stupid heritage crap thing, she still needs the physical marriage stuff.
Does this mean I have to handle a bridezilla?
Would Temari be that kind of girl?
*****
And here was Konoha, after some few secret passages here and there and guys with bands with the symbol that looks like a leaf, I said to him, checked them out and he had to prove he was one of them.
He had stared them down and said "You should be able to recognize the heir of the Nara Clan," He said it with cold hauteur that Temari didn't thought it was in him. It hit her just then that Shikamaru comes from a somewhat wealthy family. He dresses so simply and do things so practical, I never thought he was one.
They walked into Konoha.
"What happened to our things?" I asked as I casually looked around.
It was such a complete opposite of her hometown. It was so green and lively.
"They're being check and would be delivered later on. Are you tired?" He asked. He wasn't even looking at her. In fact his feminine lips were set hard. His lips appeared to be a thin line.
"No, are you?"
"Yeah, this place makes me feel tired and lazy." He looked at Temari and waggled his eyebrows.
I laughed and held his hand and leaned against him. There were some reasons why I knew I did that. There were some women ogling him and I wanted to show them that the lazy bum, who's pretty handsome, is mine and mine only. I wanted to comfort him, I knew he was uncomfortable, he was acting strange. And lastly and the more important one, because I am selfish when it comes to him, I wanted to hold him and be close to him, especially to the town he grew up in.
"You're acting strange" He said. And the idiot, sort of gently pulled away from me. "I don't think you have a fever or anything." He tilted his pineapple head slightly looking at me. I clenched my fist and hit him.
"Stupid." I said and walked away from him.
I continued to walk uttering curses, very loudly. "Fucking stupid pineapple head, going to strangle him while he sleeps! Ha!" I was again, being violent. People stared at me and frowned at me.
"What the hell are you looking at?" I said.
I felt him turn me around and his hands on my waist and then his lips landed on my very own.
"Oi, troublesome. I just got here and you're gonna send us to a dark hole of trouble."
Me, being me, didn't care much.
"So?"
"Sooo...." His eyes went somewhere else beside mine, and which forced me to look behind me and to see he was looking at an older woman, very beautiful with jet black wavy hair and crimson eyes. "Kurenai!" Does he have a thing for older women? Or just blond older women?
I was afraid he was going to let go of me, leave my side and then go to her. But he didn't. He took my hand, smiled at me, his dark eyes were bright this time, no more coldness.
"Kurenai, this is Temari, my wife and my best friend." He said, squeezing my hand when he mentioned my name. "Temari this is Kurenai Yuuhi...ah my...well not my teacher, my teacher's wife."
"Your wife?" The woman said in suprise tone, "You married out of the village then?"
"Yeah," Shikamaru simple reply. He did not care to explain anymore than what the question needed, I noticed. They exchanged some odd looks, well to me they were odd, it's like they don't want to say it around me.
"It's to be expected they would not accept your marriage to him, Temari." Gaara said.
"Why won't they?"
"We had a past, do you remember?"
Temari frowned, "Shikamaru doesn't know that."
"And you're thinking of keeping it from him?"
"Well, yes. I'm not going to start the marriage on the wrong foot."
"It already started on the wrong foot," Kankurou cutted in. "I mean didn't you think before you try to save his life of the consequence? It's like he's gonna have a more shitty life with him being married to you since you are from the Sands. AND you are the daughter of the fucktard."
Temari sent death glares at Kankurou, well fuck that just stings.
"I'm gonna kill you slowly Kankurou. And don't think I can't, we make weapons and henceforth I know how to fucking use them in fact all I need is a piece of paper and you'll be dead." She said with venom. "Bloody dead and cut into pieces." From a piece of paper? o.o;;
"Gaaah!!" Kankurou left so fast that Temari wasn't sure he heard what she said.
"Temari!" Gaara raised his voice getting Temari's attention again.
"I don't want to tell him."
"I like him and he seems to be slowly getting to you. I think in marriage, the key is communicating, which means understanding. To understand each other, you both need honesty on both side."
"Right, you married yet?"
"No, after seeing how you got yourself married, I rather not look forward to it. I mean I am not going to wait or put myself close to death-that would be ridiculous, get myself almost killed just so I can get hitch- and await for some woman to save my life-because I don't think women are that kind-in fact they're manipulative. Some people won't go that far as you have, sis."
"So, you know all the things Sai and Naruto left out huh?"
"Yes, it seems they left it out on purpose. Would you have changed your mind if you knew everything?" Gaara asked.
"No"
"Then that is why they hadn't bothered. Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to see what is truly there."
"Hmm" She turned to take her leave.
"Temari," She turned to look at her brother again, "it also takes some loss to know."
"What loss do you speak of?"
"Not now, maybe later. You're going to lose him."
"That won't happen."
"Temari, do you think you can prevent it?"
"It won't happen."
"It already started and you will see what I mean."
"Temari" He called.
I snapped out of it, blinking a couple of times.
"Yeah, what?" I said a bit too mean that even the woman named Kurenai seems to look between me and Shikamaru with doubt written all over her face. I softened a bit, "Sorry" I said, with a embarrassed smile.
"Well, if you're ready I would like to introduce you to my parents now.
I smiled, inside I felt sick. It was normal right? To feel this way when you're about to meet the parents. But then I'm already married to him so they can't exactly say we couldn't be together.
********
Temari was in short mesmerized by the beauty she laid her eyes on. She was practically mobbed by Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino when Shikamaru simply pointed at her, gave a lop sided grin and waggled his eyebrows as if to merely annoy her and his mom.
"Shikamaru!" Temari and Yoshino yelled in unison.
Of course that made her closer to Yoshino more than ever and Shikamaru and Shikaku sharing a look of 'oh boy, troublesome times two'
"Ah, so you two have the same reaction." Shikamaru said.
"What do we have here, a blond beauty?" Shikaku said, Temari gasped. Shikamaru looked almost exactly like his father except for the scars and the age. The same people she'd seen in his room, particularly they didn't look like they aged much. Quite barely.
Temari was in short, in a few hours she met Shikamaru's parents, she was indeed welcomed.
She was a bit petrified when she found out they kept deers around, she wanted to actually scream but that wasn't like her. So, she casually walked up to one of them, a baby deer, thinking it was way harmless and way more adorable petted it, but then it pushed her with its head and she found herself landing on the grassy field where Shikamaru was pleasantly laying down watching the clouds.
"Is this what you do? Watch clouds?" Temari asked, frowning at her husband, again he was lazy.
"Are you going to say I'm a lazy ass?"
"Aren't you?"
He closed his eyes and sighed, he was relaxed.
"Of course I am, I'll be more relaxed if you keep quiet."
Well if that's how he likes it!
"Nara-"
"Nara again? I thought we're on the first names now."
"Lazy ass, ah much better." She chuckled.
Shikamaru opened his eyes to look at the blond beauty before him, he gave a lop sided grin.
"Tsk, you miss too much beauty if you don't stop and open your eyes."
Shikamaru pulled her closer to him and som how got her head resting on his chest, holding each other close. Temari looked up and was sort of...well, how can you explain the feeling when you watch clouds with someone you care about holding you close...open to each other...
Maybe because he doesn't know you really. I don't think he'll be open to you....after that...
"I don't want to miss the beauty anymore." Temari said softly after. "Actually, Shikamaru..."
Temari moved so she could face Shikamaru, she was looking down. She lightly touched Shikamaru's cheeks with her hands. She kissed him; it was a slow languid kiss they shared. And if anyone was an expert, the slow kisses are the most dangerous one because they truly show how much they care about each other.
"I want to...I need to..." She couldn't finish it. She pulled away suddenly sitting up, and pulling her legs toward her chest, her arms locked on it. Her chin resting on her knee, she felt very down.
She felt Shikamaru's arm behind her, and then his heat, he was next to her.
"See, Temari. I was never afraid to say how I feel. I want to always show that I feel for you. My feelings for you were never a secret." He said, she could almost see his lazy grin, but she didn't want to look at him to make sure it was there; merely she kept her gaze on the green grass.
"I said I like you before, but now...now it's different. Do I care for you? Yes, yes I do. Do I love you? Maybe. I can't be force to love you. And you can't force yourself to love me. I would never want that. I want us to be honest with each other; no I need us to be honest with each other."
"I never told you, I don't trust much anymore."
"Why?"
"Because when I did trust, it had hurt too much. Can you imagine...this hometown of mine, covered with dead bodies lying everywhere, people I know dead and...Everywhere there were splattered bloods of them..." He was having a hard time speaking and it just merely begun.
He cleared his throat and straightened his back.
"Orochimaru, he killed so many. His little gang people. They're the weirdest thing I ever seen. He tried to avoid death, because that's just not natural. It's a disruption of how life works, he would never succeed. He messed with the dead bodies, and animals and living people, his very own experiment. He was legendary here, one of the best, one of the strongest. I can never forgive him. I have this need to kill him. It's always around him and then Sasuke's brother, Itachi. This little town of mines, and every other town, they're distraction starts from within...they destroy their own kind."
"I don't understand..." Temari said.
"Orochimaru killed many lives, the stupid group he joined along with Akatsuki killed people I loved. Orochimaru messed with his own kind, us. Itachi...he murdered his own family..."
"...You..being different has to do with him..?"
Shikamaru looked at Temari and shooked his head.
"No, but it should be right? But it explains why I don't trust easily. If I trust you with everything, like my weakness, who to say you won't use it against me? I'm afraid of that...if I truly trust you Temari...it means I could..no...I am possibly falling in love with you...to be honest it would kill me if you ever do betray me..." Shikamaru said uneasily. "I am…"
Temari held her breath when Shikamaru said that.
He's falling for me...I'm...probably his weakness....
"And what are you?" She was not going to pursue the other subject. It was uncomfortable for both of them.
"My kind has been around for a long time, before Common Era sort of. Our people were one of the first one...we were wild, animalistic, couldn't really think properly. No humanity. But through time we progress. We're not vampires. Vampires love to suck blood-drink blood. We don't drink blood, we just crave it, crave the smell- we were sort of made as a weapon to kill. Weird right? So we're humans with animal like things or behavior-strength. I don't know. I mean isn't it obvious my family has that deer animal?"
"Since when does a deer have fangs?"
"Well that could be explained...no, I cannot explain that." Shikamaru replied. "I don't know what I need the fangs for considering I don't suck blood or bite people."
"Haha, maybe it's used to bite your mate to mark them." Temari joked.
They both laughed together and then frowned and then shook their head at that thought or before they could send their thoughts that way-causing them sexual stress and probably won't keep their hands off each other.
********
Temari was lying down on the bed. She was not with Shikamaru, not sleeping next to him at all. She couldn't sleep. After his almost dead she would not sleep until she was sure his nightmares would end, or to make sure he would wake up from them. Was he having one of his attacks?
He would yell his friends' name. Chouji and Naruto. Constantly it was this name, Asuma, and he would later follow it and say teacher... He would twist around and the way he had acted in his sleep, he was very afraid of it. Temari would try to wake him up but it was hard to get him out of it. So she hummed to him, and it had work, and he would wake up almost instantly after she stopped humming the tune- covered with sweat and out of breath and he was still lost. Lost to the world. In short blind for a moment because his eyes would look so pale even in the dark.
Thud!
"No! No! NO!" And then she heard him, his cries of pain and then him, just crying. They would get worse, they always do. Temari immediately stood up and went to his room, she has been walking to his room and back to her own the whole night trying to listen to Shikamaru sleeping quietly.
Shikamaru's mother Yoshino came out of the room looking worried.
"It's fine, I'll handle him." Temari said.
"But you don't-"
"He's my husband. He needs me. Go back to sleep," Temari cutted Yoshino off. And proceeded her journey to her husband's room.
When she reached it and closed the door behind her. She saw Shikamaru thrashing the covers. He was drowning-coughing-crying in pain it looked like. She went to him and talked to him but was answered-he was attacking her, yelling. Temari backed away and then took the chair near the bed, close and somehow managed to sit Shikamaru there and put his arms to the side and wraped him around with the covers tightly-like a cacoon.
"Hush, now Shikamaru. Don't be a cry baby." Temari said quietly. Kissing her husband's lips and she hummed to him again, he was quieting down. She sat on the floor and laid her head on his lap, still humming that tune that calms him down. This time around he fell quietly to sleep.
"I love you..." Temari softly whispered. A tear drop escaping her.
A couple of hours and it was dawn by then-Shikamaru woke up and looked around the room that was slightly lighted. He found Temari, her head laying on his lap-sitting down on the floor, her arms sort of around him, he noticed he was wrapped up.
"Temari...?"
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. Shikamaru mouth slightly opened. Sometimes he would truly catch moments of Temari being so like this, and they were so beautiful...everything about her...he can't help but need to love her...
"Thank you" Shikamaru said. "Thank you for not leaving me...and for coming to me."
Temari stood up and then leaned forward and kissed him.
"Shikamaru" She released the hold of the covers, he was now free to make a move.
"Temari," Their eyes locked on each other, dilated and hazy.
*************************
Oh hell yeah. Hate me now bitchies(jk, don't xD). Where WAS THAT LEADING TO????
-evil laughter- I make you wait, and don't give you much of answers...X'D
Oh yeah, when i said tem's part would be answered-it would be on the next chap of this...i gave Shika's town one chap and Tem's one chap-i think it was better that way. XD
Shows you what the important emergency between Temari and her brothers.
Shows you what the newlyweds, non-consummated marriage life would be.
It did show you those parts...you know temari and gaara having the talk.
And it does SHOWS you their non-consummated- cough- cough- marriage alot here. XD
twas adorable right? no? oh well u cant do nothing about that im the writer what i say goes.
Shows you what happened to Shikamaru.
Don't you dare lie to me and say it did not! XD it was at the start-...haha some part _;
explains you what Shikamaru is and what haunts him and hunts him.
The genius explained it what he is. -_- and thats all he could come up with? Can you blame him? He has nightmares for pete sakes. And he did talk about what haunts him and hunts him-honestly it was not easy for him to be open (he said to me, he needs more time with Temari). If not then you can just pick up the hints all over this chapter o you know me I never give straight answers. Gee, you all should know by now i am a confusing writer. (And its Shika's fault, he begged me for more time!!)
Type of Writer I am-Give Question-Answers with Questions- o.o;
What Temari is and how she saved Shika's life is next chapter. It be touchy touchy. With thrown humor here and there and questions everywhere. And nothing being solve. xD
Oh just a question...I never wrote a Lemon. So don't ask for one. Of course it wont happen, helloo?? Theyre at parents place xDD (bro reads this, bro will not allow, bro must go down neee? or noo? dnt hurt him tho, I love my bro ^^)
XD will you guys be happy with the-they did it-and thats it description??? Or no??
Are you gonna tell me I need to broaden my horizon? hahaha xDD
Do you guys forgive me for updating late? '_' This is a long chapter...and I was not happy with parts and re-did it. And put stuff for later chap. gomen-gomen
Love Always, Anne
P.S. '_' Ima head off to sleep. XD