Title: Tales of A Single Father: Shikamaru
Summary: We always hear about the single mother's raising their children in this indifferent world. But about the single fathers? Well Shikamaru has two growing troublesome daughters, but a beautiful blonde down the hall just may be the answer to his prayers.
Author: Bibliophile Nincompoop
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"When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough."
~Maurice Maeterlinck
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Chapter Five: Lost Loved Ones
Shikamaru pulled into his parking spot at the apartments, and slowly made his way into the looming building. Just from the short walk, his hair and jacket were soaking wet. His obsidian locks hung in his face, but he was to lazy to pull his warm hands from their place in his pants pockets. The lobby, was quite like always, the vintage red sofas and chairs looked like they belonged in a haunted house and the multi-colored carpet was enough to give you a throbbing headache. The elevator ride seemed to take forever, the dull smoke yellow light flickered while switching to the next floor. None of this bothered him, he was more worried about the ear full he was going to get from 'that woman'.
Shikamaru bypassed his apartment door and went straight to 5c, he lingered in front of the door reading a sign written in red and blue crayon. 'No bois awowd' the sign read, Shikamaru knew off the bat that it was Kaiko's handy work. The hard part was understanding it. It took him a minute for the words to click 'No boys allowed'. Well that didn't stop him from listening in on their conversation, though if he were caught... Oh well, he was already in trouble.
The obsidian haired man leaned in and pressed his ear against the cold wood; he could barely make out the words, but his genius mind could decipher the mumbles.
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"My dad isn't that bad." Sora sighed, sipping loudly from the hot chocolate from her mug. "He can be completely oblivious, lazy, and embarrassing; but he's really good to us."
"Kaiko loves daddy," She spread her arms open, "this much!"
Temari shook her head, "I know, I can see that but I still can't believe he left you in the rain like that."
"He gets busy with school." The older girl frowned, "Didn't your dad ever pick you up late?"
"My father never picked me up from school." The blonde answered.
"Your mommy?" Kaiko asked scooting closer to her older woman's warmth.
"My mom died when I was four, while giving birth to my youngest brother." Temari felt a bit uncomfortable where this conversation was leading, this was supposed to be a 'girl' talk with Sora. Now it was becoming a biography on her life.
"Like Kaiko's mommy." The tiny girl sipped her coco through her pink bendy straw.
Temari quirked an eyebrow at the question, looking to Sora for an answer. She smiled weakly, "Our mom died giving birth to Kaiko."
"I'm sorry." Temari instantly replied. She knew how difficult it was to have the person you love most in the world ripped away from you, it had happened many times to her.
Kaiko's straw sucked the bottom of the cup making a loud slurping noise, so Temari grabbed the two girls cups and refilled them. She listened to the girls whispering in the other room, then would follow a few giggles. Temari couldn't help but smile, it was nice to have someone to occupy her time. When she walked into the room, the mugs fell from her shaking hands; shattering on impact.
Both girl's heads swung around as the blonde gaped in horror at the youngest girl. Her voice came out angry, yet like she was on the verge of tears. "Kaiko where did you find that?"
"Kaiko got bored." Her big caramel eyes stared at the children's book in her hands, as if she wished she'd never found it. She pointed to a box full of boxes, "Kaiko found it in there."
Temari bit her quivering lip, she felt scorching tears falling down her face. She couldn't help it.
"Kaiko is sorry, Kaiko put it back." The little girl ran over to the box, but the blonde swooped her up and sat on the sofa.
"No, I'm sorry." Temari wiped her tears away, "I just didn't know I still had that."
"Why do you have a baby book?" Sora asked, standing from her spot on the floor to take a seat next to Temari.
The blonde sighed, "It's my son's book."
"Miss. Temari has a baby?" Kaiko beamed, but her smile faded when the blonde let go a few rouge tears.
She shook her head no, "My son died five years ago, he was two."
There was a small silence before the younger one asked, "Where's the daddy?"
"He died too." Temari breathed deeply, trying to collect her composure. "It was a rainy day just like this, and we got in an accident. They both died."
"They went to heaven, with Kaiko and Sora's mommy." Kaiko hugged Temari's waist, nuzzling her head on the blonde's chest.
Temari was never a religious person, she'd never taken the time out of her life to really contemplate the whole 'god' thing. She never cared how she got here, only that she was, and she'd make the best of it. But thinking of her boys she would believe for them, hope and pray that they are somewhere better, though her selfish heart wanted them with her. To hold them both once more, to them that she loved them more than more than anything in the entire cosmos.
Temari smiled through the new found tears streaming down her face, "Kaiko, you can keep this book, it was my favorite growing up and it was my son's favorite too."
"Thank you." Came her sweet muffled voice.
The blonde turned to Sora who, too, was holding back the floodgates building in her onyx eyes. "Sora?"
"It's so hard." She sobbed, her tears falling without warning. "I miss her so much." Temari wrapped her free arm around the shaking girl, "I have no one to talk to anymore, to do stupid girly things with. I miss her smell, her smile, her voice. Sometimes I feel like I forgetting her, and I can't stand to loose anymore than I have!"
"I know," Temari rubbed Sora's arm and resting her chin on her charcoal locks. "you'll never forget her, trust me. Though she may fade, the love you have for her will always be there. And the her love will be in you forever."
They stayed like that for thirty minutes, Sora just releasing all her emotions into Temari's shoulder. Kaiko had fallen asleep some time ago, and was now making Temari's left arm severely numb. The blonde got up from her spot on the couch and laid the bundle in her arms on her bed. Kaiko rolled into a ball, like a rolli polli, and continued to sleep. When she came back into the room, Sora was wiping up the cold coco from the floor and cautiously gathering the shards of glass.
"Let me do that." Temari got on her knees, taking the glass and the wash cloth and finishing the cleaning.
"Temari." Sora called, forgetting formalities. The blonde turned after throwing away the glass, "Thank you."
Temari chuckled and grinned wickedly, "Oh I am not done."
"Oh no, what?" The flaxen haired girl, began to walk away.
"I saw how you looked at Tamaki today." Temari waggled her eyebrows, "You're not even discrete with the fact you like him."
Sora's face turned tomato red, waving her hands in front of her defensively. "We're just friends! That's it!"
"What a load of crap." The blonde smirked, plopping back down on the couch. "How long have you liked him?"
"Since last year..." She whispered, her face getting even darker.
"He's really cute," Temari patted the spot next to her, silently telling the girl to sit next to her. "and intelligent."
"He's perfect." Sora sighed, "But he doesn't like girls like me."
"Why not? You're beautiful, smart, down-to-earth but still peppy." Temari reassured. "His friends are just a bunch of dopey losers, but he's the diamond of the bunch."
"His friends make fun of me, because I'm not like all the other girls." Sora offered. The older woman was genuinely happy that Sora was letting her in, but Temari was still unsure if she should really be continuing with this. It could end badly.
"I like the fact that you're not like the others." The blonde said, "You're not a big ball baby who cries when she breaks a nail, or ruins her brand new designer clothes. You are Sora, and any boy who cant see how amazing you are, can go flirt with Malibu barbie. But Tamaki likes you, give it time he'll come around."
Temari looked at the clock, "I'm going to see if your father is here so I can yell at him. If you want something to eat or drink, go for it, make yourself at home."
The blonde opened the door, and gasped when she saw Shikamaru standing there. His eyes were red, flaxen hair laid askew, he flat out looked like wreck. He reached past her and closed the door. Temari jabbed her finger into his chest, "Now Nara! I-"
He grabbed her and pulled her lithe figure close to his own, his strong arms seemed to squeeze the life right from her yet made her feel more alive then ever before. She found her arms encircling him, resting her head on his damp chest. She felt a soft sob come from his chest, and her own heart lurched into her throat.
"Thank you." Shikamaru's deep rugged voice whispered into her ear.
"I'm still going to yell at you."
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I'm sorry, I am just in a sad mood, so all of this turned out sad. :'''''(
But here we are, another chapter.