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
Love, free as air at sight of human ties,
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies.
~Alexander Pope
--
Chapter Seven: Shut Up
Temari didn't realize how much she had missed her brothers till now, watching them laugh and joke around, it was like their childhood all over again... well the good parts of it at least.
"So what about this guy across the hall?" Kankuro asked munching on the chips his sister had set on the table.
Temarieyed him questionably, "Shikamaru? He's just a neighbor."
"You invited him over for dinner." Gaara stated, watching his sister squirm uncomfortably.
"We have dinner together sometimes." Liar, you have dinner with him every night. "He's just a friend. I have his daughter in one of my classes."
Kankuro nodded buying into her story, but Gaara stared at her with his blank teal eyes. "His children seem to like you."
The blonde smiled brightly, "Yeah, they are great those two. Kaiko is just a bundle of love and smiles, and Sora well she reminds me a lot of myself except more feminine."
"Any girl is more girlie than you, hell, there are tons of boys more girlie than you." The brunette chuckles were cut of short by his sister smothering him the couch pillow. They wrestled around, eventually falling off the sofa onto the wood floors. Temari put her much larger brother into an arm bar, smiling maniacally while he cried out in pain. "I give! I give!"
"No matter how buff you get, I'll always beat you." Temari said triumphantly sitting back down in her chair. "Little brother."
Kankuro huffed, glaring at her with a pout resting on his lips. "It's just because you're a girl, and I can't hit you."
"You just said she wasn't a girl." The redhead offered, in his sister's defence.
"Wha?" The brunette gawked, "No I didn't! I just said she isn't much of a girl." His sister's face turned dark and menacing, he panicked stuttered out words. "I mean, you don't act like a girl! No! No! I mean you don't act like a girlie girl!"
Gaara just sighed watching the two roll on the floor, pulling hair and taking cheap shots. "Why am I the only normal one?" Kankuro and Temari stopped mid punch to stare at their brother, and simultaneously burst out in gut wrenching laughter. The redhead scratched the back of his head nervously, "Not counting my childhood."
A sharp knock at the door, interrupted them from their new found laughter. "Your Highness," came a gruff typical body guard voice, "some pressing matters have occurred, we must return to Suna immediately."
"What!?" Kankuro screamed increduously. Yes his sister was a royal pain, but seeing her for seven hours inthe past three years wasn't enough. "You can't be serious! We practically just got here!"
Gaara scowled at the floor but reluctantly rose to his feet, "I'm sorry sister, but being Kazekage comes with responsibilities."
She crossed the distance seperating them, a small sadden smile gracing her lips. She enveloped him in her arms and squeezed tightly. "I understand. Visit me again soon."
"This is bullshit!" Kankuro still went on raving. "I can't believe this is happening, our family is cursed!"
"Kankuro." Temari's scolding voice went icy. "Shut the hell up and hug me goodbye, you big oaf."
Soon his large crushing arms were around her, squeezing the life out of her in his ever so famous bear hug. She watched her brothers leave, with a heavy weight on her heart. She wondered if this is how they felt when she left, when she got out of the royal life. When they watched her leave them for her new family, it must have killed them. She was practically their mother, though none of them would say it aloud, it was almost like a silent agreement between the three of them. But they knew she wanted to get out, needed to in fact. She was next in line for the throne, and the creepy Daimyou was waiting for her hand. Temari wouldn't let that fly, especially when she was in love with a penniless university student. His part time job was at a greenhouse, he tended to all the different plant life and in Suna that much color in one area was like heaven. That, of course, was were he proposed to her only five months of dating. But she accepted nevertheless, it was love.
In actuallity, the only reason she wanted this job in Konoha was due to him. He always talked about moving to Konoha, "where it is always green" he use to say all the time. But when the baby had come, they had to use their savings in order to get by. But they were happy. No amount of jewels, fame, or elegant gowns could bring that much happiness.
"Cursed..." Temari whispered, as she slumped down against the paint-chipped wall next to the elevator.
Yes, it did seem that the Sabuko's were cursed. First her mother dies, giving birth. Second, her father due to assassination. Third and Fourth, her husband and son. Even Kankuro was married at one time, but she didn't even make it a year into the marriage before dieing. Her entire family lineage had similar stories, but people who married in always died first. Temari looked back at apartment 5e, she could picture those two girls driving Shikamaru insane inside. It made her chuckle. But maybe it was best if the charade stopped, for all she knew, they would be next. She could never let those girls get hurt, not even the lazy ass.
She checked her small silver watch on her left wrist, 5:25. She stood up, brushing off the invisible dust from her jeans and went to make dinner. Temari rummaged through her cabinets, and managed to scrounge up nothing, zip zilch nada. Her teal eyes caught sight of a few cans of soup, and shrugged her shoulders. Cheating never hurt.
She threw six cans of claim chowder into a large pot, and began to make her 'home cooked meal'. She pulled out the already made garlic bread from the bread box, and tossed it in the oven to warm up. Maybe it was fortunate her brothers went home, she would never hear the end of it if the boys had seen the typical life of a single woman. Canned soup and pre-made garlic bread, at least they wouldn't question if it was edible.
At six sharp, two seperate musical knocks sounded from the front door and two seperate giggles following them.
"Come on in, it's open."
Sora and Kaiko rounded the corner, but their cheerful smiles faded quickly. "Were is Kankuro and Gaara?"
Shikamaru was next to come into sight, his face seemed hard at first but when they locked eyes his eyes softened. Was it that obvious that she hurt that much? Temari forced on a fake smile, "They had to go home, important business to attend to."
The man walked up behind her, grabbing four glasses from the upper cupboard. His voice just low enough for just her to hear, "Are you alright?" She nodded yes. "We need to speak after dinner." She nodded yes, again. He spoke up, so that his children could hear. "What does everyone want to drink?"
"Tea." Temari grunted, lifting the heavy pot over to the table.
"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru sighed, "you could have asked for help."
She glared back at him, "What do you think I am? Helpless?"
"You're a woman still, you should be getting the drinks and I," he said jabbing his thumb into his chest, "should be doing the heavy lifting."
Temari put her a delicate hand on his chest, feeling the taught muscles underneath it. "I was just thinking about you 'darling' and how 'troublesome' it would be for you to actually do something difficult."
The girls giggled and Shikamaru just scowled, "I deal with you everyday, that's as troublesome as it gets."
"Same to you Nara."
"Girls? Drinks?" The man groaned, just realizing that he was outnumbered. He lived in the sea of estrogen, the female sex always seemed to overrule and complicate his life.
"I'll have tea too." Sora smiled, watching as the blonde woman served her dish.
"Kaiko wants milk."
Shikamaru dug through the fridge and grabbed out the jug of ice tea and milk, pouring tea into three of the cups and milk into Kaiko's designated pink Barbie sippy cup. Temari stood up, her chair screeching slightly as she pushed it back. She grabbed two of the cups from him and put them on the table, then procuring the bread from the oven.
They ate in silence, Temari had to contain the fits of laughter when the yums and so goods were murmured after a few bites. If only they knew.
After a while, they had finished eating and the dishes were cleaned and leftovers were sent over to Shikamaru's with the girls. Leaving just the two of them. Shikamaru had sat there on the couch quiet as ever, his gaze never leaving the floor. At first it scared her, it was almost as if he was going to tell her some kind of bad news. That was the last thing she needed to hear, and his face was so solemn that it made worry well up in her heart. But after ten minutes, it just became flat out annoying.
The blonde growled, shooting up from her seat making her way into the kitchen. "You're wasting my time, why don't you just-"
Temari gasped as his hands pushed her shoulders into the wall behind her, his touch wasn't soft and gentle as she knew it. It was forceful and enraged. The smoldering obsidian depths of his eyes, made her body shiver. "Why did you lie to me?"
His voice sounded like a jealous lover, angry and vicious. It didn't frighten her, but sent her body into overdrive, warmth flooding into areas were it hadn't in a long time. "I haven't lied to you."
"Woman, tell me who you are." His angular face leaned dangerously towards her own.
"I'm Sabaku no Temari, the denounced princess of Suna." She breathed, her own breath becoming ragged. Her cheeks felt like someone doused them with gasoline and set them aflame. "Currently living an average life as an underpaid History and English teacher, wanting nothing more than a normal life. But you know all that already, right?"
"This is anything but normal." He said gruffly.
She nodded, subconsciously licking her lips. "Yeah, it's almost like a romance novel except without gods, vampires, and Scottish men in kilts."
"What would the male antagonist do if he was in the female antagonist's house in a precarious position?" He asked with a slight smirk.
"In a typical romance novel?" She asked huskily, he nodded. His lean body pressing even closer her own. "He'd carry her off to the bedroom, and pleasure her senseless for hours on end."
"That sounds like work." He sighed, failing to force back his wicked smile.
"Just shut up and kiss me." She grabbed the back of his neck forcing his lips to crash upon hers.
Many hours later...
Temari and Shikamaru laid on the bed, panting heavily, with the thin white sheet haphazardly covering their naked bodies. Temari's curvy body wrapped around his long lanky figure, his face buried deep within her golden locks.
Shikamaru kissed the top of her head, "Good thing tomorrow is Sunday."
A/N:Well, how long has it been? A bit too long if I do say so myself. But tah dah!!!! Here is a brand spanking new episode, I almost wish I had rated this M I had to delete alot of the paragraph because I got a little carried away. But I am secretly working on another story, but won't be posting it till it's completely finished.