Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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As expected, there was vicious gossip when word got out about Temari's new residence, courtesy of Ino, who decided that this was exciting news after Chouji accidentally leaked it to her. This drove Shikamaru nuts. Of all things, his best friend had to spill the beans. He would probably never trust anybody else again.
Nah, he was getting too paranoid.
Get rid of her, a voice in his head seemed to say.
She's too troublesome to have around woman'll screw your life up.
'' Isn't it already? '' he thought. She was convenient to have around, and kept him company. He could not bear to tell her to get out of his apartment. He would have to bear with all the attention focused on him now, while trying not to go into depression again.
Wait, depression?
He was not an angsty, depressed sod anymore. Why didn't he notice that? And he'd pretty much given up on alcohol. Her fault, he guessed.
He needed to find out a bit more about how word got around, so ,sulking in his bedroom, he decided to lie down, take a deep breath, and call Chouji. The Nara certaintly wasn't in the mood to get out of the house to meet his ,um, 'husky' friend in person. Besides, he might get mobbed by other nosy parker acquaintances and friends if he moved an inch out of his apartment.
Troublesome. 'Pudgy' better answer the damn call.
Slowly, he punched in the number, held the receiver to his ear and listened to the ringing of the dial-tone. A couple of seconds passed, then he sat upright and cleared his throat.
Where's TW2 anyway? Haven't seen her since I woke up. Didn't even leave me breakfast , too. Hmph.
''Hello? Shikamaru?'' crackled a familiar voice from the other end of the phone.
''Expecting Shino?'' the slimmer male replied sarcastically. Chouji could hear the faint tapping of his friend's rugged fingers on the receiver. Knowing him, it meant , in Shika—speak ( for lack of a better name): 'You've really screwed me up this time and I'm waiting for an explanation.'
Ooh, boy was he in trouble.
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''.....a Freudian slip, you say?''
Chouji nodded at the other end of the phone line. Shikamaru's eyebrows knitted. Having known his friend for years, he knew that the chubby one was usually extremely careful not to spill any of the secrets told to him, no matter how much someone,especially Ino,probed him.
He had ended the call soon after, choosing to believe his friend's excuse.
As he entered the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, Shikamaru saw something he did not expect.
A cat.
There was a large ball of long, thick, black and white fur on the counter, eating sardines off a napkin. The feline looked up to stare at him with large, pleading emerald eyes.
''Meow.''
The thing was, Shikamaru did not like cats. They were like women to him—willful, stubborn, fussy and troublesome. Temari must have brought the little guy in, although said woman was nowhere to be seen. That was, until the front door clicked open.
Speak of the devil.
''Oh. Hey there, Nakimushi,'' the woman greeted him,''I see you've met Futeki.''
He blinked.
''Futeki? As in 'fearless'?''
She nodded and set her bags of groceries next to the feline, who sniffed at them eagerly. Temari scratched it behind the ears before she removed a tin of cat food from a bag, set it on the counter, and put everything else in the cabinets and refridgerator. Shikamaru folded his arms, scowled and started to tap his foot on the tiled kitchen floor.
''I'm waiting. You better have a good explanation for this.''
Temari smiled.
''Well, I saw the little guy facing off against a rottweiler. I managed to save it, but its tail was injured,'' she explained, pointing to a bandage she had wrapped around said feline's appendage. It purred, leapt off the counter and rubbed its head on the woman's leg, then hissed at Shikamaru when he tried to kick it away from his own leg. Temari glared at him, annoyed, then picked the animal up.
''Jeez, this is my house, woman,'' sighed the male, rubbing his forehead with his right middle and index finger, '' you can't just bring critters as and when you like in here. I don't own an animal shelter, you know.''
''I know,'' she replied, stroking the cat's back,''I'll let him go later. Meanwhile, I'd like to give him a little love. The only pets I've ever had were plants, and plants can't pur.''
''What about that freaky talking one eyed weasel of yours?'' ,the man did not like how the creature in his roommate's arms kept staring at him with eyes uncannily like said roommate.
"Kamatari's not freaky, and I can't just summon him for a chat, you know? He hates it."
Then she sneezed. Oh right, Temari's nose was sensitive to fur.
Wait, what?
"Stupid woman, you're allergic!" he hurriedly snatched the now angry feline from her, "how much more dumb could you be?!"
Futeki attempted to scratch his face, but was unsuccessful as he held it by the scruff of the neck and headed towards the front door. The woman pursued him, but was too late. He set the cat down at the top of a flight of stairs, nudged it with his foot, and prompted it to dash off to freedom. Satisfied as the cat disappeared from sight, he brushed his sleeves with his hands smugly. Temari heard a comment from the floor below them as she watched Shikamaru saunter back to the apartment. Something like an old lady remarking on how cute Futeki was and that she would call it Tsugumi, unaware that the cat was male.
Guess she couldn't have it her way all the time, could she?
As she headed to the bathroom to brush off all the fur left on her dress, Temari heard her 'landlord' calmly demand,
"Starving. Food. Now."
She smirked in mock surrender.
"Go eat the leftover cat food."
"Hey!"
Women, the ungrateful creatures. He just saved her from a week of sneezing, coughing and a running nose. Why did the stupid female go bring a cat back home when she was allergic? She should be thanking him for saving her.
Okay, now I sound like a superhero for 'saving' her. But who cares?
Was she serious about the cat food? He had just got his paycheck for a mission and he could just spend a little of it on takeout, but he intended on saving for a rainy day. He was too lazy to head to the shop to order anyway. Ten minutes passed, and still no food in sight as he flipped through the channels on television.
Boring, boring and …even more boring. His mind needed stimulation. A game of shougi, perhaps, but no bets. Where did Temari get a hold of a pink apron anyway? He turned to look at the kitchen, hoping the woman would be hard at work preparing whatever she had planned for him to ingest. Instead, he found her lying on her side on the kitchen floor, her back to him. Panicked, he jumped off the couch and dashed over to shake her still body as he knelt beside her. There was movement as she started to wheeze, eyes closed as if in pain. Grabbing the telephone, he dialed for Sakura.
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Mind stimulated enough now? A sarcastic voice rang in his head as he stood, fingers fidgeting, before the blonde woman lying on his couch and the cherry blossom haired female examining the former, who was breathing heavily.
"She's fine now, just needed rest," Sakura finally got up. Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief as he watched his companion. Eyes closed, her breathing slowed to a steady pace after the medical ninja had rendered aid. The pink haired one explained that she had an allergic reaction, and that that reaction had complicated and affected her respiratory system. He turned to the one on the couch.
"Hate to say it," he smirked, "but told ya so. Yet another reason not to bring animals in here."
She scowled and childishly stuck her tongue out at him in defiance. He was too lazy to react.
"However, there is one thing I noted," Sakura held a gloved finger up, "Temari-san has a weakened immune system. That's why the reaction was so strong. If you're going to let her live with you, Shikamaru," she glared at him, eyes narrowed, "you had better take good care of her. Or I will personally come rip the hair from your scalp."
He gave a nervous laugh as his companion grinned in silent mirth, before he showed the pink haired one to the door and thanked her for treating Temari. Sakura was not the type to break a promise.
"Hear that?" Temari slowly sat up, coughing slightly, teal eyes bright in amusement, "You'll have to take good care of me."
She had figured that she would have to be the one taking care of Shikamaru when she first arrived at his humble abode, the exact reason she had come in the first place. She had wanted to, no, needed to feel needed, to alleviate the sense of loneliness that overcame her whenever she returned from work in Konoha to an empty hotel room.
Gaara and Kankuro had their own lives now. And she no longer saw them at home very often after returning from a mission, because now they lived apart, each brother having wanted to be independent. She had told them it was a good thing, but she did not realize the impact it made on her emotional health. When they left, a sense of helplessness had overcome her. Watching them walk out the door to their new homes and hearing the rolling of the wheels of the suitcases they dragged with them frightened her. They only had each other for family, long orphaned, but now that bond they shared was slowly growing weaker, thinner. The woman feared one day, it would all snap, then boom, family no more.
Until then, she looked at staying over at Shikamaru's place as an opportunity for escapism, to tear her away from the stark reality that her family may no longer be. They didn't need her anymore, but when Ino told her on her last visit that her friend's apartment and he needed care, she had an idea.
He needed care, and she needed to feel needed. It was perfect. He didn't need to know, and she got what she wanted, easy.
"Here."
Shikamaru had opened a can of soup and prepared it for her, setting the bowl on the coffee table before the kunoichi.
"I'm no doctor, but I read that a weak immune system may be caused by stress and lack of sleep, and I know you've been through plenty of both, so that's why you're in this mess. Drink up, but be careful, it's hot. Oh, what the heck."
He sat down on the edge of the couch and scooped a little of the liquid with a spoon before turning to her.
"Say 'aah'," he muttered, feeling silly. Temari guessed the genius had misinterpreted 'take good care of her' as 'treat her like a spoilt five year old'. It felt patronizing, but she opened her mouth and let him spoon-feed her for fun. After he'd blown on the spoon, of course, he didn't want to burn her tongue. That man could really surprise her sometimes. At least no one was watching this embarrassing situation.
"Weren't you the one complaining about being hungry just now, Nakimushi?" she gave him an innocent look. He smiled.
"Like the old rule says, ladies first, you troublesome woman."
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A/N: I know, its been a long time, but sadly I don't think the duration between each upload will be getting any shorter. I apologize for that. Meanwhile, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed (like Rohain Tahquil, she's been very kind) and a schoolmate of mine. She's not a fan of Naruto but she's read every fanfiction script I've written this year(not spoiling it for you guys, but I've actually long written the last chapter of She's Stayin Over).
I hope you guys enjoyed this story and I'd appreciate a review :)