SUMMARY:
They have to decide. They need to decide soon. They need to choose who will give it all away for the other. With Kurenai constantly reliant on Shikamaru to raise her son, and Temari constantly busy with her position in Suna, the pair realise the decision will not be easy. To have a happy life with each other, one of them will have to sacrifice so much... But who will be willing to do it? Or better yet, who will ask the other to do it for them?
Author's Note: This chapter is very, establishing storyline-ish. The next chapter goes back to some fluff and romance~
WARNINGS
NaruHina- Its spoke about and they will have a part later on.
NejiTen- This contains massive spoilers for those of you who aren't up to date with the manga, also it's quite sad and will be focussed on more later on.
SasuSaku- If you really, really squint then its there, just not very obvious... Though that may change. Actually, it probably will change.
Thank you all so so much for the reviews! I'm sorry for the delay, I've been ill recently.
R&R! I love to know what you think~
I'm struggling to choose between SaiIno and ChoIno at the moment, I'm really struggling, so feel let me know which you prefer.
"I don't get what the big deal is! We got to Konoha safely, your Team have introduced Temari's team to all the others and they've blended in smoothly, I just don't understand why you're still angry at me!"Naruto whined loudly, kicking back on his chair as a lazy breeze rolled through his office. He was putting off a mountain of paperwork that his wonderful wife had organised for him, the sweet little thing she was. Thankfully she had sorted out the whole thing for him, all that was required of him was to sign off some reports, read through the gathered intelligence from the other Kage's and matching up the next teams. Hinata had sent off the chunin exam forms, Hinata had listed all his other forms in alphabetical order, Hinata was the one who had left the brightly coloured post-it notes to remind him to fill out the forms, which was what he was supposed to be conquering at that precise moment.
"She won't speak to me. Naruto it's been three days and she's not said a word to me. She's speaking to Choji and Ino but not me. I don't know what to do!" The dark haired Nara growled loudly, pacing at the entrance of the hokage office.
"Just let her cool down!" Naruto exhaled for the thirteenth time, across the last few days. The usually lazy and not bothersome in the slightest nin hadn't stopped his out of character worrying for three days.
"I've let her calm down and it's not changed anything, I need a plan and you're meant to be helping me!"
"Ah... I guess I could close off the water baths."
"How is that meant to help me?" Shikamaru roared.
"Listen okay! Look, when I was being really stupid once and non treating Hinata right I closed off the water baths, got Sakura to invite her there secretly. I had the place done up for the occasion, all rose petals and candles placed everywhere. I had it locked down once she came in, apologised my butt off and she forgave me. " Naruto sighed loudly, and evidently from his face he began to recall a thought which he had not wanted to recall.
"That was the night she went wasn't it?" Shikamaru murmured.
"Who?" Naruto replied, blatantly distracted by thoughts.
"Sakura, she left that night didn't she?"
Naruto nodded begrudgingly.
"Has there been any word on..."
"He promised me to keep her safe. I'll keep searching for her, but I know he'll keep her safe. Now if you don't mind Shikamaru, I have work to finish. I'll close off the water baths for you tonight. Get one of the girls to invite her out and ask them to decorate the place for you."
"Thanks Naruto." Shikamaru turned to the exit and began a brisk walk.
"Oh and Shika?"
He froze, spinning on his heels to face his blonde friend."Yes?"
"Don't screw it up ya know? I can't do this all the time."
"Yoshino? Are you home?" Temari called loudly through the busy Nara complex. The rest of the clan smiled warmly at her and nodded their greetings as the blonde waited outside a simplistic house. "It's Temari." The wooden door burst open and Temari was wrapped into the arms of a brown haired woman. Temari laughed and placed her arms on the woman's back, holding onto her tightly.
"You've been here for two days and this is the first time you see me!" The woman scolded gently.
"Hey I've been busy! I have a team now you know!" Temari laughed again, breaking away from the woman to look at her properly. Yoshino Nara had small wrinkles around her eyes, the only thing that truly showed her age other the thin grey streaks through her brown locks. He eyes were still kind and gentle though Temari knew that she could be ferocious at times.
"Tsume is round for tea, you and Kankuro are free to join us." She smiled warmly at the sand siblings who both had amused smiles on their lips. "But where is my lazy ass son?"
"Sulking somewhere no doubt." Kankuro snorted, only to yelp as the woman struck his head sharply. "Ow! Yoshino!"
"I told you I see you as my son, Kankuro, so if you speak ill of someone I will deal with you like I deal with Shikamaru. "
"Damn... Sorry Yoshino." He whined, holding his head before suddenly being hugged by his assailant.
"It's okay my little puppet master." She smiled. "Now come, I'll make you both lunch. We all know they don't feed you right in Suna."
"Yes Ma'am" The two siblings smirked.
"You want us to decorate the water baths with flowers for Temari?" Tenten frowned, looking up at the dark eyed man who stood in front of their group. Ino sat to her left, Hinata sat to her right. Next to Hinata was Kurenai and next to Ino was Hana Inazuka, who had joined them for their weekly coffee mainly because of her frustrating brother and mother.
"That's what I asked, yes." Shikamaru sighed.
"I'm guessing you want this as a freebee from my shop?" Ino smirked, her team mate nodded in exasperation. "And you want us to pretend it's a girls thing so she'll actually attend."
"Yes woman, now will you help me."
"Shikamaru, please will you go see Kasai after this? He's been asking for you." Kurenai asked softly, despite the innocence of the request, Shikamaru shot her a frustrated glare.
"I need to sort out my marriage first." Shikamaru snapped.
"You're actually getting married now! Woo!" Ino squealed. "I better be bridesmaid Shika, or I swear!"
"Shut up!" Shikamaru growled, it seemed that one of those very frequent moments where he was openly grateful for his Fiancé's lack of what she calls 'girl problems' was happening. Usually at these times Temari would tell the women to 'Stop freaking out' her man which would cause the women to coo at her. "We won't be getting married at all, so would you please help me."
And thankfully, before any of the women could interject, Tenten, the voice of reason spoke up. She smiled sweetly, with her glassy brown orbs looking at him widely. "You can count on us, we'll sort it all out, all you have to do is be there at seven.
"I'll beat that boy so fiercely when I see him!" Yoshino growled, her tea cup quivering in her shaking hands. Temari nodded, exhaling air quietly. "His father would never even dare to use that technique on me... Temari I-..." She trailed off as a bark was heard from Kuromaru, the spar between Kankuro and Tsume was hitting another level at the start of the Nara forest, the poison needles were out.
"Do you miss him?"
"Hm?"
"Do you miss Shikaku?"
"Of course I do," Yoshino smiled kindly, "I miss him every day. I wish I could have told him how much I loved him before he went to that war, but it does no one good still living in the past. Shikaku wouldn't stand for his son doing this. I know those Nara are work, and though they can understand everything around them they are completely useless when it comes to women. You've got to talk to him about it Temari."
"I can't even face him, Yoshino I can't even face him. I wouldn't know what to say." She sighed, liquids threatened to fall past her dark lashes.
"Temari..." The dark haired woman stood up from her chair and walked behind the blonde. Yoshino Nara wrapped her hands around the fragile woman's neck to have her hold onto her aged hands. "I know I'm not really your mother, and that your mother was a wonderful person, but the fact that you're so cut up about this means you won't let him go. I'm not saying this because I'm his mother, I'm saying this because you two have something special that's stronger than just this."
"Thanks Yoshino... And you know that-..."
"TEMARI! HOW DARE YOU BE HERE FOR TWO DAYS AND NOT COME HAVE A GIRLS NIGHT OUT!" A shrill voice roared through the town.
"That girl... So troublesome." Yoshino sighed, turning around and placing her hands on her hips now. "Ino Yamanaka, would you like to walk back out of my home and walk back in with the volume down?"
"S-Sorry Yoshino, but do you mind if we steal Temari?" Tenten smiled behind her loud friend. "We've not seen her in a long time..."
"Hmph, Temari do you want to go with these girls?" Yoshino frowned sceptically.
"I didn't hear them ask me." Temari uttered.
"Please, please Temari!" Ino whined, making her eyes wide and innocent.
"We've got high calorie snacks and alcohol." Tenten added softly.
"...Fine."
"Why are you dressing me up so much for the water baths?" Temari regarded the surrounding women with suspicion. She was sat in the centre of the room, the only one completely ready. Hinata was doing her make up on Ino's vanity mirror. Tenten was re-doing her hair and Ino was bowed down in front of Temari, giving the sand nin a well needed pedicure.
"We're all dressing up for it, so we can have some pictures." Ino smiled, though the sand nin didn't quite believe her friends. They had straightened her hair to make it frame her face gently, she wore a simplistic long carmine dress. It dipped low and flashed a view of her cleavage without making her look too slutty. It was made a soft material which looked almost like a second skin, unbelievably thin and caressed the contours of her frame perfectly. It fell to her ankles when she stood, however in this sitting position it lay in a clump underneath her chair.
And it had only taken three hours to find.
Temari was more than okay with not dressing up, but the two annoying kunouchi wouldn't let her get away with just that, of course not. Eventually Hinata had joined them and the four of them were all helping each other to get ready.
"It seems so pointless..." Temari sighed. "Give me some alcohol at least." Hinata dubiously handed her a large bottle of colourless liquid, the hardened drinker took a deep gulp and gasped quietly when the substance burned her throat. "Ahk. When was the last time we all went out?"
"A year and a half? It was the five of us..." Hinata trailed off as the room became silent.
"Has anyone heard from Saku-"Temari began but Ino silenced her.
"No. We don't want to either, that girl just left us." The usually upbeat Yamanaka went deadly serious. The other three girls were left in an awkward silence, none of them wanting to turn their backs on the strawberry haired girl whom they had all loved like a sister, none of them wanting to question why Ino was so harsh about it, they just let the unspoken words hang in the air horridly.
"Uhm, guys?" Hinata smiled. "It's almost seven and Tenten and I need to visit the graveyard either before or after we go to the baths."
"What for?" Temari snorted, though it was most likely the alcohol making her bluntness filter weak, she had learnt not to be so blunt around the fragile nin of Konoha, the only ones who could take it was Ino and Sakura, and even then they sometimes became hurt.
"Neji." Tenten whispered softly. "We've got to lay some new flowers today, right Nata-chan?"
"Right, so if you don't mind, we'll head there now." Hinata smiled, linking arms with the brown haired kunouchi and exiting Ino's apartment with the soft click of a lock.
"Since when did they get close?" Temari questioned, Ino shrugged as she finished the last toenail.
"After the war, Tenten was devastated. She never told Neji how she felt, she didn't see the need to and his death was so... So sudden. She went into a breakdown for about three years, none of us could get through to her, even Lee couldn't cheer her up. Then one day, Hinata, who was heavily pregnant, came to talk with her. She had talked with her father and invited Tenten to the Hyuga complex. No one actually knows what went on but Tenten and her have been close ever since. Tenten has been fine since."
"Oh..." Temari felt inexplicably sad for the bright eyed weapon mistress.
"It's kinda sweet,if you think about it, that she doesn't even think about anyone else. She doesn't want to have kids or get married, she's just living life until she meets him again."
"You've gone all poetic Ino." Temari laughed, pulling back a strand of Ino's fringe. "What happened to my favourite Konoha kunouchi?"
"I'm your favourite?" Ino exploded, her smile coming back as she leapt up, lunged forward and tackled Temari into a hug, knocking her off her chair.
"Yeah yeah, just don't tell the others." Temari laughed, pushing the girl off her body. "Now, lets go to these bloody water baths. And lets get drunk out of our minds."
"Woo!"