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- Yeah, not a lot of focus on it, but it's there, and pretty obviously there.
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.
KibaHina- One sided, and in the past. Okay, so I had a KibaHina phase, felt the need to involve it.
SasuSaku- It becomes, harshly obvious in the next chapter.
SaiIno/ChoIno- Big thanks to PenumbraChey (Whose name I love) for helping me with this. SaiIno is talked about in past, ChoIno has alot more focus and is present~
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS LEE BURSTING THROUGH A PAPER WINDOW FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
This chapter came up quicker than I thought it would... Thank you so so much for all the reviews... One day I'll start replying to them on here, but for the moment, you have my undying love, affection, and virtual cookies.
R&R! I love to know what you think
Plus, seeing reviews makes me update, as I feel guilty if I don't~
I've started the next chapter already, it's main focus is going to be giving some light to the other pairings however they'll all centre around ShikaTema and that storyline~
"Man, do you know if she'll even turn up?" Kiba smirked, rolling his head back as he leant on one of the benches in the changing room of the water baths. He was sprawled in a weird position as he groaned loudly."Because if she doesn't you can come drown your sorrows with us at the bar." He was in his training gear still, black vest, black combat trousers and sweat glistened skin drowned with deodorant. It drove the ladies absolutely crazy.
"Shut up Kiba, she needs to get here or we won't meet the girls." Choji chuckled. The broad ninja had made an effort tonight, wearing a light blue shirt, accompanied by a darker blue tie and a grey waist coat, that made him look slightly slimmer, on his bottom half he wore casual jeans, and the nin had never felt more nervous, not only for his best friend, but for himself also."If we don't meet the girls, the night will be spent searching for them."
"Pssh. It's not as if I've got any ties with them lot... Besides, how comes Naruto gets to skip this part?" Kiba growled.
"He's Hokage, idiot." Shino growled, folding his arms dismissively from the secluded section of the room in which he dwelled. He donned a hooded coat as usual, that shrouded him in a cloud of mystery, and allowed him to hide from the social activities.
"In the name of youth, I have arrived my fellows!" A loud voice called as the paper window of the changing room split to reveal a green clad, bushy browed, Lee.
"Lee! We're meant to keep this in best possible condition!" Shikamaru hissed, the energetic taijutsu master bowed apologetically.
"Lee! I told you to calm it down ya know!" A hoarse voice roared from the door, Naruto was fixing his white robe as he entered, smiling at his friends. "Whoa... I didn't realise that we were all gonna be here to wish him luck..."
"I was dragged!" Kiba moaned, shooting a look at the shadowed bug boy in the corner.
"You wanted to see who would win this bet as well as the others, remember?" Shino uttered monotonously. "If Shikamaru and Temari get back together that means I win this one as well as Naruto and Hinata getting married."
"Hmph." Kiba exhaled loudly as his body went limp on the benches. "Don't remind me, I was sure Hina was going to fall for me."
"Grr, Kiba you want to watch what you say, Hinata won't be happy if she sees you bruised and battered tomorrow." Naruto growled warningly, this only piqued the Inazuka's interest.
"I'd like to see you try, Lord Hokage." The brown haired Inazuka sneered. "I'd beat you any day."
"Don't tempt me." Naruto laughed. "Tonight is about celebrating anyway, wouldn't want Hinata killing me for ruining it, which reminds me... " The golden haired Hokage looked out the shredded window and past Lee. "Where are they Sai?"
"They're ten minutes away." A curious, yet calm tone replied, sparking the rapid turn of heads to the back of the room, where a pale skinned, dark haired, ANBU masked man stood. "Though you have explained to me the reason why I'm spying on Temari-Chan and Ino, I still believe that this is a waste of my skills."
"Be glad you're not on a mission for one," Naruto shrugged, "You're coming out tonight with us Sai, have some fun and help out a friend in need."
"Oh, which reminds me, Shikamaru-San." Sai lifted his mask from his face and revealed his small smile. "You should know that Temari-Chan is armed. Two Kunai on her thighs."
"Urgh... It's creepy that you know that..." Kiba shivered. "If I was Shikamaru I would have killed you for knowing that."
"This is Temari-Chan we are talking about," Lee interrupted, "The woman described as the cruellest Kunouchi to live, the wonders she could do with a Kunai is infinite..." Lee became caught up in his thoughts along with Naruto next to them, both of them visualising Temari chopping people to pieces and putting them in a stew to serve to her siblings. Both the dim witted fools shivered over the thought.
"Thank you Sai, I'll take that into consideration." Shikamaru murmured, his eyes closed in thought. He had no idea what he was going to say to his fiancé, absolutely no inkling whatsoever. He'd ask her to talk first, then he'd go on from whatever she said. He'd apologise for what he had done, and try to woo her... Sex was a bit too much to ask after three days of nothing, but he'd show her how much he cared in other ways. He could do that, he'd always showed her what he felt by what he did when they first got together, as simply telling her was too troublesome, he'd always get it wrong if he had to tell her. Another argument had broke out between Naruto and Kiba, this time Shino and Lee were involved.
"Yo, Shika?" Choji said softly, awakening the Nara from his trance.
"Yeah?" He sighed, his brow raised.
"You're going to be fine." Choji smiled. "I'm sure you've messed up big time but you'll think your way out of it. Plus Tema loves you, she either beat you close to death or just accept the apology."
"Ha ha... Well thanks for the reassurance. What about you? Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You know why. You don't get suited up like this for nothing."
Choji scratched the back of his head with his right hand and gestured to his smartly dressed friend, kitted out in a white shirt, black blazer and grey trousers. "You can talk... I'm... I'm a little nervous I guess."
"You've known her for years, and you've kissed her already, surely that should take away the nervousness." Shikamaru laughed patting his friend on the back. "Look at us... Both with such troublesome women."
"Pfft, you more than me." Choji laughed heartedly.
"They shall be here in less than three minutes." Sai chimed happily, causing a silence to draw across the group. All their eyes locked on Shikamaru who sighed, taking a long drag out of a cigarette that he had been holding.
"Well, that means a bit of silence from you all at least." The Nara exhaled pale smoke into the air with a sigh.
Throughout the streets of Konoha people were complaining. They were complaining about being shoved into by drunkards, about having alcohol sloshed over them and about the horrid cackling heard down the streets.
Temari and Ino wasn't really that drunk. Neither of them even felt drunk from the alcohol that they had consumed, they were merely caught up in the thrill of being around a likeminded individual.
"Wait wait wait..." Temari breathed as another fit of laughter subsided, she wiped a tear from her eye and looked at her blonde friend. "You actually got with Sai after Sakura left?"
Ino shrugged with a smile. "Well I was feeling down about losing to Sakura with the whole Sasuke thing, then I felt even worse that the bitch had left me and Sai was just... There... You know? I mean, looking a little like Sasuke, and complimenting me whilst constantly referring to Sakura as ugly... Eh, I don't know what it was, but I just wanted to be wanted... And he was looking for someone to teach him how to love... So I Volenteered~"
"I must have corrupted you Ino... I've never been so proud!~"
"O-Oh.." Sai blushed in his corner, the other men in the room looked at him questionably.
"What's happening?" Kiba inquired impatiently.
"Ino-Chan is talking about me... My clone can hear her..."
"Awkward~" Shino muttered.
"And?" The sand nin prodded her friend in the ribs sharply. "Was he good? Was he what you expected?"
"Ow..." Ino groaned and smiled up into the night sky. "Well I expected inexperience, and I was wrong. He was... Well words aren't good enough for it."
"Damn... That good huh?"
"Mmhmm... He may only know what to do from books, but Kami it was wonderful..." Ino nodded. "But it was nothing... I didn't want a relationship or anything... I just wanted something to prove that I wasn't useless. And he was heartbroken naturally."
"Oh... She's lying about me.."
"The whole, 'signed up for ANBU captain to leave her' story?" Choji interjected.
"Precisely."
The entire room groaned.
"She told everyone that." Choji laughed. "I couldn't help but laugh when she told me that, I was sure she was talking about the wrong person."
"Ugh, and all the girls bought it. They thought Sai was some legend for a while." Kiba snorted.
"Yeah... I remember that phase with Hinata..." Naruto sighed.
"Okay Naruto I get it! You got her, I didn't! Stop rubbing it in!" Kiba bellowed.
"Oh? Mad Inazuka?" Naruto smirked.
"Oh how sweet." Temari cooed to her friend, she knew it was a blatant lie, but even Temari wasn't heartless enough to take that away from the Yamanaka. "So now you're with..?"
"Uhm... Choji, though it's not official." Ino smiled happily. "He's always been there for me, and not like... Like how Sai is always creepily there, you know?" Temari nodded and signed for her friend to continue. "He... He makes me smile more than anyone else ever has, when he looks at me, with all that adoration, it literally feels like my heart has given up on me. Do you get what I'm saying or am I simply mad?" The light blonde laughed.
Temari shook her head and smiled, though her heart ached jealously her smile stayed warm. "Someone sounds like she's in love~" Temari nudged her friends elbow with her own. They were mere feet away from the water baths, Hinata and TenTen were waiting outside for them and obviously did not notice Ino's blush.
"Shut up... Think of it this way, we can all double date some time." She laughed, the Sand Kunouchi joined in the laugh as Hinata opened the door for them. "How were the flowers guys? I picked them myself this time."
"They were beautiful Ino-Chan~" Hinata smiled gently. "They will be the envy of the town in no time."
"Of course they will, they're my beauties." Ino smirked.
"Not the only 'beauties' that are the envy of the town," Temari noted bluntly, "That dress makes your boobs look huge."
"A-Ah... Temari chan!" Hinata blushed, TenTen and Ino laughed it off as the blonde posed.
"Pahaha... Not as gigantic as yours, seriously I think you're going to have back ache in a few years." Ino snorted playfully, pushing her fellow blonde ahead of her.
"Shikamaru never complained." Temari shrugged, allowing the three women to push her into the main hallway of the water baths.
"I'm really sorry about this Temari..." Ino laughed, before the Sand Nin could question what they were doing she was roughly pushed through an open gate, which was swiftly locked behind her, separating the grinning women from their, growing increasingly more pissed off, blonde friend. They backed away from the gate and waved at her.
"You're not going to just leave me..." Temari laughed, though it didn't stop the others from their departure. She rattled the gate but it was firmly locked, and loaded with Ino's signature customised Paper Bombs. Temari exhaled loudly and turned to look at the well lit springs.
The sight she was greeted with almost took her breath away.
The aquamarine pools were bubbling away blissfully, lit up by deep lights that were concealed in their depths. From the surface to the contently mobile water was a thin layer of steam, indicating the warmth of the inviting liquid, scattered across is calmer outer edges were cerise coloured flowers which floated atop the bubbly surface, in their centre was small candles that flickered in a gentle breeze. Around these flowers in the water was various coloured petals, bobbing along the currents intricately. A thin string of red roses embroidered the outer ring of the bath, only having one break which was where the entrance to the bath was, Temari was suddenly hit by the floral fragrance that the bath exuded. It smelt sweet, not overbearingly sweet, simply sweet, just the way Temari liked it. To the left of the pool was a bottle of Champagne in a bottle cooler, beside it was two glasses and a single lily. Standing behind this, with his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on her was her smartly suited lover.
"Temari I-..." He began, but he finally noticed her appearance. The sinfully tight red dress that grazed her ankles teasingly, the way her straightened hair hit her bare shoulders with such elegance. Her flustered expression which was more shock than it was anger, though it was evidently there. The oh so low neck line that ended just before her belly button, leaving her covered enough to be innocent, but revealed enough to drive his senses mad.
Shikamaru felt like he had fallen in love with her all over again. "You look beautiful..." He breathed, the words barely coming out as he lost himself within her appearance. She didn't reply, merely looked to the ground and away from his gaze. That action alone stripped any pride he had in his heart. "Temari I-..."
"You got Ino to get me slightly drunk, so my senses wouldn't be as sharp, then get her to lock me in here with you until I crumble right?" Temari laughed bitterly. "You've got it all figured out Nara?"
"No!" Shikamaru sighed and walked over to her, so far his flimsy plan wasn't working at all. As he neared her personal space she backed away and held up a hand to keep him away. "About what happened a few days ago... Temari I'm an idiot... You know I'm an idiot. I just... I just reacted and I shouldn't have reacted like that... It-It was a stupid mistake to make and I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think I understand why it upset you."
"Got it figured out then?" She laughed again, in that sarcastic, bitter manner of hers. She finally looked up at him, her eyes were watery already and that gave them and extra glassy shine. "Go on then... Tell me how I was feeling!"
"Temari..." He sighed again, moving his hand forward to hold her still raised hand, she wrenched her hand away before he could and glared at him spitefully.
"I felt helpless. I felt powerless. I felt like you had absolute control over me for no good reason, because you did. I ask myself, is that what is going to happen every time? Every time I do something wrong or disagree with him will he just use that on me and I'll be helpless?"
"I didn't mean to-..." He began but she cut him off.
"You made me question my own ability... My own merit... All because anything I did was suddenly irrelevant. So you think you understand what that's like huh? Having absolutely no control over what happens next, no chance to plan, no chance to change what is going to happen next?"
"Temari listen." He ordered gently, though the imperative of his voice was evident, Temari chose to stop talking as she looked up at him bitterly, he moved even closer and gripped her wrist. "I made a mistake, a horrid, grotesque mistake. I will never, and could never do that to you again." He tilted her face to look up at him. "Believe it not, I hate not being with you. I hate you not speaking to me. I hate not knowing how to make this right so I give you this... I promise you that I will never, never, use that again. Otherwise, you have permission to leave me for someone more deserving."
She looked at him intently, watching his face for signs that he was lying, reading his eyes so she could decipher what he really meant... He kept his face intent, stern with conviction and truth. Taking a deep breath in thought, she found herself taking in his scent... Her heart ached with longing and pain, mixed into one emotion.
"Temari, say something..." He urged, though her lips remained pursed, she wanted to make him wait for her answer, she wanted him desperate, she wanted him begging. "Temari, please..." His voice cracked as he spoke, it sounded raw with emotion, something she hadn't heard from him in a long time.
"Okay..." She whispered.
"Okay?"
"Okay... You promise me?"
"With my life."
"And if you break it, Kankuro and Gaara have permission to kill you?"
"Of course... You do too of course..." Shikamaru smiled softly, moving his hand up to her face so he could stroke her cheek softly.
"I couldn't kill you..." She sighed, relaxing to his touch. "I love you too much..."
"I love you too." He smiled, touching his forehead against hers gently.