Temari's Tournament
A Conflicted Heart
Temari and Kankuro waited somewhat patiently in the kitchen of the Kazekage mansion where the three sand siblings lived. Temari's hair was down but in its natural curly mess. The wind mistress was wearing a short black sleeveless dress with black shorts underneath and her black sandals. It was a nice looking outfit, but still conducive to fighting if necessary. The two sand siblings were having a lively conversation on what the duties of a chaperone were when there was a knock on the front door. Gaara materialized from sand that seemed to come from nowhere to open the door before the other two even made it out of the kitchen. Gaara looked up to Darui who stood a full eight inches taller than the Kazekage.
"You're early," the red headed young man stated in a monotone voice as he crossed his arms in front of him.
"Yes, Lord Kazekage," the man said as he bowed deeply. "I was always taught that if you arrive early, you are on time. If you are on time for an appointment, you were viewed as if you had arrived late." The young man shrugged as he continued, "I would like your permission to call on your sister, Kazekage-bosu, uh-sama." Darui inwardly groaned at his misuse of honorifics. He never addressed his own Raikage with -sama, it was always -bosu which was honestly far too informal. The left side of Gaara's lips turned upward in amusement as he raised a non-existent eyebrow.
Kankuro and Temari arrived behind the red head as he replied in an icy voice, "We would like you to come in for a few questions first." It was a request, but the tone and look in the sand wielder's eyes made it clear that it was a command. The former commander wore a lazy expression on his face, appearing undaunted by Gaara. The Kazekage motioned for the shinobi from Kumogakure to enter as his sand swirled around the group, closing the door behind them. Darui may have been taller, but no one had a more intimidating presence than Gaara.
"Certainly," Darui answered in a bored tone taking a few more steps past the red head towards where Temari stood. "May I give your sister a small token first," the dark skinned man said as he locked eyes with the wind mistress. "I'm sorry if you don't like it," he apologized quietly. His large hands extended towards the kunoichi holding a box as she silently continued to appraise him. The box was a beautiful deep blue with a lighter blue colored satin ribbon tied around it.
"Thank you," the fan wielder said softly as she took the gift.
Temari looked at her two brothers not sure if she should open it here in the entryway or wait until they all were seated in the living room. Kankuro shrugged while Gaara motioned for them to all go into the other room first. Darui extended an arm to escort the kunoichi into the other room, which she took gladly. He shoved his other hand into his pocket, much like another shinobi that Temari knew.
"Still a gentleman amongst scoundrels," she chuckled as they walked arm in arm. Kankuro glared at his sister for what she was implying as he plopped into a comfortable chair. Gaara was carried by his sand to a large chair as he continued to stare at the shinobi from Kumogakure.
Darui walked Temari over to a comfortable looking couch but waited to sit down until he was directed by Gaara. The Kazekage pointed for the tall young man to sit next to his eldest sibling even though he toyed with the idea of making Darui stand for the duration of their conversation/interrogation. The red head finally motioned for his sister to go ahead and open the gift. The wind mistress tugged at the satin ribbon, which untied easily, then removed the top of the box. The blonde kunoichi's breath caught for a moment as she truly smiled at the contents. Her captivating blue green eyes looked up to Darui's with an unsaid praise.
"What is it?" Kankuro asked impatiently from where he sat on the opposite side of the room. "Did he get you diamonds or something?" he snorted.
"No," Temari said quietly still looking into Darui's eyes. "What he brought was something far more precious to me. Edelweiss from the mountain tops of the Land of Lightning." She pulled the potted blooms out from the box as she looked at them fondly. Kankuro gave her a questioning look while Gaara nodded in approval of the gift. Temari glanced over to Kankuro who looked like he was still a little confused as to why a plant was such a big deal. "The flower is highly sought after for its medicinal purposes and is only found on precarious cliffs in the mountains," the kunoichi explained to her brother. She turned to Darui as she cocked her head, studying him closely. "The blooms are also collected by young suitors to prove that they are brave, able bodied, and serious in their intentions," she spoke slowly to emphasize her words. Temari watched the Kumogakure shinobi's reaction to see if that was something he was aware of when he selected the flower. The tall young man's expression had changed from one of boredom to quiet satisfaction. He had obviously known.
"Temari," Gaara said softly, "why don't you take those to your greenhouse while we speak with him." There was a mischievous gleam in the young Kazekage's eyes.
"I would like to get them to a friendlier environment, but fear leaving Darui in such a hostile one," the blonde quipped as she smirked at her little brother. "I will have him accompany me to the greenhouse, then we'll be back for your questions. OK?"
Gaara narrowed his eyes, obviously not pleased with her suggestion. "Then you take Kankuro with you as well," the Kazekage declared coolly knowing how Temari had banned the puppeteer from ever entering her sacred place again. Kankuro had accidentally destroyed some of her precious plants the last time he had been allowed in.
"Gaara, you know I will not take Kankuro in there ever again," growled Temari which caused a look of shock and hurt to cross the puppeteer's face.
"Hey, it was an accident! I didn't do it on purpose," defended the puppet master raising his hands in innocence.
The kunoichi turned to Darui apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I'll be back as fast as I can." "They promised me they would keep the questions reasonable," she asserted as she turned and glared at each brother in turn.
Kankuro snickered while Gaara simply stared back at Temari with his most stoic look. "Any question I have to ask him will be reasonable," the Kazekage stated unperturbedly. Temari gave him a skeptical look as she walked out of the room. The greenhouse was behind the Kazekage mansion, so thankfully she wouldn't be gone too long.
oO0OooO0OooO0Oo
Shikamaru sat in his guest room of the Kazekage mansion quietly. He let out a long sigh as he assumed his thinking position on the edge of his bed. Luckily he was in a wing that was relatively empty other than his and Hinata's rooms. Hinata had left with Naruto around lunch time in search of ramen, but Shikamaru knew they would spend the rest of the day together exploring Suna. The shadow user knew Darui was in the main building since he could feel the unmistakable chakra of the former commander emanating from there. Shikamaru had been trying to focus on what he should say to Temari when he finally saw her, but the presence of his rival seemed to simply be too distracting. Darui's chakra was strong, his years training with the third Raikage had obviously paid off.
The second right hand of the current Raikage could wield lightning and water as well as the storm release, which was his kekkei genkai. Three, the man could utilize three different chakra affinities. The third Raikage had even passed down his special black lightning technique to the man. Shikamaru had to admit Darui's elements would complement Temari's wind affinity. The two would make a formidable couple and any children they had could have amazing potential. Shikamaru had his clan's shadow techniques which were yin chakra based, but that was it. 'Wind and shadows could be a pretty good combination too', he tried to convince himself. If he had trained more, maybe he would have found additional elements he could wield. Shikamaru could feel his heart rate and blood pressure rising with his thoughts. The shadow user knew it was because he was angry and he was angry for multiple reasons.
Shikamaru was angry because he was jealous. He was angry because he had been so lazy the majority of his life. He was angry at himself for never telling Temari how he felt about her. He was angry because it took seeing Temari with another man before he finally acted. Sure, this whole tournament was about marrying the wind mistress off, but he sincerely had thought that he would be able to coach Temari to victory no matter who she faced off against. It never occurred to him that she might actually fall in love with someone else. He was a genius, but for some reason that thought never crossed his mind. It had seemed impossible for some reason.
Shikamaru had had years with her that he could have done something. He had known the blonde kunoichi since he was 12. They had worked together on the Chunnin exams. They had both been assigned to fourth division. Looking back he had been given so many opportunities it was rather ridiculous actually. If he had waited all this time to do something, did he even deserve her? He never did anything though because she was a good friend that he didn't want to lose. She was someone he respected and enjoyed talking to. Temari was intellectually stimulating, which was rare for Shikamaru to say about someone. There was no one else he could have a real in depth debate with other than Temari and his father. He had been a coward and could potentially lose her now because of it.
Shikamaru was also painfully aware that he was three years younger than Temari, while Darui was five years older than her. Would she be better off with an older man?
"This is ridiculous," the genius grumbled out loud to himself. "Focus Shikamaru. What are you going to say? What are you going to say when you finally see her tonight? You need to have something ready, something good, or she is going to kill you."
oO0OooO0OooO0Oo
"How many children do you want to have?" Gaara asked Darui as Temari was finally walking back into the room. The kunoichi turned a very bright red as she glared at her brother. The Kazekage simply ignored her and continued to look intently at Darui as he waited for the answer. Temari sighed as she sat back down on the couch next to the handsome young man that was still here despite whatever ridiculous questions her brothers had asked him while she was gone.
"Ideally two, but maybe three," the dark skinned young man answered calmly. "I would like a son and a daughter, but realize there is the chance I could have two sons or two daughters. In that case I would probably want to try one more time."
The red head nodded to Kankuro that it was his turn which made the puppeteer smile wickedly. "Just so you know, our sister is still a virgin. How many sexual partners have you had?"
"Kankuro!" the blonde bellowed as she charged across the room towards him. "You two are the reason no man would ever come near me!" she yelled as she launched a roundhouse kick towards the puppeteer's head. Kankuro fell backwards out of his chair trying to evade her as he laughed maniacally. Temari's blow was intercepted at the last second as she was restrained by a wall of sand much to her dismay. "Gaara," the kunoichi hissed as she turned her head to glare at her youngest brother.
"I'm sorry if he embarrassed you," Gaara said calmly to his sister. "Kankuro, I believe you need to select a different question," the red head spoke in his monotone voice with laughter dancing in his eyes.
"Do you gamble?" Kankuro asked with disappointment in his voice.
"No," Darui answered sounding bored.
"Do you think that wives should defer all decision making to their husbands?" Gaara asked as he had his sand carry Temari back over to the couch. The blonde crossed her arms with a huff once she was released.
"Marriage should be a team. You discuss the options and make the decision together. Neither the man or the woman should be a dictator," the Kumogakure shinobi answered with a little more interest in his voice. He still had a bored expression on his face as he placed his cheek on his right hand.
"Do you like animals?" Kankuro asked smiling, "Ferrets in particular, you're screwed if you don't like ferrets."
Darui actually smiled before answering, "Yes, I like animals and am well aware of your sister's contract with ferrets."
"You were offered the lead position of the Kumogakure Intelligence Squad after the war, but turned it down. Why?" the Kazekage asked as he turned his head slightly. Darui shifted his weight and sat up a little straighter, obviously surprised by this question.
"I am not a sensor shinobi and the unit would be better served if its lead was a sensor type," Darui answered as he leaned forward placing his elbows on both knees as he clasped his hands together. "I was offered a different position after that which is more suited to my strengths and abilities," he explained with a wary look in his eyes not sure how much more to share.
"Really?" Gaara asked obviously faking surprise. "What is your new position then? Is it one that would put my sister in danger?"
"My title is classified and requires the Raikage's approval to discuss," the Kumogakure shinobi sighed. He turned and looked apologetically to Temari as he continued, "I'm sorry, but yes my station is one that would potentially make your sister a target." He hung his head for a moment before looking back to her brothers and continuing. "Really though, hasn't Temari been a desired mark her entire life? She was the fourth Kazekage's daughter and the current Kazekage's sister, so my position would only slightly endanger her more than she already has been," Darui reasoned as he looked between Kankuro and Gaara as he spoke. "That is part of why she is the ideal wife for me, she is an amazing kunoichi that would constantly be on guard for an attack or ambush."
"Even with whatever this position is and the dangers it poses, you still want to have kids?" Kankuro asked in disbelief. Gaara had not shared whatever information it was that he had with Kankuro, so this was all news to the puppet master.
Darui looked directly into Kankuro's eyes as he replied clearly, "Yes, if my wife is Temari. She is probably the only woman that would be able to protect herself and our children. I can and will arrange for additional guards, especially when she is pregnant, but the fact that she can take care of things herself is a huge turn on, uhmm, I mean benefit." The dark skinned man inwardly groaned at his second slip up so far in this 'interview'. He looked to the kunoichi out of the corner of his eyes to see she was wearing a huge grin.
"OK," Temari said as she stood up. "I think he has answered enough questions, so we are heading out. We will be back at four," she stated as she grabbed Darui's hand and pulled him up with surprising force. Temari noticed how solidly built he was, so it definitely took more effort to move him than most men. Kankuro started to object when Gaara raised his hand to him for silence shaking his head from side to side. "Thank you Gaara," Temari said softly as she gave him a small bow. "We will go to the dango shop and walk around the north end of Suna. I have my fan in a scroll." The Kazekage nodded in understanding and motioned for the couple to leave.
The pair moved quickly out of the Kazekage mansion with Temari leading the way, still holding Darui's hand lightly. "I'm so sorry about all of that," the kunoichi apologized once they were finally in the streets of Suna.
"It's no problem," Darui shrugged. "Your brothers just care about you and it gives me more insight on you." The young man said softly as he looked up to the sky. The two walked in comfortable silence as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. He was surprised that Temari was still holding his hand, but wasn't about to comment on it.
'Looking up at the sky and shoving his hands into his pockets,' the wind mistress thought to herself as she looked over at Darui. 'He and Shikamaru do a lot of the same things,' she inwardly sighed.
"I hope you like dango," the wind mistress said with a smile as she bumped into the side of the tall young man. She was the same height as Gaara, so Darui was still a good eight inches taller than her as well. Temari didn't mind though, there was something about him that just made her feel at ease.
"Who doesn't?" answered the Kumogakure shinobi as he grinned. The couple was nearing the dango shop as they walked into a busier area of Suna. Temari noticed that several people stopped what they were doing and began to smile at her. She thought that was odd until she realized that she was still holding Darui's hand. It had seemed so natural, that she hadn't even thought about it. She suddenly removed her hand from his as if she had been burned.
"Oh, uh, uhmm," sputtered the kunoichi. "I didn't realize I was," she fumbled.
"I'm sorry," apologized Darui as he looked at her clearly amused. "I should have said something."
"Well, no," Temari started to explain. "I just don't, I mean…how do I say this?" the blonde sighed. "I am not an affectionate person. I am actually known in Suna for being quite cold hearted and cruel," she said seriously looking into the young man's eyes.
"You don't say?" Darui quipped as the edges of his mouth turned upward in a small smile. The kunoichi from Suna was understating her reputation actually. She was known as 'the cruelest kunoichi' across the entire shinobi world, not just Suna.
Temari tried not to laugh at his obvious sarcasm. "Come on, let's get some dango," she ordered as she rolled her eyes at him.
oO0OooO0OooO0Oo
"The view from here is my favorite," murmured Temari dreamily as she looked out across the desert. She had brought her young suitor to the North lookout tower but rather than going inside, the pair climbed to the top of the structure on the outside. The wind mistress preferred to be out in the elements rather than looking out of a tiny window. "Do you see there, far out in the distance?" the kunoichi asked as she pointed. Darui brought his face right next to her arm to see exactly where she was pointing and nodded his head. Their faces were close which caused Temari to hesitate for a second, but she decided to be bold and pressed her cheek against his. "That's a sandstorm," she whispered looking at Darui out of the corner of her eye. "It's not headed this way thankfully. I like to watch them from a distance to study the air currents. I ultimately want to be able to create a sandstorm or something like it with my own jutsu," she explained with yearning in her voice. The wind mistress continued to look into the distance longingly not realizing that the shinobi from Kumogakure was studying her out of the corner of his eye.
"You would love the view from my new home," Darui murmured to himself not really meaning to say it out loud. He pulled his face away from hers but noticed the slight flicker of disappointment in Temari's eyes. He picked her up as if she were nothing as he sat down on the roof of the lookout tower, placing her gently in front of him. The young man wrapped his muscular arms around her which prompted a small smile from the kunoichi.
"Really? Why is that?" the blonde kunoichi asked as she turned slightly to see his face.
Darui appeared to think about it for a moment, not sure how much he was allowed to talk about. He let out a sigh as he placed his chin on her shoulder still looking out over the desert. "Well, I can tell you that my new position placed me living on a mountain. A very tall mountain," began the dark skinned young man. "The view from the front of my home looks towards a seeming endless sea. The storms that travel across the ocean are captivating, but I also live in the middle of the lightning storm belt." The shinobi couldn't help but smile as he described the area he lived in with great detail and the many storms he had watched in the short time he had lived there.
"It sounds wonderful," Temari said softly with envy. "It makes sense that you would watch storms too. It is surprising how many things we have in common," she said absentmindedly as she stared off into the distance. The feel of his arms around her was intoxicating and almost disorienting. She felt so small in his presence, but safe.
"I could help you develop a storm jutsu," the young man whispered to the kunoichi which caused her to involuntarily shudder. "It wouldn't be a genuine 'storm jutsu' like mine, but a modified wind jutsu with storm properties."
"You have my attention," Temari purred not believing that she would ever behave like this around a man.
"But I won't do it until after the tournament," Darui tried to say with a straight face, but chuckled at the end. Temari turned around to smack him playfully on his shoulder as she gave him a dirty look. "Come on, I have to survive you and your brothers," he teased. "I don't need to give you any more advantages than you already have." Temari went to smack his shoulder again as she laughed but Darui grabbed her wrist lightly with his hand. The momentum she had sent her tumbling into his chest which only caused them both to laugh harder. He smelled like the mountains; like snow, menthol, and frosted vanilla. Temari placed her hands on his chest trying to separate herself from him as she still chuckled. The blonde kunoichi was silenced when she felt his right hand against her face as his left arm wrapped around her waist pulling her back towards him. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing," the dark skinned man said softly bringing his lips close to hers, "so tell me if I am crossing the line."
Temari didn't say anything, she simply moved her head slightly from side to side afraid to move further away from him. There was electricity between the two of them like she had never felt before. Darui slid his hand along her face and into her hair gently pulling the wind mistress' lips the remaining distance to his. Temari closed her eyes as they met, both slightly hesitant but relieved when each realized the other did not object to what was about to happen. It was perfect. He was so strong, but gentle and soft at the right times. It was a short, yet very sweet kiss which left them both slightly breathless.
"I'm sorry, but it looks like it's time I get you back to your brothers," the handsome shinobi murmured.
"I know," the blonde kunoichi agreed softly as she reluctantly pulled away from him.
_oO0OooO0OooO0Oo_
Temari stood in the living room doorway glaring at her brothers as she waited impatiently for Shikamaru. She was now wearing a flowing purple dress with matching heels for her evening with Shikamaru which was supposed to be a private dinner in the Kazekage mansion. Gaara watched her with silent interest while Kankuro goaded her.
"What's the matter? Did things not go well with lover boy number one?" the puppet master taunted.
"Do you want to die a slow and excruciatingly painful death?" Temari responded with venom in her voice as Shikamaru walked into the room behind her. "Ugh, finally!" the kunoichi groaned as she shoved him into the room. The wind mistress looked into Gaara's eyes as she began to speak quickly. "He wants two children, one boy and one girl." The kunoichi turned to Kankuro, "He is a virgin, women have been too troublesome and not worth the effort. He doesn't gamble either." She continued to look back and forth between the two brothers as she answered all the questions that they had asked Darui earlier in the day for Shikamaru. "Shikamaru turned down a position offered by the Fire Daimyo with the Twelve Guardian Ninja to remain in Konoha and protect Asuma's child," she finished. "You haven't taken any new dangerous position that I know of, have you?" Temari asked the shadow user finally looking at him again.
"Uh, no," Shikamaru answered. He had figured out what Temari was doing and had mixed feelings about the fact that she could answer every question about him, for him.
"There, he's answered all of your questions. Can we go now?" seethed the kunoichi.
"Actually, he didn't answer,"Kankuro started as Gaara cut him off.
"Yes, you may. Have a nice evening," the Kazekage interrupted motioning for the two to leave. Temari stormed out dragging the nin from Konoha behind her.
"What the hell just happened?" the puppet master asked looking to his little brother.
Gaara gave his brother a wicked smile, "Things just got interesting. We may actually lose Temari to someone in this whole charade."
The puppeteer laughed, "No one is going to beat you and I together after fighting sis. I know Darui and Shikamaru are good, but I don't think either one could beat us when we work together."
The red head looked at his brother with conflicting emotions on his face. "We will be defeated if Temari wants us to lose. We will forfeit."
"What?" Kankuro said in disbelief. "You don't think she is actually going to leave Suna to marry one of these guys?" The puppet master stood and spoke as if he was trying to convince himself just as much as Gaara. "No, Temari loves Suna more than anything else. We aren't going to lose because we won't even get the chance to fight. Temari will win her match and this will all be done."
"I hope you're right," the Kazekage said softly.
-oO0OooO0Oo-
"Temari, the dining room is the other way," Shikamaru growled as he yanked his hand from hers.
"We aren't eating dinner," the kunoichi answered as she turned to look into his hawk-like brown eyes. "We need to talk, Shikamaru Nara."
"I know," the genius said quietly with guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry Temari, I am so sorry I waited so long."
The hardness in the kunoichi's eyes disappeared before she grabbed his hand again. "Come on, crybaby, not here," she teased glancing over her shoulder.
The genius noticed that Temari didn't smile though. Shikamaru could tell that she was still angry and she had plenty of reasons to be. The kunoichi led him to a stone garden that was in the center of the estate and practically threw him onto the bench. The wind mistress crossed her arms as she stood over the Nara and looked at him expectantly. "So, where do you want to start?" the blonde asked sarcastically.
"Tem, I understand that you're mad. You have every right to be," the shadow user began.
"Don't you, Tem, me!" she practically screamed. "Years! You've had years to do something. Is it just that you don't want to see me with someone else? You don't want me but don't really want anyone else to have me either?" The blonde stomped the ground as her hands balled up into fists at her side. "I don't need your sympathy," she added in barely a whisper as she closed her eyes. "I can fight my own battles alone, I did it before and can do it again."
"Will you even give me a chance to speak?" the genius asked softly trying to calm her down. "I want you or I wouldn't be doing this. This is far too troublesome for me to be doing just as some misplaced ego thing."
"If you had shown any interest before now, I wouldn't be in this situation! Gaara would have happily married me off to you despite the objections of the council because he wanted a permanent tie to Konoha and his friend, Naruto," the blonde kunoichi continued to vent.
"I didn't know what to do!" interrupted the genius now yelling back at the blonde out of frustration. He calmed himself before continuing in a level voice trying to explain, "I didn't want to lose you by screwing things up. I wanted us to be more but had no idea about how to change us from friends to something more."
"You could have done something you, you, lazy ass!" Temari shrieked back.
The pony tailed Nara stood up with a look in his eyes that the kunoichi had never seen before. It was a combination of determination and something else she couldn't place. He grabbed her shoulders firmly and brought his face close to hers as he spoke slowly, "I'm doing something now. Give me the rest of our lives to make it up to you, please."
"I don't know, Shikamaru," the blonde answered in barely a whisper as she threw her arms around him. "It might be too late," she quietly sobbed into his shoulder.
The shadow user wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair, comforting her. "It's never too late," the genius murmured.
A/N There is another motivation in this story that you will find out at the end, but please understand that this isn't something cut and dry for Temari. She is incredibly conflicted. She thinks she should be with Shikamaru because she knows him and had wanted him all these years but never acted on it. The problem is everything just seems so right with Darui instead. She is angry because she wants things with Shikamaru to feel like they do when she is with Darui.