Love Child

Flashback

CH-17

Week 24

I was lying in Shikamaru's room in his parent's house. My feet were sore again, and this time Shikamaru wasn't home to give me a foot rub. He was off on another mission; he was hell-bent to get as many in as he could before the baby is born.

I'd spent most of the day out with Hinata and Tenten. I was quite fond of Tenten because she did not judge me at all for being pregnant and didn't scream at me for stealing her man. Tenten spends a lot of time with us when she is home, mostly because we generally stay in the Huuyga compound when I visit with Hinata. Neji and she were still going strong.

I closed my eyes and relished in the peace and quiet of the space around me. A late spring rainfall was falling outside almost lulling me into a quiet sleep.

I heard light footsteps come up the walkway of the house. They were two men judging by the sound of the footsteps. I heard them knock on the door and Yoshino get up to open it. I heard Yoshino let them into the house and I opened my eyes. I heard a quiet murmur of voices and heard the steps of Yoshino leading them to the sitting room.

I stretched my arms above my head, I was curious to see who these visitors were. I pushed my way to sitting up and stretched again. I swung my feet above the ground, internally dreading when I would have to put weight on them. I groaned, but I stood and slipped my slippers onto my feet. I was feeling a slight chill, and I could hear Shikamaru lecturing me in my mind 'if you are cold put a sweater on!'.

I glided over to our closet through a myriad of boxes we had in our room. I picked up a black comfy cardigan and put it on. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. Geez was I getting big! I watched my figure for as long as I could remember and seeing me like this made my self-confidence shrink a bit. It wasn't that I wasn't getting complimented by many people of how nice I look and how pregnancy suited me, but I wasn't the size I was normally accustomed too. When Choji saw me last he told me that I was looking like a girl the Akimchi clan would be proud to have born. It took all my self-control to not punch him out. I knew he meant well by it, and it was sweet in a way, but still! I sighed quietly in the mirror and then moved towards the door.

I maneuvered my way through the boxes of our room and somehow out into the hallway. I turned and headed towards the stairs. I heard Yoshino murmur to the visitors,

"She was very tired when she got back, and it's been quiet upstairs since she went up there. Perhaps she is having a nap."

I could not hear the response of the visitors, only the muttering of a few sounds. The guests obviously knew that I was staying here, which peaked my curiosity further. As I reached the stairs I again heard an internal voice that sounded like Shikamaru telling me to hold onto the railing as I went down the stairs.

As I travelled down the stairs into the sitting room the voices became more defined. The voices were familiar; ones I'd spent a long time around. The first one was obnoxious sounding with a jaunty flair and the other was a quiet baritone that did not change much in sound between words.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to see my two brothers seated on the floor talking quietly between them. Gaara noticed my arrival and looked up at me.

"Temari," he said.

I nodded to him and replied,

"Gaara."

Kankuro turned and looked up at me. He had a grin on his face and said,

"Hi big sis!"

I gave him a small smile and asked them,

"Why are you here? Gaara! They actually let you leave Suna without a proper escort! You do not have the Shukaku anymore! You cannot be so reckless! You are the Kazekag-"

I was cut off by Gaara embracing me. I was surprised to say the least; Gaara was never one for much physical contact.

"We missed you too, Temari," he said.

Gaara released me from his brief hug and Kankuro swooped in and gave me a great big hug. He began to squeeze me a little hard, if I hadn't been larger than normal I wouldn't have noticed but I was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Hey Kankuro, lay off the squeezing would you. I am not the only one you are squeezing anymore."

"Oh sorry," he said looking sheepish. "How is my new baby niece or nephew doing anyways?"

He asked placing his hand on my belly.

To his delight, the baby kicked where his hand had landed. His eyes light up as he asked,

"Is that him? I mean or her?"

I rolled my eyes,

"No Kankuro, I have miraculously developed the ability to flex my spleen to hit people's hands when they place them on my belly."

Gaara smiled at that and Kankuro replied,

"No need to be sarcastic."

Kankuro kept his hands on my belly fully enraptured by my baby's kicking. I was getting this a lot lately too, people touching and rubbing my belly. I looked over to Gaara and asked,

"Would you like to feel as well?" after all, Gaara was this child's uncle too.

His eyes light up as well, and nodded,

"If it's not too much of a bother for you."

I lifted Kankuro's hand off of my belly and replaced them with Gaara's. Kankuro had a bit of a hurt look in his eyes when I replaced removed his hands. I had a feeling if I didn't stop him he would have had his hands on there all night.

My baby gave Gaara a little nudge on the hand and Gaara smiled.

"So I see you are in fact awake," said Yoshino as she walked in with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"I was never asleep to begin with," I smiled at her. "I was merely resting my feet, they are sore again."

"Sadly, that can only be expected," said Yoshino with a warm smile.

Gaara removed his hands, still with a smile on his face. Kankuro almost put his hands back on my stomach, but I turned away and fetched myself a pillow.

I sat down in between Gaara and Yoshino and turned to my brothers saying,

"You didn't answer my question."

"Is it a crime to come and visit our sister?" questioned Gaara.

"What would've happened if you were attacked along the way Gaara?!"

"I am a ninja as well as I am a Kazekage, sister. In addition I had Kankuro travelling with me."

"But you have enemies still!"

"As do you sister, but does that stop you from walking down the street to fetch some dango?"

"No but I am not the leader of a country!"

"I need to get the itch out of my feet. Long have I been cooped up in that office," he answered.

"The itch-"

"Give it a rest Temari," Kankuro said.

I glared at my other brother, but I did not continue the argument. There was a tense silence in the room.

Kankuro broke it by asking how I had been.

"Getting more pregnant by the minute," I said with a slight smile. "Going a little stir crazy and half the time I don't know what to do because I cannot train any more. I have even started quilting."

"She has quite the knack for it too," Yoshino said smiling. She was teaching me all she knew.

Kankuro gave an exasperated sigh and said,

"I still can't believe you are pregnant! It seems like only yesterday that Baki was teaching us everything he knew about everything!"

I half-smiled and then Gaara replied,

"No, yesterday you were complaining about how annoying the rain is and how you will get Shikamaru back someday for taking your sister from you."

Yoshino and I both laughed. I found myself reminiscing on what life was like before I became pregnant. I could do as I pleased and I could train as much as I wanted. It all changed on that one fateful night in October.

-/-

I let my head drop down against the table as I groaned. I let go of the pen I was holding and stretched my arms above my head.

"Finally! The stupid paperwork is finished!"

Shikamaru looked over at me with a small smile. He was finishing his last few papers.

"I think my wrists will never be able to function the same again!"

"It's troublesome," Shikamaru said, stacking his last piece of paper in his pile, "But at least it's done now."

I nodded my head against the table and then jolted up to standing.

"Okay! Let's get this paperwork to Tsunade," I said.

I quickly grabbed my pile and headed to the door. Shikamaru was stretching and following my lead. He yawned and followed me out the door.

"I don't remember these exams having so much paper involved," he muttered. "Whose idea again was it to add a supplementary written test?"

"Shizune's," I answered.

"Then why didn't she do the stupid marking for this test?"

I shrugged and turned the corner walking towards the Hokage building. Shikamaru groaned and I glanced at him; he was looking at the sky.

"I was hoping to get some cloud watching and a nap in today."

I laughed at his demeanor. The sun was setting and by the time we got all this paperwork to Tsunade, the sun would be gone.

We walked in silence toward our destination, watching as the lights in the city began to light up around us. It was always something magical about walking through a village around twilight.

We reached the Hokage building faster than I had initially expected, and we started our climb to Tsunade's office. The building was winding down, a change from the almost always bustling atmosphere.

Shikamaru knocked on the door once reaching the Hokage's office. It was Shizune who replied,

"Come in."

Shizune made a face when she saw the paperwork we had in our hands. She sighed and pointed to a desk towards the side of the room and said,

"You can put it there."

The Hokage herself looked like she had been drinking again. She had a habit of doing so when she had a great deal of paperwork to deal with. As we were placing the stacks of paper down, Tsunade looked up at us.

"All done?"

We both nodded.

"Good," she exclaimed. "Let's go celebrate!"

"But Tsun-" Shizune started.

"Oh relax Shizune we are done the Chuunin exams! That deserves a drink!"

Tsunade got up and grabbed my arm before Shizune could object any further and dragged me out the window with her. I heard Shikamaru chuckle and then followed us out of the room.

Tsunade didn't let go of my arm until we reached a nearby bar.

"Woo, I have escaped the wrath of Shizune for a night!"

I gave her a small smile as I watched Shikamaru walk into the bar. Of course he followed us because I was his responsibility while I was here. He met my eyes and smiled back at me.

Tsunade had gone off and went to order herself some sake as Shikamaru joined me.

"I know you aren't one for drinking, but do want something tonight?"

I shook my head at Shikamaru. It was true, I didn't enjoy drinking often. The feeling of inebriation wasn't really my thing. I knew Shikamaru drinks when he is in the company of Choji or some of the other Konaha ninja, but he wasn't bad about it.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked me looking towards the door.

I took one glance over my shoulder to see Tsunade, already drunk as a skunk and nodded. We left the bar and headed down the street. Shikamaru took a turn that I wasn't familiar with, but I followed him anyways.

Soon he had lead me up to a tall hill where we could look over Konaha and see the sky well.

"So this is where the lazy ass watches clouds all day," I said with a smile.

"One of many spots," he replied, laying down in the grass looking up at the now darkened sky.

I took my fan off of my back and placed it on the ground. I laid down beside Shikamaru and gazed up at the stars. It was quiet up here, peaceful.

"I like stargazing," I said breaking the silence between us. "You have a better chance of seeing stars in Suna, than you do clouds."

"I prefer watching clouds," Shikamaru replied.

"Why is that?"

"They are changing and their different every day," he said glancing at me. "Plus to see them it needs to be daylight. The sunlight is much easier to sleep in and people have a significant less of a chance of stepping on you."

"And it means you are avoiding work," I added.

Shikamaru let out a small chuckle and said,

"Something like that."

"You are the laziest person I know Shikamaru, why is that you became a ninja?"

"It's a drag, but I had to. It is a requirement that the leader of my clan be trained in the ninja art and I am the heir to my clan," he said looking back to the stars.

"If you had had a choice. Should you have still chosen to be a ninja?" I asked.

Shikamaru sighed and said,

"Probably, it is something, as much as I hate it, that I am good at. I couldn't see myself not being what I am today. The simple life never would have worked for me."

I smirked at that. I couldn't picture him being a merchant or farmer or such, he was too much like me. Perhaps if either of us lacked the intelligence that both of us possessed, it may have been a different kind of life.

"You ... you could have had a different life, Temari," said Shikamaru.

"What do you mean?"

"You could have become a non-ninja ambassador, you could have lived a life as a rich man's wife and have had many children by now," he answered. "You were a

Kazekage's daughter you could have married a foreign prince or something like that, there was no need for you to become a ninja."

"Then I wouldn't have met you," I said with a small smile. "And that would surely have been a shame."

Shikamaru nodded and said,

"A shame it would be."

Shikamaru looked into my eyes, like deep into my eyes. Subconsciously I assume, he lifted his hand to gently caress my cheek,

"Such beauty is meant to see a lifestyle this harsh."

I froze under his stare. Shikamaru had never called me beautiful before nor showed any form of unhappiness toward my job choice.

"Shikamaru ..." I said quietly.

He began to pull back from me and so I grabbed his hand and held it to my cheek.

"Shikamaru ..." I said again.

A small smile graced his lips as he leaned forward and brought me into a gentle kiss.

That soft kiss lite a fire in me and as he pulled away I grabbed him and brought him back into my arms. Kissing Shikamaru was nothing like any other man I had kissed before. He was everything, and his kiss consumed me.

He pulled back again and set his forehead against mine staring into my eyes.

"Temari ... we can't."

"Why not?" I asked, running my hands up and down his arms.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship," he said gazing into my eyes. "It is too precious to me."

"You aren't ruining anything," I replied.

"One night, just for one night Shikamaru, look at me like I was a different girl. Look at me like I am just a woman and you are just another man," I begged.

"But you aren't just another woman you are-"

"One might Shikamaru, please. That's all I am asking for!"

He stared into my eyes and muttered,

"You'll be the death of me, troublesome woman."

He pulled me into another deep and hungry kiss.

-/-

"Temari?" asked Kankuro, trying to get my attention.

"Sorry, what?"

"I was asking if you enjoyed it here."

"Yes I do," I said smiling. "I miss the constant warmth of Suna on the rainy and cold days, but then again I often complained about the heat while I was in Suna."

Kankuro was about to embark on a lecture about how complaining was annoying and I should stop doing it; I could see it in his eyes. Thankfully I heard the door open and heard a boatload of curses coming from there.

"Why are there puppets everywhere?!" said a voice that I was sure was Shikaku's.

I heard a chuckle come from another person. I knew that chuckle; Shikamaru was home.

I stood up and walked towards the front room, and Yoshino did the same.

"Welcome home, dears," Yoshino said as we walked towards the door.

In the doorway stood my fiancé and my to-be father in-law. Both of them soaked to the bone. Land of the Rain is what I instantly thought, it's where they must have been.

Shikaku moved toward his wife to properly greet her but she warned,

"Don't even think about it, Shikaku Nara. I am not getting sick because of you! And you too Shikamaru don't you go near Temari until you've had a shower and have dried off! The last thing we need is her sick!"

Shikamaru looked up at me and gave me a rueful smile. Then he said,

"So I see you brother is here."

"Brothers," I said gesturing to the gourd that sat off to the side.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that but didn't say anything.

"Now off to the shower! Both of you! You don't need to be catching a cold either! I will go make us all something warm to eat," said Yoshino.

Shikamaru followed his father as they moved to go clean themselves up. Kankuro came down the hall to see his precious puppets and to see if they had been damaged. I rolled my eyes at this and then headed back to the sitting room. I would have asked Yoshino if she needed help with dinner, but I know she would have only rejected the offer anyways.

I went and sat back beside Gaara and asked,

"How are things in Suna?"

Gaara tilted his head and then stated,

"There was a time when you'd have asked what thing were like at home."

I simply shrugged my shoulders and said,

"Konaha is my home now."

Gaara nodded and the answered my previous question,

"Things are good, the cold winter had gone well and the storms have not been so severe this year as they were of last years."

"And with Matsuri?"

Gaara's eyes went kind of misty and he said,

"She ... she is good, I guess."

I raised my eyebrow to this. I had never gotten an unsure answer from that question before. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"She's driving me crazy. She teases me and then there is her linger touches and every time we kiss for even a short amount of time I keep getting overly ... excited," he blushed red. "I think she thinks that I am pushing her away because I am interested in someone else not because of the mere fact I can't control myself around her anymore and ..."

I had a smile on my face when Gaara looked up at me. Gaara had never acted like a hormonal teenager, though in fact he had just turned twenty-three. He had never had an interest in girls until Matsuri and it was so cute that he was having so many issues. He was just a late bloomer was all. Though I did assume he and Matsuri had done something more than kiss by now.

"So you and Matsuri have not ... um ... got it on, for lack of a better term?"

Gaara went beet red. His face almost matched the colour of his hair.

"Of course not Temari!"

"Well what do you expect me to think?" I asked him. "You're twenty-three and she's nineteen!"

"Temari!" he exclaimed.

I gave him a look and I knew he realized that it was a fair assumption to make.

"Heck I was getting busy by the time I was seventeen!" I said, trying to lessen his embarrassment.

"Temari!"

"Well where do you think I disappeared to half those nights?!"

"Temari just stop talking! Please!"

I had to have a small laugh at the look on his face. He seemed horrified that his older sister was talking to him about her sex-life.

"Have you thought about taking that step in your relationship with Matsuri?"

"Of course I have, maybe a little too much about it," said Gaara hanging his head. "I am just afraid that I'll hurt her or-?"

"Is she a virgin?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"Do you understand why it would hurt her?"

He nodded.

"Do you love her?"

He nodded and looked up and said,

"More than anything."

"Well then that's all that matters," I said smiling. "She will be fine, she's a ninja and even if she wasn't all normal women go through it too. If you are so worried take it slow. It going to happen eventually, be it by you or another man."

Gaara's eyes darkened at the thought of another man having Matsuri.

"Please tell me you understand the mechanics of sex, because I really don't want to have to explain it to you."

Gaara blushed again and said,

"You don't need to explain it to me. I have got it figured out."

I had to smile, Gaara was finally acting like the nervous-school boy. I think it would have probably scarred me as much as him if I had to describe how sex works to him.

I heard Shikamaru walk down the stairs. As he walked in to the room I looked up at him and smiled.

"Hello Gaara," he said.

"Shikamaru," he replied.

He leaned over me and gave me a kiss and then sat down beside me.

"How are my girls?" he asked, rubbing his hand over my belly.

I rolled my eyes and said,

"Asuma and I are fine, thanks for asking."

Gaara asked,

"Are you having twins?"

I shook my head no and then he asked,

"Then why did you refer to you child as both a girl and a boy?"

"Shikamaru thinks I am having a girl, but I think I am having a boy," I answered.

"Do you not know the gender?"

"We decided not to find out. We wanted it to be a surprise," answered Shikamaru.

Gaara nodded, understanding.

"I missed you," I said turning toward Shikamaru.

"Did you now?"

"My feet have been so sore since you left!"

Shikamaru laughed,

"So that's why you missed me?"

"No just that silly," I told him. "Because I love you!"

Shikamaru kissed the tip of my nose and said,

"I love you too."

AN:/ I know you guys totally hate me right now! I totally hate me right now too! This took way too long for me to do!

So belated Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and happy holidays to everyone else. I hope you had some fun times. Happy New Year's tonight! Hope it's a fun night! I am personally going to celebrate extra hard this year because I survived the Mayan Apocalypse and this is my last year of school so got to make it memorable!

I am not going to make any promises as to when I'll have the next chapter up, but I'll try to get it up as soon as I can.

I may post a continuation of the flashback, as a separate story

#GoCanadaGo at the World Juniors!

But anyways,

Spaz out!

.