Disclaimer: I know nothing! I own nothing! You sue, and you will get nothing! Anyway, this is written for all the fans out there; it's all just for fun. And now, on with the Temari/Shikamaru part of the fic! Oh and Shogi is pretty much the Japanese chess game we used to see Asuma and Shikaku play with Shikamaru. That's all you really need to know for the fic.
~The Games We Play~
Temari thoughtfully lifted her Knight or "Kei-Ma" from the Shogi board. "So... you haven't told me yet. What do you think about it?"
Shikamaru glanced up from the game and stared at the kunoichi curiously. A few years ago, the pair decided to start playing Shogi whenever Temari came to town. Honestly, she was the best opponent Shikamaru had faced since the death of his father. She gave him no slack even though they were friends, and even less so, since they had... sort of started dating.
It was all complicated and rather troublesome.
The dark-haired man rubbed his brow in thought. "Think about what?" he repeated as Temari placed her token back on the board with a decisive click!
"Well... about Naruto asking Hinata to marry him," the blonde stated slyly, resting a cocky hand under her chin. "What else would I be speaking of?"
Shikamaru, who had been studying her last move, actually jumped in surprise. He was completely taken off guard by this information. The shinobi looked up at her in shock. "Naruto's going to what?"
You see, Shikamaru knew Naruto was going to propose, when Temari pretty much flat out told him.
"Oh, please!" she laughed merrily at the expression on his face. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"
The man simply glared in return at her condescending tone. "And what, pray tell, do you believe I have missed?"
"I mean really, it's kind of obvious," the blonde teased with a brief shrug. "All the signs are there."
"How so?" Shikamaru challenged back, lifting his Bishop or "Kaku" to steal another of Temari's pieces.
The blonde woman frowned down at the game as the lazy genius removed her token. "Oh, I've noticed a lot of little things. Even my brothers have seen it." She then picked up her Silver or "Gin-Sho" piece and began playing with it in her hand.
"But the most telling was when he and Gaara were in a meeting, and a certain 'box lunch' just magically appeared out of thin air," Temari continued on as the wooden token danced across her knuckles. "Naruto then immediately called for a break."
"Okay... don't see why that would be significant though," Shikamaru pointed out, while once again taking an opportunity to study the board. "It's Naruto. He thinks with his stomach almost as much as Choji."
"Ah... but he didn't abruptly halt it out of hunger," she added, with a scolding shake of her finger. "That's what made it all so telling."
This revelation caused Shikamaru to frown.
"Have you ever seen Naruto eat one of his 'bento lunches?'" Temari inquired lightly as she finally promoted her Silver piece to Gold with a satisfying snap!
The shinobi eyed her for a moment warily. "No, I can't say that I have. I'm normally out of the office during that time. And when we eat out, his habits have been the same. Look… don't tell Choji I said this, but it's just food. Why would it matter?"
Shikamaru then made a crucial error, by moving his Promoted Lance or "Narikyo" right into Temari's trap.
Her delicate lips took on a thoroughly satisfied smile. "Because, to put it quite simply, it does. You should watch him sometime. I found it to be, a rather enlightening experience. And by the way..."
Temari paused for a second and slid over her Rook or "Hisha." "You're in check, sweetie."
"Never, call me that again, even jokingly," Shinkamaru said in disgust, trying to contain his shudder of revulsion. The brilliant tactician then glared back down at his pieces angrily.
"But back to Naruto, you're going to watch him, right?" she asked with an almost curious purr.
"Fine," the man ultimately agreed with a sigh. "I'll be sure to keep an eye-out for him and his 'lunches.' But only to prove that you are reading far too much into them."
"Whatever you say, Shika. Whatever you say," Temari replied with a slight shake of her head.
The dark-haired man then turned his full attention back to the board. "I will admit, you have me in a tough spot now... but I won't give up."
The kunoichi cackled wickedly in her seat across from him. "I know, and I truly wouldn't have you any other way."
Shikamaru glanced up, hearing the sincerity buried deep within her words. "The feeling is mutual. Rather troublesome, isn't it?"
Temari merely laughed again and stated, "Yes, indeed..."
Several days passed before Shikamaru found the opportunity to witness the spectacle Temari had described. The dark-haired shinobi was in the Hokage office, filling out paperwork for a mission that he and Naruto had recently returned from. When, swish! A beautifully wrapped bento box suddenly appeared on the table before them.
"Huh," thought Shikamaru with a smirk, "Looks like Sasuke has started to become less reclusive as of late... interesting." The brilliant man filed away that fact for later, as Naruto then burst out, "It's here! Awesome! Ero-kage? Can we have a lunch break now?"
Kakashi's eye twitched. "I told you to stop-"
"Uh... I'm kind of hungry myself, Kakashi-sama," interrupted Shikamaru, hoping to circumvent the on coming fight. He had been waiting for this chance for a while, and the ninja wasn't going to let it slip by.
The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. "Really, Shikamaru? Huh, you almost never are. Alright, both of you take an hour break."
"Arigato, Hokage-sama," he responded with a polite bow and then turned to Naruto. "I brought my lunch with me today. Mind if I eat with you?"
"Oh!" the blond said in surprise, since Shikamaru usually went off to hangout with Choji during this time. "Sure thing!"
The guys then quickly made their way to the "Break Room" situated at the other end of the hall.
Naruto shuffled over to the table and sat down. Carefully, he untied the knotted handkerchief placed around the parcel. Gently, he spread out the piece of cloth so that barely a wrinkle was left behind. Next, the blond removed the cover and slowly placed it to the side.
"Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, practically gushing over the meal. "You really out did yourself this time!"
Almost reverently, Naruto removed the individual pieces from the container. With a loving sigh, he took note of all the little touches Hinata had added; like the chibi faces of them placed on top of the rice. His hands caressed over everything she made; to at last touch upon the carefully wrapped pair of chopsticks. Gingerly, the blond removed the sticks from their bindings and then grasped them readily in his hand.
"Itadakimasu," he whispered to himself softly, like a prayer. And then Naruto ate a single, delicate bite. After which, he began to chew, slowly. Taking care to savor each mouthful, until every last morsel of it was gone. This was the way Naruto ate the meals Hinata so lovingly prepared.
Shikamaru stared at him the entire time in slack-jawed silence. The dark-haired man loosely held a pair of cheap, splintery chopsticks in his hands. He simply blinked at his friend in utter amazement, while the store-bought lunch he had brought, remained completely untouched.
When Shikamaru's brain finally caught up with what exactly he was witnessing, he blurted out, "You really are planning to propose to her, aren't you?"
Damn it. He hated when Temari was right!
Naruto spazzed out at this sudden outburst, nearly dropping his chopsticks in shock.
"I- the hell Shikamaru!" he screamed out in response. "Where? How did you-"
"Yeah, I'll take that as a yes then," grumbled the brilliant shinobi in annoyance. Dear kami, this was going to be troublesome.
"Shikamaru," said Naruto, glaring seriously at his friend, "I mean it. How did you know? Because I can't risk this getting back to Hinata-chan."
The dark-haired man raised his hands in a pacifying motion. "Hey! Calm down, alright? Let's just say... a rather nosy blonde kunoichi told me."
"DATTEBAYO!" gasped the airhead looking like he was going to hyperventilate. "INO KNOWS! I'M DOOMED!"
Shikamaru reflexively smacked the blond upside the head. "Oh, cut it out! First off, no, it wasn't Ino. And secondly, even if it was, she would probably die before spoiling this for Hinata."
This information seemed to help calm Naruto down. He rubbed at the sore spot on his head and glanced at the floor in shame.
"You're right," mumbled the annoying brat, clearly embarrassed. "That was mean. Ino wouldn't do that. But- lots of people are finding out and I'm getting a little scared that Hinata will too!"
Shikamaru let out a long, suffering sigh; while trying to ignore the stubborn headache forming in his temples.
"Look Naruto, it was Temari, okay?" the dark-haired ninja confessed at last. "And she'd never do that, so just calm down, alright?"
The spiky-haired blond's ears instantly perked up hearing that. "Oooo! Wait, hang on! So you were taking to Temari, huh?" concluded Naruto with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Why me?" thought Shikamaru with a roll of his eyes. "For the final time! There's nothing- oh, forget it," he finished with a dismissive wave of his hand. The idiot wasn't going to believe him anyway.
"Aww! Come on! Don't be like that Shikamaru," encouraged Naruto as he slipped a supportive arm around his shoulders. "You guys make a great couple; just roll with it!"
To this, the dark-haired shinobi let out another lengthy sigh. Only this time, it was rather solemn. Honestly, he never pictured himself in this situation before. When Shikamaru was younger, he always watched his parents bicker and fight. He just didn't understand why anyone would want to live like that. Even in his teen years, he was convinced that it was best never to fall in love at all. Love only caused problems.
People... relationships... feelings... all of it, the brilliant shinobi found troublesome. Strategy and tactics were logical concepts he could quantify, understand. Sometimes it felt like he was the only one who did. In the end, Shikamaru came to the conclusion that life was pointless. So why work at it?
But then, one day, he had suddenly gained a real friend. And since then, bit by bit. Shikamaru's world view began to change... and it was all because of Choji. People, relationships, feelings... they all began to matter to him.
And Choji taught him that was okay. Over time, Ino even became their go between, since she understood both emotion and logic very well.
But still, even with all the empathetic wisdom Choji and Ino had bestowed upon him, Shikamaru still believed that he would never fall in love. He just didn't have it in him.
And then he met Temari. She was completely different from any other girl he had known. The blonde had an intelligence about her, that was almost infuriatingly on par with his own. During the subsequent Chunin exams, the pair formed a strong bond build on mutual respect and friendship.
It wasn't until after he had been trapped in the "Infinite Tsukuyomi," that Shikamaru began to ponder, if maybe it was in fact ...more. Within the dream, he had been next to Temari watching his parents along with Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei. For some reason, the couples were playfully bickering with one another.
Why on earth did he see that? What did that mean? It wasn't until Temari risked her life to save him from Gengo in the Land of Silence that he truly understood. She really did cared about him. Feelings that the brilliant shinobi had never known, suddenly came bubbling to the surface.
But Temari had been scarred by love many times before, regardless of its form. Her odd family situation from before they even met was proof enough of that. And as for Shikamaru himself, he was still coming to terms with all these emotions equated to. So they both agreed, to start out slow... and see where it developed from there.
After several minutes of silence, Shikamaru finally gathered up the courage to ask, "Hey, Naruto... Can I ask you a question?"
"Huh?" the blond responded with a confused blink. "Yeah, sure thing! Spill!"
"When were you sure... that Hinata was the right person for you?"
Naruto began to study his friend with a small frown. "What?"
"I mean... how do you know this is all going to work out? Not everyone that gets married stays that way. How can you be so sure that this is the right course of action?"
The blond then removed his arm from around Shikamaru, and placed his hand reverently to his chest. "Because even though my head doesn't, my heart does."
The dark-haired ninja exhaled a breath in frustration. "Naruto that isn't-"
"- a guarantee," the other finished with a nod of acceptance. "But with stuff of this nature, there really isn't any other way. Just because something might fail, doesn't mean you shouldn't try."
Shikamaru then looked away from his friend and began to ponder this.
Naruto could clearly see that he hadn't convinced him, so he decided to take a different approach. "You know, I think about my parents sometimes and I wonder, is it really worth the risk? But then I see Kurenai-sensei, and I know she'd give anything to have Asuma-sensei back for even a day. I have a chance to spend as much time as I can with Hinata, and I plan not to waste a second of it."
"Hmm..." Shikamaru muttered to himself in thought.
"But you and Temari are different people than Hinata and I are," Naruto added in, feeling that it was important. "When all's said and done, you need to do what's right for both of you."
"I'll... keep that in mind," agreed Shikamaru with a nod. "Arigato."
"No problem! What are friends for?" he exclaimed, while nervously scratching at the back of his head. "And uh... speaking of being such good friends. I could kinda use some help with the proposal stuff I've got planned. See... Gai andLee-"
"No," came the brilliant ninja's decisive answer, already knowing what Naruto was going to ask. "I'm not corralling the green-suited space cadets! It's your fault they found out, not mine."
To this, Naruto pretty much got down on his knees and began to beg, "But Shikamaru! Please! They're driving me freaking crazy, Dattebayo!"
The dark-haired shinobi sweat-dropped at the future Hokage.
"Oh, great kami. I'm SO going to regret this!" thought Shikamaru ruefully, as he massaged his aching head. "Fine! I'll do it."
"Yay!" cheered the blond as he immediately sprung up and began explaining his elaborate plan.
Shikamaru let out a laboring sigh and simply followed along. He still wasn't sure where he and Temari might end up in a couple of years, but for right now, they were both good with taking it slow.
The people in his life were all rather troublesome. But at the very least, they made it interesting. And as for Naruto and his big plans... well, only time would tell.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Well there you have it! Happy Holidays, everyone! Hope you enjoyed my present to you all! Also I would like to say a quick thank you to all my anonymous reviewers! Since I can't message each of you; I will say it here: You guys are SO awesome and really make my days.
Okay, so. The next month or so is shaping up to be quite busy for me. So expect another slow down in posting like there was before. I will try to have the next chapter out by the end of January, but I'm not making any promises people.
And now, next time! Ino catches Naruto *gasp!* shopping at a jewelry store! "Ha! Take that Forehead, I knew before you!" All this and more, coming soon!
And lastly, as always: Please remember to read, fav, and review! It helps to inspire me! Thanks again!
Japanese Word Key:
Hai: Yes
Itadakimasu: It's a traditional Japanese phrase that means: "I thank you for the meal."
Otousan: Father (formal)
Tou-chan: Father (informal)
Kaa-chan: Mother
Oba-chan: Granny
Arigato: Thank you
Kami: God or spirit
Chibi: Short, cute style of drawing
Gomen: Sorry
Bento box: the Japanese term for a lunch box, or a boxed lunch of some kind.
Shogi: Japanese chess
Kunoichi: Female ninja
Shinobi: Ninja (not sure if it's just used for males though)
Sensei: Teacher
Dattebayo: Naruto's catchphrase in Japanese. It doesn't actually translate to "Believe it!" It's just an exclamation like: Yippee! or Huzzah!