Chapter Forty
The walk to Suna had been pleasant. Fall color hadn't yet started in the Land of Fire, and the worst of the summer heat was fading in the Land of the Wind. Gaara had greeted Temari and Shikamaru with a grand feast. Between exhaustion from the walk and the heavy meal, Shikamaru had turned in early, and Temari was in the process of getting ready for bed when there was a knocking at the door. Who could that be?
Temari threw on a robe, went into the living room of the suite she and Shikamaru shared, and opened the door to see her brother Gaara and his heavily pregnant wife-to-be, Matsuri. "Temari, may we talk please?" Gaara asked with soft eyes and slight smile.
"Of course," she took a moment to respond, gesturing to the living room, "Please, have a seat." Matsuri and Gaara sat on the couch, and Temari sat on the plush armchair. "Lord Kazekage, to what do I owe the honor?"
"Gaara, you used to call me Gaara," he chuckled. Temari had never seen him smile so thoroughly. Getting married and having a baby tends to do that. Matsuri shifted uncomfortably on the couch.
"Are you all right?" Temari asked in a panic.
"Just micro-contractions, they happen usually in second trimester on," Matsuri assured. "I'm not due for about two weeks." Temari nevertheless felt her toes tapping nervously. From what she knew of pregnancy in the past few months, two weeks to due date you could pop at any moment. "I'll be fine," the other woman assured Temari.
"Okay, so, what's up?" Temari asked, sitting back in the chair.
"Temari, we do need to talk about an unlikely eventuality," Gaara spoke up.
"What's that?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Temari, we want you and Shikamaru to be godparents to our son," Matsuri explained.
Nothing unlikely about that. "Go on," Temari nodded, knowing there was more to it.
"Temari…" Gaara stared, now pained at the words he was considering, "… if something should happen to us…"
"Nothing is going to happen," she protested.
"… you and your husband would be co-regent to our son," he continued as if she hadn't interrupted. "For all intents and purposes, you and Shikamaru would be sharing the title of Kazekage until our son came of age." Gaara gently placed a hand on Matsuri's stomach, "I trust no one else to raise Jun'ichi right if the worst should happen."
"Pure One," interesting choice. "Thank you for trusting Shikamaru and me…" her words cut off and a heavy lead weight dropped on Temari's belly.
"Temari, is something wrong?" Matsuri asked.
She stared into Matsuri's dark eyes, then Gaara's, "I…"
"If you're not up for it…" he started.
"No," she raised a hand, "I'm up for it, and I'm sure Shikamaru will be, too," she took several flustered breaths, "What happens if something happens to me?" The words spilled out.
"Why would something happen to you, Temari?" Matsuri asked the innocent question. Unfortunately, even innocent words could hit with the force of a gut-punch. Matsuri must have noticed her faux paus just a moment later, "Oh my god, Temari, I'm sorry…"
"It's fine!" Temari raised a hand and firmly cut her off. "You two should know that Shikamaru and I will be trying to have a baby starting around the new year…"
"Certainly, a joyous occasion, then. Our son may share a birthday with your child with any luck," Gaara smiled, but he remained worried in his eyes.
"Gaara, I'm scared," Temari hugged herself. "Mom, and Grandma both died in childbirth, and I've miscarried once."
"It wasn't your fault, Temari," Matsuri offered. "With miscarriages, frequently there is nothing that can be done."
Temari wanted to argue, to rebuke the girl, but Matsuri was right. Many women miscarried randomly in first trimester without knowing they'd been pregnant. While rarer, women still miscarried like Sakura did in second trimester – no rhyme or reason to it – even with an absolutely clean bill of health. "Gaara, why do you want us to be godparents?" Temari asked in a shaky voice.
He stood and put his hand on her shoulder, "Because I know how good of a parent you and Shikamaru will be."
"You really think so?" Temari spoke, voice becoming hollow. Father had not been a loving parent by any means. He'd been conniving and manipulative to the family throughout her childhood, and he'd put her and her brothers through things no parent should ever do.
"I know so," Gaara answered with a smile and conviction that could make Temari believe he was right. "I've seen you let go of your anger toward me. I've seen you be to your husband everything the Shrew of the Sands never was to anyone."
Temari remembered the scared, angry girl she'd been in her early teens. She remembered the resentment she held toward father and other stupid, happy people. And now you are one of those stupid, happy people. "Thanks little brother," she sighed in relief, "Shikamaru and I would be happy to be godparents to our nephew." Temari actually cracked a smile.
Gaara's wedding had been an event to remember, much had Naruto's first visit to Suna had been almost twelve years before. Naruto was still too young to grasp how dangerous Gaara could be – ironically, the reason they both became friends. You've come a long way my friend!
"Naruto," a Kankaro strode up, wearing a tight-cut, black uniform trimmed in red that bordered on regal.
"Hey," he offered a smile to his friend.
"The groom asked to see you, privately, while there is a lull in the reception." Kankaro gestured off to a door well hidden in the palace's ornate wall. Had the door not been ajar, a casual observer would easily miss the feature. Naruto looked across the room to see Hinata and her mother at the head table, swapping stories with a significantly pregnant Matsuri.
"How could I refuse," Naruto shrugged. He walked to the doorway and entered what looked like a study. Seated behind a massive red stained wooden desk sat Gaara.
"Naruto!" he held out a glass of Sunan whiskey, "Please, let us talk."
"Shouldn't you be out there with your guests?" Naruto asked.
"I prefer the quiet and direct over the bustle of a crowd, especially courtiers trying to curry favor. He handed Naruto the whiskey and gestured to an armchair.
"To do what do I owe the honor, Lord Kazekage?" Naruto asked, taking a slight sip of the whiskey, savoring the liquid fire as it danced over his tongue and down his throat.
Gaara smirked, sipping his own whiskey, "It seems," he sat back in his chair behind the desk, "I'm privy to some insider knowledge regarding your pending wedding this coming March."
"Oh," Naruto cocked up one eyebrow in confusion, "What may that be?"
"It seems your in-laws are planning on making you play a door game with them."
"Door game?" Naruto asked, chest tightening.
"It's an ancient tradition among some clans," Gaara explained, "The groom is successively blocked from entering the bride's family home and parts of her home unless he can bribe the person guarding the doorway. Hence, the door game."
Naruto had heard of the tradition, but no one have ever explained it until now. "I see, and I assume it's bad luck to not participate?"
"Very," Gaara said crisply as he took another sip. He continued to smirk, hinting he knew something helpful to the situation.
"Any you know something that will help?" Naruto surmised.
"Yes, I know what family members will be participating, courtesy of your mother-in-law."
"Akemi thought I needed help?"
"She wanted to give you a chance to make the best impression," Gaara nodded, "The game is seen as a test of how well you know the family; conversely, it is also an indicator of how much the bride's family approves of the marriage based on how much members of the family covertly aid you."
"And what aid did Aunt Akemi give to you to pass on?"
"Namely, she, Hanabi, and Hiashi will be the persons you need to bribe to get past to Hinata," he explained. "The game is usually played the morning of the wedding. Of course, a smart husband to be will be ready long before the big day."
"And do I bribe them with something particular?" Naruto asked. "I'm not exactly rich."
"Indeed," Gaara tented his hands, "Each person you should purchase a gift that they would find meaningful."
Naruto's mind wandered to his soon to be in-laws. He'd known them all his life. How am I going to find something special to each of them? "I thank you for the heads up," Naruto said, shifting in his chair and looking down at the whiskey still in his hand.
"Of course, it wouldn't be sporting of me not to help a friend with such a momentous task," Garra opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a red satin pouch.
"What's that?" Naruto asked.
"Your bribe for Lady Akemi," he tossed the small pouch and Naruto caught it expertly. Naruto undid the drawstring of the pouch to see the bad contain small black seeds.
"What's this?"
"Sunan poppy seeds," Gaara raised a hand, "These are a variety like the one I gifted you and Hinata at the holidays last year. Lady Akemi expressed a desire to cultivate them further in her garden." Mischief crept into Gaara's smile and tone.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"Has Hinata been taking care of the specimen I gifted you?"
"About that, Gaara," Naruto cleared his throat.
"Yes?"
"You said the addictive effect was selectively bred out of the flower, right?"
"Yes," Gaara nodded.
"What about its other effect?"
Gaara ran his tongue in his cheek, "The jury is still out; that said, I have heard reports that the few owners of the flower have had significant improvement in their romantic life."
Naruto swallowed. The flower had bloomed, and he awaited it to respawn this spring, being that it was a perennial flower. In the long stretch it had been kept in Hinata's room, he'd gotten laid every night. Naruto's heart raced and a bead of sweat tickled down his back as a flood of erotic nights spread out before his memories, "I can say," his voice cracked, "they certainly make a gift like no other!"
"Indeed!" Gaara saluted with his whisky glass as he took a sip.
A knock came at the door followed by Temari entering, "Gaara, you're ignoring your guests!"
"Be there in just another minute, Temari!" he promised. She left, closing the door behind her.
A nagging question came to Naruto's mind, "Gaara…"
"Yes, old friend?"
"Are you scared about becoming a father?"
"Terrified," he sipped his whisky, "Nothing keeps me up more than the worry that I'll do as bad of a job for my son as my father did for me."
"You're nothing like him," Naruto protested.
"All the same, I'd give anything for my father to have been like your father." He tilted his head, regarding Naruto, "You are afraid of the future with Hinata?"
"Gaara, there is a lot about my children I worry about," Naruto took a long sip, too long as the fire burned his throat. He coughed.
"Easy, chief!" Gaara chuckled, "I have no doubt you'll be an amazing father, my friend."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Naruto pocketed the pouch of poppy seeds.
"What are you most afraid of?" Gaara asked.
"That I won't be able to protect them from something terrible," Naruto closed his eyes, seeing Himawari's face, wondering what future she'd be returning to.
A firm hand perched on Naruto's shoulder, he opened his eyes, and saw Gaara standing next to him, "The next generation will rise to the challenge, as our generation did when our parents passed the torch."
"You're right, my friend. I'm being overly dramatic."
"Your worries are legitimate, Naruto," Gaara assured him, "But remember what we've accomplished, and remember we are still young."
"Yeah," Naruto again closed his eyes, longing to see his little girl again.
Shikamaru sat back on a folding beach chair, nursing a whiskey and cola and enjoying the ocean air under an autumn moon. Part of him craved a cigarette, but the smoke of the nearby bonfire provided the perfect alternative. "So," he turned to his wife, "Not bad for a honeymoon, eh?"
"I'll admit," she too leaned back in a nearby chair, "you could do worse." Temari was bundled in her mauve sweater, a bulwark against the nip of approaching winter in the air. Despite trying to stay warm, she took her feet out of her flipflops and buried them in the cool sand. "How did you hear about this place?"
"Naruto mentioned it to me after he got back from the Land of Waves, one of his earlier missions. He always said he wanted to come here on vacation someday." The private island was separated from the nearby port town of Taiho by about a two kilometer strait. The island, itself wasn't that big, maybe a dozen or so square kilometers. The island was mostly sandy dunes, atop the largest stood a few single-level cinderblock houses. Looking out across the bay, Shikamaru could still see the navigation lights of the harbor in the distance. The amenities were spare, but the island was private enough where you could walk around in the nude at night without fear of anyone seeing you.
"Ah, so that is it?"
"What?" he furrowed his brow.
"You brought me here to test it out as a wedding gift for him and Hinata."
"Not… strictly, no," he protested, sitting up in his chair, "I really wanted a chance to try it out, a last hurrah before…"
"Before?" she raised both eyebrows.
"Before diapers and feedings and wiping up crap!" he laughed nervously. Temari eyed him much more seriously than he thought she would. "What?"
"You're still worried, brooding," she said.
"I'm contemplating," he took a short sip of his drink, then tracing a bead of the liquid around the mouth of the tumbler.
"And contemplating what, exactly?" she asked, still skeptical.
"My level of readiness to be a father."
"Shikamaru, no one is ever ready," she groaned.
He raised a finger, "There is not ready, and then there is not ready." He took another sip, "I fall in the former category."
"I see," she shifted in her chair so as she was on her side facing him, "and what does that entail?"
"It means I'm about to embark on an adventure for which there is no way to prepare adequately."
"And what does not ready," she accented the words, "mean?"
"Not ready implies a wholesale state of ignorance," he paused, eyeing her, "and an abject lack of preparation for things to come."
"I see," she rested her hand against her cheek. "So you would have been not ready had the miscarriage not happened?"
Shikamaru revisited the event in his head, wondering how different things might have been had Ino instead come out of the operating room to tell him Temari was pregnant instead of having miscarried. "I would have started as not ready, especially that first day."
"So, you were at least ready to live with the change had it happened?"
"Yes," he nodded with firm conviction. "That part I am sure of." Shikamaru looked out to see, a tear or two running from his eyes as he contemplated how different his life would be right now had his child lived. They'd be almost two years old right now.
They stared out onto the glassy black sea in silence, the moon reflecting tiny whitecaps like fluffs of clouds. "I never thought I'd see this much water in my life," Temari changed the subject, "Even when I learned how to dive, that was in lakes and caves. This is my first time actually seeing ocean."
Shikamaru chuckled, "You know what they say, you never forget your first time."
Temari huffed a slight laugh, shook her head, then stepped out of the chair on sprawled out on the beach blanket. She lay there several seconds, giving an amused sigh, "You know, a horny, lust-crazed teen would have been on this blanket trying to get into my panties right now!"
Shikamaru downed the last of his drink, leisurely strolled to the blanket, and laid down beside her. "You see, that is the difference between love and lust." He sprawled out an arm and she rested her head on it.
"Oh, and that is?"
"If this were lust, I'd say something like, 'I wanna fuck you all night long!'"
"And what if it is love?"
He grinned, "I'd say, 'I want to do nothing with you all night long…'" he let the words hang as they both stared into the heavens, he brought his mouth to her ear and completed the thought "'… then fuck you!'" Temari laughed, he laughed, and they held each other all night long under the stars, deciding to make love just before the sun came up.
Konohamaru powered his legs, driving them into the ground to spring up the steep trail that traced along Mount Myoboku. He chased after the blonde mane of his older brother as he struggled to keep up. While Naruto had an advantage in terms of raw chakra, Konohamaru didn't doubt that his friend turned brother also possessed incredible stamina from a lifetime of hard training.
Of course, Konohamaru, too, possessed incredible stamina. Since starting ANBU training and coming out to Mount Myoboku with Minato, Naruto, and his parents, Konohamaru lost a sizable chunk of his fat reserves and replaced most of it with muscle. As he huffed along, in Naruto's wake, the faint sensation of a shadow alerted Konohamaru to the presence of an attacker.
As Naruto rounded a bend on the trail, Konohamaru's opponent dressed in all black flitted behind trees, the crunch of fall leaves now giving away the opposition's position. Showtime!
He'd been running this drill since the heat of late summer with his mother, father, Lord Minato, and Naruto. He would chase Naruto up the mountain, and one by one the others would ambush him along the way. In order to proceed further, he'd have to best whomever stopped him, and then catch up to Naruto. It wasn't officially ANBU/KIB training, but it was a strong supplement to it.
A cold breeze hit him as his opponent made himself known – Dad wearing his full ANBU garb. Today held another special urgency; this was the last day they'd be able to do this drill this year. Tomorrow was the first of December, and the first snow had happened only a few days ago. Soon, Mount Myoboku would become too dangerous to traverse. So, make it a good finish! He adopted a fighting stance, praying all his training since regaining his arms and legs would bear fruit.
Father rushed forward, attacking with hands and feet. Konohamaru yielded ground, blocking a flurry of strikes as he retreated down the trail. Dammit, Naruto is getting away! Konohamaru dodged and rolled away and Father followed. That's it, follow me, follow me into my web! Father again gave chase, not relenting with his attacks as Konohamaru retreated between two trees. Wait for it!
Father spun in a reverse roundhouse kick as Konohamaru continued to fall back. NOW! As father's kick swung through an arc that would end on Konohamaru's head, Konohamaru teleported to a Flying Thunder God mark he'd left several meters up the tree. As his kick split through thin air, Father fell off balance, and Konohamaru dropped from his position onto his old man's back.
The impact planted the old man like a sack of rice hitting the ground. Konohamaru sprung off and took up a defensive stance, awaiting a renewed attack. Father didn't move. "Dad?"
Thankfully, at the word, his father stirred. "I remember the last time you jumped on my back," he wheezed, "You were a lot smaller then!" He put his hands under his chest and pushed up from the ground, "I'm getting too old for this shit!" Dad struggled, moving like a scarecrow as he walked.
"Dad, you sure you're all right?"
"I'll live," he huffed, "I see Lord Fourth taught you Flying Thunder God."
"It's still a bit hit or miss."
"Nonetheless, I'm proud of you," father nodded, "your Grandfather, Uncle, and I never could figure it out. And your grandpa had access to Lord Second."
"Dad… I need to ask," Konohamaru stared his father in the eyes, almost man to man, "Why did you go to Grandfather's funeral but not Asuma's?"
A sad look of dejection came over Father's face. "Because, son… I was a coward."
"Coward?" Konohamaru expected any explanation about missions or duties to the village; he did not expect his father would admit to cowardice.
"Son… I've owed you an explanation for years, I suppose," Father stared at the ground, but his eyes came back up to Konohamaru, "I know about your grandpa's illness shortly before he died; he swore me to secrecy. I had no idea of his elaborate ruse to try taking Orochimaru with him and protect all of us. I should have been there," he shook his head.
"Dad…"
"Then came Asuma's death," he again spoke up. "Your Mom and I had just come back from one dangerous assignment mere hours after he left. Lord Fourth gave us the chance to go to Suna or follow him to Blood Prison to rescue Naruto." Dad stopped to shake his head, "I chose the latter, then learned upon our return that Asuma had died. I had let my brother die, and I couldn't bring myself to face him in death."
"You and Mom would have both died had you been there," Konohamaru said with absolute certainty. "And Lords Fourth and Fifth would have had to console through you dying."
"Would it have been any worse than us abandoning you?" Dad sighed, shaking his head as he stared at the ground. Dad stared at him for a long moment, gauging his timing, "Son, for what little it is worth, I am sorry, not just for leaving you in Lord Fourth and Fifth's care, but for everything. I wasn't there when you went to the Academy. I wasn't there when you graduated," Dad continued to tick off his conspicuous absences, "I wasn't there see you becoming a man. I wasn't there to tell you about girls; hell, I wasn't there when you got caught making out with Hanabi Hyūga!"
"I'm kind of glad about the last one," Konohamaru raised a hand and gave short chuckle. "Dad, you and Mom were ANBU, and you both swore an oath to do whatever it took to protect the village. You did, and yes, you even made sure I was raised right, even if not by you." Konohamaru shrugged. "If spending months in a wheelchair taught me anything, dwelling on what has already happened will drive you insane."
Dad did straighten a bit, "You know, my old contact in the ANBU/KIB tell me you're doing quite well; you're on track to graduate at year's end." Dad stared up the trail, "If you start right now; you can still catch Naruto before it becomes too dangerous to summit."
"Shit," Konohamaru had almost forgotten about chasing Naruto, "We'll talk later! See you at dinner!" Konohamaru took off double-time up the mountain trail. As he rounded up the trail something began to change. In his younger form, he would have whined about his parents being gone. A few months ago, he would have refused to see his biological father. For the first time, as a young man, he almost understood his parents.
His legs carried him, perhaps a bit lighter, up until he reached the summit where Naruto was waiting, sitting atop a wooden platform balanced on the mountain's peak. He opened his eyes, orange with sage mode, "Hey little brother! I thought you weren't going to make it for a minute there."
"I got slowed down by a conversation with my dad, my biological dad."
"A pleasant one I hope?"
"One that made me realize how much I've grown," he stared at Naruto, "and to appreciate everything and everyone that got me to where I am today."
"Aye, we are the sum of what others invest in us… speaking of…"
"Yeah?" Konohamaru tilted his head at Naruto's coy evasiveness.
"I need your help."
"Help? For what?" Konohamaru couldn't think of a thing Naruto could possibly need from him.
"Has Hanabi talked to you about the door game?"
"You mean that wedding game they plan on the day of the wedding rehearsal?"
Naruto nodded, "I have a gift for Akemi, and I have a lead for one for Hiashi." He turned his hands palms up, "I can't think of what Hanabi might like. I figured as her boyfriend, you might have some insight."
Ah, Hanabi. The mention of his girlfriend tightened his lips to a smile. The past few months – her medical-nin training and his ANBU/KIB training—left little time for them as a couple. More often than not, it was stealing a quick moment for lunch, a short study-session late at night, and her rubbing him with the Hyūga's healing ointment after long days of training. He thought of her black scrubs, hardly form-fitting, but definitely sexy to him. Another thought came to him, the faint smell of Sakura blossoms. "Sakura Spring," he named the perfume she used, "it's her favorite, and it's light enough to where she can wear it without agitating patients with respiratory complaints."
"I see," Naruto nodded, "Thanks!" he jumped down from the platform and stored it.
"Big brother…"
"Yeah?"
"You and Hinata were both sixteen when you had your first time, right?"
"That's right," Naruto nodded, "You and Hanabi are planning something for the occasion when the time comes?"
"She promised to rock my world if I win the Iron Shinobi competition next summer," Konohamaru could feel himself flush at the mention of the act.
"And you both are up for it?" Naruto asked.
"I… don't know," Konohamaru shook his head. "I've been attracted to her for a long time, but the devil's tango or squishy time as our mom and dad call it has me a bit worried."
"I was nervous as hell my first time," Naruto admitted.
"If you were given the chance to wait, would you?"
Naruto paused, chewing his lip, "I can't say I would, but I wish it might have been under different circumstances," she shrugged his shoulders, "Of course, I guess that was when we couldn't take tomorrow for granted…" Naruto paused with his normally boyish grin giving way to concern.
"Big Brother?"
"Konohamaru…" he struggled over his words, raising a hand in front of him, "… you'll know when you know. Don't be in a hurry, but I wouldn't put things off for the perfect moment, either."
"You're worried about the Ōtsutsuki, aren't you?" Konohamaru felt the mild chill run up his own spine.
"Yeah," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Let's put it this way, I can't tell why they aren't attacking. Sasuke or I could barely hold our own."
"A moment of weakness, something fixed in our future?" Konohamaru asked.
"Obito struck on the night of my birth. What if they attacked when Hinata was pregnant or giving birth?"
"Isn't that what you have me for?" Konohamaru winked, "Isn't that why you and Dad insisted on teaching me Flying Thunder God and brining me out to Mount Myoboku to train like you did?"
"I shudder at the thought of any of my friends or family having to step in the way of such an attack."
"You'll be the Hokage someday," Konohamaru spoke confident. "Sometimes that means being on the front line; other times, it means having to send others off into danger. Someday, you'll have to send your children into danger, much as your father sent you into danger, much as my grandfather sent my parents and my uncle into danger."
Naruto gave a slight chuckle as he raised his eyebrow, "Who are you, and what have you done with my little brother?"
"Heh," Konohamaru chuckled, "I guess I'm not so little, anymore."
"I agree," Naruto nodded.
The cold air of late January nipped at Temari, not helped by the fact that she was stark naked. Small price to pay if this works. Quit your bitching, you're a warrior – a Sunan warrior! She danced along with Akemi, Hinata, and Hanabi, their chakra supporting them above the water of the hot springs. The heat of the water below her feet thankfully offered some relief from the cold.
"Concentrate," Akemi called out, "connect with the living chakra from nature around us." Temari focused despite only having the faintest idea what Akemi was talking about. In battle, there had been moments of reading surroundings, hearing things you couldn't explain, seeing an opening on a target, and the like. Temari figured that was the closest she'd get without formal training. At the moment, Temari could sense the water in the spring bubbling at her feet abnormally.
"It's fine," Hinata assured, "it does that."
Temari took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and she had the sense like she was opening the for the first time. The chakra of nature around her emanated a brilliant glow, even in the cold of winter. She opened her eyes, seeing the glow remained all around her. As she and the others danced, helixes of water danced with their movements. As chakra gathered around, Temair could sense it flowing into her feet, up the veins of her leg, through her womanhood and core, up to her heart, and finally reaching her head and arms. "What's happening?!" mild panic came into her voice.
"It's all right," Hanabi spoke, her voice sounding disconnected to Temari. Temari blinked, and suddenly all was still. The water in the springs was perfectly clear as glass, and all sound returned to normal. A quiet moment passed, and Temari felt the thing hum of a tuning for having been struck all over her skin and body.
Temari looked down at her hands and her naked body. The thin hum continued, slowly building in intensity. Goosebumps began to coat her skin, but not from the cold. Her mind wandered to Shikamaru, and her body pulsed, humming like a temple bell being struck with a mallet. Temari shivered, recalling the excitement she felt making out with Shikamaru the first time, the first time she'd touched herself while thinking of him during their long years apart, and the thrill of making ready to make love to him the first time.
Temari clenched her hands into fists, her heartrate slowing increasing in tempo. "Temari," she turned to see Lady Akemi, "The effect may be a bit intense."
"I feel incredible!" she shook as she spoke.
"Now, it's time to make the most of it," Hanabi said, handing Temari her simple robe.
Oh, we're going to make the most of it! Temari felt moisture starting to form in her core. Right now, she'd have no compunction of taking Shikamaru right in front of the three ladies here right now. If anything, it might even add to the excitement. She pulled on her robe, not bothering to don the rest of her clothing, except her shoes. "I'll be sure to check in after the effect wears off."
"It might still be a few weeks before we notice anything," Akemi cautioned. "Avoid celebrating too hard afterwards."
"Got it!" Temari ran off into the night in search of her prey.
Shikamaru sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket, focusing on the world around him, feeling the night though the long shadows cast by the late January full moon. The moon painted the snow a brilliant milky blue and the barren trees for the forest crisscrossed shadows. He could now sense everything in his web – every deer, every snow owl, every hibernating creature in its burrow.
The web shook at the firm sensation of footsteps, still far in the distance. The person moved with intention, and Shikamaru had no doubt it was Temari coming his way. His heart raced at the thought of what was about to happen. Last time, it had been a passionate, uncaring moment, that ended in tragedy. Nevertheless, Shikamaru had mourned the loss. For the past several months, his mind wandered from the tragedy of loss to the curiosity of what might have been. He wondered what his son or daughter might have looked like had they lived. He wondered what type of person they would have become. He needed to answer that question.
The cold nip of winter winds cut at him. He had shed his outer heavy layers in favor of a light set of robes. His actual outfit was in a backpack stored nearby. Of all the places in the world, I never would have guessed she and I would be here. The forest clearing on his family lands felt familiar in a way hard to quantify. This forest had been in his family since before the founding of the village. This very spot where he sat was where he began, and presumably, where his older brother had been conceived.
He opened his mind from meditation, feeling at peace with what was about to happen, maybe even a bit excited. He was about to start the next great adventure, much as his parents had before him. In back of his head, there were still seeds of doubt and fear, but they grew more distant and fainter as Temari's ghostly figure ran through the snow toward him.
The moonlight highlighted her pale skin, and her simple white robe did little to hide her fine, tight body. A smirk carved into his face. That's right, girl, come into my web. Something about her running to him, knowing there was nothing under the robe, took him back to the night she'd stepped out from behind a privacy screen in her lingerie and proceeded to ruin him and his ability to fantasize about other women.
Temari reached the edge of the clearing and stopped, eyeing him like a female wolf preparing to pounce on prey. The thought of getting physical made Shikamaru's outfit tighten. She strode up, the cold breeze flapping the bottom of her robe in the wind, teasing him with her bare skin before hiding it again. The slight tease left him hard as steel and craving more as he stood up. "Temari?" he challenged.
Temari did not answer with words. She dropped her backpack in the snow, walked up to him, and grabbed him by the collar. Shikamaru registered the impact of his lips meeting her lips, and Temari's tongue penetrated him in mimicry of what she wanted from him. Still clutching his collar in one hand, she pushed him back. "Shikamaru!" her free hand stormed through his robe, under the elastic of his boxers, and encased his cock. He twitched under the pleasant invasion, "Drop your drawers AND MAKE ME A MOTHER, GODDAMMIT!"
"What a pain!" he groaned. Despite his best effort to complain, he was totally turned on by her aggressiveness. Funny, maybe I can be a bit aggressive, too! As she toyed with his dick, his hand clawed at her robe, exposing her perfect breasts, nipples perky in the cool of the night. He wrapped her in a bear hug, burying his face in her chest, and tracing his tongue over her perky nipples. Temari took the opportunity to tear away his boxers, and their robes dropped into the snow.
Temari's knees must have given out because when he was aware of himself next, she was sprawled out on the blanket, and he was over top of her. His hand migrated down to her mound, pleased to find her wet and ready. His lips migrated up to her chest, across her neck, and finally to her left ear. He took her lower earlobe in his mouth, nibbling and tracing the tender skin with his tongue. "I'm going to ruin you, Temrari!" he taunted to her, much has she taunted him their first night.
"Ruin me?" she giggled, tits bouncing as her body undulated.
Shikamaru entered her with his length, and continued heavenly torture of her ear – her eternal weak spot. "I'm going to fuck your brains out, Temari!" The words escaped him with devilish delight as he thrust back in forth, controlled despite his excitement. "I'm going to pump you with so much fucking cum, you'll have triplets!" He let the ear go and brought himself nose to nose with her, "And when we finish, I'm to tie you down for a change and do it with you again and again until we get the job done!"
Temari cocked up an eyebrow, "Heh, your attempt at kink is a bit awkward still," she pulled him down and licked his ear. "But I'm the one that will be tying you down and riding you all night long when we finish here!"
Shikamaru's eyes rolled back in his head as he thrust deep, losing himself in her warmth. Her legs clamped around him, and he felt the sting of fingernails in his back, scratching down his spine. "AHHHH!" he screamed.
Her walls continued to suck at him, begging him to release, and it took everything he had to resist. OhgodohgodohgodOHGODOHGOD! "Oh, GOD!" Temari yelled his thoughts loud enough to be heard all the way back in the village.
"Te-Temari, what's wrong?!" panic competed with the sensation of ultimate satisfaction.
"I'm going to CUM!" she undulated and her channel clamped around him. The words sent him over the edge as his insides lurched in a strange mix of pleasure and pain. The wave of orgasm was stronger than anything Shikamaru had experienced, his chakra melting with Temari's as they both shared a powerful aftershock.
"Ahhh…ahhhh…" he groaned as her insides sucked and squeezed his manhood. Third release was followed by a chill running the length of Shikamaru's spine, followed by a much chillier draft across his nether-regions. "AHHH!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Temari laughed as the heat evaporated all around them.
"What the hell is so goddamn funny?" he asked, giving her a cross look.
"Tell me," she continued to giggle, pulling him back down to her, "was that making love… or fucking!"
"Heh," he let out a snort, "you would ask that right now!"
She flashed her pearly whites, reflecting the moonlight. "I'm guessing by your relative shrinkage," she paused to let her words sink in. He was going soft inside her. "We should probably take this inside… to our bedroom!"
The cold blast of winter air on Shikamaru's ass and balls made him realize she wasn't making commentary on the size of his dick. "Shit!" he pulled out. The heat of the moment evaporated in a nanosecond, and he began frantically reaching for his clothes.
"Crybaby!" Temari laughed, unashamed at her nudity or the fact that it was now balls-ass freezing.
"Trouble-some," he struggled to pull on clothes, "woman!" he shouted as he got his pants on.
"Of course, you know the fun part?" she teased as she finally got up and strolled to her bag, unbothered by the extreme cold.
"What's that?" he asked, freezing as he watched her extract a familiar, lacy, black thong from her bag. Temari took care to accent her movements as she pulled on the little bit of lingerie that covered less of her than her blonde hair. This isn't over yet. He had an odd feeling he was in for a long night handcuffed to his bed.
Not pausing her getting dressed, she spoke, "You know your parents made you out here, about this time of year, as well!"
He did the math in his head, oddly disturbed that his parents saw fit to do this same thing in this exact spot almost twenty years earlier. "I do not need that image in my head!"
Temari finished closing her robes, smirked, and quickly flashed her braless chest at him. "Hurry, up, and we'll see to getting that image out of your head!" Shikamaru hurried his ass up getting dressed.
Hanabi walked the Hyūga Compound in the fog of long nights of study and short nights of sleep. Quit bitching. You knew it was going to happen. You knew you weren't going to just slide by like you did at the Academy or training for the White Kitsune. She strode with purpose to the Shrine to Inari Okami, finding Mom, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Temari, Choji, and Karui waiting in the shrine.
As she arrived, the crowd stared with bait breath. Under Hanabi's arm were the results for Karui and Temari. "I assume everyone is cool with the results being announced."
"Everyone has acknowledged consent," Ino nodded, "And we're all waiting on you."
Hanabi pulled out a bottle of sparkling apple juice and broke the seal, "Congratulations to both of you!"
A collective sigh of relief was let go by the couples. "Hanabi, when are we due?" Choji asked, cheeks pink with joy as he clutched his wife's hand.
"Late August," she turned to Shikamaru and Temari next, "And you guys will be sometime in September." As she made the announcement, Hanabi caught a slight shift in Ino's body, a sign of discomfort. Hinata, too, reached for the necklace with the Uzumaki crest Naruto had gifted her years earlier. Jealousy?
"Congratulations," Hinata said to both couples with a slight bow. If she was jealous, big sister hid it well. "before we all leave, I'll need to schedule you ladies for ultrasounds."
"And while you're doing that," Hanabi chimed in, going to a cabinet for plastic champagne flutes, "I propose a toast." She distributed the plastic stemware and began to pour everyone present a drink of the sparkling cider.
"What should we toast to?" Karui asked.
"How about the future?" Mom suggested.
"To the future!" Hanabi raised her drink.
"To the future!" everyone else toasted in unison.
Author's notes: Hi everyone, apologies for the long delay getting this out. There was a lot I wanted to get in this chapter. Between work and some issues going on in my life, I had very little time for writing. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I thank you for reading. Next chapter will cover all the lead up to Naruto and Hinata's wedding, and the following chapter will be the wedding day itself. Until then, stay health, stay safe! See you next chapter.