Temari passes Hinata a heavy tray, and the two start to add even more full plates of food to a table already laden with refreshments. It's not even the first tray, but she has many guests today.
The dining room is crowded, with all of Konoha's best and brightest generation scattered around the table. There are open scrolls and crumpled paper balls everywhere, mixing with empty chips packets and cigarette butts. Temari wrinkles her nose at the mess as she sits down at the table's end next to Hinata. Shikamaru's going to have a hell of a time cleaning tonight.
A small white kitchen timer goes off, the ringing interrupting her musing.
"Shikamaru! Quiz time~!" Sakura sings, waving the timer in the air.
Shikamaru stands up languidly, and clears his throat. "Naruto, let's say there's a crisis, a global crisis. Meaning you need to act fast. Do you, A, wait for a plan that has a high chance of success, or B, activate your sage mode and attack with a Rasengan?"
"Ah, um..." Naruto puts the tips of his fingers against his forehead, thinking hard. "I, uh... that's a trick question! I use Kurama's Chakra mode and then Rasenshuriken!"
Sakura slams a buzzer, indicating the answer as incorrect. Shikamaru groans. "Wrong."
"What!? But-"
"Let me be more specific." He leans forward on one hand, wagging a cigarette in his direction. "The moon is going to be blown up in less than an hour, and someone - like me - tells you to wait and think for a minute. What should you not do?"
"Oh, c'mon, Shikamaru!" Naruto throws his hands up in the air. "That's so not fair. Hinata's life was on the line!"
"If I remember correctly, Hinata was more than able to take out the enemy, once in the right state of mind."
"Shut up, Sai!"
"Pay attention, Naruto." Sakura scolds with a scowl. "The whole point of this is to learn from your past mistakes. And there's a lot of them!"
"Besides, if you want to pass the Jounin exam, you have to think a little smarter. Like, a trick question? Seriously?" Ino interjects, unimpressed. "Shikamaru is asking you the question, you know he's too lazy to make it complicated!"
"That's right." Temari finally speaks up. "Whenever it was his turn to create the Chuunin written exams, his questions would always be so straightforward, the Genin would start to doubt themselves. To be a Jounin, you have to think about everything that might affect your decision, especially how your opponent thinks."
Shikamaru sends her a grateful smile, before he goes back to educating the future Hokage. "The most important part here is, and Iruka-sensei told you this as well, that as a leader of the village, you cannot just run straight into action."
"But the Hokage's job is to protect the village." Naruto argues stubbornly. "Shouldn't I fight if I can?"
"A Kage has more responsibilities than just that." Temari raises an eyebrow. "Do you think Gaara wants to sit by and stay out of dangerous fights? He knows that he would be able to handle it, but he has all of Suna to think about."
Naruto starts to actually think about her words, just as Temari feels someone watching her. She looks up to see Shikamaru sitting back down, watching her with prideful eyes. His foot brushes briefly against hers, and Temari feels her face flush. As slight as it is, public displays of affection never fail to embarrass her.
Just then, Naruto comes to a conclusion. "Gah! Dammit!"
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'm sure you'll get a hang of it, you just need more practice." Hinata assures sweetly.
Next to her, Kiba snorts. "Yeah, lots more." He nudges the man next to him. "Shino, what's the score now?"
"5 correct answers, 8 wrong. My students have better scores than these."
Naruto groans, slamming his head face-first into a pile of old test papers. Choji chuckles cheerfully. "Well, sounds like it's time for a break. Thank you for the food!"
The rest of the group cheers and digs in, and Temari is just passing over a plate of dumplings when Hinata nervously grabs her attention. "Ah, Temari-san?"
"Hm?" Temari turns to her, lowering her voice. "What is it, Hinata?"
The younger woman leans in shyly. "I just wanted to thank you, and Shikamaru-kun, for being so patient and involved with Naruto-kun's studies. Becoming Hokage means a lot to him, and... and your help means a lot to me too." Hinata bows her head lightly, a faint blush flitting across her cheeks. "S-so, thank you."
Temari looks at her in surprise. The idea of not helping Naruto pass the Jounin exam in order to become the seventh Hokage had never even entered her mind.
Years back, she and Kankuro, along with their sensei Baki, had worked tirelessly to prepare Gaara for becoming the next Kazekage. Not just because he was their younger brother, but because they believed in him and the changes he could bring to Suna.
Now, living as a dual-citizen in Konoha, she feels the same. And Shikamaru had firmly convinced her, erasing all doubts that Naruto could be a good leader.
She says so to Hinata. "I'll admit, Shika is rarely wrong when it comes to village politics. If he thinks Naruto should be Hokage, then I'm going to trust him. And I'm going to help." She shrugs with a smile, and Hinata responds in kind.
Temari tunes back in just in time to hear Sakura read off of a paper. "Monday: Tutoring with Iruka-sensei, Thursday: Training with Kakashi-sensei... it looks like the next day we all can meet for a practice run is this next weekend. How's Saturday morning, at the 44th training ground?"
The others hum and nod their assent, including, to her irritation, her husband.
"Fine with me-" Shikamaru starts to agree.
Temari clears her throat with a loud ahem, sending him a pointed look that causes him to backtrack.
"Actually, sorry. My wife said I can't."
"Ass!" Temari growls loudly as their friends start to laugh and crow. "That is not what I meant. It's a two-day festival in the Land of Rivers, but you can stay here for all I care."
The River Lights festival was something she had grown up hearing stories about from merchants and travelers visiting Suna, and had always dreamed of seeing in person. With the lands at peace, there was really nothing - not even her husband's laziness! - that could stop her from finally going.
"Aww, Shikamaru!" Ino complains. "You're seriously going to make her go alone?"
Shikamaru only shakes his head and leans back in his seat. He smiles at her. "Not a chance, sweetheart. You're stuck with me for life."
Someone hoots, causing another round of jokes and laughter.
Temari blushes furiously, and not only at the nickname that she doesn't particularly like being used in such a public setting.
She already knows that - he never lets her down, not if he can help it.
"Okay, okay," Sakura winds up the timer again, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand. "Let's get back to studying. Next topic, 'How to have a diplomatic conversation'. And this can work for anything!"
The Hokage pays her a visit next.
Temari hasn't moved in over an hour, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She stares out at the trees through the porch doors until Naruto interrupts her view.
He takes a tentative seat in the armchair next to her. "Hey." He coughs slowly. "Shikadai home?"
Temari shakes her head listlessly. Yoshino had arrived that morning shortly after the Tsuchikage left, as she did most Saturday mornings. Her mother-in-law had taken one look at her face, made her a cup of tea, and had taken Shikadai back to her house to spend time with his grandmother for the rest of the day. She didn't ask for an explanation, and Temari is grateful for that. She's not sure what she would have even said.
Naruto's fidgeting constantly, she sees through the corner of her eye, a sure sign that he wants to say something but knows he should think through the words first. Temari scowls, an irrational pool of anger heating her up from the inside. He doesn't exactly need to pull his punches; she's already received the worst possible news of her life.
"Naruto-"
"I'm sorry." He blurts out suddenly. "I am so, so, sorry, Temari."
She bites down on the inside of her cheek before muttering, "Did you go. To check?"
Naruto's shoulders droop. "I- yeah... There was nothing. I can't believe this happened to- if there's anything I can do, seriously, anything-"
"Naruto!" Temari snaps, cutting off his rambling
There's an ache in her head and her chest and it's taking over her entire body-
She cranes her neck towards the ceiling, sighing loudly. "The Tsuchikage was here earlier." She explains dully. "Once his teams return, body or no body, I'll start making arrangements for the funeral."
"Actually," The Hokage starts almost nervously. "That's what I wanted to talk about."
Temari looks over, an eyebrow raised. "I can handle the funeral, Naruto. It's my clan now as well; I know the proper traditions. You don't need to worry about that."
"No- no, that's not what I meant."
Naruto jumps up and starts pacing in front of her, looking more apprehensive by the second.
"Me and Kakashi-sensei, and the other lead jounin, we were thinking, that, uh, well only if you agree, that we don't announce what's happened."
The words set in and she startles, shooting straight up in her seat. "What?"
"I mean, just not immediately! We will, later, but you see, the Thunder Rails are new and we don't want people scared and avoiding them-"
"What are you saying?!"
"It's just- Temari, think about the village."
"The village!?" She blows up. "You want me to think about the village? What about my son? He's seven years old and you want me to tell him that his father is gone and he'll never see him again, but we can't bury him, can't properly mourn him, because for the good of the village?! "
"I know it's a lot to ask for, but-"
"It's too much!"
If the Tsuchikage had seen her disbelief, the Hokage gets to see her anger. Temari can't think straight, there's too much flying wildly inside her. She wants to scream, wants to argue, wants to fight.
"You would never ask this of your own family." She accuses. "How can you ask me?"
"Temari... please, I... I know-"
"Naruto, he did everything for this village!" She's on her feet now. "Dedicated his life to it."
Temari thinks, abruptly and inadvertently, of every time Shikamaru stayed up all night working on a plan for the Hokage, all the meetings he led for Shinobi Union, the shine in his normally bored eyes when he talks about the 'Will of Fire' and the future generation of his village, of the countless plans he has for his clan and their family.
She doesn't remember when she starts crying, big, gasping sobs that leave her breathless, and she doesn't remember when Naruto grabs her by the shoulders and gently guides her back to her seat.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this." She cries. "We were supposed to have more time."
Temari's too embarrassed to look Naruto in the face, even after he brings her a dozen tissues and two full glasses of cold water. If she had been in a better mood, she would have laughed and noted his actions as something to tease Hinata about later, but as it is, she has more pressing matters to focus on.
He places a cup of tea in front of her next, and through her lashes, she can see his socked feet twitching.
Temari wipes all traces of tears from her face before she answers, her voice steely. "Six months. That's it."
Naruto nods, his hands up placatingly. "Not a day more, and that's a promise from the Hokage, y'know."
i wrote most of this back when i watched naruto the last so it made more sense then
pls let me know your thoughts ! again here or on tumblr :D
