#I imagine this is the moment where Temari tells Shikamaru he should leave his hair down for the album cover photo shoot they’re doing (cont

[theylovevenus]

(Woodstock au) Something in the way she moves, attracts me like noo other loverrrr

[effeminateboyninja]

I had a dream last night that I had an unrequited crush on Shikamaru since forever but he and Temari had started dating.

(In the dream I had me and Shiki we’re walking and joking then Temari came over and then they went for dinner together. As Shikamaru’s friend I was like -arm punch- go on bro, have fun. And they walked away together leaving me feeling heartbroken, inadequate and inferior.)

You can do any scenario you want. I literally have an unrequited love playlist lol 😂❤️

oh anon, i've been there 😭 let us wallow in our unrequited love for Shikamaru together

~ Almost enough ~

(Shikamaru x fem!reader) angst // 1.7k words

Ten years. An entire decade with Shikamaru by your side, getting into the carefree mischief that defined such childhood friendships and growing so close people were surprised to see one of you without the other. More than half of it spent trying to ignore the butterflies and daydreams that would force you to admit you wanted him to be more. In hindsight it seemed inevitable, the way he’d snuck into your heart before you could even notice. With his striking intelligence and those penetrating eyes, the way he so readily discarded his lazy demeanor and replaced it with hardened determination when his friends needed him — how could you not love him?

You accepted it too late though, spent too many months agonizing over how to tell your best friend that you were head over heels for him, and by the time you were finally brave enough to take the plunge and make your confession he had one of his own. That day was cemented in your mind now, a stinging reminder of your own inaction. Against your better judgement you drifted back into the memory...

It was beautiful out, the warm air offset by a gentle breeze that carried the spring blossoms through the wind as he sat across the shogi board from you, his sharp brow furrowed in concentration as he analyzed the pieces to determine his next move. One of the petals caught in his dark hair and your hand moved to brush it away, but before you could he sat back with a sigh, “Do you wanna do something else? I’m not really into the game.”

“Why? Because I’m winning?” you teased.

He rolled his eyes and cracked a small grin. “You’re only winning because I’m not giving it my all,” he objected.

“Sure, sure,” you threw a light punch at his shoulder and you both laughed. He looked so pretty when he laughed. Not the snarky chuckle he used so often in public, but this unapologetically cheerful one accompanied by a toothy smile that was so carefree and genuine it transformed his serious face into something softer, more innocent. The words never seemed easier to say than it that moment, and without your permission they slipped through your lips as the laughter died out.

“I love you.”

He didn’t even skip a beat, returning your confession with an eye roll and a gentle shove. “Shut up dude, I love you too. You’re my best friend, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Your heart sunk a bit at his misinterpretation and you parted your lips to explain that yes, he’s your best friend too but he’s also so much more, but before you could he went on, “Speaking of love, I wanted to ask for some advice... about Temari.”

His eyes darted to his hands and a soft blush crept across his cheeks. You’d have thought he punched you in the stomach, not timidly asked for your help by the way your body tensed at his words. You didn’t know disappointment could feel so tangible until that moment, the way your stomach dropped to your feet and your hands went cold. “Temari?” you questioned, clearing your throat to rid it of the lump that had formed, “you love her?”

He jolted up and the red in his cheeks deepened. “Nono of course not!” he stammered, “I just… I like her a lot and like, you’re a girl right? How do I win her over?”

For the first time in your life you regretted being so close to him. Couldn’t he have gone to literally anyone else for help with this? Why did it have to be you? To him you were the only one he could approach about such an important topic. It wasn’t just because you were a girl that he asked, but because he valued your opinion above anyone else's. It was because even if it wasn’t the way you wanted, he wasn’t lying when he said he loved you too. So you pushed it all aside — all the heartbreak and sadness that threatened to overwhelm you — you buried it deep down inside for the sake of your friend, looking so nervous and vulnerable as he sat in front of you and put on a fake smile as you did your best to be what he needed in that moment.

“Well you’re a catch so it should be easy, but if you really want to impress her you should…”

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?” Shikamaru waved his hand in front of your eyes, pulling you out of your recollection and back to the present where you walked easily beside him through the streets, no real destination in mind.

You blinked a few times to reorient yourself and apologized with what you hoped was a reassuring smile, “Sorry, I’m just a little distracted today.”

He snickered, “Who has their head in the clouds now, huh?”

“You’ve been a bad influence on me,” you retorted with a smirk and he laughed.

“You’re probably right,” he conceded. “Hey, do you remember when we were kids and we would skip class to go cloud watching?”

He wore a thoughtful smile as he posed the question, his eyes lost in a content nostalgia. God, why did he have to look so damn perfect when he smiled?

You cleared your head and scoffed, “Of course. I still get grief from my mother about all the absence notes Iruka sensei sent home.”

He snorted, “You actually gave her those?! I always ripped mine up before she could see them,” his sentence trailed off into a laugh, one of those real ones that you lived for the sound of and you joined him, forgetting momentarily about your unrequited feelings.

But of course the moment ended much too soon. You noticed her at the same time he did, and you were glad the Nara man’s intense gaze was so singularly focused on the blonde woman ahead that he wouldn’t notice the way your face fell as your laughter cut off abruptly. She waved excitedly from her position a few blocks down and rushed towards you guys, her short pigtails bouncing behind her as she ran.

“Hey you guys!” she greeted the two of you excitedly as she arrived, giving Shikamaru a quick peck on the cheek, causing a small wince you hoped went unnoticed. “Ready for our date?”

“Shit! I almost forgot,” he palmed his forehead and turned to you apologetically, “we’re supposed to get dinner tonight, we have a reservation and everything. Sorry to leave you like this but we’ve gotta go.”

“No worries!” you flashed them a bright smile, one that was uncharacteristically wide in an attempt to compensate for your disappointment. “Go on and take your girl out. Have fun.”

You shoved him towards her lightly and Temari smiled, “Yeah! Listen to (y/n), she’s got the right idea.”

He looked at her the way you’d dreamed he would look at you and laced his fingers through hers, moving to lead her away in the direction of the restaurant. He looked over his shoulder and called back, “See ya tomorrow!” They both waved before turning back ahead, swaying gently as they matched each other’s steps.

“See ya…” you whispered to yourself, their shared giggles echoing off the buildings as they turned the corner and disappeared from your sight.

Nowhere else to go and not wanting to return to your empty apartment you turned to continue walking the sandy streets of the village and ponder. After a while you found yourself at a small pond, where you sat at the edge and peered into the calm water that reflected the crescent of the rising moon in it’s glossy reflection.

What was it about her? Why her and not you? Maybe it’s because she’s so beautiful, you thought forlornly as you traced the lines of your own plain features in the watery mirror below. You hit your hand over the surface to disturb the picture of yourself, water splashing back and mixing with tears that had started to fall on your cheeks.

That wasn’t it and you knew it. Shikamaru wasn’t that shallow. If he was this might be easier. He was with her and not you because she was perfect for him. Even you could admit that in spite of your own feelings she was his ideal match. He just lit up around her in a way that he never did when you were together, and as painful as that was there was an unselfish part of you that appreciated her for it.

You’d spent a lot of time trying to hate her. Trying to find a reason, any reason that they shouldn’t be together to justify telling him your truth and ruining it all — but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Underneath the hard exterior she really was kind, extremely so. She was more perceptive about matters of the heart than he was, and you suspected she knew of your true feelings for her boyfriend… but she never once made you feel bad about it or told him. Not that she needed to try to make you feel guilty, the feeling overwhelmed you everytime they were around, and even more so when it was just the two of you.

The small part that was left of you still concerned with self-preservation told you to cut them both off. To just stop answering his calls and disappear from their lives before you could slip up and lean in for the kiss you imagined millions of times. But he was addicting. No one else made you feel so at ease, made you laugh so joyfully except him. So you’d wade through the guilt and the knowledge that you were only hurting yourself just to spend a few minutes with him whenever you could, even if it meant watching him fall in love with someone else. Being his friend was enough. Almost.

[absolutelyinvinciblebritishgent]

What if the Sound Trio survived and became Leaf ninjas?

Headcanons under the cut (bitch, it’s a lot of headcanons)

~ Chunin Exam Finals/Invasion~

Dosu was shown to be suspicious of Orochimaru because of the whole Sasuke/curse mark thing and seemed like he wasn’t wanting to be a part of Orochimaru’s shit anymore so he’s the one who realizes something is up

Rather than face Gaara he somehow finds out about sand’s allegiance with sound (overhearing Baki and Kabuto on the way to Gaara, eavesdropping on Orochimaru [because, again, sus], etc...) and that’s what pushes him to defect from sound (also how he manages to live)

Dosu, Zaku, and Kin aren’t necessarily close, but in the anime Dosu did sort of say he was gonna get revenge on behalf of Zaku for what happened to his arms so there is a sense of something there (whether it be friendship, camaraderie, or just wanting to stick together to survive... idk) and Dosu tells his teammates what’s up and convinces them that they gotta GTFO

Zaku is a little more difficult to convince because why would Orochimaru do that to him? He saved Zaku from being a street rat, he gave Zaku power

Dosu ain’t having it and is like “if you wish to stay behind then that is your decision, in the end it is better for us to not have to carry any dead weight” (obviously referring to Zaku’s inability to do anything because of his arms)

Dosu then proceeds to tell Zaku how he no longer serves a purpose without his arms and he was nice enough to still want to take Zaku with him, Orochimaru would not be so kind

Zaku is upset because he knows Dosu has a point and they all leave

They (read: Dosu) decide that their best chance of survival is staying in Konoha because, the minute they leave, the sound village/Orochimaru will be gunning for their asses and also they’d be missing-nin, so others would try to kill them too

But what can they do to assure they don’t get imprisoned or killed due to having worked under Orochimaru? Rat out the sound village and give all the information they know/found out about the invasion and sand’s involvement

Third Hokage is a cool dude and also was Orochimaru’s teacher so he knows the kind of power this bitch can have over people which is why he agrees to let the sound trio stay and have them watched by Anbu

Dosu does not participate in the chunin exam finals because witness protection, or something

The invasion still happens because Orochimaru ain’t stupid. His “pawns” are nowhere to be found so it’s likely they’re betraying him, so obviously he makes changes to the plan

Dosu, Kin, and Zaku do not participate in fighting off the invasion because, uh, super strict house arrest orders???

Third Hokage dies and this FREAKS the trio out because a) oh shit Orochimaru actually did it and b) we’re only allowed to be here because of him, so what’s going to happen to us

Council is deciding what to do with them and has them staying hidden/as they were, but what’s more important to them is finding Tsunade and having her take over as Hokage so the trio are just anxiously chilling

Tsunade is Hokage now and she decides to let them stay because they turned their backs on Orochimaru and also she trusts Sarutobi’s judgment on letting them stay initially, but they are still going to be watched by Anbu to be sure

Naruto and co. find out about the trio and they are PISSED because “not only did you try to kill Sasuke, not only are you from the village that attacked us, not only did you work for Orochimaru but you did nothing to defend Konoha during the invasion. If you want to be a part of this village then you should have helped”

Tsunade tells these bitches to simmer down. They were under Anbu house arrest. She’s Hokage and they need to respect her decision. Also Zaku, let’s fix your arms.

~Sasuke Retrieval Arc~

Everyone is immediately on the trio’s ass because “we knew you couldn’t be trusted”

Tsunade has to tell everyone to stfu again

The trio want to go (to prove themselves) and feel they can be of assistance but Tsunade is like Catherine of Aragon because she says there’s no no no no NO WAY. It’s already a dangerous mission, it might be more so for them because Orochimaru is probably after their heads for betraying him and knows all of their skills

Everything about the arc is the same until the point where Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee need help. Instead of the Sand Siblings being the ones to arrive it’s the sound trio

Zaku saves Kiba... mainly because I imagine them being friends once the trio are accepted and I just want this to be the beginning of their friendship. How he saves him idk because I’m not creative when it comes to fights

Kin saves Shikamaru. Again idk how. Zaku’s slicing sounds waves make more sense here because they work similar to Temari’s fan but I want it to be Kin because kunoichi vs. kunoichi, genjutsu vs. genjutsu, and also the idea of Kin saving the guy who beat her in such an embarrassing way does something to me, but also is a sort of redemption? I just want this battle to show off how skilled Kin can be because she was very underutilized and kinda weak in the original story and I love her so much, she deserves to do cool shit. So let her outsmart Tayuya and, in a way, she is outsmarting Shikamaru because he had no more plans to fall back on

Dosu saves Lee. Again, idk how and, again, I think Zaku’s slicing sound waves would be better here because they can keep Kimimaro (a close range fighter) at bay but I guess seeing Dosu and Kimimaro throwing hands would be cool. And then you have that redemption moment with Lee because Dosu kicked his ass in the forest of death and now he’s saving Lee!

After the mission, despite its failure, the trio are accepted as leaf shinobi and are introduced to their new sensei: cue Anko crashing through the window with a big sign introducing herself again

Similarly to the moment when Naruto spoke out and Anko threw a kunai at him, Zaku gives a snide comment and Anko is immediately at his throat, and then she’s like “JK! But don’t say that again you little shit!”

Anko was chosen to lead the trio due to her past with Orochimaru and because of that she can better understand them

~Other Headcanons~

It took the Konoha 12 a while to accept the trio. The first ones to accept them were Kiba, Lee, and Shikamaru (duh) but also Choji and even Naruto. Choji became cool with them when he found out Shikamaru was cool with them because he trusts Shikamaru’s judgment, and despite originally trying to kill his teammate, Naruto accepts them because they came out and helped so that means they’re a-okay in his book. Neji was slightly taken aback but also accepted them pretty quickly. Basically, the retrieval team was like “yeah okay” and vouch for them.

The ones who took the longest to come around were Ino and Sakura because did y’all just forget what happened at the forest of death???

As I said, I imagine Kiba and Zaku being friends. Mainly because I feel they have similar personalities in the sense that they’re both pretty cocky, boisterous, and talk shit. I imagine them kinda being like rivals in the sense of they’re always trying to one up each other

Zaku is still not fond of Shino because of the whole bugs in arms thing so whenever Shino is around Zaku is just like “I hate your teammate” to Kiba

Kin/Shikamaru could potentially replace the Temari/Shikamaru relationship. Both Kin and Temari are very similar in the sense of being an ex-villain, being viewed as scarier/more intense compared to the Konoha girls, being older by a couple years, and they both lost (well, Temari technically won but we all know she lost) to Shikamaru. Because of this the Kin/Shikamaru relationship wouldn’t be all that different to how the Temari/Shikamaru relationship is shown

That being said I love the sand siblings and don’t want them gone and because of how similar I feel Kin and Temari are they become really good friends and Kin enjoys when Temari visits. They both make Shikamaru’s life hell though. Double Trouble™️

Also I said potentially because I like exploring the idea of Kin/Zaku or Kin/Dosu (:

Dosu and Shino actually get along really well (much to the dismay of Zaku). They’re the type of people where they can sit in silence with each other and it’s just chill. And when they have to work together they kinda have flawless teamwork and don’t even need to speak to know what the other plans on doing

Kin and Sakura actually get along now? They’re not best friends by any means but they can be civil and respect each other

Team Kurenai and Team Sand are the teams that the trio get along with the best/most easily tho

Kin cut her hair to her lower back. Cue everyone cracking jokes about Neji and Kin looking the same from behind. Kin stops tying her hair after that

The trio have really well trained ears because back in Otogakure they had to learn to pick up on the subtlest of sounds in order to spy on enemies and communicate at such a low volume that to any normal ear sounds like silence but to them the message is loud and clear

Because of this they’re all amazing singers (Dosu is the best tho because he has the best trained ear. Seriously, being able to tell what someone is writing based on the sounds of their pencil? Skills.) and everyone likes hearing them sing.

That being said, despite being from the land of sound they didn’t actually know any songs because the sound village doesn’t really do music. It was forbidden because no one is allowed joy in the land of sound. Jk. But it did have to do with depriving people of normalcy because Orochimaru was creating an army of followers

This little singing/music tidbit was discovered by Naruto and he took it upon himself to show the trio music. It wasn’t all good music, but it’s music!

Also, despite being the best singer, Dosu doesn’t really do it. Dude doesn’t even hum. He’ll only sing if Kin and Zaku start pestering or if Anko wants him to

The first (and only) time Kin and Zaku saw Dosu cry was shortly after they became leaf shinobi. Anko and Tsunade were telling the team how brave it was for them to leave Orochimaru and sound behind, and Anko especially complimented Dosu on taking him and his team out of that situation. Kin and Zaku had been trying to hold back tears and keep up their tough image but the minute they saw Dosu crying, not trying to wipe away his tears or hide them or anything they lost it

No one talks about their little crying session. It’s a secret

Despite getting his arms fixed by Tsunade, Zaku still has problems with them, especially his right one (I think that’s the one that got blown off) and needs to get them treated consistently. Partly due to the fact they he didn’t give himself all the time to heal after Tsunade fixed him because he went to help the retrieval team and, mainly, because of Orochimaru’s experiments. Like, essentially Zaku’s air tube surgery was actually kind of botched and, for lack of a better term, experimental, and is fucking with the nerves and muscles and chakra in his arms and kinda eating away at them. And the crazy damage he took from getting his arms blown off only fucked everything up more

Eventually Zaku gets a better version of his air tube in his left arm and has to completely replace the right arm with a cool prosthetic that lets him do stronger/cooler jutsus

Kin has combined singing with her genjutsu and has created a sort of mind control jutsu... I may or may not have gotten this idea while listening to Come Little Children and remembering that Sarah Sanderson would control kids with song

The trio think Sasuke is a fUCKING DUMBASS for willingly going with Orochimaru. Like, bitch we had to leave that no good asshole for the betterment of our lives and you just waltz out of Konoha and straight into his arms?! What is you doing Uchiha?!

[nejitenforlife]

Mutual Attraction

A NejiTen One-Shot AU

Rating: T

Words: 6,145

Summary: When Tenten is being harassed by someone at a bar, she is rescued by a very attractive - and very familiar looking - man.

I posted this a while ago to FFN and AO3, but I don’t think I’ve posted it on Tumblr, so here you go. Please enjoy.

.

There were specific reasons Tenten hated parties. Whether they be in bars, clubs, or in someone's house, they were always the same—excessively loud with an almost constant stench of sweat and cigarette smoke permeating the air.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Oh no.

The worst part was in the form of the man standing right in front of her, desperately trying to flirt his way into her pants.

Tenten fought the desire to roll her eyes, her hand gripping her glass of liquor a little tighter as the man—Deidara, he had said his name was—grinned at her, his arms gesturing animatedly as he spoke. He was telling her a joke, having to shout over the loud music, but she wasn't listening. She hated when men hit on her—not that it happened often, but still—as though they were God’s gift to women.

She realized he had stopped speaking, giving her an expectant look that suggested he was waiting for her reaction, and she let out a polite chuckle in response. She didn't want to be here, but she wasn't a bitch. She would be as polite as she could be until she could extract herself from the situation. 

Then she would find Temari and strangle the life out of her blonde friend for dragging her to this damn bar.

Usually, Tenten didn't mind having a drink in a bar with a nice atmosphere, but not tonight. Her friends, Ino and Sai, had finally decided to tie the knot, and this was supposed to be their engagement party. Not the kind of place Tenten would have chosen for a party herself, and she hadn’t wanted to come, despite having been friends with the blonde since college, but Temari had made her.

Everyone was here. Tenten had caught glimpses of Naruto and Kiba playing a loud game of pool in the corner, Naruto's girlfriend, Hinata, sitting quietly as she watched them, a shy but happy smile on her lips. Sakura was sitting in a booth with her boyfriend, Sasuke, the woman talking enthusiastically while her counterpart remained stoically silent. Tenten still didn't understand what the pinkette saw in the moody raven-haired man, but he made her happy, so Tenten couldn't complain. Shikamaru and Shino were sharing another booth in the corner, the pair looking almost as uncomfortable as Tenten felt, and she decided to make her way over and hang out with them for a while, away from the loudness of the bar.

She had barely even arrived and had only gone up to the bar to get a drink, where she was rudely intercepted by this man who still had not stopped talking.

Did he ever shut up?

Unable to hold back the sigh, Tenten took a long sip of her whiskey and enjoyed the way the golden liquid warmed her throat on its way down to her stomach. 

Maybe if she drank enough, she wouldn't feel so annoyed.

“You wanna dance?” The man—Deidara, she reminded herself again—tried to lean closer to her ear as he spoke, but Tenten stepped away from him, making him repeat the question a little louder.

She shook her head, wondering if her face was still impassive or if he could see her impatience creeping onto her features. “No, thank you. I want to go sit down.”

He looked around, his lips turning down in a frown as he noted the full tables. “I don't think there's any spare tables, but we could find a more secluded corner and talk, yeah.” He ended the sentence with a suggestive eyebrow raise, and Tenten had to fight the desire to roll her eyes again.

“Actually,” she started, taking another small step away from the overly friendly blond. “I'm here with friends and would like to sit with them.”

“Oh?” His eyes widened before what she imagined was supposed to be a flirtatious smile graced his lips. “I wouldn't mind meeting your friends. Where are they sitting?”

She had tried to be nice. Hell, she had spent the last ten minutes listening to his attempts of flirtation. But he was getting on her last nerves. 

“Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy,” she said, trying to keep her voice even without letting her irritation seep through. “But I'm not interested.”

“Don't be shy, yeah,” he replied, unfazed at being turned down. “I'm sure you'll change your mind once we get to know each other.”

Tenten opened her mouth to say that no, she would not be changing her mind and could he please leave her before her patience snaps and she punches him in the face, when she felt an arm snake around her waist, causing her to squeak in surprise. A large hand pressed against her hip, pulling her close to a warm, hard body. She barely even had time to register what was happening before the person spoke.

“I am sorry for being late, my love,” the smooth voice rumbled from beside her. “Is this a friend of yours?”

Tenten knew what the stranger was doing immediately, and although she didn't appreciate that he had assumed she needed help, she was secretly grateful for it.

Moving her arm to rest along his back, she looked up with a wide grin, a grin which threatened to falter when she saw the face of the man who had deemed to rescue her.

To say he was handsome would be an understatement. He was breathtakingly beautiful—and yes, Tenten didn't mind calling a man beautiful. He had black hair that rested just above his shoulders, and although Tenten didn't usually like men with long hair, it seemed to work for him. No, she corrected herself. It definitely worked for him.

His pale, lavender eyes met her brown ones and Tenten had to stop herself from gasping. His eyes were mesmerizing, and although they seemed familiar, she couldn’t figure out why.

Deidara took a step back at the appearance of the newcomer, his hands out in a placating manner in front of his body. “I, uh, didn't realize you were taken. Sorry man, I didn't mean anything by it, yeah.”

“No harm done,” the newcomer replied. “But if I catch you talking to my girlfriend again, I will not be so polite.”

Tenten watched Deidara go, relieved to have finally gotten rid of him—though, she supposed the newcomer was responsible for that, not her.

Their arms were still around each other and Tenten suddenly felt very nervous. It wasn't that she wasn't used to guys—she had plenty of male friends—but he was a stranger. A beautiful stranger. She extracted her arm from around his waist and stepped back, feeling every movement of his arm as it fell away from her body.

Was it wrong that she felt bare without it?

No, that was stupid. She didn't even know the man and he had barely been holding her for a couple of minutes. Maybe she was just missing the feeling of physical contact. She may have a lot of male friends, but she hadn't dated anyone in a very long time.

“Thank you for that,” Tenten said, forcing her head up to look him in the eye with a smile. “He would have left eventually, but he was being stubborn.”

His lavender eyes were intense as they bore into hers, and Tenten could feel herself flushing at his attention. “You are welcome.” .

.

. Neji didn't know what possessed him to help the dark-haired beauty. He had only just arrived at the bar and was looking for his cousin when he spotted the woman, looking uncomfortable as a man with long blond hair tied back in a high ponytail chatted her up. Her fingers were tapping her glass impatiently and her eyes continued to sweep the room, as if looking for a way to escape the man's attentions.

It wasn't in Neji's nature to help others, not really. He had grown up in a wealthy family, spoiled from the day he was born by his parents, and from a young age, he tended to only do things that would benefit him. But as soon as his eyes had locked onto the woman, noting appreciatively the way her jeans hugged the curves of her ass, he was lost. His feet had made their way to her without his brain directing them and before he knew it, he was pulling her close to his body, relishing the feel of her softness pressed against him.

She was staring at him now, head tilted back slightly so her eyes—the colour of warm chocolate—could peer into his, a smile on her pretty pink lips. She was thanking him, he knew that, but he couldn't hear her words, too caught up as he was in staring at her features. Would she mind if he leaned down to kiss her? Probably, given the fact that she had just gotten rid of the last man that intruded into her space. Still, it didn't stop Neji from staring at her lips, imagining what they would feel like pressed against his own.

Absentmindedly, he realized that she looked vaguely familiar. But surely, he would remember a woman as attractive as this one. A frown tugged his lips downwards as he wondered where they may know each other.

.

.

.

He was staring.

Tenten wasn't sure whether she should say something or not. It wasn't like she disapproved of his staring—not like she had disapproved of Deidara’s attentions. But he hadn't replied to her and she was beginning to feel a little embarrassed. Especially when his lavender eyes kept flicking to her lips.

Did he want to kiss her? Tenten was tempted to ask him to do just that, but she didn't think it would be appropriate. He had helped her, yes, but that did not mean he was interested in her.

Besides, she reminded herself, he's a stranger!

Someone jostled her as they walked past, knocking her to the side. The man's arm sprung out like lightning, keeping her from toppling over, and breaking whatever moment they were having. 

“Thank you,” she said again, stepping back from him.

“You are welcome,” he replied in that same, smooth tone. Tenten shivered despite the warmth of the bar, unable to turn away from his intense gaze.

“A-anyway, I should go. My friends are over there,” she pointed in the general direction of where Shikamaru and Shino were sitting while silently cursing herself for stuttering. She had never stuttered before in her life!

The man turned to the direction she was pointing, his gaze lingering before turning back to meet hers. “I have some friends that way as well. Shall I walk you to your destination?”

Tenten nodded her head dumbly. He placed a hand gently at the small of her back and followed her as she weaved her way through the crowd towards where her friends were sitting, all the while wondering if she could convince him to stay with her a little longer. Maybe get to know each other? 

Unless he already had a girlfriend. Tenten stumbled as the thought crashed into her, barely registering as he held her elbow to steady her. She sent him a quick, strained smile before picking up her pace. Why hadn't she thought of that straight away? Of course he would have a girlfriend—how could he not?

Tenten suddenly felt silly for being attracted to him, especially after only just meeting him. She wasn’t the type of woman who could attract a man like this. It wasn't that she was unattractive, but she had enough experience to know that once a man found out how into sports she was—and how much of a tomboy she was—they would be turned off. And this man—this beautiful stranger—looked very much like he hadn’t played a game of sports in his life.

Of course, she had had a few dalliances during her college years—Kiba being one of them—but that was purely out of a bored curiosity on both their parts. They had only ever gotten to second base and had quickly realized how weird—and gross—it was for them to be a couple when they only saw each other as friends.

So yeah, Tenten didn't have a lot of experience with men of this sort of... calibre.

“Are you all right?”

Tenten jumped at hearing his voice so close to her ear. He had leaned down to whisper instead of shouting above the din, and the combination of his breath against her skin and the rumble of his voice had her suppressing another shiver.

“Y-yeah, thanks,” she replied, turning her head towards him only to bite back a gasp at how close they were. His face was mere inches from her own and she could feel each exhale he made caress her cheeks and lips.

Speaking of lips… Tenten licked hers subconsciously and the man’s eyes immediately locked onto the wet appendage. The lavender darkened to an almost violet colour and Tenten stopped breathing altogether as she watched him in stunned fascination.

Another jostle—she really did hate crowded places—this time against her back, had her careening into the stranger in front of her. She was half relieved that her lips didn’t smack his while she fell into his arms, like in one of those silly Korean dramas Sakura made her sit through. But a part of her was also disappointed as well. Why couldn’t she be the heroine of a romance drama, where she is saved by a handsome stranger who falls quickly, deeply, and madly in love with her? Would that be too much to ask?

Of course, if this was a romantic drama, she would no doubt have to fend off a jealous ex-girlfriend and have water thrown at her face by his mother (or grandmother, maybe even both). That was something Tenten wasn’t keen on, and she was glad that real life wasn’t so dramatic.

For the second time in one evening, Tenten extracted herself from the kind stranger, throwing him a brief smile while mumbling a ‘thank you’ that she knew wouldn’t be heard over the noise of the bar. And then, she turned and walked away from him, almost powerwalking the rest of the way to the table.

By the time Tenten made it to Shikamaru’s table, Kiba, Naruto, and Hinata had joined them. Naruto was mumbling something about a ‘cheater’ while Kiba grinned and punched him in the shoulder, looking very chuffed with himself.

“Hi, guys!” Tenten beamed at her friends. Her heart, which had been pounding vigorously since she first laid eyes on the handsome stranger, was finally calming down. She slipped in beside Kiba and he immediately threw his arm around her shoulder, ruffling the hair she had spent all of five minutes brushing and putting into a bun. She sent him a mock glare and shoved her elbow into his ribs.

“We’ve been waiting forever,” he whined. “Where were you?”

Tenten rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. Temari wanted to get here ‘fashionably late’ for some reason and when we finally arrived, I went to get a drink at the bar only to be stopped by an overly friendly guy who wouldn’t stop talking. It was almost impossible to get away from him.”

“Damn, I would love to have seen that!” Kiba laughed at what Tenten could only assume was an image of her trying to fend off a male admirer and she couldn’t help but feel irritated by it. Why would it be so funny?

“Neji! You’re here!” Hinata jumped out of her seat, rushing over to greet the person whose name sounded vaguely familiar to Tenten, though she couldn’t remember why. She turned in her seat to see who her friend was greeting, curious, and her mouth dropped at the sight before her.

.

.

.

The dark-haired beauty had stopped at the table he was heading to. Not only had she stopped, but she sat down and chatted with them as though they were old friends.

That was unexpected. But finally, her face came to his mind—a photo Hinata had sent to him when she first started college five years ago and met her new roommate. She had told him the roommate was very nice, though a little louder than she was used to, but they got along well. He recognized the face now. She was a little older, of course, and her hair longer, but it was definitely her.

What had Hinata said her name was?

“Neji!” His cousin moved around the booth to fling herself into his arms. It was uncharacteristic behaviour, but he supposed she had been living out in the world for a few years now, so it was only right that she would grow as a person and not be that shy, quiet little girl anymore. The realization hit him hard—she was a woman now. A woman who had a boyfriend, going by her last email to him before his flight back to Japan a week ago.

He smiled as he briefly returned her hug before setting her back down. He noticed the booth full of people watching him, though the blond didn’t seem jealous of their interaction. No doubt Hinata had told her boyfriend that her cousin would be coming tonight.

What did surprise Neji, though, was the flare of jealousy he felt as he watched his dark-haired beauty cuddled up against another man. Her eyes were wide with surprise—no doubt she hadn’t realized he was heading to the same table as she—and the man beside her prodded her shoulder with his free hand, leaning close to her ear to whisper something.

She blushed, a pretty pink that spread over her cheeks, and bit her bottom lip at whatever he had said to her before turning to jab her elbow into his side again.

They seemed very close, but he wasn’t certain whether they were together or just friends. Surely, if he were her boyfriend, she would have told the jerk at the bar and he would have left her alone a lot sooner. Maybe, despite her appearance, she liked the attention of other men on her?

But… no. That didn’t seem right either. She had genuinely looked frustrated when the blond at the bar was flirting with her.

Neji lightened, thinking that perhaps they weren’t a couple after all, though he still sent the guy a glare when he tucked Neji’s dark-haired beauty closer to his side.

“Come and sit down, Neji,” Hinata said, pulling on his hand. “I want to introduce you to my friends. Some of them, anyway. The others are somewhere here, but I’ll introduce you to them later.”

Neji followed her, a little too eagerly if he were to admit it to himself. Not because he cared to know these people. He had enough friends—one friend really, but it was plenty enough for him—but he was curious to learn about one person in particular. And he was more than delighted to find himself sitting directly across from her, her cheeks still flushing prettily as she tried to disentangle her friend’s arm from her shoulder.

.

.

.

Tenten couldn’t keep the blush from her face. Especially not after what Kiba had whispered to her. Now she was desperately trying to move away from him so that Neji—Hinata’s cousin, she finally realized, remembering some photos she had seen of him over the years—didn’t think they were a couple. Was that too late already? They looked pretty friendly together, but that was just because she had known the canine breeder since they were in high school.

She stole a glance at the lavender eyed man across from her as she took a sip of her whiskey while Hinata introduced him to everyone at the table, but he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he was glaring very pointedly at Kiba, who seemed to think it was quite amusing, and he squeezed her shoulder in response to the newcomer’s stare.

“Stop it,” she hissed, turning to send him a glare of her own. She thrilled to think that Neji could be jealous of the attention Kiba was giving her, but she also hated the thought that he might believe they were dating.

Kiba grinned at her attempts to push him away, leaning closer to her ear again. “This is so much fun, Tenten,” he chuckled. “He barely knows you and he’s already this jealous. Should we see if we can make him hit me?”

“He won’t need to. I want to hit you already.” She stood abruptly, pulling him up by his collar as she went. “Go dance or something.”

The pout he sent her way usually had her caving in seconds, giving in to any of the crazy schemes that he cooked up in that brain of his, but she wouldn’t be swayed this time. She really liked this guy—despite having only just met him—and she didn’t want her idiot of a best friend ruining any slim chance she might have.

His pout turned into a grin, as if he could read her thoughts, and he sent her a wink, causing her blush to reignite as his words rushed back to her head. Damn, Tenten, he had whispered. He looks like he’s undressing you with his eyes. You gonna go home with him?

She most certainly would not be going home with him, but she couldn’t deny that Kiba’s words—and the idea that this extremely handsome man found her attractive enough to imagine her naked—had heat curling through her belly that had nothing to do with the whiskey.

Tenten was glad to see the back of her infuriating friend, and she sat back down with a sigh, forgetting to even try and look graceful. She inwardly winced, but then decided that it shouldn’t matter. If he wasn’t going to like her for who she was, then he wasn’t worth it.

Deciding it would be best to distract herself, she turned to face Shikamaru, who hadn’t said a word since she had taken a seat at the booth. “You aren’t with Temari tonight?”

Shikamaru replied with a roll of his eyes, but she could see the hurt in their depth when he looked at her. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell you. I’m in the doghouse.”

Oh. Tenten thought back to when they were getting ready for the evening. Temari had seemed a little more subdued than usual, but Tenten hadn’t thought anything of it. Now she felt like a cow. “What happened?”

“She said I forgot our anniversary.”

“What?” Tenten stared at him in shock. “You forgot your anniversary? Don’t you realize how special anniversaries are for women? Especially your first!”

“I know,” Shikamaru replied, practically growling as he glared at her. “And I didn’t forget. She’s the one who got the dates wrong.”

Tenten almost spat out the whiskey she was sipping, partly due to her friend’s words and partly because of a foot that had started to make its way up her leg, caressing it. She sent a wide-eyed glance at Neji, who remained impassive at the conversation going on around him as he stared back at her. She felt her face heating again and determined to concentrate on Shikamaru and his tale of forgotten anniversaries. That was much easier to deal with than a very handsome man playing footsies with her under the table.

“Why do you think she got the dates wrong?”

This time a sigh accompanied his eye roll, and Tenten could read his lips as he muttered a quiet ‘so troublesome’ under his breath. “One year ago today, we went on our first date, but I didn’t officially ask her out until a week later. So technically, our anniversary isn’t until next Saturday. But she is being too stubborn to even listen to me.”

That made sense. Tenten wasn’t sure what she would think in that situation. She could understand both sides of the story, and despite feeling sorry for Shikamaru, it was also amusing.

“If Temari is refusing to listen to you, why don’t you send her a message saying what you just told me. But leave out the ‘being too stubborn’ part. I’ll talk to her tomorrow as well and let her know about the misunderstanding just in case she refuses to read your message.” Tenten reached over to pat her friend on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Shikamaru. She’ll forgive you in no time. Just… make sure you make the anniversary day extra special for her, okay?” She glanced to the other side of Shikamaru. “When did Shino leave?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. When we were talking, maybe. Anyway,” he stood up from his seat, taking a moment to stretch his arms over his head. “I’m going to go. I’ve already said congratulations to the happy couple, and it’s way past when I usually go to bed.”

“Drive safely. And don’t forget to message Temari.” Tenten called to his retreating back.

She had forgotten about the foot sliding up and down her leg during her conversation, but now, as she realized it was only the two of them left at the booth, it was the only thing on her mind. Despite her jeans and Neji’s shoes, Tenten still managed to shiver from the contact, and it took her far too long to build up the courage to meet his enchanting gaze.

“Hi,” she said, loud enough for him to hear but not so loud that she was yelling.

He smirked in response, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her sudden shyness or the fact that they were finally alone together. “Hi,” he replied easily, his smooth voice warming her body far better than any glass of whiskey could.

Tenten hadn’t realized she had a weakness for voices until she met Neji. Or maybe it was just his voice she had a weakness for. “So, you went to a college overseas?” She knew it was an asinine question to ask, but she had to say something.

Neji stood slowly and Tenten felt a pang of hurt that he was leaving after she had asked him a question. But no, he wasn’t leaving at all. Instead, he made his way to her side of the booth and slid in beside her, his arm resting casually against the back of the bench behind her head.

He leaned in until he could speak without having to raise his voice. “It is a little frustrating having to talk over the noise. You do not mind this, do you?”

Mind it? Tenten was afraid she was about to swoon by being so close to him, while a part of her—a wild, reckless part that she hadn’t even known she possessed—wanted to crawl into his lap and sift her fingers through his hair. Would it be as soft to touch as it looked?

She managed to nod a response and watched as that smirk touched his lips again. And damn if she didn’t find that extremely hot.

“To answer your question,” he continued, settling back against the bench as though he owned it. “Yes. I went to college in Sydney, Australia.”

“Wow, that’s cool! Did Hinata ever think of going overseas to study?” Tenten couldn’t even imagine how expensive an overseas college life would be, but she was also jealous that he had already travelled so far despite being so young.

“Her father tried to pressure her into going, but she was too shy. She would not have handled another country very well.”

No, she wouldn’t have. Tenten remembered her first meeting with the woman. Hinata had barely spoken two sentences to her, and Tenten had to pry even those out of her. She had truly come a long way in five years.

“What about you?” he asked. She felt a lock of her hair being twined around a finger and blushed but didn’t comment on it. Unlike the man from earlier, Neji didn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all. “What was your major?”

Of course, he had to go and ask that. The one question she was embarrassed to answer. Not usually, of course, but for once, she had wished she had chosen a major that was a little more attractive. “I majored in Physical Education.” She couldn’t look at him as she said it, her eyes finding a pile of crumbs on the table and staring at that instead. “I like sports and I want to teach kids to enjoy it as well.”

“That is commendable,” he replied, shocking her. What shocked her more was when he tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look at him. “But why do you look like this is something to be ashamed of?”

“I-I’m not ashamed of it. I just,” she bit her lip, working it with her teeth until his finger pried it out of her mouth. His finger lingered on her lip, smoothing soft lines against it as if to erase the damage her teeth may have done before letting his hand drop. “Guys don’t seem to like the fact that I’m athletic. I think they’re intimidated or something.” She shrugged, eyes once again breaking contact with his. “I’m not one of those girls who just does Yoga or Pilates to maintain a healthy body. Ever since high school, I’ve competed in a variety of different sports, and I join a lot of marathons each year.”

He was silent for some time, long enough that Tenten began to regret saying so much. Her eyes found his again, unable to take the silence any longer, only to find him staring at her in serious contemplation.

“And men find this… unappealing?” he asked. She would have thought he was mocking her, except he had voiced the question with such seriousness, his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes as though he couldn’t quite understand.

“Yes. They say they’re fine with it, up until they see me actually participating in some form of sports.” Tenten snorted, unable to help herself. “They especially don’t like it when I beat them at something. Apparently, it hurts their manly pride.”

“Ah.” He leaned back slightly, his eyebrows lifting as he took in her words. Part of her wondered if he was just like every other man she had known, but he was still twirling a lock of hair around his finger, and he seemed to have moved his arm so it was resting over her shoulders instead of the back of the bench. Surely, that was a good sign, right?

He was still staring at her as well, and Tenten was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny. “Anyway, that’s me. Tell me about yourself.”

Instead of replying to her question, he asked one of his own. “You are not dating that… Kiba, was it?”

Tenten couldn’t help laughing. They had tried a few years ago, but it had felt wrong to both of them, and they realized they were better off as friends. “God, no. Kiba is a good friend of mine. We’ve known each other for years, but that’s it.”

“Good.”

Tenten’s eyes widened in shock at his admission. Neji sent her a smile, looking uncertain for the first time that evening until she smiled at him in return.

He untangled his fingers from her hair and pressed his hand against her neck, drawing her closer to him. Tenten’s breath caught at his boldness, unused to men being so forward with her. Well, there had been that guy at the bar, but she hadn’t been interested in him at all. This man, however, made her feel weak at the knees and she didn’t mind one bit when his intense gaze never strayed from her face.

Was it possible to melt into a puddle by just a look?

Neji’s gaze flicked to her lips briefly before meeting her eyes again. “I find a strong woman very attractive,” he admitted, no trace of embarrassment on his features at the confession.

“You do?” Her voice was barely a whisper, but they were so close now that she knew he would hear her. Her heart pounded in her chest at his words, both elated and suspicious at the same time. How did she know he would stay true to them?

Fingers caressed a path along her cheek, and her entire vision was filled up by him. It was as though the loudness of the bar faded into the background and it was just the two of them alone, and Tenten decided she very much liked that idea.

.

.

.

Neji couldn’t get over how beautiful Tenten was, and for the first time, he regretted not visiting more often over the years. If he had—and if he had taken an interest in learning his cousin’s friends—he could have met Tenten a lot sooner. The knowledge that she had been here this whole time without his knowledge caused a blinding need within him. Not just a sexual need—though he couldn’t deny that was part of it—but a need to make up for all the time they had lost by being separated. Now that he was living here permanently again, he would make that happen. If she was willing, of course.

“Most definitely,” Neji replied, his voice dropping to a seductive purr as his eyes once again found her lips. He was dying to kiss her, but not until she was convinced that he was telling the truth. Would she mind if he told her that her physical prowess turned him on? “Besides,” he continued. “There is only one particular physical activity that I care to excel in.”

His smile widened a notch at seeing that pretty pink flush cover her cheeks as his words sunk in. He could see her mind working as she pictured just what sort of physical activity he was referring to. He couldn’t stop his own mind from wandering there, and he felt blood rush to his loins at the images that ran through his mind.

.

.

.

He couldn’t possibly have been referring to sex, could he? But even as Tenten tried to dissuade herself of the thought, she knew that had been exactly what he meant. “Do you?” The question was out of her mouth before she even had time to ponder it, and her face flushed anew as the desire to bury herself under the table consumed her.

“Do I?” he repeated, an eyebrow cocked as he tried to piece together her meaning. She knew exactly when he had, a slow smirk forming on his lips as his eyes turned violet once more. “I assure you, my chocolate-eyed beauty, that I am very adept at that form of activity.”

Tenten feared that he would be able to hear the pounding of her heart as he moved closer, until their faces were inches apart. Was he finally going to kiss her? Her eyes locked onto his lips and her tongue reached out to wet hers in preparation.

A low noise rumbled from the back of Neji’s throat. “You are teasing me, Tenten.”

“S-sorry, I’m not meaning to.” She darted her gaze away from his lips to rest on his shoulder.

“We just have one last item left to discuss,” he rumbled, and Tenten’s eyes flew back to his face, confused. What was left to talk about? He seemed tense, as though it was taking all his effort to stay completely still and not close the small gap between them. “Are you looking for a temporary companion, or a long-term one?”

“If you’re meaning whether I want a one-night stand,” she replied, finding the strength to maintain eye contact. “The answer is no. I don’t do one-night stands. But I also don’t have sex on the first date, either.”

Neji’s eyes sparkled at her words. “Then it’s a good thing this isn’t our first date. Or are you imagining that it is? Should I ask you to be my girlfriend now, so that there is no confusion when the anniversary comes around?”

Tenten laughed at his reference to Shikamaru and Temari’s dilemma. She didn’t think he had been paying attention, and her heart warmed at the thought that they could be together long enough to have an anniversary. Tenten’s eyes closed to half-mast and she could hear the sultry tone to her voice as she answered, “I don’t think it would hurt leaving it until tomorrow.”

“Good,” came Neji’s whispered reply a moment before he finally closed the gap and kissed her.

It looks like I might just be going home with him tonight, after all.

[thegizka]

Rumors

ShikaTema Week 2020 - Day 3 - Outfit Swap

The premise for this is kind of whack, but I had a lot of fun writing it!

Genre:  Fluff

Word Count:  2,069

Read it on Ao3.

“This is probably the dumbest plan I’ve ever been part of,” Shikamaru groaned.

“It’ll work, though,” Ino promised, lounging on her couch and flipping through a magazine while her teammate paced around her living room.

“There are a thousand ways this could go wrong.”

“Hey.”  She shot him a pointed look.  “Do you want to be able to walk around with your secret girlfriend in peace or not?”

He sighed.  He and Temari had started dating a few months ago, stealing moments alone during official visits and joint missions.  Their positions in their respective villages made things complicated, so they’d agreed to keep a low profile.  Unfortunately that was easier said than done.  There were already more rumors about them swirling around Konoha than Shikamaru was comfortable with.

“You could always be open about it,” Ino had suggested.  “People are going to know eventually.”

“People knowing will be troublesome,” Shikamaru grumbled.

“It just seems like you’re putting a lot of work into something that will be irrelevant in a few months anyway.  But if you’re set on pretending your relationship is some scandalous secret, I guess I’ll help you out.”

Shikamaru didn’t want to admit that part of his motive for keeping their romance on the down low was selfishness.  He was falling in love, and it was exhilarating.  Those stolen moments with Temari were theirs alone, and he wanted to keep them to himself for as long as possible.  Plus it gave them time to work out how they would navigate their two lives in two separate villages.

“You guys should leave soon or you’ll run out of time,” Ino said loud enough for her voice to carry down the hallway to the room where Temari was changing.

“You just want us out of your hair so Sai can sneak in here,” Shikamaru teased, though he had been thinking they ought to head out soon, too.

“Oh please.”  Ino rolled her eyes, but she also didn’t deny his suggestion.  Shikamaru wouldn’t be surprised if Sai was already hiding somewhere in her apartment just waiting for them to leave.  Secrecy came naturally to him, and though Ino didn’t make any significant effort to hide their relationship, they largely remained under the radar of the village gossips.  Shikamaru was a little envious.

The sound of a door opening interrupted his thoughts.  A moment later, Temari stepped into the living room.  Shikamaru blinked, his eyebrows pulling together of their own accord because this was just...strange.  He knew Temari was standing in front of him.  The suspicious look she was giving him was certifiably her.  But he also had to remind part of his brain that she wasn’t Ino.

“What?” she demanded, troubled by his confused expression.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he responded.  He made a conscious effort to relax his features while his mind untangled itself.

“He’s just tongue-tied because you look amazing!”  Ino set aside her magazine to get up and circle the other woman, inspecting her work.  “How does it feel?”

“It’s a little tight in some places.”  Temari pulled the crop top and rolled her shoulders.  Shikamaru tried not to inspect the places where it hugged her body too closely.  “This skirt is super comfortable, though.”

“I know, right?  I love it.”  Ino adjusted a few strands of Temari’s hair.  “What do you think of the wig?”

“It’s a lot of hair, but I can work with it for a few hours.  Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Oh yeah,” she laughed.  “Half of the village thinks Shikamaru and I ought to be dating already.  It’ll take some scrutiny off of you and Sai, which works for me.”

“You’ve always been an attention hog,” Shikamaru sighed.  She just stuck out her tongue at him and returned to the couch.

“Go on,” she said.  “You kids have fun.  Be responsible.  I’ll come pick up my clothes sometime tomorrow.”

“You have fun, too,” Temari called as they left.  “She was definitely telling us not to come back here tonight.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to see what she and Sai get up to.”

“You have no real idea of what they do together,” Temari declared with such confidence that he wondered how she could see straight through him.  “Otherwise you wouldn’t be so scared of finding out.”

“I’m sorry, would you want to walk in on one of your brothers passionately making out with someone--or worse?”

“No, but they wouldn’t allow themselves to get caught in such a situation in the first place.”

“Ino and Sai are skilled enough not to get caught, but I know Ino has less shame than you think.  I mean, she walks around in that outfit almost every day.”

“What’s wrong with this outfit?” Temari demanded, hands on her hips in a challenge.  It brought his attention to the smooth skin of her exposed abs.  Funny how it captured his attention now while it had never interested him when Ino wore that crop top.

“Nothing,” he gulped, forcing himself to look away.  “Come on.”

“You’re terrible,” she sighed, but she followed after him, slipping her hand into his.

“Hey-”

“What?” she challenged.  “The purpose of this getup is to be able to go around more freely, right?”  Temari leaned towards him to whisper in his ear.  “Let’s start a few rumors.”

“I’m the one who will have to live with these rumors,” he grumbled.  He was starting to think she was enjoying this a little too much.

“That’s the price you pay,” she grinned.  “Come on, let’s see how this goes.  It’d be a shame to let all of this effort go to waste.”

“What a drag,” Shikamaru muttered, but he didn’t pull away.

The success of this date depended on how precisely they could walk the line of being seen but not letting anyone get too close.  He had carefully planned a date that would let them make a few appearances at some public but less frequented locations.  Assuming they weren’t unlucky, they’d have just enough privacy to enjoy their time together without totally hiding.

They opted to grab dinner at a little food cart tucked just off of the main street.  Neither Ino nor Shikamaru frequented it, so they were unlikely to be particularly memorable.  The plan was to grab food and eat on a previously scouted rooftop so they could enjoy the sunset.  After the sun went down, they could wander the village or return to the Nara estate for the rest of the evening.

“Got everything?” Shikamaru asked, balancing a sandwich and both of their drinks.

“Yes, thank you.”  Temari grabbed a few extra napkins and then took her drink from him.  “Where to?”

“The school.”

“The school?  How romantic.”

“You’ll think so once you see the view.”

“Believe it or not, I have been on the Academy roof before.”

“But were you with such charming company?”

“We were planning the chunin exam, so-”

“Shikamaru!”

They had just enough time to exchange a surprised glance before turning to greet an enthusiastic Naruto with his wife just a step behind him.

“Hello Shikamaru.  Hi I-Ino?”  Hinata’s voice rose in surprise.  She looked between them, confused, but neither had time to explain before Naruto spoke.

“What are you two up to?”

“Just grabbing dinner,” Shikamaru said carefully.  He could tell Hinata had seen through them, but he wasn’t sure whether Naruto had caught on.

“We just got done at Ichiraku.  I’m stuffed.”  He laughed, and Hinata glanced at him with an amused smile.  They had only been married a few months, but there was a new brightness to them when they were together.  Nothing significant had changed between them, but there was a palpable difference.  It made Shikamaru wonder if he and Temari would get to experience that part of their relationship.

“Hey, where’s Chouji?” Naruto asked, glancing around.  “You three are always together.”

“He’s on a mission to Kumo for a few days.”  He’d been taking a lot of missions to Kumo recently.

“So it’s just you two.  That must be kind of weird.”

“It’s fine, actually.”

“Are you sure?”  Naruto turned to Temari with a significant look.  “Ino, you’re being awfully quiet.”

“I’m just hungry.”  Her voice was elevated from nerves or an attempt to mimic Ino, but she sounded strained.  Naruto frowned.

“Naruto,” Hinata said gently before he could comment further, “we should let them eat.  Besides, you wanted to look for some dessert, right?”

“Oh yeah.  Sorry Hinata, I forgot.  See you guys later!”

Shikamaru mouthed a “thank you” to Hinata as she and her husband turned to leave.  She just smiled before walking away with a final confused glance.

“Come on,” he sighed, heading towards the school again.  Temari giggled behind him.

“Naruto can be really dense, can’t he?”

“Lucky for us.”

“We’ll have to explain everything to Hinata, though.  I can only imagine what she thinks we’re up to.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t run into anyone else.  That was a bit too close for comfort.”

“I bet it’ll get a few rumors started, though,” she grinned as they climbed up onto the school’s roof.

“Only if Hinata doesn’t run interference.”  Shikamaru picked a spot near the western edge of the roof and sat.  Temari settled beside him, and they delved into their food.  A few moments of silence stretched between them while the sky was painted in gold and lavender.  A few clouds blushed in the setting sun.  They watched a pair of birds diving through the air in the distance.

“This is nice,” Temari sighed, leaning against him while she sipped her drink.

“Yeah.”  He wrapped his arm around her but flinched when his hand met the bare skin of her waist.  She just laughed.

“You’re so jumpy,” she teased, grabbing his hand and holding it in her own.  “Relax.  Enjoy the view.  Cuddle your girlfriend.  Take it easy like you always say you want to.”

He hummed and tried to just enjoy the moment.  That was the purpose of this whole charade, right?  Temari seemed to have no problem with it.  But every time he glanced at her, he had to look away.  It was just too uncomfortable.

“Is it really that bad?” she asked, jostling him with her shoulder.

“I can’t even look at you.  You don’t look bad,” he added hurriedly.  He had seen her covered in dirt and sweat and blood, and she still looked beautiful.  She always looked beautiful.  “I just get a headache because you’re not actually Ino and the dumb part of my brain thinks you are.”

“Oh my gosh, are you attracted to Ino?”

“No!  Definitely not.  But I am attracted to you, and right now you look a lot like her.”

“So you are attracted to her.”

“I’m not!”

“I’m just teasing you,” she smirked.  “To be honest, this is all a bit too strange.  It was funny to see Naruto’s reaction, but it’s not worth it if you’re not comfortable.”

“It’s not all bad,” he admitted, kissing her exposed shoulder, the closest he could bring himself to admitting that he liked the way the crop top fit her.  She cocked her eyebrow at him.

“Do you want to expand on that?”

“Maybe at home.”

“Alright then.”  Temari stood and stretched, giving Shikamaru a moment to admire the way the late evening sunlight struck the skin of her exposed stomach.  “Can we grab some dango on the way?”

“You don’t want to watch the rest of the sunset?”

“I’ve seen better.”

“So much for trying to be romantic,” he grumbled, gathering their food wrappers.  She turned and surprised him with a kiss on his cheek.

“It was a good date,” she said with a charming smile.  “Now come on, let’s see if we can start another rumor or two before it’s over.”

-----

“I can’t believe you two!” Chouji cried.  “I’m gone for five days and you break up with Temari and Sai and start dating each other?”

“You were dating Temari?”  Naruto blinked.

“Uh,” Shikamaru stuttered, and Ino burst out laughing.

“I don’t think you should laugh about this,” their teammate frowned.  “You should be ashamed for moving on so quickly after breaking their hearts.  And not telling me about it yourselves!  I had to hear it all from Naruto.”

“Sorry Chouji,” Ino giggled.  She shot Shikamaru a triumphant look.  “I’m just happy everything worked like it was supposed to.”

Shikamaru sighed.  “What a drag.”

[misssunflowersandsangria]

This is my Idea

Chapter 2:  Marriage 

Hello, deers!  Welcome back.  Happy @shikatemaweek Day 2!  Wow, can I just say how many talented and supportive people there are in this community!!  Gold Stars everyone!  Thank you for all your time and efforts!

Here’s the next chapter for my story.  There’s a time jump from the first one.  You can have a cute montage in your head about them spending the last few Summers together.  Mama Nara makes an appearance (that’s always fun)  This is where the fun, fluffy stuff really begins. :D 

Prompt:  Marriage

Ages:

Shika:  17

Tem:  19

Summary:   It’s time for a wedding!

*

**

Temari stared at her reflection in the mirror for a final glance over. This was now the fifth Summer that she’d spent in Konoha. It was her first visit there without her father. The last few years they made the journey there together then he would return to Suna before her.  She was hesitant to be alone at first but she’d learned her role well and conducting her work independently suited her.  She enjoyed her work as the ambassador. It was important and she’d do everything that she could to ensure peace remained.

Temari grew to love her visits and the Village Hidden in the Leaves had become like a second home to her.  The small room that she kept while in the village was now filled with various knick-knacks and photos.  Snapshots of warm summer days with people she at one time would have never considered being friends with. Her favorite photo was one of her and Shikamaru during their very first year together in a frame by her bed.  They were so young back then. Pushed into a situation that they both hated. How times and relationships had changed. 

The person that greeted her at the gates this year wasn’t the same boy. She saw hints of that familiar smirk and lazy stance but he was all of 17 now. An important member of the village, a Jonin, and adviser to the Hokage.  His rank could have easily gotten him out of his assignment as her guide but she was thankful that for at least another year they had gone through the season together. A part of her hoped that he wanted to keep that role too. 

They had gotten into the habit of writing to one another.  They worked hard to stay in touch and knew about each other’s lives.  So that when she arrived each Summer it was like nothing had changed.  Their Summer together had been just like the rest. Days filled with work but with Shogi and cloud watching sprinkled in between.  Quick lunch breaks together when they could. Sunset walks and stargazing on warm nights. Late evenings that turned into early mornings when they were with their friends. It was all so familiar and wonderful that it passed in a blink of an eye and it was just about time for her to return to Suna. This year though his parents insisted that she attend the wedding of one of the Nara clansmen as Shikamaru’s date.  Despite their flustered expressions and protests Yoshino was relentless and waved off any of their complaints.  So here she was.  After hearing a knock on the door she looked at herself once more ready for where the night took them. 

Temari smiled seeing Shikamaru dressed up in a dark suit. His hair was down which was a tradition when one of their clansmen got married.  She secretly loved it when it was out of its usual style.  He looked much more mature and handsome than she was used to. It was a stark reminder that he’d grown up. 

“You clean up nicely Nara.”  She complimented him adjusting his tie. 

He tried to not make his stare obvious but it would be impossible to deny how stunning she looked.  Her hair was down which was an intentional move to match his own.  In all their Summers together he’d only seen it down a few times.  Each time left him a little off-centered.

“Thanks, Temari.  You uhm you look beautiful.”  She grinned at the soft blush but decided not to say anything.  She’d grown up as well and it would have been absurd for him to not notice. 

“Let’s go.”  He offered his arm excited for their night ahead.  

*

**

“Temari you look, gorgeous sweetheart.  Thank you for coming. It's such an honor for you to be here.”  Yoshino greeted her, gathering her into a tight hug. 

Temari held her for a moment before replying.  “I’m happy to be here. It’s been wonderful so far.”  The ceremony had been incredibly sweet and touching and she held onto Shikamaru's hand the entire time. 

“Good! If my son does anything you don’t approve of, come find me.”  She warned Shikamaru with a glare.   

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Okay kids, have fun.”  She waved off to go socialize with more of her friends. 

“It’s kind of a drag that my mom likes you more than me,”  Shikamaru whined, handing her a drink. 

“What can I say? We get each other.”

“Because you’re both nags.”  He mumbled.  

“That’s one.” 

“Fine, sorry. Apparently it’s a thing though Naras can only marry let’s say ‘determined’ partners. We’re geniuses but we wouldn’t get anything done without them.”

Temari grinned at the admission before taking a drink.  “We’ve spent a lot of time together. You may be super smart but left to your own devices you wouldn’t make it a week.” 

“You’re probably right.  Thanks again for coming Tem.  It means a lot.”

Temari looked out at the sea of people, the warmth and love present.  Life as a Shinobi could be so difficult so any chance they had to celebrate life should be taken. 

She knew that it was a bit unprecedented.  She wasn‘t part of the clan, not even the village, but she was welcomed with open arms.   With all the time she’d spent in the village over the years, the Naras were her second family.  Since the beginning, they recognized and embraced her as if she was one of their own. 

She rested her head on his shoulder a little overwhelmed by emotion.  “I appreciated the invite.”

*

**

“I don’t dance.”

“I know, but I do.  Come on.”  She dragged him to the dance floor not giving him a chance to complain. 

“Loosen up, you look so awkward.  Here.”  She placed his hands on her waist so that her hands could go around his neck. She felt his skin flush beneath her fingertips. They swayed slowly side to side. 

“It’s weird looking up at you.” 

He laughed remembering that moment when he had finally grown taller than her.  Teal eyes that now looked up towards him.  “Thank God for that growth spurt.”

“So do you think that you’ll ever get married and have an event like this?”

He sighed with a nod.  “It’s a drag but probably. I’ll be clan leader and all once my dad retires.”

That wouldn’t be too long from now. Eventually, he would have to give up his role as her guide, even now it wasn’t completely necessary for him to escort her around. “That’s true. I guess just uhm make sure you invite me to the wedding.”  She shrugged trying to keep a teasing tone in her voice. 

A warm hand came up to brush a soft lock of hair from her eyes.  “Of course.” 

The music changed to a more upbeat song and as she tried to pull away he wordlessly pulled her back in.  Keeping their same slow rhythm.   He wasn’t quite ready to let her go just yet. The look in her eyes told him the same. 

The silence between them felt heavy so he tried to break it. “Are you ready to go back to Suna next week?”

“Yes, I miss my family so it will be nice.”

“Did you have a good time this year Princess?”  He asked curiously.  

“I’d say so.”

She rested her head against him to avoid his gaze nuzzling into his chest.  He was so warm and she felt herself becoming drunk from his familiar smell of pine trees and smoke.  “ I’ll miss you okay.” 

He was surprised by the admission but nodded. Their goodbyes were becoming more difficult. 

“I’ll miss you too Tem. Hey, maybe I can go out to Suna for a few days?  You’re always telling me about places and things to do there. It could be fun.”  He knew that it probably wasn’t possible. He’d return to his regular missions once she was gone but it was nice to dream.  

She nodded knowing that it was just a nice thought.  “Sure, I’d like that.” 

They remained there swaying back and forth to the rhythm of their own hearts. 

*

**

Once they finally took a seat Yoshino quickly swept in demanding a dance with her son. Temari just laughed at his horrified expression and told him to enjoy it while she got a drink.  

“Temari looks incredible tonight doesn't she?”  Yoshino asked with a grin.  He knew that look all too well.  

“You’re really going to make me say it?”

“Come on now.  Your father and I have always thought that you two would make a fine couple.  Can you imagine, an actual Princess being part of our clan.  She is such a wonderful girl, she’d make an incredible matriarch.”

He rolled his eyes not the least bit surprised.  She’d been arguing the same point for years now.    “Mom, seriously, not this again.  I have to escort her around, it’s a mission I've been assigned to.  That’s it.”

Yoshino shook her head.  “Don’t give me that excuse.  We both know that the Hokage offered to assign another Shinobi for her detail and you shot it down.  It’s okay son.  I’m just saying that not everyone is lucky enough to find their soulmate.  You are very smart, wouldn’t it be foolish to let her go.”

He looked over to where she was talking and laughing with his other clansmen as though she’d always been a part of their family.  He knew that something between them had changed but neither of them was ready to face that new reality just yet.  Besides, she was leaving for Suna in just a few days.  Temari caught his eyes from across the room and smiled back at him forcing one to cross his lips.  Maybe by next summer, he’d have some clarity.  

*

**

This is my Idea

Chapter 1:  Trust

Chapter 2:  Marriage

*

**

Thanks for reading.  <3 you all and I’ll see you tomorrow! 

[vannahfanfics]

Colors

Category: Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Shikamaru Nara and Temari

This prompt was taken from the prompt blog on Tumblr, hellsdemonictrinity! Please go check them out!

Shikamaru waited impatiently outside the train station, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets as he shuffled from foot to foot, trying to move as much as possible to keep warm. It was a Saturday night deep in the autumn season, and therefore notably cold. He shuddered as a cold wind swept across the sidewalk, chilling the twenty-something to his bones. Man. What a drag. I really should invest in a car, he thought bitterly as he pulled his hood tightly around his face to stave off the relentless wind. He glanced over his shoulder at the entrance of the train station, searching for that familiar blonde hair tied in four sections.

Shikamaru was waiting on his girlfriend, Temari.

The two had been dating casually for quite a few weeks now. He had been introduced to the young woman by a friend of a friend who happened to be her younger brother at a party, and somehow the pair had hit it off. Shikamaru wasn’t really interested in girls- dating was a hassle he had never been crazy about committing to- but he had to admit that he enjoyed spending time with the feisty girl. She was determined and restless, a polar opposite of the laid-back and arguably lazy individual that he was. I guess there is some merit to the phrase “opposites attract,” he thought wryly as he pondered the strange notion. He perked up as a fresh wave of people came streaming out of the train station, and he could not help but smile as he caught sight of the girl he was looking for.

“Hey! Temari!” he called to the girl as she paused at the top of the steps to search for him, and as he waved his arm and shouted at her, she turned to glance down at him. He couldn’t help but be transfixed when she turned her clear blue eyes on him. Temari was a beautiful girl, but he loved her eyes the best; beautiful blue with long lashes that swam with intelligence. As she hopped down the steps toward him, he became aware that he was staring open-mouthed, and hurriedly shut his mouth before the willful girl could make fun of him.

“Hey!” she greeted him breathlessly, her breath fogging up as she stopped in front of him. “Have you been waiting long?” Shikamaru had been waiting a little while, but that was on account of his insistence to be early due to some subconscious excitement, and he wasn’t going to admit that. As such, he shook his head with a slight blush. Hopefully she'll just think it's the cold, he thought with an inward groan. “Shall we, then?” Temari asked him, and Shikamaru nodded and they walked together down the rest of the steps and set off down the sidewalk. The sun was in the middle of setting, casting the world in a golden glow as the fiery ball blazed in the colored sky. Shikamaru glanced out of the corner of his eyes, appreciated the way Temari's golden hair shone in the brilliance of the sunset; when her eyes flickered to meet his, he blushed and hastily pulled his gaze away. He mumbled under his breath as he heard her giggling, knowing he had been caught. What a drag. She makes me look so uncool. “So? Are you going to keep me in suspense or are you going to tell me what we're doing?” Temari asked him abruptly.

“Come on, don't you like surprises?” he smirked at her, turning to glance down at her with dark eyes sparkling in amusement. Shikamaru had taken Temari ouf a few times, the usual things- movies, simple dinners, things like that. This time, however, he was pulling out the stops. Since she lived in the next town over, she probably had no idea that during that night in particular, the city in which Shikamaru lived was hosting a fair, complete with a fireworks show. Shikamaru had jumped on the opportunity, and he just hoped that the girl didn’t make fun of him for being cheesy.

Come to think of it, Shikamaru was always concerned that Temari was going to make fun of him.

“You’re just going to have to wait until we get there,” he insisted as she pouted up at him, and she turned her face away with a sniff. Sorry, he thought teasingly, and they continued onward.

After the sun sunk below the horizon, leaving only an inky black sky dotted with sparkling stars, the temperature dropped even further. As Temari brushed against him, he looked down at her in slight shock when he realized she was shivering considerably, so much that her teeth chattered every once and a while. Though she was wearing long sleeves, the fabric was considerably thin. Guess I should do the “gentlemanly” thing, he thought with a small sigh as he stopped on the sidewalk and began wriggling out of his hoodie.

“What are you doing?” Temari blinked as she stopped and turned to face him, and then cried out as he unceremoniously tossed the hoodie into her face. She caught it and looked at him with slight confusion.

“Well? Put it on,” he told her with a slight sniff.

“What about you?” she asked, hesitating.

“I’ll be all right,” he told her, but immediately cursed his endeavor to be chivalrous. Damn, it's cold, he thought as he suppressed the urge to shudder. Temari blinked at him before obediently slipping into the hoodie, and Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel glad when her head popped through the top with a smile of her face. The hoodie was much too big for her, as it was very baggy and the sleeves hung over her hands. She looks cute, he thought, but he kept the comment to himself. He felt like if he told her she was cute it wouldn’t be appreciated. He watched her with a strange, fuzzy feeling as she snuggled into his hoodie. “Better?”

“Better,” she confirmed with a small smile. Shikamaru decided he would brave the cold to see that smile on her face. Then, he did something brazen- he reached down and grabbed her hand to begin leading her back down the sidewalk. His heart was pounding, and he cursed his own lunacy, but thankfully Temari did not object. Maybe it was his imagination, but he felt like her fingers curled slightly around his.

As they approached the fairgrounds, carnival music danced on the air, and even from a distance they could see the various amusement park rides and buildings lit up with strings of bright, colorful, flickering lights. The smells of various foods mingled into one delectable fragrance that made Shikamaru's mouth water. “This is where we're going? A fair?” Temari asked, and he was relieved that her tone was not disappointed, but genuinely curious. He nodded in affirmation, and her face lit up in mild excitement. So far, so good, he thought as he steered her into the ticket booth. Once they purchased their tickets, they wandered into the fairgrounds.

A sizable crowd had already gathered, and the air buzzed with the hum of conversation and the occasional screams echoing down from the towering roller coasters scattered throughout the park. As the crowd thickened around them, Temari and Shikamaru were forced to press close together; as her side brushed against his, he felt his heartbeat quicken and it felt like a jolt of electricity rocketed through him.

“Um… What do you want to do first?” he asked awkwardly as she looked up at him, trying to hide his embarrassment. Temari glanced around the fairgrounds, searching for a source of amusement, and then pointed at one of the attractions. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. She had indicated a popular attraction, a thrill ride that was constructed like a slingshot. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Are you scared?” Temari teased him, sticking out her tongue at him playfully. His face flushed slightly at the accusation.

“Of course not!” he huffed and tightened his grip on her hand to pull her in the direction of the thrill ride. The line was quite long, but not terribly so, and within fifteen minutes they were being strapped into the roller coaster, flat on their backs staring up at the black sky above them. I can't believe she roped me into this, he thought with a small groan as he stared up into the sky. He turned slightly to see that Temari's blue eyes had gone wide, but he was not sure if it was from exhilaration or fear.

Abruptly, Shikamaru's body jerked violently as the ride lurched into action, and the wind roared in his ears as they shot forward into the sky. Despite his effort to keep his composure, he let out a scream, but he felt better about it because Temari started screeching as well. As they started falling, Shikamaru began to feel the adrenaline rushing through him, and he began laughing. He looked over at Temari, whose eyes were squeezed shut as she squealed half in delight and half in terror. He gasped as her hand suddenly shot out to clutch his tightly, and he was dumbfounded at the notion that she would seek him out for comfort. The moment was pretty much ruined for him, though, when her head suddenly jerked and he got a mouthful of one of her ponytails. Even as they were walking off the ride, he was still spitting out several of the blonde locks.

“That was so much fun!” she laughed as she swept her bangs out of her face, her face flushed with adrenaline.

“Yeah. Good choice,” Shikamaru chuckled. She's still holding my hand, he thought giddily.

They went about the fair for several hours, partaking in the various rides and stuffing their faces with the selection of foods the carnival had to offer. Soon, there was nothing else left to do except for the cheesiest thing to do on a date to a fair.

“The Ferris wheel?” Temari laughed as he guided her up to the famous- or infamous- ride.

“Got a problem with that?” he smirked down at her, and she laughed again before shaking her head. They climbed into the carriage and the attendant snapped the door shut, and up they went. Shikamaru leaned his face in his cheek as he gazed out of the window, watching as the fairgrounds gradually grew smaller as they climbed higher and higher into the night sky. Temari was sitting across from him on the small bench that served as a seat, and he was acutely aware of her gaze drifting towards him every once in a while. They both gasped as the Ferris wheel jerked to a stop, nearly at the highest point of the slow ride. Tonight just gets cheerier and cheerier, he thought. His eyebrows raised as the sky abruptly exploded with light.

“Fireworks!” Temari exclaimed. Shikamaru had quite lost track of the time, and as he glanced down at his phone, he realized that it was indeed the scheduled time of the fireworks show. He blushed as Temari beamed at him. “You planned this? Sly,” she complimented him with a smirk, and he blushed brightly. Somebody is looking out for me, he thought with a slight smirk. He had accidentally impressed the girl by some dumb luck. Temari returned her gaze to the brilliantly illuminated night sky, but Shikamaru could not take his eyes off her.

Her blue eyes danced with a thousand different colors, blazing rainbows that left him spellbound. Her hair shone, too, the golden strands turned white by the glaring lights of the fairgrounds and occasionally flashing with the colors of the fireworks overhead. His eyes fell to her mouth, partly open as she watched in wonder, and he couldn’t help but noticed how full her lips looked. His body moved on its own as he slowly rose to his feet and crossed the short distance of the Ferris wheel carriage. “Hey, what are you doing?” Temari asked him as she felt the small hanging basket moving, but he didn’t answer; instead, as she looked up at him were her eyebrows slightly knitted, he cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her. She straightened up slightly in shock, but did not pull away. Rather, she melted under the kiss, reaching up with one of her hands to gently hold his wrist as her eyes drifted closed. As the fireworks exploded outside, casting the young couple in a menagerie of lights, Shikamaru couldn’t hear them over the sound of his heart singing.

He pulled back after a minute, breathless, and even through the glaring light and dancing colors he could see the bright red tint of Temari's cheeks. “That was a bold move,” she said quietly. He couldn’t help smirking. He was quite pleased with himself. As some sort of instant karma, the Ferris wheel abruptly lurched into motion, causing him to lose his balance and land on his behind on the floor of the carriage. Temari laughed at him, and he just sighed heavily. Man. It seems like I just can't look cool in front of her, he thought with a small chuckle. He blushed as Temari abruptly leaned down over him and pressed her lips to his. It was shorter than the first kiss, but it still left him with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

“That was a bold move,” he teased, and she smiled playfully at him in response. When the carriage finally came to a stop, he pulled himself to his feet and looked at Temari with a smirk. “Shall we?” he asked and offered his arm. She smiled slyly and stood up, sliding her slim arms around his. Trying to seem like he was not perturbed as he walked her back out into the carnival, but the entire time his heart was pounding.

Shortly after the fireworks show ended, the fairgrounds closed for the night, and so Shikamaru escorted Temari back to the train station. Hands in his jeans pockets, he waited with her until her train arrived. When the large metal vehicle shot into the station and screeched to a halt, Temari slid his arms out of his, and he felt a little sad as her warmth faded from his body. As the rest of the patrons piled onto the train, she turned to look at him with a smile.

“I had a nice time tonight,” she remarked to him, swaying slightly back and forth as she smiled shyly at him.

“I’m glad,” he told her, genuinely happy. She walked forward, standing on her tip-toes to softly kiss him again, and he closed his eyes as her lips lingered against his own, running his hands up her arms. As he pulled back, he tightened his grip on her, attempting to make her stay, but she turned her face away with an amused laugh.

“I have to go, Shikamaru,” she chuckled. As she gazed into her blue, blue eyes, he could almost see the colors of the fireworks dancing in their depths. She has such beautiful eyes, he thought wistfully as he obediently released her. She hurried to the train as the warning that the doors were closing announced over the loudspeakers.

“Hey!” he shouted after her. “Next time, I want my hoodie back!” he called smugly as she turned to glance back at him, and her mouth curled into a small smile.

“Too bad! It's mine!” she called as she stuck her tongue out at him, right as the train doors closed and the large vehicle jerked into action. Shikamaru watched in bemusement as she disappeared from sight, and then he turned on his heel to walk out into the cold night. He rubbed his arms with a sigh, looking up at the now quite, bland black sky.

“Jeez… Guess I need a new hoodie,” he chuckled to himself as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and set off for home, the girl with the beautiful eyes and golden hair dominating his mind…

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[jouissezduprintemps]

Something to Gain, Chapter Seven: Rasa’s Daughter

Rating: T Words: 3052 Fandom: Naruto Summary: Sequel to Something to Prove. Shikamaru and Temari navigate their relationship now that it’s in the public eye.

Something to Prove   First     Previous      Next

Kankuro stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked down the empty corridor, on his way to his brother’s office. Evening had fallen, and the building was mostly empty at this time of day. Gaara was always the first to arrive and the last to leave; Kankuro had come to remind him that he needed to eat and suggest that he join the rest of his family to do so. In the dimly-lit passage, he grew too comfortable in the relative silence. He was startled when a voice shouted, shaking through the building.

“Damn it, Joseki!” Tojuro shouted, slamming his hands down on his colleague’s desk. “We gave you your two days. Baki is the only council member who agrees with you. Rasa would never stand for this!”

“Rasa is dead.”

“And we have a demon ruling in his place! You think this is stability?!”

Kankuro hid himself inside one of the darkened alcoves that littered the hallway. Once displays for Suna’s treasures, they had long since been abandoned in favor of proper storage. At the moment, they were perfect to conceal himself from sight. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Tojuro was far too bold if he was voicing such opinions.

“Careful, Tojuro,” Joseki’s voice remained calm and even. “The wrong person might hear and accuse you of treason.”

“Right. Rasa’s daughter goes and makes herself a Konoha whore, but I’m the one committing treason,” Tojuro spat.

“Get out of my office.” The next word was a growl. “Now.”

Tojuro stormed through the door, slamming it hard enough to rattle the wall. Kankuro remained concealed. A quick series of hand signs produced a clone, which he sent to follow the loud-mouthed councilman. He needed to report to Gaara, and quickly. If Tojuro was indeed their information leak, he was likely to slip up when his anger ran high. After a few seconds, when he could be sure that Joseki wouldn’t leave his office, Kankuro hurried down the hallway as quietly as possible.

“I don’t need to practice. I know what I’m going to say.” Temari ran a comb through her hair as she spoke. “Besides, none of it really matters. Once Gaara finds the leak, he’ll come forward with how all of this was planned. Those councilmen can shove their walking sticks back up their asses and get on with their lives.”

“See, when you say things like that, it makes me think you should give it another run-through.” Shikamaru’s eyes scanned the paper in his hand, moving over the outline that he, Temari, and Gaara had agreed upon.

“I’m just tired,” Temari explained as she turned the knob on the sink, letting cold water run through the pipes. “I’ve talked more to people in the last few days than I do in a year. That’s a lot for me.”

Shikamaru hummed his acknowledgement, listening as she splashed her face. After a moment, he looked up and admitted, “I’m worried that we don’t have any solid leads.”

“We’ll have Ino’s sensory skills in the council chamber with us. If anyone reacts, we’ll know. Kankuro will be watching the village from the aviary; Choji is going to patrol the kazekage building, where we’ll be. Baki is going to lead a training exercise for the guard as an excuse to keep watch over the gates. If they show themselves, they won’t have a chance. I imagine they’ll assume I can’t, or won’t, fight because they think I’m pregnant. Trust me, we have the upper hand.”

Well, at least she wasn’t worried about it. If only he could be so sure. “Lady Tsunade is going to have a field day with this when I file my report.”

“You’re helping preserve the alliance from outside forces. Yeah, it’s a little unorthodox, but Ino’s the one who needs to take the fall for that.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Now, stop using all your energy thinking of contingencies. I need you sharp for tomorrow morning.” She took the paper from his hands and set it on her dresser, well out of his reach. “We’re too far gone to back out now.”

She might as well have been walking into her own trial. The judgmental glares of the councilmen tried to burrow into her skin as she approached the table, at which she boldly took her usual seat. Ino stood behind her chair to her right, severe and unyielding in her assumed position as bodyguard. The role came naturally to her, which was a blessing to the operation. To Ino’s left stood Shikamaru, who did his best not to look alert. The village knew him as the lackadaisical chunin exam proctor; to change his demeanor would be a complete giveaway.

Gaara glanced to his immediate left to look at his sister. To his right, Kankuro’s seat sat empty. It would be incredibly taboo to invite Shikamaru to take the seat, even if there was no real reason for him to stand. The gesture of allowing a Konoha nin to sit at the Suna council table would be too bold a move.

Temari’s eyes were cold as she stared down each of the councilmen in turn, daring them to make the first move. Her power play worked in her favor, and she decided to push it further. She shifted in her chair and leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and weaving her fingers together. “I know I wasn’t called to the council to be gawked at. If you gentlemen have something to say, I suggest you do it.” Her challenge hung in the air, refusing to be ignored.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to wince at her brash tone. She clearly thought she’d already won, even though the battle hadn’t started. For now, all he could do was stand back.

Sajo, the narrow-eyed councilman on the other side of the table, was the first to speak. “Lady Temari, you must know that this council puts the good of the village above all else. Due to your…” he cleared his throat, “predicament, there are factors that need to be considered for the sake of Sunagakure.” He proceeded with caution, carefully choosing his words. “You are Rasa’s eldest, and, although the council selected Gaara as Kazekage, any child you bear will be from the main branch of the kage bloodline. Ordinarily, this would be natural, but the child in question isn’t entirely Suna.”

Picking up for his senior, Goza stroked his goatee as he spoke. “Even with the alliance in place, this council cannot accept a Konoha child as an heir to the kage bloodline, even as a firstborn. The conflict of interest is too great.”

“You talk as if my brothers will never have children of their own,” Temari countered.

“As that may be, there is no way to know that either Gaara or Kankuro will produce an heir of their own before tragedy strikes.” Goza’s words clearly referenced Gaara’s temporary death and Kankuro’s brush with Sasori’s poison. Both young men could easily be dead by now, and this served to emphasize his point.

Ebizo moved in his chair, surprising most of the council that he wasn’t asleep as they had assumed. The old man narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Shikamaru. He said nothing, and Joseki took his chance to speak.

“I suppose it would be best if we start at the most basic level,” Joseki spread his hands on the table. “You clearly intend to keep the child.  What does your…” he hesitated, trying to find the best word to describe Shikamaru in this situation, “lover plan to do?”

Speaking for him, Temari stated, “If you’re asking if he plans on remaining a part of our lives, the answer is yes.”

“The council cannot support a relationship such as this across village lines. Emotional ties are one thing; with a child in the mix, it could be a diplomatic nightmare if our villages go to war.”

“And would the council continue to disapprove if he were to relocate?” Temari asked, addressing the entire table.

There was some mixed murmuring before Tojuro voiced their answer. “Yes.” His decision fell heavy in the room. “He is born and raised Konoha. Relocation is no guarantee of allegiance.”

“Well?” Ebizo spoke, his voice strained and wavering with age.

“Honored Grandfather,” Temari began.

“No, Princess. I was talking to him.” He pointed a bony finger at Shikamaru. “I want to know what he thinks.”

Shikamaru wasn’t expecting to be addressed so openly. His mouth felt dry, but he pushed himself to speak. “Honored Grandfather, sir,” he used the same honorific he’d heard Temari employ, “I will do whatever it takes to remain with Temari and our child. I don’t know what this council will decide, but I would swear my allegiance to Suna tomorrow if it was required.”

The old man smiled a toothless grin, chuckling to himself. “Oh, Chiyo will haunt me for saying it, but I like him!” He looked over at Tojuro. “You don’t get to be my age without knowing what loyalty looks like. That boy would die for our princess, I guarantee it.”

“Honored Grandfather, that doesn’t have much to do with the problem at hand,” Tojuro did his best to maintain his respect and civility toward his elder. “Rasa would never stand for this, and neither should this council.”

“Rasa is dead,” Gaara rasped, adding his voice to the mix for the first time. “You’d do well to remember that I am not my father, Tojuro, and my Suna is not his.”

Tojuro’s hand balled into a fist underneath the table. “Yes, my lord.”

“Don’t misunderstand,” Temari said coolly, “I came to this council meeting as a courtesy. I have already made up my mind. Whether the council approves or not, I know which move I’ll make.” She met Tojuro’s gaze. “You say my father wouldn’t stand for this. I’ll remind you that he was strictly utilitarian. Tell me, what solution would he choose?”

Tojuro clenched his jaw, angry that he didn’t have an answer. Fighting her insolence would only put him in a bad light, and so he remained silent. To his ire, Ebizo’s wheezing laugh sounded to his side.

“Very good, Princess. Very good.” Ebizo’s face wrinkled more dramatically than it already was. “I couldn’t say you’re wrong, either. Your father wouldn’t be pleased, but he would draw the same conclusion, I’m sure.”

“And what would that be?” Joseki asked.

“Our Lady Temari plans on relinquishing her bloodline claim and relocating herself.” Ebizo’s tone made it sound as obvious as telling someone the sky was blue.

The table went up in a roar as protests fought over one another, trying to be heard above the rest. Ebizo, Gaara, and Temari remained silent, and the glint in Temari’s eye betrayed her amusement at the result. Leave it to the Honorable Grandfather to land her shocking twist better than she ever could.

Shikamaru looked down at Temari with wide eyes. This wasn’t what they’d discussed, what they’d planned. Sure, it got a bigger reaction than they’d hoped for, but he didn’t know where she was going with this. She’d completely abandoned the strategy.

When the room quieted, Temari explained, “To the council, having Shikamaru relocate is a risk. My child having Konoha blood is a risk. You’d have me abandon both, I’m sure. But Suna has my brothers, two possible branches for the family. If the council wishes to follow the law of my father, it should see that my relocation will cause the largest net benefit to the largest group of people.”

Ikanago slammed his fist on the table. “Such an action would have you branded a rogue nin!”

“That decision is mine and mine alone to make, Ikanago.” Gaara didn’t try to veil his threat. “This council serves to advise, not rule. Remember that.”

Ikanago stood, his chair scraping along the sandstone floor. “I refuse to stand by while this council seals the fate of Suna. I will have no part in this.” His footsteps echoed throughout the room, and, by the time he reached the door, Tojuro and Ryusa followed his lead. When the door clicked shut, Gaara stood, placing both hands on the table.

“Dismissed.” In an instant, his sand enveloped him, and he was gone.

“Let’s go,” Temari looked up at her companions before standing. It was time to move. So as not to arouse suspicion, the trio walked out of the room with purpose. In a low tone, she whispered, “Ino, go back up Choji. Check the offices. We’ll head to the street and see if we can’t use ourselves as bait.”

Kankuro scanned the streets from his perch, hidden in one of the many open windows of the aviary. He’d come close to falling asleep when he saw three figures storm out of the building that was his mark. He narrowed his dark eyes against the sun, watching their movements. They stopped and seemed to exchange words before parting ways. One of them walked to the north, but the other two broke into a run at the west and south. Now, that was interesting. To his regret, none of them seemed to be headed his way.

He had a choice to make. He could only track one of them. Trusting his instinct, he set off after the westward-bound council member, running along the rooftops, just out of sight. He couldn’t be caught before he had proof that this man was a part of the information leak. For the moment, he had to lie low and keep his distance.

The council member – Ryusa, he could tell now that he was closer – took him in a massive loop back toward the administrative building, and Kankuro started to wonder if his presence had been detected. Ryusa slipped down an alley, turning left, then right, then left again. When he stopped, he stood in front of a back door, shrouded in shadow. Kankuro hid himself in wait, and it wasn’t long before Ryusa was joined by both Tojuro and Ikagago.

Ikanago knocked four times on the door with various pressures, and the door cracked open for him. He and the two others slipped inside, and the door was swiftly shut behind him. Kankuro had to move quickly if he was going to get backup for this one.

Ikanago put as much detail as he could into the scroll, trying not to leave out anything of importance. Tojuro was peering insufferably over his shoulder, and he resisted the urge to stab him in the thigh with his pen. If this plan was to continue unhindered, they needed to maintain some semblance of camaraderie.

Once finished, he rolled the scroll back up and made a series of hand signs, sealing it with a jutsu. To anyone else, it would look like a basic letter. There was nothing to make it official or any sign that it would be from someone of importance. The messenger was chosen for the same reason; a boy of sixteen, with nondescript features and an average build, stood across the room, waiting patiently for his assignment. They were paying him handsomely to deliver the message, and their partners were sure to do the same upon his arrival.

Ryusa stood opposite the boy, making sure he knew his responsibilities. “Now, tell me again.”

The boy bit back a groan. “I’m taking the message past the demon desert, to the boarder of the Rain. I’ll be met by a man in a black and red cloak with a mask over his face. I’m supposed to pass the scroll off to him and take the long way back, so I don’t look suspicious.” He frowned at his employer. “Can I have my money now?”

“Ingrate,” Ryusa growled as he handed him a bag of coins. “Ikanago!”

Ikanago tossed the scroll to the boy, who caught it and tucked it away in his pack, along with his payment.

“Now get going,” Tojuro commanded.

The boy disappeared up the flight of wooden stairs, headed for the back door. In a matter of seconds, there was a loud crash, a heavy thud, and the boy came tumbling back down into the cellar. The three councilmen jumped to the ready, kunai drawn.

Kankuro threw himself over the railing, diving at Tojuro. Their kunai clashed, and they broke apart, only to clash together again. Temari followed her brother, using her closed fan as a club to send Ryusa flying into the wall. Shikamaru engaged Ikanago while Ino bound the hands of the messenger boy, her knee planted firmly against his spine to keep him from moving.

The cramped quarters made fighting difficult. Kankuro and Shikamaru were used to mid-range tactics, but Temari was a long-distance fighter by nature. This almost proved fatal when Ryusa threw himself at her, lodging his kunai in her abdomen up to the hilt. Ino was quick to intervene, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat.

Temari stumbled, her hands clutching her side. She knew better than to remove the kunai. There was nothing more she could do. She barely registered that Kankuro had trapped Tojuro inside Black Ant before he was at her side.

“Tema! Aw, shit. Tema, you’re gonna be ok. C’mon, sis, stay with me.” He gave her a small shake as her head fell onto his shoulder. “Fuck! Hurry it up!” he shouted at his comrades.

“Ino!” Shikamaru shouted, holding on to Ikanago with his shadow possession. His teammate struck her opponent in the head hard enough to concuss him before hurrying to his aid. She wasted no time in binding him. As soon as she was done, she was at Temari’s side. She took her from her brother and lay her gently on the floor.

“Shit. She’s losing a lot of blood. I’m going to have to do some patchwork before we can get her to the hospital.” Ino looked at Kankuro, who nodded. “Tema, this is gonna hurt, but you’ve got this, okay?”

“Just do it,” Temari hissed, clenching her jaw as Ino removed the knife. She was bleeding freely without the obstruction, and Ino worked quickly to close the wound enough that she wouldn’t lose anymore blood. The last thing she saw was Ino gesturing to Shikamaru and Kankuro to give her more room. Then, everything was black.

[catherineimagineseverything]

Kankuro x Reader One-Shot (requested)

"Come on just go on one date with him please?" My best friends older sister begged me. She was currently interrupting our movie with begging me to go on a not so blind date with her other brother.

"Temari I'm not going on a date with Kankuro. He's like my older brother it would be too weird, right Gaara?" I asked the red head who shrugged.

"It wouldn't hurt, plus we all know you are the only girl who doesn't put up with his whole act." Gaara said with a head tilt.

"Oh come on we barely get along most days. If we have to deal with each other for more than twenty minutes someone is going home in a body bag and . ." I looked at Temari widened her eyes very obviously trying to doggy pout at me

,"When is the date?" i give in with a sigh making her bounce up and down with a grin.

"Yes okay tomorrow night. We will get ready at your place and the boys will pick us up there. It's a double date by the way Shika and I will be like monitors for you two so that no one dies." She said before running out of Gaara's room.

"So how likely is it that we aren't even going to make it to the table? i could get sick in 24 hours right?" I asked making Gaara chuckle.

"Kankuro is the only person in the world that makes you like this." Gaara said before we relaxed and continued to watch the movie in peace occasionally hearing a bang and Temari yelling at Kankuro who just laughed. I couldn't believe I got talked into going on a date with this guy. Sadly though it was the next day and Temari had found her way into my closet groaning and complaining about my lack of color.

"Hey dark purple and dark red are colors." I said as she continued glaring at my shirts.

"Maybe for goth kids but you are not goth. We are going to a very nice restaurant that has courses and requires ties and jackets. Do you have anything nice to wear? Nope not a single thing." She said examining my one nice dress before tossing it into the ever-growing pile that she deemed unworthy.

"Look I'm still not sure I should be going on a date with my best friends brother." I said making her glare at me.

"Y/N L/N. You will not cancel on Kankuro he was so excited about you agreeing to this. Just try on a couple of my dresses and pick your favorite." She said motioning to her bag as she began shoving my clothes back into my closet. Grabbing the bag I took out the three dresses. Luckily one of them was perfect (imagine your favorite dress). Two hours later we were sitting in Shikamaru's car driving to the restaurant.

"So Kankuro I see you decided against  wearing an actual dress shirt. Luckily you did decide to wear the tie." Temari commented on Kankuro's decision to wear a band shirt.

"Look all my nice shirts were dirty and I thought this was better than a shirt with a giant red hot sauce stain on it." Kankuro remarked making me chuckle. He turned to me and winked making me roll my eyes at him. Eventually we were seated at the fancy restaurant and a waiter had taken our drink orders.

"What kind of cows are they getting the meat from? Over a hundred dollars for a piece of meat?" Shika questioned making Temari chuckle.

"Hey it may be a double date but I can chip in. My dad gave me his card just in case." I say making Temari glare.

"No way Y/N a date means the guy pays. Don't worry I have plenty of cash for the both of us. Now Shika may have to give up and just go back there and wash dishes but we can still go have some fun of our own in his car." Kankuro teased making me scoff as Shika rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry Temari gave me a heads up to save money last month when she made this reservation." Shikamaru said making Temari beam. Shaking my head I continued checking out the menu. After plenty of awkward conversation we ate the appetizers, entrée, and desert before the two boys paid so we could leave.

"I cannot believe you thought that waiter was hitting on me Shika. He was so much more into Y/N than me definitely." Temari said as we walked to the car.

"No way he was so eyeing Kankuro." I teased making Temari and Shika laugh while Kankuro shoved me lightly. It was cold outside. Not like wear a thick winter jacket cold but hey you should have brought a hoodie. Shivering I cursed myself for not remembering to grab one. Instantly a jacket was wrapped around me making me look at Kankuro who now had his arm around my shoulders as we walked.

"What? I can't let my date get frostbite now can I?" He asked rhetorically making me smile before shaking my head no. When did he get so sweet? The entire time I had known him and his family he never took me for the sweet caring type. Maybe distant and jerkish but never sweet nor caring. On the car ride home I nearly jumped out of my seat making Shika stop the car. It was a playground. Completely empty due to it being dark out and it was surrounded by the woods. We all stepped out of the car and I kicked off the heels Temari had forced me to put on.

"Come on let's race to the swings!" I yelled as I bolted. Once I reached there Kankuro had already beaten me to them.

"You challenge me? The star of the soccer team to a race? You had to know you would lose." He teased making me shrug.

"I thought Sasuke was the star of the soccer team. You know with him being the captain." I say making him glare at me.

"That punk wouldn't know anything if his stupid brother didn't get him the best of the best trainers." He said making me giggle as I sat down on a swing.

"Hey I never said he was any good and definitely not better than you. Which may sound biased because of how close I am to you." I rambled making Kankuro grin.

"Close? Us? This is the most we have ever talked in the entire time we've known each other." He said as he walked behind me. Slowly though I felt him begin to push the swing I was on. Everything was pretty quiet after that as he pushed me slowly. Suddenly he stopped and pulled me up as he walked towards the woods. I stopped at the edge though.

"Come on I'm not gonna kill you." He teased playfully.

"No it's not that. I just am not wearing shoes." I say laughing looking down at my bare feet. He shrugged as he crouched down motioning for me to get onto his back. Slowly I did before he stood up gripping my legs and walking into the woods.

"So did Temari tell you?" Kankuro asked making me scrunch my eyebrows together.

"Tell me about what?" I asked making him sigh.

"That I wanted to go on a date with you but was too nervous to ask you out myself. She came up with the whole double date idea. Said it would be easier to loosen up around people we have already hung out with before." He admitted making me tap his shoulder so he would let me down. Once my feet hit the ground I stepped in front of him and took in a deep breath.

"Kankuro if you wanted to go on a date with me you could've just asked me. I mean I never took you for the nervous type. You are much more the type to rush head on and be brash and without thought. Not that you don't think I am pretty sure you try to but you don't and you just do things without worrying. I mean you wore a band t-shirt and a tie to a fancy restaurant even though I know for a fact Gaara had your nice clothes taken to a dry cleaners." I said making him shrug.

"I knew you liked this band. So I thought it would make you smile which it did in a way. I do think though. I think all the time about why you hang out with Gaara so much. I think about your incessant need to eat all my favorite cereal when you're over. I think about how you always leave something when you spend the night. I think about how you always try to include me with whatever you do. Right now I'm thinking about how you would react to me kissing you right now." He said glancing towards my lips. I never really thought about kissing him. Never even thought about going on a date with him seriously. Without thinking though I grabbed his tie and pulled him down connecting our lips forcefully. His hands clamped down onto my waist pushing me into a tree that was right behind me. While our lips moved messily together I moved one hand up to his hair and curled my fingers. After what felt like forever he pulled away a grin on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked before he leaned down and placed a quick kiss against my lips.

"Awe! My baby brother finally caught making out with someone who isn't drunk or otherwise impaired." Temari's voice cut through our moment making my face go bright red and Kankuro to groan.

"Hey sis can Y/N stay the night tonight?" He asked giving me a smile. Once we got back to their house Shika took Temari back to his house before we even got inside.

"So movies or do you just want to crash?" I asked before being pulled up the stairs and into Kankuro's room. He turned his TV on and luckily put in a movie for us to watch. We kicked off our shoes and crawled onto his small two person couch. He tossed a blanket over us as we cuddled while the movie played. Eventually though we passed out to the movie only waking up when the sun hit our faces. Slowly we got up and made our way to the kitchen where Gaara was sitting with his phone in hand. He smirked at us before tossing Kankuro his phone. I peeked at it and a picture of us on his couch asleep was on his Twitter captioned simply just 'gross'.

"I'm guessing you two had fun last night." He said before taking his phone back and going to the living room.

"Well I know I did." I said before Kankuro gave me a smirk before helping me with breakfast.

[misssunflowersandsangria]

My True Love Gave to Me

Author’s Note: Merry Christmas!  It's still Christmas in my part of the world!  I just made it!  I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday or even just a great day!  This chapter got longer than I wanted it to so feel free to read through it all or just for your favorite couple.  Read the title breaks just to preface that portion.  Enjoy!

Chapter 11:  Traditions (InoShikaCho)

Ino (Christmas Eve- Modern AU)

 Ino looked gorgeous as she sauntered down the stairs in a deep purple dress molded tightly to her body.  

“Mommy!  You look like a princess.”  Ino scooped her child up to place an affectionate kiss on his head. 

“Thank you, baby.  You look very handsome as well.”  Her son looked adorable dressed in a deep blue suit complete with a bowtie.  Sai grinned as his wife made her way towards him placing a chaste kiss against his lips.  

“You’re breathtaking tonight my Love.”

“Thank you Sai, you look quite handsome as well.  Not as good as Jin but it was a good attempt.” He just laughed as she teased him before kissing her once more.

“I agree. Let’s go.”  As had been their tradition for years on Christmas Eve they always had a romantic dinner.   Even after Inojin had been born they continued to include him in their traditions. He seemed to enjoy dressing up and ordering from the adult menu.  After dinner, her parents graciously offered to watch Inojin they planned to enjoy some time together looking at the light displays through the city.  

The restaurant was warm and inviting filled with couples celebrating the holiday.  Inojin was far beyond his years and he was the perfect dinner guest. The family enjoyed their simple dinner together the spirit of the holiday alive and well.  

When they returned home they changed Inojin into his festive pajamas before reading him a good night story, his blue eyes fighting to stay open.

“We love you, baby.”  Ino told him tucking the sheets around him. 

“I love you too Mommy and Daddy.”  They both kissed his forehead before shutting the door behind them.  They made their way to their room to change into warmer clothing to combat the chill outside.  

He held her hand tightly as they gazed at elaborate displays never taking for granted that she’d chosen him. That she loved him in ways that he could never quite comprehend.  Their first date had been on Christmas Eve years ago. It was amazing to think about how far they’d come.

 Flashback

  “Alright, student’s continuing our work on human form we have a live model for you to sketch today.  As it is our first time using live models it may be a new experience for many of you but I ask that you do your best.”  Sai listened as he prepared his tools. After weeks of drawing bowls of fruit and inanimate objects, a live person would be a welcome change. 

That is until she walked in.  He was stunned speechless his hands shaking so much that he couldn’t grasp onto his pencils to work. 

“Welcome, Ino.  Please take a seat in a comfortable position.  Students, please get to work.”

“Ino…”  His heart continued to beat wildly in his chest as he observed the ethereal creature in front of him.  This had to be a dream, someone this beautiful could not actually exist. Her eyes rivaled that of the sky and her hair shined brighter than gold.  She seemed to sense his stare and for a brief moment regarded him with a smile before her face returned to its relaxed state. 

He continued to stare, daydreams of that smile lingering on him for much longer. 

“Alright thank you again Ino, students please leave your work on your easels I’ll collect them after class.”  Sai’s eyes widened staring at the blank canvas before him. He’d been so enchanted by her that he failed to draw even a single line.  He was going to get a zero on this assignment and yet it was worth it. 

His eyes followed her longingly as she exited the class but her gaze shifted for just a second back to him.  Before the professor could dismiss the class officially he was out the door following after her.

“Ino!”  Surprised he found her just on the other side of the classroom door.

“Take a walk?”  He nodded knowing that he’d gladly follow her to the ends of the Earth.

They made their way out towards the quad finding a small bench hidden under a shroud of trees.

“I’m Sai.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.  I’m Ino.” She smiled brightly at him taking his outstretched hand in hers.  

She had taken the “modeling job” as a favor to her professor.  It was awkward and uncomfortable but also worth it to have met the handsome artist sitting next to her.  The whole time she was sitting there she had to consciously tell herself to focus on anything else besides him. 

Thankfully it wasn’t one-sided. 

“Ino, would you like to go out with me tomorrow night?”  Sai held his breath waiting for her response. He didn’t want to let a chance pass him by. Ino was one of those once in a lifetime loves. 

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”   She thought aloud. It was a pretty romantic holiday. 

“I know.”  She smiled at how sure he was and nodded.

“I'd like that.” 

  End Flashback

 The next morning they watched as Inojin played with his new toys and art supplies. 

She twisted the new ring that Sai had given her the night before. Sapphires were embedded in it and on the inside, their names along with Inojin’s had been inscribed. 

Sai settled next to her resting his head on her lap. Inojin came over and cuddled up next to his parents.  Their family was happy and complete.  

Life at times could be very difficult, but having one another to hold onto through it all made it easier. 

Shika (Holidays in Suna) 

“Uncle!”  Shikadai ran as quickly as his little legs could take him towards his uncles.  Kankuro laughed picking him up and swung him around. 

“How’s my favorite nephew?”  The puppetmaster asked affectionately ruffling his hair. 

Before he could respond a cloud of sand pulled him towards the Kazekage.  

“Hey!”  Kankuro protested while Shikadai giggled falling into his redheaded uncle’s arms.

“How’s  my favorite nephew?”  He asked with a grin.

“Hello, Uncle Gaara!”

“How was the trip?”  He asked the couple who had barely made it inside.  

“The train is a Godsend, it’s much faster and easier to travel,”  Temari explained while directing where their things should go as Shikamaru greeted his brothers-in-law.

He and Temari had some official business to work on but the holiday season was upon them as well, so this was a perfect opportunity to spend time in Suna.  His mother would also be joining them to his relief. She’d have two other sons to nag for a few days. The Village Hidden in the Sand came alive this time of the year as everyone prepared for the holidays and festivals had begun. He was grateful that his family would be there to celebrate.

“Welcome home Lord Shikamaru, Princess Temari.”  Temari grinned turning towards the gruff voice.

“Still calling me that?”

“Still the Princess?”  Baki replied giving her an affectionate hug.

“Grandpa Baki!”  Shikadai ran towards his grandfather and it was amazing to see his normally cool exterior melt in the presence of the small child.    

“Kankuro you’ve got Shikadai for the afternoon?”  Temari asked wanting to get their work done as soon as possible.

“He’s in good hands.  Go be boring adults the kid and I will be fine.”  Shikadai clapped excitedly at the prospect. They always had a lot of fun together when he was tasked with watching him. 

Shikamaru headed off with Garra to the Kazekage’s office while Temari walked with Baki towards the Cypher office and Shikadai remained with his uncle. 

“Alright buddy let’s head to the studio we have to finish decorating for tonight.” 

 “It’s nice to see you so happy,”  Baki remarked over tea. They’d finished translating the documents that Temari needed and decided to take a break before all the evening's festivities began. 

“Are you getting soft on me?”  She asked with a grin.

He just shrugged not the least embarrassed.  “Blame it on old age.”  

“It's weird...sometimes it still doesn’t feel like it’s my life...I have Shikamaru and Shikadai, there’s peace, my brothers and homeland are safe.  They’re all the things I never imagined I could have.” She looked out towards the village as the lights began to dot the landscape  

“I’d imagine that this is the world that your mother would have wanted.”  Temari’s eyes misted over thinking about her. She prayed that wherever she was Karura was proud of her and the world they fought so hard to create. 

Gaara and Shikamaru toasted Sake over finishing their last official business of the year. 

“How are things in Konoha?”

“Good, Naruto sends his greetings.  The baby is getting bigger and bigger.”  Shikamaru grinned remembering the panic-filled state he’d left his friend.  Having to go to Suna was a welcomed reprieve away from the father to be.  

“Yes, please send my good wishes as well.”

“Have you and Temari considered another child?”  Now that Shikadai was getting older he’d been wondering for a while whether the couple was planning on expanding their family.  

Shikamaru couldn’t help but sigh.  “Truth is as lazy as I was as a child I’d always imagined I’d have a son and a daughter, but convincing her to have Shikadai took a lot of work.  I doubt that a second one is in our future but I'm quite content with what we have now but I think she has a hard time believing that.” 

Garra nodded not surprised by his sister’s hesitation.  Shikadai was a miracle in himself. “I see, I fear the circumstances of my birth have greatly influenced her feelings on the matter.”

Shikamaru took another drink thinking about his Sand Princess.  “I’d come to that same conclusion.  Ultimately Temari knows her heart and my own.  She’ll decide if one day she’d like another child and no matter what I’ll support her.”

“Shikadai!  That looks great bud!”  Kankuro complimented his nephew.  He’d created an elaborate design of lines that were meant to mimic his father’s shadows and his mother’s wind, he then layered colored sand over it.  

“This will go right at the entrance.”  Shikadai grinned proudly following after him.  His Uncle was an incredible artist and he hoped to learn from him.  While his parents worked, he had the important job of helping his uncle fill their home with candles and lights.  

They decorated alongside other Shinobi filling the usually dim space with color and candles.  His parents appeared and he jumped into their arms.

“Mama, daddy!  Do you like it?”

“You did an incredible job my little Fawn.” His eyes glowing in the candlelight.

“How about me?”  Kankuro asked with a grin.  

Temari just shrugged.  “I mean it looks fine.”

“Hey!  Thank goodness the kid’s not as bitc-”

“Alright, children get ready for dinner.”  Baki interjected before a fight could break out.  

 *

**

“Mari?  Do you mind coming here for a second?”  They were getting ready for the family dinner a new much-loved tradition. 

She placed herself into her husband’s open arms straddling his lap.  She loved coming home especially because he had a specific set of Suna clothing he wore when he was there. He looked terribly handsome and distracting in it. 

“Garra asked about whether we were going to have another child.”  Shikamaru told her bluntly. This had been wearing on his heart for a while and this holiday was all about celebrating new beginnings.  It was time to put this issue to rest.   

“Oh?”  Temari began to feel herself panic which he noticed and so he began to rub her back comfortingly.  

“It got me thinking.  I just want you to know that I'm happy and content with what we have.  Whether we have another one or it is just us three I’m happy for it. I don’t want you to think for a moment that I'd need anything more.”

She was surprised at where this conversation was going.  “Shika…”

“You're an incredible wife to me and mother to Shikadai.  You’re still the fierce and cruel kunoichi that I fell in love with. I love you and the family we’ve built.   But don’t be afraid of your past or the monsters that may haunt them. You’re so much stronger. Don’t ever let that be the reason you don’t have what you want.”

She nestled her head against his chest her tears littering his coat.  For as strong and fierce as she was she was still haunted by demons and ghosts of the past.  She loved Shikadai and at times longed for another child but still, the memories of her mother and father had a stranglehold on her.  She knew that Shikamaru had wanted a daughter. To know that he was happy with their family as it was helped remove some of the anxiety she was holding on to.

“I love you Shika.”  She kissed him as the light from tiny candles glowed around them.

He placed an affectionate kiss on the top of her head holding her flush against him.  He wished that he could fight those shadows that surrounded her heart but he’d be right there with her as he’d always been in battles.  “I love you too Princess.”  

 That night they celebrated together, a family that could have never existed years ago.  Temari looked fondly at those seated around the table her heart full and complete. Shikamaru squeezed her hand with a grin before placing a soft kiss against her knuckles.

“Happy?”

Her teal eyes shimmered brightly.  “Yes.”  

Cho (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)  

For as long as she could remember her dad always dressed up as Santa Claus. He’d be the guest star at family parties delivering gifts to delighted kids. He would listen to her list the hundreds of things that she wanted.  That was years ago and she’d learned the truth behind Santa Claus.  Yet, he still insisted on dressing up. 

ChouChou made her way down the stairs quietly confused by the sight. 

She groaned seeing her mother kiss her dad who was dressed up in that horrendous red suit.   

She was thankful that he wasn’t in full gear tonight rather he wore a red hoodie with white fur around the trim.  Despite her mortification, she couldn’t help but smile hearing her mother laugh as their arms wrapped around each other.  With a grin, she walked back upstairs to give them their moment.   

 She made her way to where her grandparents were staying. She loved when they visited because they would shower her with affection and treats.  She’d get away with a ton of things that she wouldn’t have if they weren’t there. They didn’t blink an eye when she crawled in between them. 

Chouza and his wife sat there amused as ChouChou made herself comfortable. 

“Oba-Chan, Oji-Chan why does daddy still insist on dressing up as Santa.”

Her grandpa got a thoughtful look on his face before responding. “I think because he remembers how happy it made you.  Your eyes would light up so bright when he wore that suit that wearing it year after year makes him remember that feeling.  Besides, even if Santa isn’t real the spirit of it is. Of being good, kind and giving. It’s a nice reminder of that. 

ChouChou could accept that explanation and it was actually quite sweet. During this time her father would volunteer as Santa at the hospital and deliver presents to the kids that couldn’t be home for Christmas. She would help as the cute Christmas Elf and loved seeing the smiles on those kids' faces. Even now at family parties, he’d still dress up sending all the kids into an excited panic.  Her mother too, for her typically stern and strict disposition, seemed to light up seeing her husband in such a silly get up. 

“He’s a good daddy.”  ChouChou whispered sleepily.

Her grandparents nodded thankful for their wonderful family and holiday traditions.  

 “You look ridiculous,”  Karui told her husband but the smile on her face took away some of the bite of her statement. 

“You love it.”  He replied wrapping his arms around her. 

“I love  you , that’s two very different things.”  Chouji adored the joy in her honey eyes. 

“You know ChouChou knows Santa isn’t real right.”

“Yes, but your husband doesn’t know that.”  Karui couldn’t help but laugh and smiled at the innocent twinkle in his eye.  Her husband could be far too sweet and would be insistent on her experiencing certain things that she should have as a kid. 

Her hands went to grip the soft fur trim around his hood to pull him into a kiss as warmth flooded her body. Chouji had been her personal Santa since they’d been together. Doing all he could to ensure that she had everything that she could have wished for. 

“I love you, Honey.”

“I love you too sweet girl.” 

Chapter 1:  Mistletoe (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 2: Snow (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 3:  Fire (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 4: Peppermint (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 5: Cookies (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 6: Lights (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 7: Deer (Shikamaru/Temari)

Chapter 8:  Presents (Chouji/Karui)

Chapter 9: The List (Sai/Ino)

Chapter 10:  Matching Sweaters (InoShikaCho) 

Chapter 11:  Traditions (InoShikaCho)