(naruto) time spent; shikamaru/temari
time spent
(naruto) 3138 wds. pg; through manga c235 to c238 - shikamaru/temari
he just kept staring at the sky: a sad, relieved, yet hardly visible, expression on his face.
s. most of the time, it's the littlethings that count. this is the recount of the slow days between the time shikamaru's first mission failed, and the time the sand genin left konoha
a/n. inspired by a particular piece of fanart chicharon drew for me. beta'd by himitsu_no_hime, so all mistakes from here on out, are mine.
d. © kishimoto masashi
. -
"Next time, definitely..." he said through flowing tears, "I'll show that I can do it flawlessly."
Seeing him break down like that, she felt herself unconsciously stand up and take a step towards him. But before she could move again, he broke into a run and headed straight out the hospital, furiously wiping away the tears that kept flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Her face scrunched into a frown. What just happened there? She'd never imagined him to be the sort who'd break down like that. To her, he was the very image of an unmotivated, unproductive and uncaring shinobi. And she was pretty content with that piece of knowledge.
So why was she starting to think there was more to him than meets the eye?
She glanced up and met his father's eyes. The latter wistfully smiled at her and shrugged, "That boy still needs to learn a lot of things," he said, "genius mind or not."
She sort of smiled back, and then excused herself -- from his father, Tsunade-sama and Tsunade's assistant, Shizune.
She walked along the streets of Konoha, thinking about what just happened, and at the same time berating herself, why did she even care?!
Walking by an inclined grassy field, she caught sight of him, lying down, staring at nowhere. Before she could even discern her actions, she found herself walking towards him.
"Oi," she said, looming over him, her shadow stopping the rays of the sun from hitting his face.
"What are you doing here?" he grumbled, looking pretty much like his old self rather than his fragile version, which she'd caught a glimpse of, only minutes ago.
"Shut up, crybaby," she smirked, sitting beside him.
He cringed, but only for a second or so. It seemed he was pissed, why did he let a girl see him at an obvious moment of weakness?
Don't worry, you'll do better next time, she wanted to say.
"Crybaby," she repeated instead, this time in a softer tone.
He just kept staring at the sky: a sad, relieved, yet hardly visible, expression on his face.
.oOo.
Nara Shikamaru peeked through the door before fully swinging it open, trying to see if anyone was already occupying The Academy's rooftop.
Seeing no one there, he went through and shut the door behind him.
He let out a sigh, out of relief or not, it wasn't clear. He was half-expecting to find her there, as she'd been following him around everywhere for the past week and a half, not to mention constantly intruding on his 'alone time.' Not even Chouji bothered him when he wanted to be by himself.
Sure, she'd saved his life, but he'd already said thank you. Wasn't that enough? What exactly does she want with him anyway?
Whatever it was, it would have to wait. It was a Sunday and he believed it was just fair to give himself a day off from her. So instead of heading straight to the grassy field where he usually spent his time lazing around, he opted to find another place where he can actually be alone. He immediately thought of The Academy's rooftop. he used to stay there every now and then when he used to skip class back in his Academy days.
The good old days.
He plopped on the floor, his back on the wall, feeling pretty good as a soft breeze blew by.
"Ah. Quiet," he murmured, staring up at the clouds.
~
Her left eyebrow twitched. He was late. VERY LATE. Where was he anyway?! He should've been there already.
Temari of the Sand absolutely HATED being stood up.
Not that they had concrete plans, really.
In truth, she'd just assumed that he'd be there as always, uncaringly staring at the clouds like the lazy bum he was.
She didn't know exactly why she kept hanging around him, but she did anyway. It started when she saw him cry that one time. She's always perceived him as someone so calm and collected, so seeing him break down like that really surprised her.
She'd followed him out the hospital then, not knowing exactly why. Part of her sympathized with him and another part was simply interested in the enigma that was him.
She followed him to that very field, the one where she was standing at that moment. She just sat beside him, and for awhile, they just sat in silence.
During the days following that, she always found him at the same spot, always staring at nothing. Eventually, it just became a ritual. Or for a better word, a habit. She had nothing better to do, so she might as well get to know one of the two interesting people in the Hidden Leaf Village. At least as far as she was concerned.
But now he wasn't where he should be. And Temari couldn't think of anything better to do.
Her left eyebrow twitched again.
"Damn you, Nara Shikamaru," she snarled, standing abruptly, "I'm going to find you and then I'm kicking your ass."
~
Feels so good. No troublesome woman hanging about...
He shut his eyes, intending to go to sleep...
A strong gust of wind flew by.
"Shit."
And there she was, that troublesome woman.
"Oi, there you are," she said, squatting beside him, poking his cheek.
He kept his eyes closed, turning towards the other side, pretending to be asleep. "Shit shit shit," he muttered in a voice barely audible.
That was when she suddenly kicked his sides, "Oi! Don't pretend you're sleeping Lazy!"
"Itaiiii ~!" he groaned in pain, pulling himself up into a sitting position, clutching his side.
Temari raised an eyebrow, "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Feh ~" he grumbled, "Piss off you beast woman."
She slapped his arm hard as she sat next to him.
"What now?" he muttered. "It's a Sunday! Can't you cut me some slack today?!"
She turned to stare at him. He felt a vein popping on his forehead. What the hell? Why was he feeling so flustered having her look at him like that?
And then she broke into a huge grin, "No."
And she said it in a tone that he couldn't quite identify. Was she being serious or merely teasing? Or was she really just trying to piss him off?
What the hell?!
"Maa ~ How troublesome," he said, after a very brief pause. "You're interrupting my afternoon nap."
"As if you were even really sleeping."
"Well I was about to."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't see anyone stopping you," she said quietly, after a moment.
Really, what the hell? Was she being agreeable or what?
"Hn ~" he turned up to stare at the clouds. "Whatever."
~
She was going to kick his ass. She really was. She didn't know what was stopping her. She sighed, confused.
She leaned her head against the wall, "Whatever," she whispered.
For a few minutes they quietly sat together. She stared a the clouds, trying to figure out what he saw in them.
"Oi Lazy," she began, "what's so damn fascinating about the clouds?"
"I thought you were going to let me sleep," he muttered in reply.
She snuck a glance at him and found that his eyes were closed again. She was going to say something but forgot what.
"Fine," she mumbled.
She let him be, and focused her thoughts on the clouds, what was so damn amazing about them anyway?
Half an hour later, she was still staring at the clouds. Only they weren't just big white puffs anymore. Over at one side, she saw a cloud shaped like a dog. On another part of the sky a clump of clouds displayed the insignia of the Hidden Sand. She tipped her head aside in various angles, trying to catch different shapes at different views. Were these what he saw? It was so damn booooooring, but so damn... fun at the same time.
Another quarter of an hour later, she was still staring at the clouds, a hand on her chin, a sign that she was in deep thought.
And then she felt something move beside here.
"What the...?" she began, turning to look at her side.
It was Shikamaru. His head was beginning to slide off the wall and lean towards her.
She was about to slap him awake when she noticed the expression on his face.
So peaceful.
His sleeping face held such a content smile. Temari doubted she ever held such a serene expression even in sleep.
Shikamaru was always calm and collected, but he always looked... well... happily uncaring.
She'd seen a fragile part of him in the hospital when she watched him break down. But now she was seeing another sort of fragility in him. He looked so innocent...
She felt a blush spread on her cheeks. Why was her heart beating so fast?
. . .
What the fuck?
Coming to her senses, she grabbed her fan and,
3
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FWAP!
The ferocity and abruptness of the action practically sent Shikamaru flying to the other side of the rooftop.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"You were leaning on me you ass," Temari said.
"Well, you could've just nudged me awake dammit!"
"Pfft ~" Temari snubbed him, facing the other direction, unsure if her face was still tinged with pink.
"Bah! Women are so difficult!" Shikamaru said, rubbing his cheek, dusting his arm.
He looked at her, expecting an apology. But she neither moved nor said anything, so he just shrugged.
"You're impossible."
And he left, leaving behind a very flustered Temari.
~
"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," she said to him.
He was back in his usual spot, and as always, so was she.
"You're here again," he complained. "What would it take for you to leave me alone?"
"Something better to do," she shot back.
"Whatever. Try not to use that damned fan of yours on me this time."
Her mere presence was getting to him. His genius mind couldn't fathom why he didn't just got up and leave.
Because its too troublesome.
But wasn't it even more bothersome having her constantly bothering him?
"I said I was sorry," she snapped.
He wanted to say something, just so he'd have the last word, but he caught himself before he opened his mouth. This girl wasn't worth it.
Was she?
They stayed in silence for a while. She was the one to break it.
"Look," she said, "that cloud looks like a pineapple."
He stared at her.
"What?! It does! Come to think of it, it looks like you!" she giggled.
No. Wait. Was that a giggle? She giggled? That must've been a snigger.
Definitely a snigger.
She elbowed him.
"Seriously, it's a striking resemblance," she pressed.
He looked up, just so she'd get off his case. And then he glanced at her.
Wrong idea.
Why was she smiling like that again?
No matter how many times he's seen her smile, it still catches her off guard. He just can't settle with the fact that the seemingly must-have-my-way, i'll-kick-your-ass, merciless bitch can actually be genuinely happy.
"Oi. Wipe that stupid grin off your face," he muttered feeling confused.
Surprisingly enough, the stupid grin vanished. Only to turn into.. a stupid smirk.
She put her hands behind her head and lay down the grass beside him.
"I can't believe this," she said, "Your weirdness is rubbing off on me. I'm actually beginning to like staring at the clouds too..."
He raised an eyebrow.
What was she going on about?
"Pfft, this is frustrating," she snorted as if trying to stifle a laugh.
Then there was silence.
"I like the clouds because they look so free."
He didn't know why felt the absurd need to break it.
"Do they?" she asked softly.
Everytime she spoke in that tone, he gets even more confused about her.
There was silence again, and he hated it. He felt to be bothersome, but he didn't want to be the first to break it. That would just be as annoying. He did it once, he didn't want to again.
"You're an interesting one, you know?" she spoke out of the blue.
"Hn~" he grumbled.
"Yeah, you're definitely interesting. You and that Naruto brat. You're both entirely misleading. You let the whole world stereotype you into something you're not."
He didn't know what to say to that.
"No one's ever beaten me like you did," it turns out he didn't even have to think of anything to say, it seemed she was ready to go on herself. "I've always trusted my skills as a tactician. Until I met you anyway. You made the whole world see that my planning skills were, well, inferior to yours. And then you gave up. How do you think that affected my pride?"
"Look -- " he began, only to be cut off.
"But oh well, I beat the shit out of that girl who was kicking your ass anyway."
And there it was again, that infuriating grin that made his insides feel all weird and... fluttery.
What the hell?
Silence again.
He felt her move beside him and saw her get up.
"Anyway, I guess I really should start finding something substantial to do and stop," she raised her fingers to make air quotes, "bothering you."
And there it was again, that strange feeling. And before he could stop himself,
"Oi look. That one looks like your huge ugly fan," he pointed at a cloud that, in fact, resembled her weapon of choice.
She glanced up, "Eh?"
He pointed again.
"You don't have to leave," he mumbled.
What was he doing? Of course she had to! If she left now, he wouldn't have to endure this bossy troublesome woman for the rest of her stay in Konoha.
Silence passed again.
"I'm sorry, what again?"
He shrugged. And he knew, even without looking, that a smirk was beginning to form on her face.
"I like you," she said, out of nowhere.
"Stay quiet," he muttered.
Although he doubted she would.
.oOo.
"I can't believe its been 3 months already," she said.
As usual, it seemed as if she was talking to herself. Every now and then, he'd snap back at her. On very rare occasions, he'd actually engage in nice, short conversations with her. But most of the time, she was the one doing all the talking.
"We're leaving tomorrow," she continued.
More often than not, he was more than happy to let her go on and on.
"Yeah? Good for you. Better for me," he didn't know why he felt the need to say something. Probably because if he stayed quiet, she would never shut up. And he wasn't very fond of the topic she'd opened.
Temari grinned, "I know you'll miss me."
"Pfft~ I get this spot all to myself again when you leave. Oh yeah, will definitely miss you," he said sarcastically.
He really wanted her to get off that particular topic.
"I want a rematch, she suddenly said.
"What are you talking about?" he growled, "Haven't we already settled that you're the better ninja? Remember how you 'beat the shit out of the girl who was kicking my ass' ?"
Well okay, not exactly the best topic around, but a tad better than having to talk about her departure the next day.
"It's not as easy as that you know."
He didn't know why she was pushing this though.
"Well, you're not getting one," he said.
He felt her staring at him.
And then she said those words that made all his blood rush to his head.
"No matter. One day, I'll conquer you."
He couldn't look at her directly after, and there was, as usual, a long silence.
"Well, I have to go now, get ready and all that," and then she leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll miss you... I think. Bye."
He felt himself go crimson, and was thankful that she managed a quick getaway after the surprising kiss.
What the hell just happened?!
He felt really confused. He didn't know why, but he actually felt a little sad at the thought of her leaving. Having her around for 3 months had taken a bit of getting used to and maybe... Yeah. Maybe he'll actually miss her too.
But just a little bit.
~
"Oi Kankurou! I'll be waiting for you guys right outside," she called out. "Hurry up, will you?! We've already overstayed our welcome here in Konoha as it is."
"Well we weren't the ones who insisted on staying longer," Kankurou muttered.
"What was that?" she snapped, casting him a deadly glare.
She didn't really know why she'd wanted to stay longer and why she'd insisted on it. Sometimes her own brand of thinking puzzled even her. She sighed and opened the door,
"Oi, Pineapple Head!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "What re you doing here?!"
He shrugged, "Its common courtesy to send your guests off when they leave."
He was obviously trying hard not meet her eyes.
She smiled. Genuine smiles rarely ever appeared on her face. But she realised that she smiles a lot more when around him. It came easier, somehow.
She felt someone move from behind her.
"What's he doing here?" it was Gaara.
"I, uh, think the Hokage asked him to see us off," she said, eyeing Shikamaru.
He didn't say anything to contradict her, and she assumed that she must've gotten it correct.
What, you weren't thinking that it was actually his own idea were you?
"Where's Kankurou?" she asked Gaara.
"Paying the Innkeeper," he answered, his stare never leaving Shikamaru.
"Oh," she said, not knowing what else to say, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the situation she was in. Now all she needed was...
"What's he doing here?"
...Kankuro, staring at Shikamaru the same way Gaara was.
Very uncomfortable.
"Well, come on! Let's go! I can't wait to get home," she declared, beckoning for her brothers to take the lead.
Temari let out a sigh of relief as they began walking towards the gates of Konoha.
She walked side by side with Shikamaru, deafening silence surrounding them.
"Tsunade-sama didn't make me come," he suddenly said out of the blue.
Temari looked at him and saw that the tips of his ears were a light shade of pink.
He still refused to look at her though.
Temari felt another smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"And maybe I'll miss you too," he muttered, so softly that Temari hardly heard it.
She glanced at him again and this time, she caught him looking at her. It turned red and immediately turned away.
She muffled a giggle so that her brothers wouldn't hear. Hell, she was probably a bit pink too, but she didn't care. She liked him when he was like this, all pretenses of aloofness stripped off.
Conversation ceased, and before they knew it, they were standing in front of the big gates separating the rest of the world from Konoha.
Temari inhaled and let out a deep breath. She noticed that Shikamaru had regained control of himself an that his face was back to its normal expression. She was a bit irked that he could so easily turn himself back to normal when she was still feeling a bit flustered himself.
"See you," he said, waving them off. "Be careful going home."
"Yeah," Kankurou answered, starting to walk off with his siblings.
Temari turned and briefly saw an image of her running back and kissing him, just so he'd feel as flustered as she was.
Instead, she just smiled a huge smile, "If anything happens again, we'll help out. Is that okay, crybaby?"
Crybaby. It was a name she hadn't used on him for 3 months already, not since that day, after the hospital incident.
She saw him raise an eyebrow and relax his shoulders a bit.
Whatever, you talk too much, was probably what he was thinking, she decided.
She raised her arm and waved goodbye. He raised his arm a little and waved back some, and she felt content.
See you soon.
/ fin.
# originally published: 2005.06.22