Epilogue: A New Chapter

Bending over a sickbed, Shikamaru whispers, "Father, I'm back."

His old man though remains unmoving, hook to a bottle suspended above his head and to a monitor that bleep regularly.

Straightening, Shikamaru's eyes sweep over his father.

The patient continues to sleep despite his son announcing his arrival. His chest rising and falling like each breath is a battle for him to take, causing the worry lines already etched on Shikamaru's face to deepen.

The door creaks open and an old woman, a band wrapped around her forehead holding her hair to frame her lined face, enters the room followed slowly by Shikamaru's mother.

The son momentarily raises his head from his father to look at the newcomers."Is that it?" he asks as he drops his gaze on the cup carried in by his mother.

Yoshino, his mother, nods her head as she briskly goes on the other side of the patient's bed. "Shikaku, wake up," she mutters softly in his ear after she leans down. "Take your medicine."

—o0o—

"Mother, now that father is on his way to recovery, I want to accompany my friend—"

"Just a friend, Shikamaru?" interrupts Yoshino, raising a slanted brow as the spoon on its way to her mouth returns back to her plate.

Shikamaru glances at Temari before swivelling his attention back to his mother who has joined him and his guest for dinner rather than the usual for the past three days which is to eat her meals at his father's bedside.

"The woman," Shikamaru rephrases pointedly, "wants to go visit her family and I'm to accompany her so I can ask her father and brothers for her hand so maybe next time," a smile twitching his lips as his mother chokes on a gasp, he continues, "I can refer to her as my wife rather than 'just a friend'."

Yoshino hastily swings her attention towards the attractive blonde woman sitting on her side, right across Shikamaru who sits on her other side on the dining table. "Do you really want to marry my useless son?" she demands, grasping the younger woman's hand resting on the table.

"Mother," groans Shikamaru.

Temari faces the older woman, turning her palm up so she can return the grasp. "Yes, I want to marry your useless son."

"Tch, I don't know why it escaped both your notice that I'm not useless," mumbles Shikamaru.

The women exchange conspiratorial glance.

Not saying anything else, Yoshino picks up a platter of meat dish and offers it to her future daughter-in-law. "Here, try this."

"Thank you," Temari hesitates, "mother."

Shikamaru pretends to stifle a cough to cover a smirk before he grabs the meat dish from his mother. "Temari doesn't like meat."

"I do," protests Temari, snatching the dish back.

"I remember you reacting to my killing the ferret—"

"I was just saving you from embarrassment. You can't possibly hit a moving target," Temari grunts under her breath before turning to Yoshino, giving the dish back to her after taking a piece. "This rabbit meat looks delicious."

"Thanks dear." Yoshino takes the proffered dish. "I can see you'll be good for my lazy son."

Shikamaru snorts.

—o0o—

Shikamaru and Temari arrive in her desert village, in Sunagakure. People gawk at her, a look of surprise springing in everyone's faces.

A man, a turban on his head and from it a piece of clothe drapes down to hide half of his face, approaches them. "Temari," he greets, still astonished he adds, "you must come quickly. Your father—"

"What about my father, Baki?" Temari asks, matching the older man's faster stride towards her home.

Shikamaru follows, hastily catching up with Temari so he can grab her hand. With their fingers intertwined, he squeezes her much smaller hand tightly, communicating that he's there for her as they run.

Baki glances at their linked hands and halts. "I didn't mean to imply that your father is sick. But he's been searching for you and so are your brothers."

"They are?" inquires Temari half incredulous, half amazed. "But didn't they believe I was dead?"

Baki isn't able to reply since a distinct male's raspy voice suddenly shouts Temari's name from a distance.

Temari, rooted on the spot, watches as Kankuro shouts her name twice more. She doesn't even notice when Shikamaru lets her hand go to move and maintain a respectable distance between them as her family approaches.

Racing before Kankuro is her father and after him, her other, younger brother, Gaara.

Her father stops running, choosing to walk before he can reach her. While her two brothers passes their father by, still sprinting to reach her side. Kankuro's face wreathes in a huge welcoming grin while Gaara's sports a more sedate smile.

Kankuro is the first to grab Temari, pulling her in a bear hug before letting her go so Gaara can also embrace her too.

Their father finally reaches them and in a sharp voice, he utters, "Temari."

"I'm back, father," speaks Temari, scrutinizing his composed—almost blank—face. There's no tell tale expression except...she notices that he has aged a lot since she's gone. And that's when she realizes she is wrong to make her family believe without proof that she's dead.

Approaching her father, she lifts her arms and wraps them around the man's middle, putting her cheek on his chest.

She can feel his heart beating fast but her embrace isn't returned. Instead, after a while, she feels his hand patting the top of her head once before she is pushed away from his chest.

"Let's go home," her father announces, a slight tilt to his otherwise toneless voice.

Temari, secretly glad at her unexpected welcome, almost forgets until her sweeping gaze over her family catches his presence at her side. "Wait, I want you all to meet Shikamaru."

Three sets of eyes swing towards her mountain trespasser, all sharp and bearing him ill will.

Gaara speaking coldly, menacingly addresses her companion, "Are you the reason why Temari was gone?"

"No, he's not!" Temari bellows adamantly. Grasping Shikamaru's hand and gripping it tightly as she tilts her chin up, she pointedly warns her family not to hurt her companion. "On the contrary, he's the reason I'm back."

"So why did you disappear?" Kankuro rasps, still looking at Shikamaru suspiciously.

"It's a long story. Let's go home and then I'll tell you," Temari answers.

—o0o—

A year later

The wedding is to be held in Temari's village. The year leading to it, she has spent with her family, making up for lost time with them while her betrothed travels to and fro from her village to his.

On the momentous day, the sun shines brightly as usual in Sunagakure. The place where they are to be married is transformed from barren looking to alive with the profuse blossoms that came from Shikamaru's village.

Their families and friends occupy the pews while Shikamaru stands beside the officiator, waiting the same as them for the door to open at the back.

And when it does, Shikamaru swears he is seeing Temari at her most bewitching moment. He has witnessed her most odious appearance a long time ago and today, he's seeing the full beauty he has only glimpsed before. His breath hitches as he watches, mesmerize, his woman coming towards him. Her short blonde hair is held in place by tiny flowers strewn across her forehead while her flowing white gown makes her appear like a fairy in the woods rather than the old witch she was before.

The audience too watches as Temari approaches her groom. And among them is Sasori, bidding his time to make his presence known, his grandmother standing beside him.

The vows at first is mumbled and then it's rasped solemnly. And before Shikamaru and Temari are to kiss to seal their marriage, the officiator asks first the audience if anyone disagree with their union.

It is the moment that Sasori is waiting for, to attack and declare his own stake on the bride. He can do it. He's powerful enough.

Temari swings around to sweep her gaze over the audience and it is then that her eyes connects with Sasori's. Tipping her head towards him, her lips quirking up ever slightly and the expression in her eyes is unmistakable for it makes her glow.

The older woman who at that moment watches only her grandson, witnesses the look in his eyes. In them, the coldness from his soul seeps through then slowly, unbelievably the ice from his gaze thaws.

"But I've learned long ago that she's not a puppet," Sasori murmurs, his grandmother the only one who hears him. "I can't control her."

"Yes, child," Chiyo prattles on, "I believe you now understand why I did what I did. You finally learned from your curse."

Sasori nods his head. The expression of happiness he has glimpsed from Temari's eyes, he can never duplicate in a puppet. He needs to fall in love to realize his creations can never be perfect. There will always be a flaw in them. They will never smile out of love for him.

The End.

—o0o—

~1 24, 4 7 14A 14~

A/N: Anyone guessed who was Shikaku's medic?

As this one has now officially ended hope you guys continue to share your thoughts...The review box filled with words afterall is the medal we writers look forward to upon reaching the finish line.