I apologize for the wait on this chapter…it is difficult to find time to write on the weekend. I can't believe I have gotten so many reviews! You guys are the best!!! Thank you to everyone who is reading and special thanks again to Nsst-368, ForgottenLovedOne, InnerChaos Mistress, beerbelly, sandgurlz, amethystgrl21, ShikaTema.rox.like.hell, TroublesomeShikamaru, darkgal69, spriterx, and Little-Madman-of-my-house for taking time out of your busy days to write such lovely reviews!
Chapter 4: A Pleasant Evening
"I have to say Mrs. Nara, you are one of the best cooks in Konoha," exclaimed a stuffed Temari, "I can't remember the last time I had a home cooked meal, so I insist on helping with the dishes. It's the least I can do."
"Nonsense! That's what men are for! Shikamaru and Shikaku can clean up and you can help me catch up on what's going on in Suna. It would be nice to have some female conversation for a change!" She took a quick look over at Shikaku who nodded his head in agreement.
"That's fine with me. Shikamaru and I need to have a talk anyway…man-to-man." Shikamaru's stomach churned at the thought of a man-to-man conversation. Not that those types of conversations normally made him uncomfortable, he just knew exactly what this particular one was going to be about; the scene that was witnessed on the couch. He was lucky though; it could have been his mother who had walked in on them. He didn't even want to imagine what that one-on-one conversation would have been like.
Flashing her husband a coy smile, she exited the kitchen with Temari. Shikamaru found himself clearing off the table in awkward silence while his father began to run hot water in the sink for the dishes. 'What was he waiting for?' Shikamaru asked himself. Just when he was about to speak, Shikaku interrupted.
"I see women aren't so troublesome to you anymore." Shikaku looked up from the soapy water his hands were in and glanced over at his son. Shikamaru thought for a moment before he made his reply.
"Maybe they still are. If it weren't for women, I wouldn't be in this particular situation right now."
Shikamaru walked over to the sink where his father was standing, picked up a towel, and began to dry the dishes. The sound of feminine laughter poured from the living room. Wondering what they were talking about, Shikamaru glanced through the doorway at the beautiful blonde who was both the source of his affection, and his troubles.
Unconsciously, he let his gaze linger a little to long, the dish he was drying forgotten. Noticing this, Shikaku followed his son's gaze into the living room and chuckled under his breath. "The curse of the Nara clan strikes again I see…"
"Explain yourself."
Sighing, Shikaku dried his hands and place one on his son's shoulder.
"All Nara men are attracted to strong, beautiful women. I see you're no exception."
They both gazed over at the two gorgeous women in the living room who were more like each other than they realized. Turning his attention back to the sink, Shikaku dunked another dinner plate into the soapy water, scrubbing it vigorously.
"Shikamaru…do you remember the conversation we had a long time ago…the one when Tsunade had just become hokage."
"I think so. You said that even the roughest woman was soft with the man she loved."
"From what I saw on the couch, you seem to thoroughly understand that now. But let me make this very clear to you Shikamaru… If your mother finds you in a situation like the one you were in tonight on the couch, your life will be hell. Do you understand that? You need to be more careful."
Shikamaru hung his head and exhaled noisily. His father was right about that much. His mother would have flipped out if she had seen what was going on in her house, behind her back...nonetheless he had gotten carried away in the moment.
"But…I am proud of you Shikamaru. I have never seen you work so hard for anything. She really seems to like you too. I can tell by the way she looks at you."
Shikamaru stared at Temari as she laughed and chatted with his mom. She was so animated when she spoke; so stunning.
"I really hope that this time, you're right."
Shikaku smiled and shook his head. "Come on …Let's finish these up…you don't want your mother to give your girlfriend anymore ideas!"
When the dishes were clean and everything was put away, Shikamaru joined the ladies in the living room, only to be horrified by the scene before him. Old pictures were scattered everywhere. Not just any pictures, his baby pictures. His mother was giving Temari a pictorial history of his life. He cringed when his mother's words assaulted his ears.
"Wasn't he just the prettiest baby you have ever seen? People use to mistake him for a little girl…probably because of all that long hair!" Shikamaru watched as his mother handed the picture off to Temari, who chucked as she glanced at the small boy in the photograph. If he hadn't been so humiliated, he probably would have noticed how much fun she seemed to be having.
His mother continued to flip through a large stack of photos devoted to her one and only, precious little baby boy. Shikamaru hadn't seen his mother this excited in years. Her face lit up even more as she came across a particularly memorable picture; one that made her laugh out loud, and would soon make Shikamaru squirm. She leaned over towards Temari and motioned for her to look at it.
"Shikamaru was barely two years old in this one. He never liked wearing clothes. As soon as he got out of the bathtub, we would have to chase him around the house like this. Do you remember that Shikaku? Wasn't he cute! Oh my goodness, you can even see his little pee-pee!"
"That's enough mom! It's getting late, I need to take Temari home…now that you've damage my pride beyond repair."
He didn't even want to face Temari anymore. This went beyond troublesome..it was simply mortifying! It was bad enough when his mother said he looked like a girl, but the last thing he wanted Temari to think was that he had a little pee-pee.
"Don't be so sour Shika! Temari and I were enjoying ourselves!"
"At my expense…" he muttered, though no one seemed to be listening.
Temari rose from her seat on the couch and walked towards the door. She smirked at Shikamaru when she passed him, and he knew she was laughing at him inwardly. 'This is going to be a long walk home' he thought.
"It was a pleasure to finally meet both of you," she said with a grin
"You are welcome here anytime! We would love to have you over again when you are in town…"
Having taken all that he could, Shikamaru cut her off quickly and grabbed Temari by the arm. There was no way in hell he would be repeating tonight unless it involved Temari, a couch, and no parents.
"That's nice…we've got to go." And with that being said, he pulled her out the door.
The walk home was murder. No one said a word. Shikamaru practically dragged Temari down the street. At this point, he wanted to end this evening as fast as he possibly could. Hopefully he would be able to look her in the eye again one day. There was an awkward silence as they stood in front of the door to her temporary apartment. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck and searched for something to say, then finally spoke.
"I just want to apologize for everything tonight."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb Temari. My family isn't exactly picture perfect...we had to pick my dad up at the bar, you got to see the bizarre way that they fight, and mom showed you my 'little pee-pee'. This has easily been one of the most troublesome nights of my life."
Temari stepped closer to Shikamaru and put her hand on his shoulder, running it down his arm.
"You don't know how lucky you are Shikamaru."
Something in her voice had changed when she spoke. It caused him to look up at her face. Her eyes didn't sparkle as they normally did. He could see the pain behind them that she had been hiding so well all along, but he still didn't quite understand it. He listened as she continued to explain.
"You have two living parents who not only love you, but love each other. They may not always act they way you want them to. They may fight like cats and dogs. They may embarrass you and mettle in your business, but at the end of the day they love each other and they love you. Can't you see how special that is?"
Shikamaru suddenly felt a little spoiled. He had never really thought about it, but he had more of a normal family life than Temari and her brothers had ever had. After all, Temari's mother had died when she was still very young. Though she would never talk about it, he could only guess that her father, the kazekage, didn't have much time to spend with them either. Years ago, her brother Gaara had told him that their father had even tried to kill him numerous times.If that were true, he probably didn't even want to have anything to do with them. After a long pause, Temari finally spoke again. This time, her voice had it's usually spunk in it. She seemed to recover quickly, hiding her vulnerability behind a tough exterior.
"Anyway, don't apologize Shikamaru. I enjoyed meeting your family and shockingly enough, I was able to tolerate you."
She flashed him a seductive smile and began to leisurely walk towards him. She ran her hands inside his vest and across his chest. Shikamaru inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he challenged her with an equally seductive smirk. Turning the tables, he backed her up against the door, both hands resting against it on each side of her face.
"So that's what you were doing on the couch…tolerating me?"
"Maybe…"
She didn't get to finish. Shikamaru's lips were tenderly pressed against her own. The kiss started slowly, both learning the feel of each other, and then became more urgent and hot. His tongue teased her lower lip until she opened for him and let him deepen the kiss. She ran her hands under his shirt and up his back. At the touch of her bare skin against his, Shikamaru felt himself go hard. It was the most passionate kiss he had ever shared with anyone. He pulled her body even closer to his own, not caring if she felt the effect she had on him, and not fully understanding why such a troublesome women could ever make him feel these things. They were both breathing heavily when it ended and were slightly red in the face. It was also the first time he had ever seen her blush.
"Goodnight Shikamaru," Temari said in a soft voice that caused Shikamaru to remember his father's words from so long ago.
As she disappeared through the door, a dazed Shikamaru closed his eyes and brought his fingers to his lips for a moment, then brought them back down quickly when the door opened again and Temari head peeked out from behind it.
"Oh...Shikamaru…I'm glad to know that your pee-pee isn't so little anymore." And with that, she closed the door.
The End
Well…that's all for this story. I hope you enjoyed it. School starts back for me on Monday, so I had to wrap this up. Hopefully I will have the time in my schedule to write another story. This whole process has been really fun. Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW!!!