Chapter 6
They reached the other side of the Land of Rivers, near Konoha where they planned their upcoming battle. Shikamaru assesses their situation, he's glad that everyone is doing their part. His men always do training from morning till night, preparing for the next battle. He entered his room after smoking his cigarette and sit at his desk.
Temari was changing her clothes inside her tent when someone called her from the outside.
“Takeo!?”
She panicked “Lee? Wait! I’m changing, what is it?”
“Lord Nara called you, he’s in his room”
“Alright, I’ll go there in a minute. Thanks, Lee”
“No problem” Lee immediately left
She wears her kimono as fast as possible and then walked to Shikamaru’s room while tying her hair in a bun. After reaching his room, she knocked and wait for her queue to go inside.
“Come in” he said
Temari twists the doorknob and entered his room. He was reading a book and writing at his desk.
“You can sit wherever you want” he said without glancing her
She sits in the chair near his futon and fixed her Kimono. Her hands glide to the seamline, to her obi, and to her chest----Fuck! I forgot to wrap my chest!
It was bulging and very visible when someone is close to her. She panicked once again and covered her chest with her arms.
“I recognize your strength Takeo. You really are good at Katana but still bad at shooting arrows” he said while closing his book and putting it to the side.
She didn’t answer and just nodded at him.
“Teach your comrades about your skills, we need them. On our next battle, you will be at the last line. You’re lucky to be in that line, did you know that?” Shikamaru said while standing up from his seat.
Temari didn’t pay much attention to it, she was busy adjusting her Kimono to flatten her chest.
“Are you listening, Takeo!?”
“Yeah, ofcourse!” she fixed her posture
“I hope what I said is clear to you. You seem distracted”
“No. No, I heard it clearly” She did not
Shikamaru looked at her suspiciously again “You may go now”
Temari stands up from her seat and when she opened his door, a strong rain greeted her outside. She cannot go outside, if her Kimono will get wet, her chest will be forming, revealing her feminine physique.
Oh fuck!
She turned around and close the door. Shikamaru glanced at her again wondering why she hasn’t left yet.
“Uhm-Lord Nara, can I stay here for a minute?”
“Why?” he raised his brow
“It’s raining hard. I’d like to wait for it to settle down if that’s not a problem with you?”
There’s a moment of silence after she said that. Shikamaru was thinking if he would accept her request “Just don’t do anything stupid..or weird inside my room”
“Yeah, I’ll just sit in her like a ghost. You wouldn’t even know I exist, that’s my expertise” Temari sit in the chair again and tried to keep her mouth shut. Her hands were in a praying position, wishing that the rain would stop as soon as possible because she didn’t like to be in there too. Especially, with him.
Shikamaru returned his head to what he was writing. Her eyes glanced to every corner of his room, observing it. She realized that he was a pretty neat guy, his room was very organized and clean. Unlike Kakuro’s room, which always looked like in wreck, and Gaara’s room which was full of sand. She turns her head to his futon and leaned closer, it smelled jasmine and musk. Surprised, she hasn’t met any guy like him before.
Her eyes moved to where he was sitting and observed his features. Sharp jawline, lazy eyes, toned body, and warm skin tone. The rays of light from his window emphasized his structure, he looked refined from that angle. Her focus broke when he starts speaking to her.
“Tell me Takeo, why Rasa didn’t join the war during the first year?”
“Well, maybe because Suna is a small village”
“And?”
“We didn’t have that many samurais, you know? and joining the war during the first year of it is a big risk to us”
“You’re right. His sons seem to be good fighters, I saw them and they’re like someone that would eat you alive on the battlefield. Like their father” He chuckled
Temari laughed, she missed her brothers so much “Yeah, they are”
“Well, Suna is lucky to have them. A strong Kazekage and two powerful sons”
“He has a daughter too you know” her voice becomes louder
“He has? I haven’t met her”
“Probably you did” She tightens her arms crossing her chest, feeling offended that she just being non-existent to them. Even in Suna, she’s only known to be a princess unlike her famous brothers being the next in line to her father’s position.
Shikamaru turns his head again to his scroll and continues writing. Temari can’t help but feel curious about it.
“Planning the next battle, huh?”
“Yeah”
“It must be hard fighting for four years now. Your battles cars speak it a lot”
Shikamaru stopped his hands from writing and the memories of the war start invading his mind. “It’s been four dreadful years. You’ll see it once you enter the battlefield, it’s like hell”
“I’m prepared for anything”
“Even if you die?”
“Even death” She bravely said
“I like your passion to win. We’re much alike, I’m not afraid of dying on the battlefield. I don’t have that much to lose”
“Don’t say that. Your parents would probably be in agony after hearing their son lost in the war”
“Heh, too bad. My parents have already died four years ago when Akatsuki invaded the Land of bears, my parents were there to meet the daimyo” He said while trying to hide his emotions
“I’m sorry” she looked away
“Don’t be. Losing someone to this war becomes more usual and you need to prepare yourself for that. If you’ll listen to your heart, you’ll lose”
“I disagree. If you’ll listen to your heart, you’ll win”
“I guess we have a different perspective about that. You probably have a lot of people waiting for you unlike me, nothing” He sarcastically said “And don’t pity me, I offered myself to this war. If I’ll come back alive it’s a win, If I die it’s still a win”
Temari just stared at him and felt like she just saw his soft side. The rudeness that she first saw was just a mask to protect what was hurting him inside and she recognized it. He’s something else. She was also amazed at how he was passionate about the war, the revenge for his parents, and protecting his village. She sees herself so much in him, it’s inspirational.
The rain stopped, she just wished she could sit for another minute to continue their conversation but her chest was her number one problem currently, she needs to wrap it before anyone caught her.
“The rain has stopped. I should go back to my tent now. Thank you, Lord Nara,” she said while standing up
Shikamaru didn’t respond, he just nodded at her and smiled.
Temari was surprised, it was her first time seeing his smile. She walked outside patting her kimono and made a little shake in her body like she was releasing the feeling that she just felt before leaving his room.