18. The wedding song Shitamaru and boss ass bitch. 😘 you da best boo
<3 Only the best for you, dear. Enjoy~
Her, Like the Sun, and Him, Like the Clouds
“Are you finished yet?” Temari asked impatiently as she felt the soft make-up brush still dabbing foundation across her face, which she felt had received plenty of treatment already. The brush retracted after a final sweep over the bridge of her nose, and as she opened her eyes, little flecks of the powder falling from her mascara-pumped eyelashes, Ino was pursing her glossed lips at her.
“Temari, you wear make-up every day. Why are you complaining?” the blonde-haired girl tutted while snapping the foundation case shut and began rooting around the various make-up items on the wooden counter beside her to find her next project. Temari just exhaled deeply and leaned back in the chair, trying to keep her frown from deepening too much because Ino would yell at her and say she was going to get frown lines. “Lighten up already! You’re the one who asked for my help!” Temari tutted a response, her blue eyes flickering to the mirror to stare at her rapidly transforming reflection. Despite the woman’s fiery personality and unfiltered mouth, which would grate the average person, Temari rather liked Ino and they had become fast friends throughout her courtship with Shikamaru. You couldn’t tell that now; Temari had been snipping at her since she arrived, but Ino just lightheartedly tolerated it. She probably didn’t blame Temari for being on edge; after all, she was nervous as all hell.
In a few hours, she would be married.
“Just relax, Temari. It’s the happiest day of your life!” Sakura chirped from another vanity, peering into the glass as she meticulously curled her lashes. After she flickered them a few times to ensure maximum volume and coverage, she flashed the former Sand ninja a smile. “Everything is going to go perfectly.” Analytical as ever, Sakura had easily ascertained the root of Temari’s anxiety. She had never been a perfectionist by any means, but something about the occasion brought such behavior out of Temari; she was just simply frantic that something would go wrong and it would be ruined.
Temari had admittedly been looking forward to the day with utmost joy. She had never been the romantic type (that was quite obvious from her awkwardness at the beginning of her and Shikamaru’s relationship), but after being with him for so long, Temari knew with every fiber of her being that she loved him more than life itself and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite his own awkwardness and inability to say what he was feeling, she knew Shikamaru felt the same way about her. The Leaf and Sand villages had been cooperating well to make the ceremony a success. Yet, somehow, Temari just could not shake her pre-wedding jitters.
“I just don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she sighed deeply as Ino brushed a splash of blush across her cheeks. She went to lean her cheek in her hand until Ino firmly smacked it aside, and Temari’s mouth twitched. “I’m not getting second thoughts or anything. I just want it all to go well… I’ll only get married once, after all.”
“Stop worrying about it!” Ino said and forced Temari to shut her eyes so she could apply some eye shadow. Temari wanted to quip that it was easier said than done, but there was no winning against her. Instead, she tried to heed the two girls’ advice and relax herself. Everything is going to be fine. Everything will go well. She kept repeating that in her head, and though her worries did not disappear completely, she did feel a little better. By then Ino had long since finished her make-up and had swung her chair around to begin tackling Temari’s tresses of golden hair, pulling it out of her signature fluffy pigtails and combing it meticulously. “Damn, Temari, your hair really is thick, you know?” Ino grunted as she tugged and pulled at the strands with the brush and wound them around a curling iron.
Yes, she knew. No one ever knew it, but Temari had always secretly hated her hair. It was untamable, a pile of fluff on her head that obeyed no brush or hair products. She just always tied it back so she wouldn’t have to think about it and no one would ever know. That is, until Shikamaru. He always told her how much he loved her hair, running his fingers through it while they talked, complimenting how it caught the sun. As she thought about it, her heart swelled and a smile formed on her lips. He would probably compliment her hair today, too. “Done!” Temari glanced up into the mirror and her mouth fell open slightly in shock. Ino had transformed her poofy, golden pigtails into a gorgeous up-do, with the strands curled and pulled back into a messy yet stylish bun and curling wisps falling about her face. Temari turned her face from side-to-side, simply amazed with the look.
“You look beautiful, Temari. You’re gonna knock Shikamaru dead,” Sakura mused as she appeared over her shoulder, leaning over as she similarly marveled the bride’s reflection. Sakura’s hair was much shorter, so she had simply braided her hair like a crown around the back of her head. It was simple, but very elegant, Temari thought.
“Sakura, will you help Temari into her dress while I do my hair and make-up?” Ino asked as she plopped down in the neighboring chair and began her work. Temari accompanied Sakura across the bridal suite where her dress was hanging from a closet doorframe. She and Shikamaru had elected for a white wedding rather than a traditional one; her gown was pure white, of course, but she had wanted a splash of color. The gown featured golden ribbons for the corset that bled into a stream of golden fabric flowing down her back and through the train, eventually spilling out into a golden puddle amongst the milky whiteness. The slim-fitting bodice was threaded with golden patterns. Temari had decided on a sleeveless dress, given they were doing a summer wedding. Just as Sakura was tying the last of the laces together and Ino was piling her bleach-blonde hair atop her head, there was a knock at the door. After her vigilant make-up and hair artists confirmed it was not her groom trying to catch a peek of her, her brothers walked in.
“Well, boys? What do you think of our handiwork?” Ino grinned at them through the mirror, too busy expertly poking bobby pins into her hair to turn around. Temari smiled bashfully as the two younger boys walked over to look her up and down.
“You’re radiant, big sister,” Gaara smiled sweetly up at her, and Kankuro nodded in agreement. The fact that they were there meant that the ceremony would begin soon. Temari had no father to walk her down the aisle, so she and Shikamaru had come up with the idea that her little brothers would have the honor instead. They were both wearing tuxedos with ties that matched to color of the accents on her wedding gown. They had both tried to slick their hair down, but their locks were as untamable as Temari’s, so they still looked a scruffy mess. It made her happy, though. When they were young she was afraid they would never be close, especially her and Gaara, but time had proven her wrong.
“We’ll give you a moment!” Sakura grinned as she carted Ino out into the hallway, the girl protesting all the while that she hadn’t had the time to put on lipstick. The boys watched them leave before looking back at Temari.
“Ya know, I never would’ve dreamed that you would’ve ended up marrying Shikamaru,” Kankuro commented with a smirk. Temari knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.
“Why’s that?” An awkward look and a blush appeared on his face and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck while looking away.
“Well, you’re… you know… And he’s… You know…” he mumbled incoherently. Temari just giggled; she had only been teasing him. She and Shikamaru certainly were an odd match in a lot of ways; they had begun as rivals in the Chunin exams, and she had found him unmotivated and unimpressive, but he had turned around and impressed her in their match. Somehow, she had found herself gravitating toward him, a slacker who would rather watch clouds than do his duty but somehow still commanded her respect with his devotion to his friends and village. He had grown a lot and Temari had enjoyed watching him grow, though he sometimes got on her nerves with how clueless he could be. He was really the embodiment that smart people could still be really stupid in other areas- in his case, the opposite sex. She must have started daydreaming, because when she focused back on her brothers, they were smiling knowingly at her. It was her turn to blush.
“What?”
“Nothing. You’re just the perfect picture of a gushing bride,” Kankuro snorted, then cried out in pain as she smacked up upside his head. “Ow! Stop! You’ll smear my face paint, Temari!” he whined as he ducked another blow. Gaara laughed under his breath.
“I think they’re a good match. Temari has always been the most intelligent of us. It makes perfect sense that she’d fall for someone like him,” he mused. Once more a pink hue painted her cheeks. She wasn’t used to so much compliment and praise, especially from her little brothers. Gaara was usually to busy with his Kazekage duties and Kankuro was frankly just a little asshole. She was glad for it, though. Without warning, she reached forward to hug both of them around their necks, pulling their heads to touch them to her own, surprising them both.
“I love you both so much. Thank you for being here for me.” Temari knew that she had not told them that she loved them enough, and she was going to end that habit right that instant. Whatever their differences and annoying quirks, they were still her blood, and her best friends. They were stiff for a few seconds, and then each of them wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
“Yeah. We’re gonna miss you, Temari.” Kankuro was much too stubborn to come out and say it, but she knew that was just his way of returning her affections.
“Come and visit us,” Gaara added.
“Of course. I’m not going to be too far away, after all,” she smiled as she pulled back and looked at them. She then grinned widely and ruffled their already messy hair, causing them both to squeak protests and scramble away from her. While she laughed lightly, Sakura poked her head back into the door with a mix of a serious and overwhelmingly excited expression.
“It’s time!”
After the boys had settled down and she had tried to smooth down the spots in their hair sticking up with no success, they walked out of the room and down the hall to a winding staircase. The building was a popular spot for white weddings, which had risen in popularity in recent years; the upper level was the bridal suite while the bottom was a clear space for the ceremony. The reception would be in another area, with an even larger room and an outside pavilion. As she hovered in the landing of the staircase, she could hear the murmur of hushed voices. They didn’t want a huge wedding, so Ino was her Maid of Honor and Choji the best man, with Sakura as her other bridesmaid and Naruto her escort as Shikamaru’s other groomsman. They had already begun their procession down the stairs and down the aisle, and Temari hovered above the proceeding ceremony between her two brothers with mounting emotion. It wasn’t anxiety, but a fierce bubbling happiness that actually brought tears to her eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself with a shaky breath, knowing Ino would never forgive her if she cried after all that effort put toward her make-up.
“Hey. Don’t freak out on me now,” Kankuro smirked in her ear and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.
“Are you nervous?” her other brother asked worriedly. Temari smiled, opened her eyes, and shook her head, alleviated simply by their presence… and the knowledge that the man she loved with all her breath was waiting for her only a small distance away.
“No. I’m just… very, very happy.”
“Well, happiness looks good on you,” Kankuro smirked. Below, an attendant signaled that they should begin walking down, and the pair of boys each took one of her arms and began walking with her down the steps. The attendant passed her the bouquet as she passed, an arrangement of Ino’s of white and gold to mirror her dress, with splashes of blue to highlight her sky-blue eyes. They turned around the landing and Temari’s slippered feet met the roll of satin-like golden carpet sprinkled with white flower petals, and she lifted her eyes to look at the altar, where Shikamaru was waiting for her.
Seeing that smile on his face made her want to drop everything and run to him. Shikamaru never showed much emotion, but for once he let it all show; all the warmth and happiness and love in his expression rolled over that carpet to strike her like a tidal wave, making her actually stop in her tracks for a second. She managed to regain her composure when Gaara gave her a reassuring push in her back and began walking again. Her dress streamed behind her, pulling the flower petal with it. Temari supposed all the faces gazing at her were a mixture of awe and joy, but she didn’t know. Her vision was trained on Shikamaru, the man she loved so fiercely it felt like it hurt, the man who had won her heart and whose heart she had won herself. She didn’t even hear what her brothers said as they split off from her to sit down, and her hand extended on its own so Shikamaru could take it and pull her up onto the altar. She didn’t even look at the officiator; she just stared, captivated, charmed, hopelessly in love at her husband-to-be. She probably looked like an idiot but she could care less in that moment.
“You should probably be listening,” Shikamaru whispered to her with a chin nod to the man now speaking, and with a jolt and a flush of her cheeks she turned forward and actively began listening to the rites. Then she felt the strand of curled hair hanging beside her ear rustle and the tingle of Shikamaru’s breath against her skin. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
“Thank you… You clean up well yourself.” Shikamaru looked fine as hell in his tuxedo, not that she would ever admit it aloud to him.
“I figured, with the way you were staring at me.” Temari puffed out her cheeks defiantly to stare up at him; of course, he had been baiting her, and was smirking in amusement. The officiator was still droning on about the blessing of marriage or whatever.
“I could still say ‘no.’”
“And miss out on netting this catch? I don’t think so.”
“You’re not a catch. More like a dirty shoe someone fished out of a dirty lake.” The officiator was either oblivious to their hushed back-and-forth banter, or simply didn’t care. Shikamaru laughed breathily, and while the officiator was looking off to the crowd, picked up that stray strand of golden hair and pulled it to his lips.
“Well, if I’m a dirty shoe, you must be the sun, because you’re glowing, Temari.” Temari opened and shut her mouth several times as she struggled to respond to that annoyingly smooth remark, while her groom laughed and hastily dropped her hair when the officiator returned his attention to them, as if nothing had happened at all. Ugh! He’s so annoying and so sexy at the same time! Such was the conundrum of their relationship; she hated when he got the one-up on her but damn it, she loved how smooth he could be when he managed to not be clueless about a woman’s heart. Shaken, she stumbled over her words as the officiator asked her to recite her lines, making Shikamaru smirk even more.
“I hate you,” she hissed at him as the clergy began to recite more lines. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage now, no longer from the excitement of the day but because he was so infuriatingly confident and suave at the moment.
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be standing here, would you?” They were interrupted by the clergy’s prompting again, and without missing a beat, Shikamaru popped off the required words. Trying to hide her bitterness, Temari faked a lovely smile and a sweet tone to do the same, and after it was done, she immediately looked up at him dourly. “Hey, if you keep scowling like that, your face may freeze that way.”
“Shut up.” She was aggravated that she couldn’t think of anything smarter than that. Finally it was time for them to say their “I do’s,” and of course she wasn’t going to say no, but she sure was bristling at that point. Damn him and his smart little remarks… I’m not gonna lose! She fumed silently as Shikamaru responded to the priest, and barely listened as he turned to her. She stared at the man speaking, painfully aware as Shikamaru leaned over to whisper in her ear again, in just a way that the man didn’t notice.
“Come on, Temari, don’t you have anything better to say than ‘shut up’?”
“I do!” she snapped, ironically at just the right time. She went pink as the officiator looked at her funny and the crowd rustled with confused murmurs behind her. “A-ahem. I do,” she repeated more clearly and more calmly, shooting Shikamaru a side-eyed glare as he stifling his snickers. The clergy began droning on again. “You’re dead meat.”
“No, I’m a dirty shoe.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“Since when is that new?” The officiator announced that they could kiss, and her face was nearly red by that point. She begrudgingly glared up at him as she turned to face him, him and that stupidly sexy snarky grin of his.
“You’re awfully confident today.”
“Well, I am marrying the woman of my dreams.” Temari’s eyes widened slightly, and instead of anger she felt a flood of amusement and happiness, because she finally had something good to respond to his awfully on-point banter.
“Well, that’s good. I’m marrying the man of my dreams.”
“That mean you won’t kill me?” he chuckled as he wound one arm around her waist, and swept his other hand across her forehead to brush away a lock of her golden hair like the sun.
“Not today, at least.”
“I’ll take it.”
Temari really did feel like she was glowing as he leaned down to softly press his mouth to hers, shining as brilliantly as the sun as the happiness filled her body and the sound of applause filled her ears. If she was Shikamaru’s sun, holding him by her gravity and bringing him light, he was her universe, the thing that made her whole and gave her meaning. When they pulled apart, she was gazing up at him with the same intensity of love and joy she had seen when she had first appeared on the aisle.
“I love you, even if you get on my nerves,” she smiled, her expression morphing into a coy and playful one.
“I love you, even if you can’t go one sentence without insulting me,” Shikamaru laughed and leaned forward again to plant a kiss on her forehead. They were about to start walking to the reception, but Kankuro suddenly sprung from the crowd and belly-flopped onto Temari’s train to clutch onto her leg.
“I take it back! Don’t leave!” Temari gawked down at him, amazed that he would abandon his pride and experience so much emotion, and then looked back when Gaara walked over.
“Um, Gaara, maybe you should-“ She was interrupted as he worldlessly grabbed her arm and buried his face into her shoulder, blushing profusely. She blinked, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events, then began laughing loudly. “Oh, good grief, what am I going to do with you two? I can’t be married for a minute, at least?”
“No. Marriage is over. Divorce him and come back with us forever,” Kankuro grumbled, his voice muffled by the trusses of fabric in his face. Gaara was still just silently clutching onto her like a newborn, his dignity as Kazekage on the line but still overwhelmed enough to be unable to resist. Shikamaru just stared down at Kankuro, absolutely floored and unsure of quite what expression to make.
“Guys, I’ll come visit.”
“Promise?!” they both shouted and looked at her pleadingly with their fingers digging into her dress.
“Yes!” she laughed, and they both looked at each other before begrudgingly detaching themselves from her. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow as Kankuro shoved a finger in his face.
“I’m warning you. Make her unhappy and you’re dead.” He then whipped around to march down the carpet to the reception area with a very embarrassed Gaara trailing after him, until Naruto sprang on him to drag him off to go try some of the delicacies at the food table. Temari giggled and leaned her head on Shikamaru’s shoulder as she watched her adorable little brothers go.
“… Did I just have a stroke?” he asked as he looked down at her in confusion.
“Oh, you know how people get at weddings. Anything can happen.” He smirked and bonked his head against hers for a second before glancing up at the sky. Eyes still watching the clouds, same as always, she thought as she watched his dark eyes trace the puffy white ships across the blue ocean above. Now that she thought about it, he was like the clouds; unassuming, simple, but yet also capable of bringing storms when needed. While he was side-tracked, she stood on her tip-toes to peck him on the cheek. “We’d better get going before people start to get impatient.” His face screwed up in annoyance.
“Man, you mean this thing isn’t over yet?” he whined but obediently began walking her down the carpet.
“I warned you that marrying me would be a drag.”
Their playful arguing aside, Temari knew that Shikamaru was as happy as she was, and she found herself looking up at the clouds to. She was floating in the sky, carried by a wind of joy and unable to come down, with the man she loved right there next to her. Love was a drag, but a drag that was completely worth it when all was said and done. With that thought in her mind and happiness in her heart, she walked with Shikamaru into the arms of their friends and through the uncertain, exciting door of their future together…
Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to perusemy Tableof Contents!
What made you ship it? I love ships that are set up as 'character who is aggressive/spunky/determined vs. character who cannot be bothered.' I find this dynamic has a lot of different flavorings- for example, I consider EndHawks from MHA to have a dynamic like this. I also really like how (though Kishimoto has all the grace of a three legged elephant in clogs) the setup for this one comes early, and could have gone either way.
What are your favorite things about the ship? There will never be anything funnier to me than Shikamaru Nara going 'but I don't waaannnaaaaa' and Temari going 'too bad you're going to' and him just being like 'ok -_-' because he knows better than to argue.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I don't think it's an unpopular opinion so much as a disagreement in growth. A lot about how Termari and Shikamaru went canon in The Mistake Boruto just eviscerates her as a character and I don't appreciate that. That's not a ship specific thing, though, but an issue with the overall narrative where we somehow have these LITERAL STANDING ARMY VILLAGES having, you know, railways between them and the rulers of those countries are? fine with it?? it's all cool??? I Guess???????
