Fate or Not?

Chapter 9

Temari was outrageous. Her brothers requested Shikamru's help on such private matter and they didn't even bother to warn her beforehand. The news they brought were her worst nightmare. She thought when the right time came she would marry a decent guy and... on a second thought she never thought about her marriage. Of course, as every other little girl, she imagined her wedding day, but this was much more serious, much more present. Six weeks? She only had that much time to make her decision, the decision that would determine the course of her future life. Her heart raced at dangerous speed and she couldn't collect herself... everything in her body screamed at her to run and never look back. She didn't want to be here in this room, with this people, the people she trusted and hated right now. Oh just how she hated them right now. The bare thought of elders awaked emotions of the most horrifying sort. What else did they want from her? Was everything she had done for the sake of her country not enough? Was the fact that she willingly and knowingly risked her life over and over again for them, not enough? Was she only seen as strategic advantage? Did they determine that her sole purpose in life was to be a breeding cow? Or pig? Or goat? Or any other animal in this god damn, unjust world they lived? Did her life, her hopes and dreams mean nothing to them? And her brother could do nothing? She felt betrayed.. before she could say anything, or better said yell, she heard his voice.

"I'll marry her."

A sentence as simple as that, brought her to look at him again. And she remembered how angry she was with him. He got to sit there and listen to her humiliating fate while she got to live through it, and she hated him for that. She hated him for sitting as still as he did, for being quiet, for not showing any sort of disapproval. For all those weeks living together she got to see him suffer and she enjoyed it. Every single time he did something wrong or did worse than her she felt victorious. And karma made sure it was his turn now. He now got to watch her suffer and dwell on her destiny. She hated him for that too and most of all she hated him for the fact that he could just walk away from this if he wanted. And she couldn't, she was trapped in this reality someone else had the control of. And then in mush of voices his words settled. I'll marry her. He, what? No, no, no, no! This wasn't right... this couldn't be.... And that was the last straw. She couldn't hold it anymore, she snapped.

"NO!" her voice cut through the air making them look at her. "Kankuro if this is one of your lame jokes, stop it. Stop it! It isn't funny! And you...." She turned her head and looked at Shikamaru. "You will certainly not marry me!"

Her brothers hopelessly tried to calm her down, but Shikamaru figured that wasn't the way to go.

"Temari, can I have a word with you, please? Privately." She just looked at him, confused and angry, and disappointed and eager to kill him. And he just grabbed her hand and dragged her through hallway.

"Shika-maru... what... wait...where are...." She tried to show resistance but he pulled on her hand with such strength and moved with such speed she wasn't able to walk properly.

"My room." His voice was cold, a bit too cold for either one's liking. He opened the door and basically shoved her inside. She turned around to yell at him, but he beat her up to it.

"Why not?!"

"Why not what?" she didn't know why she made such a desperate move. It was obvious why he brought her there and what he needed to discuss with her. Yet she made a choice to humiliate herself once more, like the situation she was put in wasn't enough.

"You know what... Why don't you want to marry me?"

"Because, as my brother said, we would have to go through detailed inspection, and if we failed, my future would be sealed. Well more sealed than it is now. It's a risk I'm not willing to make yet. And beside that it's ridiculous! I can't marry...you"