Shikamaru x Temari Distance (AU)

P11. Chapter 2.

"He sent him to me?" she wondered, trying to understand what it meant. Of course, the most idiotic person would understand this with no problem, but she was trying hard for it to have a different meaning. Any meaning.

When she couldn't, she just stormed out. The next thing she knew, she was at home, ignoring her brothers' concern over what had happened. She just made way to the bedroom, refusing dinner and cried herself to sleep.

The next day, at school, she wondered if she should stop visiting him now, because she knew the sight of his face would be a little unbearable. The argument filled her head and the guilt won. She was at the hospital door, ready to open it when she heard the voices inside.

- You look terrible, you know?

- Do I? That's too bad.

She froze. She recognized the voices. The last one was definitely him. Way more tired and weak than usual, but him. He woke up. The first one was a girl. She didn't need to know the voice to know who it belonged to. By the slightly open door, she could make out the long silver hair.

- Was it you? The one who was visiting every day?

- Who else would it be?

- I don't know it's just... thought I saw someone. Never mind.

- You couldn't have seen anyone, you were unconscious.

- I know. Maybe I was dreaming, I'm not sure. But I might have woken up for like a second.

Shiho took one of the cards from the floor reading "I'm so sorry about the car crash, Shikimaru-kun. Get better soon blah blah blah"

- They're really digging the car crash scenario, huh? As if you would ever drive drunk. Is that what your dad ordered the hospital to say? Because I don't think they'd come up with that themselves knowing your three stab wounds.

- Yeah. No one can know. Everyone thinks it's a car crash, even my mom.

- Wow. I feel special.

- How did you know?

- Because you told me?

- No, not my job. How'd you know the details? The stab wounds and such?

After that Temari stops listening. She feels dizzy. All this time, of all people, Shiho knew. And he told her. Which makes her think what else he might've told her. Does she know about her? How she was merely just a mission? It all makes sense to her now. He never truly felt indifferent to Shiho, because really, what boy could? He just had to make it seem that way to get closer to her, to do his job. And when it was over, he could safely come back to Shiho. Or not, she's pretty sure she's not the only obstacle to come between them. Other missions will come along, and he'd move on to the next job. Having no time for romance, or seeing it would affect his work, or maybe seeing it would be safer for Shiho if she didn't become an item with him because it'd be dangerous. Whatever it may be, she only knew one thing for certain. How she was right about she can't break his heart even if she tried.

She tried to manage all her flowing thoughts and speculations in one place. She doesn't want to believe that anyone could be such a good actor. Maybe he wasn't acting, who knows? Maybe even though all things started out as a mission, it had grown to something more. And Shiho knowing about his secret when she didn't have the slightest idea, could be tied with how they were each other's first love, and they're friends. Right. Maybe all of his friends know. Sasuke, Neji, Naruto and so on.

"Everyone thinks it's a car crash, even my mom." – his words reminded themselves to her. Maybe he was excluding his friends? Does he know that she knows? He must know that Gaara knows, at least.

- ...I can't believe you took such a risk for that redhead. You could've truly died, you know? – she heard Shiho say when she's decided she'd continue listening.

- I promised someone I would do everything to protect him.

- You and your promises. Why do you do it? That girl probably thinks you're doing all of this because you're in love with her or something. Why give her false hope when it's inevitable you'll come back to me?

Temari hears the sympathy in her voice. "Is she just faking it? Or does she truly think he's being unfair to me? Why would she care?"

Inevitable, she said. What does that mean? – she asks herself in her head. That no matter what he says, it's inevitable that he'll always love her and only her? Was Shiho that arrogant, or did it have some truth to it?

She's waiting for him to deny it. To tell her that she's too in her head. That whatever they had between them is over.

- I know. – he says.

Those two words stabbed at her, and she's sure this moment is engraving itself to her brain as one of the most painful moments of her life. The ones that would shoot at her every now and then, breaking her further. She didn't need to stand there no longer. She ran.

- Hey, I thought you were visiting Shikamaru? – asked Gaara looking up from his book but regretted asking the question immediately as the word "Shikamaru" seemed to trigger something inside her as she started crying.

Gaara lost balance even though he was sitting. How is that possible, ask him.

- Whoa whoa whoa. It's okay. Why don't you talk to me about it? – he asked, his hands turned to her as if he's dealing with some animal that might lose control at any time.

- Did he die? – he asked.

- N-no. He's awake. You should probably go see him, he's this bad because of you after all.

- Umm okay, but you played a big role in that too, y'know? Why aren't you there with him, the visiting hour's still going.

- Because I don't think he wants to see me. I'll be interrupting.

- Alright, whatever. I'm going to see him. Hope you know that all of this happened because he wanted to keep his promise to you. And you don't even wanna see him when he's finally awake.

She shook her head, knowing that's what she had been thinking the whole ride towards the hospital.

***

- Alright, you piece of shit. What'd you say to her?

- Sorry?

- You gon' play dumb? Really? I'm asking you what you said to my sister. And I think I deserve to know, y'know, being the one who saved your life and all. And I know if I wasn't there in the first place, you wouldn't get hurt, but you still said you owed me big time, so it's on you. Answer.

- Umm, Gaara, I didn't see your sister.

- The visiting hour's over. – said the nurse.

- Just a minute, please.

- What happened? Is she hurt?

- You can say that.

- And you thought I was the reason. I wonder what happened to her that she won't visit me.

- She's been visiting ever since you got injured. In fact, this is the first day when she's not come to see you.

- She's been here every day? I knew I wasn't dreaming when I saw her! I thought it was Shiho who the nurses were talking about. A girl who came every single day.

- Shiho? She was here?

- Yeah, just before you came in. Why?

- She said that she didn't want to be interrupting when I asked her why she wouldn't go see you.

- What? Why would she think she'd be interrupting? – just as he asked the question, he knew the answer. Of course, the running noise must've come from her.

- Oh no. She was listening when I was talking to Shiho. 

A/N okayy, comment, and vote. i'm excited about this one.