There were some things Temari missed about Suna. She missed the soft noise of the merchants setting up the market before the sun rose, the icy nights being enough to settle any headache or fever, the rare yet beautiful plants and waking up to the distant bustle of her younger brothers. Back when Gaara didn't sleep, he would be up early in the morning, tidying things up, and by 5, Kankurou would roll out of bed and set about making breakfast. For someone so lazy and bratty, he was an amazingly good cook, and once she'd moved to Konoha, she realised that would probably be what she missed most about the middle child. She never thought she would miss his complaining or when he purposely tried to rile her up.
She awoke to something she wasn't used to. Quiet, with an undertone of slight snoring. Barely detectable. Just a slight scrape as he breathed in. Groaning, she sat up, slipping out from under the silken covers and grabbing a dressing gown. Opening the window, she leant out, looking at the early morning Konoha. It was so different. It lacked that heat and dryness from home. It was cool, but not like the icy desert nights. It was in between, perfect for any normal human body. It was...strange.
People passed by beneath every now and then, and she watched, as though waiting for something interesting to happen. She never thought she would feel homesick, in all honesty. She just wasn't the type. Heck, when she left, she thought she'd be glad to be shot of her brothers. Always making messes and leaving sharp objects on the floor and bringing their girlfriends round and-...damn it, she'd grown up around all that pointless, irritating junk and now she missed it all more than anything.
She heard a creak behind her, the telltale sign of Shikamaru awakening. "Temari?"
"You don't normally wake up for another hour and a half." She muttered, glancing over her shoulder with a smirk. "Is something on fire?"
"You're the one out of bed, you tell me."
With a shrug, she turned back to the window, letting him watch her.
"Hey, Temari...?"
"Hn?"
"What's wrong?"
She looked back to him, arching an eyebrow. "Nothing's wrong."
He got up, walking to join her at the window. "You know, I'm not stupid. I've known you longer than a day."
"Whatever. It's nothing."
He lazily slung an arm around her shoulder, eyeing her curiously. "Homesick?" He asked eventually.
"No, I-...What makes you think that?"
"I would be if I were you."
She glanced over to him, arching an eyebrow. "I guess so, I am a little homesick..."
"It wouldn't be too troublesome to pay them a visit."
"This soon? That would be stupid. I'm...I only just got here."
"It's been two months."
She fell silent for a moment, rolling her eyes and gazing out the window again. "What, so you want to go to Suna?"
"I want you to be happy."
She turned to him again. He was sincere, his caring side betrayed beyond his usual bored exterior, eyes glimmering as he gazed up at the sky. His hair framed his face perfectly, accentuating every curve of bone and the tone of his skin. He was...gorgeous. As per always. She let herself cuddle up a little closer to him and smiled. "I am happy when I'm with you."
~*~*~*~
Bonus: Sealed
One feeling she didn't think they could ever beat was the feeling of undying love and pride that swept over her as she cradled her first born son.
Her only son.
It wasn't that Temari didn't want more children. Her and Shikamaru certainly tried, happy with the idea that they could bring up their own little family of powerful shinobi (and if it's another boy, can we call it Asuma?) and spread their love.
It didn't exactly happen as planned, though.
Shikadai started to grow. Elsewhere, news was being sent out of marriage in Suna. Nothing. They travelled to congratulate Temari's younger brother on his new bride.
Another year passed by with speed. All around them, other families grew, but Shikamaru and Temari just...couldn't conceive.
Premature Ovarian Failure. It was her. Her ability to have children was gone. She wanted another child, maybe a daughter, another companion for Shikadai...she had found in her adult life, she had become quite fond of children. She cried that night, and Shikamaru stayed up with her, holding her close through the night and assuring her it would all be alright.
((I'm clearly no good at writing these two but it was part of a long-term project and I was given the prompts 'Homesick' and 'Sealed'...))
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