I'll never forget...
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters
It had been too long since they were alone together.
And it felt like they wouldn't ever be able to be alone like this again.
Shikamaru sat down beside her.
"Finally, the others are gone," he said.
"Yeah, they were here for a while." Temari smiled.
Shikamaru chuckled lightly. "Speaking of a while, how many years has it been since we first met?"
Temari closed her eyes. "Apparently too long for your lazy head to remember."
"Heh."
"I'll never forget it though," she said. "At the chunin exams, where I beat you."
He looked at her. "Don't forget that I forfeited, so you didn't really beat me."
"Whatever" she replied, "I'll still never forget that I saved your ass a short time after that."
"You owed me for trying to kill me, woman, that just made us even."
She laughed softly. "Alright then, it made us even."
Temari looked at him. "I'll never forget all the times we spent together through these years."
Shikamaru smiled. "From the dangerous missions, to the not so dangerous stargazing sessions."
She looked out the window, reminiscing. "And I'll never forget the night we became more than just friends."
She laid back down. "I'm tired," she said quietly.
Shikamaru swallowed. "You need rest."
"I'll do enough of that soon enough," she said, trying to hide her fatigue.
They said nothing for a moment.
"But most of all," she began, struggling to get back up. "I'll never forget you, Shikamaru."
She said it so quietly, barely even a whisper.
He leaned over, kissing and holding her.
"And I'll never forget you, Temari."
She smiled before slowly closing her eyes, her head dropping to his chest.
He shed a tear and held her tighter.
"I love you so much Temari."
The room stayed silent for a long time, save the constant, high-pitched hum from the machine beside them.
The tears kept coming, falling onto her golden hair.
"Please," he said softly, clenching the clothes on her back. He could no longer control the amount of tears that fell.
"Please tell me once more, that you love me too."
He held her, knowing that those words would never again be said by her.
He didn't accept it, he couldn't accept it.
He just held her, and remained with her for a long time.
Waiting for words he would no longer hear.
End.