My first ShikaTema-fiction. Be gentle, haha! All the characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
She was there. Just a few meters in front of him.
How could you put yourself in such a troublesome situation, Shikamaru? He thought to himself while his heart started to beat faster for every step he took.
One step.
His stomach twisted.
Two steps.
He wanted to turn around and run away, but it was too late now. It would only look stupid.
Almost there now, just a few more steps. Five maybe.
She looked so relaxed where she stood, leaned back against the fence beside Ichiraku Ramen. People were passing by but it didn't look like she cared.
Two steps again.
He was close now.
It was the moment when the blonde woman should have discovered him, but something else caught her attention.
A man dressed in black walked up to her. A purple war paint decorated his face but the black hood that usually always covered the rest of his head was now missing, and short messy brown hair were exposed.
Kankuro. So he was here too?
Shikamaru stepped back and tried to disappear in the crowd.
The two Suna ninjas were talking now, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. The girl, Temari, blushed and smiled a little to her comrade. A sting of pain went through the konoha ninja's heart. Damn it.
Kankuro lifted his hand and laid it on the blonde girl's shoulder. Slowly, he leaned forward.
Shikamaru could see how the Suna ninja's lips came closer and closer to her face.
His whole body froze. He hand't moved but it still became all tense and silent.
He's going to...? No it's not possible...
He didn't. Kankuro leaned forward, but he moved his head a little to the left so he reached Temari's ear. His lips formed words but it was impossible to read or hear what he was whispering.
He was gone within a second. Temari was alone, and she looked confused as she started to look out on the streets.
Shikamaru knew that he would be caught in a second, so he closed his eyes and walked out from the crowd, with his hands in his pockets, aiming for her.
His heart skipped a beat.
Geez, calm down moron.
The young woman looked up. First she looked surprised, but then a small smile spread all over her face.
A warm feeling grew in his stomach.
It's now or never, lazy-ass Shikamaru.
The sun shone down from the black haired ninjas back which made it a little hard to see his face. The enlightenment made him look a little like a god that just had landed on earth and she had to smile to the thought.
She had missed him. They weren't even close, he had been her guide and co-worker, nothing more, but still she felt calm when he was around again.
"Ey, Temari. Long time no see" he said as he raised one of his hands out of his pocket and started to scratch the back of his head instead.
It could be the evening sun but she was almost sure that the young man was blushing.
"Hey there. You're out this late?" she answered.
"Someone has to keep the village in check." He looked out on the streets.
She took the chance to glance at him a little more while he was busy watching people that walked by. She was amazed that he could look that good in a standard outfit that almost every chunin in Konoha was wearing. His slim body looked great.
Shikamaru was looking at her again and she closed her eyes, hoping that he hadn't seen her stare like that. Something fluttered in her stomach. Butterflies was a childish way to describe it but the blonde woman couldn't find any other words.
"So, you're busy, shadow-boy?" she smirked.
"It depends on" the young man answered and took a step closer. "It's troublesome, but I have to admit that our discussions were pretty interesting back then and I don't think that it has changed, so... What do you say about dinner? I'll pay."
Was he actually asking her out?
Temari's heart was hammering in her chest and Shikamaru looked a little nervous too. It felt odd seeing him like that, and her earlier conversation with Kankuro popped up on her mind.
"Yo Temari, what are you doing here?"
"Nothing, just taking it easy. Watching people."
"You're not waiting for that ponytail-guy then?"
She blushed and smiled a little, knowing that she was busted. Kankuro laughed at her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Yea yea, I know... But I know that you really like him, so I had to..."
"Brother, please. It's nothing. I'll be heading home soon, and aren't you going to that meeting with the Hokage?" He nodded. "Exactly. Don't bother my extremely dead love life, but thanks for your consideration anyway."
The puppeteer smiled as he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Someone's watching you. Have a good evening."
Then he was gone.
She hadn't even noticed that the Konoha shinobi was there, but when she looked out she could see him walking towards her. And now they were here, with just a few decimeters space between their bodies.
"So, you're free enough to ask out a woman... What about 'keeping the village in check'?"
She teased him a little shyly.
"Well, I can observe it through a restaurant window too."
"You're so lazy."
"Is that a yes?"
The blonde young woman laughed. When she looked up, the man was closer. She could see every inch of his face – the sharp nose, the high cheekbones...
The street lights were on now and they lighted up both of their faces.
The young man smiled obliquely, as always. There was something cocky on his face that made her feel like she wanted to pull him closer and show who the real man was, teasingly.
When she looked at his mouth she got stuck. Slightly opened, thin lips... Temari's head started to spin.
She didn't know if it was her or him who took the first step, but suddenly they were crashed together, and she could feel how a pair of thin, warm lips were pressed against her own.
Her lips were so soft, and they tasted delicious. He wanted to pull her closer, but it was probably too early for that.
Kissing slowly and mildly, his heart pounded faster and faster in his chest as he tried to stay calm.
Soft. Warm. Tasting her under lip.
He loved the feeling.
It felt like minutes, but he knew that it was just a few seconds. When they pulled apart he smiled and tried to breath normally, discrete.
She let go of his shoulders and his neck, so he removed his hands from her hips too.
Temari blushed. "Isn't the kiss supposed to come after the dinner?"
"We can arrange that too, if you want to" he smirked, knowing that the warm feeling that had spread in his body would stay for a while, but he wasn't nervous anymore.
"In that case I say yes, shadow-boy" the blonde woman smiled and tilted her head a little to the left. She looked stunning.
His both hands were in his pockets again, but he raised one as a suggestion, and Temari took it.
They started to walk down, along the street.
Tell me what you think about it!