Disclaimer: At last, I am back again with a new story! And yet, even though I have returned...Naruto has not returned to me...but Naruto really wouldn't have to return to me; being that I am not the owner...

A/N: Huzzuh! I have re-emerged from my hiatus with my newest work. Although this is not the sequel to A Leaf Amidst the Sand the idea for this came to me one day as I was just browsing through some stories here on FF, and I thought to myself "hmm, that looks fun...I wonder if I could pull that off?" So here we are a few weeks and many cups of coffee later. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as you guys liked my first story. So, here we go with the Seven Deadly Sins of Suna.

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Summary: Despite him being there, it was the feeling of strict obstinacy that weighed on her. Things had changed, but her strong will would always be there. It was her sin. Her sin of pride.

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Chapter 1

Pride

Temari silently plodded through the forest around her. The unforgiving sun beat down on her arms and neck as she traveled through the thick vegetation. Stopping, she sat down against the trunk of a tree that ascended several stories into the air. Briskly swatting away insects that buzzed by her ears, she tried cooling herself by continually tugging on the opening of her shirt.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply and exhaled as she felt her lungs filling up to their maximum capacity. Concentrating on her breathing, Temari muted any unnecessary sounds. The echoes of chirpings and caws birds over head and the occasional rustle of leaves became distant as she finally became aware of only her own body.

The hum of her breathing, the slick feeling of the sweat that was beading at the base of her neck and steadily rolling down her back, and the sound pounding of her beating heart seemed to bring calm back to her body. Leaning her head back, her thoughts drifted back to the previous morning's incident. Her fists unconsciously clenched as she remembered.

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Firmly gripping the knife in her hand, Temari smiled slightly as she chopped vegetables that would be needed for later that day. She'd gone in search of all the ingredients for the recipe earlier that morning in. Cupping her hands, she gathered the diced onions and set them aside in another bowl. Cooking wasn't one of her favorite things, but she'd done more of if now that she had moved in with Shikamaru.

On days she wasn't with her now chuunin troupe, Temari always tried to prepare something for Shikamaru to eat once he returned from work. At times, the results of her culinary efforts weren't always what she'd anticipated. Shikamaru teased her, but never complained.

Placing the knife on the thick, wooden chopping board she switched on the faucet and rinsed the juice from the vegetables off her hands. Sighing, she turned the water off and leaned against the counter. Temari hoped all her effort putting the food together would not be wasted. She knew Shikamaru wasn't picky about food; of course he wasn't. Smirking, Temari thought of the numerous times cold cereal had graced their dinner table. But tonight would not be one of those nights. Shikamaru had been gone for most of the past month.

Other than him being sent on various missions here in Suna, he'd been commuting between Konoha and Suna. Tsunade had requested his presence in Konoha to assist her with some things, and she'd taken advantage of his time in Konoha and also sent him on a mission. He'd been there three times for varying amounts of time in the past month. She never admitted to him, but she was a bit concerned about how his constant traveling and missions would affect his health.

She could tell he was tired. Lately, Shikamaru wouldn't be in the bed until long after she had gone to sleep. Temari felt as though she should discourage his going back and forth from Konoha, but then she remembered it was his village. Drumming her fingers on the counter, Temari exhaled loudly. She wouldn't discourage his loyalty to his village.

The sound of the lock clicking open and the door being pushed open drew her attention out of the kitchen. Quickly wiping her hands on a towel, she left and went into the living room.

Shikamaru stood at by the door armed with a scroll.

"You're home early." She commented.

"Yeah...Gaara gave me the rest of the day off."

"Really? That's nice."

Nodding, Shikamaru walked toward the kitchen and set his keys and the scroll on the kitchen bar. Making his way back into the living room, he wearily sank down in the couch.

Plopping down next to him, Temari leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm just a little tired with everything that's been going on lately. And then Tsunade-sama sent some stuff asking me to head on back to Konoha again."

"You told her no right?"

"No? Why would I tell her no?"

"Because you need to take a break. I can tell that you're tired, and you even said so yourself. Shikamaru, you've been on more than a handful of missions lately, and on top of that you've been down to Konoha three times this month! Tsunade-sama will be fine if you decline this one time." Temari told him firmly.

"Temari, it's fine. I don't mind going down again. We're working on something important. I really should go."

Temari shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I want you to stay in Suna."

Shikamaru sat up and stared back at her. "Temari, I'm going to Konoha."

"Shikamaru I said you can't."

"Why can't I?" Shikamaru demanded back in a tone that he rarely used. Feeling guilty, he lowered his voice but continued speaking. "Konoha is my village, and they need my expertise in shadow jutsu for the project their working on. "

Temari stood up from her position next to Shikamaru on the couch. "If you're such an expert and a genius then you should know that you're wearing yourself down. You might not see that, but I can. I'm tired of going to bed alone and not knowing when you're coming to sleep." She hadn't meant to, but she'd raised her voice and her fists and unconsciously clenched while she spoke. "You're a citizen of Suna, why can't you just stay here?"

"Stay here?!" Shikamaru replied incredulously. "What are you saying Temari? Just because I've had to travel to Konoha this month? The fact that I live here doesn't mean I'm going to forget Konoha."

Pulling a small metal plate out of his pocket, Shikamaru pointed to the Konoha emblem on his dual-citizenship plate. The light that streamed through the windows reflected off the emblem, accentuating the intricate curved lines and scratches on the surface of the emblem. "Temari, you aren't the one that's been displaced from your village. You're here in Suna doing the things that need to be done. So I too have to return home and do the things that need to be done. Konoha is my village. Don't forget that Temari."

Crossing her arms, Temari stalked away from him and into the kitchen. Grabbing a small napkin, she angrily twisted it in her hands. She couldn't believe he choose to continue wearing himself down like this. After all, she only wanted him to stay because she cared for him. And what was that about being displaced from his village?! "It was his decision to move down here anyway!" She thought angrily.

Glancing down, Temari noticed her knuckles were now white from her tightened hold on the napkin. She tossed the well twisted towel aside and ran a hand through her hair. If he wanted to go to Konoha again, then fine. It was his problem not hers.

Temari heard Shikamaru's quiet yet solid footsteps entering the kitchen. She ignored him as she stood and pretended to be preoccupied with something in the cabinets. Temari knew he was standing there watching her. She felt his eyes on her back, yet she refused to turn around.

"Temari." He called her name calmly.

Temari noisily clattered the dishes around on the shelf and disregarded him once more. Whipping around, she forcefully pulled out a drawer and rearranged the silverware.

Shikamaru sighed as he attempted to make his voice known above the din his angry lover was making.

"Temari, listen. I'm sorry okay? I know you're angry, but my village is important to me. I know the feeling you have with Gaara and Suna, and I know you'd do anything to help him make the village better than it already is. I feel that same way about Konoha, and I know you know that. I didn't mean for it to seem like it was the only thing that mattered. You know you're important to me, and if I had the decision of leaving Suna you know I wouldn't."

He quietly turned around and headed off in the direction of the bedroom. Temari's conscience pricked her as she heard the door click shut, and a stillness settled in throughout the apartment.

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Now a few hours later, here she was. Although it had more than enough space for the two of them, their apartment felt stifling. She'd left with the intention of taking a walk around town, but somehow ended up here; here being an hour and a half outside of Suna.

Her guilty conscience weighed upon her. She was the same person who said she wouldn't discourage Shikamaru's loyalty to his village, and yet she'd gone back on her words so easily. Temari felt somewhat ashamed of the way she'd ordered him to abandon his village, yet at the same time something held her guilt at bay.

She'd sensed it at first when Shikamaru had apologized to her earlier. She almost felt like saying sorry also, but something told her no. Without thinking, she'd obeyed the feeling. The minutes ticked by while the feeling steadily grew. It ebbed and flowed out of her like water at the mouth of a river while she ran father and father from Suna. At times, the feeling would disappear and she would feel guilty, and then after awhile the strong feeling would return and conquer her discontent.

Temari admitted that she liked this feeling. It was potent and almost intoxicating. She felt strong, and allowed herself to believe it wasn't she who was wrong but Shikamaru. After a few minutes despite her earlier sentiment, she felt her remorse creeping back. Temari shook her head and attempted to stir up the strong feeling once more. A thought unexpectedly occurred in her mind as she sat there, trying to push away what she truly felt. The feeling that she'd been calling upon suddenly registered in her mind; the sin masked as a feeling that had been deluding her.

She felt the breath taken out of her lungs as it dawned upon her. Resting her head on her knees, Temari felt herself beginning to laugh. Her laughter wasn't one of happiness, but one of disgusted awe. After all this time, it had been that.

Brushing the dirt from her legs, she stood and raised her eyes to the bright sky above her. Her conscience felt somewhat lighter as she continued gazing. She would have to forget this feeling, the feeling that blinded and bound her. Not only was it wrong, but she saw it as a weakness, and those were not an option. Facing her home, Temari began the hour and a half journey back to Suna. Shikamaru had asked her forgiveness, now she would do the same. Temari needed no feelings to depend on anymore because he was there waiting for her to return. So, she would forget this feeling; this intoxicating feeling that ebbed and flowed out of her. The feeling that just happened to be disguised as a sin. The deadly sin of pride.