Speech

Thought

Kyubi

Flash Back

Sand against The Wind

Chapter One

Troublesome Night guests

'KNOCK KNOCK'

"Shika-kun.." *silence*

'KNOCK KNOCK'

"Shikamaru-kun.." *silence*

'KNOCK KNOCK, KNOCK*'

"SHIKA-KUN..!" Temari of the sand called from the door to a certain lazy ninja's apartment.

"SHIKA-KUN IF I HAVE TO COME IN THERE AND-"

A barely audible "Troublesome" could be heard before the door was flung open revealing a topless Shikamaru, wearing only a pair of black boxers with his hair around his shoulders, obviously having just gotten out of bed. With a kunai in his hand he was quickly sinking into a defensive tai-jutsu stance. It took only a matter of moments, however, for Shikamaru to recognize two of the three on his doorstep.

"Temari..? How troublesome." Shikamaru murmured almost to himself, standing up straight.

"Yes it's me, Shika-kun. Now move...It's freezing out here." Temari snapped, and blushed at Shikamaru's current state of undress pushing her way into his apartment, forging the way for her brother behind her.

Kankuro, though rolling his eyes at Temari's receding back followed her inside, past an obviously shocked Shikamaru, leaving only one person standing in front of him.

This guy Shikamaru had never seen before. He was about 5 foot, and had short white hair with a red streak through his marginally longer fringe. He had a long plait just behind his ear that ended in a blood red bead made out of what looked suspiciously like a ruby. His eyes were violet and were framed by almost sickeningly long lashes on a man. He was the type of guy; girls like Ino would consider eye candy. The only thing about his appearance that was a tell tale sign of his life as ninja was a long pink scar on his otherwise tan brown skin, that began just below the right side of his lower lip to his earlobe, just passed his hair line. Ino would probably gush about how it made him look so much more manly because of the fighting he must have gone through to have it. Shikamaru never really understood why girls thought scars made a guy look attractive; in fact he thought they sort of maimed any tradition good looks, let alone that fact that they must not be very skilled ninjas to have left an opening that allowed their opponent to land a strike on them in the first place.

Shikamaru eyed this new guy suspiciously but allowed him to pass into his home. Shutting the door quietly behind him so as to not wake his troublesome neighbors. Shikamaru followed the new guy further into his home along the way grabbing a pair of black trackies from the floor of his bedroom that he had found too troublesome to bother picking up and washing. He then hopped through the threshold of his living room pulling his last leg into the trackies, and looked around to find Kankuro lounging on his couch and Temari pacing back and forth along the width of the room.

"Quit it, Nee-san, you're not helping anyone by burning a hole in Shikamaru's floor." Kankuro state calmly.

"What? And I suppose your being 'Mister helpful' right now relaxing the way you are. Yeah you're really setting a cracking pace alright. You do realize our brother could be killed at any second now! You know what, you amaze me sometimes with the way you just don't seem to give a damn! And not only do you not give a damn about Gaara but you don't care about the whole of bloody Suna! Don't you even realize how this is gunna affect them? Gaara's the fricken Kazekage. They need a leader right know!" Temari snapped angrily storming over to her know scared looking brother to continue her bitter rant.

"Erg...I know I'm probably going to regret this but would someone kindly tell me what the hell you're talking about and why the hell you're talking about it in my living room at a quarter to two in the fricken' morning?" Shikamaru demanded with an annoyed look on his face.

"And also," he continued. "Who the hell is he" he asked pointing to the white haired guy that had taken to leaning on the frame of the door that lead to the kitchen on the south wall of the now silent room.

"…well? This can't possibly be a dream because my mind, sharp as it is, wouldn't have come up with something as clearly troublesome as this, and if by some bizarre stretch of the mind it did and this is a dream I'd probably have had some more clothes on before I answered the door." He stated, waiting for an answer.

"Which reminds me" he continued relentlessly turning to face Temari and not giving anyone a chance to explain themselves. "Firstly I'm NOT your Shika-kun, secondly I'm NOT your Shika-kun and thirdly..Where's that troublesome red headed panda of a brother of yours?"

"I thought you said this guy was laid back!" the new guy whispered to the sand siblings before turning to face Shikamaru. "To answer your questions" The white haired guy began "I am Nazo and I'm the newest member of this team and Gaara-sama however you so shrewdly like to describe him, is in fact the reason we're here. We have to see the Hokage in the morning and we we're hoping you'd let us stay here until we get a hotel room in the morning."

Temari suddenly dropped to her knee's and began crying. Shikamaru, though having never had a crying girl in his home since that troublesome mother of his had finished helping him unpack all his things when he had first moved out of home, was by her side in three long strides, shocking even himself when he pulled the sobbing girl into his chest, and started making soothing, shushing noises while running his hand up and down her back in a comforting way.

"Erg.. I knew I'd regret asking those questions. How troublesome." He muttered "Okay. You can stay here under the condition that I'm going with you when you explain all this to the Hokage. Deal?" he asked expectantly.

"Whatever you say but you might not like what we've got to tell the Hokage, though" Nazo stated.

Shikamaru nodded in response and pointed the last room at the end of the hall with his free arm, continuing to stroke the now silent Temari's back with the other. "There's a bed in there with a futon under it. One of you can drag that out and the other can have the bed." He said dismissing them.

Kankuro then stood up and followed Nazo out of the room, probably hoping to get the bed first. He's thoughts were confirmed when he heard Kankuro cheer at his luck only to be silenced with a fist to the head from Nazo.

Shikamaru stood up with the know sleeping Temari in his arms and deposited her on his couch grabbing the rug hanging over his armchair and proceeded to cover her with it whilst grumbling something along the lines of 'Troublesome girls and their bad sleeping habits.'

Temari having awoke when she was covered with the rug, stuck her tongue out at him before once again drifting back to sleep.

Shikamaru stood back and served his handy work. Although it was not the way he had every pictured Temari in his home it would have to do for now.

"'Night Temari-chan" he murmured and she grinned to herself, still aware of her surroundings enough for her to hear the use of that suffix. Shikamaru grimacing, also to himself and felt like he had just given away one of Konoha's best kept secrets walked out into the hallway and into the Master Bedroom he climbed into bed and once again began his nightly, well in this case morning ritual of counting clouds, hopefully for the last time that night.

Authors Notes:

Sorry for any spelling mistakes peoples, I was never the top of the class in that aspect :\

This is my very first fan fiction so if you can think of anyways I could make it better please feel free to tell me them in your reviews *smiles hopefully*. Remember I love to hear your feedback back. :)