Enjoy!

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Nara Shikamaru yawned, stretched, and opened his eyes to stare at the bright blue sky above. "Ah… how peaceful," he remarked to himself. He sat back against the tree he had fallen asleep under (again) and watched the magnificent array of flowers sway gently in the breeze around him. It had been a while since he had attained the rank of jounin, and he never had time to come to this spot to think anymore. Asuma had showed him this spot when he was younger. They used to play shogi outside here all the time. Now he came here to relax and think when he had the time.

He was sitting underneath a young but strong maple tree, and all around him bloomed flowers in every shape, size, and color combination possible. Birds sang and small creatures lived in harmony in this secluded part of Konoha. He liked to think of it as his own private space, where he and nature became one. Of course, it was tucked away in a far corner of Konoha, so naturally it was troublesome to go there. "Too much effort," he thought. But sometimes, though, it was worth it.

He was just about to sit back and fall asleep once more when he felt a foot slam into his head, effectively kicking him 20 feet away from the tree, where he slid to a complete stop. "…Wha?" he asked, still dizzy from the impact. However, he didn't even need to turn around to know who it was before a voice yelled at him, "BAKA! Where have you been? Ino, Chouji and I have been looking for you for hours!"

Lightning flashed behind Temari as she proceeded to thoroughly chew Shikamaru out. A sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head as he scratched his head absentmindedly, not really paying attention to what she was saying. He was, however, forcefully snapped back into the conversations when she grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up suddenly, a vein popping on her head.

"Are. You. Listening. To. Me?" she asked vehemently.

"…"

"ARE YOU?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Good." She released him roughly and dusted off her hands. "Now that that's settled, come on! We'll be waiting by Ichiraku Ramen." She turned to go, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Troublesome…"

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Ah, don't tell me you're deaf too!"

With that, she flew into a frenzy and began chasing him down the path back to the city, with Shikamaru laughing all the way.

Hm…

Things pick up in the next chapter!

Stay tuned :D