Tamari's Tears

Chapter one

Temari was walking beside Gaara and Kankuro on the dusty road to the village hidden in the leaves. Gaara had a meeting in Kohona with the Hokage about their village's alliances. Temari had her eye on someone in the leaf village that she wanted to see, his name was Shikamaru. He was a lazy ninja that she fought in the Chunin exams. He was handsome and she felt something for him. She didn't know why, she hated his laziness and his use of the word 'troublesome'. She just wanted to keep seeing him.

They arrived at the village and went straight to the Hokage building. The Hokage, Tsunde, told them where they would be staying and she expected to see The Kazekage, Gaara, for their meeting early the next morning. She told Temari and Kankuro they could explore the village if they wanted to while her and Gaara and some village elders discussed important matters.

The Sand Siblings walked to the four room building they would be staying in for as long as the hokage wanted them to stay. She unpacked her things while Kankuro lay on the bed. Gaara Just sat down on a Chair. She had a weak connection with her brother, Gaara, but she knew he was thinking. Kankuro on the other hand, he was a normal pesky little brother who annoyed her to no end. Kankuro had found out about her constant thinking about Shikamaru and teased her about it. He was just so annoying! At least he was easy to hurt. If Gaara teased her, her fan wouldn't be able to smash his face in the ground, the way she did with Kankuro.

She signed at her two brothers. "Hey, I'm going out" Gaara just shifted his gaze to her and Kankuro opened one of his eyes. "Why? To see that lazy Shikamaru?" Kankuro said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Temari's fist clenched and she glared at him. "I'd like to see you say that again you little bitch!" Kankuro gave a little chuckle. "If you insist" She gave him another glare. "You're going to see that lazy Shikamaru Nara!" Temari had it! She reached for her fan and pushed a full force blow at Kankuro.

Then she crossed her arms and walked out the door. "Brothers…" She muttered. She had been to Shikamaru's house so many times, she memorize the way to it by now. She walked down the cold, stone path to a small house. It was still dark outside and Temari expected him to be sleeping, but the lights were on.

She thought she would see what he was doing so late at night, so she went through the front bushes and peeked in the window. Her jaw dropped at the sight. Shikamaru was holding a crying Ino in his arms. 'He said that he and Ino were 'just friend' so it should mean nothing' she quietly thought to herself. Then she saw the blonde look into Shikamaru's eyes then she saw her start to lean closer to him. "No she wouldn't dare" Temari whispered. Then she watched as Ino and the lazy ninja's lips met.

Then she watched as Shikamaru kissed Ino back. Temari's fist clenched. How could he do this to her? After everything they had been through? She jumped out of the bushes and she started running. Not knowing where to run, just away from Shikamaru. They had been through so much! Did he even mean it when he said 'I love you'? Then she felt hot tears start to run down her cheeks.

She remembered her last visit with Shikamaru; they sat in a tree and watched the sunset. More tears started coming. She started to sob; she didn't even wipe off the tears. She just kept running. She ran into the forest. She kept running till she saw a kunai rush past her. She stopped and opened her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry, but she could make out some details of the person who threw the kunai.

"Watch it! I could have killed you"! She heard the voice of none other than Uchiha Sasuke. "You shouldn't be out this late anyway!" She shouted back. Temari could feel his eyes examining her. She couldn't let anyone see her, Temari of the desert, crying! She quickly wiped her eyes with her arm. Then he spoke again. "Well what are doing out this late?" He asked her. She averted her gaze to the ground to avoid his eyes seeing hers looking so shot.

"Nothing…I was just in town" She felt Sasuke next to her. She looked up; he was getting the kunai he threw out of the tree. "Your aim is off, you'll never hit me if you throw like that" Sasuke glared at her. "Let's see you do better" Temari smiled threw her left over tears. "My pleasure" Sasuke smirked. So then, they decided to have a little sparring match. Sasuke was the one to make the first move. He threw a kunai at her before jumping into a tree. With a wave of her fan, the kunai was gone.

Sasuke smirked again; at least this was going to be a challenge. They Sparred for about four hours before they both collapsed next to each other. They both lay there sweating for a moment. "You're good" Sasuke said as he looked over at her. "You truly are Uchiha" She said back. Sasuke smirked. "Your name is Temari right? You're the red haired kid's sister." Temari nodded, and then she sat up. Sasuke sat up to. "I'm starving I didn't eat dinner" Temari looked at him for a second. "Me too, I didn't have time to eat dinner".

"Then you want to go and get something to eat?" Temari gave a small smile. Was Uchiha Sasuke asking her out? "Only if you're paying" Sasuke gave a small laugh. "You're not like other girls" Temari was puzzled. "What do you mean?" She said with her hands on her hips. "For starts most girls would have let me win a sparring match, then would go off to tell her friends squealing. Then If I asked a girl out to eat the any girl would automatically say yes, and they would make sure I didn't have to pay."

Temari gave a small laugh. "Your right, I'm not like other girls. I have a bloodthirsty brother to deal with, and then I have a makeup wearing brother who is really annoying to keep in check. There is no time for stuff like that" Sasuke nodded and got up. Temari got up after him. "Well we'll get something easy, how about Ramen?" Temari had never tasted ramen before, so what a nice time to try. "Yeah, sure" Sasuke started walking out of the forest, Temari followed.

"So how have you been since the chunin exams?" She asked. Sasuke put his hand up and touched his curse mark for a moment. "okay" Temari didn't know what that meant, but didn't care to ask. "Didn't you have a brother?" Temari asked. Sasuke fist clenched. "Yeah, but, he's as good as dead" Temari just looked at him, he seemed angry. "You seem vengeful towards him."

Sasuke faced her, does he dare tell her of his brother's doings? "It's just that…He killed everybody…mom and dad…Everybody…I watched it all". Sasuke was looking at the ground. "That's why I'm going to kill him. For revenge for killing my whole clan"

"You're not the only one who has a brother who kills family members" Temari said. Sasuke just looked at her not really believing what she was saying. "Gaara, he killed my mom. He kills everybody, but I can't stop him. So it is something you just have to live with" Sasuke then changed the subject to something else.

They finally got to the ramen bar and ordered. They both sat there in silence for a while. Then Temari looked over at Sasuke. He was like a friend now you could say. Sasuke was looking back with his dark eyes. They just kind of stared at each other in their own thoughts. "You…You have pretty eyes" Temari looked taken back a bit. "Did the great Uchiha Sasuke just say I had pretty eyes?" Sasuke smirked. "I guess he did"

Temari reached for some chop sticks. "So you never did tell me why you were out late tonight?" Sasuske was truly curious. Temari focused on her chop sticks not really wanting to feed his curiosity. "And why were you crying?" Temari looked at the floor now. "Nothing" Temari didn't look up to see his face. Her thoughts of Shikamaru were coming back to her. "Temari, we're friends now right? I just want to know" She looked up at him again. "Friends?" Temari really never had any friends. She was busy looking after her brothers. She did have some people she knew here in kohona though, she just didn't think of them as friends.

"Yeah, friends" Temari looked down again. She thought Shikamaru and Ino were just friends, but she was wrong. "Well I went to see Shikamaru today" she said looking at the ramen bar's counter tops. Sasuke had heard Ino and Sakura blab on about Shikamaru and Ino's new relationship, and how Shikamaru was going to break up with Temari. "Well I saw him kissing Ino through the window" it was quiet for a moment.

The guy behind the counter passed them their ramen bowls, Temari started eating. Sasuke couldn't really imagine heartbreak though, he had never really loved anybody. Sasuke looked over at Temari eating. Tears were down her cheeks again and she put her chopsticks down. "Temari…it's okay don't cry" Temari looked up, her eyes were so sad. Sasuke had never seen her like that before.

"You don't know what it's like" Temari pushed her Ramen bowl forward and put her head in her arms on the counter top. Sasuke didn't know what to do, he'd never encountered this before. He followed his instincts. He wrapped his arms around Temari and pulled her closer to him. Temari looked up at this sudden move. Sasuke gave her a small smile. Temari gave him a smile back, hardly forced. Then she cried into his chest.

After a short time she stopped and looked up once again at Sasuke. He was looking somewhere in the distance. "Thank you" She said barely above a whisper. "You're welcome" Sasuke whispered back.

"Temari?" Both Sasuke and Temari turned around. There stood Gaara and Kankuro. Temari stood up suddenly and so did Sasuke. Sasuke was a bit taller than her she had just noticed glancing over at him.

"What are you doing with that skum?" Gaara said in a monotone voice. Gaara glared. Sasuke was on Gaara's list of people he was going to kill someday.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked her brothers. "Looking for you" Temari crossed her arms. "I don't need looking for!" Kankuro sighed. "Well you weren't at Shikamaru's house, so we got worried and started looking for you" Temari clenched her fist at Shikamaru's name. "Well you found me now go away! I'll be home in a bit, you aren't my keepers". The boys turned around and headed home without question.

"So I guess you have to go" Sasuke said watching Gaara and Kankuro leave. "Not without doing this" She quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her pressing her lips agaist Sasuke's. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Temari again and kissed her back. Temari pulled her lips from his and Sasuke removed his arms. "Well I have to go now" She started running away. "Wait!"

Temari stopped.

"When can I see you again?" Sasuke said standing in the light of the ramen bar. Temari thought to herself. She yelled as she kept running on her way "Meet me here at noon tomorrow!"

He turned around and after all, he did have to pay. He set some money on the table and went home.