New Things
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters
For the first time in a very long time, it was as if nothing had changed.
Once again, a certain once-lazy ninja was lying on the grass atop of the hill, watching the clouds as day ever so slowly drew to dusk.
No worries about dangerous quests. No world threatening enemies forcing his brain to conjure fifty different contingencies in case Plan A didn't go quite to his liking. No feelings of doubt over missions carried out by comrades he may never see again.
Shikamaru was at peace with his surroundings. The grass below, the clouds above, and of course, that troublesome woman beside him.
"So, you take me away from cooking your dinner to just sit down and do nothing?"
The young man kept his eyes closed. "The way I recalled it, you followed me."
Temari gave him a light scowl. "You said you were heading here, and here specifically, Crybaby. I think it's safe for me to assume you were up to something."
Shikamaru smirked. "It's been a while since you called me that, woman."
"It's been a while since you've had the guts to call me 'woman,'" she replied quickly. They both smiled, reminiscing. There was a time she would pull out that fan of hers and give him a deserving smack on the head for those comments. It was almost always out of some sort of flirtatious act, though she'd never admit it. Now, however, there was no need for such actions.
That, and she had forgotten her fan at home. Maybe when they got back.
"I was just thinking about how easy things tend to feel here, I suppose."
The blonde woman chuckled. "Easy?"
The remark caused Shikamaru to open an eye, seeing that teasing smile that could make him annoyed yet enamoured at the same time.
He knew that she was referring to certain memorable moments. Their first, near silent conversation as something a little more than escort and ambassador. Their first kiss, and its lead up once could only describe as awkwardly confusing. And of course, the worst-planned marriage proposal, despite being formed by the number one strategist in the village.
He scratched his head and winced, as if those memories had physically jabbed him. Shikamaru sat up and sighed. "You know what I mean."
Temari gave a soft, amused gaze at her companion. Teasing him never got old. "Well, we certainly found ways to pass the time here," she replied.
Though she meant the stupid games and conversations, his mind went to the activities that were slightly more intimate, and he blushed at the thought.
Confused, the young woman took a second to realise his misunderstanding, before going a little red herself.
"Idiot, I didn't mean that," she muttered, resisting the urge to hit him once more.
Shikamaru tried to laugh it off. "Well, all I'm saying is that it's nice to come back and remember the past. Before that annoying moon mission. Before Kaguya and Madara."
"Before asking me on a date?"
He couldn't resist, and decided whatever came next was worth it. "Especially."
A deserved flick on his temple only made him chuckle, but feeling her head lay on him changed the light-hearted mood. For a moment, neither said anything, allowing themselves to be back in those moments on this very hill. First as acquaintances, then as friends, before moving on to something that was ready to be more.
"Well, new things means new adventures, right? Who knows, maybe they won't be as scary as you think."
The Konoha native quietly sighed, not really surprised that she had figured it out. Though as troublesome as it may be, he knew it was just another reason he loved her.
"And if I'm not ready?
"You're the one with an IQ over 200. If you can lead the likes of Naruto and Chouji, I think you can deal with a junior crybaby too."
She had a point. Along with the fact that he had the teachings of his own father and Asuma to support him, he began to gain confidence in being a parent himself.
"Besides," Temari continued. "Your mother and I will make sure you do a good job, whether you like it or not.
"Troublesome," he replied, though they both knew he meant otherwise.
As they watched the sun fall behind the mountains and the first stars of the night began to appear, Shikamaru stopped thinking of the past, looking once more at that annoying, yet loving woman beside him.
"So, to new things?" She moved her head to return the gaze, once more in that teasing, yet loving smile.
He gave her a kiss, helping her up as they began to head home.
"Yeah. To new things."
End.
A/N It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? Especially to those who were around during my more frequent days. I won't bore you with too many details of the past couple of years, but I did want to say that after all this time, I finally have a new project. If you would like to see more about that, and want to support the next stage of my writing career/path, click on my profile for more details (I feel like some moderator will get mad if I ramble too much about it on the story itself ;] ).
KuyaNR