Me: :) Hey... You!

Person: ...Yes?

Me: I can't remember your name...*facepalm*

Okay guys... new fic. I've been rather happy in recent days (Because my power is finally back on, sorry to any of you waiting for a new update on the other story... I'm working on it. (slowly.) Anyway... I'm happy, because I can see all your electric faces frowning annoyingly at me...

Just kidding guys. You know I hate you, right? :)

Anyway...(again) This is just a nice little idea I got when I was reading Shikamaru's little profile... thingy on the Naruto Wiki.

Now, to set things straight.

Everything that has happened up to the point of (SPOILER) Sasuke killing Danzo, and the Shinobi Alliances has happened.

But forget Shikamaru. He's not in it at all.

Instead of rejecting the offer from the Daimyo to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he accepted.
He left Konohagakure with Tsunade's acceptance that he was leaving. There were many painful memories there he wanted to forget, but it was still hard to leave his home...

This, by the way, is a Shika-Tema fic. I'm a fan of the couple, and an Ino-Basher. Get over it... please?

Four Years Ago.

Asuma was dead. Shikamaru was in shambles after he avenged his sensei, but he was still filled with grief. No one saw it except for those who already knew what it looked like. He vaguely remembered the letter that sat on his dresser, in his room back at the Nara family house. He'd gotten it ages ago, but there had been a little note at the bottom that said the offer would always stand. He sighed, and was going to tell Tsunade he would accept the offer. Not many knew, but he had received a formal invitation to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the official guards of the Daimyo. Asuma himself was living(formerly) proof that they were very highly skilled. He just needed to escape.

He arrived at the Hokage's building rather ahead of his schedule, but he didn't care. The sooner the better. He walked up the stairs and sighed lightly in front of the Hokage's door. He could hear the rustling of papers inside, a few lines of speech exchanged between Shizune and the scary Godaime.

"OI, SHIKAMARU? YOU GONNA STAND OUT THERE ALL DAY?" Her angry voice ran out, causing Shikamaru to jump in surprise, as his hand had been raising to knock. No point now. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed, opening the door and walking in. "Tsunade-Sama."He said, giving a little bow. She grunted in acknowledgment, and sighed, knowing what he was going to ask.

"I already know what you're going to ask. The answer is yes."She said simply, not looking up from the bottle of sake she moved in circles in front of her, one eye closed, the other open as she attempted to see if there was any liquid left in the clay bottle. Nope.

Shikamaru tilted his head in surprise, an eyebrow raised. "That was easy... in fact, I had prepared this long and boring explanation for why I had to go."

Tsunade (to Shikamaru's scary surprise) grinned. She looked so... non-Tsunade when she wasn't angry or breaking something. "I know exactly why you want to leave, and I understand it perfectly. But if something arises and I ever need you back here, you need to haul ass back here."

Shikamaru smiled uncharacteristically and nodded, giving another deep bow to the Hokage. "I would appreciate it, if you would keep this secret. Do something creative... say I was K.I.A."He said with a shrug, holding his hands in the air. He turned and left, a happy smile on his face.

Present.

The leaf-nin sighed on the outside balcony of the Daimyo's massive mansion. Shikamaru was sitting on the polished wood floor, leaning against the Chinese-styled railing. He was looking up at the clouds. A breeze flew by and messed up his hair, which he didn't bother to fix. He'd changed much in four years. Taller, more filling into the positive of a man. His body has its fair share of scars, the most obvious of which that weren't covered by cloth as the peak of a pale scar just behind his ear, traveling around to the front of his neck and down, disappearing beneath the fabric that covered his heart.

His hair hung loose and his dark eyes were very deep in though, because as much as he hated to admit it, he was missing home. Missing a certain blonde-haired Kunoichi that was so troublesome. He, he even missed Naruto. He sighed and stood, dusting off his dark pants. He wore only a dark, V-neck, long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants, mesh armor showing from beneath the edges of his pants-legs. And of course, he wore the identifying sash of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas around his waist.

The former leaf shinobi's expression darkened as he saw a runner getting near the Daimyo's front door, and then pounding on it aggressively. The only more annoying thing that a runner for the war, was that the warn was still going on... Four fucking years, and they were still trying to see who had the bigger package.

The blonde Suna ninja jumped from tree to tree. Temari's legs was killing her, both literally and figuratively. She had been ambushed on her way to a meeting between the leaders, save for the Hokage, who was situated well back in Konoha. She gasped in pain as another kunai sliced along her arm. She hadn't been equipped for a fight, not even wearing a kunai holder on her leg. She had her fan with her, of course, but she hadn't really been using it much. In such close combat they were participating in, it would do more harm to allies than good against enemies.

She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this position. She was angered with herself, but she had ensured that the other commanders of the various villages had returned, including Gaara. She bit her bottom lip, browbeating herself in her mind. She was heading to Konoha for two reasons. One, it was closer, and two, if she returned looking like crap, Kankuro would never let her live it down.

The Suna ninja stopped suddenly, and the ninja behind her was so surprised when he found a massive metal fan smash hard into his nose. He yelped in pain, and was out with a stop to his lower stomach. The Suna nin turned and continued to run, blood leaving a trail behind her.

Temari growled in pain as blood ran down her leg. Tsunade was kneeling near her, focusing her chakra against the would. It healed rather quickly, but her legs were still aching from the incredibly speed she'd ran at. She sighed in relief as Tsunade stood and gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine. The wounds weren't fatal to begin with, but that much blood loss could make you woozy. I'll simply assume you want to return to Gaara as soon as possible?" The sand ninja nodded, biting her bottom lip. Tsunade smiled, sensing hesitation from the young

Tsunade nodded and sat in her chair behind her desk. "Well... you're in luck. We actually sent an ANBU runner to the Daimyo's palace, asking for a few Guardians to help with a high risk mission. Normally I'd have our own ANBU handle it, but it was above S-Rank, and I know someone who's perfectly able to do this. Anyway, you can travel back with them, as they will be stopping through Suna. But I need to tell you something..." Tsunade said with a sigh.

Temari looked up, interested. She'd never worked with the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. The only one she knew that was from them was Shikamaru's former sensei, who was killed quite a while back. She'd only seen Shikamaru once after that, but then reports were spread out that he had been killed.

Of course, Tsunade knew full well he was alive. She'd even gone as far as adding his name to the memorial stone. The Godaime looked at Temari, who was now looking up at her. She lowered her head into her hands, sighing again. "The Twelve Guardian ninjas are very prideful. The only one I know who wouldn't give a damn that you were going with them was their leader, but the others are very territorial. Their Leader, Yami(1,2), is very strong. Don't mess with him.. please?" Tsunade said with a very un-Tsunade like smile.

Temari simply nodded and let out several "Thank-Yous," until Shizune ushered her out of the Godaime's office.

Tsunade, inside, smirked. "This should made Yami's job a little more exciting for the next week or two. I know he hasn't seen any of us for a long time." She said, practically dancing in her seat.

1)Yami translates to darkness, the dark.

2)Shikamaru's Twelve Guardian Ninja code name is now Yami. :)

3)Rate, Review, Rape... what was that last one?