King (K+)

Shikamaru stared down the shogi board as he sat in front of it. All the pieces sat where they belonged. His eyes traveled the board, scanning piece by piece. They came to a halt at a single piece. The biggest piece. The King. Blank dark eyes stared into the smooth black symbol. His mind wandered into the past that seemed so long ago.

"...and that's checkmate," Shikaku leaned back and grinned at his son who let out a defeated sigh,"Looks like you're not strong enough to protect the king yet, boy."

"The time will come," Shikamaru returned his dad's grin. I will do whatever I can to protect the king, he thought as he raised from his seat,"See ya dad, I'm off to go train for a bit."

Konoha's future shinobi and kunoichi. They were the king that he sacrificed so much to protect. Asuma's analogy ran through Shikamaru's disturbed mind whilst he stripped his chunnin vest off. His fist rose and stretched out in front of him before it was slammed down onto the board. The pieces jumped from the board scattered onto the sleek wooden floor. His head now hung low and his body stiffened.

"Shikamaru, please go pick up some groceries for me," The shinobi raised his head and turned to the sound of her emotionless voice. Shikamaru nodded and stood up to leave the house. It was now two weeks after the war had officially ended. The Leaf, along with all the other villages, had suffered tremendous losses. Among those losses was his father. The Nara residence was unusually quiet nowadays. His mother didn't scold him anymore. She spoke only when she needed to, her voice always in a soft emotionless tone. Shikamaru barely spoke a word. It had been like this ever since he had returned from the war without a scarred man accompanying him. Life was barely manageable for the both of them.

The streets of Konoha were filled with loud noises of construction and chatting. The village wasn't fully rejuvenated, of course, but the people of Konoha had gained incredible progress the past two weeks. Shikamaru lugged the plastic bag of vegetables lazily, staring off into the sky. His mindless gaze was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Shikamaru," Shikamaru's eyes met the voice,"This was your father's. I found it while going through some things at the office."

The Sixth Hokage extended his hand that clutched a plain book, waiting for it to be claimed by the young nin,"Thank you, Lord Sixth."

In an instant, Kakashi disappeared, leaving Shikamaru to continue on his errand. As the lazy Nara trekked the street, he came across the training grounds, pausing to glance at it. He envisioned his younger self sparring with his sensei. The reminiscent vision was too painful for him and he averted his eyes, continuing on his path to home.

"I'm home," Shikamaru stepped into the kitchen and placed the bag down on the counter. The kitchen was vacant and dark. She's probably upstairs. He walked towards the room he occupied earlier, book in hand. CLACK. The sound of the shogi board being setup ringed in his ears. His eyes widened and his heart felt a pang of excitement. The book slipped out of his grasp and he dashed to the room, sliding the door open furiously. Empty. The shogi board still lay on its side, pieces scattered. He felt his heart sink and disappointment grow. Trembling, he neared the shogi board and eyed it. He lowered himself and began to set up the board once more.

It was not the first time he had felt that pain. It happened with Asuma before. His ears heard things in the past and he hated it. His emotionless eyes zoomed across the board as each piece was set in its respective spot. As the final piece, the king, was set down, his fingers remained attached to it. Drops of water crashed against the board's surface. Shikamaru's face bear no expression as he let the tears fall. His lackluster eyes stared down at the king.

"Do you mind if I play you?" A familiar female voice interrupted the painful silence. He nodded weakly and raised his arm to wipe his tears away. His opponent took her seat across from him, holding a delicate smile on her face. His eyes averted hers and stayed glued to the board still. He initiated the game by moving his pawn forward,"It's okay to let it out."

She moved her pawn to counter his,"I've felt what you've felt before, only I had no love for him anymore. I can only imagine how you feel right now."

He still had not responded to her in any way. He lifted his bishop and moved it to a strategic point,"I'm here to talk to you. You can tell me everything."

After some intermittent comments from the blonde haired girl, the game had come to a close. Shikamaru only needed to make one more move to win. His hand rose to pick up his knight that stared at her exposed king. He hovered the piece over its destination, fingers shaking violently. He couldn't do it. He couldn't make the move to victory.

"I...am a coward," His gaze had never risen from the board. His voice was soft and barely audible.

"Shika-"

"I couldn't. I can't. I've lost everything," His grip loosened on the piece, dropping it, and retreated his hand,"I've lost the people I loved."

The girl's hand slid the shogi board aside and she pulled him into her shoulder,"I understand."

"Temari...I don't want to lose people anymore," His tears started to unleash, dampening her shoulder. She patted his back and let him go. He had kept his feelings bottled up for way too long. His back rose up and down violently as his endless tears streamed out. His voice was barely audible,"I don't want to lose you."

Lose her? The people he loved. Did he love her? Temari's eyes widened as his whispers left his mouth. She took a moment to register what he said. Her arms tightened their grip around him and pulled him deeper into her. Her lips naturally wanted to tug upwards. If he DID love her...she needed to confess her own love.

His head rested on her lap, eyes staring up at the ceiling. He had run out of tears to shed. Her fingers became tangled in his hair as she toyed with it. She stared through the gap the open door created, inspecting the stars and moon. The silence of the room eased them into tranquility as they savor each other's presence. The stillness was broken by a soft whisper,"Shikamaru...do you love me?"

His eyes lazily traveled to her face. Her soft teal eyes studied the night sky still,"As troublesome as it is. Yes. I do."

Her eyes lowered to meet his gaze. Her face slowly descended into his. Her tantalizing sea green eyes stared into his dark onyx orbs. Both of their eyelids faded down as they got closer. Temari finally closed the distance separating them, meeting his lips with hers. They remained like this until the oxygen in their lungs expired. Their eyes were lost in each other's once again,"Does this mean you lo-"

"Of course it does you idiot," The redness on her cheeks grew. Shikamaru could only smile at her.

"Temari, thank you. I love you," His words earned him a warm smile from her.

"I love you too, Shikamaru."

-END-