To her, he was (and would always be) a crybaby. He was everything she disliked: lazy, unmotivated, vulnerable. So fragile, so delicate; how would he ever evolve into a proper ninja? No, he was too dangerous to love.

And yet…

And yet, fate had somehow brought her to this very moment on the hill, eyes closed, trying not to acknowledge the extremely tangible presence of the man lying next to her.

"Temari?"

Somehow, somewhere down the road, she became the very woman she had always scoffed at. She had become a fool that would perk up at the mere mention of his name, a fool that could easily pick out his voice from a thousand others. A fool that loved everything about him unconditionally, from his piercing obsidian eyes to his baritone drawl.

"...Are we friends?"

Her eyes snap open. When she looks over at him, she finds his eyes still trained on the whisps of cloud floating away.

In all honesty, she's not entirely sure of the answer. She's sure that they are more than just friends, but they are definitely not lovers. They are partners who know the other's battle tactics as well as their own, but cannot decipher the other's emotions and thoughts when it comes to their personal relationship.

"Yes."

The brash answer she blurts out is almost uncertain but not hesitant enough to buy suspicion. He seems speculative, but says nothing.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you call me here?"

When he had called her out of a diplomatic meeting with Konohan elders half an hour ago, she thought an emergency situation had sprung up. When he didn't say anything to acknowledge her presence, she just plopped down on the grass next to him, staring up at the blue, blue sky with him. But now she is tired of the facade she has put on, the mask of indifference and disinterest that she inexplicably dons whenever she is next to him. So she asks him, with the most serious face she can manage:

"How long have you loved me?"

She waits with bated breath, counting the seconds of silence. One...two...three...fou-

"A while."

There it is. The confirmation she had been waiting for, hoping for, throughout all these years.

She finally turns her head towards him.

He's looking at her, he's looking straight through her, he's looking into her fluttering soul. He can see all her flaws, perfections, fears and emotions side by side.

"Temari."

She can't help the shudder that runs through her body.

"I love you."

She knows she should be happy; it's the moment she's always dreamt of, isn't it?

A tear escapes her right eye.

"...I know."

She closes her eyes.

*This was my take on what Temari's infinite tsukiyomi might have been like*