Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with him. Please enjoy my little fluff.

Unattended Business

"Genma, right?" He turned at hearing his name coming face to face with the one woman who haunted his very being.

"Yeah…" he paused, unsure of what to say to her. He watched her for a moment longer wishing he could just reach out and stroke her smooth pale skin. Forbidden. That's what his subconscious would tell him. She was beautiful, smart, sexy, strong, loving and utterly unavailable. The last he had heard she was still seeing that Nara boy.

She looked at him expectantly, "Sakura wanted to know if you were planning on coming to the bar tonight." She looked aside for a moment then back to his never blinking gaze, "I'll be there."

He slouched slightly, "I think I can make it."

There was a long silence between them until he broke it not wanting to end any sort of conversation that they might be having.

"So how long have you been in town?"

She looked around for a moment wondering if she should answer him then stated, "Since yesterday. My brother had a message for the Hokage. I told him I had some unattended business here in Leaf so I'd personally deliver it myself."

He swapped his senbon to the other side of his mouth. "Unattended business, huh? You and that Nara boy still aren't living together then?" he said before he could stop himself. One of the few times in his life he wished he thought about what he said ibefore/i he said it out loud!

She looked away again with slightly parted lips and largely open eyes then whispered, "no."

Genma wanted to die; duck and hide under the bridge were they stood, ANYTHING! Then she spoke again.

"We aren't together anymore. It… just…" she paused and looked him in the eye, "wasn't working out. He wasn't really in love with me."

Now he really wanted to jump off the bridge at bringing up such memories for her.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." He apologized as best he could after looked down at the planks beneath their feet.

She smiled slightly, "It's alright. I don't mind. Love is a funny thing. After all," she leaned against the rail looking up at the bright blue sky, "if we all loved the one person who loved us back Sakura would have stayed in Suna with my brother and not come back to Konoha and wind up with Kakashi, who I suppose has loved her unconditionally since she was young, but it was a growing kind of love. One nobody ever really expected, right?"

He nodded never taking his eyes off of the fan wielding beauty who still continued to look at the sky contemplating life.

"But then again, who's to say who we're allowed to love, anyway?"… "How's your girlfriend, Genma?" She looked up at him suddenly and he nearly jumped out of his own skin.

"I don't have one."

"Really? Why not?" she looked half shocked.

"You and I both know that the life of a Shinobi is hard enough, but adding a relationship into the mix is even harder. I'm terrified that one day I'll never come home and I'll be leaving a wife and child to fend for themselves."

She breathed deeply looking at him with what he guessed to be concern. "That's really no way to live, you know that right?"

He nodded.

"Have you ever even allowed yourself to fall in love?" her words made his chest tighten.

"I am still," he finally answered.

"Do they know?"

"No, I don't believe so." He looked down again.

She stepped closer to him, away from the rail, "Genma," she paused so he could look into her eyes, "the life of a Shinobi is ever so short. Carpe diem, baby – seize the day and tell them that you love them." Her eyes held more love than he had ever seen before in any woman's.

She was just mere inches away from him now. He didn't want to think; he just simply wanted to grab a hold of her and breath in her life through her gorgeous plump lips, but he resentfully restrained himself. He knew he couldn't and shouldn't.

"Are you still in love with that Nara boy?" he let it slip again.

She paused to think about that one furrowing her brow a bit then replied, "Yes… and no."

He was confused and she took stock in his expression.

"I do love him," she nodded slightly, "but I'm not in love with him anymore. He and I were just never really meant for each other, and it's hard to still be in love with somebody when you've found somebody else." And there it was. He could feel his heart fall from his chest and drop into the depths of the river below them.

"I, uh… um… um… should… um… … um probably be going," he finally stuttered out. He moved to go until he felt a strong hand wrap around his forearm and pull him close. She yanked the senbon from his mouth and threw it over the edge of the bridge.

She ever so gently pulled him close to her and placed her forehead against his. "I am in love with your every being. The way you move, the way you let whatever comes to mind slip right out without ever taking time to think it through and even your senbons, because you wouldn't be you without them." She pulled away slightly and smiled brightly at him as he starred dumbly back at her.

"How… how…" he couldn't finish.

"How did I know? Sakura knows a little Copy Cat who got you drunk one night to find out what exactly was bothering you the last time I was here. Sakura is one of my very best friends, no matter what may have passed between she and my brother, and as I would go to the ends of the earth for iher/i happiness she would do the same for me, and Kakashi for you." She smiled again.

"Now, do you really think that I'm going to let some silly little thing like us being Shinobi stand in the way of iour/i happiness?" she emphasized the "our" to make her point to him.

He shook his head unable to speak. "Then marry me, Shiranui Genma."

He couldn't think anymore. All his willpower was lost in her words as he scooped her up into his arms and brought his senbon free lips to hers. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him even closer to her.

He brought his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb as he worked his overly experienced lips over her own.

After a long lingering kiss he pulled away and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck were her Suna headband usually sat.

"Dear Kami, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he chuckled against her neck.

"Well, I'd assume it's been over a year at least seeing as how I haven't been in Leaf for some time," she joked softly. He squeezed her tighter against him as she wrapped her arms more firmly around his neck.

"I am in love with you," he stated.

"I know," she replied.

"And I barely know you," he continued.

"I know that too," she replied again. "But we have eternity to get to know one another, now don't we?" she smirked at him seductively.

"Yes, I suppose we do."

"I'm not letting you go anywhere, and if we decide to have children then you're most definitely going to keep your butt out of harms way," she looked at him firmly.

He smiled and nodded at her, "I think I can do that." He then proceeded to gently kiss her again, making her smile against his lips in appreciation.

She pulled away to look at him making him groan outwardly at the loss of her sweet taste. She smirked but continued to voice her thoughts, "You know, you never did answer my question." She looked into his eyes expectantly again.

Question… what question? He didn't see to remember a question that he hadn't answered or nodded to as of yet… wait… did she really mean….

He looked her in the eye and cocked an eyebrow, "How can you expect me to answer the one question that I'm supposed to be asking you?"

She chuckled and placed a quick peck on his frowning lips. "Are you going to ask me then?" she looked at him indignantly.

"Can I at least put it off until after I've bought the ring and you've told your brothers that you're moving to Konoha?"

"Oh, I am, am I? And when did we decide this?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"When you asked me to marry you, I believe." He smirked and kissed her lovingly. She groaned at his ability to sway her stubborn streak away with each of his kisses. He started to trail them down her rounded jaw line to her exposed neck then back up to her ear where he unconsciously pulled her lobe into his mouth and sucked gently. Her knees nearly buckled at this and all coherent thought went out the window. She moaned softly then groaned loudly when he stopped.

She glowered at him as he slowly pulled away to hold her at arms length.

"How long do we have 'till we need to be at the bar?"

She looked up at the sun, "Ummm, maybe four hours… why?" she furrowed her brown more upon turning her gaze back to him.

He contemplated this for a moment the replied, "Hmmm, well it's not as long as I was hoping, but a quickie will just have to do." He smirked as she gaped at him.

"What do you mean a–"

He placed a finger to her lips, "Shush, I was only kidding. I want to make slow carnal love to you for the next three and half hours," he stroked her cheek. Her eyes widened. "It won't really be long enough for my libido, but right now I don't care. Tomorrow we'll discuss marriage and you moving here as soon as humanly possible and then you can also deal with your unattended business, but for now…"

"You are or were my unattended business, Shiranui," she stated with a smirk.

He didn't give it another thought as he grabbed her by the wrist and took off for his apartment at lightning speed.

Temari never did get a chance to question him on his comment about his libido because she soon found out for herself.

End