A/N: I forgot to put an Author's Note on the first chapter! The setting is two years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

Also, this story is being told is from an unconventional third person omniscient point of view. It's unconventional because 1. I'm experimenting with this style and trying to make it my own and 2. Though we will enter both characters thoughts from time to time, I'm not going to reveal everything all at once.

This is a continuation of the flashback from Chapter 1

Enjoy!

The waiter walked over again, this time with menus in one hand and a jug full of water in the other. Shikamaru crossed his arms and leaned his back against the chair. As the waiter picked up Temari's glass for a refill, she asked her lazy guide, "Do you remember anything from what we talked about last time? Anything at all?" She noticed a brief twitch in his expression. He took a sip of water, cleared his throat, shook his head and continued to drink. As the waiter walked back to the kitchen, she let out a sigh and crossed her arms on the table. Temari was very keen on reading the body language of others but when it came to Shikamaru, she always second guessed herself. He's a pro at avoiding the subject. Might as well continue to pry, she thought as she watched him put his glass down. "You're lying to me, aren't you?" He glanced at her; a frown had found its way onto the lazy geniuses face. She couldn't help but respond with a small pout. Still too soon, I guess. He nodded slowly and looked away.

No menus were opened, no water was sipped. They just sat in silence, pretending to be occupied. At least, Shikamaru was. He was gazing at the paintings of fish along the wall, while Temari was fiddling with her hands, lost in thought. "What's on your mind?" he finally said, tapping her forearm.

As she looked back up, on instinct, she wanted to blurt out "You" but her pride told her to swallow that word back down. "Oh… just…things…" She looked back down at her hands, "I have to get done after the meeting is over."

Shikamaru felt like something was off. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Temari looked away and folded her arms. "What's it to ya?"

He cracked a smile. "Are you hiding something?"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What's it to ya?" she repeated in a huff.

His eyes narrowed. "Troublesome woman…Always getting worked up..." he mumbled as he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. "We're always like this, huh?"

Her face was still siding the opposite direction but her eyes would dart back to him when he spoke, "Like what?"

"Nonchalant."

There was a pause. "I guess so."

"How do you even bring up something like that to me…" he continued. Her eyes went from him to the tile floor. "What did I dream in the Infinite Tsukuyomi?" he exhaled. "You know what I dreamt… You know who I dreamt about… Yet you ask me this again…"

"I…" For once, she was at a loss for words. It took her a minute to regroup. "I…" she started again, "know. We had this conversation before… Right after it happened. I remember... The war had ended and I was visiting your village, bearing gifts."

"Weapons," he corrected, still looking at the ceiling.

"Would you rather I have said toys?" she asked smartly before rolling her eyes and continuing her story. "Anyway, you were missing, as usual, and we couldn't start anything without you…"

"Naruto wouldn't have it. He said that I needed to know what to do when I became his advisor and Kakashi, for some reason, agreed."

"Huh. Is that so? Well they began searching for you. In the cemetery, your house, they even checked the ramen joint. Naruto took his time searching for you over there."

"I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," she giggled. Hearing her laugh brought a small smile on his face. "They couldn't find you and I grew impatient. I got things to do, Nara. You know that."

"That I do."

"You always keep me waiting."

"No one said you had to."

"Kakashi did."

He rolled his eyes. "You listen to no one, why'd you start then?"

"Honestly?"

He brought his chin down and sat up right. She was already looking at him, wide eyed and grinning devilishly. He realized that the answer was already sitting on the tip of her tongue but she was holding herself back for his sake. "I'm about to get taunted the fuck out of…" he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Hm?"

"I said, Honestly," he lied.

"I thought you needed to be rescued again."

"Of course," he leaned back on the chair and looked up at the ceiling again.

She smiled. "So I took it upon myself to look for you and found you sleeping on the side of a hill."

"I wasn't sleeping, I was —"

"Cloud watching, my bad," she corrected herself. He smirked in satisfaction. "I asked you, 'What's on your mind' and your dumbass said…"

"You," he muttered. He could feel her looking right at him but he didn't want her to see the red in his face.

"I said," she continued, " ' What the hell is that supposed to mean! ' "

"No. You hit me with your damn fan and then asked me that."

"I'm only recalling the details that matter, Shikamaru" she stated innocently.

"Oh pardon me, I wasn't aware that inflicting pain on my head wasn't a significant enough detail for you," he grumbled.

"You're so cute when you're angry."

"Tsk. Whatever." He turned his gaze from the ceiling back to the wall of fish. His face was heating up. We're always like this, he thought.

"Every time I compliment you, you begin to squirm. Does it really make you that uncomfortable?"

"What's making me uncomfortable is that you aren't finishing the story."

"Oh geez. Fine. Where was I? Oh yeah, you said that bullshit, I hit you with my fan and somehow you talked me into lying on the grass and watching the clouds with you."

"Didn't think you'd agree, to be honest."

"What can I say, you make me do stupid things."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual," he said under his breath.

"What did you just say?" He heard her fan open. He shook his head and waved for her to continue her story. She began to fan herself, "We watched the sunset and I asked you about the Infinite Tsukuyomi. You told me about Asuma and your father… and then you told me that you didn't tell anyone else about it… That I was the first and probably the only person for a long time…" her voice trailed off.

"You asked 'Why me?' and I said 'Because you were the only one to ask.' "

"I knew you were lying though."

"You kept trying to pry the answer out of me."

"I wanted the truth."

"I eventually gave it to you."

"You did…" her voice trailed off again.

"I wasn't lying."

"I believe you…"

"When I said it.…"

"About…"

"What was on my mind, it was actually you."

To be continued