tessen is Temari's fan

hanten is a traditional Japanese coat worn in winter by both men and women. It looks like a quilted happi coat.

Itai yo is Japanese for 'ouch!'

テ マ リ is the katakana form of Temari.

Naruto and the Narutoverse belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Viz media. I'm just playing around in Wind Country a little bit.


This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this


On the way to the hospital, Kankuro and Temari walked on silently; however, Temari had the burden of carrying Shikamaru piggyback style because of his leg injury since both men had refused the other option vehemently. Shikamaru was certain he could have hobbled along with only a shoulder for support, but the bossy woman was being particularly stubborn and said it would be faster this way. He couldn't help but cast an occasional glance down at the woman walking between his legs. Temari was glaring at the road ahead of them as if that would magically shorten the distance to the hospital. Shikamaru knew that she had returned to her defensive and anti-feminine self, maybe even more so.

Shikamaru thought it was a little ironic that she was carrying him, complete with her tessen on his back, but decided not to make any of his standard sarcastic remarks about it. He had a feeling she was planning to hurt him later as it was with as much killer intent as she was radiating. Her fan weighed a ton and on any other day, he would have told her she must have had the strength of an ox to be able to carry him and her weapon of choice. Temari was leading the way, so he was easily able to glance at her brother just to their right. Kankuro wore a scowl on his face, emphasized by the face paint as the lines of it continued to look contorted. There was a good chance the puppet master would smack him around too if he made a comment about his sister in this awkward moment. How troublesome.

The fire was now in the capable hands of water jutsu users and only a faint glow across town. The Leaf Jounin was trying not to replay the events of the evening repeatedly in his mind, but it was his curse that his brain was programmed to run problems over and over, and even one more time after that, until he could find a suitable solution. Temari had scolded him more often than not that her problems didn't always need him to fix them, but he couldn't help it. That's what he was the best at, whether he wanted it to be or not. The memory of her battling in the middle of a raging fire was something that his mind would not soon forget.

There wasn't any natural light left as they passed through the streets of Suna. In fact, it wasn't the kind of place where one would want to be out at night. Sure, they had their bars and their nightclubs, but the nights got so cold out here with nothing but sand surrounding them, night temperatures dipped frighteningly close to freezing even in the summer months. This time of year, you could even find the occasional ice crystal in the early morning hours if he looked hard enough. His sweat soaked jacket was making any heat that he had dissipate rather quickly and he was also starting to see Goosebumps appear on the back of Temari's neck. They would be at the hospital soon, but he was secretly willing what little warmth he had would travel to her. She was also starting to calm down, much to his relief.

Upon reaching the trauma ward of the Suna hospital, Shikamaru slid off Temari's back and she assisted him in hobbling toward one of the nearby beds. The medical staff was quick to take care of the two of them, pulling Temari toward the bed right next to Shikamaru's. They both had burns on their arms and shoulders. Temari also had badly burned a spot on her left ankle that looked like it would start blistering if she didn't get some attention to it soon. Some of her hair was burned to a crisp, but when one of the young nurses tried to point it out to her, she just snapped back at the poor girl, sending her back to her duties rather cowed.

They continued to dress wounds, cleaning, and healing them, before wrapping them in gauze to keep the sand out until they were fully healed. The medic that was working on Shikamaru had made him remove his jacket and shirt, in order to get a better look at the wounds, and he was feeling rather exposed. Not that he hadn't ever been in a room with this many medics and staff without his shirt before. Quite the contrary, even Sakura and Ino had seen him without most of his clothing, but present company seemed to be the exception to the rule. Not to mention he was cold.

While one medic worked on healing his back and arms, another took charge of healing the puncture wound that had damaged the Femoral Artery in his leg. The wound was deep and Temari's obi was soaked through with blood. The medic in charge commented that if Temari hadn't done what she did, he would have most certainly bled out before he had received any medical attention. The desert princess had her head hanging down, bangs covering her eyes when the medic had said this, and Shikamaru noticed a strange sort of smirk on her lips, like she was proud that she did it right or that she could do it and he couldn't, Shikamaru wasn't sure.

Temari was done long before he was due to the medic still trying to repair the damage to his leg, as the his green chakra glowed around the Leaf Jounin's thigh. She walked past him, ankle and both arms wrapped like a mummies. Temari paused long enough to look at him in the eye, deep teal eyes meeting brown. He could see the pain and confusion buried in her eyes, but she was forcing a small smile. He lost himself in those teal seas as he tried to analyze her expression. She looked away, finally breaking their gaze after several long seconds.

Finally, she said, "Goodnight, Nara," as she disappeared .

Shikamaru replied simply with a "Goodnight" as he watched her walk down the hall, her everyday confidence appearing dented as she seemed to be reluctantly leaving him to go back home to her room in the Kazekage mansion. As he watched her go, he had the strongest urge to run after her and pull her into an embrace again, but knew he couldn't because his damaged leg, not to mention pride. Maybe later on, he would seek her out and find out if she was OK. Her burns may be taken care of, but something was obviously damaged beneath the skin.


It was close to midnight by the time the medics had the last of his wraps secured and he was able to go back to the dorm room that he had been living in for the last few days. He thought that the shirt they had sent him home in was the most hideous thing he had ever had to wear, and from a guy that could care so little about what he was wearing, that said a lot. It was a sandy brown version of the pullover shirt that he had to wear whenever he stayed at the Konoha Hospital, but it was stiff and itchy which seemed to make it worse now that his burns were starting to itch as well. His own shirt and flak jacket were a mess and he might as well throw away the long-sleeved shirt. He had another, but it was the thought of cleaning up his jacket that was just too troublesome.

Once he reached his room, he changed out of his borrowed shirt and slipped into the extra black long-sleeved shirt that he had brought with him. His leg was feeling much better, but it was approximately seventy-five percent healed and he hobbled around the room, as he got ready for bed. Shikamaru was just glad the painkillers they had given him at the hospital had kicked in and his leg was nicely numb. His mind was refusing to shut down and he grabbed a random book from the small bookshelf, hoping that whatever the subject was that it was boring enough to lull him to sleep. Hopping back over to his bed, Shikamaru gingerly sat down, easing himself back onto the mattress, adjusting his leg until he finally felt comfortable.

Staring at the ceiling, he let his mind wander over the events of the day, trying not to think of anything specific. Temari was the dominant image in his mind; wild, fierce, and intoxicating. Shikamaru just could not get that wild look she had during that fight out of his head. With a loud sigh, he looked at the book he had picked up off the shelf; the title informing him that it was a collection of children's fairy tales. Hardly reading material for an experienced ninja such as himself. He rolled his eyes at his own pathetic luck. With his leg still tender, he did not want to get out of bed again and find a better book. Figuring that they must have blessed him with a room usually occupied by academy students, he laid the book on the nightstand and decided to fore-go the idea of reading and just try to force himself to sleep.

"Nara, are you awake? Can I come in?" A hushed voice asked from the other side of his closed door.

"Come on in," He said loud enough for her to hear.

"Can't. The door is locked and unless you want to pay for a new door, I suggest you unlock it."

'Well, someone is feeling better,' he thought to himself. Rolling out of bed he mumbled his favorite catchphrase and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal Temari, in what he assumed were her pajamas. She was wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and a hanten wrap-around coat meant to keep her warm on a typical cold Suna night. Shikamaru had a hard time not wondering what the rest of her sleepwear looked like without the coat, but the look in her teal eyes was what held him. She had the same look in her eyes earlier at the hospital right before she left. Her eyes held an expression that was both filled with pain and longing.

"Well, are you going to let me in or not?" she challenged. He still hadn't stepped out of the entrance to his room and his injury was leaving him feeling rather clumsy.

"Oi, woman, give me a second. I don't move backwards very well, if you hadn't noticed," he replied, as he hopped back. It was easy to fall into that old game of trading sarcastic remarks with her. In reality, he fell into this form of conversation with her more recently as a defense to cover his own feelings than to taunt her. "So, I take it you can't sleep?" he asked as she came into the room and sat down on his bed.

Her hair was down and it looked like someone had cut it recently, because there was no sign of charred hair and it looked a little shorter than it had earlier. Although, he had never really seen her hair all the way down before either. Actually, he couldn't help but think about how beautiful and fragile she looked in her sleepwear and with her hair down. Shikamaru was certain that no one outside of her brothers and Baki had ever seen her like this. Making a mental note of this moment, he decided to start the conversation before his tired imagination ran away with him. He followed her example and sat down on the bed next to her, stretching out his leg so that it was straight and as pain free as he could make it. He watched her face the entire time and noticed her wince when she looked at his leg.

"So, um, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"I haven't been in this room in years," she started, avoiding his question. "I use to stay here while I went to the Academy, did I ever tell you that? Father thought it would be easier for Kankuro and me if we just lived at school with the rest of the war orphans instead of at home with him since he was working all the time. It looks just the way I left it, minus your boxer shorts of course," she said, a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke.

"Wait, you mean to tell me this was your room?" Shikamaru asked, ignoring the comment about his laundry hanging over the top of his pack. "The way you talk, it's like they don't use it anymore."

"They don't," she simply stated.

"Then why did they put me in here?" he asked, raising a single eyebrow.

"I asked them to," Temari replied, still not meeting his gaze.

She was studying her hands, her eyes wondering over her bandages and her nails that were still dirty from the fire. It was a visual reminder of what they had been through that day. Shikamaru watched her, studied her as she sat there. He couldn't help but think how easy it would be to love a woman such as this, his heart skipping a beat at the thought. He took a deep breath of air in preparation for a large sigh, when he had to close his eyes as her natural scent assaulted his senses, holding the breath instead so that he could enjoy her scent. Shikamaru wasn't sure if it was because he was so tired that he was having these thoughts about Temari, or if it was that being tired was letting him realize what he had always felt toward her. But really, it was just some infatuation after all, wasn't it?

Temari was looking around the room until her eyes rested on the book that he had tried to 'read' earlier.

"Doing some light reading?" she said as she picked up the book. Temari held it so that he could see the title and be reminded of his foolish choice earlier. "I would have thought that even you were too old for children's stories."

"It was not my intention to read it. I was hoping to find something to fall asleep to and it was the first book I picked up," Shikamaru replied defensively. Wanting an answer to his earlier question he asked, "You didn't answer my question. Why are you here in the middle of the night?"

Temari let out a large sigh. She looked up into his deep brown eyes, temporary lost in whatever thought she was having.

"I came here to apologize. I was rash and emotional and I could have gotten us both killed and I'm very sorry," Temari said in a rush of words, a single tear running down her cheek before falling onto her bandaged arm. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't like seeing you get hurt."

Shikamaru instinctively brought his hand up and brushed the remainder of the tear away with his thumb. He couldn't help but notice how soft and warm her cheek felt under his fingers and the pain that was in her teal eyes told him how truly sincere she was in her apology. For a strong woman, a kunoichi in particular, an admission of weakness was rare. For Temari, it was unheard of. Shikamaru searched her eyes and they told him everything he needed to know in an instant. A thought came to his mind and he could no longer hide the desire he had for her as she was being all women, defenses down, and completely trusting. He remembered her challenge from earlier, but felt that he had a better idea than to claim her lips just because of a dare.

Leaning into her, he used the hand that he had wiped the tear away and brought her chin up so that he had it at a better angle. Shikamaru gently brushed his lips against hers. Feeling no hesitation, he gave her a real kiss this time, chaste but real. She didn't struggle against his lips, but seemed to welcome the contact. Pulling back, he looked at her face, her eyes fluttered open before locking onto his once more.

"Temari, don't ever feel like you have to apologize for following your heart. I understand why you did it and it shows that you're as human as I am. I just hope next time you'll let me know what you're planning so that I can support you better," Shikamaru said as he leaned in for another kiss, keeping her from responding just yet. Temari welcomed the contact just like the first time, but her response was stronger and she brought her arms up and gingerly wrapped them around his shoulders, pulling him in closer in order to deepen the kiss. It didn't take long for desire to override decorum and soon the kiss went beyond caste and into sensual. Seconds seemed like an eternity, but they both eventually had to come up for air.

"You do know that this changes everything between us, right?" she said when she had pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. "It means that I get to pick on you even more than ever," Temari teased with the lopsided grin that he was starting to love.

"Woman, you are going to be the death of me yet," Shikamaru rebuffed. "In all seriousness though, I want you to tell me what happened between you and that guy from earlier. Don't feel like you have to tell me tonight, but when you're ready. Something happened to you out there and it scared me. I know you probably don't want me to fix your problems, but when your problem is trying to kill me I want to know why."

Temari's gaze became a little icy at the mention of the enemy ninja from earlier, but the smirk was soon back as she smacked him right on the thigh above where his semi-healed wound resided.

"Itai yo, woman, what was that for!" Shikamaru hissed in pain.

"I'm glad you finally realize that I can handle myself," Temari said, giving him her cocky grin before it quickly disappeared again. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything, just give me a little time, OK?"

She pulled him down into a kiss this time, keeping him from responding; for the first time all night his pain forgotten and his mind was no longer racing. It was more like it had hit a brick wall and had stopped working altogether. It was the best feeling he had ever felt. Their battle over dominance continued as they let their desires take control. He reached into her coat, under her arm, and started to run his hand up and down her back. She was wearing a tank top underneath, but the more he explored made him realize that was all. Temari reacted as if enjoying the sensation of his hand being only a thin shirt away from her skin and he was starting to become emboldened. Shikamaru let his desire guide him and started to push her backwards onto the bed, but this is where she drew the line. Pushing back, she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes while she panted for air.

"As fun as that sounds, I don't think I'm going to take you up on that offer just yet." Getting up, Temari looked into his eyes one last time before saying, "Goodnight, Shikamaru. I'll see you in the morning."

Disappointed and momentarily speechless, Shikamaru wasn't going to let her get away that easily and stood up between her and the doorway so that he was towering over her in silent protest that this had to end. It wasn't until he rode her back that he realized just how much taller he was than her and now that he was thinking of kissing her some more it was even more obvious that he was almost a head taller. He leaned down while at the same time he took his hand and placed it behind her head in order to bring her mouth into a better angle as it met his. Their lips crashed into each other one last time before she used her hands to push against his chest and break them apart.

"Go to sleep, Nara," she ordered. Her smile was contradicting her commanding voice and he wondered just how much sleep he could get after all of that.

"Goodnight, troublesome woman," he said as he followed her to the door.

He closed it behind her, regretting that she had left him alone again to his thoughts. They were much happier thoughts now, but this change in their relationship was going to make it just as hard to go to sleep. Shikamaru limped back toward his bed, the covers still showing where they had just been in each others embrace.

He glanced down at the fairytale book and opened the cover as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Was she trying to send him a message by having him stay in this room? It was almost as if she wanted him to get to know the little girl that she had buried deep, kept safe behind the sarcastic remarks and sharp battle instincts. Now that he had a chance to study it, he noticed how well worn some of the pages were. This had been Temari's childhood book and she had spent hours reading these stories. He noticed that on the inside cover her name was written in the shaky writing of a child, her 'ri' kanji (テマリ) was even backwards. Flipping through the book, he noticed one page that was dog-eared. It was the story of a young girl that defeated a demon to save the life of the prince. 'Ironic and appropriate,' he thought to himself, as he placed the book back on the nightstand before shutting off the light, he crawled under the covers and fell into a restless sleep.