A/N: Hey all, Shockrider here.

While I'm almost positive this chapter will not ruin the plot of Naruto: Shippuuden for anyone, just in case someone hasn't seen part II of the anime, there are spoilers for the conclusion of the Hidan and Kakuzu Arc.

All right, enough of that. Here's Chapter 3: Opening Moves.

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Temari woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. The prior day of relaxation and drinking had helped her to unwind after her long trip, and she felt ready to tackle her more official responsibilities as soon as she emerged from her slumber.

Knowing Shikamaru would still be asleep, she took the opportunity to hop into the guest bathroom's shower to wash up and prepare for the day. Once she was clean, she stepped out and dressed in her formal black kimono before putting her hair up into her usual quad-ponytails. Sighing, she took one last look in the mirror and, after making sure she was satisfied with her appearance, moved into the hallway.

As she stretched her arms out, Temari felt a gnawing pain in her stomach and decided to get some food to start the day off. Just as she began walking down the hall toward the kitchen, however, another thought popped into her head.

'Wait, I'm Nara's guest. Why should I have to cook? I guess I'll have to go wake him. This should be fun.'

Two doors down on her left sat the entrance to Shikamaru's room. The door was shut, so she knew her assumption of him still sleeping was correct. Walking softly, Temari slowly moved closer, using her training to keep perfectly silent as she did so. Her main obstacle would be getting inside without alerting the resting shinobi in bed. Most ninja, even genin, were light sleepers, and the softest of noises could jolt them awake. Then again, most ninja weren't Shikamaru.

As Temari made it to his door, she pressed her ear up against the wood to see if she could hear anything. Her efforts were rewarded when she made out the sound of Shikamaru's soft snoring on the other side. Deciding to go ahead with her plan, she took a deep breath and held it as she took hold of the doorknob, twisted it, and very slowly pushed the door open.

Peeking her head inside, it didn't take long for her to find Shikamaru on his bed, still asleep.

'Look at him. He's dead to the world,' she thought to herself as she crept into his room, soundlessly closing the door behind her. Shikamaru's shades blocked out the window, leaving the room in near-total darkness. Even in the dim light, however, the kunoichi could make out a few thin wires strung across the floor, traps set by Shikamaru to keep himself safe. The last time she had been in the house, Shikamaru had shown her a few of them, which had inspired her to create similar ones for her suite in Konoha. Unfortunately for him, that also meant she knew where most of the safe spots in his room were.

As she got closer, Temari knew that the sleeping genius would still have some tricks up his sleeve. Spotting mats around his bed, she figured they would be perfect for hiding more wires or other traps. She moved up to the edge of the mat closest to him and looked over his slumbering form a few feet away, letting her lips turn up into a soft smile. The boy had apparently kicked his covers off in the middle of the night and slept only under the warmth of his shirt and lounging pants. Still smiling, her mind starting to wander. 'You know, he's kind of cute when he's not running his mouth all the time. I'll have to try to shut him up more often.'

Looking over him one last time, she bent over as far as she could, whispering near his head, "Shikamaru… Shikamaru?"

The Leaf-nin simply turned toward her on the bed, grumbling something softly before continuing to sleep.

'Well, I tried to wake him quietly. Time for plan B,' she thought, letting her soft smile turn into an evil grin. Taking a deep breath, she shouted as loud as she could, "Hey, Nara! Get up!"

Temari didn't think Shikamaru could move as fast as he did. As soon as the noise had registered in his head, Shikamaru pushed himself up and off his bed, jumping away from the source of the irritating sound and landing on his feet on the far side of the room. His eyes frantically searched the area for a moment before they settled on Temari, his mind finally putting it all together. Just as he opened his mouth call her a 'troublesome woman,' however, an intense pain shot through his head, powerful enough to drop him to his knees. Cradling his head in his hands, he groaned, calling out, "What's going on?! I can barely move…"

'Oh, you have to be kidding me,' Temari thought. 'This is perfect.'

Walking over to him, Temari sighed, crouching down and helping him to his feet and speaking quietly so she wouldn't hurt his head, "You're an idiot, you know. You're just hung-over, genius." Shikamaru continued to wince gently with each heartbeat, letting Temari help him get to the kitchen, groaning every few moments. As they reached their destination, he spoke weakly, "Get me some water."

She smirked, leaning him up against a counter before replying, "Aren't you going to say 'please?'"

"This is your fault, you troubleso – gah, my head! Yeah, alright, please get me some water."

Temari could feel her cheeks starting to hurt from grinning so wide.

Going to the nearest cupboard, she took out a glass and filled it with cold water. She walked over to him, chuckling softly, keeping her voice down as she spoke, "Here, drink this up and, if you can, refill it."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, bringing the glass to his lips and starting to drink the water down. It took him only a few seconds to drain it all, at which point he got more from the sink and repeated the process. He ignored Temari's stifled giggles from behind him, instead clearing his throat and speaking in an irritated tone, "Fine, you got me. Now be useful and go get some medicine from the guest bathroom. My body feels like sludge. I thought I was caught in a genjutsu for a second."

Temari couldn't suppress her laughter as she walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. Grumbling to himself, Shikamaru decided to prepare breakfast for the two of them. After half-seriously considering poisoning her meal, he prepared them each a bowl of freshly sliced fruit and a tall glass of milk.

In a moment, the sand princess appeared with a vial of crushed powder. The label on it read "For mild aches and pain," and Shikamaru took it gratefully. Uncorking the bottle, he poured some of the powder into his milk before resealing the container and setting it aside.

He took a long drink from his glass and breathed deeply, hoping the medicine would start to work sooner rather than later. After massaging his temples for a moment, he began eating his fruit in silence, already wanting the short day to be over. He knew, however, that his day was just beginning. Temari did have actual work to do, and he knew the Hokage would make him help her.

Temari, meanwhile, kept quiet, figuring she had punished him enough that morning. She considered making a comment about his less-than-impressive breakfast, but she couldn't complain too much. After all, he was feeding her even after she nearly gave him a heart attack.

Once they finished eating, Shikamaru stood up, starting to take their dishes to the sink. He yawned softly, still feeling tired, and spoke to Temari as he washed their empty bowls, "Let me just change and we can get going. I'm guessing you want to talk to the Hokage, right?"

Temari nodded,, "Mm-hmm, I need to exchange some information with her while I'm here. But first, I'm going back to my suite to change. Once I'm done with my meeting though, we're going to start planning the next chunin exams."

Shikamaru sighed, "Yeah, I figured." He looked outside through a window and saw that the sky had cleared up significantly. The ground was still wet from the downpour the night before, but other than that, the day was shaping up to be a nice one. Stretching, he finished cleaning up breakfast and walked past Temari, heading toward his room and calling to her, "When you're done meeting with the Hokage, I'll be on the water tower watching clouds."

"Surprise, surprise, Nara," she called back. Deciding that there was nothing else for her to do, she went to retrieve her traveling satchel from the living room. Before she fastened to her kimono, however, a smirk spread across her face. Walking casually to the bathroom she had used earlier, she disappeared inside for a minute before reemerging and leaving the house without a word.

'That should provide some entertainment for tomorrow,' she thought. 'See you later, Nara.'

Humming softly to herself, Temari walked out of the Nara Clan Forest and back toward central Konoha. It was still relatively early, so she took her time as she changed into an ankle-length tan kimono, wanting to look respectable for the Hokage. Sliding her sandals on, she checked one last time in the mirror to make sure her clothes were straight before making her way to the massive building nearby.

Temari usually enjoyed meetings with Tsunade. The Hokage was always very respectful to her, even if she wasn't always so polite to her own subordinates. Temari recalled the last time she had met with Tsunade to exchange intelligence. The older woman spent most of the time berating her assistant, Shizune, for mixing up paperwork. Temari had to force herself not snicker during the entire meeting, only to dissolve into laughter as soon as she was clear of the building.

The Sand-kunoichi hoped that she was about to have a similar meeting. Making her way up the stairs of the Hokage's Palace, she ignored the ANBU checking up on her. As she approached Tsunade's door, she grinned softly as she heard the leader of the Leaf Village barking orders inside.

"Hurry up with that file, Shizune."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"No, not Hinata Hyuga, Hanabi Hyuga. Focus!"

"S-Sorry, Lady Tsunade, right away!"

"It's in the cabinet on the left. No, the other left! Watch out!"

Temari heard a crash followed by the sound of dozens of loose pages flying in the air. 'I guess this is a good a time as any,' she thought before taking a deep breath and knocking firmly on the door.

"Yes, come in!" she heard the Tsunade say, sounding tense.

Temari stepped inside and closed the door behind her, looking around. The office looked like it had been hit by a tornado. There were countless papers and folders piled on the desk and many more strewn about on the floor. Shizune was busy trying to organize some of the pages into a stack, but she seemed to be having little success.

Upon seeing Suna's liaison, Tusnade cleared her throat, settling herself and nodding to her assistant, speaking in a calm, professional tone, "Shizune, take Tonton out for a walk. You can clean this up later."

"Of course, Lady Tsunade," the dark-haired woman replied before scooping up the Hokage's pet pig and scurrying out the door.

Once she was gone, Tsunade just sighed, rubbing her eyes, gesturing to the chair on the other side of her desk, "Sit, please. It's been a while, Temari. It's good to see you again."

Temari bowed politely, her tone formal and respectful as she spoke, "Yes, it's been too long, Lady Hokage." As she began to stand up straight, she happened to glance at a few of the papers on the floor. A number of mission reports had been scattered around by Shizune's fall. Neither Tsunade nor her assistant had apparently made the time to file them away. While the Hokage's disorganization wasn't surprising in the least, the mission reports themselves caught Temari off guard. She saw Shikamaru's name on at least three papers indicating successful missions completed in the last month. Two assignments had been C-rank missions while one was a B-rank. Shikamaru had been busy.

Not wanting to be caught looking at confidential information, Temari kept moving, straightening from her bow and taking the seat offered to her. Without a word, she reached into her kimono and produced a few scrolls sealed with the official insignia of Sunagakure. Making a hand sign, the Sand Village's liaison broke the seals and rolled the papers out in front of the Hokage.

Tsunade peered over them quickly, murmuring aloud as she read the information on each scroll, "The Earth Country has been quiet lately, according to this. Any idea what they're up to?"

"No, Lady Hokage," replied Temari. "Gaara thinks that they might be building up their strength around the Hidden Stone Village, but our spies haven't been able to find out much. All we know is that they seem to be pulling their shinobi away from their borders and deeper into the Land of Earth."

Tsunade nodded, still murmuring as she studied the scrolls, "I'll assign a few reconnaissance missions to see if we can help figure out what's going on. Let's see, agricultural reports, livestock, mission numbers… This all looks in order. Thank you, and tell Gaara the Hidden Leaf Village is grateful. Now, I suppose it's my turn."

The Hokage reached into her desk and withdrew a scroll from a drawer, laying it down over the ones Temari had given her. Making a hand sign of her own, the seal on the scroll disappeared and the paper fell open. The Sand-kunoichi immediately started reading over the intelligence. She ignored the economic reports and quickly searched for a deeper explanation of the skirmish Shikamaru told her about the day before.

She found a mention of it halfway down the scroll and read what was written. The description of the encounter matched what Shikamaru had said, saying only that a hostile squad of shinobi had been encountered in the Land of Rivers. Their motives and goals were unknown, and after they had been forced to retreat, no further reports of their activities came in.

She knew that pressing the issue wouldn't yield any more information, so Temari nodded to the Hokage and allowed her to roll up and seal the scroll once more. Once the report was safely locked away, Temari took the scroll and stashed it in her satchel, figuring Gaara could go over the boring details.

Knowing that Tsunade was a busy woman, Temari stood up and bowed, excusing herself and bidding the Hokage farewell. After she left, she returned to her suite to drop off her bag, staying for only a moment before leaving to find Shikamaru.

While Temari had been in her meeting, her guide had made his way to the village's main water tower. Dressed in heavy black pants, a black long-sleeve shirt and, as always, his chunin vest, Shikamaru sprawled out on top of the large structure, gazing up at the sky. His headache had finally gone away, which was a tremendous relief, but something was still bothering him. Despite his genius, however, he couldn't figure out what it was. Even watching the clouds proved to be no good at easing his unknown worries. Every time he tried to find shapes in the puffy white formations, his interest faded. His heart just wasn't in it that day.

Before he could think too much more about it, he felt Temari land next to him on the water tower. He cast a gentle nod in her direction, still keeping his eyes on the sky. Once she sat down, he spoke, "So, how'd the meeting go?"

She unstrapped her tessen and set it aside, shrugging, "Quick and painless, as usual. How's being lazy been so far today?"

Shikamaru stretched out to emphasize his relaxed state, "Good. It cured my headache."

Temari chuckled, "You mean it dispelled my evil genjutsu?"

He sighed softly, muttering his response, "Yeah, you're right. That was pretty stupid of me. You're probably terrible at genjutsu. Don't we have work to do?"

She smirked, "Fine, if you're gonna' cry about your hangover. So, any ideas for the chunin exams this time around?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Nah, not really. They've been going well the last few times. Why change it?"

Temari sighed softly, "Can you get any lazier?"

He thought about it for a moment before answering, "I guess I could be on my couch."

She made a dissatisfied noise at his response, "If you don't change anything, nothing progresses. What if we added basic competency trials for the genin squads? You know, a timed obstacle course or something. We could have a couple jonin in there throwing kunai and using basic ninjutsu to keep everyone on their toes."

Shikamaru thought in silence about the suggestion. It wasn't a bad idea, especially if it was built correctly. Regardless, there would have to be conditions, "That might work. But we can't afford to build one for each team. Still, with the right rules in place, I guess it would make for a good test."

Temari nodded, glad he was finally showing some initiative in their duty, even if she did have to give him a nudge in the right direction. Wanting to hear more, she prodded him to continue, "What kinds of rules?"

After considering the options, he responded, "For one, the genin couldn't destroy the course. We can't have someone like you just walk in and obliterate all the obstacles with the wave of a fan. As interesting as that would be to see, that is."

She snickered at that, "So you liked that little display with the flute girl, huh?"

Shikamaru shrugged answered, "I guess I have to admit, it was pretty impressive." He fell quiet for a minute before continuing, his voice softer that time around, "Did I ever thank you for that?"

Temari turned to look at the ninja next to her only to find that he was staring right back, waiting for an answer. She thought for a moment to try to remember if he had honestly thanked her for saving his life. She remembered the trek back to the Hidden Leaf Village after the sound kunoichi's defeat, and then she recalled waiting outside the emergency room with him for news of his friend. Between the time she had leveled half the forest and when Shikamaru had had his breakdown in the hallway of hospital, she assumed he had thanked her for her efforts, but she couldn't remember for sure. Regardless, while she was normally more than happy to chastise him for any reason, including him possibly forgetting to show his eternal gratitude to her, Temari knew that there was work to do.

As she began to tell Shikamaru not to worry about it, his relaxed voice cut her off, "If I did thank you, I guess I didn't do a good enough job of it," he said as he let out a sigh. "It's troublesome, but I can't leave it like that. After we're done, I'll treat you to dinner or something."

Temari smirked, "What, like a date?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "A dinner between comrades."

She raised an eyebrow, still grinning, "Usually when 'comrades' our age make special plans to go to dinner, it's called a date."

"You're making this more troublesome than it has to be," he grumbled. "Just accept the offer."

Temari clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "Still no sense of humor, huh, Nara?" she asked. After considering it for a moment, she decided to push her luck, "Fine, but since it's taken you so long, I want payment with interest."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

"You and I are having our rematch. Tomorrow, the western sparring field outside of the village," she paused to grin, "I'll even let you sleep in. We can start at noon."

Shikamaru hesitated, trying to talk his way out of a match, "I thought you liked being peaceful. And besides, you won our match in the chunin exams, remember?"

Temari scoffed, "You forfeited after catching me with your shadow. If anything, it was a draw, and you know it."

The Leaf shinobi furrowed his brow in thought. 'I could refuse to fight her, but she'd probably just attack me in the middle of the village. I don't think I'm getting out of this. What a drag.'

"Fine, but if you think I'm falling for that starting time, you're crazy. It wouldn't be much of a match if the sun was directly overhead and I couldn't use my shadow, after all."

'Damn,' she thought. 'I guess he caught onto that.'

He shrugged, "We'll start mid-afternoon. Fair?."

"Deal," Temari answered. "Now, back to work."

They spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon discussing potential tests for the chunin exams. After compiling a list of proposals to send to the Hokage and Kazekage for consideration, they decided to go their separate ways to get ready for dinner. Before he went home to change, Shikamaru gave her directions to a small restaurant near the edge of the village. When he got to his house, he changed into a new set of black pants, a pair that hadn't seen as much combat as the ones he had been wearing, and a short-sleeve shirt. Looking in his closet, he hesitated for a moment before withdrawing a dark green happi coat and sliding it on, fastening it closed with a sash. He figured the nicer he looked, the more likely Temari was to accept his very belated gratitude and leave him alone about it. Taking one last look in the mirror, he left for the restaurant.

Temari was already waiting there, wearing a long, sandy brown kimono that ended near her ankles. As she saw Shikamaru approaching, she chuckled, thinking to herself, 'Huh. He cleans up pretty nice, when he puts some effort into it…'

Shikamaru nodded to her, pushing the restaurant door open and holding it for her, "Hope you're hungry."

She nodded and followed him inside. The restaurant was dimly lit, but tranquil and quiet. Taking a booth, they placed their orders and fell silent, enjoying the atmosphere. Temari relaxed in her seat, closing her eyes and relishing the peace of the moment. What she enjoyed most about spending time with Shikamaru, aside from their verbal sparring matches and occasional contests of wit, was the fact that neither of them felt the need to fill up silences with pointless small talk. She wasn't the sort of giddy, insecure woman who needed to constantly chatter away with someone to feel comfortable. Similarly, she knew Shikamaru wasn't a worrying, overly concerned man who felt required to make sure everything was all right at all times. They were both practical people, and when one of them had something to say, Temari knew they would speak their minds. Meanwhile, if the occasion called for a nice silence, they would let it linger.

Shikamaru looked around the restaurant, having not been there in quite a while. Choji had actually showed it to him when they were younger. It had been one of the chubby ninja's favorites until they took barbecued foods off the menu. Then again, half the reason Shikamaru had decided on that restaurant was because nobody he knew very well regularly ate there. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of Ino walking in and seeing him in a nice outfit eating with Temari. He'd never hear the end of it.

As he finished taking the scenery in, his eyes settled across the table on the Sand Village's liaison. His mind wandered back through the years they had known each other, recounting the experiences they had shared. When he had first met her, she was a typical troublesome woman who had forced him into a fight he would have preferred to avoid. As time went on and they got to know each other better, he grew to tolerate her, and even respect her skill and intelligence. But it wasn't until the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke that he considered her to be his friend.

Sure, she was troublesome, bossy, and sometimes even terrifying, but she had her redeeming qualities as well. Temari wasn't as easygoing as Choji, he thought, but she was just about as fun to talk to. Her attitude ranged from polite and gentle to furious and vengeful, and he was intrigued that she used every emotion he could think of each time he saw her. Shikamaru found himself again concluding that while she was still certainly troublesome, she was never boring. Even if she gave him grief at times, he knew that his life had been just a bit better by knowing her.

"So," his thoughts were interrupted by her soft voice, apparently keeping her volume down to match the mood of the restaurant, "How have you been since your sensei passed away?"

Shikamaru hated the term 'passed away' when someone was referring to Asuma. Passing away was for old men and women who had lived long, enjoyable lives. Asuma had been murdered by a psychopath right before his eyes. Still, he couldn't fault her too much for her choice of words . It was certainly better than asking him how he was holding up since his mentor and friend had been burnt half to death before being slaughtered.

"Some days have been more troublesome than others," came his quiet reply after a moment. "But it helps that I got that Akatsuki bastard back."

Temari nodded, falling quiet. She could tell he was still angry over his sensei's death, and she didn't blame him. A small pang of guilt filled her stomach for bringing it up, and when she saw that he was clenching one of his hands into a fist, the feeling got worse. Swallowing back her tension, she gently nudged his calf with her foot under the table, a small token of comfort. To her surprise, she felt him softly push back, showing his silent gratitude. After a minute, she spoke gently, "You know, one day, the Hokage is going to finally harass you into being a jonin. You'll have your own squad full of your own lazy genin to look after and teach. And just think, you'll have the chance to be just like your sensei and make a real impact on their lives. You can be his legacy and pass down what he taught you, and your students can do the same. He might be dead, but you can help a part of him live on forever."

Temari's words rolled around in Shikamaru's head for a moment. He had already made peace with his sensei's death as well as the fact that he would make sure his unborn child became a cool adult like Asuma. And whether Temari had prepared her words ahead or time or had just said them on the fly, Shikamaru appreciated the gesture. 'I'll give her that much,' he thought. 'She can be a nice person when she wants to be. I might even borrow that speech in the future, if the occasion ever calls for it. I guess… maybe she's not that troublesome after all.'

"Anyways, what's with all the extra missions you've been taking on lately?"

'No,' thought Shikamaru. 'No, she's still troublesome.' The Leaf-nin cleared his throat, shrugging as he spoke, "What do you mean?"

Temari scoffed, "Don't give me that, Nara. I'm a ninja, information gathering is what I do, genius. Stop stalling and answer."

Shikamaru muttered something under his breath before answering, "I told you yesterday, I'm trying to move out of my parents' house."

Temari smirked softly, keeping her voice down, "You don't need to take on extra missions to get an apartment. Your job at the academy would pay enough for it, no?"

The boy just shrugged, looking disinterested, "It might get me something basic, but I want a view of the clouds. I'll have to pay extra for an apartment with a good window in the right part of the village."

"Fine, fair enough, Nara," she said, still keeping her smirk. "Just be careful. You wouldn't want the Hokage to notice you taking an interest in your work. She might promote you."

The arrival of the food saved Shikamaru from having to respond. He silently wondered if she had figured out his intentions of becoming a jonin. Asuma's death had been the catalyst he needed to take his responsibilities more seriously. If he were going to be a good role model for his late sensei's unborn child, he would need to do more than teach at the academy for the rest of his life. He chose not to acknowledge her discovery, however, wanting to save himself an hour of "I-told-you-so's" and other teasing remarks.

The two shinobi quietly began to eat their meals, once again falling into one of their comfortable silences. As Shikamaru stretched his legs out under the table, he realized that his shin had remained gently pressed against Temari's from when he thanked her for her kind gesture. When he moved, his leg rubbed softly against hers for a moment before he figured out exactly how close he had been to her. Clearing his throat, he brought his legs back toward him, averting his gaze and hoping Temari didn't see the slight redness in his cheeks.

While he was sure she had felt the contact, Shikamaru was surprised when she made no mention of it, simply continuing with her meal in peace. Just as he put the incident out of his mind, however, he felt her foot brush against his ankle. Looking up, he saw her stretching as she finished her meal. When she spotted him watching her, she shrugged, moving her foot away from him, "Sorry, my fault."

Something in her voice puzzled him. It was softer, even more so than when she had been talking earlier. Her eyes weren't hardened, her body wasn't tense, and she seemed more relaxed than usual. Taking a sip of her tea, she sighed, speaking in the same puzzling tone, "Shikamaru, I wanted to ask you something." She leaned closer to him, bending slightly over the table, indicating for him to do the same. When he did, she locked her eyes on his, licking her lips, and quieting her voice even further. Once she was sure she had his attention, she murmured, "What's the big idea, pressing your legs all over mine?"

Temari's lips turned into a smirk, knowing she had won that round. She saw his cheeks redden with heat for the second time that evening before he stood up and dug his hands into his pockets. He pulled out enough ryō to cover the meal and cleared his throat, "This should be enough for dinner. I'm gonna' run to the bathroom to wash up. I'll be back in a minute."

She snickered, nodding in response, "Hey, don't be long. I'm still waiting for you to get down on your knees and thank me for saving your life."

"Ha ha, yeah, right," came his reply as he walked toward the back of the establishment. A few minutes went by, and a young waitress came to the table to collect the money Shikamaru had left. Smiling to Temari, the woman spoke cheerfully, "Did you enjoy your meal?"

The kunoichi blinked, nodding from her seat. Clearing her throat, she spoke in a polite tone, ""It was great. One of the best meals I've had in the village."

The waitress grinned, "Good, because it's about to get better, because someone happened to let us know that it's your birthday!"

'What? My birthday was three months ago. What's she talking abou… Oh. Oh, no.'

Servers and cooks swarmed the table in a matter of seconds, carrying a large slice of sponge cake, the restaurant specialty, and singing a birthday song at the top of their lungs. Temari could feel dozens of eyes on her, the eatery's patrons all no doubt watching the scene intently. It was her turn to blush as her eyes searched around for Shikamaru. She finally found him watching her from the restaurant's exit. He wore a satisfied grin as the embarrassed kunoichi made eye contact with him, and, with a casual wave, he turned and walked out, leaving Temari in the care of the waiting staff.

As she watched him leave, Temari's face slowly converted from one of completely shock to one of quiet contentment. Once the noise died down and the establishment's employees went back to work, Temari stabbed her chopsticks into her dessert, eating and murmuring to herself, "Good move, Nara. But not good enough. My last attack for the day is just around the corner. And there's no cake for you in my strategy." Satisfied, she took another bite.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he walked through the forest, the sight of Temari's stunned face still etched into his mind. The last time he had seen her with that look was when he had caught her with his shadow in the chunin exams. Looking up into the sky, he saw that the sun had nearly set and night was almost upon the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Allowing himself one last bout of laughter, he calmed himself down and opened the door to his house, stepping inside.

"Shikamaru? Is that you?" his mother asked from the kitchen, her voice too sweet to indicate anything good.

"Yeah, mom, I'm home," came the boy's hesitant reply. He could already tell that the conversation wasn't going to end well for him.

Yoshino walked into the hall with her hands on her hips and curious, yet unsettling look on her face. "Good. Since you're back, I was wondering if you could tell me why the spare bed was turned down when I got back this afternoon. And why did it look slept in? And why, exactly, was this in your bathroom hamper?" Shikamaru looked to see what she was talking about. Peering through the dim light, it took him a moment to spot his mother's hands clenched around the shorts Temari had worn the night before.. Apparently, the sand princess had "forgotten" to pack them before she left that morning.

"Oh. That? I can explain that," he replied, his mind racing to think of an excuse as he tried to stay calm.

'You win this round, troublesome woman. But this isn't over. I'll see you tomorrow. If I live that long.'

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A/N: All righty, that was a fun chapter to write. It turned into a bit of a prank war, especially toward the end, but considering the name of the chapter was "Opening Moves," I think it was appropriate.

Okay, enough from me. Look forward to Chapter 4: The Midgame.