Pairing: TemarixShikamaru:TemaruxShikai

It was the scars Temaru carried that repulsed others; but it was those same scars that Shikai refused to let other people judge her man upon.

Shikai's mother, Shikari, had a thick scar running across her cheek. Her father, Yoshi, never minded; it was the scar he kissed every day, and it was the scar he claimed to love so much. It was only after Shikai first made her bed with Temaru that she realized how much she loved scars.

At first, he would never allow her to look upon them more than she had to. He was a hardened man that had no business sullying the eyes of his lover. It wasn't until she shed her apathetic mask that he was forced to remain shirtless.

She took her time, kissing it slowly before she ran her fingers up and down the thickened tissue. "I love you with or without the scar. But because you hate me looking at it, I will. Because I love you, I'll help you carry this scar." She breathed out calmly, her dark eyes alive with something warm.

Temaru now looked at his chest differently. It no longer held the mark of his sins and destruction, his sacrifice and pride. It was Shikai's scar now, one she had asked for to help him. If she would carry his burdens, he would carry hers too, in the future. But for now, they would carry his scars together.