The snow was soft and memorizing to watch. It glided so gently in the air that it appeared as though it would never find the ground; it had begun to let up. Temari breathed out into the cold air to see her breath. It was the simple things; things she wouldn't normally experience back in Suna, which managed to bring her a bit of joy in such hopeless times. She followed close behind Shikamaru; their bodies bumping every now and then. She didn't mind. Their mission had been a success. The medical supplies were delivered with no trouble, and they were scheduled to meet up with their squadron by the afternoon tomorrow.
Shikamaru interrupted her thoughts, "What are you smiling about?" he asked.
Temari looked up; her path of vision was cleared as she noticed the man in front of her had moved to her side. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"I'm just feeling optimistic." She said softly.
She tried to figure out when exactly she had started smiling.
"About what?" he questioned.
Temari took a deep breath, "About…everything. It sounds weird, being in the middle of a war and all, but as of right now, I'm rather content."
"Ok." He responded.
She waited, but he didn't continue. "What's it to you?" she asked.
"Nothing really," he said in a board tone. His head turned towards her, "A smile looks good on you…so I was just curious."
A slight smile formed on his face as his eyes traced hers. The moon had finally emerged from behind the clouds and began bringing its energy to the forest around them. The ground glimmered as though it were made of diamonds; absorbing every last bit of light. His face was sculpted by the shadows giving him a mysterious, yet fitting aura. Shikamaru looked away and assumed his place in front of her.
Temari observed him. His hair bobbed up and down as he walked, and every now and then it would flutter in the breeze. She watched as he placed his hand on the back of his neck and looked around him. He did this when checking to make sure they were heading the right way; just one of the many habits of his she had begun picking up on. It was hard not to considering the amount of unforeseen time she had spent with him. As bothersome as it was to admit, recollection of her past with him made it evident that his path was meant to cross hers; it had to. Too many times she found herself being paired with him, and too many times they found themselves having to rely on each other. All the while, she had subconsciously begun taking notes about him; becoming familiarized with his mannerisms and how his movements changed. His back was broad now, and his legs sturdy. His shoulders swayed rhythmically as he walked. There was a subtle sexy confidence about him.
"Please…" she thought to herself.
She was the Kazekage's daughter. All her life people looked up to her; they treated her with high esteem and showered her with praise, yet he treated her like a normal woman. She was not exempt from his bluntly put comments on gender roles or his sarcastic tone when he disapproved of something. It was a damn pain, but she appreciated it.
"Shikamaru…."
He had a way of getting under her skin. It wasn't with the nonchalant comments he made to spite her or the board yawns he'd let out during a conversation. No. It was the accidental catch of his eye, the way he left her wondering about his smile, the impromptu compliments he'd give her, and the way he articulated them with no regard. It took every ounce of her internal force to remain logical. This wasn't the place, and certainly not the time to become attached. It went against every term of her psychological training; it broke every guideline she had set for herself.
"Please… " she begged in her mind, "don't make me fall in love with you."
If the name of the chapter doesn't hint enough, this part is centered around Temari and takes place during the same time as the flashback from the last chapter. I just wanted to change things up a bit. Sorry for the wait, I've had a busy schedual latley. I know this one is short, but I felt that what I wanted to convey didn't require a normal lenght chapter. Reviews are awesome to get :3
