Here it is... sorry for the wait... May be a bit 'chopped off' at the end cos i'm in a rush. hope you like it!

Rumors

Temari's heart was beating out of her chest with Shikamaru so close to her and without knowing what he was going to do. She was furious with herself for letting it affect her. He was so close that all she had to do was close her mouth over his. But she couldn't do it. She was waiting for his next whispering words.

"I can't… let a woman make the first move." She felt the smile on his mouth before he finally completed the kiss. She pressed her body more firmly against his and thought she could feel his beating heart. He let go of her wrist to slide his arm around her back and up between her shoulder blades. With both arms free, she wrapped them around his neck and kissed him harder, purposely knocking him off balance so his back hit the tree behind him.

Neither of them knew how long they were there for as the lost themselves in their long awaited and needed embrace. When they finally pulled apart, gasping for breath, they only loosened their hold on each other slightly as they breathed down the other one's neck. After a moment, when Temari could talk without gasping breaths, she grinned and whispered into his ear.

"I hate to break it to you, but I already made the first move you lazy ass."

"That can hardly count as a first move," he whispered back. "It was more like abuse."

"Heh," Temari breathed. "Can't handle it?" She bit his ear playfully, then drew back and brought her hands to his shoulders, smirking at him. His hands rested around her waist, wanting to loose himself with her until the burning desire within him was quenched. Instead he let her go and she took a step back, arms crossed over her chest as she continued to smirk at him.

"Troublesome woman," he muttered, and jumped off the branch in the direction of the edge of the forest. As she came up beside him she poked him in the side. He grunted, but this time he couldn't hide a small smile.

"Stop it," he pleaded. Temari laughed and sped ahead of him.

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When they reached the edge of the forest, they came out a little ways off from the entrance to the area. Landing softly on the ground, Shikamaru took on his usual lazy attire, shoving his hands in his pockets and slouching back.

"Come on, you lazy ass," Temari said, heading for the exit. "I still haven't eaten breakfast and it's already way past noon. And it's your fault so you're buying me lunch."

"How is it my fault?" Shikamaru said lazily.

"Because I had to help you go and fetch your Genin."

"But wouldn't that make it their fault?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he watched her go. Clearly she didn't care for the details. Shrugging, he followed after her.

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After they had left the Forest of Death far behind, and were walking down the streets of Konoha, Temari stopped in her tracks. Shikamaru stopped and turned to her, hands still in his pockets, giving her a face that said 'now what?"

"Where's that barbeque place you took me to a while ago?" she asked. "I'm in the mood for whatever it was that I got the last time."

Shikamaru groaned, knowing there was a chance he'd run into Chouji and his other gossiping friends if he went there at this time of day.

"Can't you pick some place else?" he breathed.

"Why?" she teased. "Don't want people you know to see us together?"

"We're hardly together," Shikamaru said, noting that neither had made an attempt to hold hands or do anything else couples would do in public. His reasons were simple: the rumors would be troublesome and he didn't want it to get back to her brothers that she was with a 'lazy ass' like him. He didn't get the feeling that Kankurou and Gaara liked him all that much.

"Then I guess it doesn't matter if we go there or not," Temari smirked and headed down a street that looked familiar. When Shikamaru still gave no attempt to show her where it was, she stopped to ask someone for directions, which they gladly gave. When she finally found the restaurant, with Shikamaru in tow, she turned to give him a wry smile before walking in.

They were once again bombarded with the thick, smoky smell. There was less noise than the last time, but Shikamaru tried to remain out of sight from his friends he saw at the end of the row of booths.

"Temari!" Sakura called out, when she saw Temari ordering food before picking a table. Temari smiled and waved, then went over to her once she had figured out and ordered what she had eaten the last time.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked as Temari slide in beside her. "I thought the exams didn't end until four." Ino was on Sakura's other side against the window, and Chouji sat across from her, eating sizzling barbeque off the grill. Someone Temari had seen walking around with a big white dog sat between Chouji and the window, but she couldn't remember his name.

"They ended early because no more teams would be able to pass," Temari said. "But I'm here with Shikamaru." Temari stuck her head out of the booth and looked around for him, realizing he hadn't followed.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura and Ino asked at the same time. Sakura was smiling and looking around as well. Ino was frowning.

"There he is," Sakura pointed to Shikamaru, who was leaning in the corner, hidden by the shadows.

"Tch, troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, pushing himself off the wall with his shoulders and heading over. He sat down beside Chouji with a scowl on his face. Temari kicked him under the table and when he looked at her she grinned in a way that said 'lighten up'.

"Hey Shikamaru!" Ino said, a little too friendly. "How did the exam go?"

"A little troublesome at the beginning and end," Shikamaru sighed, ignoring her obvious flirting. "But it wasn't too bad in between."

"Yeah, he spent the whole time watching clouds," Temari smirked as a waiter brought over their food order.

"Yup, that sounds like Shikamaru alright," Chouji said through his mouthful.

"Are you sure that's all you did?" asked the boy by the window with a knowing grin.

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, you know, there's eating and sleeping," he said casually, taking a bite of his food.

"Really?" the boy went on, "Because I heard from Anko that you and Temari spent a lot of time up on the roof together. Alone."

Shikamaru nearly choked and he could see Temari was blushing, which she covered up with anger.

"She said what?" she shot at him. "And you believed her? Who the hell are you to be spreading rumors anyway?"

"That's Kiba," Sakura said, laughing nervously. "Don't mind him. He likes to get on peoples nerves."

"It's true though," Kiba went on. "They were hanging out on the roof when Anko went to go tell them that they were ending the exam early. Apparently they'd been up there all night. Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

"Nothing happened," Shikamaru groaned and ignored the stares that were shot at him by Sakura, Ino and Chouji. Sakura's stare was a surprised happy, Ino's was a surprised angry, and Chouji's was just a surprise.

"You mean you actually were?" Sakura asked, turning to Temari. Shikamaru continued to ignore her.

"When did she even tell you that?" he asked Kiba. "I thought she was still at the tower."

"Apparently there's a shortcut in and out of the forest that only she knows about," Kiba grinned. "And she told me about you and Temari a few hours ago."

"Yeah?" Temari smirked. "And how much did you pay her for all that information? Or did you just do her a favor?" No one missed what Temari had implied by 'favor,' but none of them thought anything of it, knowing it was just her way of getting back at him.

"Hmph," was Kiba's only answer, as continued to eat his food. Once that topic had passed, Sakura and Ino got into a conversation about girl stuff that Temari wasn't really interested in. Kiba ate his food, defeated, and Chouji continued to eat contentedly. Shikamaru ate his in silence with his head in one hand and chopsticks in the other, apparently deep in thought, and so Temari took the opportunity to catch him off guard.

She slipped her foot out of her shoe and used it to run down his leg. She smirked when she instantly saw his reaction, though he pretended nothing had happened and continued to stare at his food. No one else was paying attention so she did it again, slower this time, and brought her foot back up and tried to slide it between his legs to where she was sure he had reacted. She paused with her foot at his thigh and he glanced up at her. His eyes were clearly telling her to stop. Before pulling away, she stretched her foot out to her goal to slide down it once – to which he reacted with a sudden twitch– and she grinned as she put her foot back into her shoe.

Temari sighed in a way that said 'you're no fun' that only Shikamaru could notice. She then stood up and excused herself as she went to the bathroom.

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"So Shikamaru," Kiba said as soon as Temari reached the bathroom. "How far did you get with her?" Shikamaru noticed as Sakura aimed a kick a Kiba, and Chouji grunted as she grazed him as well.

"Sorry, Chouji," she muttered, and then turned to Shikamaru as if waiting for the answer to Kiba's question. Ino merely looked out the window pretending not to care. Shikamaru finished the last bit of his food and excused himself as he got up to pay. He paid for Temari's as well, and when she came back out of the bathroom he was waiting at the door.

"I've paid," he said calmly. "Are you going to stay here?"

"Stay here with a fatty that would rather eat than talk, two gossip girls, one of which that hates me, and a rumor spreading jerk?" Temari mused. "Yeah right," and she shoved passed him to the streets outside.

Author's Notes: Hope no one was too OOC or anything.
-Atty