"I really don't know what to do!" Temari cried, running a hand through her spiky hair in frustration. After a grueling night of hardly any sleep, she decided to consult a professional.

And who else better than Sakura, who has gone through almost all possible situations of romance to help her out? The pinkette eyed her thoughtfully as she told her the entire situation, from her shaky relationship with Yuuko to the breakup, to the discovery of Ino and Yuuko, to Shikamaru's offer, to their fake relationship and finally Shikamaru's confession. Throughout her narration, Sakura nodded thoughtfully and shook her head in the right places. Temari cast a sympathetic glance at Sakura. Compared to her, Temari's plight really wasn't that devastating. Sakura was ignored for years by the guy that she really liked, then realised that she was chasing the wrong guy her whole life, and started liking the guy who had a crush on her, only to find out that he got over his crush and only treated her like a sister. Poor Sakura, she thought. Sakura, however, did not notice the way that Temari was looking at her.

"If anyone else had offered, would you have accepted?"

Temari shuddered at the thought of Naruto offering to hold her had or hug her or...

"EUGH! No, I don't think I would. One of the reasons why I accepted was because it was Shi-" Temari stopped herself abruptly, shocked by the meaning of the words she was about to say. Sakura smiled, motioning for her to go on. Temari just sat still, her eyes slightly widened.

"Temari, if this is going to seem any simpler, you have to be completely honest with yourself."

Temari sighed. Complete honesty.

She thought back to the first time they walked towards the rest of their friends, hand in hand. The biggest part of her was peeling her eyes for Yuuko, another, suppressed part of her was hyperventilating over the fact that she and Shikamaru were holding hands.

She then thought back to their first date, no, pretend date, no, real date, wait... ARGH! She shook her head to clear the conflicting thoughts. She had spent a long time just trying to decide what to wear. At that time, she had reasoned that it would make Yuuko jealous, knowing that she put in that much effort. But it was time to admit that she wanted to look good for Shikamaru and not for Yuuko.

She smiled when the dance came into her mind, and practically blushed when she remembered the kiss. While they danced, Temari's heart was thumping painfully. When he first kissed her, her heart almost burst out of her chest. She wanted to slap Yuuko for interrupting them.

When Temari heard that the Yuwaka had taken on her form to seduce Shikamaru, she felt flattered. She knew by then that he liked her but didn't dare to admit it.

And when he confessed, she was rejoicing on the inside. It killed her to tell him that she didn't feel the same way. The way his face fell, his hand gripping the table, knuckles turning white.

Temari relayed these memories to Sakura, who smiled.

"Temari, it looks to me like you have been denying these feelings for Shikamaru to make everything less complicated. It's obvious."

"What is?" Temari asked, genuinely confused.

"It's obvious that you love him too."

A/N: Whoah! Development in plot! Haha! Stay tuned! I will not be updating this soon as I feel that this story's luster is gone, and I'm working on making it better. :) wish me luck :)