He successfully avoided her for the entirety of Tuesday, keeping his head down in class and escaping promptly every time the bell went. Not that she was particularly keen to interact with him, either; in a way, it was conceited of him to even go to such lengths, considering she wasn't going out of her way to find him as it was. Nonetheless, he wasn't taking any chances. Outside of a tutoring context, he didn't know what to say to her anymore. But now, it was Wednesday, and he'd have to face her sooner or later.

"Shikamaru Nara! Just the student I was looking for."

"Principal," he nodded in greeting.

"Come with me." She gestured for him to follow; naturally, he complied.

Moments later, he found himself seated in her office, trying his best not to squirm as she examined him intently.

"I have to say, I'm impressed."

He was confused. "Huh?"

She sighed. "Don't ruin it with poor manners."

"Sorry, Miss."

"Considering what you've done for Temari, I suppose it can be forgiven. Her grades have improved dramatically since the beginning of the year; her mid-terms amazed most, if not all of her teachers. If she continues on this upward trajectory, a good university is well within her reach." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled. "I've never seen progress like it. How did you do it?"

"Me? I didn't do much at all. She found some motivation, that's all."

"I don't buy it. She was never well-suited for academia, and yet she's turned it around completely since your tutoring sessions began-"

"Why am I the only one who sees it?" he snapped. The principal's eyes widened in shock.

"Sees what, Shikamaru?" she said slowly.

"Her potential!" he exclaimed. "Saying she was 'never well-suited for academia', that's bullshit. She's really intelligent, she just didn't bother to learn."

"Watch your language!" the principal barked. "You can spend this Friday in detention for that insolent outburst, young man."

"'That's not fair-"

"Do you want to be here after school next Friday, too?"

He stuttered. "N-no, Miss."

"I thought so. Now I suggest you get out of my office before I change my mind," she said authoritatively, watching him as he nodded and excused himself from the room. She sighed. What on Earth has gotten into him?

"What did the Principal want with you?" Ino asked when he emerged.

"No idea," Shikamaru shrugged. "She just told me she was impressed with Temari's progress, that's all."

"That's great news!" Ino beamed. She nudged him in the shoulder and added, "So, how is Temari doing, then?"

"She's fine," Shikamaru said flatly.

"You sure nothing's going on between you two?"

"I'm her tutor, that's it," he said through gritted teeth. "Now drop it, Ino."

"Jeez, sorry." She averted her gaze, having clearly overstepped her boundaries. "So, Choji and I were wondering if you wanted to go for some barbecue after school today."

He was about to agree, then sighed. "I can't. Today happens to be when I tutor Temari."

"Really? You can't just move it to lunchtime or something?"

"That involves finding her now, and that's too troublesome." He almost squirmed at how awkward it would be.

"You know phones exist, right?" Ino teased. "Don't tell me you still haven't asked for her number yet?"

Ah, yes. Her number. "No. I gave her mine, but she hasn't texted me yet, so I don't have hers."

Ino rolled her eyes. Idiot. "Why don't you ask one of her friends? Shouldn't they be your friends too, since you're all in the same year?"

"Good idea."

"Matsuri!"

The girl spun around and her eyes lit up. "Oh, hi! Shikamaru, was it?"

"Yup, good memory. I was wondering if you had Temari's number. I need to talk to her about a tutoring-related thing but I can't find her anywhere." Technically, I didn't even try.

"Sure. Let me find it for you," she smiled, whipping out her own device. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her at all today, either."

"Weird." He waited impatiently as Matsuri fumbled with her passcode, then scanned over her screen for the Contacts app, then scrolled through a seemingly endless list of people. She knows there's a search function, right? "Why don't you just text it to me later? I don't need it right away. Here." He grabbed a pen from his pocket and wrote his number on her palm, completely oblivious to how presumptuous he was being. Matsuri simply stood there in shock as he grabbed her hand with neither hesitation nor permission, though she felt a slight blush creep up on her cheeks.

"O-okay," she nodded quickly.

"Thanks. I've gotta run. See you!"

"B-bye," she stuttered.

S: hey, it's shikamaru. can we do the tutoring thing at lunch instead? my friends invited me for bbq after school.

He must've read and re-read the message a dozen times, deliberating over whether or not to send it. Ino noticed his hesitation and, in a fit of impatience, snatched his device and did the deed for him.

"What the hell, Ino?"

"If I didn't do it, you never would have."

He sighed. "Great. Can I at least have my phone back?"

Just as she was about to hand it to him, a message tone sounded. Her eyebrows shot up and she immediately retracted her arm to look at the alert on the screen.

"Bad luck, Shikamaru," she smirked as she showed him the preview.

He hastily reclaimed his phone to assimilate the information himself.

T: Busy at lunch. Let's just reschedule. Also, how the hell did you get my number?

It seemed she was just as eager to avoid him as he was her. "Guess that's that, then," he shrugged nonchalantly, replacing the phone in his pocket and continuing to walk. Ino quickly followed.

"You're just gonna leave it at that?"

"She's busy, what do you expect me to do about it?" he snapped in reply. He sighed. "Sorry. I'm just tired. Senior year is hard work, you know?"

"I'll bet," Ino nodded. "But look on the bright side. She gave you a free pass to come and have barbecue with us. Let's enjoy it, okay?"

"Sure."

So he was irritable and distracted, but he didn't have to be so damn obvious about it.

"How many more glances are you gonna sneak at your phone?" Ino grumbled. "She's not gonna text you."

"Who's this?" Choji asked through mouthfuls of rice and barbecued meat.

"Temari, that senior girl he's tutoring."

"Oh, her. Why's he expecting a text from her?"

"I don't know. After all, she's the one who texted him last."

"I don't care about getting texts from her!" Shikamaru hissed. "Will you both just drop it, already?"

"Fine, but you realise that you're gonna have to talk to her at some point to actually reschedule?"

It seemed odd that an important detail like that had slipped past an intellectual such as himself, but so it had happened.

"There's no point in trying any time this week. I'll just wait until I see her on Monday morning."

Ino rolled her eyes. What a drama queen.

He was jolted from his slumber by the sound of the door slamming loudly.

"No eating, no drinking, no talking and no other funny business for two hours. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir."

A pair of green eyes met his own in an otherwise empty classroom. He blinked a few times before fully realising what was happening.

"And you," the teacher snapped at him. "No sleeping, either." Temari smirked and took her seat on the other side of the classroom.

"My office is right next door. If I hear so much as a peep, there will be trouble. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," they said in unison.

"Good. Now sit and think about what you've done." With that, he left.

"Fancy seeing you here," she muttered quietly once she'd determined that their minder was out of earshot.

"I could say the same for you. What was your crime?"

"I skipped school."

His eyes bugged in shock. "What?"

"On Wednesday. Jugo and I decided to have some fun. So we just upped and left."

"You..." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you."

"Huh?"

"You really think you can afford to take time off school with grades like yours?"

"Oi!" she hissed. "The hell is that supposed to mean? My grades are just fine, thank you very much."

"Yes, because you studied seriously. Are you gonna let all of that go to waste just to be with some guy?"

"That 'some guy' you're talking about happens to be my boyfriend. We're teenagers, live a little."

"Tch," Shikamaru scoffed. "He's making you cut class, who knows what you'll give into next?"

"Jeez, Nara, what's with the stick up your ass?" she snapped. A sound was heard from the other side of the wall, causing an abrupt silence to fall between the two, but when no footsteps were heard, Temari continued, "And I don't just mean today. You've been avoiding me all week. I know you think Jugo is a bad influence, but going out with him was my choice as well. What happened on Wednesday was both our faults."

"Don't you get it?" Shikamaru retorted condescendingly. "You go about your life throwing caution to the wind, not caring about the consequences. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, what you do affects other people? Take Wednesday, for instance. You just decided to take a day off. Did you even plan on letting me know that you wouldn't turn up to our tutoring session?"

"You texted me before I had the chance to-"

"That's bullshit. You would've forgotten all about it, and I would've been sitting in that library, waiting for you for God knows how long." He sighed in frustration. "And what about your parents? Have you ever thought about doing well in school, so you can go to a good university, get a good job and make their lives a little easier? You only ever think about yourself-"

"My parents are dead."

He stopped in his tracks.

He inhaled deeply.

He thought he might be sick.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. You wouldn't have known."

"Still, I-"

"Nara, you should shut up before you dig yourself a deeper hole." Slowly, she stood up and took off her shoes to avoid making a sound as she walked towards him and took the adjacent seat. "You're right, though. I wasn't thinking at all."

He watched her as she leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling with those feline teal eyes, her hair tied back into some ridiculous multi-ponytail hairstyle which somehow suited her perfectly. She wasn't conventionally beautiful, as he'd noted before when she came to his house that one time, but there was something undeniably charming and attractive about her. She looked strong, yet elegant; like someone who'd blossomed amidst all the hardships life threw at her. He had no doubt now that that had been the case.

"I imagine you've got a few questions flying around that inquisitive mind of yours," she smirked. "So I'll just talk at you and you can listen, okay?"

He nodded solemnly.

"My mom died giving birth to my youngest brother, Gaara. He's in your year. Or, he would've been, I should say, since you're three years ahead now. He's in the same cohort as all your friends, though. My dad was an important political figure, so we come from wealth, but he died as I entered high school. It was all a mess. We're being looked after by our godfather, Baki, but once I turn eighteen, I'll be responsible for myself and the legal guardian of both my brothers. Scary, right?"

He looked mortified.

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. I have another brother, Kankuro. He's a junior here, a year younger than I am. We're pretty close. Our parents' deaths hit Gaara the hardest. He was in hospital for most of middle school. He's better now, but it was tough. I feel like I have to be a mother to them, you know?"

"Temari, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you telling me this?"

A smile came across her face as she continued to stare at the ceiling. "I don't know. I guess I've always been taking care of other people. There's never been anyone to listen to me."

"What about Jugo?"

"It's different with the person you're dating," she shrugged. "It's still new. We don't really know each other yet. You want to impress them, look good for them, show them all of your great qualities. Unloading something heavy on him when he's only been my boyfriend for the best part of five days would send him running for the hills."

"But you're not afraid of that with me?"

"No. You and I were thrown together by force because of my laughable academic record and your sparkling one. The expectations were low to begin with; I don't think there's much I could do now to drastically diminish your opinion of me further." She grinned and finally turned to look at him. "What do you know, spending all this time around you has made me more eloquent after all."

"Well, I'm glad I'm useful for something," he mused, chin resting in his hand as he turned sideways to look at her. "I'm sorry for thinking you were inconsiderate. You must've had a hard time."

"I don't need your apology. I am inconsiderate. I've been letting myself go to cope with it all, but then you came along and told me to get my act together. I guess old habits die hard." She twirled a pencil between her fingers.

"I understand it, though. Sounds like you had to grow up pretty fast. It's your right to act like a teenager now if you want to."

"Yeah. I plan on doing just that." She exhaled slowly and sat upright. "Thanks, Shikamaru. I'm glad we're friends." She paused. "Or at least, that's what I thought we were, until you cold-shouldered me all week..."

"Sorry about that," he muttered. "I..." am probably experiencing something akin to jealousy and protectiveness but it'd be creepy if I admitted it to both of us, what with the age gap and our tutoring relationship and everything. "...was worried he'd distract you from studying."

"Don't worry," she smiled. "Wednesday was a one-off. From now on, school comes first. He's gonna have to settle for second fiddle," she winked.

He swore his heart stopped for a millisecond, not that he'd ever let that be known in his outward appearance. "I hope he won't be too disappointed," Shikamaru teased.

"Jugo? Nah. It's a high school relationship. It probably won't last."

"You agreed to date him knowing it's gonna hurt when it's over?"

"We have fun, but it's not love. Not yet, anyway. I don't think I'd let it get to that point, when I know we'll be going our separate ways so soon."

I hope you don't let it get to that point, either. "I'm glad you're having fun, at least."

"Yeah," she smiled to herself. She caught him looking uncomfortable all of a sudden and quickly interjected, "Not that kind of fun, idiot! It's too early."

"When's the right time?"

"Why so curious?" she asked. Then a grin came upon her lips as she said, "Don't tell me. Little fifteen-year-old Shikamaru Nara has a crush on a girl?"

"N-no."

"Aha, you stuttered! I knew it!" She piped down when she heard a chair being pushed back on the other side of the wall. When nothing came of it, she whispered, "I'm honoured you're coming to me for advice."

"I didn't do that," he hissed in reply. "You're jumping to conclusions."

"Am I? Your face is bright red, Nara."

He looked away instinctively.

"Oh, don't be like that. Inexperience is sweet. And anyway, you're only fifteen. You've got years to figure this stuff out."

"I'm going to college next year, remember?"

"Shit. You're right." She sighed. "It's like I said before. You're gonna miss all these experiences if you're not careful."

He said nothing in acquiescence.

"Let me help you. Who's the girl?"

"Eh?"

"Who's the girl you've got your eyes on?"

"W-what-"

"Wait, is it a guy? It's a guy, isn't it? Hey, I'm not one to judge. I think it's great."

"Oi, stop assuming things and let me talk, would you?" he grumbled. "I don't have a crush on anyone, girl or guy. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you about it."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Have you seen yourself? Your only way of speaking to me is in insults."

"That's not fair. I'm very reasonable and understanding when I want to be." She sat up straight and looked at him with her piercing teal eyes. "Ask me anything. Go on. Don't be shy about it."

He rolled his eyes, but thought of what he might wish to know. "When was your first kiss?"

"Really, Nara? That's your question?"

"Forget it-"

"Fifteen. I was your age."

His attention had been caught.

"I was a sophomore, though. My birthday's just really late in the year."

He nodded. "Tell me about it. The kiss, that is."

She looked at him warily, but agreed to his request nonetheless. "It was with my first boyfriend, Daimaru. We've known each other since we were kids. It sounds cute and all, 'childhood sweethearts' and that kind of bullshit, but that really wasn't the case. My dad had recently passed away and I was pretty vulnerable. I wanted companionship and comfort and he was there. He confessed that he'd liked me for a long time. I guess you could say he swooped in while I was weak...but it was my fault, too. I didn't have any romantic feelings for him. We didn't go beyond kissing or anything, and the whole relationship only lasted two months or so, but I still feel bad about how it ended. I really shut him down hard."

"So does that mean you regret it?"

"Not at all." She rested her chin on her hand. "My first kiss was from someone who cared about me. And he really did. He was the best first boyfriend any girl could ask for. My heart just wasn't in it for various reasons, and I let it go on for too long, but I really needed someone at that time in my life, and he was everything I needed him to be." Her eyes met his curiously. "You're a first kiss virgin, aren't you?"

He half-smiled. "Sort of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When we were in kindergarten, my friend Ino kissed me as a dare. I had no idea it was coming until it had already happened. So she kind of stole it, in a sense," he laughed. "I held a grudge over it for a long time. But if I think about it, I guess my first kiss came from someone who cared about me, too. That's comforting."

"See?" Temari grinned. "And from a childhood friend, no less. What a coincidence. But look at you, getting your first kiss without even meaning to, you stud."

"Tch," he grunted. "I don't like to count it. It lasted half-a-second, there were no feelings involved, and I played no part in it at all."

"Who said a kiss has to involve feelings?" she shrugged. "Maybe you won't miss out on these experiences because you're short on time, but you'll miss out on them because you're overthinking it, you know."

"I hope you weren't this blasé about your virginity," he commented off-handedly, feigning indifference yet wanting to confirm something.

"What if I told you I was still a virgin?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow. "And you say I'm the one jumping to conclusions. I don't know what you think of me, but I'm not gonna sleep with just anyone. That's an entirely different matter."

"Sorry," he muttered. "You kept talking about experiences, I just assumed you'd had a lot of them."

"I have," she nodded. "I've done just about every classic teenager-y thing you can imagine. And I've done certain things with certain guys, but none of them deserved the whole package. That's for me to decide."

He swallowed. "Ended badly?"

"I just don't think I'm cut out for long-term stuff. I've had a grand total of four boyfriends, Jugo included, but nothing ever lasted more than three months. Guess I can't be tamed into commitment and domesticity," she chuckled.

"Makes sense. When I first met you, I got this aura of 'hurricane'."

"'Hurricane Temari'. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" she winked.

"Mm." He studied her for a moment: wild hair, lean legs, sly grin and all. There was something so feline and fierce about her, yet the simple blink of her sharp, sparkling eyes reminded him that she was real; she was human; and she was all woman. He could only imagine how many hopeful guys had chased after her, and how many had actually had the courage to ask her out.

"So besides that pseudo-first kiss, you really haven't been involved with anyone? There wasn't anyone you liked in middle school, no one you took to a dance in the hopes it would turn into something more?"

"No. School has always been a matter of jumping through hoops for me. And girls are troublesome as hell."

"You can't expect to get any with that attitude," Temari teased. "Is Ino pretty?"

He took a second to think about it. "I guess so. She's pretty in a stereotypical, model-esque way."

"Well, even if your first kiss was stolen, at least it was stolen by someone beautiful."

No, she's not 'beautiful'. That's a whole different category. "Whatever. I still want a do-over, with someone I like. My 'first kiss' can be short for 'first kiss that matters'."

"What a marshmallow," Temari rolled her eyes. "Definitely an anomaly amongst fifteen-year-old boys."

"'I'm very reasonable and understanding when I want to be'!" he echoed, raising the pitch of his voice in imitation. She practically growled at him.

"Just shut up and think about what you did, like the teacher asked us to." She paused. "Wait, what did you do?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I swore at the principal."

"You did what?!"

"Well, I didn't swear at her. I just swore in front of her, and said some other things in a not-very-polite manner."

"Wow, what could have possibly riled up the ever-calm Shikamaru Nara?" she wondered.

"Beats me."