(We could not locate a name for Ino's mother in the anime, or in the manga. Searching various websites also elicited nothing more than empty results. That being said, we've decided to name her after the actress that voiced her in the anime series. It was the nearest compromise we could come up with. The character doesn't play a particularly large role in this fan fiction, but still, it's large enough we required more than "Ino's Mother" every five seconds.)

Chapter 10

"So you've always said," Temari murmured with a soft little smirk. "If I am a pain in the ass, it's the only way I know how to be…"

After cleaning up the mess, the final few stood on the empty battleground, looking out over the expanse of destroyed land. There wasn't much else to say. Goodbye, seemed too simple. See you again, was too cheerful. Shikamaru hardly said anything at all. Temari watched him leave with his team in stubborn silence. Ino and Choji were at his side.

Meanwhile, a few dark skinned ninja from Kumogakure were also headed back to their own village. They bantered about in a playful but truthful manner. She watched until they were out of sight too, until everyone she knew was gone, leaving only strangers left.

Gaara was already back in Sunagakure, and Kankuro had accompanied him. It meant she had to walk alone, and unlike the many other teams, she had no companion to walk by her side. Knowing that was lonely, but, at least she didn't have to bury any of her family. Her brothers were home safe and sound. She couldn't say the same for Shikamaru and Ino, who were now on their way back to deliver bad news.

She was sure he would make a wonderful head to the Nara clan, but she was equally sure that the pile of ash that rested at her feet was too easily disposed of. She ignored the urge to try and save those little specks. She was sure even the meaning behind them were lost to Shikamaru now. She doubted even she knew why they seemed so important, even so.

Life went on, but it did so at a snail's pace.

For her, life itself seemed nearly frozen.

"You've been avoiding your meals."

"Go to bed, Gaara." She told him when she felt his worried eyes burning into her back one late evening.

"I don't need sleep."

Rolling her eyes, she patted the place beside her. "Come here then."

He did, stepping forward out of the corner he occupied. He sat down beside her, just as she indicated that he should. It wasn't a moment later that he felt soft fingers weaving their way into his hair, nails softly scratching him the same way that one might scratch a little lost kitten. At first, he sent her a curious glance, but soon realized she had no intention of explaining just why she felt so compelled.

Instead, he leaned into the comfort she afforded him. She pulled him closer, guided his head to her lap, and was very soon the young man was on his way to sleep. Even though the winds were growing cold, he'd never felt warmer. A blanket of sand began to gently cover the young man, and soon, it shielded Temari too.

Kankuro wasn't far behind when he finally joined them. "He's never going to grow up if you keep babying him like that."

"He is my baby brother." Temari said to Kankuro, watching as the blanket soon found its way to the middle sibling. "That's not ever going to change."

"What the heck's wrong with you?" He asked her, his purple makeup making him seem sterner than he was at that moment. "You've been tip toeing around Gaara ever since we've been back home."

"I should have done this more when he was younger." Temari murmured before flicking Kankuro a rather deep frown. "We did this a lot before mom died, the four of us. Gaara, never had the chance to remember something like that."

"Hell," Kankuro chortled, "I don't even remember something like that."

"Dad would hold me." Temari clarified for him. "Mom had you, we'd watch the sun go down like that."

"Yeah, well, I don't see why you're all sentimental about it now." He told her, almost concerned.

"I'm not." She shrugged, though when her eyes fell back to Gaara, she had to admit, she did regret being so hard on him. Especially years ago, when he was just a boy. "I just think I would have saved us all a lot of headaches if I'd just looked out for him more. So what if he had Shukaku inside of him? That shouldn't have mattered. We're the ones that made him so deranged, not Shukaku. So, if babying him now heals any of that, then it's worth it."

"And so now you're trying to make up for lost time?" Kankuro let out a long stream of hot air, a half sigh, half curse.

"We could have lost him." She said, anger coloring her tone. Somehow, it seemed more significant now. "Do you realize how many near death experiences Gaara's had to face? It's more than you and I combined. It doesn't make it any easier on me that you're just as stupid and reckless as he is."

"Uh, sis…"

"We've been so lucky. Too lucky. You two are the only family I've got left Kankuro." Temari told him, tears at the edges of her eyes. "I've never realized just how fucking close I've come to losing that for good. If I take that for granted ever again either one of you could be gone, just like that."

He softened at that, his scowl disappearing entirely. "Jesus," he used his dark sleeve to bush away her tears. "I kind of forgot you knew how to cry."

"Shut up." She mumbled to him.

Strangely enough, he did.

His arms went around her, even so, and the three siblings of the sand found themselves closer than ever before. Neither one of them said anything else as the sun went down. They just watched the village lights glowing in the distance. When it was dark, and the night had grown cold, the three of them made no move to budge, not even then. The sand that protected them was warm, and so help her, she wanted to pretend just once that they were given a normal upbringing.

That this moment itself, was normal too.

Or, even if it wasn't, maybe it should be.

Hearts were no lighter over in Konoha, either. Not even when the weather itself proclaimed itself to be pleasantly warm and sunny.

With the deaths of Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka fresh in everyone's minds, pressure for Shikamaru to get married skyrocketed. Even the other clans impressed upon Yoshino that her son needed to find a wife, and soon. He was a young man, though, and they doubted he'd be able to make a rational choice on his own. He was not the only one under fire, as Ino also received similar scrutiny pertaining to finding herself a husband.

They handled the backlash as well as one might expect. Ino with measured outrage, and Shikamaru with quiet protest.

"I have no desire." Shikamaru said to his mother when she broached the subject for the countless time. He looked at the meal on the dinner table, no longer hungry. "The formation's fine for now. We'll deal with all of this wedding stuff later."

"You don't even have someone in mind." Yoshino sighed at her son. She'd nag him into the ground if she had to. "The men will grow restless, and eventually, they will arrange a marriage for you. If you don't begin to take an interest in someone, they've got no choice. You know this."

"Aye," Shikamaru grumbled. "I know."

Realizing that he was more troubled by his father's death than he let on, Yoshino licked her lips and tried desperately to think of a solution. If only her husband was alive and well. Then her son wouldn't have to worry about such dynastic duties. This wasn't the case though, and it suited no one to be so idealistic. She knew that Shikamaru wasn't interested in any of the branch family members, he outright avoided most of those women.

He'd never seek to marry one.

She took a breath, a different idea coming to mind. "There are plenty of young women in the Yamanaka branch families who are looking for an eligible husband. They are particularly easy on the eyes, respectable too. You are not an unattractive young man yourself, Shikamaru. If you were to make a request to any of their families, I'm sure they would very willingly accept."

"I hardly know them." He said, tapping his fingers on the table, agitatedly. "Besides, Ino hasn't any desire to get married either. We both discussed it, and we both agree, it's not something we want to rush into."

"How does Choza feel about it?" She asked him them. "He has a very real voice in all of this, as does Choji."

"Ma, he's the sane one." Shikamaru growled. "He's not as worried about it, not like everyone else. Choji doesn't really have an opinion either. He's still got it in his head that he's never even going to find a girlfriend, let alone get married."

"I see, well then, maybe it's time you think a little closer to home. Noriko and I have been talking." Yoshino murmured uneasily, fearing that what she was about to say would start a fight. Shikamaru was his father's son, especially in mentality and temperament. "She and I both think that you and Ino should consider an arranged marriage with each other. So long as you produce two heirs, one for each of you, there shouldn't be an issue. It's a little out of the ordinary, sure. However, it isn't as if anyone would truly oppose you. I'm sure some of the clan members even expect it."

"You've been talking to Ino's mom?" He sat there, disgusted by that, forcing himself not to scowl.

"Something needs to be done." His mother sighed.

"Yeah, but Ino?" He visibly balked. "She's like a sister to me. Love her like one too."

"Yet, she isn't your sister." Yoshino told him. "It's merely an option, and I want you to consider it."

"I'll consider that it's bullshit…"

"Shikamaru!"

"I don't have time for this." He said, standing from his place.

"You do have time, and you will sit back down!" Yoshino bellowed.

"I have a mission." Shikamaru told her, unwilling to listen further as a knock came to the door. "I've got to escort the Sunagakure diplomat while she's here. It's my job, and that's what I'm doing."

"Shikamaru…" She hissed with renewed frustration.

"Ma," he said, his voice dark with agitation. "Mission. Talk later."

He no sooner opened the door, than he saw Choza walking up the pathway. They nodded to each other, but nothing more.

Shikamaru exited as Choza entered, the large man greeting the boy in silent understanding. His eyes fell onto Yoshino then, seeing before him a troubled woman. He took it upon himself to sit down beside her. He'd done a lot of soul searching these past few days. Shikamaru and Ino were both still learning what I meant to have all eyes on them, and Choji himself, was still not ready for the role. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sighed greatly.

"They were good men, I couldn't have asked for a better team." Choza began eyeing a forgotten dinner roll on the table. He helped himself to it, breaking and buttering it with a slow and steady hand. "I'd like to believe that our children are blessed for the same reasons. Together, they're strong. They'll keep getting stronger if left to themselves."

"Don't tell me you're siding with an eighteen year old?" Yoshino murmured, giving the rather large man a sideway glance. "Choza, honestly."

"I'm siding with two, admittedly young, very capable clan leaders." Popping the yeasty morsel into his mouth, a silence fell between them for a moment. "How long has it been, Yoshino, since you fought beside your own team?"

"The Third Shinobi World War, that's when they died." Thinking on how long ago that was, it seemed almost as if it had all been a terrible dream. "I stopped taking missions after that. You know just as well as I do, Ino-Shika-Cho relies on incredibly strong bonds. That's why team members are more like a family than anything else."

"That's true, and we've done our best to raise our children the same way. Shikaku and Inoichi, like brothers of mine, would not approve of this." He said slowly. "I must support them. Especially so, I think, since they are no longer here."

"Like it or not, it doesn't matter what they would think." Yoshino murmured, quite unhappily at that. "We need Shikamaru to step up to his duties. That's all there is to it. I'm sure that the Yamanaka clan feels the same about Ino."

"Leave the boy alone, Yoshino." He said then. With a sigh, he lifted his hand to her back, feeling the tension that rested there. She was such a highly strung woman on the best of days. He couldn't fathom the loss she suffered. "If I must, I'll tell your clan's men to do the same. It's true that I have no say in your clan's proceedings, but, it's equally true that they respected Shikaku a great deal. I'd think they'd want what's best for his son, just as we all want what's best for Ino. They've only just come of age, decisions such as these shouldn't be done hastily."

Yoshino relented that fact, even if she herself was still deeply bothered by the situation at hand…

Shikamaru wasn't completely ignoring the facts though. He knew that Ino wasn't either. They just needed time, more of it than everyone else seemed to want them to have.

He flicked his eyes over to the blonde Suna ninja that had just arrived, dressed in her usual black kimono. If he had to find a bride quickly, he would rather have that bride be someone outside of the clan. Ideally, to appease his clan, she would be of notable birth. To appease his mother, who was an accomplished chunin herself, his future wife would need to be strong. Finally, she would have to be the independent sort. Someone who wouldn't mind being alone with his boisterous clan when he had to be away on missions.

He could think of no woman more suited to him than Temari no Sabaku. It helped even more that she was easy on the eyes, and that she didn't annoy him half as much as some of the other women he knew. Still, broaching the subject wasn't something he was particularly keen on.

Instead, he busied himself with the usual conversations that kept them both comfortably distant from anything too deep.

"Sounds like a coup d'état." He said as he listened to the news Temari brought from Sunagakure involving her youngest sibling. "The miners are probably up in arms because of the lack of mineral deposits. Even so, salt is still a major export, even if it's not as profitable as gold."

"It isn't as if we have much of that, either." Temari said with a shrug. "It may be one of our biggest exports, outside of our weapons trade, but both of those things come at a premium."

He nodded. "I take it that you've been taking more missions as a village to compensate."

"To a point." Temari nodded. "We incurred heavy losses in the war too, you know. S and A ranks are off limits until we can provide added security to the village."

"Which, are the most highly profitable for the trouble…" Shikamaru finished, realizing that Suna was indeed at risk. "B ranks don't sustain a village."

"They are our bread and butter right now." Temari said with a shrug. "It would be easier if we could send out more genin on D ranks. The problem is, Suna's desert isn't made for genin fresh out of the academy. An average D rank for us, well, it's probably more like a C or B rank for you. One day of bad weather could kill a newly formed squad outside of the walls."

"I'm sure that we'll figure something out. If anything, I'm sure there will be a lot more joint missions. All of our forces are hurting right now, they're even sending someone from Kumogakure to arrange a constant form of contact." Shikamaru led her to the apartment that she usually stayed at. Unlocking the door for her, he watched as she stepped inside. "Anyway, this is yours for the duration of your stay."

"Get in here already!" She barked, all but dragging him in herself as she closed the door behind her.

"Geeze," he said after he recovered, "you can be a pain in the butt."

"I don't get how." She told him, setting her fan aside.

"An escort doesn't usually follow their ward inside of their apartments." Shikamaru muttered as he averted his gaze and removed his sandals. "Moreover when escorting someone of the opposing gender."

"You and your stupid sense of propriety." She rolled her eyes, hardly finding the man to be a threat. It wouldn't do anything to benefit him. "I'd like to think we're on better terms than that."

He still shot her a dumfounded look regardless. "It's considered rude."

"The only reasons villages make that rule are to keep their visitors in line." She was already used to Konoha and its accommodations as she padded into the kitchen where a stocked fridge, compliments of the Hokage, waited for her. "You guys are too trusting of your visitors, but even you've got to draw the line somewhere." There was a kettle waiting to be used, and she wasted no time filling it with water and setting it on the burner to boil. "Besides, you've had a stick up your ass all day, and I want to know why."

"This some kind of interrogation?" He smirked.

"Nicest interrogation I've ever given, if you call it that." She placed an empty cup in front of him, and then set a cup down for her across the table. The kitchen was small, but all she would need for her short time in this village. She planned to go back home as soon as the Hokage finished reading and responding to a very clandestine scroll. "So what's eating you?"

He looked down at the table, studied the finely crafted cup, and managed to do so aloofly at that. "Nothing's eating me."

The squealing of the kettle cut through the air, and as she tossed in a few teabags to steep, and eyed the man in front of her wearily. "Looks like you haven't slept in days."

"So?" He retorted coolly. "Neither have you."

"I've been running like a bat out of hell." She punctuated this be dragging the chair away from the table and sitting in front of him. "You look like shit, Shikamaru. Got to admit, I expected you to…not look like that by now." She poured them both some tea, and lifted her cup to her lips, the liquid for too hot for her just yet. She set the cup down, looking at him. "You Konoha ninja, you all seem to bounce back from anything."

"I'm fine." As he said this, he wondered if she believe hm. Her upraised eyebrow spoke otherwise. "I'm tired, I'm pissed off, and these past few weeks have been hell." He offered a smirk at least. "Either way, I'm fine though."

"You can't get it out of your head, can you?" Her voice was so soft, that gentle husk of hers a rarity on his ears. It was almost timid in its assault. "Close your eyes, and you're back there again. Retracing your steps, hearing his words…thinking to yourself that you could've done better. That if you'd been smart enough, fast enough…strong enough…" Her shoulders slumped forward as she leaned heavily on the table. "Things could have ended differently."

"And what would you know about that?" Shikamaru asked, now leaning forward, trying to see that green eyed gaze once more.

"I know enough." She said, lifting the tea to her lips, this time sipping it cautiously. "We did the best we could, there's no retracing our steps. Just have to do better next time, that's all."

"It's always next time." Shikamaru admitted then. "I'm sick of it always being next time. Why can't it be now, for once?"

She managed a laugh. "Sounds like a personal problem."

He gulped his tea down, feeling it burn his throat. Problem was, it didn't seem to hurt enough, and nothing seemed to. He was so numb to everything, and all he wanted was to feel something again. "Aye, maybe it is."

"Then maybe you should man up then." Giving him the snarkiest look she could manage at the time, she tossed up that invisible wall she loved so much. "The world isn't going to wait for you to catch up."

It was the God's honest truth.

And, maybe that's why it was so hard to rip her gaze away from his. His dark eyes glimmering brightly in the dimming light of day, and the way he rested his head in his hand, that bored expression of his radiating off of him. Cocky, but timid too.

She'd always liked that about him.