With a simple word Temari unleashed her cover "KAI!"

Shikamaru fell on the ground, mouth agape and eyes spilling out of his face. In his front was the woman he badly wanted to see.

"T-Temari"

-------

"T-Temari"

Temari quickly turned her back, walking away. Leaving a pale Shikamaru amidst the alleyway. stomping, she fisted her hands and silently cursed the milk.

Her blood was boiling along with the sweating palms underneath the fist, itching to strangle someone to release the unfamiliar feeling that was building up in her insides. That's it, she thought. How can she get out of this situation? Why did she have to transform into another person in the first place? The reason; she has no idea.

She was stopped by a hand making her shiver slightly. A second later, she jolted; a late reaction. Jerking her hand away, she turned to face him.

"What?"

"Can we talk?" Shikamaru spurted slowly loosening his grip "even just for a minute or two"

It wasn't a surprising question, but it made her think critically, like she was in the middle of a battle between the strongest nin in the world. It's becoming a no-win situation, whichever the option she chose, he would still win. If she says yes, they would talk, otherwise he would ask again, pleading if needed, and in the end they would still talk.

But yes and no aren't the only answers in the world. She wanted to win this battle, even if it's not starting yet.

"what are we gonna talk about?" Her inner self smiled arrogantly making thumbs up.

Shikamaru was taken aback, involuntarily scratching the back of his head. He looked down, hiding his face in sheer embarrassment. Isn't it obvious? "a-about that thing" He looked back at her, emphasizing the word THAT.

Temari raised an eyebrow, as if innocent about THAT. "THAT? What's THAT?"

Her victory is becoming visible.

He stiffened. At his side, he was also trying to win this game, and using his ingenuity. Seems that she was after all doesn't want to talk. But he couldn't let that happen. After years of waiting, this might be the only chance.

He sighed. Smirked inwardly. "fine. If you don't want to talk, you could have told me so, it's not like I would plead…" he slouched his shoulders and placed his hands inside his pants' pockets. "I won't do something that troublesome"

Her blood became boiling once again. She thought she would win. But she was Sabaku no Temari. And she won't let go of her pride.

"I'll just buy milk! Then you do what you want"

Shikamaru wasn't a genius for nothing.

oOoOoOoO

He waited patiently outside the store, tapping his foot in slight annoyance. Although as troublesome as it looks, Shikamaru still has some pride left in him. He never wanted to look like a colored statue outside the dairy shop.

A minute later, she was back with a plastic bag showing two bottle heads.

"Can we go now?" he asked

"sure"

oOoO

Unable to create a better conversation, Shikamaru asked out of nowhere. "Where's your fan?"

"ah.. that" she said "I don't need it. I came here for a vacation, not to do a mission"

"I see"

Silence enveloped the two again. Shikamaru kicked a lone stone beneath his foot making him walk a step behind her. She was the same, except for the hair, it's down. Why didn't I notice it before? Idiot! It has gotten longer, really longer, mid-waist. I wonder if she still wears it in pigtails. Shikamaru's eyes move slowly up and paused at her breasts. His face reddened, quickly turning away and erasing the dirty thoughts that were slowly forming.

He quickened his pace, walking side to side with her now. Temari looked at him wondering what had gotten to him. "Shikamaru? You all right? You're red" She seized walking, raising her arms as she placed her palms on Shikamaru's forehead making the neckline of her kimono open slightly exposing the cleavage of her ample breast.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in embarrassment making him turn away and noticed that it has gotten bigger than before. Hey Idiot don't shy away! It's not like you didn't see it before. You even did IT numerous times! Remember?

"but you don't have a fever…" she said removing her hands away

"don't worry about it! It's just you know.. uh Hot! Yeah Hot!" He said waving his hands in front as a sign of no.

"I see" Temari smirked and muttered under her breath "Lazy pervert"

oOoOo a few minutes later…

The unlighted sign is coming into view now (It's morning so that's explains it). The sign which read Kumo inn with the fancy cloud decoration on top. The inn where she was staying, the place she left her son, their son for a moment.

"You should go now, the inn's right there, I'm fine by myself"

He tilted his head, looking at her questioningly. He asked where and she pointed at the sign. He mouthed the words 'kumo inn'.

"Come to think of it, I was just outside that inn yesterday sending a mysterious boy home"

She grew more suspicious. No, Suspicious isn't the right word. She knew it; they had met without her knowledge. Temari's hand began to tremble against the bottle of milk. The feeling to strangle someone returned.

"that's also the reason why I was waiting outside earlier. Then you had to copy that boy then boom, I bump into you an-" he went on sarcastically but was cut off by a confused Temari

"Would you like to talk for a while?"

He smirked without knowing why. Perhaps something good was about to happen. Or a thing that would complicate things further. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. But his senses told him that it would cause trouble. A problem which cannot be resolved by brains alone. But then, his heart was still racing and he doesn't the answers right now, maybe later.

"sure"

"Wait outside, I'll be back within a minute"

His heart was jumping out of his veins rapidly, he never felt this way before. Excitement, a foreign word. A sensation which forces him to jump and shout but chose not to do so out of shame. He cannot help but smile from ear to ear. Was it because he would be able to spend more time with her? That's part of it. But there was more. He didn't want to spoil things right now. He seized thinking and for the time being he wanted to be surprised and stop calculating everything.

He waited patiently outside. Shikamaru began to sweat as everything around him slowed in motion. He could see the stairs, her foot coming into vision and bit by bit the world is fast forwarding.

Someone tapped him in the shoulders. He finally woke up from his trance.

"Shikamaru?" Temari asked

He scratched his head automatically "Let's go"

oOoOoO

They continued to walk, With her a step behind. She noticed something, a necklace, gold. Temari smiled genuinely for years. Everything seemed to be complete. She never felt this way before. Ever since she brought forth Shiki. This time, she allowed herself to walk side by side with him.

His heart calmed down. "Where can we talk privately?"

"your choice" She replied nonchalantly

"my apartment?"

"how about her?"

"don't worry, nobody knows about this, even my parents, not even Chouji-" he cut himself off as he remember the only person who knows about his secret apartment. He continued disgustedly "Except him"

Him?Temari thought interested. But since she doesn't want to butt in anymore, she set him aside for a while.

They spoke of trivial things after the 'him' topic. About Suna, which he already knows seeing his job was still to escort any representative which came from Sunagakure. He asked when they would next meet, but she hesitates. That would mean walking around the town with him, meeting everyone again, rumors following the next day, that Shikamaru, a married man is dating the former liaison of Sunagakure, it would ruin both of their reputation, and that would also mean that the news would get to Ino. No one wants that.

She refused and said no shortly. Seeing that she badly wanted to say yes amidst the consequences he insisted, using a few stupid arguments which ended up for her to give in and say yes, because that was what she wanted to since the beginning.

"who's him?" Temari asked still completely curious

"him? I don't know if he would be classified as a friend or foe?" He said grimacing. Shikamaru shook his head, annoyed "never mind"

oOoOoO

The door creaked open and inside revealed a very plain looking room. It smelled abandoned having only a single sized bed and a lamp beside it. In the corner near the window was a center table equipped with a fine piece of furniture (for the sake of having one), a shougi board made of glass.

"I didn't know you fancy glassy ones" Temari said with a goofy grin

Shikamaru rolled his eyes "You know me too well. I don't waste my precious time just to buy a girlish board"

"so who is it from?"

"you don't wanna know" he said looking back at her having closing the door. "Ino" he confessed seeing the still curiosity.

Temari suppressed the urge to frown and surreptitiously squeezed a small amount of clothing on her side. "so why bother displaying it?"

"dunno. instinct Probably. Mind to play?"

"I don't"

oOoOoOoO

A few minutes had passed and not a single word was said. Only the occasional grunts and hmms.. and the clash of glass against glass could be heard. Temari, who apparently was slowly losing her pieces was sweating more than needed.

It wasn't long after her king was trapped.

"It's checkmate" Shikamaru stated, back falling flat against the floor, arms at the back of his head.

"as always" Temari, disappointed as she was, cannot help but feel nostalgic. She stood adjusting the up heaved garment and dusting the invisible dust.

"leaving so soon?"

She nodded "I need to"

"why?" he said "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"We can do that tomorrow"

"no"

"then tell me why not"

"you might leave"

Temari frowned at the accusation "I'm not like that Shikamaru. You should have known that"

"I'm just stating the possibility"

She rolled her eyes as she prepared to leave "I should be saying goodbye now"

"wait" Shikamaru hearing the word goodbye took the indication that she was really leaving despite his early protests. He stood up without even bothering to straighten out his vest and fixing his untangled hair and went straightforward to Temari.

And Without even thinking,

He grabbed her waist and placed his other hand at the back of her head, he tilted his head kissing her out of nowhere but his instinct

Temari, who was at that moment too shock to even move, was brought into a standstill. Although it was still a move out of pure instinct for the genius, he cannot help but realize what he had just done and is too shocked to even break the kiss or continue. He just happened to find out a moment later that an arm was wrapped around his neck and the other was caressing his face.

For some reason, he felt like stopping as the arms wrapped around him earlier departed to his chest, as her fists clenched squeezing an amount of his vest. Then he felt something wet rolled down his cheek.

He opened his eyes and quickly broke the kiss as the woman adjacent to him was trembling and was sort of like, sobbing.

"T-Temari" he backed away "I-didn't m-mean to- I-it was- I'm SORRY! I wasn't thinking!"

Temari disappeared into a poof of smoke leaving him in his apartment all alone as Feeling of regression and Longing poured all over him. He cursed himself. He shouldn't have done that!

He sat at the edge of his bed, raking his fingers in his hair.

Maybe 'he' was right.

Shortly, Shikamaru drifted off to sleep as he continued to muse about his conversation with him 3 years ago at the stag party.

oOoOoOoO

The day before the wedding was the stag party. Everyone was invited, rookie nine and team gai of course. There was just one person who didn't come and ignored the party, insisting on taking a mission while everyone of his friends are enjoying and partying. Akimichi Chouji

Sitting in the windowsill outside the room, all gloomy and blue with his lips turned upside so to pretend smiling whilst his eyes said otherwise. A long haired person came over him joining him in his place. He stood across Shikamaru holding a glass of water. Shikamaru shook him a questioning look when there are so many whisky inside and he was holding a ridiculous glass of water?

The new companion smirked, sensing his distaste, with the liquid he was holding. The genius asked him why he was there and his smirk grew wider. So annoying.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" He countered proudly

He ignored him and continued staring into space. Shikamaru noticed him sipped a bit as the ice clank with each other with the frequent stirring of his hand. God he was treating it like some wine.

His face became blank, he can't read it. A swift air passed between them stirring both their hair and shirts into motion. I wonder why he kept tying it like that. I mean it's useless binding it at the very ends. He could have tied it like mine. Properly and neatly.

"So that my hair would be a pineapple like yours?" He said all of a sudden sensing everything that passed through Shikamaru's his mind.

Shikamaru jolted from that remark. He never remembered saying anything or even making a face in front of his oh-so-gorgeous-and-looks-like-a-lady's hair. He laughed

"It's enough having 2 pineapples in this village. I don't to be added to that list"

That was the first time HE laughed that day. And it was also the first time He ever had a productive conversation with Hyuuga Neji.

A moment later, he asked "Why her all of a sudden?"

The subject made Shikamaru frown, he knew what he means but chose to be innocent. "I don't know what you mean"

This is Hyuuga Neji were talking about. This isn't Chouji whom I could really trust. But knowing him, he's quiet, much like Shino, except he doesn't sulk anytime.

Neji sipped again, this time finishing his glass "You know what I'm talking about Nara, don't act dumb, you're the only person smarter than me"

He scowled at the comment, ignoring him and didn't say anything.

"you're so lucky to have 2 women wooing over you" Neji looked at him form head to toe, as if criticizing him. "You're not even close to the likes of Uchiha which we both knew Ino and Temari's former thing"

Is this man saying that I'm ugly

"You're not even close to me" Neji earned a disgusted look form Shikamaru. He thought he was finished but he didn't plan on being quiet at that moment. " You're lucky to have Sabaku no Temari all by yourself" He placed the glass down the nearby table and crossed his arms. " To tell you honestly, Temari's my type, strong and intelligent and exceptionally beautiful, not to mention she's the sister of the kazekage. I don't think a man could ever ask for more"

I didn't know If I was to believe the words I actually heard that time. I didn't know if I wanted to sulk more or laugh my ass off by that unbelievable words. But in the end, I realized what he was saying. And I ended up busting out words which are not meant for other's ears

"You can have her now. She's not mine anymore"

"Don't let your mind speak for yourself" Neji looked at him and raised an aghast brow "WOudn't that be nasty? Sharing a woman with the likes of you?" "I doubt you'd be faith ful with Ino" he smirked again

"Tenten?"

I said without thinking. Maybe to make him off guard. I was never so irritated in my life and I never imagined that the person that would make that possible would be Hyuuga Neji.

He frowned, I made him frown! I wanted to jump that time. But then I didn't notice him already strapping back his ninsandals. He's going home. That was good.

"She's just a friend. Tenten is my former teammate and that would be that. We both know that"

HE stood up preparing to leave " I should be going Nara. May you have a very dire nightmare tonight! See you if ever you're still alive tomorrow"

Unfortunately for him, I'm still alive safe and sound. I didn't know Hyuuga Neji could be talkative at times.

oOoOoOoO

Temari's breathing became heavy as she arrived at the front door of their room. Opening it, she noticed that Shiki was standing right in front of her. The obvious resemblance of them are killing her and made her dropped to the floor and cry.

"mom what's wrong?" The little boy asked sadly, also wanting to cry, seeing his mom was never been this sad before.

Temari quickly seized the boy in front of him and embraced him tightly. "I love you baby" She muttered between sobs.

"We're leaving tomorrow"