The sky was in an ashen grey like a dead man's face, a light drizzle washed the ground.

All of the nobles gathered at the plaza right outside the Grand Hall, dressed in black, they held black umbrellas in their hands as the rainwater splattered onto the hems of their robes.

The lords and ladies said nothing, as the soldiers lifted the stone sarcophagus from the marble altar and walked in heavy steps, entering the dark mausoleum.

They emerged minutes later, as the heavy stone door closed behind them, locking the late King in one of the grand chambers in the royal mausoleum.

Each and everyone who attended the funeral held a white flower in their hand, and offered it on the marble altar in front of the mausoleum, alongside food and lit incense.

As the crowd slowly dispersed, Shikamaru approached Asuma, who had not said a word for the whole time. He approached him slowly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" His master turned around and smiled at him, gently brushing his hand off him with a nod.

"Don't worry about me, Shikamaru." He turned his warm brown eyes towards the mausoleum, his hands fidgeting as he took the smoking pipe from his sash. He took the pipe, and filled the vessel at its end with dried tobacco leaves.

He let out a long sigh after his match burned the leaves, smoke leaked from his lips.

Shikamaru stood next to him for quite some time, not saying a word, the master and student stood side by side in the rain, paying their respect to the late King in silence.

After quite some time, Asuma finally spoke.

"Who do you think will be the next King?" He asked his student, who stared absent-mindedly at the solemn mausoleum.

"It might be a queen," he sighed as he shrugged, yet his eyes blinked with a glint. "Troublesome as it is."

Asuma smiled at him thoughtfully. "A queen, huh?" He mused, turning around; he walked away step by step. "Anyway, I will see you tomorrow at your house for chess."

Without a word, he watched, as his master left the He knew exactly where his master was going – he was going to the courtesan house, to visit that woman he always avoided talking about, blushing when Ino demanded more details during their meal at the yakiniku house.

All Shikamaru knew was that she had crimson eyes, just like Sasuke, despite the fact that she was not an Uchiha – he once saw her on the streets, clinging to Asuma's arm as the couple walked side by side. It might be scandalous in the eyes of others, for the son of the King to walk hand in hand with a courtesan, but that did not matter to Asuma, for he was a man with a big heart, and he loved her.

It did not matter to Shikamaru, no matter what, Asuma would always be his master, and these protocols, manners were all so troublesome.

Follow your heart, always. His master's voice suddenly rang deep within his mind.

Regret is a very frightening thing, Asuma's voice lingered, he said it quite a few times, at different moments. Don't let it be part of your existence.

Asuma was never a wordy person – if he mentioned it so many times, it must be important.

His thought drifted to a certain someone, her green eyes flashing with her pearly white grin. He smiled involuntarily, and left the graveyard.


Temari sat on the ground of the veranda outside her room quietly; she stared as her servants swept the fallen leaves from the ground.

A few days had passed since the King's grand funeral. No one said anything for succession yet, no one dared – it was almost like déjà vu for her, the scene of her father's death reappearing before her eyes. Everything was unorganised, chaotic, a great country lost its leader, and now it searched frantically for a new one, like a chopped up viper searching for its lost head before whimpering its last breath away.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, feeling the light autumn breeze as it brushed past her face.

With a swift movement, she ducked, a flying blade almost missed her, and it was dripping in dark-coloured blood, a sign that it was coated in poison. Her servant gasped her last breath before crashing onto the ground, a pool of blood forming around her like a great red flower.

She studied the blade in a swift second, she had seen these small blades before, on the battlefield when she fought the Iwa soldiers.

Quickly, she ran into her room and took her battle fan in her hand, she steadied her breath – to be able to launch such an attack; the assailant had probably taken down the guards already.

Before anything else, she was faced with a tall man, his face covered. The man muttered something illegible, he spoke in Iwanian words, which she could not understand; but his body language was clear – he wanted her dead, or worse.

"If I get you, Suna will surrender." He squeezed out a few Sunan words with a heavy accent, Temari smiled at him coldly.

"That is, if you do." She lunged forward, the fan acting like a baton. She swung it across his head, he dodged and charged forward, a blade in his hand.

She quickly opened her fan and blocked the blade with the metallic surface.

The assailant leapt away; Temari swung her fan, a gust of wind pushed him out to the courtyard, visible cuts appeared on his dark clothing.

"To attempt an assassination in broad daylight – you are something else," Temari smirked. The assassin sucked his teeth, Temari prepared for the final move, her muscles tensed up as she held her fan high.

At that moment, another blade came flying, the assassin was not alone; she blocked the blade with her fan. There was a sudden change of air behind her, she realised that there was a third assassin, his flying blade approaching her like a silver viper.

It was too late, she would not be able to dodge or block it. The best she could do was try to prevent the blade from hitting any vital points.

At that moment, a sudden push threw her out of the way.

A scowl in pain rang in her ears soon after, she steadied herself and pressed herself off the ground.

"Troublesome," the man muttered, as he pressed onto the gash on his shoulder, blood seeping from his wound. Temari noticed that the shadow from his feet extended and linked itself to the visible assassin. "Come out now, before I send your friend here to hell."

Temari stood up behind his back. "Why are you here?"

"Let's just finish this before anything." He sucked his teeth, the shadow from the assassin's feet slowly crept up his body in form of a hand, slowly approaching his neck. "Are you ready to die?"

The sound of guards approaching became more audible. The assassin's face curled up in pain, as he struggled to break free from the shadow holding him. He struggled as he spat out his tongue, and with all the might he had, he bit down onto the flesh, blood splattered around his face, he had a glint of satisfaction as his own blood drowned him.

Shikamaru's shadow retracted as the man collapsed into a pool of blood.

He pressed onto his wound hardly, as the guards approached.

"Young lord Nara," they dipped his head at him. "We searched all around, no sign of other assassins."

"Secure the mansion," he ordered, and walked towards the room. His hand guiding the way along the wall, he gasped for breath as he sat onto the chair.

Temari's eyes widened in realisation. Poison.

Immediately, she rushed to the corpse of the assassin, scrambling through the pocket, she took everything and rushed into the room.

"Lie down," she dropped all the items on the table, and helped Shikamaru up. She moved him to the bed and helped him lie down. Turning around, she called one of her servants. "Find a physician, fetch some hot water and towels."

She turned towards the table and studied the content, two bottles caught her eye. The two bottles were of similar colour, Temari frowned, not sure which was the poison and which was the antidote.

Something struck her mind, she rushed to her dressing table, and scrambled around, boxes fell onto the ground, glass bottles smashing into pieces. She took out a elegantly decorated box and took it out.

Opening it – it was the hairpin he gave to her just a few days ago. She took the first bottle and opened it, dipping the pin inside, she saw the pointy end of the pin slowly turning into black.

Wiping it clean, she repeated the same with the second bottle; it also turned black.

Temari frowned, putting down whatever was on her hand; she turned and looked at the man lying down on her bed.

The servant rushed in with a pan of hot water, Temari dipped the towel into the water and pressed the moist cloth gently against his wound.

"Fetch more towels, and ask the physician to hurry." She ordered as the servant ran away with a nod. She took the hairpin and sampled a bit of his blood – the blood remained crimson red – a sign that the poison had not affected him too much; she sighed in relief, yet she was not relaxed just yet.

Temari pressed another clean towel onto his face, wiping off the sweat dripping along his face. "You idiot," she said, as she cleaned his wound. "You don't have to."

"Troublesome," he muttered, as he pressed himself up. "I can't let you get hurt, can't I?" He frowned in pain, and pressed on his wound.

Temari bit onto her lip, her hands resting on the side of the bed. "For someone smart, you are pretty stupid."

He laughed painfully, and closed his eyes as he shook his head.

Temari backed out of the room as the physician arrived and treated his wound, as she waited impatiently, the sun began to descend from the middle of the sky.

As the sliding door opened, she walked up to the physician.

"Your Highness," the old man dipped his head.

"How is he doing?" She tried to maintain her poise, but the worry in her voice was burning.

"The wound was not deep," he said slowly. "And the poison is not serious, I have drained it from him – he should be able to recover in a few days with the antidote, and the supplement medication."

"Thank you," she nodded at the old man, and turned at her servant. "Get the medication with the physician."

She walked back into the room, Shikamaru sat on the bed - his upper body was naked as he leaned against the headboard. He smiled at her as she walked inside and sat beside him on the bed. She said nothing, staring at him with her green eyes, a frown clouding her face.

"Are you going to keep looking at me like that?" He smirked, her gaze rested upon his face.

"You saved me again," she said softly. "Thank you. I owe you my life twice."

"Don't mention it," he sighed softly. "I just so happen to be here, anyone would have done that."

Temari knew fairly that it was a lie – why would you risk your life for someone unimportant to you? She would not do that.

She stared at him, her emerald eyes full of warmth, gratefulness. Something about his presence warms her heart; the thought of losing him just now, it was almost unbearable.

This man, a few years her junior, demonstrated the temperament beyond his years, wise, brave and caring.

This man saved her twice, risked his life for her.

Temari thought that it would be impossible for her to forget him.

"Oi," he said, almost stammering. "St-stop looking at me that way, it's …"

"Troublesome?" She asked, with a smile on her face, she leaned closer, his face turned ruddier, almost like a red apple hanging on the tree, ripe and waiting to be picked from the branch.

Before he could say anything, all he could see was a close up of her face.

Her soft, supple lips covered his, for a few seconds, he stared, too stunned to move.

She parted from him after lingering for a few seconds, with a smile on her face she stood up. "I have sent a messenger to the Nara house, you should just … do what you do best."

His hand held her by the wrist and pulled her back down. Before she could complain, his hand cupped her face, his lips gently covering his, his tongue sliding past her teeth and entwining with her tongue.

She tried to push him away, but her initial resistance broke down, her hands gently wrapped around his neck, for a few seconds, before she slipped away, gasping for breath.

"How…how dare you," she said, a playful glint shining in her feinted glare, still gasping for breath. "I will make you pay for this."

He smirked at her. "You started this first, your Highness." Her red, angry expression was strangely attractive, the intensity of her glare, the pouting of her lips … he was mesmerised by the angry maiden in front of him. "Besides, I don't regret doing it, this or saving your life – you are to die for."

She glared at him for a few seconds, before bursting into a wide grin.

He stared at her longingly, his hand slowly reaching out and touching hers, she flinched a little, but said nothing as his fingers enveloped her hand.

She said nothing, her smile constant on her face; the two of them stared at each other, their hands entwined together.

A cough outside the sliding door broke the pink bubble surrounding the couple.

"Your Highness, a Master Akimichi is here."

Temari arched an eyebrow, her suspicion curbed by an affirming hand resting on her shoulder.

"It's my friend Choji," Shikamaru smiled at her, as she helped him stand up. She gently draped his robes around his body, wrapping him in tightly.

Her hands gently tied the sash around his waist; he studied her silently as she did.

She was taken by surprise when he pulled her in, wrapping his uninjured arm around her body, she gasped and looked into his eyes – they were level-headed, that reminded her that he was younger than her.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "Try not to get yourself killed when I am not around."

Temari rolled her eyes with a smile, her hand gently moving towards his forehead and flicked her finger against it.

"Ouch," he muttered, his other hand rubbing the spot. "What did you do that for?"

"Tch, don't get yourself killed, stupid crybaby." Temari grinned at him, parting from his embrace, she walked up to the sliding door. "Let's go meet your friend, shall we?"

He smiled as he followed her, getting his sword in his hand. "Troublesome."

His friend sat in the meeting hall, anxiously fidgeting as he approached with the blonde woman.

"Shikamaru! Are you alright?" He rushed towards him, only hastily stopping his steps and nodded quickly at Temari. "Your Highness."

"You must be Lord Akimichi," she smiled at him. He uttered a grunt as reply, before turning to his friend. "Are you alright? Have you been treated?"

"Choji," Shikamaru sighed, his hand rubbing his forehead. "I am fine, I have got antidote and supplements, should be fine in a few days."

"I have heard what had happened, must be a terrible experience to you, Your Highness," Choji remembered that he was in the presence of foreign royalty, and addressed her as any young lord would. "They have already doubled the number of guards, knowing that no one could arrange things at this time…"

"Indeed, fortunately Shi-" She paused with a smile on her face. "Fortunately, young lord Nara just passed by and saved me, again."

Choji nodded, when Shikamaru looked at her, his gaze peculiar.

"If you need anything, send word to the Nara house," Shikamaru said nonchalantly. "Your Highness." He ended his words with a smile.

"Come on now, your father is worried." Choji dipped his head at Temari, before nudging Shikamaru forward.

He turned one last gaze upon her, her smile illuminating as he left through the door.

As his shape disappeared from the door, the sound of hammering hooves distancing from the house, she touched her lips, a slight static emerged as she relived the moment when his lips touched her. She smiled.

Likewise, she has no regrets.

A gentle blossom flourished in the heart of the Princess; perhaps in this world of cold and darkness, she had finally found a warm light of her own.

Love.


Author's note:

Finally (drumroll) - the official beginning of Shikatema :D

I hope you enjoy this! I put a lot of effort in trying to perfect this story, it is more complicated than Chains, and has even more twists than it (hopefully not making y'all have heart attacks)

Anyways, read and review! xoxo

V.S.V