Okay guys, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Remember to read the end notes; I'm enlisting Shikatema authors.

-o-

Chapter 14 – Foreign Territories

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Or; in which Shikamaru's goes through some bags, and bags some for his own.

Getting into the compound was relatively easy. Finding Hinata's room, however, was a bit harder. After some trial and error, they finally found the right hallway. Shikamaru noted in the back of his mind how extremely quiet the compound was, almost frighteningly so, but he shrugged it off when he felt Hinata's chakra flicker in silent recognition.

A second later a door opened and a hand motioned them to come in. Shikamaru and Temari shared a look, and then proceeded to enter. Inside the room they met with a rather large room, decorated with a regal taste Shikamaru knew he didn't possess.

Suddenly, a voice greeted them from the other side of the room. "You're here. I'm glad." Hinata spoke, not once stuttering. She was dressed in comfortable traveling clothing, donning a dark cloak on top of them to protect her from both the harsh desert sun as the cold Sunan nights. She sat amids several bags an scrolls, neatly organized and ready to be sealed away.

"Are you done?" He droned in his usual ANBU tone.

Hinata glanced at the packed bags and sighed. "Almost. I had a hard time figuring out what wouldn't be missed." She said.

"People are going to assume you left on a mission, so mission related things should be gone. The most important thing is that some seemingly personal things must be left here, signaling that you would return to them." Shikamaru explained whispering while his eyes took the entire room in, his fingers twitching.

"I wrote a fake diary for a few weeks in preparation." Hinata answered calmly. "Also, I left my flower pressing collection here. Most of the main branch know it is dear to me, and I would never leave it voluntarily behind."

Shikamaru nodded. "Good work. But let me inspect your bags for a moment."

Hinata looked uncomfortable for a moment, and Shikamaru could image that he wouldn't like it either if some stranger went through his most personal belongings. Yet, she stepped aside and said; "O-okay"

Taking one last suspicious look at the door before he kneeled down and opened the first bag. "Nobody takes so many clothing with them on a mission."

"but I'm not going on a mission." Hinata said, raising her hands in defense.

"But Hinata is." He explained irritated. "You won't need this, or this, or this." Shikamaru said, spitting through the bags content and taking some shirts and pants from them. "Do you really need more than one spare pair of shoes?"

"But, I like them." Hinata sputtered helplessly.

Just when Shikamaru was about to become a bit hostile, Temari came to his help. "You can't be seen wearing Konoha clothing anyway." She said to Hinata, dead serious. "I'll take you shopping as soon as you've settled down in Suna."

Hinata looked at her doubtfully. "Really?" Despite her doubt, she did allow Shikamaru to take the shoes out of the bag.

"My treat." Temari promised sugar sweetly, and Shikamaru thanked the heavens for her help when he took the next redundant piece of clothing and handed it back to Hinata. Before Hinata could protest, Temari fake inspected the it, and told her dismissively; "Now trust me, this kimono isn't soft as they make them in Suna. Besides, isn't it a little small on you?"

"I've had it for a long time." Hinata said in her defense, but the ANBU could easily see that Temari's gentle approach was doing wonders. "Okay, I can leave it here, I guess." Reluctantly, She took the kimono and gently folded it, and returned it to her closet.

"Thanks" Shikamaru whispered to Temari when Hinata had her back towards them. Temari smiled that secretive smile of hers, her eyes twinkling of joy, winking just once. Then, moments before Hinata faced them again, her face relaxed as if nothing had happened between them at all.

Deeming the bag's content okay, Shikamaru took the next bag and emptied it on the oak floor. The first thing that caught his eyes had them frowning. He picked up the silver frame, and met Hinata's eyes straight on. "You know you can't take this with you."

"But, that's the only family picture of both my parents I have!" Hinata shrieked desperately, her voice breaking in a plead.

"And do you take it with you every mission?" Shikamaru droned tonelessly and rolled his eyes, knowing what the answer was.

Hinata sputtered, pain in her eyes. Then she lunged forward and snatched the picture from Shikamaru's hands. "No, I won't leave this here. You can take my clothing, you can take my shoes, my weapons, but this I'm taking with me." She said, planting her feet firmly on the ground but close to tears.

"Do you take it with you?" Shikamaru repeated, this time more threateningly. "Answer me."

Brokenly, Hinata stroked the silver frame with her fingertips. "… no, I leave it on my bedside, so I have something come home to." She uttered softly.

"Then Hinata will want to return to it." Shikamaru explained, raising his hand in the air. "Hand it over." He added a little bit harsher than he had intended.

"NO!" Hinata shrieked back stubbornly, tears running from her eyes and her voice quivering.

Seeing her anger and her sadness, Shikamaru felt he'd had enough. "Don't even pretend that I'm the evil person here." He hissed to the soon-to-be-ex-heiress with narrowed eyes. "I never forced you to leave your family behind. This is your choice, the path you choose. I'm merely making sure you actually get to walk it. Don't blame me for something that you yourself are responsible for."

Hinata sighed painfully, and took one last look at the photograph. She kissed the woman's image, and let her running eyes glide over her father's smile. Then, she averted her eyes and without another tear placed it on the bedside.

Shikamaru and Temari shared a look, both knowing that despite Shikamaru's truthful words, Hiinata's choice was not one of a coward. They teamed up and spit through the rest of Hinata's belongings in minutes notice, reducing them to two bags. Hinata didn't protest again, but to her credit didn't shed another tear either while she returned everything Shikamaru and Temari couldn't fit in the bags to their rightful place.

When Shikamaru stepped aside, Hinata just nodded and without another word sealed her belongings into the scroll, and stored it in the inside of her cloak.

"Are you ready to go?" Shikamaru asked her one last time, and Hinata nodded. When their eyes met he could see that despite their redness, there was a strong determination in them. He in return nodded. "Okay, I'm presuming you and Temari prepared a proper clone?"

"Of course" Temari said, taking a scroll of her own out of her pockets, and handing it to Hinata. "Forbidden Technique from Suna. This scroll creates a bloodclone of the person who drops blood on it, without using an overload of chakra, but with all the benefits of a flesh body."

"And how long does this clone stay?" Shikamaru asked skeptically while Hinata unrolled the scroll carefully on the floor.

"That depends on the amount of blood the user sacrifices." Temari explained, eyeing Hinata warily. "And in this case, it's not going to be a bit. Another reason why I needed your help."

"That's rather ingenious." Shikamaru muttered to himself as he watched Hinata slice her own wrist open, spilling copious amounts of blood into the scroll, that in turn absorbed every drop greedily. The morbid scene was eventually stopped by Temari telling Hinata that it should be enough to make the clone last 5 days.

The second Hinata applied a small healing jutsu on her wrist, stopping the bleeding, the scroll started expelling a green sticky substance, that slowly took the shape of Hinata's body. When it was done, Temari and Shikamaru dressed the clone's nude body while Hinata instructed it, the only reason her cheeks weren't glowing in shame being her recent bloodloss. Professionally, they finished her up quickly and took one last look to see if there were any traces left that could give their plan away.

"Let's go." Said Hinata after telling her clone to say goodbye to her teammates for her before it would get 'killed in action'.

"Okay, now for the hard part; getting out without getting seen." "Which is virtually impossible in the house of the byakugan."

"Nobody can look through these walls. The compound's walls were designed to stop the byakugan to prevent a coup d'état."

"I figured as much considering the fact that people have broken into this house before without being noticed." Shikamaru replied, referring to Hinata's kidnapping. "Hell, otherwise I would have never voluntarily gotten in here in the first place! It's not these halls I'm worried about. It's after we're out of the compound. There isn't such a high traffic in the sewers, but if somebody's there, then that person is ANBU level."

Temari sighed. "We'll be careful." Hinata nodded sincerely in agreement.

"Just follow my lead and let Temari take the rear." "But until then, lead the way."

Without another word they left the room. Shikamaru felt somewhat awkward walking behind the ex-heiress without sneaking. He supposed it had become some sort of habit for him that kept his gut swirling.

"Stop!" A voice behind Temari, Shikamaru and Hinata suddenly yelled, and Shikamaru cursed under his breath, not slowing down for a second. Maybe sneaking had been a better plan. "As your superior I order you to stop running away from me!"

He intended to grab Hinata and to make a run for it, but he was too late, Hinata had already turned around and cried "Neji-nii-san!" Next to him he saw Temari rolling her eyes, but halt as well. Though Shikamaru's face was covered by his mask, Temari did not have such luck, and Hinata had already given herself away.

"Why are you kidnapping my cousin, Sabaku no Temari? Is Suna trying to betray us again?" The man said, while staring at her with glassy white eyes. Temari didn't answer him immediately, only released her hold on Hinata's hand. "I assure you that that is not the case." She then answered carefully.

"Nii-san!" Hinata interrupted Neji before he could make a snide remark. "They are not kidnapping me! I am going with them out of my own free will!" And with her eyes rimmed by red and the remnants of tears, Shikamaru was sure that that would sound very plausible to the other Hyuuga.

"Then why are you wearing travel clothes, Hinata-sama? And why are you leaving in the middle of the night, sneaking out of the compound in silence?" Neji said, pointing at her cloak and travel shoes, and the small bag she was carrying with her. Shikamaru resisted the urge to hit him and run away. Neji had already seen too much, but killing him just for that would be over the top. That, and it would create more of mess than this already was. So they needed another way to silence him. He shared a brief look with Temari, and knew what to do. "Did they brainwash you, Hinata-sama, or are you running away?"

Shikamaru gave Hinata a small push in the back, wish made it seem like she took a step forward, engaging the enemy, not running away. Which was quite ironic, in a way. "I am, nii-san. I'm leaving The clan. I'm leaving Konoha." She stuttered out.

To say Neji looked taking aback would have been a severe understatement. His translucent eyes widened almost comically, and his body language screamed shock. "No, you're not." He sputtered out. "Why would you? You have everything here!"

Hinata seemed to fidget for moment before she straightened her back and her resolve, and spoke with no uneven voice; "No, Nii-san, I don't. And I'm sorry b-but, this is my choice."

"No, no, you don't do this. This isn't like you, not like you at all." He kept sputtering, more to himself then to Hinata it seemed. Then, he turned to Temari, his visage this time retorted in pure venom. "You! What did you do to her?" He accused with a loud voice, loud enough to wake people. Shikamaru kept glancing around, praying for some luck. One Hyuuga prodigy he could handle, an enraged father would be quite a bit harder to manage.

Meanwhile, Temari was sweating bullets but not giving in an inch. "I'm helping her, you moron. Now shut up before you wake the entire compound." Is what she said, but her body spoke of something more threatening as one hand traced the hilt of her fan, suggesting an attack.

Neji got the hint, and slipped in to a basic gentle fist stance. "I'm a jounin, and I'll stop you from kidnapping my cousin." He said with a firm resolve and eerie eyes.

Temari didn't waste a second to unfold her miliairy fan. "This is not the time or the place, pretty boy, now move aside or I'll make you."

"Please Nii-san!" Hinata pleaded desperately, but her cousin didn't give in.

"Yes boy, listen to your cousin." Temari added tauntingly.

` ?

ggg"No, you listen to me. I'm a Jounin" Neji repeated with irritation in his voice. "I outrank you all, so I order you to tell me where you are taking my cousin."

Feeling that this was the right time to interfere, Shikamaru stepped forward, smirked and pulled off his mask, making sure Hinata could only see the back of his head. "I am an ANBU. And I command you to keep quiet. I command you-" He spoke in quiet, steady words, his eyes never leaving Neji's, his hands never out of the seal. Brainwashing Hinata? No, but her cousin would do. "to forget everything that happened tonight. You will return to your room, and go back to sleep. You have a mission tomorrow. It was all a dream." He finished, and Neji just nodded.

From a different perspective, it would seem that Neji was just very good at following orders. The genjutsu was small, subtle. It didn't remove the memories, only pushed them aside until the mind forgot them. It was very simple, too simple to be noticed by anyone. Neji turned around without saying another word and left for what Shikamaru assumed to be his room. Hinata looked kind of confused by her cousins strange behavior, but she was a smart girl and Shikamaru figured that she wouldn't mention it.

"Let's go." He said, returning the fake mask on its place. He missed the heavy weight of his real mask, and this henge was far from perfect, but it served it's purpose until he could convince Tenzou to actually replace his lost mask.

Temari and Hinata nodded, and this time, they did sneak through the halls, not once meeting another Hyuuga.

Their way out of the village went relatively easy. Shikamaru took the lead once they hit the sewers, and within 30 minutes they were standing outside of the village, their faces covered by the dark and their sounds covered by the raindrops that splattered into the soil like blood dripping from a mortal wound.

The forest was quiet, too quiet. Shikamaru, Temari and Hinata walked through the eastside of the forest without saying a word. While their journey so far could have been worse, their pace was slow and silent. Uncomfortable even, but it was not them that made the situation foreign.

It was the woods. The further they got away from Konoha, the more trees were uprooted, or even broken. Animals were howling and the leaves above them made silent, ominous sounds. The smell of decay hit his nose, and he stiffened slightly for a second, hyper sensitive.

"Something's wrong." Temari said, stating the obvious. A howling wind agreed, and Hinata was visibly suppressing the urge to activate her Byakugan. "Look" She said, and pointed at tree.

Claw marks were all over the tree bark, and Shikamaru couldn't help but see the something the others wouldn't notice. The tree's wounds had some lingering signs of chakra. A patch of blood on the bark confirmed his suspicions, but he kept quiet. He thought he heard a branch snapping a few times, but dismissed it as his 'healthy paranoia' .

Without getting even slightly less suspicious Shikamaru kept leading the three of them through the woods towards where he knew Suna was. When the sun had set at least an hour ago, he allowed them to halt. "Secure the location Hyuuga, please." He urged the Hyuuga, while he himself tried to detect any hidden presences in the near area. When Hinata released her byakugan with the confirmation that they truly were alone, only then he allowed them to settle down and set up a small camp.

As soon as the tents had been set up and they ate some of their supplies, Hinata left for bed, without words telling them that the emotional and physical strain of the day had gotten to her. Though Shikamaru figured the bloodloss had also something to do with it.

That left Shikamaru, Temari and a bonfire. "Lovely night isn't it?" Temari said almost awkwardly.

"Yeah, love all the stars up there. The closer we are to the desert, the more I can spot." Shikamaru replied, unlacing the ties of his mask and letting it fall off. "But to be honest, I can't wait to get this over with and just have a good night of sleep." To emphasis his words he stretched his back until his joints cracked.

He looked up to find Temari staring at his mask with strange eyes. "So, why the secrecy by the way?" She asked after a moment of silence. "I mean, your friends, family and teacher don't know an important part of your life. Doesn't that bug you? I can't believe that that's healthy for a relationship."

"Well, of course it would defy the point of wearing a mask if I would go flaunting around my identity." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly, imagining the point of wearing a mask if you told everyone you were in ANBU.

It seemed Temari did the same, seeing as she giggled somewhat. "You know what I mean, though."

Shikamaru sighed. Of course he did. He traced Hinata's chakra signature for a while, and figured she wouldn't be awake to hear him speak about it anyway. "Well, at first Tsunade forbid me from telling anybody. That was during my training period, in which was both a test if I could keep a secret and to keep up appearances. Also, my father would have pulled me out of ANBU the second he found out." He explained, trying to convey the need and his reasons in his words. "And after that period I was already so used to keeping it a secret that I kept it that way. It sure saves me a lot of trouble." He added.

Temari seemed to accept his words. "Maybe you should tell your parents. It would make everything a lot easier, I suppose."

"I ought to, yes," Shikamaru said, sighinig. This wasn't a conversation he'd like to have all day. Especially not on a day like this in a place he didn't trust. "I thought about it before. It's not that I'm reluctant to breach the rules a little bit. But I've waited too long. If they found out I've been active since I was 13, my father will go on a killing spree. Not to mention my mom."

Temari rolled her eyes at the exaggeration while the shadows of the bonfire traced her features. "Maybe, but that is your own fault for waiting so long." She said after a moment of contemplation. "Maybe if you explain why you kept it a secret, he will understand."

"Explain to my father?" Shikamaru said incredulously. "Have you ever met him? He is quite relaxed and carefree, but when it comes to his beliefs, he is extremely headstrong. Nobody 'explains' something to him. Especially since he has voiced his dislike for the organization on various occasions!"

Temari looked somewhat taken aback by his outburst. "I didn't know it ran that deep. How come, anyway? I thought it was a respected job?" She questioned awkwardly.

Shikamaru thought about it for a moment. "I don't know actually , I've never actually cared enough to ask. I might some day, if he brings it up. Otherwise he would just get suspicious." He really didn't know exactly why his father was so anti-ANBU, but then again, what they did wasn't always pretty.

"Oh, so that's where you got your paranoia from…" Temari commented playfully, once again that secret smile dominating her features and lightening her up among the unpredictable darkness of the trees. He smiled and poked her sides at that point that had everybody yelp in surprise.

"Hey! That was a compliment!" She yelled with mock anger, but never did the playfulness leave her eyes the way it did this afternoon in the compound. Not even when she asked more uncomfortable questions. "And how about your friends? Why didn't you tell them, or is that filed under the same category as your parents?"

First, Shikamaru just wanted to say 'because of how our families work', which was standard knowledge in Konoha. Then again, Temari wasn't from Konoha, as her bronzed skin told him. "Okay, being from Suna, you don't know this of course." He explained, his eyes watching the shadows dance across her face. "But our families have been teamed up for 16 generations. Our father's are best friends, our grandparents are best friends with each other and so on. If I told Ino, het father, who specializes in mindreading, would probably at some point get it out of her, if even on accident. And if he knew, than all three families would know."

"Traditions, traditions. Can't live with them, can't live without them." Temari muttered, understanding dawning upon her as the dark tree trunks swayed softly in the wind. "But why not just tell your other teammate? I'm sure mindreading sessions aren't a weekly affair between your families?"

"He's a good, honest guy. I trust him to keep a secret alright, but not from Ino. That, and she's also pretty good with the mindreading jutsu. I can keep her at bay in my mind, but Chouji isn't trained to hide information during an interrogation session."

"You really put a lot of thought into this." Temari concluded softly, barely loud enough to hear over the trickle of water flowing over rock in a nearby creek.

Dark leaves swaying in the summer wind didn't keep Shikamaru from moving a little bit closer. "Of course I did, that is what I do."

"A blessing in disguise, I presume." Temari said with that same mirth in her eyes, seemingly not minding at all.

Shikamaru shrugged. "If anything." He returned his eyes to the woman next to him, just in time to see her hide a shiver. "Hey, you're cold?"

Temari shrugged it off, and instead just scotched a little bit closer. "Just a bit. It's nothing really." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, and as on cue she shivered again. Defeated, Temari gestured at her bag dismissively. "Plus, I have a spare blanket in my bag."

Either being sweeped up by the mood or having a chivalrous moment, Shikamaru got up and got her bag. In the meantime Temari sat back relaxed, enjoying the atmosphere they'd created.

Then, suddenly, the mood changed and Temari sensed it as if it hit her in the face with her very own tessen.

"Temari" Came Shikamaru's voice from her left, chilly and nothing like the playful, lazy or dutiful tones she had come to know.

Temari gulped."Yes?"

Then Shikamaru's unmasked face turned to her, his long messy hair swaying in the ghostly wind, and his face the very picture of controlled rage. "What is my mask doing in your bag?" Shikmaru said in a carefully controlled tone making Temari get up to be able to defend herself in case of need.

"I kind of borrowed it." She replied, trying not to look too affected.

Then, the bomb exploded and within seconds Shikamaru was in front of her, sword drawn and eyes ablaze. "What, do you have any idea how much trouble that caused me? What gave you the fucking right to steal it?" He yelled, all shit he'd had to endure from his teacher flashing before his eyes. He gritted his teeth, trying to quell the urge to hit her hard.

"Vengeance, okay?" Temari yelled right back, Shikamaru's anger obviously getting to her. "And I presumed that if I had your mask you would follow me and help me save Gaara."

"So you decided to steal from your rescuer? Real bright Temari, real bright!" Shikamaru spit into her face, his sarcastic laughter echoing through the dark forest. "Were you even planning on returning it, ever? God, how can I trust you after this?"

Temari's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Shikamaru knew he'd had her angry now. "Oh, don't you fucking start about that." She hissed with pure venom dripping from her tongue. "God knows that if one of us is the secretive dishonest person, it is you, hypocrite."

Teammates or not, Shikamaru rammed Temari hard into the tree somewhat behind her. As the wood hit her back, Shikamaru saw her close her eyes tightly and bite down a yell, but he didn't care. He grabbed her shoulders harshly to keep her pinned against the tree, causing her to jerk her eyes open. Violent emotions swirled around in her eyes, but Shikamaru noted in the back of his mind that there was also some fear there.

"Anymore things you've been keeping from me, woman?" His voice was deadly low, and Temari's gulped, choking out a strangled 'no'.

At that answer Shikamaru released his grip on her throat. "I didn't…mean to." She spit out as she tried to breathe properly and wiggle her way out of his grip. But Shikamaru's hands were unrelenting.

The answer didn't make Shikamaru's anger. Instead, he pushed back against her shoulders, and tried to remain his calm as he spoke once again in ice cold anger slicing through the night sky "You took something that is mine, not only that. Something that I needed! After all I did was helping you. What right did your diluted head make up to allow you to take my mask?" He asked again, and he saw how his words were fueling her anger. She felt sorry, maybe even guilty, but apparently at being pinned down against a tree in repentance didn't quite compensate her mistakes. With one harsh move of her foot, Shikamaru nearly lost his balance and his grip.

"I didn't' commit a fucking murder! Yes, I 'stole' your mask. I was going to give it back right after we'd met again, but then I was shipped off to the hospital and honestly, I had other things on my mind!" "So fuck you, and let me go! I don't deserve this shit from you Shikamaru!" Shikamaru felt himself freeze up momentarily at the mention of his name, but then his temper flared back to life and he kicked he right back, making her wince all over again.

He was shaking from anger, rage and frustration and God it felt so good to just let it all out for once when somebody gave back as good as she got. Temari was, in all her anger and despite her postion, unrelenting. And, God, who the hell cared anyway?

Without any other thought Shikamaru pressed his full body weight into Temari as his lips met hers, aggressively pressing his lips against hers and just doing whatever felt right for those two seconds it took Temari to realize he had released her hands in favor to cup her face, and push him away.

"What the fuck Nara!" She shouted, and for a moment the implications got through the hazy mess that was Shikamaru's mind. They both stared at each other, breath stopped, eyes never leaving each other. Some of Shikamaru's murderous thoughts left his mind, but he was still seething.

"What?" He gritted out angrily

"You did that on purpose!" Temari accused, and then her own words dawned upon her as she took a minute to let it sink in. "Wait, wait, wait. You, argh! Oh what the hell" Shikamaru would never know exactly what it was that'd went through her mind that moment, but he definitely knew that this wasn't really new when she lunged forward instead and captured his lips with aggressive skill. Within seconds they were pressed together against a dead tree, trying to get as much bodily contact as possible while Shikamaru channeled all his frustration through his lips.

A feeling in his gut flared, and for once it was good. Temari wasted no time in prying his mouth open with her tongue, making him press her harder against the bark and trying to give back as good as he got. The feeling of her slipping her tongue underneath his made his toes curl, and he returned the gesture with surprising zealousness. He heard Temari sigh quietly into his mouth when the pressure of his hands finally slid away from her shoulders, and again felt it hitch when he moved them to cup her cheeks, kissing her more softly as the fire of anger had slowly been dissolved into a warm heat in his gut that fired their movements. He enjoyed her wandering hands, curious and carefull, as he dared to open his eyes. She looked content. Tilting his head slightly, he broke the kiss and looked her in the eye.

"I did mean to, this time." Temari said strongly, but Shikamaru could easily deduce that there was vulnerability behind that statement. He took the liberty of meeting her lips once more, this time more gently, tilting his head to taste her fully. It was impulsive and rather unlike either of them, but not unpleasant or completely unexpected. When he pulled back and opened his eyes again, there was a smile on her face this time. "For a long time, maybe."

" That's great." Shikamaru said non-commitically as he nuzzeled her neckline, all anger having left him. His mind was working overtime, but amindst the chaos, there was not that insecurity that he could read in Temari's eyes. He'd felt right when he did it. Wouldn't mind repeating it. That was enough for now.

Temari sighed, and Shikamaru figured it was in contentment. "I hope this isn't how you lose your aggression on a regular basis."

"I usually don't get this aggressive." He whispered in her neck. "Wouldn't mind making this a regular thing though."

Temari sighed again, and he felt her body relax underneath his once again. Softly she trailed her hands into his hair, and caress his head, coaxing him to look up. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and both made prepared to say something, deciding not to at the last second if their gaping mouths were any inclination. There was a lot unsaid, and a lot that was out there in the open that should be clarified, but for the moment Temari seemed to be content to meet him halfway in another kiss. It was short, open eyed and by no means not awkward, but it was good. When he deepened it a bit Temari made a pretty noise that send his thoughts reeling again. Encouraged he swiped his tongue over her upper lip again, gaining a similar result. When they parted that sweet, oh so secret smile was on Temari's lips again, only this time adorned with a pretty blush that made her seem nowhere near novice or innocent.

He took a step backwards, and helped Temari get off the tree. "Let's not wake the princess."

"Who's the princess here?" Temari said with a wide grin as they sat back down at the bonfire, this time sharing warmth as they leaned into each other.

Shikamaru faked thinking about it. "We're still in Konoha's territory, so she is." Then it hit him. "Shit, we're still in Konoha." Within seconds his instincts took over again and he scanned the area again, only to once again find it void of any potential enemies.

Looking back at his… partner, for the lack of better word, he found her rolling her eyes at him again.

"In my paranoia's defense; you were pretty loud." He retorted when she hid a smile behind her hand.

"I'll show you loud next time we spar." She said, the picture of dead serious in all but her eyes (and maybe her slightly swollen lips, but Shikamaru was still somewhat hesitant to let his thoughts linger there now he had sobered up)

"I'm looking forward to it." He answered, averting his eyes to the starlit sky above them. Just then, a bird approached them. He frowned and halted his step. That wasn't just any bird.

It was a hawk with a ribbon. A black ribbon.

"Is that a messenger hawk?" Temari asked as she followed his gaze. The bird was approaching quickly, eventually landing right in front of Shikamaru.

Shikamaru kneeled down and stretched his arm out, inviting the bird to hop on and deliver the message.

"From ANBU, for me, no doubt about it." Shikamaru concluded after he'd searched the bird for hidden messages. ANBU didn't do letters, too easy to intercept. But there was only a black ribbon, no fake or encrypted scrolls. And that, that made it that much more threatening.

"Does that mean…?" Temari asked, stroking the hawk. Shikamaru nodded and her face ashened. "That's way too early. The fake Hinata shouldn't have died yet, or at least not reported dead already."

" You wake Hinata, I'll pack our stuff." Shikamaru said, and Temari nodded, leaving right away for Hinata's tent.

Shikamaru wasted no time and extinguished the fire. "Get up, Hinata-san." He heard Temari say, waking the heiress. "We might be discovered."

Judging by her voice, Hinata didn't panic. "I'll pack my stuff immediately." Before she could come back, Shikamaru slipped his mask back on, feeling that trusted heavy weight take his features and feelings away once more.

Within minutes they'd assembled all their belongings and wiped their traces out. "Hinata, you go to the checkpoint. It shouldn't be too far from here, and Kazekage-sama is probably already waiting for you there. He'll accompany you the rest of your journey." Shikamaru explained to her, and she nodded.

Temari disagreed. "That's too dangerous! I'll go with her."

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, I need you to go back to Konoha with me to do some damage control. If I have to trace the Hyuuga Heir back to Konoha, you're going to help me create the perfect deception all the way." She did owe him a favor or two anyway, and god knew he needed help.

Temari seemed to remain skeptical, but perhaps their many experiences as team by now made her nod. "Okay."

Shikamaru held her gaze for a second. "Trust me." He almost demanded.

"I said okay, didn't I?" Temari said in feigned annoyance, and waved it off.

"I didn't say you didn't." He added, before turning towards the other person in the small clearing. "Well, Hyuuga. I think this is the last of our journeys together. It might not have always been a sweet ride, but it was a pleasure." He said, and offered his hand for her to shake.

Hinata smiled gratefully and took his hand with both of hers, shaking it. "The pleasure was mine, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru's eyes shot open and beside him, he could hear Temari suck in a breath. "Wh-Hu-Argh! How did you know it was me?" He cradled his head in his hands, pushing his mask up to reveal his flabbergasted face.

"You may hide your face, your scent, your chakra, but you can't hide your chakra pathways from a byakugan user, at least, not one who recognizes them." She answered without raising her voice or seeming affected by her revelation. She'd known for some time, it seemed. Probably from the very beginning. "Now, I thank you, for your support, your words, and your secrecy. I will return the favor."

He'd have to take that. Damn, that woman was troublesome. He'd known it from the very start. "That's…. great." He said somewhat awkwardly.

"We'll meet again, that I'm sure off." Hinata said, still smiling that damned pleasant smile. "Please look after Shino and Kiba for me."

"I will." Shikamaru yelled out, if only to keep her indebted to him.

That seemed to be enough for Hinata. She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and all emotional turmoil seemed to be gone."Now, we're in a hurry." She urged, and turned to his companion. "Temari-san, I'll see you soon. You owe me a shopping trip."

And with those words the Hyuuga-heiress turned around and sprinted towards the checkpoint, leaving Shikamaru and Temari behind, having underestimated her one final time.

"Well, that was…"

"Unexpected?" Temari filled in. "Understatement. Damn, I'm going to keep an eye on her once we're back in Suna. I don't trust her a bit." But despite her words, a smile graced her face.

-End of chapter 14-

Title explanation: Okay, so Shikamaru breaks into the Hyuuga compound, camps in a desolated part of the woods and makes out with his 'partner'. Pretty much foreign territory for our soon to be 17 year old, ne?

Romance & Kissing: Okay, so here is the theory that I'd had all along; two people who are both trained to be so on their toes and careful not to seem vulnerable, wouldn't just make the step from friends to more without a little push. In this case: mutual anger, frustration and that attraction with which they'd been toying for the past 13 chapters. I hope you weren't to surprised by the intensity or Shikamaru's enthusiasm, but as he explained himself, he had an uncharacteristic moment of … explosion. Anyway, I enjoyed writing it. I hope you liked the build-up as much as this… conclusion? Climax? Not quite, ne?

Next Chapter: In which the black ribbon will be explained and things once again, force Shikamaru to change his plans. This time only, it might just be a change that is there to stay. Also; next chapter marks the middle of the story, plot-wise, not chapter-wise.

Shikatema Secret Valentines Project: This is a call for all Shikatema writers out there. This year I'm organizing a spring exchange of Shikatema fanfiction called 'Video Games'. So, I you want to get a Shikatema fic for St. Valentines this year, and are willing to write a 5K+ work for somebody else in return, PM or review here. More info will follow on my FF homepage. Please join everybody, and spread the Shikatema Love!

Other stuff: Happy new year! I hope you guys enjoyed my present to you! Can I get your feetback in return? Love, Ellisama