Shikamaru stared at this girl in front of him, aged eighteen, she was just a few years older than Shikadai - this girl confessing her love towards him.

He was not sure what was happening.

"I love you, Shika-nii," Mirai wiped away the tears rolling down her face. "I...I thought, if you realise that there is someone else that loves you, you would be able to step out of the shadow that Temari nee-san casted upon you…"

"Mirai," he said softly, keeping his distance from her. "I have never thought of you other than my little sister; your father was my mentor…"

"But he wasn't there, when you were." Mirai looked up at him with tearful red eyes. "I...I did not know how to express this, but all I wanted was to be with you, Shika-nii."

"Mirai," Shikamaru shook his head. "Is this the reason why you told me about Temari?"

He was not trying to blame the girl in front of him for ruining his marriage, or at least its facade for him, to some extent, he was thankful that Mirai told him, or else god knows how long it would take before he would know.

"I…" Mirai seemed to be swallowing some of her words. "She should have treasured your love, Shika-nii, I … I couldn't bear to see her like that, enjoying your love while being with another man, I…" She gritted her teeth, as the sky began to hum a gentle roar. "If she wants to be with another man, she should let you go."

Shikamaru looked at her, shocked, confused, he was not sure what he was thinking. "It is not like that. You don't understand."

"But why? You told me that I am your favourite, didn't you?" Mirai walked over, and held Shikamaru's hand in hers. "Shika-nii, why can't you accept me?"

Shikamaru did not realise that Mirai had grown into a young woman until now.

She had always been that little girl, the little girl whose father died because of him.

He spent quite a lot of his time, babysitting her, playing with her - he felt that it was his obligation, that it was his responsibility to give him a complete childhood.

Not in his wildest imagination had he thought that this would be happening.

"Mirai!" He shook her hand off abruptly. "You are young, and confused about your feelings - this is not romantic love, it is not supposed to be like this."

"I know what I am feeling!" She screeched, as she charged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Shikamaru. "I am sure of it, why can't you accept me?"

"I am a married man, Mirai," Shikamaru tried to shake her off. "The only one that I love is my wife, and no one else."

He attempted to shake her off, but she refused to release him.

"I don't understand, if she can love Kakashi-san, why can't I love you?" She buried her face into his chest, sobbing onto him.

"I understand that you have a poor childhood without your father, you are confused, Mirai." He shook her off again, staring into her teary red eyes, he held her gently at the shoulders. "I love you, Mirai, like a little sister - it is different from the love I have for Temari."

He stared into her red eyes, with his dark obsidian orbs. "I don't expect you to understand everything right now - I know it for myself." He shrugged with a soft laugh. "We can talk about this later, but now, I have to find Temari."

With a gentle pat on her shoulders, he stepped into his car hastily.

Mirai stood there like a statue as Shikamaru started the engine of his car and drove away.

Raindrops began to fall, as his car strolled on.

The water splashed on the windscreen of his car, as he raced to find her.

He wondered if she had brought an umbrella with her, or was she shivering in the cold.

The bluetooth device he wore began to beep, he pressed onto his ear. "Hello."

'"Dad, where are you right now? Yodo and I had went to the usual spots that mom would go, I even called Uncle Gaara and Kankuro, they said she haven't contacted them."

"I see," Shikamaru replied. "Do you guys need a ride anywhere?"

"We are not sure where to go next."

"Shikadai, I want you and Yodo to get back home and wait for me," he said. "You have already done enough, what remains is between your mom and me, we will have to sort it out ourselves."

There was a brief silence on the other side of the phone, before Shikadai spoke again.

"You promise that you two will talk it out?"

"Yes," Shikamaru replied. "Even if we don't get to talk yet, I will bring her home first."

"You promise?"

'I promise." He smiled as if his son could see him through the phone.

He ended the call, as he began to drive through the streets, and through his own memories.

Knowing her, she would be somewhere that they shared memories, but there was one place that burned in his mind.

She sat at the edge, the breeze hit her face, trying to blow her sense back amidst the alcohol.

Her naked feet dangled in the air, she stared down, the cars bustled on the road like tiny ants, the distance of her and the ground seemed so close, yet so far at the same time.

As she looked up again, she thought about everything.

From her distorted childhood, her abusive relationship with Hidan … she thought that after everything she had been through, she would finally be able to find her own happiness.

For some time, she thought she had everything in this world - her life was perfect, a loving husband, an adorable son and everything she needed in her life. Everything was perfect …

Until life happened.

Temari closed her eyes - she knew she was wrong, it all started as a mistake…

Perhaps this was the only way, she opened her eyes again, as she stared down at the ground, she bit her lip.

A strange force seemed to draw her closer to the ground, by the second.

This was the same place, almost eighteen years ago, when she waited for him to defuse the situation with Ino.

Funny how things have changed, after all these time - Ino became her psychologist, treating her volatile depression - how strange it was for the two of them to become friends.

As for her, she took Ino's place, sitting here, contemplating death.

She thought she saw her former self, looking at her with her lively green eyes.

Is it possible for her to return to her former self - all she needed to do was to take a leap, a leap of faith… a tiny voice rang in her head. All you have to do was to move forward, just a little bit..

She stared, in her mind, faces began to appear - her brothers, Kankuro's laughing face, Gaara's soft smile… then it slowly morphed into the face of Shikadai, from when he was a small baby, yawning in her arms, to a young child on his first day to school, to his nonchalant, teenage face, his green eyes shining like hers.

And then, it was his. She raised her hand and traced his face in her memory, his dark, shoulder-length hair, slit-like eyes and straight nose, she thought she could see him, lazily gazing upon her, smiling with his thin lips.

He stared back at her, a glass of Martini in his hand. "Vodka, huh? How troublesome."

The first time she kissed him before she left his house after their intimate encounter, his sleeping face unaware of the intimate touch; how he blushed when she teased him in the elevator of the office…

That time, he held her in the rain in Kiri, unwilling to let her go; how he pledged his love once more, at the hospital.

And how he made her fall for him, on this very building she was sitting on right now.

But it was all over now, isn't it?
Even he is leaving her, it was her fault. She had no one else to blame.

She closed her eyes, the sound around her began to fade.

She leaned forward.

Perhaps falling for herself was the best thing to do right now.

Author's note:

CLIFFHANGER ... well I hope you guys have a great Christmas, enjoy and stay tuned xoxo

V.S.V