It had been a couple of hours since Shikadai had come to the house to visit Himawari, but he still hadn't come down. Hinata hadn't heard a sound from them in a while either. She was growing worried.

She quickly made her way up the stairs, shooting a quick glance at her son's room. Not that he was in it, he was busy training with Mitsuki, ready to take revenge on his last opponent. Himawari's door was closed and Hinata took a moment to listen if she could hear something. Last thing she wanted was to walk in on her daughter during a private moment. Hinata couldn't hear anything, so she softly knocked on the door. No-one answered.

Quietly, Hinata opened the door, looking around the corner. A smile appeared on her face as she saw how her daughter was peacefully sleeping in the arms of the Nara boy, who looked equally as pleased and was also soundly sleeping.

Careful not to make a sound, Hinata made her way towards the bed and picked up Himawari's blanket, covering the two lovebirds before quickly making her way out of the room. She came just in time to prevent her husband from yelling that he was home, placing a finger on her lips. He shot her a questioning look.

"Maybe you should text Shikamaru that Shikadai is staying over tonight" was all she said, leaving her husband in visible confusion. But this was a secret he didn't need to know just yet.

Himawari woke up to the bright rays from an early morning sunshine and was met by a sweet smile from Shikadai.

"Hello my little sunflower" he said while kissing the top of her head. She snuggled up closer to him, feeling comfortable in his arms and not feeling ready to end this moment. He held on to her tightly. She shot him a loving smile and she could see how a blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Hey, Shika" she said, sleepiness still being present in her voice. "Did you sleep well?"

She felt how he nodded and she closed her eyes again, taking in every moment and enjoying his presence. She tilted her head, giving him a light kiss on his lips. She felt his smile appear and this little movement filled her with joy and love.

"I could do this every day" he answered against her lips, filling her with warmth. Just a few weeks ago, both of them were dying and yet here they were, laying in each other's arms. But she was still unsure of where they stood in their relationship.

"Shikadai?" Her question was met with a questioning sound from him. "What are we now?" She barely dared to look in his eyes, but did so anyway as she wanted to see his reaction. He looked surprised.

"What do you mean what are we? You're my girlfriend, right?" her heart skipped a beat and a smile appeared. "Yeah" she just said before snuggling back into his neck, missing the look filled with love Shikadai gave her.

"So what is your plan for that Ôtsutsuki?" he asked softly. Himawari stiffened up, surprised he figured her out so soon. She wanted to keep her plan a secret till she at least had a decent one. Shikadai chuckled, as if he could read her mind.

"I don't have a plan yet… More like an idea."

"Well… What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking about a sealing jutsu. I mean, we all know how difficult it truly is to kill an Ôtsutsuki… Just look at what happened with Kawaki… And what almost happened with my brother…" Shikadai seemed to think about her idea. He closed is eyes and frowned, burying himself deep inside his own mind. She knew he was analyzing to see if her idea could work.

"The idea itself is good…" he started, still frowning. He was unsure of something. "But?" she asked, hoping to further trigger his mind. "The problem is that I don't know if there is a sealing jutsu strong enough to seal the deal."

"Yeah… I've wondered that too. That's what all the books are for… But even the Uzumaki clan, famous for their sealing jutsu, don't have one that is powerful enough to seal an opponent this strong, without requiring one person to die for it… The only jutsu that seems to be useful for the job is the sun and moon seal, that my father and Sasuke used to seal away Kaguya Ôtsutsuki, but that one is out of the question…" her voice mellowed out at the end of her sentence. Even the thought of someone having to sacrifice him- or herself made her sick to her stomach. She knew it was part of the shinobi life, and she had seen some of her friends die during the Kawaki-incident, but she still felt awry about it. Himawari knew that their was a chance she would have to use a jutsu that would kill her or one of her comrades, but she would only use that as an absolute last resort.

"Do you know what?" Shikadai's voice snapped her out of her dark thoughts. Not all was lost yet. They still had so much information left to uncover. She looked in Shikadai's green eyes. They were bright and she knew he had come up with an idea. She smiled, eagerly awaiting for him to continue. "I can ask my dad if we can access the Nara clan library… I there is a sealing jutsu that can seal the deal without necessarily killing the user in the process, than it will be in our library."

Himawari's face lit up. She couldn't help it. The Nara clan's library was notorious, considered to be the greatest source of information in the world. It was rumored that they were in the possession of some unique books, without any other copy. This could be it! Shikadai reacted to her smile, tilting her face so she was facing him and planting a kiss on her lips, before getting out of her bed, grabbing his shoes and running back home, only taking a quick moment to yell at her that he would take care of it.

Shikadai rushed home, entering the house in a hurry. He didn't even notice his mother until she literally tackled him to the ground, that lost he was in his thoughts.

"Shikadai" his name came out off her mouth in a high pitched voice, that could not hide the excitement and relief. "I'm so glad you're safe." Temari nearly squeezed him to death, but he still managed to wrap his arms around his mother, holding her tight. The last few days were probably hell for her and he felt bad he had spent the night with Himawari instead of showing up home first.

"I'm sorry, mom" he said, looking sheepishly at his mother, who held him at arms-length. In response she just pulled him into another hug, confirming they were fine. For a short moment, Shikadai allowed himself to get lost in his mother's arms.

"Mom… Is dad home?"

"Yeah… He's in his study. Why?"

"I just have to ask him for a favor."

"Oh, alright…" Shikadai started making his way towards the study but was stopped in his tracks by his mother's voice: "By the way… How was Himawari?"

Shikadai felt himself turn bright red. Temari just looked at him with an amused look on her face, knowing that she had him cornered. She chuckled and wiggled with her eyebrows in a suggestive way before entering the kitchen, leaving him bedazzled in the hall. She wasn't done with him and he knew she wouldn't stop until he had fessed up every detail.

Shikadai took a moment to compose himself. His mother had already caught on to his relationship with Himawari, so it was more than likely his father knew as well. Shikadai just hoped he wouldn't interrupt his father during something important, but when he entered the room, Shikamaru was just smoking another cigarette.

"Aah.. Decided to come home, haven't you?" Shikadai let out his breath in relief. His father seemed to be more amused than anything else. He sat down next to Shikamaru, watching over their garden.

"I'm sorry, dad. I should have come home first." His father remained quiet, not reacting to Shikadai's apology. "Hey dad?" Shikamaru looked at him from the corner of his eye, showing Shikadai that he was indeed listening. "Would it be possible for me to enter our library?"

"Hmm… Does this has something to do with a certain purple haired girl?" Shikamaru looked at him suggestively, eagerly waiting for his response.

"Yes and no." Shikamaru pulled up his eyebrows in a questionable look, encouraging Shikadai to explain this cryptic answer. "It's true that Himawari needs information that could be found in our library, but it was my idea to ask you for it. She didn't even think of it."

"I see… You like her, don't you?" Shikamaru voice was soft, barely louder than a whisper. Shikadai just nodded, not daring to look in his father's eyes. "When you and Yodo got together a few years ago, I was so happy. The two of you reminded my of your mother and I back in our days… You kind of had the same dynamic. However… As time progressed it became clearer and cleared that you wouldn't work… After all, you're not me and Yodo wasn't you're mother. The funny thing is that I recognized so much of the things in my relationship with Temari in yours with Himawari…" Shikadai's eyes grew wide in surprise. Shikamaru quickly caught on to Shikadai's surprise. "Temari and I work because we are so different. Yet in a way we are the same. Just like you and Himawari."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Shikadai felt confused. He didn't quite get what his father was trying to tell him. It was true that his relationship with Himawari felt entirely different than his relationship with Yodo. With Yodo, everything felt like a battle and they always struggled to find something common. In the end, they were just too different and they split up amicable. Even thought there was no bad blood between them and the decision was mutual, Shikadai still struggled with the break-up when he found out Yodo had started a relationship with Shinki. Just as difficult his relationship with Yodo was, so easy was his relationship with Himawari. They just clicked and in her it felt like Shikadai had found his missing half. He finally started to understand what his father meant. Shikamaru smiled as he saw his son catch up to his philosophy.

"You see, Shikadai, you're mother and I, despite being so different in our ways, have one mayor thing in common. We think the same. And because of that, we're always able to keep each other on our toes. You and Himawari are the same… While you are rather lazy and try to avoid doing any kind of work, Himawari is hardworking, not afraid to spent hours trying to find a solution for a problem. However, both of you have a strategical mind and try to avoid conflict, or prevent it from escalating. While you can come over as a bit cold and distance, Himawari is warm and welcoming. The two of you form a perfect balance." A smile had formed on Shikadai's face as he was listening to his father speak about his girlfriend. He was glad his father approved of the relationship and it further strengthened his feelings for the girl.

"Well than it's good thing I asked her to be my girlfriend." He said that with a newfound confidence, not being ashamed anymore to reveal his blossoming relationship to his father, who smiled at him in surprise.

"Well, considering she's part of the family now, I guess I can give you permission to enter the library." Shikamaru slowly closed his eyes and continued smoking his cigarette, indicating that their conversation was over. Shikadai got up and with a final thank you for his father, he left the room.

- Enjoy reading-

disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters