Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters involved nor anything related to the Naruto universe. This is a non profit fanfiction.

Pairing: Shikamaru x Temari

Rating: M

Context: Takes place after the war, shortly before their wedding. This fanfiction isn't outright a sequel to The wind's shadow and Something Blue (two other ShikaxTema oneshots I wrote), in that you can read it on its own, but it does follow the canon established in these two oneshots.

Author's notes: If you liked it (or if you didn't, I'm open to constructive criticism), consider leaving a review! If you liked it and want more ShikaxTema, SasuxSaku, and potentially SaixIno, consider checking my profile and adding me to your alerts because I'm on a oneshot roll lately, so putting alerts on the stories themselves won't do much.

Anniversary

"Shikamaru will arrive tomorrow," Temari casually said, "To spend a few days here with me. Then we'll leave for Konoha for the wedding."

"We'll have a room ready for him," an old kunoichi assured her. "Befitting his status as a guest of honour."

Of course, they meant that room would conveniently be as far from hers as it possibly could, like any other time he had visited - as if that could stop shinobis of their caliber. The other elders around the table nodded in agreement, but when they saw Temari roll her teal eyes, Gaara and Kankuro both knew that shit wasn't going to fly this time.

They knew their elder sister by heart, after all. Refusal in three, two, one...

"No need," she said. "He'll share mine."

Some of the elders nearly had a heart attack on their seats, and Kankuro crossed his arm, held back a smirk and watched the situation unfold as he leaned back in his seat on Gaara's right side. This would be entertaining, no doubt. Temari versus the conservative elders

His money was confidently on Temari.

"You can't do that," one of them objected, "Y-you're not married yet! Your purity would be heavily questioned."

"Purity?" Temari repeated after him.

Visibly annoyed, she glanced at Kankuro, who seemingly was having the time of his life.

"Is he trying to refer to my virginity without actually saying virginity?"

"Definitely," her brother replied.

"Oh boy," Temari rolled her eyes, "How sweet. I'll have you know that this ship sailed a long time ago."

Kankuro chuckled, seeing from the corner of his eye Gaara doing his absolute best to hold back his own laugher, seeing the reaction that Temari's blunteness was earning. The elders seemed shocked, almost comically so. Kankuro could hardly blame them: they were familiar with polite, dignitary Temari - the facade. They had yet to encounter the real Temari, who was just a few days from never again being involved in their politics, which had been overbearing in her eyes, trying to decide for her who was an appropriate husband and who was not, and who thus had very little fucks to give and a zero tolerance policy when it came to bullshit.

"Well, I'm glad that's out of the way," she grinned. "Anything else for the council?"

"Y-you can't just-"

"Oh, I can. Besides, you give him a room, he'll sneak to mine, or I'll sneak to his - we are shinobis, need I remind you. It really saves time. So, next topic?"

An elder, who had yet to speak, cleared his throat.

"There is also the matter of the wedding itself."

Kankuro saw Temari repress a groan.

"You have yet to decide who will walk you to him."

"I was thinking Gaara - in fact, he already accepted."

The Kazekage nodded in agreement.

"You can't have the Kazekage take you to your new husband."

"He's my brother - he was my brother long before he was Kazekage."

"Politically speaking-"

The blonde sighed.

"If this council could stop treating my wedding like a political affair, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"But it is a political affair," the female elder insisted, "You are the daughter of the previous Lord Kazekage, the sister of our current Kazekage, and Shikamaru Nara is a member of a greatly respected clan in Konoha - this is no ordinary wedding."

"I won't have any of you, or someone you cherry picked, be involved in my wedding ceremony - I'll walk my damn self to him if I have to."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm a jonin. I have legs. I fought a war. I'm fairly confident I can walk myself to Shikamaru."

As entertaining as this was, Kankuro didn't exactly want tension to escalate any further.

"Will I do?" he offered. "I am not our Kazekage, and I'm also your brother."

"This would be an acceptable compromise."

The other elders nodded in agreement, and Temari exchanged a quick glance with Kankuro. Thank you, her teal eyes said.

Now they could finally move on to another topic.

Temari's bedroom was basked in the warm light of sunset: the sun was about to go to sleep, and given that this meant the temperature would drop to more comfortable levels, that was a relief - for Shikamaru, at least. He knew better than to complain about the ridiculous heat of her village of origin when she kissed him, as soon as the door had closed with them alone in the room. He also wondered still how he had been allowed to share her room this time; their marriage was imminent, but he did no think that was enough to loosen the elders - not that he could find it in him to care about the conservative old farts, now that Temari was kissing him so fiercely, her hands unbuckling his belt.

He led her towards the bed, their clothes flying to the floor on their way there, and soon she was under him on the bed, as naked as he was, kissing him deeply and digging her fingers in his thick, spiky dark hair. Shikamaru kissed his way down to her neck, drawing pleasured sighs from her. She dug her fingers in his thick ponytail, throwing her head back to grant his lips and tongue better access to the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Shikamaru," she moaned when his hand slid down her stomach, his fingers playing with her.

There was an erotic whimper from her - his fingers felt so good, sending jolts of pleasure through her athletic body as he rubbing her ever so delightfully, his teasing on her neck giving her goosebumps all over. She pulled him closer, her body shifting impatiently under him, her legs going around him. He got her message loud and clear, straightening his upper body and readjusting his position so he could push into her.

Temari threw her head back in the soft pillows, and there was a define hitch in her breathing when he entered her, filling her in all the right ways. Fuck, that was good. She reopened her eyes just in time to see his head thrown back, a satisfied, almost relieved expression on his face; she always loved that she was making him feel good. He leaned forward, kissing her deeply as he thrust into her, their ardent kiss muffling moans from her. He went on to trail butterfly kisses down her jawline to her neck, one of his hand gently playing with one of her breasts, adding to the pleasured chills coursing through her body.

She held him lovingly, her fingers on his scalp and her body moving in tandem with his, until he straightened his upper body again, his grip on her hips firmer as he pushed into her with increased vigor. Temari was moaning loudly, wantonly arching her back to feel more of him, to allow him a little bit deeper. She knew his fingers were digging in her hips enough to bruise her skin, but she did not care, in fact, she was begging for more, her hand going between her legs on its own accord. Lost in what her body was feeling, the blonde was rubbing herself now, playing with the overly sensitive bundle of nerves between her fingers as her soon-to-be husband fucked her deeply. She felt his grip getting tighter - she knew how much seeing her touch herself turned him on, so that was a nice bonus.

She saw him throw his head back once more, his thrusts in her becoming jerkier, more erratic as he came undone, riding his orgasm, and the sight of him was enough to push her over the edge as well, her whole body trembling as the waves crashed onto her, her loud moans filling the room. She felt his hand on hers, adding pressure as she rocked her hips against her fingers, adding to the pleasure that was overwhelming her body.

The sun was set now. Still panting after coming down from cloud nine, her heart pounding in her chest, she pulled him closer, stealing a slow, lazy kiss from him. Shikamaru kissed her back eagerly, before rolling off her, cuddling her lovingly. Temari knew he was about to fall asleep, and given how early they were leaving the day after, it was not a bad idea at all. A faint smile lingering on her lips, she snuggled herself against him, feeling perfectly comfortable in his arms, and she quickly fell asleep alongside him.

The night was much cooler than the day had been, something that was quite welcome for Shikamaru. Now he understood why Temari swore by cold showers all the time. He would too, if he spent his days under such blistering heat all the time. What good was a sunny day if it was too damn hot to lay outside without risking being burned to a crisp? Suna was really something else, and boy was he glad Temari would be the one to move to Konoha after the wedding, and not him to Suna. Frankly, he likely would not survive. But the night was cool, even a bit chilly, which was much more comfortable.

He sighed, glancing up at the stary sky from the large balcony of Temari's room as he played with a silvery lighter. The moon was a thin crescent, barely giving any light to the quiet village, but there was not a single cloud in the night sky, and Shikamaru let his eyes lazily wander through the shiny dots. He stopped after a short while, glancing at Temari who was sleeping in her bed, cuddling her pillow with a faint smile curving her lips. He turned away again, reaching in his pocket; Temari hated it - all of it, the sight, the smell, the taste - so he had postponed it all day, but now she was sleeping, and tradition was tradition. His eyes lingering on the sleeping village, he brought the cigarette between his lips before he lit it.

Temari rolled to the side, half-awake, but she fully emerged when she could not feel the warmth and weight of Shikamaru next to her. She looked around the room, spotting him alone outside, on her balcony. The blonde frowned - it was very unlike him to lose precious hours of sleep, especially since they had agreed to leave early in the next morning for Konoha, and Shikamaru was many, many things, but being a morning person was not one of them. He was leaning on the balustrade, his back turned to her, seemingly lost in his contemplation of her village. Tilting her head to the side, she noticed some smoke, and then the cigarette between his fingers.

The kunoichi frowned - she knew he was an occasional smoker, and she knew he refrained in her presence because she was quite vocal about her dislike of that habit, but it seemed quite odd to her that he would get up in the night just to smoke. His body language intrigued her, too: there was a melancholy, a sadness in him that she was not used to seeing.

She got up, throwing her silky lavender robe around her body before she stepped on the balcony behind him. He turned around upon hearing her faint steps.

"Sorry," was all he said, switching his cigarette to his other hand, further away from her.

"Why now?" Temari quietly asked, leaning against the wall as she observed him, curiosity all over her pretty face.

She saw him lower his gaze, his brown eyes on the ashes at the tip of his cigarette. She frowned, but said nothing. She did not want to push in.

"Today is the anniversary of Asuma's death," Shikamaru finally said after a moment of contemplation. "I always have one in his honor. He used to smoke - a lot. Kurenai always gave him shit for it."

His sensei from back then. She knew the Akatsuki killed him, and Shikamaru and his team made them pay. Temari had not been there for that, though. She had been there for many of the events that had forged the boy he had been into the man he was now, but not that time.

She had been there when the first mission he ever led bombed; she had been there to save him when he he had reached his limit. She had been there to give him an earful about being a crybaby for being worried shitless his friends were about to die because of the mission he had led. She had been there to see the relief on his face when he was told that they would all be okay.

She had been there when his father had also given him an earful that day, about wanting to quit being a shinobi because he did not want to be the reason his friends would die in mission. Even she had thought that Shikaku was a hard ass for the way he had spoken to his son that day. She had to give it to him though, clearly this had been the kind of earful Shikamaru had needed, because she had seen him mature greatly after that.

She had been there when his father was killed. Not immediately, not directly, but she had been on the battlefield to see the attack and to know it was headed straight for their headquarters. She had felt Shikamaru's powerlessness and the numbing pain of it as he had felt them, and once everything was finally done, Temari had been there for him, to ease and dull his pain. She had made grieving easier, just by being there. A bit, at least. She had grieved for her parents long before him, and she had known what not to say, which was more than he could say for many others.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize it was today. I know you were close."

She had not known that today was the anniversary of his sensei's death. She took a mental note of the date. She wanted to remember next year, and the year after, and the year after that, every year until the day that she died.

"Asuma..."

There was the faintest smile on his lips.

"I think he was the first to see that I wasn't just a slacker."

"You were a slacker," Temari deadpanned.

There was a faint, joyless smile on his lips.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I guess I was. Always complaining about how everything that required the slightest effort was a drag. But Asuma saw potential in me anyway."

Of course he did, Temari nearly replied, You are a genius. Instead, she held her tongue and let him continue:

"He taught me shogi."

There was a small laugh from him.

"It's a wonder he could teach me, I've never seen him win a game."

Temari sat on the balustrade, next to him, her teal eyes studying his face.

"Sometimes I wish I had been there," the blonde confessed.

Her words seemed to take him aback a little, and he saw her avert her eyes and slightly blushing.

"I know you got your revenge," she continued, " I know Hidan's buried deep somewhere in your forest, where no one will ever find him. I wish I had been there to help you put him in that hole."

Shikamaru could not help the smile on lips. Some women wanted sweet words, flowers, gallantry, romantic dates - not Temari. Temari wanted to help him dig a hole for an international criminal to rot in for all eternity, and she had never even spoken to Asuma. But Shikamaru knew she meant it when she said she wished she had been there - he knew she really wished she could have done something to seal Hidan's fate, only for the suffering he had caused him. Temari was loyal, and fiercely protective of those she loved - how he came to be worthy of that would forever intrigue him.

She really was something else - which was precisely why she was just a few days from becoming his wife.

"Usually I go to his grave," he said, his eyes lost in the night sky. "We all do. Ino, Choji and I. Ino brings him flowers, Choji brings food, I have a smoke. We talk to him, update him on our lives. But today you and I were here in Suna, so... I figured I gotta honor the one tradition I still can."

Last year, Ino had excitedly told Asuma she and Sai were engaged, and Choji had confessed he was seeing a girl from the Cloud village whose name eluded Shikamaru. This year, he was going to tell him about his upcoming wedding, but a sandstorm that had lasted four days had delayed their departure from Suna. It was gone now, so they were leaving the next morning. Shikamaru glanced sideways at his fiancée.

"I'm not a crybaby about it, it's just a way to remember him."

"I know," she replied, her eyes lost in memories.

She knows loss and grief too, Shikamaru remembered. She was a child when her mother died. She couldn't get any form of revenge - it's not like she could have kill her baby brother. But Shikamaru knew she had once hated him so much - she knew it was wrong, she had confessed to him one night. She knew her hatred back then was misdirected. To her defense, Shikamaru could not even imagine how hard it must have been, to be a child who just lost a loving mother, and being expected not not to resent the brother you never asked for, for killing her just by being born. It certainly had not helped that both Temari and Kankuro had been terrified of Gaara for years, and rightfully so - until he had met Naruto. Yet in spite of everything, she remained strong and collected. She really was a mighty fine shinobi, like his father had said, and one hell of a woman.

"I wish he could be there for the wedding. My father, too, so he could see... My father liked you. He'd be happy we're getting married."

He caught her frowning, and he realized that statement must have been a bit surprising to her, given that Shikaku had hardly ever had a conversation with her.

"Remember the first morning you left through the main door?"

She smiled - how could she forget? The night before, they had finally put a name on what they shared, agreed to stop hiding it and to stop kidding themselves.

"Yeah," Temari replied, her mind lost in memories.

"He saw you leave that morning. Asked me if that was his cue to finally stop pretending he did not see what was going on between us. I guess he was never fooled. Many people weren't. We weren't very good at hiding it."

"Well, Kankuro said, and I quote, 'no shit' when I told him," Temari laughed. "So I suppose you're right."

"Ino said 'I told you so' about five hundred times to Sai," Shikamaru recollected, holding back a chuckle.

"Come back in bed?" the blonde kunoichi offered.

His cigarette was pretty much dead, and he nodded before disposing of the bud and following her back inside. He laid back on the bed, and to his surprise - knowing that she hated the smell of tobacco, and there was no way she could not smell it - Temari snuggled him, nuzzling her face against his chest. He held her lovingly, a hand playing with her hair, softly, gently, and they both quickly drifted away for the few hours of sleep that remained.