Shikamaru's eyes shot open as he sat up straight in his bed. Usually, he'd continue lying in his bed even after he woke up, however not today. Today was different. Shikamaru finally did feel normal again, but he had this pesky feeling that kept bothering him. A feeling that he had to find Temari, now.

Shikamaru climbed out of his bed with vigour nobody has ever seen him use before. He quickly changed clothes then grabbed himself something to eat as he left his apartment. Shikamaru walked quickly through the village; it was actually still quite early in the morning so he was pretty sure Temari would still be in her hotel room.

The streets were bustling with people as Shikamaru weaved through the crowd. He didn't think it would be this busy but then again he was usually still in his bed at this time except when he had a mission. Shikamaru felt tension built in his stomach, it was ridiculous but he felt that with each passing moment something bad would happen if he wasn't close to Temari.

Almost like she'd disappear.

Shikamaru walked faster, he didn't want her to go.

He wanted to latch onto her and never let go. He wanted her to stay with him.

Shikamaru panted slightly as he stopped in front of Temari's hotel door and knocked on it urgently. He didn't need to ask the receptionist where it was since he already knew; he was Temari's escort after all. Shikamaru's knock was met with silence which made his heart drop in his chest. What if she was already gone? What if someone had already taken her from him?

Shikamaru knocked again, this time louder and faster.

"Calm down, I'm coming." Shikamaru heard Temari call irritably from inside the room.

Shikamaru sighed in relief as he felt his whole body relax. Shikamaru sighed heavily as he rubbed his face with his hands, noticing that his hands were trembling ever so slightly.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong?" Temari asked as she opened the door, slight worry laced in her voice.

Temari was surprised to see Shikamaru this early. She thought their personalities would be back to normal by now and normal Shikamaru would usually still be asleep in his bed. Instead, Shikamaru stood in front of her door looking like a nervous wreck. It was so out of character for him.

The only time Temari saw Shikamaru look this nervous is when someone is dying...

Does that mean someone was busy dying or is his personality still not back to normal?

"I thought you left." Shikamaru whispered softly as he leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder.

The action surprised Temari as she tensed up slightly, but she didn't step away from him.

"Why would I leave? I still have work to do here." Temari asked with a frown as she turned her confused eyes to him.

Shikamaru took a deep breath as he relaxed his head on Temari's shoulder; he looked like he could fall asleep on her shoulder while standing up. But why would he think she would leave?

"I don't know." Shikamaru answered not moving from his spot.

Temari stared at him silently. She kind of wondered if he'll get a heart attack by the end of the week considering it was day 1 of the new phase and he was already this tense.

"Let's get you some tea." Temari said with a reassuring smile as she patted his back comfortingly.

Since she came to the leaf village she never knew what to expect with Shikamaru, it was so odd.

"Tea does sound nice." Shikamaru said as he lifted his head up, following Temari into her hotel room.

"There's not much of a variety though, there are only a few the hotel leaves in the rooms." Temari said as she walked into the kitchen to make tea while Shikamaru leaned his arms on one of the counters close to her as he watched her.

"Anything is fine." Shikamaru said he was just happy to be near her.

"It's kinda weird seeing you up this early, does that mean you're still going to be quoting motivational quotes?" Temari asked curiously which made Shikamaru's face fall, it looked like she reminded him of something he didn't want to be reminded of.

"Thankfully not." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"What a shame, I'm going to miss motivational Shikamaru." Temari said as she laughed.

"Now that's the biggest lie I've ever heard." Shikamaru said with a scoff.

"You were such an inspiration." Temari said in an amused voice as she mocked him.

"Can we not talk about this; it was a very dark time that I don't want to talk about." Shikamaru said with a grunt which made Temari laugh.

"By the way did you even have breakfast?" Temari asked with a raised eyebrow as she handed him a cup of tea.

"I had a muffin." Shikamaru said bluntly as he took a sip of his tea.

"I'd hardly call that breakfast." Temari said with a disapproving look as she sat in a chair at the table, Shikamaru following close by.

"I was in a hurry." Shikamaru said with a shrug as he sat opposite her at the table.

"In a hurry for what?" Temari asked curiously, they didn't have any work that needed to be done urgently.

"Stupid mating season." Shikamaru grunted softly which made Temari chuckle slightly.

Poor guy.

"I don't really have anything for breakfast here so we can grab something after we're done with the tea." Temari said with a shrug, she was planning on grabbing breakfast somewhere anyway.

"Do we have to? There are so many people out today." Shikamaru said with a heavy sigh which made Temari raise an eyebrow.

"Sure crowds are irritating but it's never been much of a problem, have you suddenly become people shy?" Temari asked curiously.

"No, it's just troublesome." Shikamaru said with a scoff.

"Whatever, I'm still gonna go out to get food. You can either join me or stay here, your choice." Temari said with a shrug which made Shikamaru sigh.

"Yeah, fine, I'll go with you." Shikamaru said begrudgingly, he didn't seem happy with the idea but he also didn't look keen on staying behind.

"So we went from phase 2's weird behaviour to phase 3's weird behaviour. What did Kakashi say this phase was all about?" Temari questioned as she sipped her tea.

"Do I have to answer?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh, it just seemed like a set up for her to tease him further.

"Yes, since you keep annoying me with your weird behaviour. Sakura said something about being clingy, is that what's happening now?" Temari asked genuinely curious, not just because she wanted to tease him.

"Well, you have your answer then so there is no need for me to answer." Shikamaru huffed as he averted his eyes.

"You're such a baby." Temari said as she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's go." Temari said with a sigh as she finished her tea and stood up.

"Do we have to?" Shikamaru asked with a heavy sigh.

"I already told you that you don't have to come if you don't want to, no one's forcing you." Temari said as she rolled her eyes again while walking to the door, Shikamaru quickly following her.

"Well, technically I am being forced thanks to Kakashi's stupid scroll." Shikamaru said with a shrug.

"Poor thing." Temari said sarcastically, at least this was better than Shikamaru being all motivational.

It was nice having him back to normal even though he was still acting kind of strangely.

"Poor me indeed, I'm getting absolutely no sympathy here." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"Well, I wasn't the one who opened the scroll so I don't see how that is my problem." Temari said with a shrug as they entered the busy street.

She could see Shikamaru visibly tense up, it looked like he could attack anyone at any moment. She didn't know what his problem was but she contributed his odd behaviour to the mating season.

"Well, you are involved in this whole mess so you are kind of part of the problem." Shikamaru answered as he narrowed his eyes at the people passing by while Temari looked at them as well to try and see why he was glaring at them.

"That's only because you dragged me into it, you big baby." Temari said as she turned her gaze towards Shikamaru, he was still glaring at the people passing by.

Temari walked along the walls of the buildings while Shikamaru walked next to her, glaring at the people as they walked past him. He seemed like he was focused on the people but he was still listening to every word Temari was saying.

"My apologies, troublesome woman." Shikamaru said sarcastically which made Temari smirk slightly from amusement.

Temari was about to give a retort back when she heard a commotion further up the road, her attention turning to the commotion. There was a loud bang which made people stop and gather around, only to yell seconds later and run away from whatever made the loud bang.

"What do you think is going on there?" Temari mused as she looked at the commotion curiously.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. We should go another route." Shikamaru said as he stopped walking which made Temari stop and look back at him impatiently.

"Not a chance, let's go." Temari said with a scoff as she grabbed his arm and pulled him along with him.

"Come on Temari, let's not get involved." Shikamaru said as he grunted, trying to resist her but not really getting anywhere.

"No one said anything about getting involved; I just want to see what's happening. Aren't you curious at all?" Temari asked as she ignored his complaints.

"No, it looks troublesome." Shikamaru said irritably, however as he said that their eyes caught sight of a pink figure making her way hastily away from the commotion on the rooftops.

"Isn't that Sakura?" Temari asked as she briefly stopped to watch Sakura run away.

"Yes." Shikamaru said as he also watched Sakura.

"I wonder why she's running." Temari mused curiously as she continued walking.

"If she's running away from the commotion doesn't that mean we should be doing the same thing?" Shikamaru asked as they neared the commotion, people ran away from the commotion which cleared a way for them to reach the commotion.

"Not a chance." Temari said as lighting crackled before them.

Temari stopped to watch the spectacle with Shikamaru standing next to her. Her eyes widening slightly while Shikamaru stepped slightly in front of Temari defensively.

Sasuke and Lee were fighting in the middle of the village. Every time Sasuke dodged a punch or kick Lee would create a new hole while the air filled with the electric sizzle of Sasuke's lightning. Temari stared at them in disbelief, they could seriously hurt someone if they fought in the middle of the village, but then again that begged the question of why Sakura ran away instead of stopping the fight.

"Hey idiots, what the hell are you two doing?" Temari yelled as she walked past Shikamaru and towards the two fighting men, Shikamaru silently following.

Sasuke and Lee ignored Temari as they continued fighting which only made her increasingly more irritated. Temari growled in irritation as she grabbed her fan off her back and continued walking towards them. She'd show them the consequences of ignoring her.

"I'm talking to you!" Temari said as she opened her fan and swung it at them, summoning a strong wind.

Lee was caught off guard by this and stumbled back slightly, Sasuke, on the other hand, turned his angry gaze towards Temari. Sasuke switched positions with a plant pot next to Temari as he used the substitution jutsu.

"Stay out of this." Sasuke said menacingly as he aimed a punch at her head.

Temari turned her sharp eyes towards him as she closed her fan and moved it between herself and Sasuke to block the punch however it would seem Shikamaru beat her to the punch.

Shikamaru glared at Sasuke as he caught Sasuke in his shadow causing him to freeze in place which made Sasuke scowl.

"I'll kill you." Shikamaru growled as he moved past Temari and punched Sasuke squarely in the jaw.

"Wait, what?" Temari asked in surprise as she looked at Shikamaru.

Where did that come from?

Sasuke used his rinnegan to escape Shikamaru's shadow while Lee composed himself and re-joined the battle. Lee dashed to where Sasuke appeared trying to land a flying kick on Sasuke which he dodged. Shikamaru extended his shadow splitting them in several tendrils that arose from the ground.

"What the fuck are you doing, are you planning on impaling them?" Temari asked in disbelief as her eyes widened.

"That is the plan, yes." Shikamaru said deadly serious as the tendrils neared the two fighting men.

"You're not helping!" Temari yelled as she hit Shikamaru over the head hard with an open hand causing him to retract his shadow.

Shikamaru groaned and rubbed his head which made Sasuke and Lee turn their attention to them. Lee and Sasuke dashed at them. Sasuke aimed his sword at Shikamaru while Lee aimed a punch at him. Temari scowled as she blocked Sasuke's sword while Shikamaru staggered back as Lee's fist connected with his jaw.

Temari cringed slightly as she watched Shikamaru regain his balance, that was definitely gonna leave a bruise.

"This is fucking ridiculous." Temari grunted as she pushed Sasuke back while Shikamaru retaliated with a punch of his own.

Shikamaru, Sasuke and Lee turned their focus back on each other as they started throwing fists and kicks like little children while Temari watched them. Somehow Shikamaru now also got involved in this fight. Temari at least found solace in the fact that they weren't fighting seriously, if they did get serious then this situation would've been so much worse.

However, Temari realised they didn't pay her much attention if she didn't do anything which was a good thing since Shikamaru apparently got murderous if she was a part of the fight.

Maybe if she knocked them all out then this whole fight would be resolved...

However, she was worried one of them would kill the unconscious one so she had to knock them all out at once. Her only problem was how could she knock them all unconscious at once without killing them or destroying the village. That was her real dilemma.

However Shikamaru caught both of them in his shadow which made Temari's face lit up, this was her chance.

"Shikamaru if you strangle them I'm going to strangle you." Temari exclaimed as she saw Shikamaru's shadow crawling towards their necks while she jumped towards Sasuke to hit him unconscious with her fan.

However, he yet again used his rinnegan to teleport himself away.

"Dammit." Temari yelled in frustration as she searched for Sasuke however her attention was averted to a choking Lee.

"Dammit Shikamaru, let him go!" Temari yelled in exasperation as she jumped over to Shikamaru to hit him over the head again, making him release Lee.

This was such a useless exercise. Sasuke kept escaping, Shikamaru kept trying to kill them both and Lee was too fast for Temari to get a solid hit in. This whole situation was giving her a headache.

However, just then Temari saw Kiba walking over curiously. Temari smiled as she saw him, he would be a great distraction.

"Kiba, hurry your ass up and help me stop this fight." Temari yelled which made Kiba look at her in confusion however that made Shikamaru turn his murderous gaze over to Kiba as he extended his shadow to Kiba.

"Stop it!" Temari yelled irritably as she smacked him over the head again, his hair becoming increasingly more dishevelled every time she hit him.

"Will you stop hitting me? You're going to give me a concussion." Shikamaru groaned in pain as he grabbed his head and turn his gaze towards her.

He finally seemed to snap out of his murderous rage as he looked at her.

"Then stop trying to kill your friends." Temari said as she glared at him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kiba asked as he jumped between Lee and Sasuke and kicked them away from each other.

"Wait, where is Sakura?" Lee asked as he calmed down and looked around.

"Dammit." Sasuke said softly as he composed himself and took off in some direction while Lee took off in another direction; however, neither of them went in the same direction Sakura went in.

"What?" Kiba asked in confusion as he looked at the two men take off like nothing happened.

Kiba looked at Temari for answered which made Shikamaru glare at him, he looked like he was ready to kill Kiba at any moment. Kiba frowned at Shikamaru as he took a few steps away from the two which made Shikamaru relax slightly while Temari sighed in exaggeration.

"Shikamaru, what exactly did Kakashi say about phase 3?" Temari asked as she turned an irritated gaze to Shikamaru who was still rubbing his head while Kiba turned to Shikamaru for answers.

"He said we would become more clingy and overprotective." Shikamaru answered bluntly which made Temari groan and rub her temple in frustration.

"So Lee and Sasuke were fighting over Sakura?" Kiba asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It would seem so." Shikamaru answered as he calmed down from the fight.

"So why were you involved in the fight then?" Kiba asked as he tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Sasuke tried to punch me and that's essentially how Shikamaru got involved." Temari answered with a sigh.

"I'm actually surprised you weren't involved in the fight Temari." Kiba said as he chuckled slightly.

"I quickly realised that my involvement only made it worse plus I was pretty preoccupied with stopping Shikamaru from killing them both." Temari said with a sigh.

"Makes sense, well I'm just going to go before Shikamaru tries killing me too." Kiba said with an awkward chuckled as he waved goodbye and left which made Shikamaru scoff.

As soon as Kiba was gone Temari turned a glare towards Shikamaru as she placed one hand on her hip while holding her fan with the other hand.

"What?" Shikamaru asked as he looked at her questioningly.

"Nothing, let's just get some food. I'm starving." Temari said with a heavy sigh, she wanted to ask Shikamaru what that murderous rage was all about but she already knew the answer.

The mating season scroll really fucks with their normal behaviour.

"Yeah, same." Shikamaru said as he followed Temari to the nearest place to eat.

xXx

Azami smiled as she walked into the leaf village, her grey eyes twinkling in the daylight. It's been a while since she's been in the leaf village. It seemed as vibrant and lively as ever. People walked around happily while children laughed as they played in the street. Azami loved visiting the village; there was always something interesting happening whenever she visited.

Azami walked with a smile on her face as she watched the children play, her light brown hair gently swaying with the breeze. Azami paused as her eyes landed on a familiar face. It was Lee...

Lee's eyes darted around as he stalked behind a building. Azami leaned her head to the side in confusion; she wondered what he was doing. If Azami didn't already know Lee she would've thought that he was some shady character that she should avoid.

"Hey, Lee!" Azami called out as she waved at him, walking over to where he was.

Lee stopped sneaking around in the shadows as he heard his name being called, turning around to see who's greeting him.

"Azami, what a youthful surprise. I haven't seen you in quite a while. How are you?" Lee asked with a smile as he stood to his full height as she stopped in front of him.

He was surprised to see her but happy nonetheless. It wasn't every day that Azami visited the village. However Lee enjoyed her visits, she was a great taijutsu fighter. It was always nice having her around to spar against.

"I'm good, how are you?" Asami asked with a raised eyebrow, hoping she'll find some answers to why he was stalking about in the shadows.

"These past 2 weeks have been very strange so unfortunately, I can't say that it's been youthful." Lee answered with a sigh which made Azami frown.

She wondered if 'youthful' could be used in that context but on the other hand, she didn't expect Lee to use any other word. However he was usually so excited and full of energy, it was strange hearing that it was not going well.

"Why, what's happened over the last 2 weeks?" Azami asked sympathetically, feeling bad for Lee.

"It's a long story..." Lee said with another heavy sigh.

"Well, you can tell me all about it over lunch, my treat." Azami said with a bright smile.

Her smile made sunflowers seem dull in comparison and for a moment Lee forgot about Sakura. Lee stared at her before he gave an answer. How could he possibly say no to someone with a smile as bright as hers?

"Sure, that sounds like a youthful plan. I know a great place we can go to." Lee said with a grin as he gestured for her to follow him.

Azami grinned back as she followed him. It would be nice to catch up again. It would also be nice to know why he was acting so strangely earlier.

It was nice being in the leaf village again, there was always something interesting happening...

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope it's going well. It's been a busy few months, but I finally got around to updating so yay :) I hope you all enjoyed the chapter :P