Hi!

I just wanted to note that this chapter is mostly fluff inspired by an excerpt. I will share that and the author with you in a few more chapters as it contains spoilers to where I plan on taking this fanfic. :)

Shikamaru didn't even know where to start. When the hell did she start smoking? What the hell was she even talking about? Had he done something wrong? Figuring that he could ask her about the smoking at anytime, he decided to address the question at hand. She turned over and started to crawl out of bed before he could ask to clarify her question.

"Oi," he called after her as she sauntered over to his shirt and slipped it on again. It draped over her smaller frame like a dress, ending just few inches below her buttocks. The volume from her tousled hair framed her face in a way that almost made her look angelic when paired with her brilliant blue-green eyes. His eyes traced the silhouette of her hips and legs, stopping at the tiny bruise on her thigh. Temari was still training consistently for her role as a bodyguard, so it wasn't unusual to find battle wounds on her body. She was definitely a Lady of War. Her skin was tough and resilient, but it was still soft and smooth to the touch. He often caught himself subconsciously stroking her legs with his fingertips when they lingered in bed together.

She walked to the sliding glass door that lead to the balcony in his bedroom and motioned outside with her head. Peeling himself out of bed, he picked up his boxer off the floor and slid them on before stepping out to join her. The apartments in his building had secluded balconies that were isolated by concrete walls, providing them with a box of privacy. The only thing looking back at them were a field of trees.

Temari leaned over the railing on his balcony and to light the cigarette resting between her fingers. Sex with Shikamaru was the kind of sex that mandated a smoke afterwards. He had just subjected her body to over an hour of stress that had her crying out the entire time, and she desperately needed the satisfying calmness from the tobacco.

"What do I always do to you?" he asked as she held the poison in her lungs.

She opened her mouth just enough to exhale the smoke through her teeth before turning to him. "You always have to tease me," she softly accused. "I was already 'asking' for it but apparently... you like making me beg."

"Hn," he grunted with a smile before brushing against her hand to take the cigarette from her. Placing it between his lips, he heaved himself up to sit on the wide block of concrete that enclosed his balcony. She watched as he leisurely exhaled the smoke while staring into his apartment. After a moment, he held the cigarette in her direction to return it and casually said, "Because you love it."

"Oh, really now?" she asked as she reached up to accept it from him. "You say that with so much confidence."

"That's because I am," he smirked. "I can feel your heart rate increases the minute I tell—no, the minute I command you to do something. You always start to push against me harder and well, we both know how hard it is to keep you quiet." There was a brief when he smiled quietly at his thoughts. "You smile sometimes too. It's barely there and I really have to look for it, but you do."

Temari felt her eyes slightly widen. Turning back to stare into the woods, she scoffed, "Well, shit." She took another hit off the cigarette and chuckled, "I've been told that my face is quite expressive. Good thing I don't gamble."

"It is," he assured her. He reached over and dragged his fingers up the length of her spine before reaching for the tobacco between her fingers. Her body arched forward and her lips parted as she silently gasped. "It's such a great way to get instant gratification," he smirked before bringing it to his mouth.

She turned to glare at him, but found it hard to stay mad at the sight before her. He was resting backwards against his other hand, causing the muscles in his arms to flex as he smoked. Her eyes traced the definition of his forearm and shoulders. His hair that she had ripped out of his ponytail during sex earlier danced in the wind whenever a breeze would wash over them. "Instant gratification, huh? I'll keep that in mind."

"My turn to ask the questions, troublemaker. Since when did you smoke?" His eyes quickly glanced at the cigarette he was handing back to her.

She looked at it for a few seconds before accepting it and bringing it over the railing to ash it. "I had my very first one when Sakura was extracting the poison from Kankuro. Baki saw me on the verge of hyperventilating and pulled me outside to give me one. He told me cigarettes are basically a 'sponge for anxiety.' It helped me calm down enough to go back inside and wait until Kankuro regained his consciousness. Being a jinchuriki's bodyguard and sibling can be pretty taxing," her voice began to trail off. "But this," she continued, holding the cigarette vertically in front of her face to inspect it. "This and alcohol always helped me take a step back and process just about anything that stresses me out. I'll have one here and there."

Shikamaru remained quiet for a moment as he thought about what she just told him. He originally started smoking as a way to cling onto the memory of Asuma, but now found himself smoking occasionally for the same reason as she did. "Huh. A sponge for anxiety… That's a great way to put it," he said before turning to look at her. "Are you saying that I give you anxiety?"

She gave a light snort, "Screaming for an hour can be stressful on the body." Both of them started to laugh quietly together when suddenly, the wind knocked the lit cherry off her cigarette. She frowned and they watched it disappeared into the ground next to his building.

"Hpmh," he grunted. It came out more like a chuckle. "Looks like the wind isn't on your side today." He sat there with a smug smile for barey half a second when a gust of wind slammed into his back and knocked him over into his balcony. He rubbed his tailbone in attempt to soothe the pain and glared up at her through one of his eyes. How the hell did she do that? I didn't see her lift a single finger. He wanted to say something to her, but couldn't stop wincing in pain. The fall had hit his bone in a way that sent a numbing sensation pulsing around the point of impact.

She smiled coyly at him as she smashed the remainder of her cigarette into the nearby ash tray. "Silly crybaby," she smirked, "the wind is my friend." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked back into his apartment.

"Troublemaker," he grumbled at her back. Within seconds, he was sucked into a vacuum of air that made him feel as if he was sitting in the middle of Naruto's rasengan. He shielded his body by crossing his forearms in front of him and yelled at her, "Alright! I get it!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the market street to find something that would satisfy Temari's overwhelming appetite. Unlike Choji, Temari was a little more finicky about what she ate as she opted for healthier options. Being well-versed in the biology of plants, she knew exactly what she wanted. She allowed Shikamaru to lead her to the different vendors that carried the produce unavailable to her Sunagakure. He couldn't help but watch with a secret smile every time they were able to find something she wanted to try because of the way her lips would curl up in excitement. That is, until they made it to the strawberries. They were in season now that it was well into April, and mde Temari's usual intense eyes to sparkle with delight when she tried the sample offered to her by the merchant.

Next thing he knew; he was carrying a ten-pound box of strawberries back to his apartment for her. He tried to remind her that she was leaving the very next day and mentioned how he didn't want to be responsible for her waste if she didn't finish them. She just ordered him to shut up as she tucked the box under her arm and carried it against her hip. When he realized that the sand princess was actually going to be a total princess about her demands, he refused to let her take another step in the direction of his apartment until she handed the box over to him.

"I can take over if the steps are too difficult for ya," she teased as they started to ascended the first of four flights of stairs in his building.

"Tch," he grunted and furrowed his brows in annoyance. "Women are so troublesome. Always gotta say something, even when you're trying to be nice to them."

His face softened when he heard her laugh. When he turned to look at the smile that was surely on her face, he began to laugh quietly with her too.

His building only had sixteen units, four per floor. They weren't 'luxury' apartments by any means, but they weren't too far from it either. His mother had selected that particular building because it was supposed to be safe. However, it was still too new. They've yet to hire a doorkeeper which was probably how Shiho managed to slip herself in the other night. He explained to her the middle units were one-bedroom apartments, while the units on the corners had two bedrooms like his. The one at the very end of each hallway were the more upscale ones. They were larger and had a balcony that wrapped all the way around the exposed perimeter. Being a simple guy, he had originally requested the single bedroom unit. His mother insisted on at least an additional room, and ultimately decided on the less extravagant two bedroom apartment for him when he refused. She pointed out that he was going to need an office if he wanted to step into his father's shoes. He hadn't planned on that, but life worked in mysterious ways and that was exactly what he was doing. The right hand man of the Hokage continues to be the leading member of the Nara household. The amount of work that came with that position required an office after all. Mothers know best, her words echoed in his head. He stole a glance at the only woman in the world that was scarier than his mom when they reach his apartment at the end of the stairs.

"Give it here," she demanded, reaching out to take the box from him so that he could unlock his door. When he shook his head, she pulled back and shot him a confused look.

"Just grab the keys from my pocket," he said nonchalantly.

Raising an eyebrow at him, she joked, "So you think you've got it like that now?"

"Tch." There was that infamous scoff of his again. "I'm not trying to be perverted. It's a lot faster if you would just do it."

"I guess you're right," Temari winked at him. "Everything gets done faster when I do it, lazy." She looked around to make sure no one was there to take what she was doing out of context. Digging into a man's pockets for keys would have given her etiquette tutor a heart attack. They were trained as shinobi first, but her family will never let any of their off springs forget that they are still from the Kazekage Clan and must behave as so.

"Right," he began as she fished in his pocket for his keys. "That's why your hastiness will always be your downfall." She froze to look him dead in the eye. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pinch on the sensitive skin that was towards the inside of his thigh. It made him hiss out in pain as he staggered back, almost dropping her giant box of strawberries.

"We'll see about that," she threatened him as she looped her finger around the ring that held his keys together to pull it out of his pocket. All he could do was glare at her as she opened his door.

Once inside, he sat on his couch and turned on the television as she went to wash the produce bought during their afternoon stroll. The TV was more for background noise since he found himself watching her more than the screen in front of him. He was still getting used to seeing her being so casual all the time. This was the most time they've spent together that didn't completely revolve around work or war. She was always on duty every time they've met prior to him asking her out on a date, and even then it took a few encounters for both of them to relax around each other again. His eyes followed her when she went to put everything away in his refrigerator. She might have been the cruelest kunoichi on the battlefield, but was currently emitting a very calm and serene vibe while she peacefully worked in the kitchen.

"Quit dozing off into space, you lazy ass!" she snapped at him. She had felt his gaze and looked up and caught him staring blankly her. Her scowl was replaced with laughter when she saw the dumbfounded look on his face.

Shikamaru knitted his brows together, but smiled under the hand he was using to rub his eyelids. There she is.

It was half-past eight when they started to get dressed for Kiba's party.

Shikamaru's fingers lazily worked their way up his black fitted button-up shirt, leaving the last two buttons undone. He reached for his smokes and shoved them in the back of his dark grey jeans and tucked Asuma's lighter into the front pocket of his shirt. Temari stepped out of the bathroom just as he slipped on a pair of black shoes.

Earlier in town, she had purchased a black turtle neck wrap-dress that ended just a little before her fingertips. It was completely sleeveless; as was the tan cardigan that she wore over it. The outfit was pulled together with a black belt that sat on the smallest part of her waist and black boots that climb a few inches above her knees.

Seeing her outside of her shinobi gear technically wasn't a rare sight for him. Seeing her in something that wasn't her shinobi gear or his t-shirt was. However, it wasn't her clothes that he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from. It was the color that was on her lips.

Temari had spent the entire day grazing on the box of strawberries he carried home for her. There was an impressive empty space that allowed the cardboard to peek through from under clusters of the red fruit. Even after her shower, the evidence was still painted across her lips which were now a deep shade of mauve. He laughed under his breath when she reached into the refrigerator to pull out another one.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded, keeping her eyes on him as she bit into the strawberry.

Shikamaru walked over and dropped down to her height. He stroked the stubble on his chin as he inspected her lips.

When he didn't say anything, she got frustrated. "Well, what is it?"

The scent of fresh strawberries instantly clung to the air around them when she spoke. It made him chuckle quietly to himself again as he stood back up. "Nice lipstick," he answered.

Having seen her reflection when she went to put her hair in the usual pigtails, she raised her hand to hide her lips and wrinkled her nose at him. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers to gently pull them away from her face. "Don't," he said. "I like it."

"It doesn't look ridiculous?" she asked. Temari was no stranger to makeup. She always had to get dolled up for the holidays and festivals in Sunagakure and always enjoyed the process. It allowed for her to put her artistic flare to use, even though it always paled in comparison to Kankuro's. She still didn't know how to process the fact that her brother was better at applying makeup than she was. He was the one who taught her that her eyes were too intense to wear just lipstick. The colors from both her lips and eyes would wash out her lashes, even though they were a deep shade of brown. She remembered him lecturing her, "You need to wear mascara to balance your face out if you're going to wear a darker lipstick!"

"Nope," he answered, still holding her hand. "It's subtle and looks perfect."

And then, there it was. That very rare soft smile of hers appeared on those stained lips. He tried to take as much of it in as possible before giving in to his desire to capture that smile with his own lips. When she gently cupped his jawline with her finger tips to kiss him back, he noticed that the scent of strawberries lingered on her fingers as well.

Feeling him smile against her lips, she couldn't help but giggle into their kiss. Her soft pillow lips were chilled from the last berry she just bit into. The saccharine flavor coated her entire mouth and was all he could taste, but he still couldn't get enough of it. He pushed himself deeper into the kiss so that he could taste more of her.

She used the grasp she had his jawline to gently push him back, breaking their kiss. With her other hand on his chest, she walked him into his living room until he fell onto his couch. Lacing their fingers together, she waited for him to pull her onto his lap. She brushed her nose against his before letting her tongue trace the outline of his lips, slipping it inside his mouth when she felt him sigh. His breath quickened when she started to trace zigzag patterns against the roof of his mouth. The sensitive sensation earned her a quiet moan from him as he began to dig his nails into her hips.

Feeling him telegraph his next move, she gently bit his bottom lip and yanked herself off his lap. Shikamaru always used those grips whenever he wanted her to grind into him. She gave him a victorious smile when he looked at her in a mixture of shock and frustration. No words were needed, she knew exactly what he was feeling. She had successfully set up the steps it took to catch him in their strategic game of human shogi.

"What was that for?!" he called after her as she walked away.

She stopped and smiled at him over her shoulder, "Instant gratification."

His eyes seared into her back as she disappeared into his bedroom. Once she was out of his sight, he pushed his palms into his eyes to rub them while letting out an angry groan. He continued to let his body sink into his couch, too lazy and too frustrated to adjust his ponytail.

Shikamaru's lips were still wet. He scraped them against his teeth in attempt to wipe the majority of the moisture away, but couldn't help but smile when he tasted the subtle pucker and sweetness that coated them. He wiped his lips against the back of his hand, but he still could not get rid of the taste that lingered on them.

The sweet taste of strawberries.

This chapter completely went a different direction. It was supposed to be the night at Kiba's party but I wrote so much I had to split this into two chapters. I originally wrote one paragraph to briefly go over how they killed time during the day and this fat fluff piece happened. There will be a nice reference further down the road though so there's that I suppose.

Thank you so, so much for the feedback on chapter 5. Looks like that one was a huge success! So many of you mentioned what you liked, what you'd fix, and what you'd eventually want to see which is crucial to me and my brainstorming.

duda dudex– Your English is amazing! I took a peek at your profile. Eu aprendo português (brasileiro). Meu portugues nao e tao bom. … and let's just say I don't know a lot more than that…

It seems that you and a few guests would like Temari to be the dominant one… It's coming! Like I said, this here was just a fluff but I have that plan for an upcoming chapter. Rest assured!

But yes, readers. Ask and (I'll try my best to make sure that) you shall receive! Hehe.

Nellie – Thank you for pointing it out that Temari's been a dead fish during sex. No, really. I'm so serious. I think I got used to the writing for delicate little flowers in Twilight and 50 Shades of Yawwwwn.

luluxxy, whattadragg, KangerTop21, Chii Yoshi, and my other guests/silent viewers: Thank you (and muchos gracias) for your kind words. Knowing that I have an audience is super motivating and makes me look forward to getting these chapters out to you guys ASAP!

Lots of love, dearests!