Hi! Sorry for the wait.

This was a long and tricky chapter to write. It was hard for me to start but once I finally did, it kind of flooded out from my fingertips! I tried to keep it as concise as possible but a lot of information here is important for the next few chapters! Hope you guys like it!

The ending of this chapter is heavily based on an S.M. Zhao poem. She's incredibly talented and you can find her work on tumblr!

Remember

Shikamaru stared down at Suna's Street from the suite.

The day of Suna's grand parade was finally here. All the Kages were gathered in a booth that overlooked the city. As an official advisor, he was responsible for accompanying Kakashi with Shizune.

He could see his friends in the crowd below as they anxiously wait for the festivities to start. Choji was happily tossing back some kind of street food. Next to him was Ino, who was taking in her surroundings in total astonishment. Her eyes roamed the old architecture of the Kazekage building, stopping when they landed on Shikamaru so that she could wave at him. He acknowledged her by lazily raising his hand back.

"Sorry for our tardiness," Gaara's voice called from the entrance.

Shikamaru turned his head in the direction of the voice and froze.

The Kazekage began to make his way in with his siblings.

Temari, with her chin high and shoulders pulled back, followed her brothers to the center of the platform where they were to be seated. Her hands were elegantly folded in front of her as she kept her eyes locked on her destination until she was able to sit down.

The Sand Siblings were all dressed in elaborate clothing for the event. Kankuro fawned over his siblings dressed up like royalty while Gaara appeared indifferent to everything. Temari was composed for the most part but Shikamaru noticed the was she'd occasionally shift in her seat under her lavish attire. Her hair was pulled back and tucked behind a large, white flower ornament on each side of her head where her pigtails usually sat.

Shikamaru's eyes followed her face down to the dainty slippers on her feet and then back up again, more slowly, carefully taking in the edges of the robe where it folded over the curves of her chest. He followed the seams to the hemline, noting the infamous high slit where her robes usually parted around her legs.

Like her brothers, the Kimono she wore was white with extravagant gold embroidery. The nagajuban layer underneath was white and sleeveless, while the kimono itself was a sheer white fabric with some kind of floral pattern. It was held together with gold silk that was tied into an intricate obi with the excess fabric hanging off her back. The colors and design of her kimono greatly contrasted her usual attire and reminded everyone in the room that she was, in fact, a princess.

Gaara was delivering a speech now, but Shikamaru kept his attention on Temari. She must have felt his eyes on her because she shifted her green orbs his way before quickly fixating them on her brother again. Her chested raised and fell abruptly as she forced out an angry breath.

She appeared annoyed.

Her frown brought back the memories of their fight.

Shikamaru lost much of his sleep the previous night replaying the conversation in his head.

He still didn't feel any remorse about the things he had said. His feelings about Suna has not changed. Their customs were still very stale to him. He knew it wasn't her fault but he was appalled at the fact that she had defended Suna so vehemently. Even he could admit the faults of Konoha without taking it so personally.

Still, he supposes his (negative) opinion was unwarranted and unnecessary.

Everyone in the room, fascinated by the lavish parade going on below them, cheerfully talked amongst themselves.

While everyone continued to focus on the event, Shikamaru continued to watch Temari. He continued to study her.

She appeared to be hanging on to every word from her brothers spoke, almost as if she was going out of her way to keep her attention off of him. However, in between brief pauses of their conversation, he'd catch her glancing at him to check if he was still staring at her.

He always was.

It was the same game they played the day before, however, he found much amusement in stirring up the princess whenever their eyes met.

They continued like this for a while.

It wasn't until Kakashi stood up and swung his leg at a dark figure that Shikamaru finally shifted his focus to his surroundings. An army of masked shinobi fell into their booth and began attacking everyone around them. Shikamaru glanced down at the crowd to see that his friends had also been targeted.

"They're wearing Suna forehead protectors!" Kurotsuchi called out as she fought off one of the shinobi.

A whistling sound caught Shikamaru's attention. He turned around to see fire arrows coming into the booth. They were burning with a flame, unlike anything he's seen before. It was a crimson that almost looked like blood. Before he could even blink, a figure with familiar sandy hair landed on the ledge before them.

Temari swung open her fan and deflected the arrows back at the attackers with a gust of wind. Once she was satisfied with her work, she immediately turned to engage in combat with one of the shinobi wearing the Suna forehead protectors.

Suddenly, a sand storm began to rage around them.

Shikamaru shielded his eyes from the attack and slowly inched back until he was next to Shizune and Kakashi.

Once everything settled around them, Shikamaru peered up from his sleeve to see all the masked shinobi in Gaara's sand coffin.

All but the one in front of Temari.

She held the shinobi by his collar. With one wave of her palm, a gust of wind ripped through the mask to reveal their face, leaving a few bloody gashes behind.

"He is not one of our own," Temari exclaimed to the room. She narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "Who are you?"

"A loyal shinobi of Suna," the man answered. There was a smugness in his voice.

"Wrong answer," she sneered at him.

Suddenly, Kankuro's puppet, Kuroari, appeared behind the man and enclosed him into the shell. Temari stepped back as the second puppet, Karasu, fell down from the sky and penetrated the imposter inside with the daggers stemming from its wrists.

Temari leaped over to another shinobi buried in one of Gaara's sand coffins and yanked off his mask.

"Let's try this again," she taunted the man.

Before she could continue, a massive fireball came towards them. She redirected the attack with her fan again, but more shinobi with Suna headbands continued to flood the booth.

Shikamaru analyzed the angle that the fireball came in and looked in the potential direction it could have stemmed from. He scanned the buildings until he saw a man signing with his hands to summon another one.

"Temari, there!" He called out and pointed at the man.

She yanked her head in the direction he was aiming at and took off into the distance once she spotted him.

Shikamaru started to follow her but Choji's cry stopped him. He looked down to see his friends heavily under attack. Shikamaru cursed under his breath as he looked back at Temari.

The bodyguards who originally escorted her in followed behind her, along with the two suspicious men he knew as Mitsunari and Yukimura.

Temari was facing a tall, hooded figure donning a Sunagakure forehead protector.

Mitusnari and Yukimura, along with a few of Suna's elite shinobi, were fighting off the imposters around her. They must have followed her when she took off after the mysterious figure. She was relieved that they were there. She had chased the man outside of Suna's walls where she would have been ambushed without them.

"Who are you?!" She demanded from the mysterious figure. He was tall and broad, his long black hair spilled out of the hood he hid his face under and danced in the wind.

The man replied with nothing but a low, evil chuckle as ran towards her. They engaged in a battle of taijutsu and Temari found his movements oddly familiar. When the man jumped on his hand to strike down at her with his foot, she realized that it was the same move Mitsunari used during their training.

She dodged it but the man was faster than Mitsunari. He recoiled his leg and threw another kick at her. She was able to block it with her fan but he sent her tumbling back until she landed behind Yukimura and Mitsunari.

It took her but a second to compose herself. She leaped back on her feet to see the man drawing another flaming arrow. He pointed in her direction, putting Mitsunari in his line of sight as well.

"Sorry, Mitsunari," the man told him, but the way he smirked made it clear that it was an empty apology.

This raised suspicion in Temari but she didn't have time to think. She instinctively jumped in front of them and swept the arrow away with her fan. However, she was unprepared for the second arrow that followed. She tried to jump out of the way but the arrow still made contact with her skin.

Temari cried out and dropped her fan. The arrow barely grazed her arm but the searing pain was unlike anything she's ever felt before. She could feel a burning sensation climbing through the vein it had nicked. Another anguished scream escaped her as clutched her arm and toppled over.

Her vision was leaving her. Everything was starting to get blurry so when someone picked her up in their arms, she panicked and tried to push them off.

"It's me," she heard a voice. Her eyes tried to focus on the face above but all she could see was red. It looked like red hair.

Mitsunari?

That didn't exactly put her at ease other either.

She felt him wrapping his hand around the wound. He was mumbling something but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Within a few moments, the pain started to subside and she could finally make out their surroundings.

Mitsunari was looking down at her. A shinobi appeared over him and swung a sword down at them but Yukimura knocked him back with his spear.

"Protecting the enemy?" She heard the mysterious voice call out. Her body was weak but she managed to turn her head against Mitsunari's arm to see the hooded figure making his way towards them.

"If I recall correctly, you just tried to kill me," Mitsunari snarled back at the man.

"You're a small contribution to the grand plan, if at all," the man smirked back at him. "Not to worry, everyone has their part to play in this. Your sacrifice won't be in vain," he declared as he withdrew the broad sword from behind his back. With a twirl of his hand, the sword was ablaze with the same fire that coated the arrows earlier.

He leaped in the air and came at them.

Temari pushed out her palm in the direction of the hooded man, sending a wave of wind down the man's throat. It caught him off guard but didn't stop him.

"You're too weak," Mitsunari told her as he prepared to lift her up and dodge the attack.

"You don't know me at all," she whispers and managed a smirk before turning her palm around and shutting her first close. The wind inside them man's lungs ripped through the muscle and shattered the bones as it erupted through his sternum.

The was a crash as his body fell to the floor.

"That… That was… wow," Mitsunaru stammered as he stared the sight before him.

That was the last thing she heard before everything faded to black.

"Sis!" Kankuro's voice exploded as he shot up from his chair.

Shikamaru turned around to look at the entrance. He had been sitting with Ino in the Kazekage building as she interrogated the imposters who attacked the village.

What he saw made his heart drop.

Yukimura and Mitsunari were walking in with a few of what seemed to be legit ranked Suna shinobi.

Temari was lifeless in Mitsunari's arms. Her white kimono was stain with blood and grime, and the ornaments in her hair had fallen out of place.

She was in bad shape.

"What the hell happened?!" Kankuro demanded as he took his sister from the red head's arms.

"She was struck with hellfire," Mitsunari explained.

"With what?!" Kankuro questioned. There was panic in his voice.

Sakura ran over and ushered him towards a table so that he could set Temari down.

"Let me have a look at her," she insisted.

Kankuro gently set down his sister on a nearby table before returning his attention back towards the two men.

"What is 'hellfire'?" He asked Mitsunari again.

"Hellfire is a form of fire release. It can be used to coat anything like oil," Mitsunari began.

"Like those fire arrows," Gaara said.

"Yes," Mitsunari answered. "It is infectious once touches you. It will crawl through your system like a virus and severely damage your body. It will permanently impair your chakra if the wound is severe enough. The fire made contact with one of Temari's veins so it's spreading incredibly fast. It could reach her heart and kill her if it's not taken care of soon."

Shikamaru was suspicious of his knowledge.

"How do you know all of this?" He demanded coldly.

Mitsunari stared at that floor for a brief moment before answering, "Because I am a user of this technique."

Kankuro knocked over several chairs as he moved to close the distance between himself and Mitsunari. Gaara made no attempt to stop him as kept his own eyes on the two outsiders.

"I advise you to continue carefully," Kankuro warned him.

"The man who attacked us with fire…" Mitsunari looked away before continuing. He clenched his fists and glared at the floor. "He was my sensei."

There was bitterness in his voice.

Kankuro lifted Mitsunari up by the collar of his robe, "And give me one reason why I shouldn't murder you right now."

Mitsunari, without as much as a flinch, stared into Kankuro's eyes as he answered, "Because I am the only one who can contain the flame from further spreading in her body and I am also the only one who knows how to cure it."

While the entire room was fixated on Kankuro and Mitsunari, Shikamaru turned his attention to Temari.

A warm glow emitted from Sakura's hands as she hovered over Temari's wound.

Temari doesn't stir, instead slumps against the table, still unconscious. He wanted to reach out and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to kiss her forehead and hold her until she woke up.

Then tension in the room was so thick that it pulled at the hairs on his nape. Temari was in a fragile state and he was in no position to do as much as touch her. At least not until they interrogate the bastards that brought her back like this.

"He's right," Sakura sighed, "Her chakra continues to deplete by the minute and nothing I do is closing her wound."

Kankuro snarled as he aggressively tossed the redhead back. Mitsunari easily catches his weight without taking his eyes off him.

Kankuro hasn't been this terrifying since they first met at the chunin exams. It must have been difficult for him though. It was unusual for anyone to see Temari in this condition. She was usually the one rescuing or caring for her brothers.

Temari's sudden cry pierced through the room. Shikamaru instinctively reached for her but Kankuro pushed past him as he ran to his sister's side. He frantically called for her but all she could do was tremble on the table.

It broke Shikamaru to see her like this. It killed him to know that he was useless to help her. Clenching his fist, he turned to Mitsunari and asked in a low, harsh voice, "How do we help her?"

Mitsunari walked over and placed his hand over the wound until Temari eventually settled down. Once she passed out again, he looked over to Kankuro and spoke, "All I can do is keep the fire from spreading. She needs a medicine made from the rare red camellia flower. It has properties that can subdue the fire within her. Although, I wouldn't know where to find that. Only two are believed to exist in the world."

"I have access to one," Shikamaru answered immediately. Kankuro whipped his head around and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Hn," Mitsunari smirked. "Isn't that awfully convenient, pretty boy? What makes you so sure you have the right flower?"

"The Yamanaka property is home to the rarest flowers in the world. It blooms on our garden," Ino answered confidently as she walked behind Shikamaru. "We've supplied the Nara clan's medicinal research facility for centuries."

Kankuro, who had been tense since the moment they walked in with Temari, finally dropped his shoulders and sighed.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked.

"The faster we get that medicine for her, the better chance we have at preventing permanent damage," Mitsunari answered.

"How are we going get the flower from Konoha?" Ino asked as she looked at Temari's lifeless body with concern. "It's a three-day journey back."

Sai approached her and gently touched her hand, "I can create a flying mount that will have her back in less than a day."

Ino perked up at the news and pulled him into an embrace. She turned to Shikamaru after finally pulling away, "Did you hear that?!"

Shikamaru nodded and smiled at her before glancing over at Sai. "How many people can you fit on the mount?"

"Four people at most," Sai answered.

"Sakura would need to go back of course and I would need to check our facility," Shikamaru thought out loud.

"I have to go too," Mitsunari announced suddenly.

"No," Kankuro told him. "I don't trust you."

"You don't have a choice," Mitsunari shrugged. "Unless you want the hellfire to spread to her heart by this evening."

Kankuro's eyes shook with rage as he glared at him. He didn't like that he was right.

"You can detain me," Yukimura finally spoke up.

The room turned to face him.

"If it gives you a sense of security, you can seize me while he accompanies her," he continued.

"What makes you think we weren't going to do that anyway?" Baki said to him.

"I understand," Yukimura responded. "I would also want to inform you of everything I know about today's attack."

"Why?" Baki asked him suspiciously.

"It appears that my uncle Tojuro's intentions have not been what he made them out to be," Yukimura admitted. "He was willing to kill one of our own and I don't believe that is right."

"And how can we trust you?" Kankuro called from across the room.

"Enough," Gaara finally spoke up. He walked over to Yukimura and looked him in the eyes. "If I was capable of redemption, then I believe anyone is. I will hear you out."

"Thank you," Yukimura said and bowed.

"But," Gaara continued, "If my sister or anyone is harmed because of you two, I will not hesitate to do whatever necessary to handle it."

That was how Shikamaru found himself on a giant painted Phoenix. Mitsunari sat opposite of him while Sakura sat behind them, holding onto Temari's frail body and using whatever she knew to keep her comfortable.

When Shikamaru wasn't watching Temari, he was staring down the redheaded foreigner.

Mitsunari always met his gaze with confidence but always responded by rolling his eyes or looking away bored.

"I'm not going to steal your woman," Mitsunari huffed after catching Shikamaru scowling at him for the umpteenth time. He was tired of the exchange and decided to mess with the Konoha strategist.

"That's not what I concern about," Shikamaru smirked.

"Please," Mitsunari rolled his eyes. "The way you look at her is so sweet it makes me nauseous," he added before sticking his tongue out and pretending to barf.

"Tch," Shikamaru smirked. "You and your friend just admitted you were trying to overtake the Kazekage's office. I don't trust you." He looked over at Sakura. "We don't trust you."

Sakura, a veteran of ignoring bickering boys, continued to stare off into the distance.

"I was never loyal to Yukimura's family," Mitsunari explained. He brought a knee to his chest to rest his arm on it. "I am only loyal to him. He is my best friend. Now that his family has made it clear that my life means nothing in their pursuit for power, I don't care about them or the Kazekage family anymore."

"Then why are you here?" Shikamaru looked at him with suspicion.

"The princess saved my life," Mitsunari shrugged again. "Figured I owed her one. Then I'll be on my way."

Shikamaru, perplexed, scrunched up his brows and asked him, "Why would she do that? She didn't trust you guys."

Mitsunari emitted a loud, bored sigh, "Who knows?" He brought his other hand to his face to inspect the dirt under his nails, "Maybe she thought I was too handsome to die."

It was Shikamaru's turn to roll his eyes.

"Maybe," Mitsunari added as he rubbed his fingers together. "Just maybe... I want her to wake up because that question also piques my curiosity."

Shikamaru stared at him for another few moments before looking down at the lush forest beneath him.

They should be arriving in Konoha soon.

Shikamaru stirred.

There was a stiffness in his neck as he raised his head to look at the clock.

2:13 AM

He unfolded his arms and sat up in the chair next to Temari's hospital bed. The only sound he could hear was the echoing beeps and ticking of the machines which displayed her now stabilized vitals.

Eight days.

That was how long it has been since she fell unconscious and that was about the number of nights he had spent by her side.

According to Sakura and Tsunade, the medicine given to Temari per Mitsunari's instructions was working. The toxic fire in her bloodstream was subsiding but she showed no signs of waking up.

Shikamaru reached for her hand. Though it remained still and lifeless, as it has been since she's been in her coma, he found comfort in the warmth of her palm. Her heartbeat grew stronger with each passing day. It was the only thing keeping him from falling into a pit of sadness and rage.

She was going to get better.

She was already getting better.

He just had to be patient.

They caught the injury early on and, much to his annoyance, Mitsunari was able to keep the injury from spreading too far up her arm and into her heart. He hated that he had to tolerate the guy. Nobody knew anything about him yet he was able to wander around Konoha as his pleasure.

Temari was never close to being on the brink of death but the possibility of it tore him up inside. The fact that she was still unconscious made it all very real to him.

Enclosing her hand with his own, he began to tenderly stroke her knuckles with his thumb.

"I don't know if you'll forgive me when you wake up," Shikamaru whispered. "I hope you do."

His eyes fell from her face to look at their intertwined hands as he tried to find the right words.

"But if you don't, the last time we spoke is not how I want you to remember us.

"Instead, remember the way you'd curl up in my arms and listened to the sound of my heartbeat. Remember the way I'd trace the freckles on your skin until you fell asleep. Remember the way I'd laugh at your jokes, even the bad ones, because I loved how you'd laugh uncontrollably before you could finish telling them. Remember when you saw me break down when I was at my lowest. Remember me being brave, even when my father was killed. Remember all the times you were there to remind me that I had to be strong, for my friends, for my father, and for my nation.

"Remember how you were always there for me. Remember that I'll always be there for you too.

"Remember us being happy and all the ridiculous ways I tried to get your attention because I didn't know how to. Remember the way we were both too stubborn to talk to each other and how it drove us both absolutely insane. Remember our firsts and how they were so delightful that we went back for seconds and thirds and fourths. Even when we weren't supposed to.

"I don't want you to remember our ending. I want you to remember our beginning. Remember our firsts."

He finally lifts his eyes to look at her face and brought his hand to cup her cheek.

"I want you to wake up because I never told you that I love you," he sighed. "I want you to remember that I do, and always will."

Why was this chapter feel so long and so rushed at the same time?!

This is the home stretch with this arc! Hehe.

I also started another fic called Secrets. I know I mentioned it before but I wanted a more light-hearted story to write, similar to the beginning of this fic. Check it out if you get the chance! Thanks for all your support. I read all your messages and reviews. It means a lot to me!