A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I'm happy you're all liking Temari and thinking she's fun, even if you prefer Shikamaru/Ino! Heh heh. And, so far no one has upset me with their reviews, so please don't worry. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

"You came at a bad time," Shikamaru said, throwing his pack on the floor near the table. "I couldn't get word to you."

"The message preceded you," Temari muttered, back to him as she put plates into their cupboards. "Jeez, don't you ever clean this place?"

"Bah. Too troublesome." Sighing, he pulled out a chair and plopped his rear in it.

She turned to smile at him. "Am I too troublesome?" she asked coyly.

"You are far too troublesome," he replied, but he wasn't smiling.

Temari frowned. "Hey, I'm sorry. He'll be fine."

"He almost died," Shikamaru said sharply. "I can't afford to make mistakes like that. Thank god Sakura was there."

Temari sighed and leaned against the counter. "She's a good medic. I could still kick her three ways to Sunday, but she's a good medic."

Shikamaru massaged his temples. "Luckily for me I'm a coward and ran away before Naomi showed up. I just couldn't bear to see it."

"Hey," she said softly, coming over to him and pulling him into an embrace. "Naomi understands how you two are. You'd give your lives for one another."

Shikamaru took a deep breath, trying to keep the hysteria and tears away. "This is the second time," he mumbled against her body.

"I remember the first."

Shikamaru only nodded, burying himself in her warmth. The past year of meeting with Temari had actually meant a lot to him. Even though they were not in love, they were definitely best friends, only with benefits. She was still gruff, but she had stopped trying to constantly mess with his head. There were still large gaps in their understanding of one another, but that was fine. They didn't like to do any of the same things; she hated watching the clouds and playing games, and he hated socializing. Still, it was just nice to have someone who he knew cared about him. For some reason that had become more important, even as logic had screamed that the smartest thing for a ninja to do would be to remain unattached.

He clung to her for a while, then finally leaned back again with a groan. Blearily focusing on the ceiling, he realized the bare bulb that lighted the kitchen was coated yellow from kitchen particulates. Maybe Temari was right; he really should start cleaning his apartment more often.

"Alrighty, let's get you cleaned up and put to bed. Sounds like you had a hell of a mission."

"Yeah," he grunted. She wrapped her hands around his wrists and gave him a tug. With a disheartened sigh, Shikamaru let Temari pull him to his feet and lead him to the bathroom.

The next day she agreed to follow him to the hospital, although she would have to return to her village from there. Her offer surprised him, since she usually did her best to force him to stay in bed with her all day. They walked down the street toward the hospital in companionable silence, hands tucked safely in pockets. Numerous times she had told him that she liked the fact he didn't want more from her. He knew that she had slept with plenty of other men during their time together, but they had always wanted something more from her, such as commitment. Shikamaru didn't want Temari that way. She was fun, and intelligent, and beautiful, but she was too freaking crazy for his tastes. Not that she was unstable, but she was a thrill-seeker. As the scent of the road dust they were kicking up reached his nostrils, he wondered for the millionth time why he didn't care if she slept with other people. He cared about Temari, but he didn't care what she did. She kept herself disease- and baby-free, and so they continued to have their fun.

His musings on their relationship were interesting, and they managed to keep him occupied until they reached the hospital. Shikamaru resolutely ignored the stark white façade of the building, hating the memories of all the other times he had visited the hospital. They walked inside to the reception desk, where Temari graciously asked for Chouji's room number. The nurse told them and the Sand woman led him through the halls by the wrist. It didn't take them long to arrive at Chouji's door.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and slowly opened the door, peering into the darkness inside. A light was on above the bed, revealing the silhouettes of doctors. Naomi was there, of course, her belly distended with child. Temari stood by the door as he walked forward, catching Naomi's eye.

"Hey," he said softly, leaning down and giving her a quick hug. Her eyes were red, and he had to swallow hard to keep his own eyes from burning with unshed tears of worry. "I'm sorry, Naomi."

"It's fine. It's his job. I know you did your best." she muttered with a halfhearted smile, her green gaze glistening with moisture.

"He'll survive," one of the doctors said, running fingers over Chouji's pulse. "Your medic stabilized him well enough at the scene that he'll be as good as new. It'll just take him a while to wake up."

Naomi nodded, her dark hair falling around her like a curtain. Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Don't worry, he'll wake up before the baby comes," he murmured.

"I know," she repeated, covering his hand in hers.

He raised his head and met Temari's eyes, her face half-covered by shadows. She nodded once, face grim. Glancing back down at Naomi, he pressed his cheek to the crown of her head. "I'll be back," he whispered. A pat on the hand was all the acknowledgement he received. Sighing, he returned to Temari's side and left the room.

As they were walking out, Ino was walking in. She was by herself, as she had been since shortly after Chouji's wedding. Shikamaru had heard from Chouji and Hinata, as well as Sakura, that Ino had stopped dating. She had taken on increasingly dangerous missions, and she was gaining a reputation as one of Konoha's most capable kunoichis. He was surprised by the cold pain that ripped through his abdomen when he saw her, and he couldn't help but stiffen slightly. Temari shot him a glance.

"Hi, Ino," he said, but his greeting only earned him a cold glare. Her nostrils flared and she walked past him as quickly as she could, but something inher sky-blue eyes was wounded. He turned his head and watched her stride to Chouji's room, feeling oddly beaten up as he observed the sway of her hips and the play of muscles in her legs. He realized that Temari had stopped just ahead, waiting for him, so he caught up to her and they went outside.

"You haven't taken anyone out to dinner since we, uh, started, did you?" she asked him once they were in the sunlight.

"No," he replied.

She examined him for a minute, eyes narrowed, then nodded. "I believe you. Damn. So am I going to see you next week?"

He shrugged. "Not unless you're psychic. I'll be on a mission, most likely."

"I have been known to have mysterious powers," she said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back. "You must. You got this lazy-ass into bed, didn't you?"

She nodded as her smile was replaced by a melancholy look. "Listen, you don't have to do this anymore if you don't want to. It's not like I have a lack of shinobi to fraternize with. They might not be intelligent shinobi, but some guys don't need to be smart for what I want them for."

"No, I want to. I like you."

Temari scowled.

"No," he groaned. "Not in the I-love-you-and-I-want-to-marry-you way. As a friend. I think you're interesting."

"You're interesting, too," she replied. "It's been fun for me. I'll see you when I see you, then."

A crooked smile seized the corner of his mouth. "Ever considerate, I see."

Again her grin was replaced by a bit of melancholy. "That's me," she whispered, and kissed him on the mouth before disappearing.