Notes: Ah chapter 3! I'm proud of myself for getting this far X3.It gets a little slow from herefor a bit,but the pace will pick up soon. Hope you're enjoying it so far.

Disclaimer: Naruto (c) Kishimoto, story is mine though.

CHAPTER 3: Home Sweet Home

"What took you so long Temari" Kankuro watched the blonde girl enter the small apartment, a suspicious look in his eyes. She only glanced at him a second.

"Where's Gaara?"

"Off somewhere. He's been restless because of you." Her teammate had an annoyed tone in his voice, but Temari brushed it off. She could lick Kankuro anytime, but if Gaarawas upset at her, that was a diferent story.

"Sorry. I had some extra business in Konoha that kept me away longer than I expected." She turned to look at Kankuro's displeased expression. His face wasn't as frightening when it wasn't covered with marks. Temari returned his glare, snapping at him. "Look, I'm tired. Don't give me this crap right now.The only exception to this is if Gaara wants to see me."

She slid her door closed with a sharp crack. Inhale. Exhale. She was home, or what you could call a home. Her room was a bit sparse, but living in Hidden Sand, the more things you owned, the more sand particles you had to clean out of your belongings. The overall color scheme was a sort of tan, brown and gray. It wasbland, but it wasn't like she had the time to decorate. A small cabinet with simple basic jutsu scrolls and other miscellaneous bits of writing was tucked neatly at one wall, a map of Hidden Sand pinned above it. The wall to the right of that was the door; to the left, was her bed and a small set of drawers where she kept extra clothes. A closet was on the next wall which sat a few feet from a small window that always stayed closed. A small clay lamp sat on top of her drawers beside her bed. A tan, woven mat covered the floor but was littered with little pieces of grain. That was impossible to get away from.

Slipping out of her sandals and discarding her fan near her door, Temari walked forward and fell face first on her bed. It had been a long...how many days? They had melted into each other, no clear border from one to the other. Her bed sheets smelled dusty. With a groan she turned over onto her back, staring at the pastel stain of her ceiling.

The mission had been successful. That's what mattered. It was a plusthat they didn't have to search too hard, andin such a high-level situation, everyone had come out alive. That was rare. Her body felt weighty, grounded against the mattress as if she would sink into it and through the floor. A yawn escaped her and her eyelids began to droop, the ceiling slowly fading out to dark.

-

The breeze was a little chilly, the sun almost gone. Shikamaru was still laying on his back, watching the darkening sky. The purple hued monuments floated lethargically, orange and yellow highlights along parts of their bumpy planes. The far western sky was still bright, a flaming orange glow suffocated by the deep azure of evening. It felt like it had been months since he last watched the clouds. Goosebumps raised over his arms, but he didn't want to move. A day like this would be rare. How much time did any of them really have?

He made a face, sitting up slowly. Thinking about pessimistic things like that wasn't good. Not at a time like this. Groaning, he got to his feet with a sigh, putting his palms against the base of his back as he arched in a stretch. There had been too many depressing situations lately, now all resolved, but it bothered him still. What he could have lost...

"You did the best you could given the circumstances."

He smirked. Temari was a strong, dangerous, clever, boyish girl. That wasn't uncommon around aggressive female to Tayuya, she'd bethe perfect embodiment of femininity. He half-chuckled, trying to imagine the girl from Sand as such,but itwas too impossible to imagine. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he began to walk back home.

She had stayed with him, though. He paused in his steps. She could have left with her team days before, but she chose not to. Was she concerned about his friends? His brow furrowed as he tried totheorize on a reason. Nothing seemed to logically fit her persona other thanmaybe she felt it was part of the mission. She had already been paid in full by that point, but perhaps she was somehow...sympathetic?

He shook his head. Trying to figure outthis girl was way too complicated and headache inducing. Especially since she was a tomboy. Brash one minute,willowy the next. It didn't make any sense to him.

-

"Shikamaru! Honestly, staying out all day long without coming home! Not even for meals! What's wrong with you! Why would you make me worry so much"

He stared at his mother with a peculiar expression, wondering in the back of his head why he hadn't opted to stay at Choji's house. Their friendship was tight enough that their two households treated each other like family.

"Don't you have anything to say"

"Youshouldn't yellout the door." Shikamaru raised a brow, hearing his father's voice. Rarely did he bother to make a comment.

"Don't tell me to be quiet! It's your lazy son who hasn't come home until now! How could you make me worry so much after what happened" He could see her eyes beginning to water. Ho boy, here it comes...

"Oh! My baby!" His mother threw her arms around him, squeezing so tightly, hethought his blood circulation was cut off. Hisirrate expression grew even more exaggerated, but dare he try to resist, it would only make things worse.

"I couldn't bear it if you had turned out like the Akimichi's boy! Oh my, we must send them flowers or something. Yes yes, something very nice but not too forward, but..." Shikamaru waited until she got so carried away with herthoughtsthat she let go of him and he walked inside, watching herbabble offto another part of the house.

He found his father at the dining table, eating his dinner slow as usual. Shikamaru took a seat, staring at him with a frown. After a good two minutes, his father glanced up from his meal.

"What"

"...How could you marry a woman like that" Shikamaru often asked this question. He never understood why a man like his father and a woman like his mother could be attracted to each other and even finding themselves compatible enough to wed. He waited another three or four minutes, listening to the slow munching of food and a few thoughtful groans.

"I've told you before, she has her good points." He scooped another portionof food into his mouth.

Shikamaru just stared at him. "What kind of reasoning is that" He was given a grunt in response, and dropped the subject.

The next moment his mother entered with a smile, wiping her hands off on her apron. "Shikamaru? You're obviously hungry. What would you like"

He raised a brow at her sudden mood shift. Mothers were the most troublesome of all.

Wooow so many reviews! Thanks a lot everyone X33. I'm glad people like this pairing! There are hardly any stories with these two. So yes! I will keep writing, and you keep reviewing! XD