a/n: This is the 2nd chapter. I hope you guys willenjoy it!

"Where do you want me to begin?" Kagesora asked.

"From where you could remember…" the blonde replied.

"The problem is I don't remember anything…"

"Liar…"

He smiled. "You women are so troublesome…"

A dark-haired shinobi was lying unconsciously at a bottom of a dry ravine. A pool of blood drenched his head. An old man with a dog suddenly appeared and took the body of the unconscious man. He took the wounded man to his little hut and tendered his wounds. A few days after, the ninja woke up.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You have been unconscious since I found you…" answered the old man.

"I see…" the younger man responded.

"Boy, what is your real name?"

The wounded man paused and then he screamed hysterically.

"That fall must have been bad."

"Who am I? Answer me!" The shinobi grabbed the old man by his collar.

"I don't know. I only found you…"

"Soka…I see…"

"Do you remember anything, boy?"

"Watashi…I…remember a cool strong breeze blowing on my face…as if kissing my lips…"

"This wind…" the old man replied, "must be a person you cared for…but who this person is, I don't know…Probably symbolized her…"

"So…did you try looking for this wind?" Kagenohi asked.

"No, I believe that this wind will come looking for me…"

Kagenohi smiled. "He really is a genius after all…" she said that to herself. Without her realizing it, a tear fell down her cheek. Kagesora caught the tear and smiled. "Don't do that. Nice girls don't cry…"

She remembered the first time he ever said that to her. It was a few months after his return from the failed retrieval of the Uchiha. She found him lazily starring up the clouds as if it was the best movie of the century. She didn't understand why these condensed molecules of water were so attractive to the guy. Those entire white fluffy things do is float. For some reason, though she found cloud-gazing a waste time, she always finds herself look up at those things with him.

"I want a rematch…" she said sternly as if she was sure she going to win.

"Why bother…" he yawned.

"How dare you beat me?"

"What, what did I do know?"

"Fight me…"

Temari immediately took out her gigantic paper fan and prepared to attack. But before she could do it, her body could not already move. She is again stuck in his Kagemane.

"You win." Shikamaru yawned.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Listen, I don't want to fight! How troublesome…" he then turned his attention back to the clouds.

"Why? How could you? How did you! How could I be defeated the 72nd time?" she asked.

"Maybe you really don't want to defeat me…"

Then to Temari's surprise, tears began to fall. "I don't understand why you could defeat me! I train and practice, but you just sit here and watch clouds…Why?"

"Don't cry, okay?" he wiped her cheek. "Nice girls don't cry. You're a nice girl, aren't you?"

Temari smiled. She knew not even in a million years will she be able to defeat Shikamaru. He filled her weakness at the same time he exposes it. He was able to expose the weak female side of Temari. With Shikamaru, she could be herself, not Temari, Queen of the Sand, but just Temari. She wouldn't know what she will do without him. She had a reason to travel back and forth from Konoha to Suna; to kae her life meaningful. She still didn't know how to tell her brothers about her relationship but she planned to. She loved him though she didn't like to admit it.

Kagenohi's thoughts reminisced on her lost fiancé. She wept in from of this guy she hardly knew that looked a lot like Shikamaru. She dug her face into this man's chest and cried her heart out. For years, she held back all her tears. She didn't cry. But when she saw this man, she wanted to pour her heart out as if he were Shikamaru. In her heart were mixed emotions, she was sad, angry, and embarrassed.

She was a tough girl. She was the Shadow Eater. She was the Kazekage's daughter. Most of all, she was Shikamaru's. She could never cry. She should never cry. But she just did. "This man is like Shikamaru…" she whispered to herself.

But he could be. It cannot be him.

"This is so troublesome…"Kagesora scratched his head.

"Gomenasai…" Kagenohi lifted her head and wiped her tears. "I guess I should live now…I'm sorry to have bothered you…"

"Go ahead…"he replied. "I won't stop you…"

Kagenohi smirked. "You haven't changed a bit…"

Kagesora raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She smiled and walked towards the door.

"I had a dream last night…" he whispered before Kagenohi slammed the door.

"Since Sasuke is still not here yet," the announcer said. "Shikamaru Nara will fight Temari of the Sand."

"How troublesome…"Shikamaru mubbled. "Why do I always have to fight girls?"

"Shut up!" said a blonde kunoichi with a paper fan on her back. "Let's fight…"

Shikamaru sighed. "Women are so scary…"

But coincidence or not, he managed to defeat this girl with such ease. He conceded. But actually he was the winner. The girl could believe that she lost to this guy. What's worse is that he gave up and made her winner by default. It might have been the reason why she was attracted to him.

He couldn't believe it; he just couldn't...

It was his first mission as a chounin, he couldn't believe he failed…

He and his teammates were carried back to Konoha. Neji, Kiba, Naruto and Chouji were in critical condition. All of them almost died. He feebly walked along the hospital corridors while thinking deeply about the unsuccessful task. He sat down a bench. Then, a familiar blonde girl sat at a bench opposite to him…

"Shikamaru," the blonde girl said. "I heard about your mission."

Shikamaru smiled and greeted the girl. "Hey, Temari, what's up?"

"There's no use fidgeting it…" replied Temari.

He just stared at the girl with the large paper fan on her back.

"Don't you receive emotion training?" she asked.

Shikamaru remained silent.

"Sacrifice is an inevitable part of missions…Because of that I understand that you-"

"And I was a team leader for the first time on this mission."

"But in a mission, you don't know what's going to happen. Actual combat and training are different, you know…"

"Well, I'm not just cut out to be a shinobi…"

With that, the dark haired shadow controller stood up and started walking again on the hospital corridor…

"You men are strange…" the girl said. "You think they're strong but there actually fragile…"

Her heart was pounding faster because she couldn't contain the emotion inside of her. True, she had feelings for the chounin but she never did want to tell the guy that. And besides, it would ruin her reputation as a 'fearsome ninja'. She didn't see herself as a kind of girl that would spill out her feelings for him and yell "I'm so in love with you Shikamaru!" 'Yuck! That would be gross' she thought. She's nothing like Sakura or Ino. She was different.

She smiled. But, oh, no one knew, none that she had feelings for the newly promoted chounin. "I'll kick the damned ass of the person who knew!" she would often tell herself that.

After Shikamaru left the blonde haired ninja from the hidden sand village, he met his father and had a chat with him. So, he didn't have a chat with him. He almost didn't talk at that conversion.

"Are you being talked to by a girl and running away?" His father said.

He wanted to answer but knew he shouldn't. He just thought of what he should have said.

"She isn't just a girl. She's the girl; the girl I lost my heart to."

Yes, he was madly in love with the female ninja. Though it wasn't love at first sight, he loved that blonde haired girl, a lot. But, like her, he didn't want to show his feelings for her. It would be a weakness for a ninja, he thought. And if anyone knew about that admiration for Temari, he wouldn't know what he would do that person. Also, if anyone knew about his 'crush', let's just say that his friends would tease him (especially Naruto, if he finds out). And besides what would it gain him liking Temari, the girl would punch him in the face if she knew.

He walked slowly outside the streets of Konoha. He looked up at the sky. It was already dusk. He yawned. He figured he would just go strolling for a while. Then to his surprise, he saw her again, Temari…

"You're still alive…" Shikamaru pointed at her in a dull way.

"Of course, I am, you dimwit!" She said irritated. Well, so much for a nice hello. It was actually rare for Shikamaru to greet her nicely.

"Wanna have ramen?" he asked. "It's my treat…"

a/n: That was chapter two. Bye!