a/n: Hello, everybody! I'm sorry if the characters turned out to be OOC. I'm sorry for that. Anyway, please do…hopefully…enjoy this chappie! This is the fourth chapter. It's almost finished…All I have to do is the epilogue…

"A dream?" the kunoichi looked over her shoulder with a shocked expression.

The raven-haired man nodded. "I was sitting under a tree with the wind blowing…as if…"

"As if what?" asked the kunoichi spontaneously after the man paused to take a breath.

"As if it were kissing me…" he smiled. She smiled and reached for the knob as if she were preparing to close the door behind her lost love forever.

"What's so cool about those floating molecules of H2O, huh Shika?" Temari said in a pissed of tone.

"Everything…" Shikamaru replied.

"Because they're free and they can do want ever they want, right?" The tone on Temari's voice changed.

Shikamaru nodded but he still focused his attention to the clouds.

"Not like us…" Temari continued.

He turned his head a little a looked at his depressed blonde kunoichi. "Cheer up…I'm sure…everything will be all right…and besides to will be too troublesome to think about that."

Temari smirked. "That's easy for you to say…"

He sighed. "You women adapt so quickly… It's still a wonder how I put up with one twice as troublesome as my mother…"

"Say that one more and-"

"hai…hai…sheesh." He reverted his look back to the clouds.

Sure, a ninja is not forbidden to love nor is it encourage but…a BIG BUT…Shikamaru and Temari knew that loving a ninja from another village is more likely to be discourage than neglected. Though both sides of the lovers knew their relationship neither of the two families confronted the other nor the lovers. They didn't want to ruin the different side of the two.

Temari, according to Kankuro and Gaara, is the last woman in the world to be looking for love. Not even once did she mention to her siblings about a crush or adoration. But when the shadow controller visits their sister from time to time, what could they do. They can't refuse the ONLY person their sister ever loved. And besides, they didn't want Temari to be an old maid. Also, Shikamaru's really not the kind of guy that would hurt Temari, right?

Shikamaru, according to all the people that met him, is the last person the universe to court a girl even if he liked her so much. Shikamaru was more like a guy that will marry a cloud instead of facing the girl he likes and reveal his feelings. But when Temari visits Shikamaru regularly what could his mother do? Temari was the only girl that Shikamaru actually spends is time with. Hey, Temari isn't the kind of girl that would kill Shikamaru, right?

Kagenohi turn her head. She smiled. She knew it was the last time she will ever see him. She knew deep down in her heart that this man before her is none other than her fiancé. Sadly, she didn't have the courage to tell him that though her heart is at the brink of its burst. She controlled it.

It was one of the things she's good at, anyway. But there was something inside her that itches, compelling her to tell him that SHE was Temari, his fiancé. But, she didn't want to. She just silently walked away from him. Though it took her a few seconds to grab the door to close it, she was prepared to walk out the door and kill the hope, and the chance of love to blossom again. She couldn't take another heart ache. But before she could even bang the door and leave everything behind her, a mob come into sight prepared to kill the shadow eater.

"There she is; the shadow eater!" One of the people yelled. "Let's kill her before she kills us!"

But before, the pack could even attack; Kagenohi had already knocked out five of them. She banged them unconscious not with her metal fan with her shadow. She stood up behind the angry mob and vanished into thin air.

As she was running in the alleys hoping to lose them, she was pulled by someone she thought was part of the riot.

"Be quiet," the voice whispered. "They won't find us here…"

It took a few seconds for Kagenohi to adjust her eyes in the dark. And when, she did she saw him…

Kagesora smiled. "I see you're still as troublesome as before…"

A tear rolled down Kagenohi's cheek. He wiped it and whispered, "Hey, don't. Nice girls don't cry…"

She hugged him and closed her eyes. He answered back by kissing her on her forehead.

"Are you guys on a date?" Naruto exclaimed.

The two blushed. Of course, it was obvious but they didn't want Naruto to broadcast it. So what if it had been officially 'them' for five months and they were able to keep it a secret. Why does this blonde haired guy have to reveal everything…

"Shika-kun…" Temari said one afternoon. "Maybe it's time to end this…"

"Why?" Shikamaru was in shocked.

"We're having a hard time putting up with this maybe we're not just cut out-"

Shikamaru gently placed his index finger over Temari's lips. "Hush…that would be more troublesome. And besides, at least I have a reason for going to Suna…"

"No, baka…" Temari pulled away from Shikamaru. "If Suna breaks her alliance with Konoha where will that lead us?"

She paused. "No where…"

"Well," Shikamaru replied while looking at the cherry sky. "I'm willing to take that chance…and besides, think about that will be too troublesome, right?"

"Well, I guess you're right…"

She pulled away from the embrace she gave to the raven haired man.

He made a half-smile. "What do you plan to do, ne Temari?"

"No one has called me that for a long time…"

"Well, lucky me…Looks like I've just won a troublesome woman…" Kagesora smiled and pecked the blonde on the cheek.

"So, what are you planning to do now, ne?"

"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a shinobi…" he sighed and stood up.

Temari had just seen the raven haired shinobi walked a few steps when a voice called out to him. It was Shikamaru's father. "Are you being talked to by a girl and running away?"

Temari kept silent and listen to every word Shikamaru's father told him. Sooner or later he has to accept the fact that every ninja CAN fail a mission. It was normal for a ninja to fail a mission. It was normal that people get hurt. It was normal that people leave. And it was normal that people fall in love. Yes, sooner or later he has to admit to himself that he had feelings for Temari and there will also come a time that he has to tell her that.

But what will he gain if he loved the Suna Kunoichi. He knew it was pointless and more importantly troublesome. But then again, his plan in life: to get married, to have kids, and look at the clouds all day. That was what he was thinking about during his first encounter with Temari. But, if he will not make a move, then when? If it was not her, then who? He knew that it was either her or none one. He didn't have a choice, he said to himself. Still, deep inside his lying heart, he knew he would choose her over any person in the world. But to admit his feelings for her? Now, he'd be just looking for pain on his butt. But, what could he do, the heart is a powerful thing; perhaps even more powerful than the mind.

"So, how do you plan on escaping, troublesome woman?" Kagesora teased the blonde nin.

"Relax…"she smirked. "Don't rush… we have all the time in the world."

"Oh please… those were the same words you said before we were being chased by the Oto nins…"

"And are you afraid that history might repeat itself…"

"No…I just want to get this troublesome thing over with…"

"What do you expected me to say?" Temari yelled back at the black haired ninja. "You think it's easy for me with this kind of relationship?"

"Demo, it's not-" Shikamaru tried to explain.

"I'm trying hard," she fell to her knees and started crying. "But I can't…I want to let go…but I can't…I just can't"

"Then let go…" he placed his hand over her shoulder. "Life will be less troublesome, right?"

"But…" she whispered. " We've come all this way…I will…I won't lose you…not now…not ever…"

"Suit yourself, troublesome woman of mine…"

"Listen, Temari…" Kagesora whispered. "I'll distract them. You run, okay?"

"NO!"

"LISTEN, don't cause me trouble! You've already been more troublesome when you can back. Go! Just leave…and never look back!"

"Demo…BAKA! NO! I REFUSE!" she slapped him in the face. "You think you're still cool doing that. This time I am sure. We will both get out alive."

"Crap…Leave now! You're turning yourself into a burden."

"Why do you want to make me live so badly and not save yourself!"

Shikamaru looked her straight into the eyes. "I don't want you to live, I need you to! Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to say that! Now go! Go straight there and turn left. You'll reach the outskirts. GO!"

With that, Temari forced her steps into the dark alley. But before making the turn, the turn that will make her lose him forever, she looked over her shoulder on last time. She felt it was the last time she will see him the last time. She saw the smile she was captivated with, the smile that says 'how troublesome'. She saw standing there watching her disappear into the darkness of the alleys. She watched him. But before he disappeared from her sight, she read the words from Shikamaru's lips: "We'll see each other again, someday. I promise. But as for now, go find someone else…"

The silhouette of the shadow controller vanished…forever. Never again will she ever see him again; Never, not in this lifetime…

a/n: 'til the epilogue…don't forget to RandR…BYE!