Disclaimer: I would never have the rights to own Naruto and Co. That will only happen if I became his family member. Duh, you know it'll never happen even if I keep praying and be nice everyday. -

A/N: The song featured in this chapter is performed by Jim, entitled "You Must Tell Her". Heh…I don't even own this song either but it's one of my favorites. This final chapter is dedicated especially for Rama chan, LaZyEnErGeTiC & t3ddiE0x. You guys are the best! Love you all!

Konoha, 14 February

Random place, certain timeline starting from Sasuke's disappearance.

PART 5 – Troublesome Expressions

A Dedication to Shikamaru & Temari

Say her name, tell her how you really feel if only for once. It might be enough, before it's too late

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I know a girl who's broken-hearted

Over a boy who could not share his feelings

She really loved him

"Oi, cry-baby. Why don't you get up from your lazy-ass and start to do something productive for once will you?" She stood there, with her hands on her shapely hips. Her turquoise eyes were fixed intensely at the dark pineapple-styled haired boy who was lying on his back. His right leg perched on top of his other one, his hands crossed under his head.

Annoyed onyx-eyes returned the same intensity as the girl's and he grunted. "What does it has to do with you anyway, you noisy woman. Besides, why do I have to deal with you from the first place? Gah…troublesome"

And, he was rewarded with a large bump on his innocent, unsuspecting head.

He winced in pain as he rubbed the throbbing spot, in the same time telling himself that he should restrain from letting out any provoking words to the already provoked blonde-haired girl in front of him. The said person was grinning cockily at him, as she leant towards him until their faces nearly touched. 'What the hell is she doing?' His head jerked forward, closing in leaving a very dangerous gap between their lips. Temari's hands had found their way to the back of his head, intentionally pressing deeper at the aching spot. 'Itei…'

She formed her lips into a pout as she mocked him in a very 'adorable' small voice. "Aww…is Shikamaru-kun hurt? Too bad…what can Temari do about it?" Her eyelashes fluttered ingenuously, sweeping her glowing cheeks. 'You could let me continue on with cloud-watching and don't bother me for the whole day'

Well, that's what Shikamaru wanted to say. But God knows that the only words that came out was…"Nothing?"

"Wrong answer, Shika-kun" Her grin turned more devilishly than before. 'Oh-uh…not good' He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the next blow.

However, all he could feel was a soft nudge on his lips and a warm breath mixing with his own. A faint scent of white lilies graced his sense in that heart-pounding moment. 'So soft…even clouds are not like this'

The kiss broke off as fast as it initiated. Her now flushing fair skin turned another shade deeper. Both of them surely did not expect the kiss to happen. Well, not on his part certainly. As they stared into each other's eyes, one waiting for the other to broke them from this trance.

Temari gathered a little bit of courage left inside her but still refused to look at him straight in the eyes. "I'm going back to Suna tomorrow…"

And I know a boy who could not say just feeling or words that would make her day

It hurt her, though he really lovedher

The next morning Temari and her younger brothers were standing at the Main Gate of Konoha, all prepared to take leave for Sunagakure. She was in a good mood and that is just simply because the presence of the Nara heir, standing tall with that unusual smug expression on his face.

She looked at him like he wanted to say something to her. While, he looked at her like he didn't really have to tell her anything. And then Kankurou & Gaara broke the intense atmosphere.

She didn't want to show that she's on the verge of vulnerability. So, instead of letting that lazy-ass get the best of her, she put on her usual mask of superiority as she glanced back over her shoulder.

"If anything happens, we'll come and help. Is that alright, Mr. Crybaby?"

"Tch…you talk too much. That's why you women are…"

She could only laugh helplessly, in means to hide the disappointment inside her heart. She hoped that she could hear other words that would meant especially for her. After what happened yesterday, would it be that easy for him to forget everything?

Anyway, he didn't finish his sentence before. 'Lazy-bum'

He noticed that there was a certain glint in her eyes. If only he was more observant, he would realize that the glint can only be found in the eyes of women…in love.

If there's a lesson to be learn, it's a hard one to take

Want to falls apart; it's so hard to un-break

So, don't you ever make that mistake

A few months later, she had found herself paying frequent visits to Konoha due to the responsibility of being the link between the two villages. She crossed paths with him once in a while, but responsibilities set the relationship apart and both of them were hanging on a thin line. Every time she stumbled upon him whether at the streets, the office or the academy building; he always managed to lift her spirit up, but not high enough to break the rising invisible walls between them.

While Shikamaru on the other hand, was having a battle of his own. His opponent was none other than his brain. His heart kept telling him to walk up to her and tell her how much he had been missing her in his life. While his brain kept reminding him that such things are too troublesome for him to handle and so, he should let time decide what would happen. Being Shikamaru, he let his brain do the entire rational stuffs.

That's when he made a mistake.

Tell her you love her

How much you love her

Don't turn away

Don't be afraid

Tell her you love her

Time watches on and the boy grew older

Everyday wondering if he told her something

Would it be different?

PRESENT DAY, 13 February

She had finished her role as a guest instructor and examiner during a Chuunin exam briefing that day. From the corners of her eyes, she could see the silhouette of man who had been gracing her dreams every night, whose name is in her every heart beat.

Time had certainly taken its toll on the 16 year old raven-haired Chuunin. His hairstyle didn't change much but he had certainly grown taller than her and he had shed all those baby fats, leaving a sculpted, refined and handsome face.

She had finished tucking her metal fan at the back of her sash when she was approached by three of her 'students', Konohamaru and his friends. One of them was the red-headed girl who had grown to idolize her ever since she and her brothers helped Konoha during a retrieval mission a few years before.

"Temari-sensei…we have something for you." The little girl forwarded a pink wrapped box, another one wrapped in a purple paper imprinted with designs of golden hearts and a white rose to her hands.

"What.. what are these, Moegi-chan?" The Jounin kunoichi blinked at the quite 'foreign' objects on her hands.

Konohamaru butted in. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, sensei. Well, actually it was Moegi-chan's idea to gift you something for tomorrow since it's a very special day."

'Valentine's Day?'

She gave them a very warm smile as she arched one eyebrow in a quizzical manner. "And, what do people do on Valentine's Day?"

Konohamaru burst into laughter, obviously amused at the fact that their sensei is clueless about 14 February, assuming the sensei is a woman. Moegi glowered at her teammate's outburst. "Konohamaru-chan!"

"Anou…Temari-sensei, my nee-chan said that 14 February every year is the day that people would appreciate someone they loved or cared about by giving them presents or flowers" The boy with the glasses told her.

"Aaa…do they give presents to show that they love a person?"

Moegi nodded enthusiastically as she looked up at the beautiful blonde kunoichi. Upon seeing the excitement in the little girl's eyes, Temari didn't have the heart to disappoint them by refusing the gift.

"Should I open it right now?" She received a hopeful glance in reply before she opened the pink box.

"Oh my…" She held up one of the purple satin hair ribbon from the silk bed in her dainty fingers. At the middle of each ribbon were two white lily-shaped crystals.

"They'll look good on you Temari-sensei. I even bought four of them for you."

Admiring the soft material in fascination, she wondered. "How did you know that white lilies are my favorite?"

The three of them just shrugged in innocence.

'Probably my perfume' Temari mused to herself.

"You sure put your ninja skills to good use huh? Anyway, thank you minna. This is the first gift I've ever received. It's lovely" She grinned at the three youngsters before preparing to take a leave.

"Temari-sensei, someone asked me to ask you this." Konohamaru asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Ask me what Konohamaru?"

"Do you have a boyfriend, Temari-sensei?"

Her fingers automatically grabbed the boy's cheek, shaking him in the process. While in the same time, hints of blushes started to appear on her cheeks. "Who told you about such things…hmm?"

"Itei…But…Kiba-san asked me to…eheh…" Without finishing his sentence, Konohamaru laughed goofily before disappearing into clouds of smoke, dragging his bespectacled friend behind.

'Kiba…I should have known. He'll never give up won't he?'

"Do you miss him, Temari-sensei? Did he tell you he loves you?" Moegi asked excitedly towards her idol.

Temari let out a small sigh. This little girl is really persistent and being somebody who secretly wanted a little sister herself, Temari didn't think it would hurt if she entertained the little rascal for a while. Besides, it's just gonna be between the two of them.

She looked around her to make sure that the other occupants of the room were not in hearing range.

"To tell you the truth, Moegi-chan…I used to fall in love with a certain someone but I never know how he feels for me. I gave him my first kiss, in hopes that he'll understand how I felt for him. But, he just let me go away without saying a word. Every time I meet him, I wished that he would say something. Does he love me or not?"

It's true that Temari cannot move forward or backwards in her life. She cannot turn back time to undo the moment they kissed. And she cannot move on by forgetting everything, because that will only kill her slowly from the inside, especially when she'll be working together with him from now.

"If it hurts you so much, sensei, why don't you just forget him?"

"I wish I could, Moegi-chan. You can fall in love with someone in such a short time, but to forget that someone, it'll take you a lifetime to do that. Until now, I'm still waiting to hear those words from him" Temari shifted uncomfortably on her seat, as she began to feel the warmth rising to her cheeks. She quickly blinked the invisible tears away before it became noticeable by anyone.

If there's a lesson to be learn, it's a hard one to take

Want to falls apart; it's so hard to un-break

So, don't you ever make that mistake

Later that night, Temari lay on the bed after a nice hot shower. Remembering the moments with Moegi, she laughed at herself for being soft-hearted. Stretching her body slowly, her hands accidentally knocked down all of her newly-received presents from the edge of her bed. She bent down half way to pick up the purple-colored box, only to find the contents scattered on the wooden floor. One of them was a small white floral patterned fan and a nicely folded paper. 'I didn't notice there was a note with it' Slowly, her hands moved to the said note, flipping it open.

To the most beautiful woman in the world, I hope that I could see you once again. Will I be able to be a part of your life?

Please give me the answers tonight at the bridge upon the lake.

Love,

The man who'd die for you

"Cheesy…this must be from Kiba." She broke into an extremely amused laughter. 'This is so classic'. She laughed full-heartedly, nearly choking on her breath before falling ungraciously from the bed.

"Well then…let's just settle this once and for all, lover-boy." Hastily, she picked herself up from the floor and started to look through her luggage for a quick change.

In the next 25 minutes, she arrived at the promised place between her and her 'mysterious' admirer, who she already knew who he was. He should have been there already, assuming that she should have read the note hours before.

Mind you, Kiba is a very sweet, good looking guy and obviously, very determined. He had been showing his interest towards her since she's been making Konoha her second home. He kept appearing at the strangest places and at the unexpected times just to get her attention. And being Kiba, he's never afraid to tell her how he feels for her, and every time Temari would casually wave it aside like a normal conversation. Besides, he's one of Shikamaru's close friends. That's not a very good thing.

She might seem heartless, and she could've accepted him if she wanted but, what's the point if he's the one who would end up getting hurt eventually. He's perfect and all but he's not the man she had fallen in love with from the first place.

She kept on debating with herself until she felt the presence of someone approaching behind her back.

"I know it's you, Kiba. I've told you many times, it's never gonna work out between us. I can't accept you because I already gave my heart to someone else and even if that someone kept ignoring it, I won't grow tired waiting for him"

A pair of masculine hands shot up from behind, encircling her neck. He slowly kissed on top of her head, savoring the scent of white lilies. The first scent that had ever lingered through his sense, through his mind and finally found its way to his heart. And the scent that reminded him of his first kiss with her.

"Kiba…what do you think you're doing? I told you before…"

"You're still wearing the same perfume…I should've stopped you back then. I should've told you I loved you two years ago"

"What? You don't even know me that time. You're out of your mind…" She turned around in his embrace, and instead of a Kiba, there standing in front of her was none other than…him. "Shikamaru?"

Tell her you love her

How much you love her

Don't turn away

Don't be afraid

Tell her you love her

The dim moonlight shone over his face. His usual mask of ignorance was well-replaced with his true demeanor; a face of a regretful man. "I'm sorry I made a mistake for being silent all these times. I'm sorry you had to suffer because of me. I knew I'll lose you to someone else, but I'm not good in troublesome stuffs like this" His eyes were closed like he's struggling really hard to prevent himself from looking at her face.

Lord knows how long she had been waiting for this moment to happen. "I…it doesn't matter. As long as you're here with me, that wou…would be enough" She pried his eyes open with the gentlest touch and he leant forward to catch her full, gloss-tinted lips with his own. "I was hoping that you'll be wearing the purple ribbon tonight" He said, as he took in the full view of her face illuminated by the beams of the moon. "Hey…how do you know? It's from Moegi-ch…ohh…" A smile graced his thin, alluring lips. "It was from you all along?" He nodded innocently and by that time his hands had already found their way behind her, trailing across her back.

She stared amusingly at him. "You're evil do you know that?"

He shrugged and his smirk grew wider.

"Do you know what I do to evil people like you?" She had this very familiar grin to him.

'Oh-uh…' His smirk had gone that instant.

BUMP!

So, without both of them realizing, the clock had stroke midnight and thus the first few minutes of 14 February had witnessed the union of lovers separated by time and silence. He held her tightly in his arms, afraid of letting go as she slowly rubbed the newly-formed bump on his head.

Some things will never change…

The End

(For good…)

A/N: There you go. The finale. The fluffy finale. I'm sorry if this fic seem so simple but it's the only thing that I could bring out from the gazillion stuffs jumbling inside my brain….eheh…- Have great productive and joyful days ahead! R&R!

See you next fic!

Love,

ardenilia