A/N: I know I left some of you reeling after that last chapter - sorry to spoil the party! But hey, the course of true love never did run smooth. Unfortunately, real relationships aren't all the fluffy fanfics we've all read and loved. But if you'd rather experience some happy ShikaTema (warning: shameless plug), I have a few one-shots I've posted that you may want to check out (#masterofsegues).

Thank you so much for all the reviews so far. Reading them always makes my day so please keep them coming! Sorry for the silence - please know I do see every single one and smile hugely. I will start replying, promise! ^-^

Without further ado...the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

This feeling was foreign to him; it was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. It was somewhat akin to grief, and yet it also seemed vastly different from the emotions he toiled with following the deaths of his sensei and his father. This time, he didn't have Shikaku to help him release his suffering, or friends to remind him of what was truly important. It was a terrible, overwhelming, mind-numbing sadness that both made him want to scream at the world and shut himself off from society, one that neither Ino nor Choji could understand, something only he could think and feel.

The first night was the hardest. When he hadn't come down for dinner, Yoshino marched angrily to his room. She banged on the door. "Shikamaru Nara, I can't believe you've spent all day sleeping. Get downstairs NOW or you won't be eating."

"I'm not hungry, Mom."

"Yeah, right! You haven't had anything since you got back eight hours ago. In fact, we still need to have that talk about where exactly you were last night. Don't think I've forgotten, mister."

Without a word, Shikamaru opened the door. His eyes were sunken with fatigue, his lanky figure casting a somewhat hollow presence in the wake of his melancholy.

"Temari and I broke up," he said flatly.

Yoshino's raised arm dropped to her side. She stared blankly at her son who had visibly diminished into half the man he used to be. "Oh, Shikamaru…"

"It's okay, Mom," he responded absently. "I should've seen it coming."

"You mean…she…broke up with you?"

He nodded solemnly.

She moved towards him. At first he flinched, believing this to be another one of those times when she'd chastise him with a ladle. Instead, rather unexpectedly, she threw her arms around him in a doting, parental embrace. They hadn't shared a real mother-son moment since he was ten and thought he'd gotten too old for that sort of thing, not to mention Yoshino was more often than not angry with him rather than proud or concerned. Her iron grip was full of sympathy and shared pain. He didn't know how to feel or how to begin. So he simply broke down in tears and let his heartbreak consume him momentarily.

Yoshino patted her son's back in reassurance as he sobbed uncontrollably into her shoulder, gravity pressing his face into her collarbone due to their awkward height difference. She was worried she wouldn't be strong enough to support all of his weight as he leaned into her, letting every muscle in his upper body relax in agony, but she did her best to just be there for him when he most desperately needed it.

The next day he chose an alternative, equally popular coping mechanism: denial. He went about his daily life as usual, pretended he'd jumped back in time to the way his life was pre-girlfriend. He missed those days; a relationship was the last thing on his mind, and as a result, he never felt distraught at missing out. But now, even as he tried to return to that and relinquish every memory he had of Temari, it all reminded him of her.

When he reported to work that day, Kakashi greeted him with, "Good morning, Shikamaru."

"Morning, Lord Sixth," he said in his usual, nonchalant tone.

He decided to allude to the elephant in the room. "I understand that Temari chose to return to Suna," he said slowly. "She informed me of her decision only this morning in writing. Have you two made arrangements?"

He decided to put the Hokage out of his misery, not that it would put him out of his. "It won't be a problem…as we're no longer a couple."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that, Shikamaru."

"Don't worry about it. I promised you before I wouldn't let it interfere with my work, and I have no intention of going against my word."

He smiled halfheartedly. "I don't doubt it. But Shikamaru, please know I understand. You're in a difficult place right now and I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to forget about it and move on. But take it from me: don't push it out of your mind and reject the support of your friends. I know how that one ends."

Shikamaru nodded.

"I want you to take the day off."

Shikamaru looked at him in bewilderment. "Why? I'm perfectly capable of-"

"I know you are," Kakashi acknowledged. "This is a command, not a request. Go out. Have some food with Choji or Naruto or something. Talk to someone, take it easy, and I'll assign you something tomorrow."

Shikamaru knew better than to argue with the Hokage, whether that was Tsunade or now Kakashi. "Whatever you say, boss."

He walked through the streets of Konoha, hands in his pockets, head down. He had never paid much attention to anything other than the clouds before, but now everything had lost its colour.

"Ow!"

Shikamaru looked up and saw he'd inadvertently walked into Sakura. She rubbed her shoulder and was about to retaliate contemptuously when she recognised him. "Oh, Shikamaru! How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks," he lied. "What are you up to?"

"Just shopping around for Choji's birthday present," she smiled, holding up a little paper bag in front of him.

Crap, he thought. Note to self: find something for Choji before Tuesday.

Suddenly Sakura remembered something. "Hey, I saw Temari leave via the village gates last night. When's she coming back?"

He tried his best to mask his instant despair. "She's not."

"I don't understa…" she trailed off. She saw the torment in his eyes and realised her misstep. "Oh Shikamaru, I'm so sorry."

"I don't know why people keep telling me they're sorry," he replied indifferently. "It's never their fault. Besides, apologies…they're just words."

She could sense the undertone of bitterness in his conclusion. "Well, I mean mine," she insisted. "You're incredibly resilient, though. You'll be back up on your feet in no time."

He didn't know if he could believe her, but nonetheless he appreciated the sentiment. "I hope so."