She rushed into the white-walled building, looking for any trace of him.

Kankuro approached the counter, and asked the receptionist his whereabouts.

After a few brief words, her brothers led her to a single-person ward.

No one was outside; she took a glance at the sign outside.

"Nara Shikamaru" – it wrote.

"I will go in first." Temari turned at her brothers, who looked at each other and nodded.

Taking a deep breath, she went inside.

She was expecting him to lie on his bed, attached to numerous tubes and machines.

She was expecting the worst of all worst-case scenarios, that he would be dead or a vegetable.

Instead, he was sitting up, leaning on the pillows behind his back, staring up at the ceiling.

As she entered, he turned around, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

He was wrapped in bandages here and there; his left arm was placed in a cast.

"Hey." He tried to smile at her, but it was overtaken by his painful expression.

She sat next to his bed. "Don't push yourself." She said in a scolding tone, adjusting his pillows behind his back.

He blinked once and slumped back onto his pillows.

"Well, at least you aren't that badly injured." She said. "I was expecting much worse."

"I see that, to have you rush over from Suna like that." He coughed a little, then pressing onto his chest in a pained expression. "It's okay, scratches here and there, the worst part was my broken arm." He moved his left arm a little, just to show her it was not as bad as she pictured.

One side of her lips rose, as she sighed softly.

"Where are your parents?" She noticed that his parents were not in the room.

"They left, I told them to." He shrugged, his movement limited by his injured self.

"I see."

They fell into silence, she stared at the white sheets that covered his legs; and he stared at her relieved, yet tired face.

He turned at her and stared. "You've been crying."

She rubbed her swollen, blood shot eyes, not saying anything.

He reached his out his right arm, covered in bandage, and touched her face.

"It's nothing." She gently brushed it off; she stood up, and patted her knees.

"You should rest for now." Her voice was warm and stern.

"But…" He looked at her, raising his hand, trying to catch her figuratively.

"Just shut up and sleep, that's your favourite thing." She smirked at him.

"Will you come again tomorrow?"

She stopped at the question and turned around, looking at him, she smirked again.

"Troublesome." Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a quick wave before leaving the room.

His smile faded as his stared at her back disappearing at the door.


He found himself staring at the door, ever since the bright light seeping in from the hospital window woke him from his highly disturbed sleep.

He waited, and waited.

He tried to take a nap as he waited for her, but all he could see were images of Asuma's pale face, and that flash of light he saw before the other car crashed into his own.

She came eventually, looking more rested than the day she was before.

"I bought you some fruits," she smiled at him, as she took out a small knife and began peeling the skin of an apple.

"Thanks." He smiled at her.

She skillfully sliced the apple into slices and put them onto a small plate.

He took a piece and bit on it, the sweetness faded into nothing as he chewed.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened last night?" Temari folded her arms in front of her chest, frowning.

Shikamaru sighed, and put the plate on the bedside table.

"Hidan." He began, the expression on Temari's face turned stone-like. "We got into a fight, then he pulled out a knife… it should have been me, instead of Asuma."

She nodded, trying to recall his bearded, kind looking face.

"He died," Shikamaru sighed softly. "His wife was pregnant; he died not knowing that he is going to be a father."

"I am sorry," Temari said softly, frowning as she stared at his face.

"As I escorted her home after we left the hospital, I was sitting in my car," he said. "I was talking to you on the phone, when suddenly, a car came crashing from the side, I got knocked out of the car and landed on the sidewalk."

"Do you recall what the car look like?" She arched an eyebrow. "Did you see who crashed the car into you?"

"I don't know, the headlights shone and caught me like a deer in headlights."

He looked up and realized that Temari was texting someone on the phone.

He asked no question, but then he recalled the text he saw on Neji's phone.

"So, did you bring the cufflinks?"
"What do you mean… oh." Temari looked back at him, her lip thinning into a line. "So you know about Neji."

"…Yea." Shikamaru looked away, staring at the clouds outside.

"Why do you care?" She snapped, looking at him coldly.

Shikamaru looked back at her, his gaze gentle and confused. "I do, I just do."

"You didn't seem to care about me when you think about Ino."

"But I didn't do anything, all I did…"

"All you did was loving her." Temari stated calmly. "Isn't that enough?"
"I am trying." Shikamaru covered his head with his hand. "No, I am over her."

"And you expect me to believe you." Temari smiled coldly.

"She is a married woman, and now that… I have you." He reached out for her hand, she moved away from him.

"Wouldn't you give me a chance, Temari?" Shikamaru looked at her, his eyes desperate.

"I have given you chances, you wasted them, you lied to me."

Shikamaru looked down at the white sheets placidly.

"I don't know what I should do, or what I should say so that you would forgive me."

Temari looked at his profile, he sighed and looked up.

"When Asuma shoved me out of the way, I thought of you." He said.

Temari said nothing, her eyes widened and her lips remained thin like a line.

"When the car came crashing into me," he took a short breath. "I thought of you … I was very scared, I was scared that I won't be able to see you again."

Temari remained silent, her teal eyes looking at him, as he turned and stared into her emerald-like eyes with his dark obsidian ones.

"Temari," he said, his face stern yet gentle. "I should have said this long ago, I was planning to say this last night just before the crash."

Time seemed to stand still as the words came out of his mouth, drifting in the air and entering her ears.

"I love you, Temari." He said, his gaze fixated at her. "And I can't lose you, not anymore."

Temari sat there like a statute, her mind was blank at that moment, she stared as he leaned forward and held her hand in his own.

"Please give me a chance."

She looked down at his bandaged hand, and placed her on his own.

"Let's talk about this later." She gave him a weak, reassuring smile, as a nurse entered the room.

"Shikamaru-san," she said with a smile, turning at Temari, she dipped her head.

"I am sorry, but there are some policemen here to interview you."

"I will see you later," Temari stood up and left the room.

Shikamaru stared again, as the blonde walked out of the room, her steps hasty.

His heart sank as two detectives walked inside, and took a seat at where she was.

"Nara Shikamaru?" The man said, he was wearing a suit; Shikamaru could recognize the familiar scent of cigarettes surrounding him. "We have a few questions for you."

"Alright." He nodded.

When asked, he told the detectives what he knew, including providing a vivid description of Hidan, that cold-blooded man who murdered his mentor.

He closed his eyes as the detectives left the room, and all he could see was Temari, smiling at him, her emerald eyes shinning at him, but as he reached out, the smile faded from her face and slowly crumpled into ashes in his hand, leaving nothing but a handful of dust in his hand.

He opened his eyes, only to find himself staring at the white wall in front of him.

He looked down and stared at his empty palm, slowly folding it into a tightened fist.

He had been passive, cowardly for too long.

Not this time.

This time, he would seize the chance, he would treasure her like he should have long time ago – he made Asuma a promise, he promised not to waste chance in his life anymore.

In exchange of his greatest gift to him – the gift of tomorrow.


Author's note:

Here is another short chapter :)

One point I would like to make: when I say adapt, I don't mean "adopt"; DaX0315 provided a great idea, which I took reference it ... (Thanks for the great idea again!)

It doesn't mean the whole story is going to end like that (as you can see Shikamaru was not in a life or death situation...)

Anyway, all I want to say is that this is still MY story, so it is going to end my way!

I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the love and reviews xoxox

V.S.V