Luvs2smooch: Wow. That took me a while. Sorry. Well, read on.

Ex's and O's

Late, very late at night, probably around 4 AM, but I don't feel a bit tired. The stars paint vivid portraits against the late night canvas, bringing to life fantasies only dreamed of in other worlds. The grass beneath is a soft and luxurious natural mattress, tenderly cared for but not overwrought. And the only person in the world that I need is enjoying my company right beside me. Like I said, I'm wide awake.

However, even as I take in everything, my thoughts can't help but meander on the problems of life. Not enough pay, too many papers to grade, various debts. But as soon as they hit the big one, a red alert spirals out of control in my head. Temari.

Well, I suppose it isn't actually Temari, but the fact that I may love her and the various problems that come with it. My family is of little consequence—my father will likely be overjoyed, while I doubt my mother will care either way. But Temari's…well, I have not even met them, but as far as I know, she has two brothers, one of which is the Kazekage. I don't know what to make of that.

"…isn't it, Shika?" I nearly jump, surprised, then realize that Temari had been talking while I swayed about in my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I turn to face her.

She giggles. "I said, 'The sky is amazing tonight, isn't it, Shika?'"

I smile. "Absolutely."

Maybe, I think to myself, maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe the stories aren't true. Maybe her brother wasn't a mass murderer. Then I gulp as I remember Suna's attack. Okay, so maybe he was. But he isn't anymore, right? He's the Kazekage. That won't be a problem.

Or will it?

Maybe he'll just plain hate me. Put a public bounty on my head and be done with it. Or maybe he'll be supportive. Let his sister be happy with whoever she wants…But what about the other brother? He's no Kazekage, but he's older, and probably holds some position, given his family's status. Something needs to be worked out at one time or another.

Maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself.

After all, we've not even kissed yet. Sure, we're friends, have been for quite a while, but nothing beyond going out a few times (totally platonically, as we both agreed, still nervous about the opposite sex) has occurred. I'm unsure of what I can and cannot do. I realize that a bit of a talk is in order, so I think about what to say for a moment or two, and then sit up against my hands.

"Temari?" I hear her shuffle to sit up as well, and then she appears next to me.

"What's up?" Her expression tells me that she has been lost in thought as well.

"Well…" I pause for a moment, suddenly in a different world. I made a mistake. I looked into her eyes, and (like they always do) they captivate me. Often as I see them, they capture me once again, and I am speechless for moments on end. After a quick look of mild surprise, she blushes and giggles again.

"I'm sorry, it's just your-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just my eyes, just that they sparkle like the sea, that they shine like a moondrop, that they reflect the light of the stars so beautifully. Which one is it this time, you dog?" She says it sarcastically, but playfully, as though she has heard few things sillier than my compliments, and punches my shoulder.

Now it's my turn to blush. That was unexpected.

"I…uhh-" I look down, embarrassed, feeling my cheeks redden more. She got me on that one, I think.

"Hey, bud," She whispers, with light in her tone, "Buck up…" She places the side of a finger against the bottom of my chin and begins to raise it. I comply, lifting my face to hers, expecting a warm word or kind look.

I'm surprised when Temari's lips connect with mine. Soft, but imposing. It feels as though she knows what she's doing. Which is just fine with me. I allow her to take command. She slowly wraps her arms around me, as I tentatively place my hands against he supple face, running fingers through her sandy yellow locks. My god, I think, this is what I've been missing.

The kiss was broken. She slides away carefully, and smiles. I have absolutely no idea what to say, which I guess shows, because she smiles wider.

"What the hell is a moondrop, anyways?"

"What? ...I-"

She giggles as she jumps up and dashes off. I laugh as I get up to make chase. It would happen periodically, she would just run off without warning and I would hound her for a while. Usually I would give up and she would see me with my hands on my knees, panting, and ask if I'd given up. I'd say yes, and then we'd ro-sham-bo to see who bought lunch for whom.

But when I get up, she's gone. I don't mean gone as in come-and-find-me gone, I mean vanished. I don't even see any footprints in the dirt path. Everything around me goes dark. It's as though the stars, the moon, have been spirited away. The few lights that had been on in houses were now dark as well. I can't see anything. I hear wind howling around me, whipping up my clothes and screaming in my ears. It spirals about in all directions, and then stops as suddenly as it began. I can only hear the beating of my own heart, loud and fast. Then a voice pierces the beat, humming at first, a merry but relatively tuneless melody. Then it speaks, and the voice I cherish the most, the one I'll never forget, says only one thing.

"Goodnight, Shika. Good--"

I jerk out of bed, screaming. My bare chest is covered in a cold sweat, and my hair hangs around my shoulders. I gasp and breathe heavily for a moment, then realize what had happened. It brings me to tears. It was so vivid, so powerful, that memory of mine resurrected that tears flow down my face. I curl up into a ball and cry, cry away my night, wishing for what I can't have and dreaming of what I've thrown away.

Luvs2smooch: Recall, reviews determine the fate of this script!