Hey, I am very stressed, school is ending and I am pulling some magic out of no where, or I need magic. I'm sorry for the late updates. I am trying to catch up with some school crap.

Onward with the story.

Okay,....Haha, I was stressed, and then....

JAI HO!!!!

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Shikamaru sat down after running after the 'run away' princess. He was about to get a side-pain, and he was amazed that she was not stopping or slowing down. He swore it almost look like she was gliding, now wouldn't that be magnificent if that was exactly what she was doing. Sometimes under the hot sun he was aware that he was thirsty and started hallucinating at some point, though his hallucination had nothing to do with wanting to drink water, no; he sees himself kissing the princess and they were submerged under water their hands, limbs and clothes, they were dancing. Her touch burns him even if he was surrounded by cool water. He burns. He frowned and shooked his head. It was also not like him to truly think-maybe he wasn't hallucinating...he was day dreaming was he not?

He was covered with his sweat, they made his clothing stick to him so close that they looked like a second skin, he felt not clean. He wanted that pool of water now. He kept his mouth closed, if he opened it to breath deeply the need for water will grow stronger.

"You're not much of a runner are you?" The Princess said to him. Shikamaru glanced at her and saw even though she was not dress with her expensive clothings her titled chin and the way she looks down at him shows who she was truly. It was like she was judging him, though her eyes were not cold nor calculating, they were almost lustful to him. Especially when her pinkish lips parted, he found his own mouth opening slightly, maybe she'll let him drink? He closed his eyes and frowned deeply. It was so unlike him to be this way. He does not need to be this way, he thought.

"A fighter does not run away, Princess." He replied.

He had speed but was just out of it due to his earlier injuries dealt by the Princess herself. He would admit she was fast, as fast as him it seems. He wondered if she was this daring girl before? Or was she not? No one truly sees her for who she is but a Princess, he assumed. When title comes first it was always the title they look at, not the person.

"Princess, have you left your Kingdom?" He asked.

She shook her head and didn't say anything. She stood there, her eyes no longer on him. Silence hung around them, their company at the moment, he did not break the silence, just watched her. How the Princess changed in appearance. She had a much more darker complexion than before, yet she was still beautiful, and her skin looked smooth. There were no scars, either she heals fast and well or she conceals them.

"You have been watching me." She said, Shikamaru didn't say anything. He knew that was not a question, he kept his thoughts to himself, if she knew he was watching her then she must be doing the same thing.

"Where are you headed, Princess?"

"I thought you were an enemy of mine, one of those horrid assasins that killed my messengers."

Shikamaru stood up and dusted off the dirt on his hands, he would not be holding the Princess' hands so he does not need them so clean, at least he looked a bit presentable in front of her.

"We no longer have messengers due to that, though-"

"You were sent out here to send a message where you not? Were you headed to Suna?"

Shikamaru didn't reply on that. She was from another Kingdom, at the moment everyone was on the edge. He shouldn't even be associating with anyone not from their kingdom. He was breaking many rules by just talking to the Princess.

"No, my Queen does not want me closing in on Suna, in fact they kept me in Konoha because I begged to come back. They had looked at me as someone with an open mind that my brain must have fell out. They thought I was seeking death by going into your Kingdom." He spoke gently yet with his tone, he was bored or tired. He wasn't lying though not forthcoming with the whole truth.

She had been watching him closely, because it was the very first time to truly see the stranger she had once fancied in love with. She was worried about the injury he has now, she could see that his clothes were stained with his own blood. An open wound was no good for someone health especially when there's a plague going around the close town.

"But you will go into Suna?" She asled and waited for him to confirm it but he didn't. "They will capture and kill you immediately especially when people still remember who you are. The King still remembers you." I still remember you, she thought.

"I thank you for the warning." He said.

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Shikamaru sighed as he stripped himself of his stained clothings. He went into the pond of water, washing himself. He had left the Princess, or more of that he was forced to leave her side because she ordered her to. No, not even her order made Shikamaru obey. He stayed close to her until she spoke some words that made him listen. Who knew the Princess uses such ways.

"If you claim you will die for me, why can you not do what I say?"

"Dying for you doesn't mean I follow your orders, You are not my Princess to obey."

She glared at him,"I was in pain when you came and left, you wish to inflict pain to me again by dying in front of me? You wish to let me see such gruesome display?"

Shikamaru didn't wince, no, he was too trained to show emotion as much. He would have winced, like how his heart had ached before. He turned around and once again left her. Damn it all.

"Troublesome! Once again I fail as a man by breaking my word, leaving her." Shikamaru mummbled on. He submerged himself under the water and kept swimming downwards until he could no longer hold his breath, he needed air.

"Were you trying to drown yourself?"

Shikamaru pulled back his medium length black hair away from his face and frowned at the guy that was in front of him. "What are you doing here, Prince Naruto?" He was shocked to see his blonde friend here and saw into the year and a half that his friend grew stronger and taller. His eyes looked like he'd seen too much, matured already? Shikamaru closed his eyes for awhile.

"You came into my Kingdom, and drop the nonsense, don't even call me a prince." Naruto said with a smile. Shikamaru shook his head. He would find himself beheaded when they hear him talking to the Prince in such a disrespectful way by not honoring the ranks. His friend was wearing his crown too and all those fancier clothes.

"I cannot do that, Prince."

"Truly?"

"Fine, how'd you find me here, Naruto?"

"Queen Tsunade said you were headed here, or at least that's what she thinks. So here I am, searching for you for how many days now. Whirpool allied with Konoha. They're partially mobilizing, readying ourselves for a very possible war. I suggest you do not go into Suna, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru frowned. Naruto was far too serious now. He knew war was bound to happen. It's how small ones crumble and the others get bigger. The weak always suffers.

"What happened to you?"

"I was attacked."

"Is it your blood or his blood?"

"Mine, and no, I do not wish to spill her blood. I will never harm her."

"Her? No, her are allowed out anymore for fear of being captured and violated. Females are kept within now. Except for the Lady Knights, of course." Naruto smiled."How's Sakura?"

A typical question from Naruto who everyone thought in love with Sakura, but that love was one sided. Shikamaru never thought Naruto and Sakura would make it anyways. A future King with a Lady Knight? Too far fetch, if they asked him. But then he was never good in love.

Or Princess and the Peasant?

"My friend, you need to bury that heart of yours. If not I assure you Sakura will bury it for you."

"She is with Sasuke then? The Royal Families in Konoha, huh."

Shikamaru remained silent. It was a hard subject for Naruto and his lineage. Naruto took his mother's name because of the assasination of his father a long time ago, they thought by doing that they would protect him. People in Konoha had not have respect for Naruto, especially because his mother was from the Whirlpool Kingdom, they are all edge out especially the fight that happened between the remaining Sasuke Uchiha.

"Look, you're a prince. You deserve-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. A princess." Naruto finished off, looking irritated as he backed away from Shikamaru, looking like he was about to leave as he smoothed his clothes and ran a hand through his hair. "I have to marry soon, the councils are saying when war truly happens we need alot of alliance."

That wasn't what Shikamaru was heading for. He wanted Naruto to have what he wants, to have someone that loves you for who you are.

"An arrange marriage for alliance?" Damn, Shikamaru thought. Naruto deserves better than that.

"Will you do me a favor, Shikamaru?"

"It seems from the looks in your eyes I have no choice but to do that favor. Just give a command and I will follow thee."

"Save the theatrics for later, you need to do what Grandma Tsunade told you to do. Don't sway from the orders, Shikamaru." Shikamaru stared at his friend, both are tense for the upcoming outcome. "You will not fail us, will you?"

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Temari had watched him leave again. Well this time she told him to leave her to protect him. He was far too close in Suna and everyone have a target on him. A year later and war soon to start, her father had not given up on wanting to kill the guy that started a revolt.

She had snucked out of Suna by routes given to her by her brothers. They gave it to her just so she could relieve herself of the stress and emotion she kept bottled up inside the palace walls. She was tired of her teachers who told her to do things and what not to do. She needed to act like a proper lady. She had asked does a proper lady fight? No, they don't. But Temari always craves to learn how the body moves and she did. She had slowly fought some men out side of Suna. She was captured many months ago, but the man that captured her had released her when he found out about she was the Princess of Suna. She was suprised. Not a lot of criminals would have released her, they would have used her. But not the man with his face covered. He made sure she was safe back into Suna, but then Temari refused until he would accept her as his student. She wanted to learn to fight. She wanted to learn to defend herself. She had begged on her knees, her tears making a pool.

She sighed as she came into her room by climbing through her window. She landed on the cement with little noise. She looked down at her clothes that had sprayed blood was his blood. She felt slightly sick and immediately took out her dress and rung her bell to call in her maid for her bath to be ready.

What was she going to do?

"Princess Temari, your bath is ready." The maid called through the door.

"Thank you,"

"Will that be all, my lady?"

Temari opened the door and motioned for her maid to come in, her maid was not the normal kind of maid. In fact Temari loves her maid because she was outspoken and not afraid to boss Temari, a Princess. Though her maid had to wear dresses and robes most of the time, her maid does not look like a lady needed of saving. In short, her maid can Kick-Butt.

"What the hell?" Her maid blurted out, "What happened to you? Have you gone outside again?"

"Ah, yeah. It's fine. It's not my blood." Temari told Anko. Anko did not sigh in relief, she merely raised an eyebrow and rested her hands on her waist. "I mean it wasn't alright that I actually hurt an innocent person...well technically...not at all..."

"You almost killed a civillian!? Temari, I cover for you and lie to Baki so you could have some freedom not be a murderer."

"It's the guy that started the revolution, it was one of them." Temari said.

"The hell, why didn't you kill him? It would have ended this madness your father is in." Anko said, not caring a sinch about censoring what's on her mind. "Then again, why would you kill someone you're supposedly in love with." Anko clucked her tounge and then frowned.

Temari glared at Anko. "I don't love him. I was young and foolish!"

"You were tweny and now one and twenty." Temari just rolled her eyes and went into the other room to take her bath while Anko followed to help her. She didn't to state the facts.

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Shikamaru had wrapped a clothe around his face, only leaving his eyes uncovered. He continued to walk through the city. So it was no lie, Suna's days are the same as Suna's night, the heat never goes away. Just like how they seem to suffer everyday. But why so? Surely this was not the peace they want all along.

He went around behind one of the mudded houses and climbed up, it was not so much of a struggle but he still had to be very careful not to get notice. What should he do now? As he stood on the rooftop of the mud house he stared at the palace where she resided.

"Fancy seeing you here, boy," A woman said behind him and then Shikamaru was sure she hissed, which made him turn around to see who the hell she was. Holy...She was barely wearing any clothings, she was practically wearing fishnets underneath her opened vest, and what kind of woman wear trousers that are cut short?

"Madam, what are you wearing?" Was the first thing Shikamaru could utter.

"Oh, what do we have here? A prude, perhaps?." The woman smiled and licked her lips, the way her lips moved and the way she walked towards him, all Shikamaru could think of were snakes. Snakes with poison.

"I am hardly a prude or a prig or a puritan...I am none of those, I just asked, are you making a fashion statement with those clothes?"

Anko laughed, "Well you're certainly interesting, you know the moment you stepped here, you are a dead man."

"A dead man? So you make it a habit to talk to ghosts?" Shikamaru replied.

Anko quickly unsheated her dagger and lunged forward, Shikamaru quickly reversed his steps, getting as much distant away from the point. He even jumped forward and flipped over her and sweeped her feet off the ground, he drew his sword and striked, or almost striked her until...

How weird he ended up in a certain position, he didn't move, but hell they sure did.

A dagger's point was pressed against his throat, and an arm was wrapped around his body. He stared at the woman down the floor, she was still there, with a smile planted on her face.

"Make a move, and you die."

"Why is it you are the one who seems to want to end my life when all I want to do is end my life protecting you, Princess?"

"What? Temari how does this guy know who you are?"

"Ah...it's him. Revolution man."

"Is that my title now, Princess...Temari?" He tried her name out, how exotic.

"Will you uncover yourself so she will be able to see you?" Temari asked.

"Will you step away from me so I will be able to obey this orders of yours?"

Temari tightened her hold on him and Shikamaru remained still.

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Let see....xD I'm tired. okay im done.

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