Disclaimer: Like I said before, I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd find some way to make it so that the Fourth Hokage is still alive.

Temari sighed as she watched Shikamaru pace back and forth. They had been waiting to hear about his best friend Choji's condition for well over an hour. She was becoming irritated with his behavior. She breathed a sigh of relief when he sat down, but he didn't stay still for long. He proceeded to clasp his hands together and twiddle his thumbs.
"He'll be fine, you know." She said in a cold tone. He just looked at her and she softened slightly. "What are you scared of? Getting hurt?"
His eyes narrowed but then he glanced down at his hands and sighed. "I don't think I'm cut out for this." At her raised eyebrow he continued. "Being a ninja. A leader. I thought that maybe I was ready, but I guess I was mistaken. I quit." He stood up.
Temari's mouth dropped open. He was quitting?! She watched as the shadow ninja stood up, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and shuffled away. Her expression fell as she thought about the wonderful future he was throwing away. He had been fine until they discovered how badly injured his friends were. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man who looked like an older Shikamaru.
"That was pretty pathetic, Shikamaru. You get yelled at by a girl and walk away." The man spoke.
"Yeah, well, I'm not a girl. I don't want to argue. It's too troublesome."
"You know, you could quit being a ninja. Your friends would just get assigned to a new leader and then they might all die! You're just a coward!"
Temari bit her lip as she watched the boy's shoulders droop even more. She felt sorry for him because she knew what it was like to have your father disappointed in you. It had happened to her many times before. She was about to say something when the door to her left opened and a blonde woman wearing a low-cut shirt stepped out. Temari recognized her as the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
"Choji's going to be fine." The new Hokage walked over to the bench across from Temari and sat down. "Thank you for the use of your medical book, Shikaku. You obviously spent allot of time and effort with that."
Shikaku smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you."
Just then, a black-haired woman came running down the hall. "Tsunade, great news! Neji Hyuga is in stable condition. And there's more. Kakashi has returned with Naruto. Naruto's injuries are severe but he'll be fine."
Tsunade sighed. "Well, Shikamaru, it seems as though your mission was a failure. But everyone's alive. That's the most important thing."
Temari shot a look at Shikamaru and was startled to see his shoulders shaking. A closer observation of him revealed tears coursing their way down his cheeks. Staring at him transfixed, she almost missed hearing the words he spoke.
"Next time, I will do it. I will do it with no mistakes."
That night, as she lay on the bed in the hotel room she was sharing with her brothers, her mind raced. It refused to shut down. Normally, she could lie down and fall asleep within five minutes but not tonight. Her tossing and turning caught Gaara's attention, as he was sitting by the window since he never slept.
"What's wrong?" His monotone voice broke through the silence.
Temari sighed. "I don't know. There's just something about Shikamaru that intrigues me. Maybe it's the way he walks or talks or...I don't know."
Gaara was quiet for a moment. "Do you love him?"
Her gaze jerked over to him. "Say what?! Now hold on, Gaara. Just wait a minute. Do I love him? I don't think so. I mean, I hardly know him. Besides, he's three years younger than I am and from a different village." She was babbling but she didn't care.
"Hey, I'm trying to sleep here. Shut up." Kankuro growled. "Go talk somewhere else."
"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty. We'll be quiet so you can get your beauty rest." She grinned.
"Haha. Very funny, Temari. Now go away." He rolled over and was soon breathing even again, indicating he was asleep.
"Let's take a walk." The red-headed boy stood and crossed over to the door. "That way we can talk and not disturb Kankuro."
Temari shook her head ever so slightly. She still could not get used to the change she saw in Gaara ever since that fight with the blonde-haired, loud-mouthed brat, Naruto. A few weeks earlier, Gaara would not have even considered Kankuro's feelings, much less actually want to talk to her. She supposed this change in him wasn't that bad.
Once outside, she breathed in the fresh air. It was a bit chilly, but nothing compared to nights in the desert. She only wished that she had brought an outfit that covered more of her legs rather than show them off. She grinned to herself, remembering the occasional glance she had received from Shikamaru during their journey back to his village. That boy had had a difficult time keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead and not on her chest or legs.
"It's nice out, isn't it?"
Temari blinked. Gaara was noticing the weather? And calling it 'nice'? "Uhh, yeah, I guess so."
"Temari, do you believe in love?" He asked quietly.
She paused. "Well, I suppose I do. Why do you ask?"
"I was merely wondering. Do you feel loved?"
She stopped. "Gaara, even though you may not feel loved, it doesn't mean you aren't loved. I know that I haven't acted like I love you, but, and I'm ashamed to admit this, I was scared of you." He looked at her intently and she took that as a sign to continue. "I never knew what you were going to do or how you would react so I stayed away."
"I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I don't know how I can make it up to you, but I'll try."
Temari felt her heart soften towards her youngest brother. "Gaara, you don't have to make it up to me. I'm the one who should be sorry. Maybe if I had tried to get close to you-"
"No, Temari. If you had tried that, you would be dead. But enough talking about that. I'm going back to the hotel."
Temari opened her mouth but before she could say anything, he disappeared in a cloud of sand. She frowned, wondering if she had said something that might have caused him to leave quickly.
"Hey, what are you doing still up?"
She whirled around, a hand raising to her fan, and halted. "You're lucky I didn't hit you or you would be in the hospital next to your friend."
Shikamaru snorted. "You couldn't touch me with that."
She raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Right." With one smooth movement, she had her fan out and swung it hard. He ducked to avoid it and she dropped down, kicking his legs out from underneath him. He landed hard on his back.
"I told you that you couldn't touch me with that." He smirked.
"It wasn't my plan to hit you with it." Temari smiled wickedly as she knelt beside him, leaned over, and kissed him. She felt him hesitate then slowly start to respond. Her right hand slid up his chest, coming to a rest on his cheek and turning his head so she could kiss him better. His hands brushed against her waist as they traveled upward to her neck. She growled when he skipped over her chest and attempted to bite his tongue. Unfortunately, he withdrew his tongue and she ended up biting her own. She pulled apart.
"That was rude."
"And you trying to bite my tongue wasn't?" He sighed impatiently.
"Well..."
"Troublesome woman." He muttered, pushing himself up to lean on his elbows.
"Uh-uh." Temari waved a finger at him. "I want you down."
He groaned. "No. Temari, we're in the middle of the street. Someone could see us."
"Awww. Poor Shikamaru has a reputation to maintain?"
"Shut up." He growled, his irritation rising. "What I meant was this isn't the place to be kissing you."
"You need to liven up some. Come on, be bold for once, Shikamaru!"
"I was bold when I kissed you in that tree!"
"I'm sure that you can be more bolder than that! For crying out loud, you won't even touch me here!" Temari grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest. She smirked at his wide-eyed expression. "Weren't expecting that, were you?"
Shikamaru tried to yank his hand away and she released it. "Temari, I'm only thirteen."
"It doesn't make a difference. I was thirteen when I first made-out with a guy. And he was four years older than me."
The shadow boy gave her an incredulous look. "You were thirteen and you dated a seventeen year old guy?"
"Yes. Stop looking at me like I just grew a second head. I was raised differently. My mother died when I was three and..." Her voice cracked and she broke off. She didn't trust herself to keep talking.
"Temari, why don't you cry?" He asked softly.
"Because I was trained not to. It proves that I'm weak. And don't try arguing with me. You're lucky that you could cry this afternoon and get away with it. You can show who you really are and not worry about what people think about you. I can't. The real me is hidden under years and years of emotional training."
"Well, yeah, that may be true. But I also wear a mask, I guess you could say. My lazy, carefree attitude isn't the real me, either. But I think that if you dig deep enough, you'll find who you really are." Shikamaru grasped her hand in his.
"You really think so?" Temari looked hopefully down at him.
"Yeah. But you don't have to do it alone. I'll help you. And maybe together, we'll discover who we both are meant to be."
"Thank you, Shikamaru." Temari whispered softly. "You don't know how much that means to me." She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.
"You're welcome, you troublesome woman." Shikamaru leaned back and closed his eyes. Within minutes, they were both fast asleep, curled up together in the middle of the street.