A/N: I added it to the story description: this fan fiction is written from Temari's point of view. It's impossible to classify it any further since it describes past events (Shikamaru/Temari) as well as current ones (them breaking up, if you recall the first chapter). I understand if you think there's too little Ino/Shikamaru interaction but I can only tell about what Temari sees. I don't blame you if you want to drop out now. Thanks a lot for your support, reviews and opinions so far. I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for. For a pure Shikamaru/Ino story you could check out "Never Change" or other stories of mine. To those who liked this fan fiction so far - I can't tell you how much your reviews mean to me.

Chapter Five

"Your timing is perfect! We're celebrating our engagement this weekend," Hinata said. Temari guessed she was referring to herself and Neji and possibly the rest of the Hyuuga, as well. "Shikamaru is already invited. We'd be delighted if you would join us, as well."

It was Temari's third year as acting envoy and diplomat in Hidden Leaf and by now she knew the village almost as well as she knew Suna. It would never be her home but despite the fact – despite the occasional bouts of home sickness when the sun wouldn't show for weeks and Temari would shiver in the cold of winter or the humidity of monsoon season, despite all the times the soft, alien accent would force her to ask people shame-facedly to repeat themselves, despite the fact that Shikamaru's friends were three or four years younger than her – despite everything she had found a place for herself in the village hidden behind the leaves. And she had found friends, too. Of course, they'd been Shikamaru's friends in the beginning but all of them had accepted her warmly. If Temari would have had to choose she would have said Tenten was the one she got along best with, both of them being older than the other girls, both of them being roughly similar in character and strength. Hinata, Kiba and Shino were friendly enough, Hinata's character displaying kindness for any stranger anyway. Lee made her laugh. As did Naruto, but she respected both of them as the warriors and shinobi they were. Sakura was difficult to place, even after all those years. And Chouji and Ino – well, they were Shikamaru's best friends. And while Temari was pretty sure both of them liked her and had accepted her readily, a sliver of doubt remained. She was a stranger, invading a group of friends that had existed from childhood on. She probably would have felt like that towards anyone who would join her group of friends in Suna.

Temari looked up and saw Hinata still waiting for her reply. "I would be happy to attend! Thank you very much."

Hinata smiled. "We'll see you, then." She had come a long way from the cripplingly shy girl Temari had watched fighting in the chuunin trials. Along with her confidence, her beauty seemed to have increased, as well. Where Temari was tall and muscular, Hinata was petite and incredibly delicate. Temari had seen her fight, though, and was unwilling to ever come between the Hyuuga heiress and her enemies.

When she told him she had been officially invited as well, Shikamaru only grumbled. She couldn't make out whether it was his usual troublesome or something else entirely.

The gardens of the Hyuuga compound were lit with hundreds of softly glowing lanterns. A long buffet offered a wide selection. When Temari and Shikamaru arrived a few people were already sampling the courses, Chouji among them.

"Temari, Shikamaru!" Hinata greeted them, surrounded by the usual group of what Temari had learned had been dubbed Konoha Twelve. Neji stood next to her, his black hakama and white haori a stark contrast. He didn't smile, but he seemed… content. For Temari, who only knew him as one of the jounin that guarded the Hokage, it was impossible to judge. But the hate she had seen in his eyes the first time she had met him seemed to have vanished completely. Neji had survived the war just barely, she knew, and was glad for Hinata he had. How the Hyuuga heiress felt for her fiancé was easily read from her glowing face. Sakura looked very pretty in her emerald dress. Temari could imagine Naruto must have liked it a great deal since it brought out her figure and the way his eyes swept back to her again and again spoke volumes. Sasuke trailed in their wake, dressed all in black, his ridiculously attractive face set in a scowl – which, judging from the way a few of Hinata's female cousins giggled and whispered behind his back, didn't diminish his good looks one bit. Tenten was all in shades of blue, her long, auburn hair falling down her back openly for once. Lee had, thankfully, exchanged his jumpsuit for something more formal that night and Kiba and Shino had also dressed appropriately, according to the event. The men were standing a bit to the side, discussing away happily, and it seemed like Neji itched to join them while Naruto was satisfied with just standing next to Sakura. Ino almost was lost in the play of shadows and light in an inconspicuous, black-and-white dress with cap sleeves. But Hinata – Hinata was the most beautiful of all. Her dress – not the traditional kimono Temari would have expected, which told her something about Hinata's future plans for the clan – was silver and contrasted starkly with her dark hair, and her smile was wide enough to encompass the world. Neji must be a very happy man.

"Hey," she greeted the others. Shikamaru nodded wordlessly.

"That's a beautiful dress you have," Tenten complimented Temari, who had chosen a wine-red, strap-less dress whose soft material clung to her in all the right places. It made her feel beautiful. "Anyway, Sakura was telling us about the tsunami that occurred on the southern coastline of Ho no Kuni a few days ago. The local daimyo refuses to accept any help but conditions of life are very bad..."

Sakura nodded. "Their water supplies are running low and many people lost their homes." Her brow was furrowed. "If the shelters are overcrowded…" She glanced at Naruto, who opened his mouth-

Temari shot him a reprimanding look. "You know religion, money and politics shouldn't be discussed on parties like this."

"Sorry, Hinata," Naruto, Tenten and Sakura apologized. Soon enough, their conversation turned towards happier topics. Naruto and Neji silently slipped away, Neji with one glance at Hinata, Naruto with a touch of Sakura's wrist. Shikamaru remained by her side a bit longer and Temari fell into the conversation easily, talking, joking and laughing with the others. It took her some time to realize that Ino wasn't part of it, and then a few seconds to see that that was because Ino was talking to Shikamaru.

"…We can't just go in and force our help on them," she heard him say. "Diplomatic relations…"

"Screw diplomacy," Ino answered sharply. "People are dying there."

So much for the no-politics-rule. They stood a bit to the side, Shikamaru's face hidden in the shadows while a nearby lantern brought out Ino's features mercilessly. Years had carved out her features, sharpened her expression. Sometimes she seemed like an entirely different person to Temari. Not that she should have known the difference. From the beginning, Ino and Temari had had little in common. Which was strange, because Temari felt that in another life they could have been good friends. Nevertheless, there was civility and perhaps even warmth between them. Temari turned her head a fraction to see them better and she caught it: something akin to a flicker of warmth dancing over the features of the otherwise withdrawn woman. An alien expression on Ino's face, one Temari had observed earlier but only now connected with Shikamaru solidly. There was something in the way Ino seemed much more… real… when she talked to Shikamaru. As if there was a veil between the woman and the world that only lifted when he was there. A strangeness on her face when she talked to Shikamaru: there was something hidden behind those blue eyes and only one person could access it.

"We're doing everything we can," Shikamaru said. Ino's answer was lost in a soft cloud of music that drifted by on the wind. Temari just saw her lips move. I know you do.

She tapped Shikamaru's arm.

"I think Chouji has been trying to get your attention for a few minutes, now."

Ino laughed, everything alien gone without a trace. Just a woman, smiling, with striking blue eyes and silvery-blond, shoulder-length and open hair, wakefulness clear in every single movement. "Yeah, he has good news. I bet he's afraid I will tell you but he fears the fact that someone might eat the crab salad while he is gone even more." The ribbing did not contain any acid.

"I'll see you later," Shikamaru said to Temari, his arm around her waist tightening fractionally and falling away as he slipped away.

More and more, Temari got the feeling that things with Ino and Shikamaru weren't as simple as Shikamaru always insisted they were. He had known the blonde Anbu for years; they had been childhood friends. So if Ino felt any animosity towards Temari for being added into their lives she couldn't resent the Leaf shinobi for that. On the other hand Ino was friendly, even open towards her. And yet, something stood between them she couldn't define. Shikamaru? Or was it Temari's own suspicion that created a wall? Perhaps she was imagining things.

"Ino doesn't like me, right?" Temari asked when said person had slipped away for a chat with Neji and what seemed to be Anbu colleagues on the other side of the gardens. The remaining women looked at her, surprise evident in all their faces. Something in Hinata's silver eyes flickered while Tenten grimaced. Sakura, surprisingly, smiled.

"You have to understand," she said. "Ino and Shikamaru have known each other for twenty years."

"I don't think there is anything to understand, frankly," Tenten offered. "There is nothing we could do to put ourselves in another person's place. And we all know how we feel about our team mates. I would die for mine."

Temari laughed but even to her ears it sounded weak. "You mean nobody can understand Ino, or is it just that I cannot understand her?"

"The latter." Tenten's grin blossomed and died as quickly as it had come. "Don't misunderstand. We all like you, Temari, even Ino. It is not that you can't understand her, it is that we have known her longer than you."

"Your loyalty is with her, I know." Temari sighed. "But I don't understand. Is she in love with him? And if, why has she never said anything? Does Shikamaru know?"

Another glance passed between the others. This time, Hinata picked up. "She cares for him. That much we know, but nothing more. Maybe she loves him as a friend, maybe as more. She never told us anything. We can just guess."

"If I hadn't showed up, do you think they would have gotten together eventually?"

"We have no way of knowing that," Tenten said softly.

"You're angry with me for getting between them, aren't you. Why with me, then, and not with Shikamaru?"

"We aren't angry with you, we're happy for you." Hinata's voice was gentle as always, almost drowned by the soft music. "Shikamaru is happy and you are, too. You shouldn't let anything destroy that."

"But Ino…"

"Ino shouldn't be your concern." The dark-haired girl's voice was vehement. Suddenly Temari saw what people saw when they said the Hyuuga heiress was strong. "Just… Give her some time, okay?"

"It has been three years already," Temari sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Ino's voice startled them all. The surprise was clear in Sakura's and Tenten's faces until their masks, too, slipped back and concealed it.

Hinata, once again, was the one who found the right words. "It has been three years since Temari came to Konoha for the first time as official envoy," she said. "Can you believe how much time has passed already?"

"I feel so old," Tenten complained. All of them laughed.

"You're so scary since you joined Anbu, Ino," Sakura joked and Temari could hear the edge of sadness in her voice.

"Why? Because I sneak up on you? I used to do so all the time, don't you remember?" And Ino launched into an account of their childhood that made them all laugh. Temari watched Ino from the corner of her eyes. The woman's hair was almost silver in the light of the summer moon, her eyes bright. Beneath the surface that carried a smile, her face was unreadable.

"Let's go home," Shikamaru said behind her right shoulder and she almost jumped. How much time had passed? Somewhere in between they had plundered the buffet, much to Chouji's chagrin, and the warmth she felt indicated at more than one glass of champagne.

"It's not that late," Sakura protested. "You can't leave already!"

Shikamaru shrugged, casting an apologetic glance at Temari. "If you like to you can stay longer but I have to be up early tomorrow. You have your keys, right?"

"No, I'm coming with you," Temari said, making a split-second decision. "Thank you for the invitation, Hinata, it was lovely. I'll be in Hidden Leaf for a few days more. I'll hope we'll see each other before I leave again."

"We will," Sakura said. "We're having a Girls' Night on Thursday. You're welcome to join us."

Temari couldn't help the involuntary glance she threw in Ino's direction but the blonde woman didn't seem surprised or angry. Or anything.

"Yes, why not?" She said instead, catching Temari's glance. "We're meeting at Tenten's house this time. Bring something to drink or eat and a movie of your choice. Anything is better than watching Sakura's reruns of Titanic, Notting Hill and Love, Actually."

"Hey!" Sakura protested. "You love Love, Actually."

"Yes I do," Ino shot back. "But it is the only one. Something different would be nice."

"I can raid Shikamaru's stash," Temari said, "But I doubt you'd like to see Mission Impossible or such."

"Why not? The male lead is cute." Tenten grinned and winked at Temari. "Oh, and remember that guy in Robin Hood and Gladiator and…"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"Great." Temari threw him a look – halfway amusement, halfway menace – and then exchanged glances with the other women who all wore the same expression: men. She smiled. "I'll see you then?"

"Sure," Sakura said and the others chimed in. "Bye, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded at them, too, and turned to leave. Temari quickened her pace to catch up to him and felt him slip his arm around her waist again almost possessively. He had touched her in public quite a lot today, she realized. For the man who usually wouldn't even kiss her in public it had been quite an achievement.

"Thank God it's over," Shikamaru sighed as they left the Hyuuga compound.

"Why?" It was unfamiliar, walking and navigating in high heels, and Temari found she had to watch the street for stones and other obstacles. Shikamaru was a steady figure and she held on to him, both because he was warm and familiar and because she enjoyed the sensation of his arm around her. The summer night's air was warm and heavy with the scent of firs and trees. "Those people are your friends, aren't they?"

"Of course. It's just…" Shikamaru looked down at her and tightened his grip around her waist.

"What?" She answered his gaze challengingly.

"That dress," he only said and Temari's brows rose to the tips of her hair. "Nara Shikamaru, are you complimenting me on my dress?"

"Not exactly," he said, a grin tugging at his lips. It was one of those grins that made her knees go weak. They had plenty of quiet evenings together, staying in, watching movies, having dinner together. She loved spending time with him. But it was those nights, when he looked at her like that, that she knew this was more than simple comfort and also more than simple attraction.

"Actually," Shikamaru continued, watching her lips parting in breathless anticipation with dark eyes, "I was wondering how long it would take to undress you again."