His eyes opened. Ugh, dawn. Time to get up off the couch and face the day. Wait, COUCH? He'd never forgotten to get in bed before. "Oh yeah...Temari..." Shikamaru murmured. He glanced to his left, and his heart leapt into his throat. Temari was gone!

"Temari?" Shikamaru called, walking briskly about the house. He heard running water and bolted to the bathroom.

BANG BANG BANG

"Temari, are you in there?" she heard him call through the door, urgently. Temari rolled her eyes.

"Yeah can you wait a minute?" she shouted back.

"You taking a shower? I don't think you're supposed to take that brace off just yet..."

"Mind your business. I'm sweaty and gross."

There was a pause from Shikamaru's side of the door, and Temari thought he had left.

"Don't hurt yourself, OK?"

She smiled.

"Of course not."

Temari glanced down at her body and then in the Nara's mirror. She winced. Her whole body was covered in bruises, and it still hurt.

She gingerly touched one, seething inside. She stepped very carefully under the showerhead and began to meticulously wash her hair and body. Ah, it felt so good to be clean, the warm water rushing down her skin. As she finished, she heard another knock on the door.

"Temari, I've got some ointment for your bruises from Sakura-chan, and some killers for the pain. Also, you need to keep wearing the brace; I know it's a pain. I'll just leave them here for you, OK?"

"Kay," Temari answered through the door.

She carefully patted her skin dry and applied the ointment. She tried to refit the brace, but it was difficult, so she did so to the best of her ability. The pain seemed to be getting worse, so she took two pills and hoped they were fast acting. Temari then picked up her clothes. Her dress smelled sweaty from fever; she frowned.

"Shikamaru?" She called. "Do you have anything I can borrow, to wear, you know? My clothes smell like sickbed." She waited; a moment later his muffled voice reached her.

"Hold on a sec; I'll be right there." A moment later, she could hear him outside the door, placing some garments on the floor. "I hope these work," He said.

"Thanks," Temari called, waiting for him to leave so she could retrieve the items.

There was a shirt with long sleeves past her hands that fell halfway to her knees, and a pair of soft baggy sweatpants with a drawstring. They were much more comfortable than what she had. Temari dressed slowly then washed her dirty clothes to the best of her ability in the tub and hung them on the shower rod to dry. This done, she found herself exhausted.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom wearing his clothes and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands, Shikamaru was relieved. She touched her tangled blonde hair and searched her wrists for a hair tie.

"Would you like me to comb that for you?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hm?"

"Your hair. It's a little unruly for a princess."

Temari smirked. "Since when am I a princess?" she asked.

"The princess of Sunagakure, for certain," He replied.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Do I look like a princess to you?"

"Not with that hair. Let me get a comb."

Temari consented and allowed him to brush her hair, her head nodding all the while.

"Are you tired?" Shikamaru asked. She nodded.

"And I'm ravenous. Do you have any food in this house or what?" She asked.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "I am so sorry!" He said. "Stupid...why wasn't I thinking? Who knows when you've last eaten?"

"It's OK," Temari reassured, yawning.

Shikamaru combed the last snarl out of Temari's hair, then left to prepare some soup and rice. When he returned, she was already asleep. He smiled, and covered the pots on the stove. She was so peaceful in her sleep. He yawned, then, true to his lazy name, reclined on the sofa by her feet and shut his eyes.