Original story in Spanish: WhiteTigerKiara
Translation to English: Anamicenas

The characters from this story belong to the series Naruto & Naruto Shippūden © Masashi Kishimoto

Chapter 2.

"What are you doing in here?" the girl asked in a funny tone.

Shikamaru was laying in the grass, at the top of his favorite hill. As always we was laying facing up and with his arms crossed under his head.

"Isn't it obvious? Resting" he answered, annoyed, half opening an eye. But at the end he opened both eyes. That girl that decided to ruin his nap, was no one else but the one that had kissed him in his forehead when he was crying five days ago. The poor Shikamaru still had stuck in his head that image of her breast peeking through that dress. "How about you?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"I was looking for you" she admitted with blushed cheeks. That comment made him turn his head and blush a little too" I needed to talk to you…

"And why it has to be me?" he said in an edge tone.
"Shikamaru! Are you my friend or not?" Temari exclaimed reminding him about the promised he made days ago.
"Oh… troublesome…" he thought regretting what he said about being his friend in Konoha "and so…" said the little Nara "what do you want to talk about? I thought you already had left to Sunagakure."

"I thought that too, but it seems like we are staying more time in Konoha" she said while sitting down next to him with her legs stretched in front of her. "We have work to do."

Shikamaru was lazily listening but some seconds later he lift up from the ground and stayed sitting next to her. His legs were stretched but spread out so he could pull some of the grass. His hunched back reflected his lack of interest about the matter.

"Seems like… Gaara is going to become the Kazekage…" Temari whispered. Shikamaru suddenly paid attention to the conversation "Since Suna has been without a Kazekage, things have been tense. Well, is not like things have been easy at any moment but… now is worst."

"And that's why you are staying in Konoha?" the Nara asked.
"Yes…"

He didn't have to ask anything else. Temari's worried face was evidence of what the problem was.

…

"And what have you been doing lately?" the kunoichi asked in a better mood.

"Me?" he said surprised that someone was asking about his life "me… is troublesome… but I got assigned to teach at the academy. The good thing is that the schedule allows me to finish early and come here to take a nap."
"Maybe I'll come by to bug you sometimes" the blonde said laughing a little. Shikamaru, while blushing he grimaced.

"It'll be better if you don't" he said looking elsewhere.
"Relaaaaax….sometimes I want to sleep too" She leaned back and put a hand on her face covering her eyes so the light from the sun wouldn't bother her. The Nara was surprised because he thought the blonde girl was going to be a bother but instead she joined for a nap. Shikamaru leaned back too but stayed on his side so he wouldn't see her.

…

The next day, when Shikamaru was done with the classes at the academy, like always, he looked everywhere to make sure no one was following him and started walking towards his napping place.

Almost an hour later of resting Temari appeared, but this time she didn't said a word. She just layed back next to him, like the previous day and took a nap with him.

As days went by, both of them kept doing the same thing everyday. They barely talked during those days, but they felt comfortable making each other company in silence.

One of those many days Shikamaru started to feel uncomfortable with that situation, so when he got off the academy, he decided to go to another place to take his nap.

He didn't know how but an hour later she found him.

"You didn't go to the hill today" she said in a sad voice. Shikamaru got scared for a minute because someone found him at the top the roof where he sometimes went to sleep. He sat down and looked at her pouting. The blonde girl had a sad face and when Shikamaru saw that he felt bad. Temari's face was sad that he couldn't stay mad with her. On the contrary, he felt bad for trying to hide from her.

"Sometimes I come to sleep here too" he said not making a big deal about not going to the usual hill as always and not telling her about it. He thought about complaining to her and call her a stalker or something like that, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. He knew she felt lonely and just needed some company. "Is a little uncomfortable, but you can sit here…" he offered her, trying to be kind, and putting a hand on the seat next to him on his right, showing her where to go.

"No… whatever, I'll go get a tea" she said still sad. Shikamaru couldn't feel worse and without knowing why, he got up and with his hands in his pockets and looking up to the sky, he said:

"I'll go with you… just in case you get lost."

Temari raised an eyebrow at the sudden attitude of the boy. But at least, her face wasn't a sad one anymore.

When they got to the tea house, Shikamaru ordered a cup of tea for him and he let Temari order hers. She didn't mind too much about the way he was acting because she thought all boys were like that.

What it did seem like a miracle was that he actually accepted to go with her.

The blonde kunoichi was looking away while drinking her tea and Shikamaru was slyly looking at her and he felt like an idiot for making her feel like that.

They finished their tea in complete silence and Temari just stood up and left without saying goodbye. Shikamaru felt hurt, but didn't say anything. Boys are not supposed to cry after all.

…

The next day Shikamaru had been already napping for two hours when he noticed Temari didn't come that day.

He thought that was weird so he decided to go out and look for her in all Konoha. In his head he had the idea that maybe he made her feel bad the previous day and now she didn't want to see him.

Shikamaru really couldn't understand why he cared so much about Temari's feelings. It was really odd, because never before in his life cared about how a girl felt, except for his mother. Even, when his mother wasn't feeling good he was relieved that it wasn't he the one that had to deal with it because it was his dumb dad the one at fault.

Shikamaru looked everywhere for about an hour and then he thought that maybe she was at the same place that the day before at this time of the day: at the tea house.

He got there and just as he thought, there she was. She was waiting on line to order. Shikamaru hurried up to get there before she ordered and he told the cashier:

"Two teas please" the boy with the black ponytail said. Temari looked at him surprised and smiled at him. When they got served, Shikamaru paid for everything and took the cups and offered her one. "Be careful, it's really hot."

"Thanks" she said still smiling. Shikamaru's heart, that felt wrinkled and contracted, got his vitality back.

…

As days went by, Shikamaru made sure to always let Temari know where he was going to be that day so she could join him. For him it didn't felt weird whenever she didn't show up.

Sometimes they talked and laughed. And Shikamaru felt how his heart was beating in a special way everytime she showed signs that she was truly happy.

"Today they are going to ask what I am doing" Shikamaru thought because he was supposed to go to lunch with his team and he didn't go. Instead, he went and had lunch with her. But he felt so good he didn't wanted to be separate from her. Being with Temari was as natural as breathing.

When he first met her he though she was one of those troublesome and bossy girls that was always screaming. And is not like she wasn't like that, at least not all the time. And when she was with him she was sweet and funny. With the rest of people she was tough, but not with him.

Temari was already finished with her tea, and Shikamaru that was still caught up in his thoughts, had still half of his tea. The young kunoichi noticed that and while she was waiting for him to finish up she laid her head in his shoulder. Shikamaru was extremely blushing and his heart started beating very fast.

At some point he tried to move and she thought he was trying to get her off his shoulder, but it wasn't like that. However, Temari did notice his blushing face and said:

"Are you ok? Do you have a fever?" She asked with good intentions. Shikamaru worried thinking that maybe she noticed how nervous he was.

"I'm fine" he said annoyed. Temari got up and said:

"Hey, don't talk to me in that tone…." she complained. "I know you are a good guy Shikamaru, so stop being so unpleasant."

Shikamaru looked at her grinning but when he noticed that Temari's face was about to turn sad, he smiled and said:

"I was joking woman" Shikamaru never knew that his smile was about to become sometime very important for Temari.

…

"Have you ever go visit the Hokage's monument?" Temari asked looking at the mountain.

"Yes, of course" Shikamaru said "they usually take us there at the academy."

"I would like to go sometime" she said.

"You want me to take you?" Temari paid attention to the words Shikamaru was saying, making him nervous so he tried to correct himself so she wouldn't misunderstand him "what I meant… you want to go…. And I… I can go with you?"

"Sure!" she answered not thinking too much about it.

"If we hurry up we can still get there in time" Shikamaru said "they close it a little after the sun sets."

The kunoichi looked up at the sky and saw how it was almost time for the sun to set.

"Let's go!" she said standing up and she started running through the streets of Konoha. Shikamaru just let his cup in his seat and tried to follow her but she was way ahead.

"Hey, do you even know how to get up there, troublesome?"

Temari laughed when she heard the new nickname.

"Troublesome?" she said laughing. Sounded like a nickname for someone that was annoying but she actually thought that it was funny that he was already calling her by a nickname. "It's true, I don't know where to go to get there, but I can still race you."

She slowed down a little to make the Nara hurry.

…

"You are not in good shape" she said mocking him when they got to the top and saw how Shikamaru was trying to catch up his breath while holding himself with his hands on his knees.

"I'm not the kind of shinobi that moves much in battle" he excused himself feeling attacked by her comment.

"But even with that you should stay in shape if you want to become something more than Chūnin" Temari reproached, trying not to sound too harsh. "Maybe I'll start training with you instead of sleeping."

"I already train every morning with my father" Shikamaru said complained.

"Well, double training!"

Shikamaru couldn't feel more awkward at that moment with the words the blonde girl was saying and he just scratched the back of his head looking down.

…

"I would feel very sad if you die in battle for not being in shape Shikamaru" she said looking at the sun that was setting.

The young Nara, that minutes ago was feeling annoyed, opened up his eyes and again, felt his heart beating so strong like those other times it did when he was with her.

"Don't die, ok? I need you in my life" she said blinding him with the light of her face full of happiness.

He didn't know if he was strong enough to stay alive in battle, but there was something he was sure about: that girl definitely was going to kill him of love.