Temari's Tournament Part 4

The Final Act

Temari was unconscious for a matter of hours before she woke up and declared she would assume watch again. The fan wielder was in for quite the shock however. Shikamaru and Darui had talked at length while she was out and were actually ganging up on her. The two forced her to rest while they rotated through the rest of the watches. She grumbled about how much alike they were, but complied with their demands. The two men actually joked with one another since they were getting along so well. The sand storm passed through Suna quickly, only lasting a day and a half.

Temari canceled the rest of the dates for the week once she was finally free of the tower. Suna needed to be put back together after the sand storm had been her excuse. It was partially true, she had to oversee repairs, but she also wanted time alone. The day before the tournament arrived far too quickly for the kunoichi. Temari had scheduled meetings all day long to help her make a final decision. She met with the Raikage first and then Naruto. The wind mistress questioned them thoroughly about what would happen to her if she married into their respective villages. Would she still be allowed to carry out missions as a kunoichi? Would she be allowed to visit Suna? If so how often? Would her brothers be allowed to come visit her? What responsibilities would she have? Temari made it clear to both that if their villages ever came into conflict with Suna, as long as Gaara was still Kazekage, she and any children she had would leave. Ultimately she would be loyal to Gaara and Suna, no matter where she lived. The Raikage respected her brutal honesty while Naruto had already known Temari well enough to expect it.

Naruto was far easier to discuss things with. Temari could practically do anything she wanted if she came to Konoha. Shikamaru was to become Naruto's chief advisor when he assumed the role of Hokage, so being the Nara's wife didn't really dictate any additional responsibilities. It would be very similar to what she already did now in Suna. Naruto also told Temari that she could have dual citizenship and even residency so she could come and go as she pleased. Shikamaru would be expected to remain in Konoha since he would be vital to the Hokage, but Temari and any children they had could come and go as they wanted. Technically any children the couple had were supposed to strictly be considered citizens of Konoha, but Naruto was more than willing to work something out with Gaara for Temari's children to have dual Suna/Konoha citizenship.

The Raikage was far more evasive and vague with his answers. He stated that Temari's position as Darui's wife would have extensive responsibilities due to the new position the lightning and water wielder was taking. The wind mistress would not be able to come and go to Suna as she pleased since she would require security, so he stated those trips would probably be limited to four times a year but ultimately it would be Darui's decision. When Temari pressed for information on her suitor's new position the Raikage stated plainly that Darui had requested that she not know about it until after she had made her decision. Temari had grumbled that it was difficult to make a decision without having all of the pertinent information, but the Raikage wouldn't give her anything more. The Kumogakure kage respected Temari's bluntness about her loyalty to Suna but was adamant that any children she and Darui would have were citizens of Kumogakure alone. He did not foresee any reason that Suna and Kumo would end up enemies as long as Darui were to marry Temari. The large muscular kage implied that Temari's marriage would be a large enough deterrent. The blonde kunoichi didn't completely understand, but deduced that Darui's new position was of enough significance to have that kind of pull.

The kunoichi met with the Sunan council next to discuss which of the likely finalists would be ideal and share some of the information she had gathered from the current Raikage and future Hokage. There was heated debate but the final vote of the nine member council was four to four with Temari abstaining. Kankuro had voted for Darui, while Gaara had supported Shikamaru. The blonde kunoichi honestly had not been as interested in how the council voted, but had been hoping that her brothers both favored the same person. She was not going to have the luxury of receiving a clear sign concerning which of the two men to choose.

"Who will you chose?" one of the elder councilmen pressed as Temari stared at the table with a blank expression on her face. She was calculating, looking at all of the possible outcomes and repercussions.

"Temari, who do you want to win? You need to select your champion!" barked a council woman.

The blonde kunoichi's head snapped up as she glared at the woman. She stood while she slammed her hands down on the council table. "I don't know," she snarled. "If you make me select a champion this instant I will choose neither and destroy the victor. Am I clear?" she growled. The table erupted into arguments all at once until the Kazekage cleared his throat. The council members shrank back from the table as Gaara raised his hand for silence. Several members looked displeased they were not allowed the chance for rebuttal, but obeyed their Kazekage.

"Temari shall have two champions for now, Darui and Shikamaru." he said in a tone of finality. "They will be placed in opposite brackets of the tournament since they are the strongest and most skilled of the competitors. This will leave the crowds pleased as well since the final match will be the best. If Shikamaru and Darui face off early in the tournament, wouldn't all the rest of the matches after that pale in comparison?" the red head asked as he looked around the council table. Several members of the council nodded their heads in agreement. "The final match between Shikamaru and Darui won't be until the next day, which gives her more time to decide between the two," he explained calmly. "You are all dismissed," he said softly in his trademark monotone voice. "Kankuro and Temari remain please," the red head added as he glanced at Temari. The council members filed out of the room slowly, Temari glaring at the council woman that had been pressuring her. Gaara let out a long sigh as he folded his hands in front of himself and rested his chin on them. Once the room was empty except for the sand siblings he looked at his sister, studying her for a few moments.

"Oneesan, the decision is yours as it should be. If you don't want either man, Kankuro and I will be happy to defeat the victor. That is if the victor even makes it past you," he smirked at the fierce kunoichi before resuming his serious expression. "The question I have for you is, who do you love?"

"You and Kankuro," Temari answered quickly without thought.

"Sis, that's not what he meant," Kankuro softly teased realizing how upset this whole situation was making her.

The fan wielder pressed her hands to her temples as she began to speak softly. "I don't know if I can ever let myself love anyone else," she said as she lowered her eyes. "We all know where love left mom. I don't want to allow myself to ever end up in that position," she ended in almost a whisper.

"You aren't mom, Sis," Kankuro reassured from where he sat beside her. "Neither one of these guys are anything like dad either," he said trying to set her mind at ease.

"Dad wasn't that way in the beginning," the blonde said with pain in her voice. "He was a great man at first, but time and power changed him," she spoke softly with sadness. Temari sat back down at the council table and hugged her arms around her body. "Would I be strong enough to leave a man I had fallen in love with if he changes like that? Mom couldn't leave because of us," the blonde said as she looked up at Kankuro. "She wouldn't leave without us. She knew if the wife of the Kazekage fled the village with his two young children that she would be hunted down and killed quickly. So she stayed, for our sake." The blonde looked sorrowfully at her youngest brother, "Then you ultimately suffered the most for that decision. I can't make those kind of mistakes. I can't let myself fall in love," she murmured as she looked down at the table again.

"Then stay here and don't get married," shrugged Kankuro as if the answer was simple.

Gaara shook his head no as he stood and walked over to where his sister sat. He placed his hand on Temari's shoulder as he spoke softly, "Do you remember what Naruto said to change me?"

Temari shook her head yes slowly, realizing where this was going.

"Our bonds make us stronger, Temari. The connections we have with friends, family, and even lovers make us that much more powerful," the red head explained. "Decide who you can love," the Kazekage ordered quietly.

"We will be here for you no matter what," Kankuro added as he playfully punched Temari's arm. "If you and your kids need to be forcefully taken from a village in the future, you know we'll be more than happy to come rescue you."

"Thanks," Temari snorted as she rolled her eyes. She looked between her brothers and genuinely smiled softly, "Seriously though, thank you both."

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

The first day of the tournament arrived with all the fanfare one would expect. There was a parade and ceremony prior to the matches. Temari had to select her champion as part of the ceremony but called on the two men, which caused the crowd to roar in approval. Temari approached Shikamaru first as she recited her required lines. She felt an unexplainable spark, some strange feeling, as she locked eyes with the shadow user. The wind mistress went to tie a red satin ribbon around the Nara's right wrist and become frustrated that her hands were visibly shaking. It was slight enough that no one other than she and Shikamaru could see it, but she lowered her eyes trying to concentrate on the simple task. The genius reached across with his free hand and grasped her right hand as he leaned to speak in her ear.

"Troublesome woman, do you need me to show you how to tie a knot?" he whispered, his breath tickling her as he spoke which caused her to chuckle.

"I think I can manage," Temari quipped back as she smirked at the shadow user. She raised his right hand into the air showing all the red ribbon as the crowd cheered. "I can't save you today, so you better have your act together, crybaby," she teased under her breath. He groaned and rolled his eyes in response. The blonde lowered his hand and turned him to face her. "Good luck," she said softly as she kissed him gently on the cheek.

Suna's princess turned to her other champion as she began to walk towards him slowly. Darui gave her a lazy smile as her blue green eyes met his. The blonde felt a bolt of the electricity between them like she had felt on the night that the two sat on top of the watchtower. It was different than how she felt looking at Shikamaru, but it was just as strong. She began reciting her lines again and placed her hand initially on the dark skinned shinobi's shoulder. The blonde then slid it down his arm to rest at his wrist while bringing the red ribbon forth with her other hand. She partially did this to hide the fact that she was still shaking, but it was pleasant to feel his skin beneath her fingers. There was something about his muscular bare arms with tattoos that she found incredibly attractive. She was concentrating on tying the ribbon around his right wrist when she felt his left hand moving her hair away from her face. She looked up from her work and gave him a small smile as he watched her intently. Temari raised his hand to present him to the crowd as they yelled their approval. The wind mistress turned him to face her and was reminded of how he towered over her. Without realizing it she frowned which caused the tall shinobi to chuckle at her.

"May I help you?" he asked quietly. Temari nodded her head yes as she smiled softly at him again. The strong young man initially placed his hands on her waist as he lifted her up, but ended up wrapping his arms around her to lift her up like one would a child. The blonde kunoichi instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as she laughed then moved herself to one side to kiss his cheek as she rested her hand on his face. "Don't kill anyone," she whispered. "It's a lot of paperwork."

"I'll try to remember that," he whispered back as he moved her so they were face to face again. Darui loved the way that the kunoichi felt in his arms. It felt so natural as if it was simply the way things were meant to be. He reluctantly put her back down on the ground gently. Temari turned and walked back to stand in between her two brothers who stood watching both men menacingly.

"Let the tournament begin!" Temari announced to thunderous applause.

The blonde kunoichi and her two brothers proceeded to a balcony that hung out partially over the battle arena. The two suitors approached one another and shook hands to another round of cheers from the onlookers. The duo bowed to the sand siblings, bowed to the crowds, then took their leave. Shikamaru and Darui slowly walked to the area for the contestants to wait, talking to each other along the way. Temari couldn't help but wonder what the two were talking about as she was directed to sit down by one of the attendants. The three ornate thrones that had been at the ball were placed on the balcony for them to sit in and watch the tournament. The fan wielder thought it was overkill, but had to admit that the arrangements were incredibly comfortable. The attendant brought her drinks and food as she settled in for the long day.

Shikamaru and Darui fought their respective battles throughout the day flawlessly. They each used quick decisive moves to finish off their opponents while conserving as much energy as possible. Temari watched each battle carefully, noting every little gesture and movement her champions made. The final match would be tomorrow and the winner would face her a few hours after the conclusion of that match. If the victor made it past her, his battle against Gaara and Kankuro would be the day after that.

The kunoichi thought about her future in great detail. She pondered every aspect of each of her three options. She could choose neither suitor and remain in Suna, marry Shikamaru, or marry Darui. The mistress of the wind had known she would ultimately have to make this decision and tried to be as informed as possible before making her selection. She was methodical in thinking out each detail as she watched the matches drag on through the day. The only ones worth watching were when Shikamaru or Darui fought. Chojuro fighting Darui was interesting. The shy swordsman of the mist actually managed to drag things out for their match for a bit. The two swordsmen attacked and countered one another for a good forty five minutes before Darui finally caved and used his black lightning technique. C against Shikamaru was disappointingly short; Temari had expected more from the Raikage's bodyguard. She did remind herself that Shikamaru's team mate was a sensor nin as well, so he was probably all too familiar with the exploitable weaknesses of such jutsu.

The kunoichi let out a slow breath trying to calm herself as the last match of the day was being fought. The two finalists would be Shikamaru and Darui as everyone had expected. She had made her decision, but now she had to execute it. The blonde kept reminding herself to breathe since it felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Temari recognized all the signs of anxiety, but had never really experienced it to this degree before. The fan wielder stood as Shikamaru was finishing up the final match of the day. "May I be excused?" she asked Gaara softly trying to hide the panic in her voice.

The red head looked up at his sister from where he sat with a questioning look on his face, but nodded that she may leave.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

"You will still need to defeat me in battle tomorrow," Temari explained as she held Shikamaru tightly. The couple sat on the bed of Shikamaru's room in the Kazekage's mansion, Temari's arms around the Nara as if he were a child in need of comfort. "That is the final condition. I won't let you win, you need to really defeat me," she said softly as she put a finger under his chin to force him to look into her eyes. The shadow user's eyes were brimming with tears. Shikamaru had been fighting them, but as he looked at her face he couldn't hold them back any longer.

"I don't know if I can do this, Temari," he whispered as the tears began streaming down his face. "Is there any other way, anything else? Please?"

"No," she said quietly as she pulled his head to her chest not wanting to look at the pain in his eyes. If she looked at how much this was hurting him, she would lose her resolve. "You can do this, think of this as shogi. You have to be willing to make a necessary sacrifice to ultimately win."

"How do I know you won't change your mind?" he softly sobbed into her chest.

"You will be my last," she answered with certainty as he looked up at her again. "I swear on my love for Suna and my brothers. You know that nothing is more precious to me than them."

"You are far more troublesome than I could have ever imagined," the Nara grumbled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. She could see his mind was going through all of the information, processing it. The genius was trying to find some way to reconcile the data. He looked at her with a sad resolve and determination as he brought a finger to her chin. "I love you anyways," he murmured as he brought her lips to meet his. The two kissed and wrapped their arms around one another as if they were clinging to their very lives.

"I swear that I will learn to love you in return the way that you deserve," the blonde kunoichi murmured as she stroked his hair gently while still wrapped in his arms. "I do care about you. I care about you more than anyone else other than my brothers. I know it doesn't seem that way right now," she sighed as she searched for some way to explain things.

"Don't, just don't say anything else please," the Nara whimpered. "Tomorrow then?" he asked trying not to look at her.

"Tomorrow," Temari answered quietly. The mistress of the wind stood to leave. She didn't have any words to say that would make this any easier, so she didn't try. She left him sitting there on the edge of the bed, not looking back as she closed the door behind her.

The genius brought his hands to his face as he sobbed. He didn't regret his choice, but wished there was some other way.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

There was a soft knock on the door of Darui's room. It was late and he couldn't sense who his visitor was, but a gut feeling told him to answer. A figure stood before him shrouded in a black hooded cloak. Their face was masked in shadow, but he didn't feel as if the stranger posed any danger.

"Quick, let me in," the figure whispered.

The dark skinned man immediately stepped out of the way allowing the shadowy guest entry. He closed the door softly as he looked at his visitor with bored interest in his eyes. A pair of small feminine hands slid out of the sleeves of the cloak to pull back the hood. The wild blonde hair that spilled out confirmed that it was Temari.

"Darui," she breathed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit on the edge of his bed beside her. "Please listen to everything I have to say," the kunoichi begged. The young man nodded his head in agreement. "I am not going to give you excuses or half-hearted reasons," the wind mistress began as she looked into his gorgeous eyes. "I will be selecting Shikamaru as my champion tomorrow and will marry him if he wins the tournament."

The shinobi from Kumogakure felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. Darui wanted to tell her that he was going to be named the next Raikage two months from now. He wanted to tell her that he would give her anything she wanted. He wanted to say that he would make her the happiest woman in the world, but he said nothing. He would let her say her piece, he would obey her wishes.

"I can't justify it, I can't explain it, and I wouldn't expect you to understand," she continued as she looked at his hand held between the two of hers. "In a perfect world I could marry you both and live in Suna," she chuckled to herself before she looked back up at him. "That's not the case though. I can only choose one of you to spend the rest of my life with." The blonde's blue-green eyes were apologetic as they gazed at the white haired nin.

"Is there anything I could have done differently or could do now to change your mind?" Darui asked quietly as he brought his other hand to lightly caress the kunoichi's cheek.

"No," the fan wielder said sadly. "You have been more than perfect actually. You would have had to come into my life six years earlier to change this," she smiled softly as she brought one of her hands to rest on top of his on her cheek. "I care about him. I know everything about him. I know his family and friends. I consider Konoha my second home," she tried to explain quietly but her voice wavered and stopped as if she couldn't continue.

"If Shikamaru is who you want, I will forfeit to him tomorrow," the lightning wielding shinobi said with disappointment. "If he doesn't make you happy though, I will. I would have done anything to keep you happy."

"I know," Temari said with pain in her eyes. "I know you would have, which is why there is something else I need to ask."

"Anything," he said with apprehension, not sure he wanted to hear more.

"I want something to remember you by, a memory I can look fondly back on. If you don't want to remember me, I understand, but I, I," the kunoichi struggled to put her thoughts into words. "I am giving Shikamaru the rest of my life, but I want to give you my first night," she finally said with conviction. The confusion and panic in Darui's eyes was immediate.

"No," he immediately answered as he pulled his hand from her face.

"Shikamaru knows," she said softly. "I gave him the option. He could have my first night or the rest of my life, but he couldn't have both. He wanted me for his wife," she explained quietly. The white haired shinobi just stared at her in disbelief. "If I had given you the option, which one would you have chosen?" the kunoichi asked softly.

The Kumogakure nin hung his head as he admitted reluctantly, "I would have made the same decision."

Temari smiled softly as she nodded her head in understanding. "I'm sorry all I can give you is one night," the blonde said softly, "but we can make it a night we will both remember."

"It's not right, it isn't fair to Shikamaru," Darui argued as he looked away.

"Life isn't fair. He will accept this, he doesn't have a choice," the woman answered as she placed her hands on each side of Darui's face, forcing him to look at her. "If he doesn't accept it, if he decides he doesn't want me anymore, wouldn't that only benefit you?" The blonde said everything so calmly, as if she had gone over everything in her head a million times and come to the same conclusion.

Temari rose up and stood before where the tall young man sat as she undid the clasp of her cloak. The garment slid down her shoulders then slowly to the floor to reveal that she wore nothing underneath. "Please," she whispered as she brought her lips to his.

Darui's head told him that this was wrong, but his heart agreed with Temari. He couldn't have her forever, but he could at least have one glorious night. Deep down he hoped it would somehow change her mind. He wrapped his arms around the kunoichi as he began to kiss her back. Consequences be damned, Temari would stay the night with him and break his heart more than he thought possible.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

Shikamaru stood across from Darui in the arena, Baki just slightly to the side between the two men. The fury was evident in the shadow user's eyes. The shinobi from Kumogakure simply stood there with his hands in his pockets and his usual bored expression. The indifferent look that the sword wielding shinobi wore was not really different than the one that Shikamaru normally had on his own face. The shadow user finally realized how infuriating someone's indifference could be. He knew by acting bored he could irritate people easily, but had never been on the receiving end of such treatment. Baki was explaining the rules for the match when Darui interrupted.

"This is all rather dull. I forfeit," he shrugged as he turned to walk away. The Raikage stared in disbelief from where he watched in the crowd.

"You will fight me," Shikamaru warned in a dangerous yet quiet voice.

The dark skinned nin turned halfway around to look at Shikamaru in annoyance. "She chooses you, you have already won," he shrugged. The Kumogakure shinobi took a few steps back closer as he lowered his voice to a menacing tone as he added, "Just know that if you hurt her, I will come back and take her from you. I will do it by force if necessary." He stated everything as if it were a simple fact not worthy of debate. He turned to walk away again but heard Baki yelling as he saw Shikamaru weaving hand signs out of his peripheral vision.

"Shikamaru Nara, I will disqualify you if you attack a man that has just forfeited," the Sunan shinobi cautioned.

"Kage mane no jutsu," Shikamaru hissed as his shadow stretched forth and captured both Baki and Darui.

Darui made no attempt to break the jutsu since he could see Temari already moving. She had leapt from the balcony into the arena, rolling as she hit the ground. The mistress of the wind ran towards the three with speed Darui had not seen from her before as she pulled her fan from her back. The black lightning wielder noted that the kunoichi's chakra levels spiked like they had during the sand storm.

"Shadow neck bind technique," the Nara growled as he weaved more hand signs. The tendrils from his shadows slowly reached for Darui's throat. Temari slammed her fan open to all three stars as she slid in between Shikamaru and Darui. She swung her fan sending a blast of cutting winds at Shikamaru from dangerously short range. He had no choice but to release his techniques to dodge.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Temari yelled at the top of her lungs. "I am your opponent now!" The Sunan woman's declaration caused the crowd to rise to their feet and roar. They were confused and had wanted a match between the two men, but Darui surprised them all by withdrawing. Temari had selected Shikamaru as her champion but was now protecting Darui as if she actually wanted him instead. The Raikage was particularly dumbfounded as to what the hell was going on. He was certain there was much more going on that he didn't know about, but would find out all the details on the way back to the Land of Lightning.

The blonde kunoichi's fan shielded the former first division commander, a man that certainly did not need protection, as Shikamaru assumed a fighting stance. Baki knew it was time to get as far clear as possible and motioned for the Kumogakure nin to do the same. The genius' eyes held a controlled rage now, regaining his senses and reason. Shikamaru was calculating now; he was anticipating every move Temari would make in the battle and coming up with the counters. Temari swung her fan quickly in a series of upward and sideways motions as she jumped back away from the shadow user. "Wind element net cast," she mumbled under her breath. It was one of her jutsus that the Nara had not seen or knew how to counter yet. She had brought herself in range of his shadow possession jutsu to force him to release Darui, but now she needed to get back to a safe distance quickly. The genius drew out the chakra blades he had inherited from Asuma and sliced through the net as if it were a minor obstacle as he ran towards his opponent. He was trying to close the distance quickly, so he could utilize his shadows.

Temari narrowed her eyes as she glared at the genius. He had sliced through her net with wind chakra of his own, when did he master that? More importantly when did he discover he had an affinity for wind? The kunoichi inwardly cursed as she assessed everything around her taking into account her new information. Darui and Baki had retreated out of the arena quickly, which relieved Temari. The genius used her momentary glance to the right to throw one of his chakra blades at her own shadow. Temari knew all too well that he was using his shuriken shadow imitation technique.

"I finally get the lazy ass to really fight me," she smiled to herself as she swung her fan. "Dance of the Earth!" The winds picked up sand and stones as they deflected the incoming chakra blade. The cutting winds roared towards Shikamaru, but with Temari now able to control and direct them it was more difficult for him to dodge her attacks. He quickly calculated the speed and size of the cutting winds as he weaved more hand signs. The Nara's shadow burst forth from the ground hurtling the genius over the attack while still closing the distance between he and Temari. "Dance of the Dragon!" she yelled swinging her fan. She used the momentum from the completion of her swing to somersault her three times away from the charging shadow user. Shikamaru had seen her use this attack before and immediately retreated back quickly out of range of the powerful tornado that now stood in between them. The blonde began to run while calculating the sun's path across the sky and what shadows it would create depending on how long this match would last. She also started thinking about how each movement she made affected the size and shape of her own shadow, not wanting to be caught off guard again. She had five more seconds before Shikamaru would be able to get around her huge tornado of wind that stood between them rotating wildly. The blonde kunoichi began weaving hand signs. This jutsu would begin just before the tornado died.

Shikamaru retrieved his thrown chakra blade as he tried to see through the tornado. He sensed Temari's chakra spike again as he heard a different roar of wind unlike that of the tornado. "Dance of the Desert of Death!" Temari bellowed as her new jutsu ripped through the dying tornado. Shikamaru quickly weaved hand signs as he made himself as small as possible, his shadows forming a protective barrier around him like Gaara's sand does. The genius was still thrown across the arena into a wall, cracking the concrete and leaving a distinct imprint. He had protected his head, but his back groaned and creaked from the impact as he tried to stand back up quickly. If he had not summoned the shadows to protect himself he would definitely have been knocked unconscious.

"She's definitely not holding anything back," he smirked as he rubbed his aching neck. He looked across the arena to see the worried look in her eyes give way to relief when she watched him stand. Then the moments of concern were gone, replaced by her fierce demeanor. "Troublesome woman, so she does care," he mumbled to himself. Shikamaru purposely moved slower than he could to make it appear he was more injured than he really was. He mentally reminded himself to restrict his movements as well so she would think she had partially incapacitated him.

The battle raged on for an hour and a half with the crowd gasping one minute then cheering the next. Suna loved their princess and didn't really want to lose her, so the majority rooted for the kunoichi to win. Shikamaru and Temari escalated until they were fighting at full strength, using jutsus that they rarely utilized. Temari was at a slight disadvantage since she couldn't summon Kamatari due to the risk of injuring the spectators. The genius knew that and thanked Kami that they were fighting in an arena. Arena fighting wasn't really conducive to the kunoichi's destructive jutsus; she had to spend more chakra to precisely control her winds rather than letting them fly wildly. The shadow user had noticed that Gaara and Kankuro were now standing on the balcony watching his movements carefully. The two shinobi were scowling and had their arms crossed as they watched their sister battle the brilliant tactician from Konoha. Temari was actually still faring better than Shikamaru at this point. The genius had taken the most damage since she was making sure not to get within range of his shadows. He had managed to plant wires with explosive tags that wrapped around her when she later ran through the trap, but that was the most damage he had been able to inflict on her. Shikamaru had hoped that he would be able to get within range while the blonde tried to recover from the blast, but she was too quick. Temari on the other hand had landed several devastating jutsus on the ponytailed Nara. He definitely had internal bleeding and a couple broken ribs. Shikamaru had to find some way to end this quickly.

Temari stood on the other side of the arena panting as she used her iron fan to brace her body. She wasn't hurt too badly, but was suffering the most from exhaustion and chakra depletion. The wind mistress was watching Shikamaru warily as she caught sight of a messenger hawk flying across the sky. The blonde noted it and found it odd, but didn't think anything about it. She unfortunately hadn't been paying enough attention to the Nara since he had been weaving hand signs and touched the ground as the hawk flew over the arena. The blonde kunoichi's eyes widened as she felt an all too familiar sensation. Her body no longer obeyed her will. "Not again," she groaned. He had finally outsmarted and blindsided the kunoichi again just like he had all those years earlier in the Chunin exams.

Shikamaru smirked as he walked his adversary to the middle of the arena. Temari's eyes held a mixture of emotions, but overall it appeared that she was proud of him. This surprised the Nara and he couldn't help but wonder about it. The two stood in silence staring at one another for a few moments before Shikamaru finally spoke. "Do you surrender?" the dark haired genius asked quietly as his shadows held her before him.

"I do," the wind mistress answered softly. "Completely."

"You will be mine and only mine from today forward," Shikamaru declared quietly to her as he released the jutsu and grabbed her. He wrapped his arms around her as he aggressively kissed her as if he felt the need to claim her. Temari complied willingly, slowly winding her arms around him as she kissed him back. She understood that tonight he would do everything in his power to make her forget the man who had had her first. Temari also knew that Shikamaru would now work hard the rest of their lives to make sure she never wondered about what could have been with Darui.

The two didn't notice the thunder of their audience as they continued to kiss. The cheers from the spectators around them became absolutely deafening. The couple embraced one another tightly after their passionate moment that had just happened in front of hundreds of people.

"Thank you for finally giving me my rematch," the blonde kunoichi murmured softly in his ear.

There was the sound of someone coughing softly behind the couple which caused them to turn quickly and face the source. Gaara and Kankuro had come down to the arena on a wave of sand and stood waiting patiently. The black clad puppeteer appeared slightly annoyed while the Kazekage wore a pleased look upon his face.

"Temari, what is your decision?" Gaara asked in his usual monotone voice.

"I willingly agree to marry Shikamaru Nara," the blonde said quietly to her brothers.

Kankuro and Gaara shared a look before the puppeteer motioned for the red head to go ahead. Gaara nodded his head, "Very well then." The Kazekage waved his hands causing his sand to carry him up over the arena so all could see him clearly. "There will not be a battle tomorrow since Temari accepts Shikamaru Nara's proposal. Kankuro and I forfeit and accept him into our family with open arms!" the red head announced in a clear voice. "There will be a celebration and feast for the entire day instead!" The crowd cheered its approval. The citizens of Suna would take free food over watching fighting any day. The Kazekage knew his people well.

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Two nights later after all of the celebrations were winding down the Raikage and his entourage were at the gates of Suna preparing to leave under the cover of night. There was the usual banter amongst the group, but Darui wasn't participating. He had not attended any of the celebrations of Temari's engagement. The lightning wielder was silently standing off to the side alone looking out over the desert. C walked away from the crowd of Kumogakure shinobi towards his long time partner.

"Are you going to be OK?" C asked quietly making sure that no one else could hear.

The tall dark skinned man shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have no choice but to be," he stated flatly as he still looked longingly out over the desert.

C weaved several hand seals quickly and scanned the area. He looked at his friend as he comprehended what was bothering him. "She's here."

"I know," Darui sighed. The pain in his eyes was immense. C could tell that Darui wanted to go to her, but he refused. If she had wanted to say goodbye she would come out and do so.

"C, Darui!" the Raikage barked, "It's time to go."

"Yes, boss," the sword wielder answered as he motioned for C to come with him. "Where is she at?" Darui whispered to his friend as they walked back to their kage.

"She has herself concealed over there at 3 o'clock," the sensor answered as he nodded his head towards the well hidden kunoichi.

Darui looked in the direction and saw nothing but shadows. 'How appropriate,' he thought as he walked away. The man followed his Raikage towards their home in the Land of Lightning with his hands in his pockets.

-End

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A/N

That is it everyone! Once I finish Shinobi and Sonnets I may write a sequel to this if anyone is interested. (Shinobi and Sonnets is a lot closer to being done than Love at War)

Here is the quote that inspired me to write this story:

"Being a man, I may fall passionately in love with a woman someday, but I positively assert that if I had to get involved in a rivalry as intense as the love itself in order to win the object of love, I would sooner give her up by standing aloof with my hands in my pockets, no matter what pain or sacrifice I might have to endure. Others may criticize me as unmanly, cowardly, weak-willed, or whatever. But if the woman is one so wavering between her suitors that she can only be won through that kind of painful competition, I can't regard her as worth the bitter rivalry. It's far more satisfying to my conscience to have the manliness to allow my rival free play in the field of love and for me to gaze in loneliness at the scars of love than to have the pleasure of embracing by force a woman who would not willingly give me her heart."
― Natsume Sōseki

I thought this fit Shikamaru perfectly, but didn't want to write a story where Shikamaru and Temari wouldn't end up together. It was difficult finding someone else I thought Temari might actually consider at first until I remembered Darui. Darui's character slouches around with his hands in his pockets like Shikamaru, wears a bored expression like Shikamaru, has a catchphrase like Shikamaru (Shika-How Troublesome, Darui-How dull), and rubs the back of his neck like Shikamaru. Even though Darui is more motivated than Shika and actually apologetic rather than complaining constantly, I thought he was a pretty close match.

This didn't end up a happy ending by any means, but think along the lines of Bram Stoker's Dracula. That was the type of tragic love triangle I was trying to portray. What caused Temari to do things the way she did is up to you to decide. I know what I intended, but sometimes it is more fun to let the readers' imaginations fill in between the lines.

Thank you all for your reviews and patience! I hope I didn't break Kimiz' heart too much.