Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Shikamaru sat up and reached for another cigarette. He lit up and took another drag, all the while fending off Temari's attempts to snatch his new cigarette.

Eventually, Temari surrendered and sat down next to Shikamaru. "If I smell any smoke in the house, you can say goodbye to any cigarettes you've got," she said. "And your lighter."

Shikamaru feigned pain, clutching his heart. "Oh no! Whatever will I do without them!" he cried.

"You'd probably go crazy," Temari said, looking upwards to the stars. "Withdrawal from nicotine will do that to you."

"To go through withdrawal, you have to be addicted." Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

"And you're not?" Temari asked.

"No," Shikamaru deadpanned. "I'm just a passionate lover of cigarettes."

Temari sighed. "Tell me that when you get lung cancer."

Shikamaru exhaled, releasing a puff of smoke. "Now, now," Shikamaru said, "let's change the subject to something a little less depressing. Like the fact that I met Koji today."

Temari looked a little startled by that. "He's the one who escorted you? How did it go?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "About as well as you would expect, I guess. He's a little…enthusiastic though."

Temari frowned. "What's wrong with enthusiasm? You could definitely use some more of it."

Shikamaru took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled, thinking about what to say next. "It's what he seems enthusiastic about…it's strange. But, I'm tired and I have to actually work tomorrow, so I'm going to bed."

Temari began to walk downstairs into the house, Shikamaru not far behind her. Shikamaru hadn't seen Temari in three months. He let his eyes run over her body for a moment. Temari's voice startled him, and he realized he had been staring. "Did Gaara show you the room you'd be staying in?" she asked.

"No, my stuff is still down in the living room." Shikamaru answered.

"Go get it, and I'll show you where you'll be staying." Temari said. Shikamaru nodded and walked towards the living room. He returned after a minute and Temari led him to a room that looked like it had been gathering dust for at least a year.

Shikamaru glanced around. There wasn't much in the room to take notice of. A shelf, a dresser, a closet, and a bed. The basic necessities. Then, something caught his eye. A small wooden puppet, only a foot tall, was lying on the dresser. He turned towards Temari, curiosity on his face.

"Temari," Shikamaru began. "Was this Kanku–''

"Yes," Temari said, cutting him off. "This was my brother's room."

"You sure it's okay for me to stay here?" Shikamaru asked, a little concerned. "I can stay in another room…"

"No, it's fine," Temari answered, maintaining a neutral face. "It's been a long time."

"Besides," she added, her face now growing mirthful, "this place is really dusty, so I'm counting on you to clean it up while you're here."

That stopped Shikamaru's concern. "Wait," he said. "You want me to clean a room that you've neglected while I'm here?"

Temari grinned, an evil grin that Shikamaru knew very well. The grin that meant he wasn't getting out of this. Shikamaru reached for a pillow and hurled it at his four-pigtailed target, but she was already out the door.

"Good night!" She called back in between laughs.

"Troublesome!" Shikamaru called out the door.

Shikamaru sat in the back of the class in Suna's Ninja Academy, watching the bright youngsters (he had convinced himself he was old enough to say that now) participate in the classroom. Of course, his assignment here was to learn more about Suna in general and more specifically about Suna's teaching methods.

In essence, Suna's teaching methods weren't that different from Konoha's. There were differences here and there, but the curriculum was basically the same. That's how he winded up watching Suna's kids, comparing them to the kids from Konoha. Generally, there wasn't much difference. There were the brains, the class clown, the troublemakers, and several other stereotypes displayed in both groups.

Among the Suna kids, however, Shikamaru had found a child he truly empathized with. The small brown-haired child currently had his head down, his worksheet unfinished, and was probably asleep. But Shikamaru had seen the intelligence in the boy's eyes. When the child had first gotten the worksheet, Shikamaru recognized the look in the boy's eyes. The eyes that said that he already knew all the answers and really didn't care. Shikamaru knew because he had had those eyes during his academy years.

Shikamaru walked towards the teacher, pointed towards the kid, and asked, "Who's the kid with his head down?"

The teacher looked and said, "Shugo. He's got some of the worst grades in the class. It's unfortunate too, because I know he can do better. Much better."

"Can I see him for a few minutes?" Shikamaru asked.

The teacher shrugged. "I don't see why not." The teacher called Shugo, who eventually woke up.

"What is it Sensei?" Shugo asked sleepily.

The teacher motioned to Shikamaru. "This sensei comes from Konoha, and would like to talk to you."

Shikamaru led Shugo to another, empty classroom and dug through the bag of supplies he had brought with him. After a few moments of digging, he found what he was looking for.

"What's this about Sensei?" Shugo asked, yawning.

"Oh, just a little game," Shikamaru said, unfolding his portable chess board. "Do you know how to play?"

Shugo shook his head, looking at the black and white pieces with interest. "We don't have this game in Suna." the boy explained.

"Well, the rules won't be hard for you to get," Shikamaru said, then proceeded to explain the rules, ending with, "and this is the King. If anything happens to him, you lose. Got it?"

The child nodded and moved his first pawn. The game went on for several minutes, but Shikamaru knew he was going to win after the first two moves. The game ended with Shikamaru gently knocking down Shugo's king.

Shugo looked at the board with disappointment. "I thought I'd win once I understood the rules. It seemed like an easy game." he said.

"The game is only as hard as the person you're playing against. Unfortunately for you, I was your opponent, and I'm…practiced at this game." Shikamaru said as he rose from his seat, gathering his things. He noticed the new light in Shugo's eyes. These eyes told of something that actually got the boy's attention.

Shikamaru began to leave but stopped when Shugo called out to him. "Sensei! You forgot your game!"

"Keep it." Shikamaru said, continuing his walk out the door. "Find me when you think you can beat me."

Temari wandered through Suna's cemetery. The cemetery was basically a section of the desert near Suna with headstones in it. It was bleak, and reminded everyone who entered it exactly what it was and what awaited all of them.

Temari made her way to a particular grave she'd visited several times. The path was familiar to her now, and she could have made the trek blindfolded. She finally reached her goal, a tombstone that looked nearly identical to every other tombstone in cemetery. Just the way the man underneath it had wanted it.

Temari kneeled down onto the ground. "Kankuro," she said, addressing the grave. "I really wish you were here right now. You always had a way of telling me the truth about something. I really need that truth right now." Temari said, her eyes beginning to water. "I–''

"Hey!" Koji's voice cut her off. She hurriedly wiped away her tears, determined not to show any weakness.

"Hi," Temari choked out, turning to greet him. "What are you doing out here today?"

"Just paying respects to some family members. I thought I'd lay a flower on Kankuro's grave too." Koji said, laying a small lily on Kankuro's grave.

"Thanks," Temari said, sniffling, "Gaara and I really don't come out here enoug– "

Before Temari knew what was happening, Koji had embraced her, saying, "You don't have to be so strong all of the time. You can cry a little every now and then."

Temari laid her head on the shoulder of one of her oldest friends. "I know," she said. "But I can't today. Too much to do." Temari gently pushed away from Koji, and began to walk away. "I'll talk to you later," she said with a wave.

Koji waved back at Temari. Then, waiting until Temari was far out of sight, he spit on Kankuro's grave.

"Kankuro, of all these Suna people, you were one of the ones I hated the least." Koji said, his usual kind, silky voice replaced by a much harsher sound. "That's why I only spit on your grave. Believe me, I could do some pretty nasty crap to your grave."

"It's a shame I had to kill you," Koji said, addressing the grave as if Kankuro were standing next to him. "You were, at least, entertaining."

Koji sat on the top of Kankuro's headstone and said, "You don't mind if I take a seat do you?" After a moment of silence, Koji said, "I thought not. It's that time of the week, my friend. The time when all my lies become truth for a short while. I think that if I had nothing but lies, I'd go mad. I've got a lot to talk about today."

There were several more moments of silence, then Koji said, "I know, it's not exactly like me. Of course, that brings up the question of who 'me' really is. Hard to discover since almost everything about me is a lie. Of course, you discovered who 'me' really is, didn't you?"

"…"

"And you learned the hard way that some lies need to stay lies. Oh, did you know? That Shikamaru kid came into Suna. Doing some business for Konoha I believe. It's not too important I guess. Temari seems to…tolerate him, at least. Ah yes, Temari. She is your favorite subject, isn't she?

"…"

"No, I haven't decided whether I should kill her or not. Unlike most people in this crap hole of a village, she might be worth saving. Of course I know what you'll say. But you're biased, being her brother and all."

"…"

"I knew you'd say that. But still, the day will come when I receive the order, and begin to kill. Until that day, I am like the spider. I wait and wait…and wait."

Shikamaru laid on top of his temporary home's roof once more, this time looking not at stars, but at the sky as sunlight faded. He took out a cigarette and lit up, taking a long drag. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a leg wrapped in fishnet appear in view. He glanced to his side and beheld Temari.

"Hey," Shikamaru said, returning his vision to the sky. "How was your day?"

"I've had better," Temari said tiredly.

Shikamaru glanced back at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Temari answered, taking a seat next to him. "Don't worry about it. More importantly, how was the first day of research?" Temari said.

Shikamaru exhaled and said, "I've seen ashtrays more exciting."

"That bad?"

"Honestly, I don't know why they're having me do this to begin with."

"Well, you know what the shinobi world is like. Konoha just wants to make sure they have the most info available against a potential enemy. I won't be surprised if Suna makes me do the same thing soon."

"It wasn't all bad though," Shikamaru said, grinning a little. "There's a kid I met named Shugo. Reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age."

"What, even more of an idiot than you are now? And three times lazier?" Temari asked with a grin.

"Was I really three times lazier back then? I need to get back to that level of laziness again, then." Shikamaru said. "I'm doing far too much work now."

"Pffsh. You couldn't ever do 'far too much work.' If you did, the universe would probably explode." Temari said.

Shikamaru ignored her and continued. "Anyway, I beat the kid at chess and told him to find me when he thinks he could win against me."

Temari blinked. Then she hit him on the chest. "You jerk! You're supposed to let kids win!"

Shikamaru rubbed his chest and retorted, "And what? Baby them? It's a crapsack world out there, full of crapsack people. You don't win all the time out there."

Temari hit him again and said, "That's way too cynical for a little kid!"

Shikamaru, now rubbing to different injured areas, responded, "The kid seemed to appreciate it…"

A/N: Wow. It's been a long time. Way too long. Now be honest: who thought I was dead?

Anyway, I'm really sorry it took so long for me to get this update out. In an attempt to make myself feel better about taking so long, I'll riddle off a few excuses.

1. I'm one of three valedictorians for my senior class in high school. I've been busy with last semester and college stuff. I'm sure a few of you can empathize with me.

2. I've been doing a lot of work in an art class in preparation for an art competition we're going on in a few days. Wish me luck.

3. Similar to Shikamaru, I am extremely lazy.

As always, if you liked this chapter drop me a PM or a review.

PS. I'm going to try really, really, really hard to get the next update out this week.

PSS. I forgot to put my horizantal lines in here, so here they are.