AN: Sorry for the ridiculously long delay... life... you know...

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Temari had been worried when Gaara told her that she would need Chisako-san as her teacher. As it turned out, he had severely underestimated her sexual knowledge. Except for a brief period during puberty, Temari had rarely been shy about sex or her body. Being surrounded by males all her life, Temari had to teach herself about menstruation and sex and femininity in general. After much research on the topic, Temari had made a few conclusions: women can use sex for power and rather more specifically, women can use the promise of sex for power, women who had a lot of sex were not respected, and orgasms sounded awesome.

She had been fighting males her whole life to earn respect and she would be damned if the fact that she was a woman stopped her from doing exactly what she wanted to do. At the age of fifteen, she made a few decisions: 1) I'm going to dress provocatively because it makes me feel confident and if someone degrades me for it, I will kick their ass, 2) I'm going to have sex and lots of it, 3) I'm going to work hard and demand respect.

Her first sexual encounter happened during a mission in a neighboring village. It was the perfect opportunity for her since they were all in disguise so no one would recognize her as the Kazekage's daughter. They were staying at a hotel that had a bar. She snuck away from Baki and her siblings and went and sat at the bar faking confidence and mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. "I just need to get this over with. The first time isn't supposed to be that great. I need experience. Calm down, all guys are horny."

Temari rarely doubted herself and she had always been confident in her abilities, but this was something she had absolutely zero idea about and so she did what she always did when faced with a situation in which she was unfamiliar: she dived right in.

He was easily ten years older than her and not all that attractive but at least he wasn't fat. Although, she thought in hindsight, even if he was fat that wouldn't have bothered her, as long as he was confident. This guy clearly was not confident and only talked to her because he thought she was young and naïve.

Which, she was.

A few drinks in (only one for him, Temari noted) and some awkward flirting later, Temari found herself in the unknown man's room, haltingly asking for a condom and whether or not he had any STDs she should be aware of. He had paused in undressing her, giving her a weird look. She tried not to look nervous.

"No, I'm clean. Have you done this before?"

"Umm…"

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen," she lied. Better safe than sorry.

He opened his mouth to ask more questions and Temari took the opportunity to push her lips onto his in a sloppy kiss. She flipped them over.

"You talk too much. Please tell me you have a condom."

He hesitated, but whatever conscious he had a few minutes before disappeared as he pulled a condom out of his wallet.

'Just get it done,' Temari repeated to herself.

She tried to enjoy it. She tried to imagine a guy she had a crush on but she had never really had a crush on anyone so it was hard to do. She tried to pretend this was what she wanted. But most of all, she tried not to be scared and nervous because she was the Kazekage's daughter. She was a confident, attractive young woman. After this, she would be experienced and this would be her little secret. After this, she would be able to give secretive smiles and have an air of mystery about her. That's what all the alluring women in the novels she read had and so now she would as well.

It was fairly quick and completely unmemorable except for it being her first time. Except for some slight discomfort, there wasn't any pain which had surprised her. She did not orgasm. The man fell asleep shortly after rolling off of her, not even bothering to do anything about the condom.

Temari had run to his bathroom to throw up (a mixture of her unease over the experience and the alcohol in her system) and then take a quick shower to wash off the experience. She snuck back into her room, only to find Gaara wide awake.

He merely stared at her not saying anything. She stared right back, scared, until he turned away in his bed, without a word.

Temari believed herself to be great at sex especially since most of her relationships revolved around it. After her sexual debut, she had multiple partners, always while she was disguised for fear of the rumor mill somehow disparaging her character, or worse, Gaara's. As a result, she had to carefully plan all her encounters, usually when she had foreign missions. The dry spell during the war had been brutal. It wasn't until she was 23 that she decided to actually date someone mostly because she suspected she had feelings for Shikamaru and that was just unacceptable. She didn't make the relationship public, but people of course still found out about it. He was the son of some important dignitary. It lasted 9 months and Temari found that having sex with one person was much more enjoyable then one night stands or week long flings. He was a few years older than her and definitely more experienced, although, she had had more partners, which was something she was not about to share with him lest his male ego suffered from the knowledge. Turns out, you can learn a lot about sex just by being comfortable with one person instead of sleeping with multiple people. It was with him that she had fine-tuned her skills of seduction.

He had wanted to get married and she had not. She didn't see anyone after that until Shikamaru had finally worn her down.

"You're better at this than Gaara said you would be."

Years of flirting and seducing men had improved her game. Not that she ever needed to do much to begin with. She knew she had a body that most women would kill for, even kunoichi—with the perfect hourglass figure. Not as pronounced as Hinata's and not as slender as TenTen's. She had her mother's beauty—striking eyes, thick hair, aristocratic nose and high cheekbones. A few times, she had made herself appear uglier just to challenge herself.

She had learned how to read men. She could tell which one was confidant, which one was insecure, which one would try to dominate her, which one she could easily bring to his knees begging for more. That was how she enjoyed her one night stands. It was something that she turned on and off and so when she was in kunoichi-mode, she never reverted to temptress. Except for the way she dressed.

That had always proved to be a beneficial distraction for her.

Temari shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sure there's something I still have yet to learn." She couldn't help the smirk gracing her features.

Chisako-san smacked her across the forearm with her pointer. "Overconfidence is dangerous."

Temari glared at her as she rubbed the spot Chisako had hit her, "I'm being serious. I'm sure there's something I can still learn." Temari had to force herself to purse her lips to prevent them from smiling knowingly.

Chisako studied her for a moment. "You did good."

"Excuse me?"

"Only publicly dating two people. That was smart."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Chisako nodded and sat down across from her, not pushing for more information. They were in a conference room in the Kazekage towers. Temari hadn't understood why they were meeting here instead of somewhere more reasonable… like her bedroom but she didn't question Chisako. This first meeting, apparently, was just about figuring out what Temari already knew and then learning how to flirt.

"I guess we can speed up the lessons here. What do you know how to do sexually?"

Temari couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks. No, she wasn't shy about sex. But this was a 72 year old respected woman that was asking her such a personal question.

"Enough," she said, tersely.

"Temari-san…"

"I'm not actually going to have sex with the target."

"Then why are you doing this mission?"

"I don't need to go all the way to complete the mission."

"What are you going to do if you can't? Use force? That could put a lot of people's lives in danger. You need to complete this mission without the target being none the wiser to whom or what you are."

"In order for me to get the intel, all I need to do is make sure that he is passed out or asleep. I don't need to actually have sex in order to do that. I don't even have to use force. However, if I did have sex, how do you know he won't just as easily kick me out of his room, basically making it impossible for me to search through his things?"

Chisako opened her mouth to respond but Temari continued, "Furthermore, he keeps guards wherever he goes. So his guards will be standing just outside his door and they must be well-versed in his behavior. From my research on him, he does not let women spend the night. So the chances of me being kicked out of the room before he falls asleep are high.

"Also, one guard always goes into the room to check and see that everything is as it should be. Therefore, I need to get in and out with the intel without the target or his guards having any idea that any information was stolen. I can't waste time actually having sex with the man."

Chisako studied her, "You've thought this through."

Temari tried not to look offended, "Of course I have. Now all I need is any poisons or mind-altering or mood-altering drugs that only work for a short period of time that can be hidden on my person. I'm sure the women you have trained have such concoctions masquerading as feminine products."

Chisako and Temari stared at each other. Temari with pride, Chisako calculating. "I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thank you." And, because Temari felt a little guilty about her behavior, she asked with difference, "Is there anything important that I should definitely know or that you can teach me?"

"Tell me your plan in minute detail and we will go over it together to see if there are any holes in it."

Temari stood up and said, "Of course, Chisako-san." She bowed before she left the conference room in haste.

Telling an old woman that she can seduce a man better than her prostitutes was incredibly uncomfortable and so she immediately went to the training fields to work off her embarrassment.

Temari waited stage right behind the curtains with the other dancers. She barely paid attention to the announcer, instead, focusing all her energy on calming her nerves. Fighting ninja, arguing politics, being a diplomat, seduction….these were all things that she could do. Dancing in front of an audience was not her area of expertise.

She had learned how to fan dance from a young age. One of her most distinct memories of her mother was of her teaching her how to use fans to dance. It was in honor of her mother that she had even bothered to continue with the lessons even though she never thought they would be of any practical use. Ultimately, the dancing had improved her flexibility and made her a better kunoichi, but she had never actually danced for anyone or anything-not even Shikamaru. The idea of her using something so personal for a group of horny men made her skin crawl.

Deep breaths Temari, just remember the mission.

The mission was actually pretty straight forward. The target was a businessman who dabbled with politics. He had blackmail on Sunan council members that he used to manipulate them into loosening trade restrictions on his products. He kept all his evidence on his person at all times. The job was to take the evidence and leave a temporary replacement. A copy of all the evidence would be made to return to him. The copy would need to only pass perfunctory legitimacy since Gaara wanted the blackmail on the Sunan council without the target knowing that he no longer had sway with the council. The hard parts would be making a passable copy for the target so no suspicion would be raised and to remove the temporary replacement with the fake copy.

That meant that Temari would have to interact with the target twice. Once was manageable. Twice was a challenge.

"And now, please bring a warm round of applause for our wonderful fan dancers, Windfall!"

That was her cue.

Temari twirled to the middle of the stage, holding up large fans to cover her body. Her hair had been dyed to a light brown and twisted into an up do and that was the only disguise she had. No one would ever think that Temari of the Sands would be here and she was relying on that assumption. She wore a slinky teal number that hugged her curves and left absolutely nothing to the imagination. It fell to mid-thigh and flared out when she turned, revealing the lacy red undergarments that she had on underneath.. The bodice barely concealed her breasts but at least the dress wasn't strap less. She briefly wondered if this was degrading to her career as a kunoichi, but then she forced that thought out of her mind. She didn't have time to analyze her choices. She had a mission to complete.

As the dance number went on, she switched out to smaller fans, twirling them around her, tossing them in the air, moving in a sultry manner…she left the acrobatics to the backup dancers who used a combination of fans and ribbons to enhance her performance. As the dance went on she made her way through the audience in an attempt to find her target. She flirted here and there with a few random strangers, sitting on their laps, hiding her smile behind a fan. When they started to get too hands-y she moved on to her next prey.

Where the hell is he?

Before disappointment could sink in, her skin prickled with the sensation of someone staring at her intently. By this point she had made it mid-way through the dining area. She turned towards the bar, and there was the target, staring unabashedly at her.

She smirked at him. Bingo.

She slid into a barstool next to him, holding both her fans in her left hand and grabbing his drink with her right. "Do you mind?"

He returned her smirk, "No, be my guest."

He was a surprisingly attractive man in his early forties. Despite looking completely smitten with her, he had an air of confidence about him. She would have to be careful with this one; he clearly knew how to handle women.

She downed his drink, watching him from the corner of her eye. He watched the way she placed her lips around his glass. He watched the undulation of her throat as she swallowed the drink. His eyes stayed glued to her lips as she put the drink back down on the bar and she licked her lips slowly.

She turned back to him. "Thanks, I was," she paused to look at him meaningfully, "thirsty."

"Well," he said, "anytime you are thirsty, you come find me."

Taking both her fans she ran them down his chest with one hand. "I'm counting on it," she said, with a wink.

She slid off the barstool and walked back to the stage to finish the dance, adding an extra swing to her hips.

Shikamaru's grip on his tumbler tightened as his eyes narrowed on the woman in teal on the stage. There was no doubt. It was Temari. Her hair was a few shades darker and in a different hairstyle than he was used to but it was her. But it couldn't be. There was no way Temari could be here of all places.

"It can't be her," Chouji continued, "She must have a doppleganger. Besides, this chick has a different hair color."

Chouji looked back at Shikamaru, "Hey, Shikamaru," he asked in concern, trying to shake him out of his trance.

"It probably isn't Temari… just a look alike."

Shikamaru ignored him and kept his eyes trained on the woman. He didn't pay attention as Ino made her way towards their table and sat down next to Chouji in a huff. Chouji redirected his gaze to Ino, his look of concern now pointed at her. "This mission is stupid," she said, annoyed. When Shikamaru didn't look at her and when Chouji didn't respond, she glanced around, "What's his problem?" Ino asked Chouji.

"Do you think that's Temari?" Chouji asked, tilting his head toward the stage.

"What? Temari? What would she…" Ino's voice trailed off as she studied the woman that was currently making her way into the dining area.

"Wow, that sure looks like Temari. A way hotter version of Temari, that's for sure." When Shikamaru still didn't respond to her Ino kicked him under the table.

Shikamaru's head whipped back to his friends, "What?" he snapped.

"Geez, Shikamaru, calm down. That's not Temari. I would think you of all people would be able to recognize your own girlfriend. Jealous much?" Then Ino turned to Chouji and whispered loudly, "Who knew he was the jealous type?" Chouji just shook his head in amusement.

"Shikamaru, we need to figure out our next game plan," Chouji said, wanting to avoid an argument between Ino and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru studied his friends for a moment before returning his gaze to the woman that was walking towards them. It was her, he could feel it. It had to be her.

She glanced around the room and for a brief second he was able to look into her eyes. She clearly wasn't focused on him but in that instant, he knew. It was her.

Shikamaru's breaths became shallow and his whole demeanor stilled into an eerie calm as he watched her like a hawk make her way towards the target of their mission.

She sat down sensually on the stool, turning her body to the target and giving him a flirtatious smile. Shikamaru tried his best to read their lips but he couldn't make out what Temari was saying as the back of her head faced him now.

He could only make out a few words: My guest, thirst, you, me.

Shikamaru felt the tumbler in his hand start to crack from the pressure he was putting on it. He took another calming breath and let go. "I'll be right back," he said, curtly and quickly slid out of the booth to follow Temari.

"Wait, Shikamaru!" Ino hissed quietly. He didn't look back.

"Ugh, if he's like this over someone that looks like Temari, what will he be like if it actually IS her?" Ino asked Chouji.

"Hmm, I wonder what she wants with our target."

Ino gaped at Chouji, "This is bullcrap. You think that's Temari too?!"

Chouji shrugged, "Well, even if the odds of Temari having a similar mission to ours is pretty small, they sure do increase when someone that looks strangely like Temari talks to the target of our mission the same day we are trying to complete a mission."

Ino crossed her harms and huffed in exasperation, "What in the world would Suna need with some Konohan businessman?"

Ino gasped as idea occurred to her, "Do you think Suna somehow knows that this guy has intel about Konoha's council members? Do you think they want the blackmail for themselves to use it against us?" Ino's eyes widened and she grabbed Chouji's forearm, "Oh, my god! Do you think Shikamaru told Temari about our mission and that's why he's pissed because she's trying to get the information for Suna?"

Chouji blinked. "Ino, you've been watching way too many dramas." But he didn't sound that convincing. "No, that can't be it. Shikamaru would never give confidential information about his missions. Even if it is Temari…. Right?" Chouji looked at Ino, worried.

"I don't know. I mean, we all know how ruthless Temari can be."

"Yeah, but we know Shikamaru, he wouldn't be dumb enough to tell her the details of a mission that she doesn't need to know."

"Ok, we're just jumping to conclusions. First off, we need to figure out how to complete our mission while Shikamaru goes plays idiot." Chouji felt his lips quirk up without his own volition.

"What?"

"Who knew you would be the voice of reason."

"Well, I'm just being practical. I'm not going to waste my time speculating when I can just get the juicy details from Shikamaru once he returns."

"Ah, I should have known better." Chouji smiled.

He gave a cursory glance back at the bar, "Shit!"

"What?" Ino looked at the bar, "crap."

"Where'd he go?"

"I don't know!"

Temari made her way backstage with the other girls. That dance had surprisingly exhausted her, probably because she had been on high alert for the target.

She was preoccupied with thoughts on how to approach the target next when a hand gripped her arm and brusquely turned her around. She stumbled slightly before regaining her balance, "Hey! Watch-"

The words died in her throat as Temari's eyes widened and she stared dumbly at her boyfriend. This was not good.

Shikamaru brought his other hand to grab Temari's other arm. He stopped himself from shaking her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Is there a problem here?" Two pairs of eyes turned to look at the newcomer.

Temari sighed in relief. Perfect.

"Yes."

"No."

Both Temari and Shikamaru's heads snapped back towards each other. "What?" He asked, bewildered.

Temari pushed Shikamaru away from her, giving him a warning look. "You cannot manhandle me without my permission."

Shikamaru gaped at her, confused, "I-"

The target stepped in front of Temari, crossed his arms and glared menacingly at Shikamaru, "You heard the lady."

Shikamaru merely gave the man an annoyed look and tried to make eye contact with Temari again but the man mirrored Shikamaru's movements, preventing him from looking at her.

"I suggest you leave if you don't want any trouble." He tilted his head to indicate the two body guards that were twenty feet away from them.

It took everything in his willpower to not roll his eyes and use his ninjutsu to take out the bodyguards and the target. He briefly considered it. The mission could still be accomplished that way. But no, he couldn't. This man was too powerful. He couldn't just kill him. Knocking him out and getting the intel would do no good either since Ino had the replica. It was only at that moment that it dawned on Shikamaru that Temari must be on a similar mission as him, only her methods were clearly out of her wheelhouse. He had gone through all the scenarios in his head and that was the most reasonable one. The situation was a bit unorthodox but all the other reasons that she could possibly be here made him uncomfortable. Like the one that she was secretly a fan dancer who was in a relationship with their target.

"Hey, are you an idiot?" The man shoved Shikamaru. "I'm talking to you."

Temari was peering around the man at this point, giving Shikamaru a pleading look that only he could see. Shikamaru gave Temari a brief glance and tried to communicate a million things to her before turning back to the target and shoving him in return.

"Whatever, you can keep the bitch," he said and stormed away, past the bodyguards. He grimaced when he heard Temari gasp. He was going to pay for that later.

'Damn that idiot is smart,' Temari thought proudly. Then she frowned. He wouldn't have needed to be smart if he hadn't jeopardized her mission in the first place. And what was he doing here anyway?

The target turned around and looked Temari up and down, "Are you hurt?"

Temari shook her head, thrown off by Shikamaru's company and the target's apparent concern. Well, wasn't he chivalrous? Or maybe it was just an act. She hadn't quite figured it out yet.

"Do you have another performance tonight?"

Again, Temari shook her head. 'Stop acting like a mute china doll,' Temari berated herself. But she couldn't help it; the mission was not going according to plan.

"You seem a little shook up, who was that man?"

Temari stared at the man, "I-, he—some guys just think that they can get hands-y." Temari shuddered for added effect, as if she was shaking off Shikamaru's presence. "It doesn't matter; let's not let one brute ruin our night."

"Oh, it's our night already?" The target asked, teasingly.

Temari hooked her arm with his and said in a sultry voice, "If you want it to be."

His eyes darkened, "I would like that very much."

Temari gave him a sly smile, "I'm Akemi."

He returned her smile, "Kazuhiro."

"Kazuhiro," Temari repeated, testing the name out, letting it roll off her tongue. She gave him an alluring smile. "Why don't you wait for me at the booth while I change."

He let his eyes roam over her body, "Do you really need to change?"

Temari scoffed in mock affront, "And here I thought you were a gentleman, protecting me and all that nonsense."

Kazuhiro leaned closer to Temari to whisper in her ear, "I don't like other men trying to play with my toys."

Temari had to stamp down the urge to push him away. In this scenario, she was playing a prostitute. A high class prostitute but a prostitute nonetheless.

Temari smiled seductively, "Trust me, you'll like what I'm about to change into much more."

He flashed her a grin, "I will be anxiously waiting."

Temari made her way to the changing rooms when she felt someone grip her forearm again.

Without turning around she said, "You have got to stop doing that."

"Care to explain yourself?" Shikamaru asked, ignoring her and gently nudging her to turn around. She instead, grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her dressing room. Facing him, she answered.

"I'm on a mission. Your turn." She said, looking up at him and crossing her arms.

"I'm on a mission as well. With, apparently, the same target as you."

Temari frowned, "What are the odds of that?" Before Shikamaru could respond, Temari held up a hand, "Don't." Shikamaru smirked at her.

They stared at each other, neither one asking the most obvious question.

Shikamaru sighed, "We have to tell each other. Otherwise this could be a failed mission for both of us and since this is S class I highly doubt any of us want that."

"Any of us? Who are you with?"

Shikamaru gave her a look. Ino and Chouji, of course. "Who are you with?" He asked in return.

Temari didn't say anything.

"Alone? You're here alone?!" Shikamaru had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt when he first saw her, but now there was no other conclusion to draw. A kunoichi on a solo mission in a high class brothel. Yeah, he knew exactly what was going on and he didn't like it.

"When were you going to tell me? Were you ever going to tell me? Have you gone on missions like this before?" Shikamaru felt queasy at the thought. She wouldn't. She's Temari. She just wouldn't. 'But she is,' a tiny little voice said in the back of his head.

"Shikamaru, calm down," Temari ordered, placing her hands reassuringly on his chest. "I know what I'm doing."

Shikamaru pushed her hands away and stepped closer to her, his ire rising, "You are about to have sex with someone that's not me and you expect me to calm down? What the hell is your mission?"

"Shikamaru…"

"Tell me right now," Shikamaru demanded.

"I'm not going to have sex with him! I've never done this sort of mission. And don't use that tone of voice with me," Temari hissed.

She started to change out of her dress while Shikamaru watched her. He could only gape at her as she put on a tight corset. "Well then what the fuck are you going to be doing?" Temari sighed. She walked towards him and turned around, "Tie me up."

She could feel the tension rolling off of Shikamaru in waves. "Shikamaru," she repeated, "Tie me up."

She felt him joltingly raise his hands up to tie her corset. "Answer me," he ordered. Despite his anger, he used minimal force to tighten her corset.

"Listen Shikamaru, you need to stop jumping to stupid conclusions. That guy just has information that I need and I have to get it from him without him ever knowing that I took it from him."

She turned around when he was done, hands on her hips, "Now, what's your mission."

Shikamaru's eyes bored into hers, "Same." Temari waited for him to say more but he didn't.

She grabbed her garters and stockings and sat down to put them on, irritated. She could feel Shikamaru's eyes watching her every move. She knew her dressing in lingerie for another man was only angering Shikamaru more but she didn't have time to waste to soothe his ego and they could only talk briefly. Shikamaru had never come across as the jealous protective type before anyway. She was going to have to ask him later where this was all coming from.

"What information?" Temari asked, not looking at him, and instead focusing on rolling up the stockings on her legs. Instead of answering, Shikamaru walked towards her and leaned down to hold her wrist to stop her from continuing. "You're killing me," he said, his voice hoarse with lust and anger. She looked up and shivered at the longing in his eyes. She could feel the desire pooling within her core and it took all her willpower to clamp down on the sensation.

But Temari couldn't help herself as she leaned up to kiss him, using her free hand to cup his cheek. She pulled back slightly to murmur across his lips, "Trust me, Shikamaru." Shikamaru closed his eyes and dipped down for another kiss. When he let go, they were both a little breathless, staring at each other a moment longer.

"He has info on the Konoha council members," he finally said.

"Just how powerful is this man? He has info on Suna's council members."

Shikamaru stepped away from Temari and brought his hands together in his signature thinking pose, scrutinizing her as he said, "There must be something else going on here. But we won't be able to figure anything out until we get hands on the disc where he stores all his blackmail." After a couple of seconds he turned around, maintaining his pose.

"What are you doing?" Temari asked.

"I can't look at you in that get up and think at the same time."

Temari smiled wryly. She knew they had a lot to discuss after the mission was over, but right now priorities dictated that they concentrate solely on the mission despite their desire to hash out their feelings. She was glad that Shikamaru had the common sense to do that even if he did let his emotions rule him for a hot second.

Shikamaru turned back around to face her dressed figure, now donned with alarming tall high heels. "We may be in over our heads. You especially."

Temari looked offended, "What do you mean-"

Shikamaru interrupted her, "I cannot believe you are doing this as a fucking solo mission."

"Will you get over that and focus on the task at hand?"

Shikamaru glared at her, but didn't harp on it, "We need to join forces."

"Do you have a plan?"

"I always have a plan," he said unhappily.

Temari gave him an amused smile, knowing exactly why he looked distraught. "There's just no way around it, I have to slut it up for Kazuhiro," Temari said, teasingly.

"You can try not to enjoy it so much."

"He's pretty cute for an older man."

"Temari," Shikamaru growled, warningly, "this man may be more dangerous than we realize."

Temari got up and kissed him thoroughly, "I love you and you need to trust me."

"I do trust you, you know that."

"Fine, then believe in my abilities."

"You aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?"

Temari gave him her signature grin, "Not even a little bit."

AN: This chapter and well story got away from me a little bit. It's surprisingly fun to work with an established Shikamaru/Temari relationship than trying to create one. I hesitated ending the chapter here since it stops so abruptly but it was starting to get incredibly long. And choppy. I need to work a little bit on making the transitions smoother and the conversations flow better. This is unbeta'd. Anyway, let me know what you think!