Hey you guys sorry for the late update but work's been keeping me busy. I've been double shifting and working as much as I can. I've gone back to school and for a year I have to pay for my classes, it's really expensive. But after that I will be given a grant that can help me throughout the rest of my time at the University so it'll be worth it (: Not to mention I have lots of schoolwork! Blegh. Anyways here's the next chappy I didn't forget!

R&R! :3

Everyone around him seemed too sapped into their dates. He could tell who were the newly pronounced couples and the grumpy fools who had been forced out that Valentine's Day. He was one of them… As soon as the month February hit he dreaded the fourteenth. He plays with the food on his fork, twirling the noodles around. Shikamaru could have had a better meal at Icharuka's Ramen place and for a much cheaper price.

Now don't get him wrong. He wasn't cheap and he could very well afford to spend his money on lavish things, he just didn't understand the need for it. Woman and their luxuries…

"How's your food?" Fuyumi asks uncertainly, as she watches him from across their table.

"Fine." He answers without bothering to feign interest; he just wasn't in the mood. A nap would have been better…

Moving on her concentration back to her food because she knows him by now he sighs in relief, he's in no mood for small talk.

Fuyumi sits quietly chewing with an etiquette bestowed upon a proper lady. Fair enough, it was what he had asked for. With her hair put away in a bun and her bangs swept to the side kept away from hitting her face with a clip. The whiteness of her dress did nothing to make her stand out and the looseness from it made her look too thin. Allowing himself to think that even though this was what he had planned for since he was a twelve year old boy, it made him wonder about the future that awaited him. A life of only a gray color filled with repetition…

"Huh?" He snaps himself out.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" His girlfriend asks with a blush on her cheeks, she's taken his accidental actions as a compliment because she now thinks he was staring at her in adoration.

"Oh, sorry I was spaced out."

"It's okay." Fuyumi giggles as she reaches for his hand.

Shikamaru notices that the girl's confidence has boosted as their meal ends on a brighter note, at least on her part. Her flirty glances and graces of her skin contact with his increases throughout the night.

He takes a look at the bill and looks at the price he has to pay for a night of pleasure. The woman clings to his arm as they make their way back to his home. A smile painted on her face. It is clear what will happen once they reach his living room, they won't be able to hold that far, and at least his body will reach satisfaction that night.

It sounded like a funny conversation, the one between Choji and Ino as they made their way to their usual barbecue place. He only follows in footsteps but his mind is elsewhere. All he really heard was something about Rock Lee posing nude so that Sai could draw him. The feeling in his gut told him the jokesters Naruto and Kiba had something to do with it considering the other two were far too naïve to realize how hilarious yet disturbing that could be.

He then watched as his two friends walked closer towards each other, their arms rubbed with a friction that pulled them like magnets. His friends smile with a happiness many took a lifetime to find, and although he was glad for them he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. The love for his friends though made the envy quickly disappear as he watched their eyes sparkle at each other, mentally laughing that the two had forgotten he existed and that he didn't "know" about them.

He goes on merrily while he watches the two lovebirds, following them like their shadows.

He then hears breathing, perfectly exercised to the rhythm of a running pattern. That could only mean…

"500 hundred laps around the village Lee!" Guy sensei runs past them excitedly.

"Yes Guy sensei! And if we cannot reach our goal than we will do 1000 sit ups!"

"Yes!"

The two overly exaggerated morons always created chaos around the village. If they were lucky Naruto would still be cooped up in his office just like he'd left him, if not the Hokage would probably join them at an attempt to become stronger. As if that was necessary.

He keeps walking with Choji and Ino. The three of them laughing so hard they've got tears in their eyes. As they reach Yaniku Q their fits of giggles have subsided but not before stabbing a few jabs about their green leotards that throughout the years hasn't changed just like their 'youthful' attitudes.

Teaching him since he was little by his parents to be a gentleman to woman he opens to door for Ino who completely ignores him without even saying "thank you" but he's already used to it and let's his big friend in as well who smiles politely. At least their future children still had a fifty percent chance of inheriting manners.

Shikamaru sits by himself on the other side of the booth while the other two canoodle their way in across from him. The waiter greets them and they order the usual without looking at the menu, a weekly habit. He liked this one.

"Ow! What'd you kick me for!?" He rubs his right shin, once again being brought out from dreamland. What was it with women!? Did they live to interrupt him even in his own mind?

"I met him you know, Ryota." Ino mentions, acting casually as if talking about her day at the flower shop, being all gossipy.

"So?"

"So!?" She squeaks. "He's pretty great you know. Not something I can say about you!"

"Ino-" Choji tried to interrupt.

"No Choji! Shikamaru needs to hear this! Even if it is the ugly truth! I'm glad Temari found someone as great as Ryota! He's a noble in training and he's definitely not lazy! I'm sure the Fire Lord would be ecstatic to have Temari as a member of his family! Temari deserves that and more!"

"Tch. Even so, she'd never agree to marry him." Shikamaru retorts confidently.

"Why is that? The Oh So Great Shikamaru thinks she'll spend the rest of her life waiting for him while he's too busy hiking up the skirt of another woman!?"

If it wasn't for Choji calming her down with his calloused hand on her shoulder she'd bang his head into the hot fryer.

"Tch. You're so troublesome that's not what I meant."

"Then what was that confidence applied to?"

"I only meant Temari would never leave her precious village. She loves the Sand and her brothers way too much."

"When someone's in love Shikamaru they do anything to get their happy ending with their beloved. Anything." Acid pours out through her last word as the waiter brings them their food, a now awkward silence hovering over them, but that doesn't stop Choji from eating.

They receive the platter of food gladly, focusing on the meat instead of Ino's lecture. The platinum blonde orders a jug of beer for the table before the waiter takes his leave. The meat is placed on the grill by all three, sizzling noises is all that is heard from their table.

Ino serves herself beer and then Choji.

"Want some?" She asks, her being polite to him is a sign of truce because she knows he doesn't like alcohol.

"Nah, I'm good with water. Thanks." He smiles back accepting her apology.

And just like any other woman he's met she's back to herself as if the whole ordeal ten minutes ago didn't happen. So difficult…

The rest of the night is filled with chatter about their lives, nothing much happens in just a week, but having friends like theirs there's always funny stories to tell. Another jug is brought to the table and Shikamaru is surprised Ino is willing to drink that many calories. Must be Choji, good for her, he thinks, she really was too thin.

He cannot even look at the beer anymore as little bubbles make their way up.

Never.

Again.

He swore off liquor for the rest of his life.

One time was enough.

He then goes back to staring at his teammates who've once again forgotten he's there too. A tug lifts up the side of his lips.

"Why are you smiling like some crazy fool, Shikamaru?" Choji asks confused.

"I know, about you two." He finally tells them. "IQ of 200 remember?"

"Uh-We. We were going to tell you. I swear." His friend stutters.

He chuckles at their startled expressions, Ino for once quiet. "It's fine. I'm happy for you two, really."

"I guess the cat's out of the bag," Ino says sheepishly then whispers." I should have listened to Temari."

"Temari?" He asks no idea what the couple had to do with that troublesome woman.

"Uh nothing." She adds quickly and smiles. "I'm glad you know now. Means no more hiding."

Abandoning the subject (Temari) he drawls, "Tch, you guys were terrible at hiding it anyways. So obvious."

"We were not!"

"Ino just let it go." Choji pats his hand on top of hers.

She puffs her cheeks in irritation, a submissive Ino, that was new.

They erupt in laughter, a weight lifted off their shoulders. Going about their night as usual. Choji eats more than he can handle than he and Ino have to half carry him home. This type of repetition he didn't mind…

"I hate my job sometimes." Shikamaru groaned as he stared at the stack of papers in front of him. It was now six o'clock at night and he was nowhere near half done. So, this was what Shizune had to go through with their previous drunken Hokage. He wondered how she got through it all those years.

He lets his head fall on top of the newly white, written in black ink document. He'd be dreaming of white paper walls and black squiggles that night he was sure of it…

His fingers tap on his desk, outreached arms surrounding his head. There was no going back now, he sighs.

Reaching for the scroll he moves on to the next subject on the list. Retirement plans for the elderly. That was a huge topic going around that Naruto was trying to change. There were many elderly that couldn't work anymore and their kage was seeking for a wage, to provide them with a chance to live their rest of their old lives comfortably in thanks for their service.

Naruto had some great ideas despite being a total idiot at times. Not everyone was gifted by being born into a clan, which automatically made them a property owners and it let them live off that. He was one of the lucky ones. They were lucky to have such a caring Hokage.

Shikamaru began writing again after his small break, he was sure his hand would fall off from so much writing. It was a shame that it was already dark out, he could really use some cloud watching…

The minutes seem to spill rapidly again as he engrosses himself with work. A knock on his door breaks him out of his concentration.

"Come in."

"Hey Shikamaru, I just came to drop off some papers. Although I'm sure Naruto just used this as an excuse so he could be alone with Hinata." Tenten rolls her eyes.

"Hey Tenten…" Shikamaru can only stare at the new stack placed on top of his other one. Great, more work…

Shikamaru eases his back on his brown leather chair.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go out to dinner with us but I can see you're going to be busy all night." Tenten doesn't bother hiding the mirth his torture gives her.

"Us?" Shikamaru asks ignoring her gloating.

"Yeah. Some of us from the gang are going to meet up. Temari's here."

Of course she's in town, he'd read the report of her coming three days ago, he just forgotten about it considering he was knee deep in work, literally.

"Oh, yeah I'm going to be here for awhile…"

"Well I'll leave you to it. Laters."

"Bye."

More than anything he tries to concentrate on the work in front of him and although he manages to get in a small amount of papers done he decides to give up for the night. The clock read 9:59P.M., Fuyumi should be home by now and recently he's been coming out around the same time. He's more than sure she hasn't bothered to wait for him, and there's no way she'd step foot in his mom's front yard.

Standing up, he pops his back and neck, then begins his sluggish walk out the building. One thing that benefitted about his job was that he could come and go as he pleased. There was no one in sight as he made his way outdoors, he was sure Naruto had called it a day long before him.

His hands rest in his pockets as he steps on the dirt road of the Leaf Village. The moment he heard Temari's name he'd lost all focus. So his feet carry him to the one place that could help him gather his thoughts back, yet disorient them even more. It was a win or lose situation. But he'd risk it.

Fuyumi would think he worked late and went straight home afterwards; it was nothing out of the ordinary for the past several nights. She wouldn't make a scene. She wasn't Ino or his mother.

His shadow reaches the premises before he even sets a foot inside. He asks the receptionist the information that he needs so that he can reach his destination and continues walking up the stairs. Without hesitation he knocks on the door three times.

The door creaks slowly but once he is seen it's opened harshly with a mixture of irritation for his rudeness of disturbing at what should be sleeping hours, confusion as to why he is there and yet a small welcoming smile. According to his vision, he didn't interrupt the person's slumber or else he'd had an earful by now.

"Ready for that game?"

"Sure. I'm ready to kick your lazy ass."

Temari smirks at him.

"Tch. We'll see." Their playful banter has begun, and for now he is at peace once again…