8. Beauty

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." — Rabindranath Tagor, Stray Birds

Shikamaru hated taijutsu with a burning passion, since it was a major weakness, something anyone could exploit. Of course, it just so happened that his two opponents approached him for hand-to-hand combat. He was left ducking and dodging more than striking out. When he moved, they moved. When he lashed out, they easily blocked. Knowing he was at a disadvantage, he tried to earn himself time to plot, just to plan his next motions, but the missing nin were set on killing him rather than allowing him a moment's break. He slashed one man across the throat, a quick maneuver that cost himself a deep cut across his own chest, but he had to sacrifice in order to win. He sacrificed a part of himself to kill one of the two men.

A little further away, Temari had eliminated one of her enemies, severing the man's legs. With a show of mercy, she followed by severing his head. Shikamaru, even with a glimpse, noticed a brief change in her facial expression. She hadn't wanted to slaughter the man, but times were desperate and the number of missing shinobi was at an all-time high. Shikamaru's lack of attention cost him more blood. His remaining opponent tried to hit him in the femoral artery, but missed, simply swiping a kunai across Shikamaru's forearm. With the light of the moon peaking through the clouds, Shikamaru sent his shadows out to capture both opponents, but his opponent jumped back and avoided. Knowing he was vulnerable, Shikamaru had to release the jutsu and try once more.

"Now!" He quickly shouted to Temari and she sent deadly blasts of air at her opponents, sending the bodies tumbling across the sand, where they crashed into one another. When he released the jutsu, Shikamaru doubled over and nearly collapsed. "Fucking taijutsu," he swore, his heavy breathing the only sound in the night. It took him five minutes to fully recover, mostly because he jogged over to the bodies and collected their forehead protectors, leaving the sand to finally cover the bodies.

"I thought you'd want to dismember these guys too," Temari frowned.

"Troublesome," he complained, turning back to properly dispose of the remains. "There," he said, after some time. When he rejoined her, he'd finished dismembering and burying the remains. He wiped his bloody hands clean on the sand and on his pants, but the stains remained. He looked exhausted. He felt exhausted.

By the time they reached Suna, both of them were covered in sand, sweat, and blood. Shikamaru never did ask about the contents of the scrolls Temari carried, finding it more pertinent to get to Suna rather than wasting time asking questions that she would inevitably dodge. Temari took off toward the Kazekage tower, and Shikamaru trailed behind, his hands shoved into his pockets. Two shinobi stopped him at the entrance, but Temari motioned him forward, her scowl more than enough to allow him entrance into the secure area. Not knowing the contents of the scrolls, he felt as if he were an intruder on something far above his own security clearance.

"I brought the scrolls," Temari announced, her voice interrupting any and all conversation taking place within the central room of the tower.

Gaara rose and everyone immediately left the room, allowing the three inhabitants to meet by the desk at the far side of the room. Temari claimed one chair, while Shikamaru slouched in the other. The Kazekage spent a few moments assessing Shikamaru, and then he cracked open each of the scrolls, one right after another. Some of them were on mundane things, such as the future of the chunin exams, but two were on completely different topics.

"In the event of an upcoming war, we're bound by this scroll to stand with Konoha. This goes over possible war strategies and shares information on kekkei genkai. If this falls into the wrong hands, we'll distribute ANBU with kill orders." Gaara didn't hesitate to share some of the information, though the specifics were omitted.

"Why didn't I have a team of shinobi?" Shikamaru seemed upset, even irate. He looked between the two present, and Gaara seemed like the only one interested in replying, even if the response should have come from the Hokage.

"It would have attracted more attention, unwanted attention. You're more than capable, as a jonin, aren't you?" He said it in a way that both complimented and offended Shikamaru.

Shikamaru waited until the two siblings finished their conversation, and then he followed Temari out of the Kazekage's office. The two of them walked down the hallway and down the staircases, neither one of them initiating an exchange. When they stood outside of the tower, they both opened their mouths to talk. Shikamaru motioned for Temari to go first.

"You can stay at my apartment, or I can set you up in one of our inns. I thought you'd prefer my apartment, since you're paranoid," she joked.

"Hn, not paranoid, just cautious." He removed his hands from his pockets and gave her shoulder a nudge, just enough to throw her off balance. She returned the favor, and he had to take two steps back to regain his balance.

"Some shinobi," she laughed.

Before Shikamaru had the opportunity to reply, Kankuro exited the building and walked over to the two. He looked at Temari first, then he smirked at Shikamaru. "I see you two lovebirds are here already." Temari looked ready to deck him, to drive her fist right into his face, while Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm just kidding, geez," Kankuro explained, his hands up in defense.

Shikamaru put a hand on Temari's shoulder and the woman looked at him in question. Reluctantly, she lowered her fist. Kankuro stood up straighter and grinned at the both of them. Looking between the two siblings, Shikamaru had to wonder what it was like to have siblings. His close friend, Chouji, was like a sibling, but it wasn't the same. Some part of his mind brought up Neji, but he squashed those thoughts before they had a chance to bloom. Neji was something different, something more.

"Are you coming?" Temari had leaned closer to try and get Shikamaru's attention, and his cheeks felt as if they were on fire. At the angle where he stood, he could see right down her top. He tried averting his eyes, but she'd already seen through his attempt. Jerking away, she narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Pervert."

"Ugh," he groaned. "Just lead the way."

In Suna, Shikamaru found it easy to forget about the mess awaiting him at home. He felt as if he'd dumped his problems somewhere in desert. And yet his mind still went back to the image of Tenten, to the verbal exchange he had with Neji. Shikamaru had been stupid to propose to Temari, but he considered his own happiness and his future. He considered what he felt like when with Temari, how easy the conversation flowed. And yet, even if everything went according to plan, he had no guarantees. What if something changed? What if his feelings for Temari never fully developed? What about the future of his clan?

So lost in his thoughts, Shikamaru hardly noticed when they'd reached the apartment building, or when he ultimately entered Temari's apartment. He stood near the door while she hurried around trying to rearrange the couch pillows, the mail on her kitchen island, and the clothes haphazardly thrown about. He couldn't help but smile. She wasn't a stereotypical woman, not in the sense of tidiness and certainly not in temperament, and he liked that about her.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" She grinned at him even as she asked the question. "Make yourself at home. I have a guest room. It's not as tiny as your apartment," she teased.

"That's good," he quickly responded. He didn't mind his tiny apartment. He didn't mind sharing space with Neji. He didn't want to share the tiny apartment with anyone else. He didn't want to share his thoughts with Temari, but he had a feeling she knew. She probably read him like an open book. He removed his hands from his pockets and walked through the doorway into the kitchen. There was a tiny island in the center and a bar separating the kitchen from the living room. "You need to go shopping." He'd opened the fridge and peered in at the white interior. A frown on his face, he stood back up and began opening kitchen cabinets. There were a few cans, but most of the cabinets were empty.

"I don't stay here much," she finally admitted. She stood in the doorway, leaning against the right side, and watched him move about the kitchen. She wanted to make up excuses, but she didn't want to beat around the bush. "I usually stay at the tower or at Gaara's."

"What's the point of having your own apartment?" He closed the last cabinet and walked around to stand before her in the doorway. There were a few inches between them, but not much. The lack of space didn't really bother him, but the distance seemed to bother Temari. Her cheeks turned red.

"I have somewhere to call my own. When I need alone time, I have somewhere to go."

Shikamaru didn't have somewhere to call his own, nor did he have somewhere to go when he wanted alone time, but he didn't necessarily look for that, not in an apartment. If he wanted somewhere to call his own, then he found a spot outside. If he wanted alone time, then he found a spot for quality cloud watching. He and Temari had different ways of satisfying their needs. She looked for a place indoors; he looked for a place outdoors. While he was in the midst of mulling over those thoughts, Temari leaned up and placed her lips over his own. Startled, he pulled away, but she grabbed him by his vest and kissed him again. The second time, he kissed her back.

He ran his tongue along her lower lip until she parted her lips, and then their tongues danced for dominance. She was a fiery woman, something he admired, something he needed in a woman, and the kiss communicated every part of her personality. His hands dipped down to settle on her waist, and her hands fanned out to rest just across his chest. They kissed until they had to part to breathe, and with her eyes half-lidded, she smiled at him. It would have been easy to stay with her, to remain in Suna. He looked at her and saw a reason for the appeal of a desert environment. He saw a reason to leave Neji. But one reason wasn't enough to change how he felt. Deep down, he knew that. He brushed a few locks of blonde hair from her face, tucking them neatly behind one ear, and then leaned in to capture her lips for another kiss.

The kiss was heated, more than the last kiss, and Temari made quick work of removing his vest. They had to remove their weapons. They had to remove the layers of clothing. But the moment they met smooth skin, they began the interesting journey to Temari's bedroom, their lips never separating. Temari pushed Shikamaru backwards and his legs bumped against the side of the bed. He fell back and landed in the center of the bed, and Temari wasted no time climbing onto the bed with him.

"Now wouldn't be a good time to propose," he had to joke, his own discomfort painfully obvious. He'd been with women before, but never beyond a certain point. He'd never slept with a woman. He'd never tried. There had been a clear line and he hadn't crossed that line, hadn't been teased with the line.

"Oh it's perfect," she replied, her voice heavy with sarcasm. She smiled at him though, a lopsided grin that set his heart aflame.

She straddled him and leaned down to reconnect their lips, and he ran his palms down her back, marveling at the feel of her smooth skin. She moaned into the kiss and he instantly noticed his own erection, the one pressed against her thigh. When she pulled back, she leaned back to dig through her side-table drawer, where she produced a single condom. Breathing heavily, she looked down at Shikamaru in question. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't bother. She moved back to slid the condom over his cock, and he groaned at the contact.

"Have you done this before?" He didn't know why he asked the question, because he didn't want the answer. He was afraid she'd say yes, afraid she'd somehow make what meant a great deal mean less. Unsurprisingly, she did nod, but she hesitated. That was enough for him.

She lowered herself onto his cock and her answer meant absolutely nothing. Her eyes closed, but his eyes remained open. She made such beautiful noises that he couldn't help himself. He reached up to cup her breasts, to tug and pinch at her sensitive nipples. When she seemed close, he flipped her over and pulled her toward the edge of the bed. He had her on all fours, and he had her begging him to go deeper and faster. He never thought he'd hear such filthy things fall from her mouth, but he liked every second. She came, her walls tightening around his cock, and he came a few moments later, filling the condom.

Her skin was flushed, her face slightly sweaty, and he still pressed a kiss to her brow. She looked amazing, and she'd shared a part of herself with him that she hadn't shared with very many. He peeled the condom off and tossed it in the wastebasket, then he pulled her into his arms.

"Hey," he murmured, kissing the outer shell of her ear.

"Hey back," she smiled.

Some part of him was relieved that he could get an erection, that he was still very much attracted to females. He'd doubted. He'd worried. A series of frantic knocks interrupted his thoughts and ruined the moment. Temari rolled off the side of the bed, grabbed his t-shirt, and slipped it on. The shirt hit her mid-thigh, and she went to answer the door that way. From the bedroom, Shikamaru tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but he heard very little. She came back into the room and took off his t-shirt, revealing her body to him a second time, then she grabbed his hands and tugged.

"Troublesome," he groaned, getting up and following her to the bathroom. "What was that about?" She turned on the shower and wasted no time guiding him into the stream of warm water. There was a moment when she could have answered, but she answered by kissing him.

A/N: I usually hate writing love scenes (I avoid them like the plague), but this story has to have them. This is Shika's answer to Neji and Tenten.