A/N: Hi friends. Thanks for coming back. Lots of dialogue this chapter, I'm working to expand the 'universe' beyond just our favorite OTP. Please comment, follow, and favorite. :)

- x -

Temari's thoughts seemed to swirl all night, her stomach in complete knots - a mixture of excitement and dread. This had been brewing for years, always threatening to spill over but time and duty kept things from boiling. But now she had no buffer, no barriers, no distractions. Her dreams were fleeting visions, not just of him, but of her home, her brothers, places she had traveled, glimpses of the war. Nothing meaningful. She woke to the sound of a telephone ringing somewhere in the loft. She had forgotten that she had access to one while staying in Konoha. A modern luxury she seldom even bothered herself with back in Suna. Temari sighed, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed and stretching as the phone's ring continued to echo through the apartment. She hoped, briefly, that once the ringing stopped that she could go about her morning but those hopes were dashed as the ringing began again a few moments later.

"Hello?" Temari answered as she finally found the source, interrupting the ring mid-note. She rubbed the last winks of sleep from her eyes.

"God, took you long enough." A gruff voice carried over the line, impatient like he always was.

"What do you want, Kankuro?"

"Nothing, nothing.. just checking in to make sure you made it in one piece is all." Temari rolled her eyes. She was sure he only called at Gaara's insistence, but knew that he would have called eventually anyway. He would never admit to caring, let alone missing her yet she'd often come home from her extended travels to find notes in her office, hidden amongst her things. Little drawings, stupid comments about her poor organizational skills, wondering how she could find anything.

"I'm in one piece. How's everything?"

"Same old, same old. You're not missing much, honestly. Change of plans, though. I'll be out there in a few weeks to help with the chuunin exams. Matsuri's on guard duty with Gaara while they're in the Land of Tea." Kankuro said as she heard the soft thump of his feet landing on his desk as he leaned back in his chair. Temari scoffed at the suggestion, the last time Gaara had been without one of them for any extended period of time he quite literally died.

"..and we think that's.. safe?" Temari asked tentatively, her tone dripping of concern.

"Gaara pushed and who am I to deny the generosity of my dearest baby brother. 'Sides, I think he wants alone time with Matsuri." Kankuro's voice was.. audibly suggestive, knowing full well it would make his sister cringe. It was hard for Temari to watch her brothers grow up, become men in their own right. For the longest time it was just them against the world.

"Ugh, gross." Temari groaned, "Fine, if you think she's up to the task, not like I can do much from here."

"Ironic that's your take considering Gaara sent you all the way out there to spend the summer with your boyfriend. What's his name again?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Temari said, her voice raising slightly as she spoke his name, her finger subconsciously twisting around the phone wires. She pulled her hand to her side the moment she noticed her own fidgeting - Her brows tensed, almost angry at herself for her overreaction to the suggestion.

"Yet you knew exactly who I'm talking about. Come on, Temari, you're making it too easy." Kankuro said with a laugh, his fingertips drumming against his desk. He was a middle child, through and through, and a well-seasoned one at that.

"Are we done here?" Temari asked, sighing.

"Yeah, I've had my fill of bullying you for the day. I'll call in a couple weeks, let me know if you need me to bring anything before I head out."

"I'll think about it. Later." Temari said, and the other line clicked as Kankuro hung up. Temari pressed her phone to the receiver and leaned back in the chair she had slid into at some point during their conversation. The distraction brought her no peace. Her thoughts continued to swirl.

- x -

"How is she, Kankuro?" Gaara asked, not looking up from the paperwork that littered his desk, most of which were covered in barely legible notes in his own handwriting.

"Fine. I don't think she'd tell me if she wasn't, but she sounds in high spirits." Kankuro said, leaning against the doorway. He crossed his arms, watching Gaara take his time combing through the documents. He was used to this - Gaara's often painstakingly-long response time. Everything he said, everything he did, carefully thought through before execution. It's what made him into the well-respected leader that he was, but failed to make him an ideal conversationalist.

"Good," He said, finallylooking up from his papers, the tip of a pen pressed between his lips. "I hope she takes advantage of her time off."

"Sounds like she's trying to take advantage of someone." Kankuro added, wiggling his eyebrows at his brother and Matsuri, standing guard, who made every attempt to stifle her uncomfortable groan. Gaara merely raised an eyebrow, unwilling to engage in the conversation further. He respected the boundaries his sister placed. She didn't wish to discuss her dating life with her siblings, and Gaara refused to pry further. If she wanted him to know, she would share, but until then Gaara was the unfortunate recipient of his elder brother's innuendos.

"Kankuro, can you prepare the board room." He stated more than asked. "We have a meeting with the village elders later this afternoon and.. you know how they are." He added, pressing a finger to his temple. As the fourth Kazekage, Gaara was as much a victim of age-old traditions as his father, and the Kazekage before him.

"That I do," Kankuro said, pushing his shoulder off the doorway he leaned against. "I'll leave you two be." He winked pointedly as he exited, closing the door behind him. Gaara sighed, leaning back in his chair before looking to Matsuri.

"Gave her some time off, hm?" She asked, stepping forward towards his desk.

"My sister is.. tired. She's been traveling on my behalf for quite some time. She deserves some rest and I know she wouldn't be able to do so if she were here." He said as he rose from his seat, turning towards her. Matsuri nodded, closing the distance between them.

"You deserve some rest, too." She said, smoothing the collar of his cloak and brushing the fabric down his chest. Gaara frowned, seemingly worried he had upset her.

"We'll be able to have some time together later this month. I'm.. sorry things have been busier than I was expecting." He saidsoftly ashe took her hands into his. There was an almost unrecognizable softness to his voice. The edge, the sharpness to his tone he was often known for melting away the longer he spoke.

"It's part of the job." Matsuri said, squeezing his hands in return. "I knew what I signed up for." Gaara was unconvinced of heracceptance of the situation, knowing full well the weight of being a kage placed on.. personal relationships. A steep cost and significant sacrifice. He had kept her at arms length for some time, in fear of burdening her with what came as the consequence of being with him, among other things.

"Still. I don't want you to think I don't want to be with you more often." Gaara paused, moving his hand to cup her cheek and brushing his thumb down her jaw. "I would do nothing else, if I could."

"I know." Matsuri tilted her head into his hand, smiling softly.

- x -

"I can't believe how many applicants there are this year," Shizune said, flipping through seemingly endless folders on her desk. "Nearly double compared to last year."

Shikamaru hummed in agreement, hunched forward in his chair reading through trial documents. He recognized a few names, children of his parents' friends, children and grandchildren of well-respected village elders, wielders of kekkei genkai both familiar and unfamiliar. He had his bets - those he felt would make it through the first and second rounds of the exam and a few wild cards he thought had a chance. Even an underdog, perhaps those who hadn't done particularly well on the exam but.. something about them felt capable. He knew he was the last person who should be judging exam scores of all things. Shikamaru didn't find it to be an adequate assessment of intelligence or skill - it was really just a testament to which kids could sit down, shut up, and regurgitate information that wound up never being useful in actual combat.

"Well, I think I'm going to call it quits for the day. I don't think I could read another page without my eyes falling out of my head." Shizune laughed, turning to Shikamaru. "Do you think you'll head out, too?"
"I've got a few more things to look into, but I'll be done soon. Don't worry, I'll lock up." Shikamaru said, not looking up from the file he was combing over as he waved her off. "Enjoy your afternoon." Shizune smiled, bowing her head in appreciation as she exited, closing the door behind her. Tonton's excited squeals echoed down the hallway.

Shikamaru pulled out a few more folders, making some annotations along the headers. Until taking this position, he hadn't realized how much effort each sensei had actually put into submitting their students' applications for the exams. Pages upon pages of mission reports, reviews of skills, tenacity, problem solving abilities, ability to work as a unit. Briefly, he wondered what Asuma had to say about him, Ino, and Choji, what he thought of them all those years ago. These punk kids, barely a notch under their belt, looking to test skills they had barely been able to hone. He smiled, thinking of the dinner they had together the night before the exams began, Asuma and his wallet silently panicking over Choji's dedication to really enjoying what he said could be his last meal. He clicked his pen again and again, lost in thought.

Maybe I'll duck out too, he thought as he glanced out the window to see the perfectly white and fluffy clouds passing over the mountains on the horizon before looking back to mountains of files that sat untouched. Not like Tsunade's in a rush to review these.

Shikamaru made his way out of the Hokage mansion, taking his time walking down the steps towards his family's compound. He typically didn't bother going straight home; He didn't find much enjoyment about going back to an empty house. Since the war and his father's passing, his mother moved in with her sister on the other side of the village and Shikamaru was the last of his clan to care for the forest and the deer. He felt it a duty to stay, he felt it his responsibility to carry on.

He passed through his front gate, the iron bars now wrought with overgrown vines of flowering ivy. He thought on many occasions to clean it up, but never managed to find the time. Or, rather, time he felt committed enough to care. The path between the gate and his home, however, was well weathered and cleared. Fortunately for him, the deer tended to keep their walking paths clean of weeds and overgrowth.

"I'm home," His voice echoed as he pulled open the door. Sometimes he stood motionless in the doorway, listening closely, as if his dad would round the corner any second and scold him for being late, or his mother shouting about how dirty his room was.

But no one was home. No one was waiting for him.