Chapter One: Revalations

Shikamaru strolled lazily down the street, shoulders slouched with his hands in his pockets. His best friend walked beside him in relative silence; the only sound Choji made came from his bag of potato chips. Ino had taken Temari to go do… something. The spa? Something like that. Something he had no interest in. He was surprised when his girlfriend – God, it was still so weird to think that word – agreed to whatever nonsense his teammate had cooked up. While he was happy that they were getting along, he had to admit that the two of them pairing up was troublesome. The last thing he needed was for Ino and Temari to start backing one another up.

"Man, you saved my ass. I don't know how I can repay you." This was the fourth time Shikamaru had said something of the sort after, the day before, Choji brought him a much-needed change of clothes. He'd put off going home until he knew his parents were asleep, but he had to face his mother eventually. Damn it all.

"You'd do the same for me," Choji pointed out, offering him the bag of chips he held in his left hand. Shikamaru took one and examined it before eating it.

Shikamaru coughed, his face contorting. "The hell is that?!" he demanded, looking at the bag in disgust.

"It's one of the new flavors. They're having a contest to see which of three flavors they want to make."

"That's one of the nastiest things I've ever eaten."

Choji shrugged. "I like 'em."

"You do you, then." Desperate to get the taste out of his mouth, Shikamaru lit a cigarette. On the first inhale, the smoke mixed with the awful flavor, and he felt somewhat nauseated. He shuddered, relieved when the smoke was stronger.

"I wish you'd stop smoking those things," Choji grumbled, giving his friend a sidelong glance.

"You have your bad habit, I have mine." Shikamaru flicked the ashes off his cigarette as they walked.

"At least mine lets me build up calories for my jutsu. Smoking doesn't do anything for you. Don't you feel a little bit guilty that you got Temari into it?"

"What? Man, have you been to Suna?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"Stay there long enough, and you realize that the entire place has the motto of 'live fast, die young.' I mean, let's face it. Any shinobi is lucky to make it as long as Asuma did. So no, I don't feel guilty. If anyone should, it's her."

Choji held up a hand, palm toward Shikamaru. "No. Stop. I don't want to know what that means."

"I'm just saying-"

Choji made a sound that sounded like a cross between the word 'no' and a 'shh.' "What would Asuma-sensei say to you right now?"

"Honestly?" Shikamaru exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I think he'd just break down crying because I finally got off my ass. He'd probably give me a free pass to do whatever I want for that one."

"Well, you're not wrong…" Choji abandoned his cause, aware that he wasn't getting through to him.

The two shared a laugh. Bad habits aside, Shikamaru had come a long way from where he was just a short while ago. He had become a jonin, was responsible of the chunin exams, was advisor to the Hokage, and was in a (hopefully legal) relationship. It bothered him that he hadn't been summoned, but he was doing his best to be patient.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a green bolt approaching them at lightning speed. He felt no need to move, though; Lee was always good about stopping short. As the shape became larger, he had only a split second to realize that the figure rapidly approaching was Guy. He braced himself, taking a wider stance as he looked on, helpless. Before he knew it, he was in the air. His face was held against spandex that smelled like testosterone against his will, as Guy cradled his head while simultaneously crushing the life out of him with his other arm.

"Guy-sensei!" Choji exclaimed, unable to think of anything else to do to help his trapped friend.

Shikamaru tried to become dead weight so he could slide out, but Guy's grip on him was so tight that he couldn't escape.

Kakashi appeared suddenly behind Guy's left shoulder, where he placed a hand to bring his friend back to reality. "Let him go, Guy. He can't breathe."

Guy did as he was told, horrified that he'd let his emotions overrun his control on his strength. Shikamaru took several rasping breaths, his hands on his knees. It's a miracle Neji and Tenten are still alive, he thought in annoyance. When he stood back up, Guy had broken down in tears, much to Shikamaru's displeasure.

"To see that you're finally blossoming," he choked out in sobs. "Asuma would be so proud!" He tried to step forward and embrace Shikamaru a second time, but Kakashi's hand held him back.

The masked ninja looked at the confused faces of their students and decided that he needed to explain. He did his best to convey the message while being discreet; Choji might not know, after all. "Lady Tsunade decided to give you her permission." At this, Guy, unable to embrace Shikamaru, did the next-best thing, grabbing Kakashi instead. The white-haired ninja pat his back with a look of nonchalance. "There, there," he soothed in a flat tone.

Shikamaru didn't know how to react. This was obviously good news, but it didn't feel like it changed anything. He realized then that, no matter the answer Tsunade gave him, he never had any intention of breaking it off with Temari. This caught him off guard. To disobey a direct order from a kage, especially when that order involved another village, was as good as treason. He felt his stomach drop; God, he had it bad. It was almost terrifying.

Choji broke him out of his thoughts when he slapped Shikamaru on the back with a large hand. "Congrats, man!" He beamed, and his smile was contagious.

Uncomfortable as he was at the sudden, very public reveal of his personal life, Shikamaru felt himself smiling back. "Yeah," was all he managed to say. At the moment, his mind was working in overdrive. He had to force himself to keep his hands in his pockets so that he wouldn't make his pensive hand sign.

Kakashi sacrificed himself to placate Guy when he offered, "Come on, Guy. Why don't we go spar a bit? Get this out of your system?"

Guy's demeanor changed drastically, and he walked off with his usual speech about rivalry and youth.

"What's up?" Choji asked his best friend, studying the look on his face. Something was definitely off.

When Shikamaru looked at him, his brow was furrowed in thought, and he was no longer smiling. "I think I might be in love with her."

Temari stretched her arms above her head, interlocking her fingers and lengthening her spine, which gave a satisfying pop. The masseuse had to walk on her back to get to her bone-deep knots, a sight which had Ino wincing. As much pressure as it was, it gave her far more relief than pain. She hadn't felt this relaxed in years. Her painted fingernails were finally free from all the sand and grit that she couldn't get out; desert souvenirs, she supposed.

"Would you stop it?" Ino looked at her, clearly disturbed. "You shouldn't be able to do that."

"Popping my back really helps," Temari countered, doing it a second time for emphasis.

"Stop that!" Ino shuddered.

Temari laughed.

Ino hadn't heard her laugh like that before. Whenever they were around their friends, her smiles and laughs somehow seemed less than genuine. If she was honest with herself, she'd assumed Temari didn't like them. It made her happy to see that she, at least, wasn't a part of that group. She returned Temari's laugh with a giggle of her own, giddy that she had found a new companion.

"Thanks for making me do this. Really."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it! Sakura and I do this whenever we can. It makes a big difference."

"I can't remember the last time my shoulders didn't ache," Temari admitted.

"You should just move here. Then you can come with us, and you won't have to worry about it!" Ino said this in jest, but Temari wondered at the idea.

Her home was the desert, the harsh winds and sand. Home smelled arid, felt hot, and glittered with gold dust. She was a child of the sand, and always would be. Somehow, Suna made its way deep into the marrow of her bones, appearing in the smallest of actions. When they were genin, Baki had likened her to a sandstorm: unpredictable, a force of nature, and only a fool would dare to cross her. This, of course, was meant as a compliment, and one she wore with pride.

Konoha was all grass and trees and water, with more colors in a single field than in her entire homeland. If Suna's beauty was in its severity, Konoha's was in its prosperity. There was an overwhelming sense of life that had, at first, been completely foreign to her. The air was pure and contained significantly more moisture, gifting the village with more rain in a week than Suna saw in a year.

She had to admit, Konoha wouldn't be a bad place to live.

"Temari?" Ino probed, afraid that she'd said something wrong due to the long silence.

"Sorry. Just thinking."

"About?"

"I'm not really sure," she admitted. "Life, I guess."

"Don't get all philosophical on me."

"No, not that. Just how much things have changed in the last four years." Temari shook her head. "After our father died, and Gaara became kazekage, I mean. If my father were still alive, the Leaf wouldn't be my second home." Gaara might be dead, she added silently, realizing that there wasn't a single part of her that wished it had been that way.

"I… don't know what to say to that." Ino gave an awkward smile. "I don't really want to say I'm glad your dad died, but…"

"I am." Temari realized that she sounded callous. "At this point, I don't know what my life would be like if Gaara weren't kazekage. He's brought more peace to the village than we've ever seen. That's part of why I can travel like I do."

Ino nodded, thankful for the clarification. "Well, I'm speaking for Choji and Shikamaru, too, when I say we're glad you can visit. Although, I have to admit, I don't really know how that happened."

"Neither do I." Temari placed her hands on her hips. "There were a couple of times that I seriously considered killing Shikamaru that first year."

"Why?" Ino arched an eyebrow.

"The sexism, the laziness, and the fact that he forfeited our match." Ino started laughing, and Temari joined her. When they stopped, Temari continued. "I'm serious. I was angry for so long. If Baki wasn't there, watching me, I swear I would have taken his skinny ass out back, put him against a wall, and beat him senseless."

"Thank God you didn't!" Ino found the mental image incredibly amusing, but she was glad that her teammate hadn't gotten what he, by all rights, probably deserved.

"I'm over it now, obviously. But once, just once, he tried to get a dig in at me during my first year as an ambassador by forfeiting our shogi game right before our final moves. I won't lie; I went clean over the board. I think I tried to choke him."

"Tema!"

"I didn't, but I definitely tried. I don't regret it. I think that's what finally made him apologize."

Ino stopped in her tracks. "He what?"

"You didn't know? I was sure he would have told you about how the crazy sand bitch tried to kill him."

"No. Just… that surprises me."

"Right? It might have been him trying to save his neck, but it sounded genuine to me."

"Damn. I didn't think Shikamaru had it in him."

"And here we are." Temari gestured with her arms out. "Who says hellfire doesn't get you anywhere?"

"I'm gonna use that one."

"By all means."

The blonde kunoichi continued on their way, weaving through the crowded streets. Their destination never seemed to change. The remaining members of Ino-Shika-Cho were waiting beneath the large 'BBQ' sign, completely oblivious. It was remarkable how much they ate at this establishment, but, somehow, there remained enough variation that they didn't get sick of the food. After watching their dads, Ino started to wonder if it wasn't just in their blood.

Choji and Shikamaru were lost in conversation, and they didn't notice the other half of their group until they were a few meters away. At Shikamaru's feet lay a small handful of cigarette butts, and he discreetly kicked away the evidence of his anxiety. He forced himself to smoke at his usual, leisurely pace, as though the nicotine wasn't the only thing tethering him to the ground.

"Just stay calm," Choji whispered. "We've been over it twenty times now. You've got this."

"Right." Shikamaru took in as deep a breath as he could manage as the women closed the remaining distance.

He panicked. For the first time in his life, his brain stopped working. There wasn't a single thought in his head. All he could hear was white noise. He wouldn't have been able to remember his own name if his life depended on it. Shit, shit, shit.

In a movement that wasn't entirely his own, he cupped Temari's face in his hands and kissed her, hard.

Choji exclaimed "Oh, my god," at the same moment Ino shouted "I fucking knew it!"

When Shikamaru pulled away, Temari stood frozen. Her green eyes were wide, and her lips remained parted. Her face and neck were flushed crimson. Realizing what he had done, Shikamaru moved his hands away from her face and took a step back, looking as though the flight response of his fight-or-flight was about to win him over.

Choji put both his hands on Shikamaru's shoulders and steered him into the restaurant, grumbling "Dumbass."

"I… uh…" Temari stammered, trying to make sense of what happened.

Ino took her by the hand. "I know, honey. He's an idiot." She wrapped an arm around Temari's waist and guided her inside.