Several months earlier…

Shikamaru groaned loudly as he heard loud knocking and a high-pitched female voice shouting his voice.

He had been sleeping in his bed, and some obnoxious person decided to wake him up at the crack of dawn on his first day off in 4 weeks. He blinked slowly and scratched his eyes, trying to get a clear picture of his surroundings.

He began to recognize the voice. "Ino," he muttered irritably. He knew she wouldn't leave. She was to relentless. Why were all of the women in his life relentless?

He crawled off his bed with a long-suffering sigh and moved to get dressed as quickly as his still-sleepy body would allow.

"SHIKAMARU, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR I'M GOING TO TELL YOUR MOM ABOUT THE TIME YOU AND CHOUJI WENT TO THAT GENTLEMEN'S CLUB WITH THE REST OF THE GUYS AND—"

"SHUT UP, INO! I'M COMING," he shouted angrily. He knew his mother was out of town, but his nosy neighbors likely heard her and would tell his mother about what they heard. He groaned in frustration, not looking forward to the conversation he would have to have with her about that particular mission.

He walked down the stairs and moved to open the front door.

"I swear to god, Ino, you have the biggest mouth in all of Konoha. Get in here and shut up," he said with an angry grunt, turning to walk into his house, not waiting for her to respond or walk inside.

She hissed angrily at him and let herself in, shutting the door behind herself.

"Shikamaru, you forgot, didn't you," she said angrily.

"Forgot what," he said in a disinterested tone from the kitchen.

She walked into the kitchen and stood by the entrance, arms crossed and hip cocked slightly. She scowled at him and said, "your birthday."

"Oh, is that today," he said stoically, facing away from her while heating up kettle of water on the stove.

"Yes, it is."

"I guess it slipped my mind. I've had a lot of other more important things on my mind lately," he said, grabbing teabags from the cabinet.

"More important than your own birthday? Shikamaru, you lazy idiot. You do this every year. You always forget."

"Hn," he said in response, looking disinterestedly at the kettle.

"Your mom. Chouji and I. Your friends. All of us are worried about you. When are you going to start taking better care of yourself? Your mom says all you do is work. You barely sleep, or eat, or take time to relax and spend time with friends. I know we are all very busy these days, but the amount of time you dedicate to work isn't healthy. Hey, are you even listening to me," said Ino, cocking her head to the side angrily.

"She has a point, you know," said a deep female voice from behind Ino. Ino's eyes widened in surprise.

She turned and looked at the female, who was standing behind her waiting to enter the kitchen. The sandy-blonde female was looking hard at Shikamaru, lips pursed, emerald eyes narrowed.

"Temari," said Ino in surprise. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were staying in the ambassadors suite at the inn?"

"Shikamaru was kind enough to offer me a room in his guest house. It saves both our countries money and it means that we are closer together — so he doesn't have to leave his home so frequently to see to his obligations as my guide and partner. It also makes it easier for us to discuss Shinobi Union business together. We either discuss it at our offices, which is now thankfully closer now that I don't have to stay at the Inn. Or, we discuss it over breakfast, lunch or dinner, as we used to, but we save money now by eating at his home."

"Well, it sounds like you both have everything all figured out," said Ino with a smirk she tried to hide but fail to miserably. "You, staying at his home while you're here. Is this a permanent thing, or…?"

"I'm not really sure. We haven't discussed it," said Temari, eye twitching ever so slightly. She was beginning to realize what Ino was really asking. So she added, "it depends on whether or not the living arrangements are suitable for the work I have to perform while I am here."

"Of course," said Ino, nodding and turning away, but giving Temari one last knowing glance before turning her attention fully toward Shikamaru. Temari clenched her teeth.

"Getting back to the point. Shikamaru, you need to take better care of yourself. And you never have some time off. Come — let's go get some fresh air. Sunshine. Let Chouji and I treat you to lunch," asked Ino. She peered sideways at Temari. "Perhaps, Temari could join us."

"Absolutely not," said Shikamaru, turning to look at Ino abruptly, eyes wide.

"Why the hell would I do that," said Temari, turning to look at Ino and speaking in unison with Shikamaru, looking at Ino in bewilderment.

"Oh, I just thought…perhaps…it would be wiser not to leave the ambassador unaccompanied—especially in a home she isn't familiar with," said Ino innocently, shrugging slightly.

"Well, but…" started Shikamaru, but he trailed off, glancing at Temari warily.

"I…well, I don't know if I should intrude," said Temari hurriedly, waving one of her hands slightly.

"Nonsense," said Ino, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling warmly. "You are always welcome to join us. You're our friend. And I think Shikamaru would like having you there — right, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru stammered uncomfortably, looking as if he might object but seemly unable to get the words out.

"Yeah, that's right. Of course, that's on top of the fact that it's his responsibility to be sure that you have everything that you need. The Hokage would have his head if he didn't do his duty," said Ino.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at that.

"So, let's GO! Come on, Temari. Let's go get ready, girl. You can't wear your pjs out," said Ino, pushing Temari through the doorway. Temari stuttered in objection, but allowed herself to be led away. She glanced at Shikamaru and frowned slightly before disappearing into the hall — Ino's small but firm hands pushing hard against her back.

Shikamaru watched hem warily and when they disappeared, he bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

"SHIKAMARU, YOU BETTER BE GETTING READY TO GO, TOO," yelling Ino from somewhere within his house. Shikamaru let out a silent groan, muttering "Yes, mom," under his breath.

He climbed the stairs and when he reached the landing, he heard the two girls talking happily. He frowned slightly, but continued to walk to his room.

Why didn't Temari lead her back to the guest bedroom she had set up in case someone unexpectedly showed up? Why did she lead her to the room she was staying in down the hall from his room? She was the one who was so adamant about people not knowing about them — why did she do something so careless?

He turned and walked into his bedroom. A small patch of sunlight trickled into the room between his curtains which had been pulled apart slightly.

She must've gotten up shortly after I did to see who it was that was making all of that noise, he thought. I tried not to wake her when I got out of the bed, but no luck there.

"Shikamaru," said Temari very quietly.

He turned and saw her standing by the door. She was dressed in civilian clothing that seemed almost unnaturally comfortable and relaxed for her person. But there was concern in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday," she said. There was a note of irritation in her voice. Under those layers, she was still that same Temari. He was oddly happy about that fact.

"I was honest with Ino earlier. It had slipped my mind," said Shikamaru, not looking at her. He turned to pick up a more presentable shirt to wear. He wasn't lying to her - he had truly forgotten. But it was on purpose. Birthdays, holidays, celebrations…they just weren't the same anymore to him. Sometimes he felt like something very important was missing, and sometimes he felt so suffocated at the event that all he wanted to do was leave. He couldn't seem to enjoy them to their fullest, so he purposely stopped celebrating things.

"And I was being honest earlier, too," said Temari. "You've been working too hard."

"Ha! You're one to talk! You work as much as I do," said Shikamaru, smiling slightly. He was being honest about this as well. They had spent so much time together working for the Union that he had hardly had any time off. He was fairly certain she never had any time off — and when she did, it seemed like she only spent the time with him.

"Well, then maybe we both need to relax a little more," she said, looking at him hard. "We've been forgetting the important things. You've been forgetting your own birthday…and I've been forgetting to celebrate you."

"What do you mean," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"What I mean is, I think we shouldn't hide our relationship from our close friends and family. Let's tell them, and be free to relax around them. Be free to be you and me — together," she said, smiling warmly. She placed a hand on his arm, squeezing slightly.

"Are…are you sure," he said.

"Yes," she said simply, nodding once.

He nodded back, and smiling warmly. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed contently. "I am incredibly lucky to have you, Tem," he whispered.

"I know," she chuckled, pushing her forehead into his slightly. She pulled her head back and kissed his forehead, and whispered against it, "Happy Birthday, Shika."