Shikamaru wakes up from a nightmare. He had been dreaming about when he, Ro, and Soku went on the mission to the Land of Silence to take down Gengo. Only this time the mission went south. Yes, Choji, Ino, and Temari showed up but this time they were telling him what a failure he is. Even Temari slapping him and informing him that she could never love someone like him.

The new Nara head looks to his side and sees his wife sleeping beside him. Her sandy blonde-hair is out of her usual four pigtails and falling in her face. He smiles before getting out of bed and walking down the hall to another room. He opens the door a little and sees a small face that resembles his own. In fact, everything about the child resembles him, all except the child's eyes. He gets his eyes from his mother.

Closing the bedroom door, Shikamaru goes into the living room where he and his father used to play their strategy games, ones that Shikamaru now plays with Shikadai.

"What are you doing up this late?"

Shikamaru turns and sees his beautiful wife, Temari, leaning against the door frame. What can he tell her? That it's nothing? That he is having a PTSD attack from something that happened years ago?

"Is it work?" She prompts.

Shikamaru shakes his head. "A nightmare."

"A nightmare? What about?" Temari pushes herself off the door frame, going over and sitting next to Shikamaru. She places her hand over his. A sign that he doesn't have to tell her but she is there nonetheless.

"It's about a mission that happened two years after the fourth war."

Temari smiles a little. There were so many missions after the war, mostly to keep peace even if it means being resided to a desk job. So many that she, Shikamaru, and their friends have been on.

"The one with Gengo." He clarifies.

Temari shudders at the name. She remembers the mission. Shikamaru, Ro, and Soka had been assigned to it to go to the Land of Silence to take Gengo down and save Sai. Shikamaru kept the mission a secret from her and when she came back to Konoha and got it out of Kakashi, the Hokage at the time.

Then she, Ino, and Choji went to the Land of Silence and broke into the castle. Shikamaru was sitting on the ground in a dazed state while Sai, Ro, and Soka were under Gengo's control. She remembers slapping Shikamaru to get him out of his dazed state then everything goes into a blur. She remembers the end after Ino saved Sai and he informed them that Shikamaru cannot look behind him.

As they went in search of Shikamaru and Gengo she remembers her heart beating in her chest as hard as when Gaara had been kidnapped. Had Shikamaru been turned? No, he was too strong for that. Well, lazy may be more accurate. And stubborn.

The relief that washed over her when she saw that Shikamaru was all right is indescribable.

"Temari, are you okay?" Shikamaru asks his wife seeing the concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine." She replies quietly. Both don't really like thinking about the mission as a whole, what happened to them and their friends was terrifying. What happened after (Shikamaru asking Temari out) is what they prefer to think about most.

Neither knows what to say. Silently Shikamaru gets up and picks up his wife and goes back to their room. "You know, you've never really spoken about what happened back then. When you and Gengo were alone. At least not to me. What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter now." Shikamaru can feel Temari's eyes on him. He hates keeping her in the dark but he doesn't want to burden her with this. Not with some stupid nightmare that had him dream about the death of his wife. "Besides I have to meet with Naruto early in the morning for an assignment."

Temari gives him an unconvincing look. She does not say anything else as she goes and lays beside him, her back to Shikamaru. Her silence is enough for him. Shikamaru can tell that she feels locked out, that he doesn't trust her enough with such mindless things. She has it all wrong. He trusts her too much to tell her such mindless things.

Shikamaru gets up early in the morning. An hour before Temari and Shikadai need to be up start their day. He thinks for a moment. He wants to stay in bed until they have to wake up. Just stay in bed and not even meet Naruto until noon. He years to do it greatly, but he can't.

Naruto told him it was something serious. Something that may remind of the days when they were fresh out of the academy and still had sensei's to follow. That makes Shikamaru's heart beat rapidly in his chest. He wants to keep his family safe. Keep this new peaceful world they live in safe.

Dragging his body out of bed, Shikamaru gets ready. Instead of his usual casual attire, he dresses in his old shinobi uniform. He knows that if Temari sees it she'll start to worry and ask if things are wrong which would result in Shikamaru getting slapped for the umpteenth time since they've known each other. Not to mention that Shikadai has never really seen it. He knows the stories, the battles they've done and sees Temari's fan everyday.

But he has never seen their old shinobi attire.

Once he's dressed he kisses Temari on the forehead, then goes to Shikadai's room and does the same thing before heading to Naruto's office.

When he arrives he sees that Naruto is barely keeping his eyes open, and they are the only ones in there. "What did you need to talk to me about Naruto?"

Naruto makes a tired grunt as the blond-hair Hokage looks up at his shadow jitsu friend. "Shikamaru, thanks for coming. Anyway we have an issue with the Land of Silence. I know that you went on a mission years ago to calm some unrest that was happening there. Well, it seems that the time has come that someone has undone the peace. We're notexactly sure who the person or persons are, but I need you to go there find out what's happening and report back to me. I would send you with a team but I don't want everyone to worry just yet. Not to mention it may be nothing that big."

Shikamaru nods. "When do you need me to leave."

"As soon as you can."

The raven-hair man nods. "All right. Oh, and if Temari comes and asks about me while I'm gone hold your ground-even if she slaps you. With her hand or with her fan." Naruto gives him his usual thumbs up and huge smile. Shikamaru returns the smile before leaving. All he can do is hope that Temari won't put him in the dog house for this.