Hello all,

Long time, no see! As you'll know, if you've been reading my profile, my exams have been awful and keeping me busy but they're all over and done with and thus- another story! :D

I don't think this is my best work by any means but it was exceptionally fun to write- especially Hidan- and I've been dying to write a shikaxtemaxhidan story for a while now.

Please review and let me know what you thought! This has been in the pipeline since January and I'd love to get a good number of reviews!

This is dedicated to Aiko of the Akatsuki - I've been promising her a dedicated story for a while since she's been so wonderful and encouraging in all of her reviews! Thanks so much, doll!

Anyways, thanks for reading and REVIEW!

SP7

---

How can I ignore the boy next door
I love him more than I can say
Doesn't try to please me
Doesn't even tease me
And he never sees me glance his way

And though I'm heart-sore, the boy next door
Affection for me won't display
I just adore him
So I can't ignore him
The boy next door

---

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The wall to the left of Temari's bed shook as the music blared harshly, creating vibrations that undoubtedly carried to at least two floors above of her flat.

Temari groaned from underneath her pillow. As the wall continued to shake, she begrudgingly moved her dishevelled and aching head from its cover- allowing herself a better few of the consistently shaking wall.

Turning slightly she looked to the bedside table to the clock, observing the time to be just after one am. Hissing, she forced herself to sit up- realising that she had just been in the middle of a very deep sleep punctuated by the occasional dream of strangling her politics professor.

The day had been a long, annoying and heated one, filled with too many lectures, too many books to read and way too many old bespectacled men with suede elbow patches on their tweed jackets. From Temari's experience of University- all of the stereotypes about professors were true. After then working a double shift at the crummy restaurant where she served ungrateful bastards all night long, Temari had dragged her defeated body home, at just after eleven.

Ignoring the many boxes that filled the hall, to her great annoyance, Temari attempted not to stumble over any of the disturbances and shoved the rickety old door to her one bed-roomed flat open with some effort. After having slumped onto her bed, still fully dressed, she blissfully drifted into her slumber, aware that her first lecture wasn't until one pm, tomorrow. An occurrence that she was endlessly happy about.

But now...now whatever bastard had moved into the equally crummy apartment next to her was clearly celebrating his low grade pay cheque by blasting some horrible and crude form of rap...or heavy metal...or house. Temari couldn't tell which at the moment- all she knew was that it was creating a hell of a lot of noise and she was NOT in the mood to miss sleep because of some jerk with no manners.

Traipsing through her thoroughly unclean and disorderly flat, Temari put her hand to her head, reassuring herself that the bird's nest that she presumed her hair to be right now was actually present. Unlocking the six or so bolts that protected her from the outside world- she lived in a bit of a rough neighbourhood- she wrenched the door open once more and tumbled out into the hallway.

Fixing her face in what she assumed was a suitably hell-raising expression, she turned to the left. Only this time, as well as being confronted by the boxes- she was also confronted by two boys. Well...a boy and a man.

The boy she knew to be the guy who lived next door to her left- another student she presumed. Definitely younger than her anyways. He clearly had been woken up the same way as her, standing only in his boxers and a thin tee-shirt, his shoulder-length hair dishevelled and not in its usual style. Smirking slightly, she noticed his tee-shirt to read "It's a god-awful small affair" in faded letters.

Allowing her eyes to drift to the left, she felt them widen as she observed the man leaning against his doorway, a haughty grin gracing his face. Wearing only a pair of low black jeans, his chest gleamed against the moonlight that was drifting in through the barred windows. He was definitely in good shape, she noticed before quickly diverting her gaze hoping that neither of them had noticed her checking the guy out.

The boy had clearly been attempting the task that Temari had set herself before getting out of bed, with very little success. His fists were clenched- although his face was fixed in a perfectly lazy expression.

She gave a sharp cough, as both heads snapped towards her. With some satisfaction she noticed that both boys eyes widened before the shirtless guy let his eyes drift up and down her form, removing all of Temari's previous satisfaction and making her wish that she'd ensured that all of the buttons on her top were done and her skirt was completely straight before she'd rolled out of bed.

Clearly caught off guard by her appearance, the two began to talk all at once.

"Hey babe, I knew there was a reason I moved in here..."

"Look, Temari, I'm dealing with this one, okay? You can go..."

"Names' Hidan. Just moved in. I'd love to get to know..."

"...back inside. I think it'd be safer all around, just for..."

"This dweeb here was complaining about the noise but if he would only just..."

"...everyone. This guy seems to be a bit of a whack job and I wouldn't want you..."

"...SHUT THE FUCK UP, then we might be able to have a conversation."

Hidan's admittedly loud outburst had made the boy roll his eyes and stop talking abruptly, eyeing the man with a mixture of annoyance and exasperation.

Ignoring the fact that she had no idea why the boy knew her name, Temari gave both of the sexist assholes a small smile- to which Hidan winked back at her- before leaning back into her apartment for the baseball bat that she kept stashed just beside the doorway in case.

Swaying gently through the two of them, she pushed the door to Hidan's flat open a little wider. Hearing him chuckle arrogantly and advise the boy to go back to his 'mommy', Temari pictured the boy's sardonic look. He clearly wasn't stupid enough to miss the bat in her hand.

Locating the source of her annoyance quite easily- as it was still blaring to an ungodly volume- Temari swung the bat back with little strain, before bringing it down harshly on top of the stereo, ending the noise quite perfectly and cracking the machine in half, ensuring that it wouldn't be disturbing her anymore during the night.

"Hey, bitch! What the FUCK!" Hidan roared, still standing in the doorway as Temari pushed her way past him once more. "That's my FUCKING STEREO!" he continued to yell to Temari's back as she made her way to her flat. Feeling a hand grasp around her upper arm, she growled under her breath as Hidan shoved her back against the wall, his face very close to hers. "You fucking owe me for that, blondie," he hissed menacingly, as Temari found herself characteristically un-wavered.

"Get your hands off of her," she heard the boy interject in low tones that surprised her.

Seeing Hidan's eyes flash and narrow in annoyance, Temari wasn't surprised as he turned on the boy, moving towards him slowly.

"Right, fuck face, I've had just about enough of you and your..."

Moving quickly, Temari positioned herself strategically between the two, bat pointed head on at Hidan's bare chest.

"Go back inside," she said quietly, her eyes only betraying her calm disposition. His eyes still on the boy, Temari shoved Hidan harshly in the chest with the bat snapping his attention to her. "Get the fuck back inside..." she drawled heavily, dragging the bat up to his neck- ready for a swing.

"Fucking slut," Hidan mumbled, though clearly enough for Temari to hear. Ignoring it- she'd been called worse- and concentrating on stilling the boy behind her as he attempted to move around to get to Hidan- his breathing markedly heavier- Temari was glad to see Hidan move back into his apartment before slamming the door resoundingly.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she yawned sleepily, her grip on the bat loosening.

"Dick head," she muttered unhappily. Turning to face the boy, she leant the bat back against the wall. "You okay, kid?"

Seeing his eyes darken considerably and his cheeks colour, Temari gave a small smile.

"I'm nineteen," he said slowly, looking in the other direction, clearly put out.

"Sorry..." Temari replied, not really feeling sorry at all. "You just look..."

"Whatever," the boy replied, still not looking at her.

"Life's gonna be fun with that guy around here, eh..."

"...Shikamaru," he offered for her, his jaw clenched, though now turning to look at her.

"Right," she said unsteadily, wondering why she was even bothering. She'd never given a shit about neighbours before...why would she start now? "So I'll see you around, then."

"Do you have a first aid kit?" Shikamaru cut in abruptly, folding his arms, brow furrowed.

"Eh...no," she replied wondering if Hidan had hit him before she'd arrived.

"Well, I do," he answered patiently. "Come on," his eyes trained on her hand, as Temari noticed that her palm was smarting and slightly bleeding from her hold on the bat.

He stumbled back into his apartment, his walk oddly slow and lackadaisical for someone who a moment ago had been so worked up. Following him only because she genuinely did not have a bandage in her flat, she was surprised to see a nice looking place as she rounded on the door.

It was clean and tidy...the same size as hers, but with well kept furniture and art on the walls.

"So, when did you..." Temari began, still standing awkwardly in the doorway as Shikamaru made his way into the kitchen and began opening cabinets.

"Six months before you did," he called, pre-empting her question, as she sighed in exasperation. Clearly, she had paid no attention to anyone in this building ever before.

She avoided eye contact as he came back into the room, gesturing for her to come nearer.

Perching himself on an armrest, Temari stiffened when his slightly worn hands came up and grasped her wrist delicately. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the care with which he was holding her arm.

"You really should have let me take care of him, you know?" Shikamaru muttered, using his free arm to pop open the lid of the antiseptic in a rather awkward manner. He really should have just let go of her wrist.

"Oh yeah," Temari replied sardonically, her eyes now looking at the top of his head. "You seemed right on the cusp of something."

"Cusp..." he repeated quietly, now tearing apart a bandage, his hand still holding hers. "Word of the day calendar?" he questioned cheekily, as Temari guessed the implication and growled unhappily.

"You know what?" she hissed back, pulling her smarting hand from his grasp. "Fuck this," she bit out, before turning to stride out of the doorway.

Slamming the door shut, she strode purposefully back to her own flat.

Once inside, she bolted all six or so locks hurriedly, before moving with some satisfaction to her bedroom, and throwing herself down on the heap of blankets that she had left just half an hour ago.

Falling once more back into her deep sleep, she now dreamt happily of a detached house...or an island.

---

"Fuck off!" Temari groaned unhappily from her favourite position underneath her pillow as a loud bang- obviously someone's messed up version of knocking- echoed through her flat.

Unfortunately her yelling did nothing to distract the bitch of a person who was disturbing her at...ten in the goddamn morning...as they continued to 'knock'.

"Mother of Hell..." she grumbled, rolling out of her warm bed and landing straight on the floor. Picking herself up, she trudged once more down past the messy living-room and untidy kitchen, checked that her hair was still a mess and unbolted the six or so locks and flung open the door ready to murder the postman.

Only it wasn't the postman. It was the moron from next door- the one to the right that was.

"What?" she snarled unhappily, noticing that he was still in the same state of undress that he was in last night.

Chuckling, Hidan smirked charmingly and leant against her doorway with a sort of ease that Temari couldn't have possessed if she'd even made an effort.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot last night, blondie," he drawled, fixing a hand into his jean pocket.

"No," Temari spat back, hunching her shoulders almost painfully. "We got off on exactly the right foot, asshole. We got off on the 'stay the fuck away from me' foot. Worked out quite well, in my opinion."

Another deep chuckle reverberated from Hidan's throat, making his chest shake and forcing Temari to look down at the bloody sexy as hell...

"Like I said..." Hidan put in, as Temari's eyes shot up only to scowl at the 'I caught you looking' smirk that he was sporting. "...the wrong foot. I came to apologise," he said deeply, leaning into her apartment a little.

"Oh, yes?" Temari breathed, hoping to sound as uninterested as she actually was.

"Mmmm...I bought you a present, blondie. See how nice I can be, when I want to?" Hidan responded, holding out his hand to her.

"What is it?" she asked, warily eyeing the hand- complete with green nail polish- as if it might bite her.

"Ear plugs," Hidan said...almost pleasantly, unfurling his hand to reveal his gift.

Looking downwards, Temari bit back a snarl as she observed the object in his hand.

"That's not an ear plug," she hissed, glaring up at him, fists clenched.

"Well...maybe it's not an ear plug...but it's definitely a plug," Hidan answered, huge smirk on his face. "I certainly think we could use it, somehow..."

Growling, Temari kicked his knee out of the doorway, before slamming the door shut in his face. Only bothering to do three of the locks, she heard him yelling to open the door and let him 'make it up to her'.

"SCREW OFF!" she yelled back, stomping angrily back to her bed.

She had just reached her bedroom, when the knocking began again.

Thoroughly pissed off, she strode out of her room and grabbed the baseball bat from beside the door.

"I thought I told you to FUCK OFF!" she roared, throwing open the door and raising the bat high into the air.

As Temari blinked to allow herself to see properly, she saw that it was no longer Hidan standing in the doorway...but Shikamaru...looking very much like a deer caught in headlights.

Taking a deep breath- as Shikamaru's visage made its way back to its usual apathetic self- Temari lowered the bat.

"What?" she said lowly, admiring her own amount of self-restraint.

"I came to apologise for last night," he said simply, eyeing her with something close to interest.

"Oh yes," Temari answered sarcastically. "And what have you brought? A dildo?"

Silence echoed between the two of them as Shikamaru's brow furrowed and his mouth fell open in confusion.

...

"I'm sorry...?" he said awkwardly after a few minutes.

"Ughhh..." Temari growled bitterly. "Sorry...just...forgot...different conversation," she finally managed to get out, leaning against the door in exasperation.

"Right..." Shikamaru began, still looking slighty uneasy. "Well...sorry, anyways. About last night. I'm not really a 'night' person."

"Fine. Well...as you can see, I'm not a morning person. Need sleep. Goodbye," Temari said as pleasantly as she could manage whilst attempting to shut the door.

Only she couldn't. Because there was a foot stuck in it.

"You play?" Shikamaru queried oddly, his head peering round into her apartment.

"What?" Temari almost whimpered, running a hand through her hair in vexation.

"Chess..." he replied abruptly, moving further into her apartment, eyes fixated on the old wooden chess board that was currently situated on her coffee table- pieces in complete disarray.

As he was now fully in the flat, Temari saw no point in delaying the inevitable and shut the door in defeat.

"Yes," she murmured in response. "Sometimes."

Nodding instead of choosing to respond vocally, Shikamaru crouched down to get a better look at the chess board and the position in which the pieces had been left.

"Which colour were you?"

"The darker brown," she answered, traipsing over to the sofa that was littered in newspapers and textbooks.

"You're good," Shikamaru said simply, eyebrows raised in a sort of shock.

"Yes...well, there's an excellent 'how to play chess' calendar in the bathroom," Temari drawled back sardonically, examining her nails through half-closed eyes.

Coughing uncomfortably and muttering something that sounded like 'troublesome' under his breath, Shikamaru stood up, his hand now rubbing at the back of his head.

"Would you like to have a game, sometime?" he asked, standing uncomfortably, his legs looking almost too big for the rest of his body.

"If by sometime, you mean now...then no," Temari said, her head lying back on the sofa, eyes now completely closed. "If you leave now, then maybe later."

Sighing, Shikamaru moved out of the apartment muttering under his breath.

Hearing the door shut, Temari promptly fell asleep on the sofa.

---

Making her way back from university at four o'clock, coffee in hand, Temari strolled into the apartment block, juggling the cup, her books and her bag in an attempt to reach for her keys.

As she searched around her bag, wondering why in the name of God she had so much crap in her bag, Temari's eyes drifted to the green door next to hers...the one to the left that was.

She was now feeling much better. Although today had not been a picnic by any means, she had gotten most of her work done, a cheap but filling meal in the canteen and avoided her tutor quite successfully.

And now...having had an alright day, she felt bad for yelling at the kid. The pervert to the right of her had pissed her off- not him.

Deciding that she was never going to find her keys anyways, Temari moved over to the door and gave a small knock.

When there was no answer after a few moments, she knocked again.

Standing there irritably, Temari wondered why the universe was obsessed with pissing her off, until she heard voices echoing down the hallway.

One which sounded suspiciously like that of the kid's.

Moving over to the banister she peered down over the stair case, and observed the boy to be walking lazily up the stairs accompanied by a thin, bespectacled girl with mousy-brown hair.

Unable to hear their conversation- as the girl was talking quite quietly- Temari's brow furrowed a little. For some unknown reason.

Surprisingly, before they got to the floor which Temari lived on, the girl moved off to the third floor- but not before giving Shikamaru a small smile.

Still eyeing the girls movements- she apparently lived in the apartment just beneath Shikamaru- Temari jumped as footsteps sounded near to her.

Fumbling around her bag- where were her goddamn keys?- Temari moved hastily over to her own door, hoping to get inside before he reached her.

"Why are you still outside?" said a voice, making her jump.

"What?" Temari asked, turning to Shikamaru and feeling very hassled.

"You were walking in in front of me," he said by way of explanation.

"Oh right..." Temari responded awkwardly. "I couldn't find my keys."

Nodding, Shikamaru gave a short shrug before moving to his own door.

"Do you know everyone in this building?" Temari cut in quickly, just before Shikamaru entered his own flat.

Turning to lean against the wall, Shikamaru's own keys swung tauntingly on his finger.

"You mean Shiho?" he said, smiling a little, though at what Temari couldn't tell as she nodded in answer. "She's at uni with me," he went on, eyes not leaving her. "In most of the same classes."

"Oh," Temari half-said, half-mouthed, now clenching her hand. "Right...well, see you around then," she said, as she turned back to her own door, her free hand now searching around incessantly for her keys.

Muttering unhappily, her hand moved through a number of lipgloss tubes, a heck of a lot of receipts as well as pens, her mp3, her phone...everything but her bloody...

"Do you want to come in?" came Shikamaru's voice, as Temari turned to see him, still leaning in the same position that he had been five minutes ago when Temari had been sure he'd went inside.

Eyes narrowing at the infuriatingly knowing smirk that he was now wearing, she took a deep breath.

"Yes," Temari hissed, marching right past him and into his clean apartment.

Storming through the room, Temari promptly turned her bag upside down and dumped the contents of it onto Shikamaru's own coffee table.

"So I guess that rules out chess," she heard him mumble ironically, as he moved through his apartment into the kitchen.

"Wha...?" she half asked, before noticing that she had emptied her bag on top of his chess set. "...oh, shit. Sorry."

He said nothing in response but she could hear him chuckling from the kitchen.

Resisting the urge to go in and whack him over the head, Temari knelt down and started to pick through the various items of debris littered across the coffee table.

Lipgloss...mp3...mobile...receipt for coffee...second receipt for coffee...clothing receipt...small leaflet from Bible basher in town...more lipgloss...

"Is there any reason that you carry all of this stuff around?" Shikamaru asked, making her jump as he sat down on the sofa in front of her.

"Very little..." she answered distractedly, still moving through the litter.

She could feel him observing her as she worked, sipping idly at whatever hot drink he had made himself.

"Bloody hell..." Temari murmured half way through her search. "The world just hates me today..."

Shikamaru said nothing, only making a small noise into his coffee, before picking up the loose bag from the floor.

"Have you tried checking the pockets?" he asked, unzipping the side-pockets that her bag sported quickly.

"No..." Temari began quickly, trying to grab the bag back from him, "because they wouldn't be in..."

She trailed off as his hand reached into the pocket, not bothering to try and stop him now. His hands had no doubt already found the small stash of 'protection' she kept for...well...emergencies.

"Right," he said through a cough, cheeks now tinted red. "Well..."

"...Maybe my pockets," she finished for him quietly, standing up to stuff her hands into her ripped jeans.

"Success!" Temari added, a little half-heartedly, as her fingers closed around a cold metal key chain.

"What?" Shikamaru mumbled distractedly. "Oh...right."

Nodding, Temari decided that it would be better if she got the hell out of there as quickly as she could. Throwing all of her crap...receipts and all, back into her bag, she half-tripped over her feet in her haste to get out of the apartment.

As she was about to call bye, she stopped at the thought that now...to the kid...she was just the whore next door. Instead of the girl she had been before. Grimacing a little at that particular label, Temari's fists clenched as she wondered why she cared what the kid thought.

"Listen..." she began abruptly, spinning round to face him. "They're just for...I mean a girl can never be too...my brother always said that I should..." she said all in quick succession, trying to form some semblance of a sentence. "I mean it's not like I'm using them on the creep next door, y'know?" Temari joked oddly, smiling down at Shikamaru on the sofa...who was just looking at her. Expression unreadable.

"I didn't think that you were..." he responded slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "But...yeah...it's good that you...y'know...protect yourself and...stuff..."

"Yeah..." Temari continued, biting at her lip whilst trying to decipher his words. "Too many girls now...I mean AIDS is like...so much worse now because...and virginity is so overrated..." she threw out in a blur of word vomit- her head spinning with images of condoms, sex-ed class and dying African children.

"Yeah...that..." Shikamaru put in awkwardly, hand still at the back of his head.

"So...bye," Temari forced herself to say, before she made an ass out of herself any further. Spinning on her heel, she swung her bag higher onto her shoulder and tumbled out of the room.

She was half way out of the door when his voice stopped her.

"But don't...you know...don't start..."

"What?" Temari asked breathlessly as she turned around, wondering why in God's name Shikamaru wanted to continue this hellish conversation.

"Using them..." he continued oddly, now standing up. "...on the creep next door."

"Oh..." she replied in recognition, his eyes now looking anywhere but her. "Right...I wasn't planning to..."

Seemingly satisfied, he nodded- his cheeks now aflame beyond all recognition.

"Do you say this to all the girls in the building?" she asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"No...I just mean...because...well, he's a dickhead...and you never know what he might have...and especially with someone like you...I don't really have to worry about Shiho or...cause she's so..."

Feeling a little disconcerted about what he thought about her and what he thought about Shiho, Temari folded her arms around her middle, hoping to comfort herself.

"She's so...what?"

"Well...Shiho's so skinny and you're definitely not...and Hidan's exactly the type of guy that would..."

"I'm sorry?" Temari cut in angrily, her own face now heating up from anger and embarrassment, hands now gracing her 'fat' hips.

"What...?" Shikamaru asked, finally looking at her before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh no," he added quickly, "I didn't mean that...I only meant that..."

"I'm fat right?" she put in on top of him, trying to stop herself from yelling. "Christ...what is it with you and these...these notions about me? I'm stupid and fat and apparently about to start fucking the guy next door..."

As she spoke she could see him getting progressively more and more worked up...sometimes trying to cut in and correct her and other times merely rubbing his head in his hands.

"Listen...fat isn't the word...Shiho's just...just really thin," Shikamaru finally managed to get out, "...and she...her face is...so natural. And I've never even seen her wear a skirt but you...well you wear a lot of makeup and really short stuff sometimes...and well a guy like Hidan..."

Breathing deeply through her nose as he spoke, Temari pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to regain calm.

"So, I dress like a whore, is that it?"

"No!" Shikamaru said quickly, sounding endlessly exasperated. "Ugh...troublesome. It's just that you're a big girl and..." he trailed off abruptly as he obviously saw Temari's expression.

SMACK.

---

BANG BANG BANG

"Open up, asshole!" Temari hissed through the door to the right of her apartment, her fist still poised.

After a few loud footsteps, the door swung back to reveal a suitably undressed Hidan.

"Well, hello..."

"Shut it," Temari snapped, not letting him speak, before shoving him in the chest back into his own apartment. "Am I fat?" she questioned aggressively, following him into the flat and slamming the door.

Raising an eyebrow, Hidan folded his arms.

"I can't really tell with all of those clothes on..."

"Fuck off!" she spat, resisting the urge to kick him by clenching her fists. "Answer the question."

Sighing forcefully, Hidan swung his body back to the old moth-bitten couch his flat housed, and threw himself down on it. "If you want a real answer, you've got a fucking great pair of tits and an ass I could drill for days. Happy?"

Harrumphing a little in an attempt to seem insulted, Temari unsuccessfully resisted the small smile that was insisting on forming on her mouth.

"Dickhead," she said quietly anyways, trying to sound like she meant it.

"Oh, you fucking liked hearing that one didn't you, blondie?" Hidan crooned with a smirk, observing her from the couch, hands behind his head. "I could go on if you'd like..."

"No," she hurled out quickly, admiring her own restraint.

Turning on her heel, she went to make her way out of the apartment.

"So, what's got your knickers in a twist anyways?" came Hidan's voice, actually sounding interested. "I didn't think you'd give a fuck what anyone thought about you."

Sighing, Temari turned and leant against the wall, observing Hidan- and his abs- through narrowed eyes.

"Why do you want to fuck me?"

Hidan groaned.

"Oh, fuck, forget I asked," he replied, lying down on the sofa fully now, hands covering his eyes.

"Ugh. No...I just...alright, why me and not...not, say...Shiho?"

Lifting his head and his hands a little, Hidan looked at her from underneath furrowed brows.

"The stick from downstairs?"

"Mmmm..."

"Ohhhhh," Hidan said with a smirk, eyes dancing with mirth. "This is about the fuck face from two doors down then?"

"W-w-wh-hat..." Temari stuttered, feeling her face growing red. "No-no...I mean, Shikamaru has nothing to..."

"Well, I'll be fucked," Hidan went on through a dry laugh. "You want him."

"NO! I don't...there's no way..."

"No point denying it now, blondie," he said, tutting up at the ceiling.

Sighing, Temari leant her head back against the wall in defeat.

"So, you think he likes mousy, do you?"

"No...it's not that," she gritted out, rubbing her hands through her hair. "It's just something that...something that he said...that's all."

"What did the retard say?"

"That'd you'd never fuck somebody like Shiho...just somebody like me. I just wanted to know what he meant by that was all," she replied, sounding softer than she would have liked to.

Letting out a bark of a laugh, Hidan swung himself up so that he was now sitting upright.

"You're really a stupid bitch, you know that?"

Temari rolled her eyes, but let him go on.

"Hidan'd never fuck Shiho. Translation; I'd never fuck Shiho. Hidan's dying to fuck you. Translation; I'm dying to fuck you."

"What?" Temari sneered, scrunching up her face. "I'm not the fucking stupid one, you prick."

"Oh, yes, you are," Hidan went on through his grinning mouth. "The retard doesn't mean I'd fuck you 'cause you look...well...hot at hell. He means all guys would. He's smart enough to realise that I've less self control than most idiots out there."

Temari rubbed her forehead and tried to take all of this in.

"So why wouldn't he just say that?"

"Because he doesn't want to offend you," Hidan said, rolling his eyes. "He'd rather get into your pants by being the nice guy. Fucking moron."

"Oh yeah? Like you're doing any better!" Temari bit out, hands on hips.

"I don't need to do better, blondie," Hidan replied after a brief pause. "We all know I'm going to fucking win in the end anyways."

"Oh, please...like I'd ever..."

She was cut off by Hidan's body right in front of hers- his movements so quick that she'd barely even noticed him moving. Leaning on the wall, Hidan bore down upon her- his scent pervading her nostrils.

He almost smelt of frankincense- heady and drug-like.

"Yes, you would," he spoke softly. "You would 'cause you know as well as I do that the dweeb would never be able to keep you happy."

Temari swallowed at his closeness, trying not to close her eyes- afraid he might kiss her.

"Let him have the stick..." Hidan continued sensually, his hand sneaking up to her hip lazily. "They're both boring as fuck. Made for each other. Me and you..." he said, fingers stroking gently at her sides. "That's where the real fucking fun is, babe. I know it and so you do."

Resisting the strong urge to moan at his ministrations, Temari bit down on her lip feeling the heat rise to her face.

"I should go," she mumbled, hands clutching at the door frame as Hidan's fingers slipped underneath her skirt, now probing at her naked thigh.

"Probably should," he agreed, his head moving down to her neck, pressing a slow, open mouthed kiss to the skin there.

Letting out a deep breath in shock, Temari saved herself from her knees buckling, by holding on to the wall.

"I...really have to go..." she managed to get out, pulling herself away from his warm body as a grin overtook Hidan's face.

"See you round, babe," he said grinning as he leant out of the doorway after her moving figure.

"Mgrgfrgh" she slurred incoherently, still shaken up from their encounter.

After Hidan had shut the door, Temari took a deep breath, and leant against the wall, wringing her hands a little.

What had just happened?

Still caught up in her reverie, Temari jumped at the sound of heels clicked down the hallway.

Twisting her head, she was surprised to see a tall, willowy platinum blonde making her way down the hall in shoes that could only be described as 'dangerous'.

The girl- practically coated in make-up and fake tan- strutted past Temari, giving her a small, simpering smile before continuing on her way.

Temari's eyes widened as the girl stopped in front of Shikamaru's door.

Temari tried to keep her emotions in check, as she regarded the blonde now- thin, yet not 'stick-like'- definitely very pretty in a 'girly' way and extremely graceful; in other words, the exact opposite of Temari.

A moment ago, Temari had been in admiration of her own ability to control her feelings and not go and smack the crap out of the girl however when she put her hand- complete with Barbie pink lacquered nails- into her patent handbag and produced...a key...Temari all but lost it.

Entering the key into Shikamaru's door, the girl pushed the door open and proceeded to step inside.

"Don't worry, babes...it's only me," she prattled girlishly, swaying into the apartment before shutting the door.

Snarling, Temari was about to kick down the door to the lazy assholes flat...

...an ass I could drill for days...

Reigning back in her passions, Temari glanced at Hidan's door, unable to resist smirking.

Looking at her watch, she realised she was late for work.

Let Shikamaru have the stick and the bimbo...

She had the guy with an eight pack and a fucking great pair of lips.

---

It was a day and a half later before Temari heard anything from either of the two boys surrounding her.

Well...technically.

She'd gone to work later on that night and had determinedly not thought about either of them whilst she was serving. By the time she had gotten home, she'd been so tired that she'd simply collapsed on the bed and fell straight to sleep.

But today...

Today was her day off...from both uni and work.

It was heaven.

She got to lounge around the flat doing absolutely nothing at all. Well...except what she wanted to do; eating copious amounts of junk food, spending at least two hours in the bath, painting her nails a different bawdy colour each. It was generally the best day off she could've hoped for.

Until there was a knock at the door.

Immediately she was wary. Because it wasn't a thump like Hidan's, nor a polite yet brief knock like Shikamaru's.

It was a knockety knock knock.

There was a rhythm to it.

Temari purposely disassociated herself with all people who knocked like that.

Groaning as she stood up from her bean bag in the most awkward way possible, she trudged to the doorway, determined to get whomever it was to leave as soon as possible.

Upon opening the door- Temari was unbelievably tempted to shut it again.

It was the blonde.

The Barbie Doll.

The Bimbo.

The Skinny Bitch.

The Most Plastic of all Women.

The Nemesis.

"What?" Temari grinded out through her teeth, resisting the urge to steal all the blonde's clothes and dye them a different colour than pink.

A very fake smile fixed its way onto the blonde's mouth.

"Hi," she practically bubbled, her hands- still with pink nails- pushing the door open further than Temari would've liked. "I'm Ino- you saw me the other day?"

Nodding, Temari forced a small yet unhappy smile hoping that Ino would get the hint.

"Right, well, Shikamaru sent me to talk to you," she continued, now all but shoving her way into the room.

She sashayed past Temari into the flat, before gracefully setting her patent bag- a different one than yesterdays- down delicately upon Temari's coffee table. Dusting down her outfit, she proceeded to sit down- but not before cleaning the couch with a sweep of her hands first.

"I'm sorry?" Temari responded, inwardly bemoaning the fact that she was actually shutting the door, with Ino still on the inside.

"Well...not sent, really," Ino said cheekily, her shoulders shrugging up in a 'naughty' manner. "But he told me what he said to you and I just had to come over and clear things up," she finished emphatically, her hands gesturing wildly.

"O...kay," Temari said sitting down on the seat opposite to Ino. "I don't really see why you have to..."

"Because he's a man, darling!" Ino replied with a cry. "He'd never come over to apologise- even though he should. Never mind the fact that he's as lazy as he is! I end up doing everything for him anyways."

Nodding again, Temari decided to be daring.

Folding her arms, she regarded Ino as a very odd being- one who made her feel both threatened as a female, for what reason she had no idea, and one who made her feel very happy to be exactly the opposite of her.

"And who are you? His minder?" she put in rudely, before she could stop herself.

The comment screamed 'God, please don't be his girlfriend'.

Smiling proudly through her glossed pout, Ino leaned forward on her elbows, her nails coming up to twirl in her hair.

"I'm his friend, sweetie," she answered, eyes dancing with amusement. "His best friend."

Translation; you have to get through me first.

"So...I need to make sure that he's happy," the blonde continued, examining her fingernails now.

"And right now, he's not?"

"Not very, no," Ino said through a sigh. "He's annoyed you. But, well...enter me!" she sang happily, giving Temari a dazzling smile.

Shifting a little in her seat, Ino moved herself forward onto the edge of the sofa, hands poised on her knees in readiness.

"Shikamaru doesn't think you're fat," she began simply, staring at Temari directly with pale blue eyes. "He doesn't think you're big and he doesn't think you dress like a whore."

"Alright," Temari cut in quickly, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable and beginning to stand up. "Thanks for stoppi..."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Ino cut in, waving a delicate finger at her face, as Temari sat back down reluctantly.

Apparently there was more.

After a few moments, Ino continued.

"He doesn't like Shiho," she said slyly, as Temari looked away and hoped she wasn't blushing. "In faaaacccct...he quite likes..."

Ino was interrupted as the door banged open loudly.

Jumping a little, Temari turned around in her seat, to see Shikamaru angrily marching towards Ino.

"I told you not to come here," he gritted harshly, bearing down on her quite like an angry father.

"Well, what was I supposed to do, Shikamaru?" Ino replied forcefully, standing to square up to him. "I've seen the guy next door- he has a six pack, Shikamaru!" she hissed, poking him in the stomach. "I can't just sit around and let you lose because you're too goddamn lazy!"

"Ino," he moaned, hands in his head. "Just leave it alone."

Looking very much like she was about to start stamping her foot and rolling around on the floor, Ino let out a big huff and stormed towards the door.

"Fine," she spat as she walked. "Good luck on your own."

A tense silence settled over Temari's apartment as she looked everywhere other than Shikamaru.

"Sorry...about that," he said eventually, scratching behind his head.

Nodding, Temari chose not to answer.

"Ino's just...," Shikamaru went on, clearly struggling for the right words. "She's just...enthusiastic," he settled on finally.

"Right," Temari replied abruptly. "Well, if that's all from the crazy parade for today..."

"You don't have work today?" he put in on top of her, clearly noticing her casual attire and lack of make-up.

Shaking her head, Temari yawned a little before stretching.

"Day off," she said through the yawn, throwing her head back on the armchair rest.

"Fancy a game?" Shikamaru asked comfortably, gesturing to the chess board.

Gazing up at him, Temari decided that she didn't need an apology from him.

Ino was right. He was just a man. An idiot man who, when it came down to it- had had the best of intentions; not wanting her to get taken advantage of.

However sexist it may be...well, all men got on the same way.

Temari doubted that Kankuro or Gaara would have gotten on that well with Hidan either.

Thinking back guiltily to earlier, when she had practically let herself be felt up by the guy, Temari nodded, hoping to alleviate some of the shame she was now feeling.

Sitting himself down in the place that Ino had just vacated, Shikamaru began to rearrange the chess pieces into order.

Nodding to her to go first, Temari moved her starting pawn two spaces ahead- deciding that an easy classic move was the best to start off with.

Smiling slightly down at the board, Shikamaru mimicked her tactic, sliding his pawn forward.

"Ino's an odd best friend to have," Temari began conversationally, not lifting her eyes from the board. "Well, for you anyways."

"Is that what she told you?" Shikamaru replied deeply, his hand holding his head up as apparently his neck wasn't up to the job. "She's my friend. But she'll only use the phrase best friend when she's about to meddle in my life. She thinks the term gives her some sort of entitlement."

Chuckling a little, Temari moved another piece.

"I know what you mean. Kankuro- my brother- only introduces himself as my brother, when he's meeting one of my guy friends," she said, thinking fondly of her brothers. She really should call them. "Any other time, he has to be forced to admit that he's related to me."

Letting out a laugh, Shikamaru raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Does your brother live near you? I can't imagine him being very happy that you're surrounded by two guys on either side," he added, pushing another piece to a satisfactory place.

"Neither of them- there's two-," she clarified briefly before continuing. "-live near. Both go to uni on the other side of the country."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmmmm- Konoha isn't exactly well known for modern degrees."

"What do they study?"

"Eh...Kankuro studies architecture and Gaara does social anthropology- don't ask me why."

Laughing quietly once more, Shikamaru gave her a haughty look. "This coming from a politics major?"

Glaring at him, Temari let her eyes bore into his.

"Oh yes? And what do you study, Mister High and Mighty?"

"Physics and Mathematics. Joint Honours," he replied, sounding distracted, although Temari didn't miss the smirk on his face.

"Physics and Mathematics," Temari mimicked childishly, as Shikamaru's head shot up. He was looking at her like she was a complete moron. "A.k.a- the 'how to be a virgin for the rest of your life' degree."

Snorting, Shikamaru shook his head.

"Please, let's not get into that conversation, again," he moaned, still fighting a smile. "I don't think I could take it."

"Alright, alright," Temari conceded unhappily, a smile gracing her own face.

Looking down at the board, she realised she had no idea who's move it was.

And when did his knight get there?

"Your move," Shikamaru said simply, lying back onto the couch lackadaisically.

"Right," she muttered, the cogs in her head whirling as to what the hell she was going to do. He'd basically trapped her into a corner.

"So...d'you get up to much yesterday?" he asked, as Temari moved a piece unthinkingly- her mind drifting back to Hidan...and his hand...and his mouth.

"What?" she questioned, feeling flustered at her thoughts, and hoping that her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

"Checkmate," Shikamaru replied simply, as he moved his own piece.

Snapping out of her daze, Temari looked down at the board to see that he had in fact won.

"That was a dirty trick," she muttered, clearing the pieces back. "Asking me about Hidan..." she went on without thinking, her mind still whirling unpleasantly.

Only when Shikamaru said nothing did she realise what she'd said.

"So you went to see him, yesterday then," Shikamaru said lowly, clearing his own pieces away roughly.

Deciding that she was in no mood to be jovial after having her day interrupted twice, Temari lashed out.

"So what if I did?" she responded, sounding just as provocative as she'd hoped, not even sparing him a glance.

Sighing heavily, Shikamaru rubbed his head in his hands.

"Don't you even care that he's bloody psycho?" he questioned, sounding almost aggressive. "The man's a complete lunatic and you're..."

"Who cares if he's a lunatic?" Temari threw in, cutting him off. "He's different but that doesn't mean that he's...what?" she said stopping her rant at the look Shikamaru was giving her.

"You like him," he said slowly, his gaze never wavering from hers.

"What?" Temari spat out, trying to distil the blush in her cheeks. "Who said anything about...?"

Letting out a disbelieving laugh, Shikamaru regarded her with wide eyes.

"You do."

"Look," Temari hissed, all but ready to punch him. "What happens between Hidan and I is none of your..."

"So there's a 'Hidan and I' now, is there? You've known him for all of..."

"...business. I'm not your fucking property despite what you may think and..."

"...two days. He's probably in there murdering cats. Don't you think it might be wiser to..."

"...you have no right to go around telling me who the hell I can..."

"...just leave him alone? He's only after one thing anyways and..."

"...screw! Especially not when you're just fucking jealous that..."

Temari cut off at the sound of silence that met her. No more Shikamaru arguing over her. Instead he was just staring at her, mouth in the thinnest line she'd ever seen.

"Look, I'm sorry I said that...it was low...I just got worked up and..."

She was stopped by the sound of a knock coming from the hall. Only it wasn't at her door.

"That'll be Shiho," Shikamaru said abruptly, not looking at her. "We have class. I'll see you round Temari. Thanks for the game."

Before she could say anything, he'd already made his way towards the door, his shoulders slouched.

"I'm sor...ugh!" Temari groaned, traipsing back over to the bean bag, and throwing herself down on it.

She really hated men.

---

Wandering around the restaurant, with various different plates of food balanced on her arms, Temari reflected that working on Saturday nights was the worst time to work possible.

The place was always packed, and therefore roasting inside. Customers were always rude and pushy; worried that someone else would get their order in before them and naturally the kitchen- unable to handle the unusual numbers- became backed up making the whole thing ten times worse.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she cleaned her hand on her cloth, and proceeded back into the kitchen.

"Table 26 is ready, Tem!" the chef barked out, shoving two plates of food towards her.

Tugging on her four pigtails to make sure they were steady, Temari picked up the plates and slammed through the waving door.

Smiling forcibly at the customers, she set down the food- asked if she could get them anything else- and then proceeded towards the next table of customers who were currently hidden behind their menus.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she asked distractedly, pulling out her notebook and pen from her apron.

"Er...I'll have the..."

Temari's head jerked up at the sound of the voice...

It was Shikamaru, looking suitably uncomfortable. He was seated at a table of four, with a blonde haired boy and a girl with hair so black it was almost tinted blue.

And beside him...was Shiho.

Smiling through gritted teeth, Temari gestured half-heartedly with her pen for him to continue.

"Can I get the duck...please...and..."

"...and how would you like that?"

"...er...medium, please..."

Scribbling down on the page, Temari refused to raise her gaze to the table, determinedly keeping her eyes on the paper.

"I'd like the fish, please...if that's possible..."

Temari's stomach churned as a sickeningly 'mouse-like' voice filled her ears; she was almost tempted to tell the girl to speak up.

"But-but..could you make sure that there's no cream in the sauce please...I'm lactose intolerant..." the voice squeaked shakily, and Temari could tell that the girl was folding her hands just from listening to her.

"The sauce is made with white wine and cream..." Temari droned through a sigh, deciding to survey the girl through her glare.

She was actually dressed very nicely; in other words she looked a hell of a lot better than Temari in her white shirt that was covered in food and coffee stains.

"Em...well then, maybe no- no sauce? If that's alright?"

Nodding lazily, Temari listened half-heartedly as the rest of the table gave their orders.

"To drink?" she asked finally, feeling that these last four minutes had been the longest of her life.

"A bottle of white wine, please," the blonde haired boy answered cheerfully, as Temari wrote the order down.

...until her stomach jumped at a thought...

She couldn't.

It would be incredibly bitchy.

But then...it was her job.

Smirking, Temari raised her eyes to the foursome.

"I'm afraid I'll need to see some I.D. please," she said sweetly, eyes glittering in her victory.

Her smile widened as Shikamaru's eyes shot up to meet hers, before narrowing in aggression.

"You know I'm nineteen," he bit out, staring straight at her, as the rest of the table turned to look at him, clearly unaware of their acquaintance.

Making a non-committal noise in the back of her throat, Temari continued to smile down at him, tapping her hand on her hip.

Grunting, Shikamaru shifted up in his seat and brought his wallet out of back pocket, before handing her a small, plastic card.

"We don't accept student cards as a form of I.D.," Temari replied deftly, placing the card back down on the table.

Sighing, Shikamaru leant back in his chair, his eyes purposefully avoiding hers.

"So...to drink?"

"Eh...a jug of water...for the table," the blonde said in response, still sounding uncertain, his eyes darting between her and Shikamaru.

"Great," Temari said cheerily, snapping up their menus and making a great show of removing the wine glasses from the table. "Your meal shouldn't be too long," she added, before flouncing off into the kitchen.

After that, Temari made as little interaction as possible with the table, choosing instead to focus all of her energy on the other tables.

She only stopped once...to stare, as she noticed that Shikamaru had his hand slung around the back of Shiho's chair.

Letting out a slow hiss, she stormed into the toilets and leant on the sink, taking in her sweaty brow, disarrayed hair and flushed cheeks.

...

She couldn't deny it anymore...

She liked him.

Of course she did.

How could she not?

He was smart and witty and funny and clean...

...

He was also rather good-looking.

There was something charming about his awkwardness...and his dark eyes.

She had had enough shirtless guys in her life to know how those relationships always ended...unhappily.

And the first time some nice guy actually takes an interest in her...enough of an interest to know her name without even having met her...

...she goes and blows it.

Of course he would end up with the stick.

All other sane men would make the same choice. Shiho was far less trouble.

Sighing into her reflection before realising that the manager was probably looking for her, Temari traipsed out of the toilets and back onto the restaurant floor.

Noticing that by now the restaurant had calmed down considerably, many customers having left, she moved behind the bar and started cleaning glasses.

"Can I pay please?" came Shikamaru's voice, as Temari set down the glass and took the crumpled pile of bills out of his hand, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Sure," she replied quietly, moving to the till and typing in their table number.

Silence settled in awkwardly, as Temari waited for the ten-year old till to snap open its doors. Drumming her fingers on the side board, her eyes wandered around before at last the register moved.

"Your change," she said, pressing the coins and notes onto the bar. Quickly she moved to face away from him to the accountancy book, to enter their bill under the night's takings.

"Right...well, thanks," Shikamaru said, sounding dull, as the rest of his group came up to join him and they made their way out of the building.

Nodding wordlessly, Temari purposefully looked the other way...but not before catching Shikamaru's hand slipping into Shiho's as they left.

---

Peeling off her apron and moving the bucket full of dirty water out of the way, Temari looked around the empty, dark restaurant.

Having told her manager that he could go on, as she would lock up, Temari had cleaned away all the various debris, washed the floor and windows before finally being able to go home.

She had not thought of Shikamaru directly since he had left, but the clenching in her stomach that never went away told her that she was in for a tough night.

Eyeing the bar, she groaned giving into the inevitable and moved towards the bottle of white wine that she had denied Shikamaru earlier this evening.

Placing the money into the till, she shouldered on her coat and exited the restaurant, bottle in hand.

Locking the doors, she trudged down the street towards her apartment, preparing to get fully off of her face and hoping that if Shikamaru was shagging Shiho...they had chosen to go to her place.

Looking up at the twinkling stars, she desperately tried to drag her mind away from the previous thought...unsuccessfully.

Drinking in the street is illegal.

Drinking in the street is illegal.

Drinking in the street is illegal.

"Well, blondie...aren't we lonely tonight?"

Jumping at the sound of Hidan's voice, Temari turned to the alleyway to the left to survey the silver-haired man leaning against the wall.

"You going to drink that all by yourself?" he asked gently, his head gesturing towards the wine bottle swinging in her hand.

"Probably," she said abruptly, feeling the weight of the bottle clinking against her thigh.

Straining her already tired eyes to see him more clearly, Temari blinked twice to make sure she was seeing correctly.

"You're bleeding," she breathed, looking down at his chest, which was indeed dripping blood from various wounds.

Letting out a bark of laughter, Hidan smiled down garishly at her.

"Don't worry about that, blondie," he replied gracefully, still looking at her with that gaze of intensity. "Little bit of blood never hurt anybody."

Getting the feeling that it was an inside joke, Temari leant to her left to peer down the alleyway, trying to see where he had been coming from.

"Where were you...?" she began but trailed off as her eyes caught sight of a symbol...

A dangerous symbol...

One linked to a cult; a cult that had been linked to about three disappearances in the last month.

Hidan had clearly followed her eyes as he moved in her way to block out her view of the alley.

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Temari turned away from the figure and moved further down the street before her feet picked up the pace.

"Where's the dweeb tonight?" Hidan called after her, as Temari stopped abruptly in her tracks.

Giving a derisive sniff, Temari shrugged her shoulders blankly, not turning to look at him, although she could hear his footsteps coming closer.

"With the stick then?" he went on tauntingly, as Temari felt tears prick her eyes and angrily clenched her fists- annoyed that she was actually crying over a stupid little moron like him.

"Like I give a shit," she bit out; her nose sounding stuffed, voice sounding wobbly.

Hidan moved in front of her in all his silver haired, shirtless glory.

Backing away, as she remembered the blood, Temari jumped when her back hit the wall.

Hairs pricked on her skin, as Hidan swept his hands up and down over her forearms.

"He's an idiot, Temari," he whispered, as her head went dizzy once more from the smell of frankincense and her heart picked up pace in her chest as his mouth wrapped its way around her name.

Swallowing, she raised her gaze from his chest to meet his violet eyes that gleamed in the moonlight, pouring deep into her own and making it impossible for her to look away.

He licked his lips, and Temari followed the path of his tongue, remembering what it was like to have the wet feel of the muscle press against her throat.

"Kiss me," she breathed, clutching at his sides, not caring that the cold liquid dripping down through her fingers was blood.

Smirking, Hidan let out a low growl, before pressing her flush against the wall. Temari whimpered as his thigh thrust itself in between her legs, balancing her between him and the wall.

Curling her legs, she clutched at his shoulders as his hands came up to clutch at her face; she breathed restlessly as his fingers moved softly over her face, his eyes never once leaving hers.

She felt trapped...caught and unable to escape his gaze. Twisting around, she couldn't tell if her body was trying to get closer to him or further away.

Then his fingers reached her mouth, padding lusciously over the soft flesh before his thumbs peeled her bottom lip away from its top, the digits hanging from her mouth as her tongue moved out of her mouth of its own accord, to lick across her lips and the tips of his fingers.

Then finally he moved, his mouth drifting towards hers so slowly that she was unable to look away, waiting with bated breath for him to claim her.

Slowly, he pressed his lips upon hers, dragging them languidly across to her waiting mouth. Groaning in anticipation, she thrust her hands into his hair as his tongue moved against hers, toying with it and forcing her to taste him.

Unable to take the heat that was building between her legs anymore, she ground down onto his thigh, moaning when his hand wound into her hair and forbid her to move from him. Feeling the slick, wet muscle move against her own, ignited a fire within her that she had not felt in a long time.

Hissing as his nails dug into her back, Temari bit down on his lip hoping to move him with some form of emotion. She was successful.

Groaning at her assault, Hidan kissed her harder, plunging his tongue further into her mouth, battling her for dominance.

Giving in, Temari balanced helplessly on his knee, her hands flailing wildly before Hidan captured them and pinned them against the wall, his lips moving mercilessly against her own.

Her knees weakened as Hidan moved his lips, dragging them from her bruised ones down languorously towards her neck, leaving a trail of wetness. Steadying herself against the wall, Temari clutched at the bricks, desperate for some boundary. Whimpering once more as he let his hands travel underneath her stained shirt towards her stomach, she hissed when a harsh bite clamped down onto her sensitive skin making her breathing quicken.

Realising that he would take her there against the wall if she let him, Temari let her own lips find her earlobe. Her stomach squirmed pleasurably, as she felt him snarl beneath her; it was time to move this elsewhere.

"Take me home," she whispered into his ear, before licking at his neck hoping to move him forward.

Jerkily, Hidan removed his thigh and fastened his hands to her hips to begin dragging her down towards the apartment complex.

Tumbling down the streets, his legs intertwining with hers, Temari breathed heavily feeling sweat pool on her body once more. Although they were moving, his fingers probed wantonly at her flesh and his lips were constantly on some part of her- weakening her resolve with every step. Occasionally, the movement would become too much and they would still against a lamppost, Hidan lifting her once more, to explore her neck, nipping and biting. Yet each time his fingers would stray towards her core, igniting Temari's arousal and forcing her to move them towards the flat.

Eventually they staggered into the building, their hands still clasping at each other. Struggling to find the stairs in the dark, Temari pulled Hidan up the levels, her hands relishing the feeling of his smooth skin moving beneath her own, tempting her unbearably.

Finally they reached her apartment door, and as Temari fumbled for her keys, Hidan all but ripped the buttons off of her shirt, exposing her to his gaze. She felt his low growl rumble deep within her thighs, as his hands closed around her breasts, groping at her licentiously. Moaning at his penetrating touch, Temari all but kicked the door open and moved inside, before finding herself slammed roughly against the wall.

---

"Ugh..."

Temari groaned as the light poured through her bedroom window, flooding the room and her eyes in a very offensive manner.

There was a grunt from next to her and suddenly she remembered what was slung underneath her arm and what was wrapped around her leg...

"Fucking hell..." a gruff voice hissed, as Temari looked down to remind herself that yes, she was fully naked, yes, so was he and yes, all of the emergency protection in her purse was gone.

Feeling very disorientated, she pulled the sheets up around her body further, reminding herself that there was no point because really- after every, single way they did it last night- there was no way that he hadn't seen every inch of her.

She couldn't remember much.

She definitely couldn't remember how they got into her bed...they were together a whole lot of places before her bed anyways.

Resisting the urge to vomit as she realised that there was blood on her sheets, she pushed them further away, drifting to the other side of the bed.

"Mornin'," Hidan murmured huskily, rolling over to press his body to hers, his arm slinging itself into the crook of her waist.

She shifted further away.

"Not a mornin' person?" he questioned wearily, pulling back from her a little. "Alright...well, I gotta piss anyways."

Her ears burned at the crass language- she didn't know why because he'd always sworn- and her nerves tingled because she hated this bit. The bit where they weren't smooth or suave anymore but harsh and blunt and it always ended like this.

Hidan threw himself out of the bed, grabbed a pillow to bring with him because Temari was wrapped in the blood stained sheets and swaggered from the room. She balked to think about what was rubbing up against her pillow and wondered why she was annoyed because it was rubbing up against her last night anyways.

Lying there, she tried her best to remember.

It was good. She had to admit that much. She could feel it because her inner thighs were still tingling- burning- and his finger prints may have well been imprinted on her back and neck.

She winced whenever she ran her hands over her neck to realise that some of the blood was her own- his teeth marks ever present.

How many times...?

She couldn't remember- but she hoped they were careful for all of them.

Christ, she thought she was past this.

Jolting, she sat upright when a polite yet brief knock echoed throughout her flat.

No.

"I'll get it," Hidan practically sang, because he recognised the knock as well.

"Fuck," ripped from her lips and she rolled out of bed all wrapped in the sheets and practically bolted to the living room.

But she was too late.

She couldn't see him, because Hidan only had the door half open, but he was leaning against the frame- only using the pillow to shield him from the world.

And she could hear him speaking and the tone of his voice and she knows that he did this on purpose.

"Temari?" Hidan said, as if he'd never met her before. "Sorry- she's kinda busy right now. Doubt she can walk to be honest..." and Temari felt the grin.

Shikamaru was mumbling in his deep tones and she couldn't hear what he was saying but it didn't sound pleasant.

Hidan let out a bark of laughter.

"Competition?" he crowed cockily, his legs crossed at the ankles. "You act like you had a fucking chance, kid. Like she was ever going to go for some twelve year old, mummy's boy prick..."

Shikamaru talked over him in louder tones that still sounded muted somehow.

"Respect? She doesn't want respect, dickhead. She wants someone who'll fuck her brains out, moron. Just like I did last night. If you want I'll tell you how she likes it...then maybe she'll..."

She couldn't believe he was talking about her in that way but she didn't know why she was surprised because of course he would. Look at him.

"...surprised you got any sleep last night, kid, the way I had her bouncing up and down on my..."

He was such an asshole!

Why did she ever sleep with him?

Why?

"...gagging for it now. Like she's ever going to ride your two inch..."

She could hear Shikamaru mumbling and it was ringing in her ears because even if he was shagging the stick he still liked her enough to come over and see if she was okay. Even after she was such a bitch last night.

And Hidan was still going, only now he was talking about her breasts...gesturing to his own chest with his hands... and she was going to kill him...

"...fucking spilling out over my fingers. Could barely hold them in..."

She was going to fucking end him.

Talking about her like that.

She was going to punch him, right in his stupid fucking face and then he'd never come back again.

She'd punch him so hard that it would crack her knuckles and he'd hit the floor and never fucking get up again. Dead useless weight.

CRACK.

Only Shikamaru beat her to it.

It was in slow motion- watching Hidan's body crumble to the ground, as though lifeless, his eyes lolling back in his head, tongue hanging ungracefully from his mouth.

He hit the floor with a loud thump and then she could see Shikamaru standing in her doorway, looking as angry as her.

"What the fuck did you do?" she screeched, forgetting that she was wrapped in a bloody sheet and that was all because Hidan was unconscious on her floor.

Shikamaru said nothing- eyes wide, mouth hanging open- as he surveyed her in all her disarray.

"Christ, he hurt you," he breathed, eyeing the blood on the sheet. "Where are you hurt? Is it bad?" he asked hurriedly, practically jumping over Hidan's body to get to her.

Moving back, Temari gazed at him, thinking he must be mad.

"Never mind about that," she barked, practically batting his hands away from her- although they are actually nowhere near her body. "What the fuck are we going to do about him?" she hissed, her neck craning round to get a good look at Hidan's limp form.

Seeing the look in his eyes harden, as he mistook her worry for genuine care, Temari grasps at his shoulder.

"Well...if you want, we can take him to the hospital..."

"Fuck that, I'm not paying for that bastard to get bandaged up," Temari replied, trying to assure him of her 'apathy' towards the shirtless man from the right. "I couldn't give a shit if he's hurt or not...I just don't want him bleeding all over my carpet."

Shikamaru smiled wryly before turning to admire his handiwork.

"You did what I was about to do," Temari continued, sounding softer than she meant to. "Only you did it slightly too well."

"I think I underdid it a bit personally," Shikamaru replied lowly, his eyes not moving from Hidan's direction.

Chuckling a little at his response, Temari turned to get dressed.

"Give me a minute and then we can dump his ass outside his flat."

"Not in a big pit somewhere?"

"If you've got one handy..."

Traipsing into her room, Temari ignored the reminders of his presence that littered the bed and pulled on her sweats, whilst she bravely resisted the urge to check the mirror to make sure she looked alright.

When she met him again, they moved towards the intruder's body, trying to decide which angle to take him from.

"Flip him over, then you take the legs and I'll take the arms" Shikamaru suggested simply, walking over Hidan's arms to get to the doorway.

"Alright," she groaned, moving his legs so that his front was lying on the floor.

Picking up his legs, she waited patiently to feel the relief of Shikamaru lifting the front.

"What?" she strained, after he took too long to move.

Dropping the legs she looked up at him, only to follow his eyes to the huge scratch marks decorating Hidan's back.

Coughing awkwardly and feeling her cheeks go red, she avoided Shikamaru's eyes.

"Maybe, if you lift him by the front...?"

"Right," Shikamaru responded gruffly, bending down to pull him up by the shoulders.

Temari grasped his legs and set them onto the floor, meeting Shikamaru's eye line over Hidan's slumped shoulders...

Only now he was staring at the numerous hickeys adorning Hidan's neck.

"Maybe, if you..?"

"It's fine," he cut in, not bothering to wait for her and moving Hidan all by himself all though she didn't know how because he was a lot shorter than Hidan...but then he did knock him out cold by one punch.

They dumped him outside of his door, lolled over, his body slumped uncharacteristically- only now Temari could see that when he was bent like that- his abs didn't look so very impressive.

"Did he hurt you?" Shikamaru asked quietly, rubbing the back of his neck and not looking in her direction.

"No," she spat out, grabbing at his right hand. "But he hurt you," she said, wincing at the blood and torn skin on his knuckles.

They stood there for a minute in the hallway, her looking at his hand. And for all the world she couldn't care less if Hidan was dead. Not when he's looking at her like that.

"Fucking twat," she murmured, her fingers gliding over his own, wondering why he would punch someone just for her.

Deciding that he needed bandaged up, she pulled him into his own apartment, set him down onto the armrest that she was perched on herself just a little while ago and marched into his kitchen.

---

They had been sitting there for a while, Temari noted as the cotton swab moved over Shikamaru's knuckles. She'd probably been taking an inordinate amount of time to clean him up but he hadn't stopped her.

There was tension in the air and she hadn't looked at him since they sat down, instead focusing her gaze on his fingers.

Jumping as the phone rings, blaring throughout the apartment, she finally met his eyes.

They were trained on her.

"Aren't you going to get that?" she asked, once again sounding soft.

He said nothing, but shook his head, his eyes still on her.

Her mouth formed an 'oh' but nothing came out and she continued to clean.

Beep.

"Hey babes, hope you're not feeling too down. 'Was just ringing up to see how it's going with the hottie next door and if making her jealous went well?"

Temari's eyes shot up to meet his and he didn't look away.

He was trying to make her jealous?

"Anyways, even if it didn't, don't worry; plenty more fish in the sea. I don't care what you say, Shikamaru! It's not possible to be in love with someone you barely know."

Now he's looking at the floor as she lets the cotton bud fall from her hands, trying to see his eyes.

"Call me if you need me!"

Beep.

Suddenly, he's on her, pushing her back into the couch, his hands pressing insistently at her shoulders and she gives.

Clutching at his waist, her lips met his setting off a shiver in her back that she doesn't think will ever go away.

Giving up on his waist, she moved her hands to his face, feeling the stubble beneath her finger tips and pressing her lips to his with more want than she's ever felt.

Her head backs against the base of the armrest now and he's still pushing, trying to get their bodies completely aligned but there's no point because the sofa's just not big enough for the two of them.

Deciding that she'd fix the situation for them, she grabbed him by his torso and rolled them onto the floor, ending in her straddling him, still kissing him like he's air.

And then she realised that for the second time in one day, she's straddling a man.

Breaking away from him breathlessly, she studied his eyes, which were somehow darker than they were before.

He's heaving too.

And God does she want to kiss him again, but she can feel Hidan's teeth marks and knows that she should stop.

"I-I-I need a shower," she breathed, looking down at him but avoiding his lips.

He nods as his eyes do a not-so-subtle sweep of her body craning over his.

She doesn't know why- but she wants to be clean for him.

Free of the jerk from the right.

She needs a shower and a couple of days- maybe a week- for the scars to fade away and leave no reminder of her indiscretion.

Temari groaned as she pulled herself off of him yet still unable to stand.

There is a couple of moments silence between them as they each settle on the sofa, still heaving...still not looking at one another.

"She tried to kiss me last night," Shikamaru said abruptly after a while, his hands linked in his lap. "I pulled away."

"Oh," Temari replied, now looking at his profile- whilst wishing that he would look at her. "Then- then...why did you hold her hand?" she asked oddly, unable to help herself.

Shikamaru let out a brief laugh, before turning to look at her.

"She was drunk," he said, eyeing her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What?" Temari asked, her brow shooting up in indignation. "How?"

"Naruto snuck vodka in," he continued, regarding her with a mild amusement. "He was just asking for the wine to see what he could get away with."

Laughing a little at the situation, Temari tried to ignore the bristling in her nerves when he grabbed her hand into his own.

"You weren't drunk," she said quietly, very aware that he is touching her.

Shikamaru shook his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Nope. What I was was bored out of my mind," he replied, a small grimace on his mouth.

She was about to reply but he continued.

"You know that your place does really good barbeque?" he stated oddly, now rubbing her fingers with his own making her feel slightly dizzy.

"Mmmm?"

"Yeah...Friday afternoon- there's a special on. My friend drags me and Ino there every Friday."

"Oh...you've been coming to my place for...?"

"A while," Shikamaru said wryly, and she can tell from his voice that it was probably more than a while. "Point is- I knew you worked there. That's why I brought Shiho there...to make it seem like a-a date...when it wasn't," he continued, stumbling gracelessly through the words as Temari tried to listen.

Silence set in once more and Temari doesn't want to reply...because if she does it'll lead to what happened after she left work last night... and she really doesn't want to talk about that.

"It was stupid and petty and I have no idea why I let Ino talk me into it," he rambled on, looking out of the window, his cheeks tinged slightly. "But I was...angry, I suppose."

"You had every right to be," Temari croaked, finally talking. "What I said to you was...despicable. And conceited and when I get angry I say stupid things and I have no idea how to stop myself. I always say horrible things that I never fucking mean."

Shikamaru nodded and looked at her once more, his deep brown eyes making her stomach slightly wobbly.

God, she liked this boy way too much.

"You also swear a lot."

Laughing as she nods to the affirmative, Temari thought of all of the reasons as to why she didn't deserve this very nice person.

"And you..."

"And I look like a tramp who only washes once a year and my hair never sits flat and I can barely manage to keep any clothes clean and I guarantee that your mother will hate me..."

"That would have happened anyways..."

Sighing as she breaks off of her rambling, Temari pulled her hand away from his and put her head into her hands.

She couldn't ignore the elephant in the room anymore.

"...and I sleep with creeps..."

The grimace is back on Shikamaru's face now, although he is still looking at her.

"Yup..."

"I have no idea why I did it," she began briefly, before the twisting in her stomach tells her that she's wrong. "Actually, that's a lie. I do. I was jealous and annoyed and half way down the road with a bottle of wine and...and, he was there."

There was more silence.

She'd probably blown it. Again.

"If you want time to- to reconsider I..."

"I just kissed you, I'm not going to change my mind," Shikamaru cut in harshly, eyeing the ceiling once more.

"Right, okay. Well, I-I'm going to go and get showered and stuff..." Temari said, not really sure where she was going with that train of thought. Resisting the urge to kiss him again as she moved towards the door, Temari reassured herself that it wouldn't have been a good idea.

He probably needed time.

---

It had been a week since Shikamaru punched Hidan.

Temari hadn't heard anything from either of them, but she was just about ready to put her fist through a wall.

She knew that he'd need time but not this much time.

Coming up the stairs from work, she grumbled to think that she could have just slept with him and had it all over and done with.

But that would have been too slutty- even for her.

Shoving open the door, she nearly tripped over her feet at the sight of her apartment.

It was clean.

She could actually see the top of her sofa.

And the windows truly had light shining through them and the blood stain on the carpet was gone and- and...there was someone in the kitchen.

Peering around the wall warily to see who was currently so brave as to occupy the ruins that were her kitchen, Temari jumped upon seeing Shikamaru standing at her stove, stirring something that smelt delicious in a stainless steel pot.

Shutting the door slowly, she made her way further into the apartment, her brow still furrowed as Shikamaru turned around to greet her.

"Hey," he said easily, relaxing against the counter and regarding her with a small smirk on his face.

"H-h-hey," Temari replied, gazing around the kitchen whilst revelling in the lack of mould. "What...what are you doing here?" she asked unsteadily, moving slowly towards him.

Smiling at her before turning back towards the stove, Shikamaru began stirring again. "Well, I thought since you spent the day serving people food, you deserved someone else to do the same for," he said simply, tapping his fingers against the counter.

"Oh," she responded dumbly, now standing idiotically in the middle of the room.

Playing with her fingers idly, whilst she tried to think of something to say, she set her bag down carefully as Shikamaru hummed a light tune.

"It's been a week," she couldn't help but blurt out, blinking much more than could possibly be normal. "I thought that you'd..."

"I'd already told you that I wasn't going to change my mind," he answered abruptly, still focusing on the hob. "I just needed a while to get my head in shape," Shikamaru continued, now tapping the wooden spoon onto the side of the pot before setting it down. He turned to face her. "You see...I like you," he began hesitantly. "A little too much to be normal. When most people find out that the person they like slept with a human being that they would wish rubbed off the face of the earth, they're generally quite angry," he went on, now leaning against the counter once more, his eyes boring into hers. "Me? I almost had you out of your clothes the next day. That's not normal."

As Temari tried to think of a reply, she found that she couldn't find one. She settled on opening and closing her mouth uselessly several times, before mimicking Shikamaru and leaning against the wall.

"I needed a while to reassure myself that I wasn't actually crazy and was just head over heels."

"And?" Temari asked timidly, undoubtedly afraid of what his answer would be. She had spent entirely too much time in the last week thinking about him...and how nice they would be together.

"I'm in your kitchen making dinner for you," he answered wryly, before turning back to the stove. "What do you think?"

Letting out a sigh, Temari couldn't help a small smile, a feeling of uncommon happiness bubbling in her stomach.

"You also cleaned," she said in admiration, eyeing the apartment once more, unable to remove her eyes from the light streaming in through the windows.

"Mmmm," he let out gently, his eyes moving round the room observing his own handiwork. "And, I bought you utensils," he said sardonically, gesturing to the pot he was currently using. "And, I cleaned out your bookshelf," he went on, as Temari gasped, noticing the newly clean bookshelf that actually held all of her books.

"Thanks," she breathed, now turning back to face him.

"That's not all..." he said cryptically.

"Oh?"

"New bed sheets," he responded lowly and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

Letting out a breathy laugh, Temari folded her arms and regarded his back with mock incredulity.

"Little presumptuous, don't you think?"

"All that asshole did was follow you home," he said, still sounding happy although Temari winced at the mention of Hidan. "I made you dinner and cleaned. I think my presumptions are fully correct. Or at least they ought to be," he finished with bold confidence, the smirk still present.

"You'll get no more than a knee in the groin if you carry on like that," she replied, through justified indignation, her hands now on her hips. "I don't care if you made an eight course dinner."

Temari's eyes narrowed as Shikamaru chuckled, his eyes filled with mirth back on her as he faced her.

Moving towards her, his scent invaded her personal space as he came to stand directly in front of her.

"I cleaned the toilet," he added deeply, his eyes earning her unbreakable gaze once more.

A shocked relief of air escaped Temari before she gave into the inevitable.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him down harshly towards her, colliding their lips desperately, a whimper escaping her as his arms wrapped possessively around her waist.

She kissed him like they'd been apart for years, her lips parched from their separation from his own.

Finally, unable to feel him the way she wanted, Temari twisted their bodies to move Shikamaru to the wall, her hands roaming over his lean chest, revelling the muscles they found there.

Happily, she noted his groans and heavy breathing as she enveloped herself in him, her tongue now seeking out his own.

Her hands grasped his wrists and began pulling him towards her bedroom, her mind now no longer coherent.

They were half way there when he stopped her.

Pushing her body from his, he moved away from her, his breathing resounding throughout the room.

She was about to ask what was wrong when he began to speak.

"Wait...wait," he said through laboured breaths, still looking at her in a way that made her want to jump him all over again.

"What?" she hissed indignantly, annoyed that he had stopped their beautiful progress.

"There are rules," Shikamaru continued, seeming unsure of where to put his hands which seemed desperate to be near her once more.

"Rules?"

"Yeah...rules," he said steadily. "Like...like no more sleeping with assholes that aren't me."

Nodding silently, Temari bit the inside of her mouth in frustration from the lack of action.

"And...as much as I want to...maybe we should wait a while before we..."

Realizing where he was going with that sentence, Temari felt her hands clench in annoyance. But she wasn't going to give up without a fight. Letting her fingers slip down to the hem of her tee-shirt, she slowly allowed them to drift upwards, pulling the material with her.

"...y'know...do anything because..."

Shikamaru's voice trailed off as he realized what she was doing, his eyes becoming transfixed upon her evermore exposed torso.

Finally, she pulled the shirt over her head, smiling openly when she saw the blush that existed upon Shikamaru's cheeks and the unmistakeable focus of his gaze.

"You were saying?" she asked lightly, letting her hands move upwards towards her bra strap.

"Nothing," he replied dumbly, moving towards her remarkably quickly, his fingertips ghosting over her mid riff. "Absolutely nothing."

---

As she lay there, swaddled in her new bed sheets, Temari reflected on how lucky she was to be given a fresh chance. Feeling Shikamaru's breath tickle her neck, she smiled. No more shirtless assholes. No more unclean apartment, no more being miserable. And definitely no more Hid-

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Realising who was currently outside her door, Temari hissed in indignation, wishing that he would just screw off and leave them alone. Wondering if she could make it out of the bed without waking Shikamaru, she was just about to escape unnoticed when a voice rang out clear.

"Hey! Babe, you in there?"

Mouthing a number of profanities, Temari removed her legs from Shikamaru's, and slipped gracelessly out of the bed. She was going to give him hell. Pulling on an old, knee length tee-shirt, she moved towards the door.

"Come on, Temari! Open up!"

Tip-toeing around the bed, she had just about made it to the door when another voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Turning back around to face a very much awake Shikamaru, Temari smiled guiltily.

"To tell him to fuck off."

"Hmmm..." Shikamaru breathed, as if considering the matter. "I don't think so," he concluded, finally sitting up and throwing his legs over the edge of the bed. Moving towards her, he pressed her into the door frame, his hands travelling underneath her shirt to explore.

"That's my job," he said softly, after a kiss, a small smirk now gracing his mouth. "Stay where you are," he added, moving away from her and towards her apartment door.

"What?" Temari growled through a whisper; following him hesitantly out into the living room. "Shikamaru, no!" she said a little more loudly, afraid that she would have another unconscious man adorning her doorway any second now.

Either ignoring her objections or simply disagreeing with them, Shikamaru continued towards the door with an elegant swagger.

Temari's stomach churned as he threw the door open, to reveal Hidan complete with black eye.

Wincing as she saw his expression change from smirk to downright outraged, Temari couldn't help but feel a little vindictive. She was certain Shikamaru's own expression was much more pleasant.

"Can I help you?" he asked through a yawn, now leaning against the door way.

After a few terse moments of silence, Hidan spoke.

"I'd like to speak to Temari, please," he bit out, his fists clenched, expression unchanged.

"Hmmmm..." Shikamaru replied, scratching his head. "Temari? Sorry...she's busy right now. Can I take a message?"

Unable to hold back a laugh at Shikamaru's tone, Temari sniggered through her fingers, unfortunately attracting Hidan's attention who peered round Shikamaru's head at her, fixing her with a glare.

"Yeah..." he said spitefully. "Tell her I said she can go fuck herself."

Feeling an uncomfortable anger bubble in the pit of her stomach, Temari felt her own fists clench in a serious desire to hurt him.

"I'll make sure she gets it," Shikamaru responded simply, halting Temari in her tracks towards the door. "Oh and Hidan?" he went on, all jollity gone from his voice. "I'd bank on her being busy for about the next ten years or so..."

"Please," Hidan cut in viciously. "You flatter yourself, love," he stated, still looking at her. "She's all yours, dweeb," he finished, his eyes back on Shikamaru.

Letting out a snort of laughter, Shikamaru stood up to his full height, slowly edging Hidan out of the doorway.

"You act like you had a fucking chance, asshole," he growled, shoving the man out into the hallway, before slamming the door shut.

Turning around to face her, Shikamaru regarded her with a smug look on his face.

"I would have done better," she sneered at him, trying to hide her pout.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," she continued on, as he moved towards her. "You know there's baseball bat there for a reason!"

Chuckling at her, Temari felt her indignation fade away as he wrapped his arms about her waist. "Either way, I doubt he'll be back anytime soon..."

His voice edged away as another knock echoed throughout her apartment...except this time it was for next door.

"Shikamaru?" came a small mousy voice. "Are you in there?"

Feeling a wicked grin come over her, Temari's stomach shrieked in happiness as Shikamaru gave her a fixed glare.

"No," he said firmly, his arms wrapping around her even tighter.

"Oh, yes, my dear," Temari responded vivaciously and untangling herself from his grip. Moving towards the doorway, she felt Shikamaru run after her, attempting to grasp at her arms unsuccessfully.

Opening the door slowly, Temari peered out to see Shiho standing in front of Shikamaru's door, with an embarrassed look on her face.

Clearing her throat, Temari smirked when the girl's eyes snapped towards her timidly.

"Are you looking for Shikamaru?" she asked sweetly, smiling sickeningly at the girl.

"Y-y-yes," she answered hesitantly. "We have class."

Feeling particularly vindictive, Temari felt around for Shikamaru's arm behind her until finally she grasped it. Throwing his half naked body into the door frame, she pressed herself up against him and kissed him passionately.

Breaking away to find, Shikamaru breathing hard and looking very uncomfortable, Temari batted her eyelashes up at him, hooking her arms around his neck. "Baby, you have class," she said, in her best Ino impression.

Seemingly unable to respond, Shikamaru opened and closed his mouth several times, his eyes darting around and looking anywhere but Shiho.

Chuckling as she pushed Shikamaru back into her apartment, Temari smiled at Shiho once more, relishing the girl's dumbstruck expression.

"Sorry, Shikamaru won't be coming to class today. He's a little busy," she said deviously, leaving Shiho as to no doubt what he was busy doing. "Bye," she sang harshly, before slamming the door with a resounding noise.

She turned around to witness Shikamaru regarding her with a grimace on his face.

"You are a vindictive woman," he said bitterly, eyes narrowed. "She didn't deserve that."

Shrugging her shoulders, Temari smiled back at him as she let him continue.

"Shiho wasn't involved in any of this and even if she was, it was me who..."

Laughing at his expression, as she removed her shirt, Temari stood there and waited.

"Not fair," Shikamaru gritted out, his eyes once more anywhere but her unclothed body.

"You're not going to do anything about it?" she said, feigning hurt through a pout.

"Nope," he replied tightly.

Sighing, Temari moved towards the door.

"Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to see if Hidan's home."

She had barely made it halfway towards the door when she heard a growl and a hand enclosed her wrist and threw her to the floor.