A/N: Hope anyone who has me tagged as a Favorite Author didn't think I was dead! Anyway, here's a little oneshot I was inspired to write on the way to work a couple of days ago. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of these characters.

Two… No, three to the left…

I took pains to make sure I dodged the two kunai aimed at my body. Four more had come with them, but they were obvious feints, aimed too far off to my sides to even worry about. The shinobi-turned-bandits I was squaring off against were good, but they weren't great. Still, they had the advantage. It was nearly midnight, so I was out of my element. With time and training, I might have been able to use the shadows of darkness itself to give myself a boost. But for now, at my current skill, it was just too much for my mind to wrap around. It was like trying to catch and carry the ocean with my bare hands.

Damn it, more of these idiots?

I had to contort my body to avoid the new wave of kunai hurtling at me, letting myself fall a few feet from my current altitude in the trees. It was getting more difficult to make out their positions, even as I tried to keep them moving with me

'A friendly diplomatic mission,' the Hokage said. 'Good for our relations with the Hidden Sand Village,' she said. 'Something easy, right up your alley,' she said. I hope she chokes on the sake I'm sure she's drinking right now.

Four more kunai whizzed at me, and with no alternatives, I quickly drew two of my own. Ducking to avoid one, I used the glint of moonlight reflecting off the others to block them. Their throws were getting more accurate. I was probably close to the Land of Wind's border, but at this rate, these bandits were going to stick me like a pig.

And the ones cowering in the trees weren't even the worst part.

Just need to keep focused… Where did that other one-

"Lightning Style: Lightning Bolt Jutsu!"

Here we go again!

With all my might, I pushed off the branch I had landed on, propelling myself high into the canopy. I was fortunate to have reacted quickly. The instant my feet let the bark, the branch under me exploded into a bright mess of splinters and tinder. My sense of victory was short-lived, however, as I felt a blade sink into my back.

Worthless flak jacket… It can't even keep out a thrown kunai?

An instant later, my assumption was proven wrong. Severely.

I felt something grab my shoulder and pull me back hard. My brain quickly realized that the kunai hadn't been thrown, but instead had been directly stabbed into my shoulder blade. My assailant had apparently caught up with me. In an instant, I was in a free fall headed toward the ground. Casting a glance backward, I discovered how he had reached me so quickly. While I was jumping to avoid the lightning, then worrying about the other bandits targeting me, he had used a quick jutsu to abruptly raise the ground underneath him, launching him at me.

Not bad, creep.

My body smashed through one branch, then a second one before I hit the earth crushingly hard on my side. I groaned as the air was forced from my lungs and made a note not to let that guy land a direct hit on me. As I opened my eyes, I saw the world spinning around me, but I wasn't gonna stop moving for anyone. Bolting blindly to my feet, I ran ahead, just barely beating out three more kunai imbedding themselves into the soft dirt I had landed on.

It only took me a second to realize my arm was, at the very least, badly sprained. It wasn't too bad, probably not broken, but it certainly didn't help my situation. What was more troublesome, however, was the fact that their leader was capable of catching up to me very quickly. I'd be dead within minutes if I didn't turn this around.

I reached into my pocket and picked out one of my favorite tools: a simple, homemade flare. I gripped it tightly in my hand, knowing I'd only have one shot at pulling my plan off. I had to wait until I was sure all of them were in range, especially the big ape hurling lightning at me.

Come on, come on… Where are you?

Just then, I heard him. He was above me, angling downward and pushing off a branch in an effort to smash me into the ground. Knowing the time to act had come, I imbued the tiny ball in my hand with chakra and threw it ahead of me. Putting on one last burst of speed, I avoided two more kunai and the creep's foot as it crushed the earth I had been standing on. Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I turned around just as the forest lit up with a bright white light, revealing everything around me. I didn't exactly have time to take in the scenery, though. Unable to move my left arm, I simply kept my hands low as I brought them together.

Shadow Possession Jutsu…

As my eyes focused, I saw just how close I'd come to not making it out of there. The bandit leader, proudly sporting a Hidden Rock Village forehead protector with a gash through the symbol, was leering over me. I could feel his raw strength as he desperately tried to stop his body from assuming my stance. But even with all that muscle, the kunai that was mere inches away from my shoulder (what is it with this guy and m shoulders?) fell to the ground as his hands met at his waist, forming the Rat seal with me.

Damn it, my body feels weak… But I'm not done yet, though… His cronies are still out there, just waiting for me to slip up. How troublesome. My lungs are burning, my head is pounding, my left arm is practically numb... And my eyes… They don't want to focus. Ugh, whatever I do, I need to do it in the next five minutes. That flare won't last forever, but my shadow is the problem. Maybe if I threaten him, they'll come out. Shadow Neck Bind? Shadow Sewing? I… I feel… Oh, no…

The bandit leader's expression changed instantly from rage to smug satisfaction. Chuckling softly, he broke the silence, "So, have you figured it out? You must feel it. The poison's been pumping through your blood for a few minutes now. Don't worry, it's nothing lethal. We can't have our prized bounty dying on us."

Poison? Bounty?

"What… What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

The bandit chuckled. "Come on now," he said, still tensing against my slowly weakening shadow. "A Nara so far out of Konoha? I'm sure that Hokage of yours would pay quite a price to get you back. Or at least your family would."

No…

"I won't give you the satisfaction," I said as calmly as I could. But that façade was rapidly fading. I could feel the poison weakening my right leg, and my left arm was already entirely useless. I had time for two more moves before my body shut down. After that, I was at their mercy.

Make it count.

I forced my eyes to focus again, glancing at the trees behind the bandit captain. Reaching across my body and into the pouch resting on my left hip, I gripped a kunai and withdrew it. I swallowed hard, noticing the man in front of me doing the exact same thing. Regardless, if I played my cards right, everything would be fine. As best I could figure, his group was standing 10 meters behind him and slightly to his left. There was a chance I was mistaken, but I didn't have time for second guesses. As I readied my throw, I was silently relieved that I was still a little short. More to the point, I was relieved that the captain was a good head and shoulders taller than I was. If I positioned myself correctly, he'd throw his own kunai clear over me.

Taking one last steadying breath, I wound up my throw, then gasped as I heard a branch creak and groan above me.

They moved… Sneaky bastards.

Changing my grip on the kunai, I imbued my chakra into the tag attached to its hilt and quickly flung the weapon upward.

Unfortunately, so did the bandit captain.

I couldn't stifle a shout as his longer reach allowed his blade to slash diagonally across the bridge of my nose and up my left eyebrow. While he missed my eye, by what had to be millimeters, I still couldn't see as blood poured down over my eye and cheek.

It didn't matter, though. I'd still gotten the throw off. All I heard was a gasp when that second light joined that of the flare. Shortly afterward, an explosion rocked the area, forcing myself, and the captain, to our knees. My sight was nearly completely out of focus at that point. The poison was frustratingly efficient at crippling my senses.

But the slash's pain gave me the clarity I needed to locate the kunai the captain had dropped when I caught him in my shadow. I knew I had to act fast before the rest of his gang could regroup and attack.

Adrenaline kept my arm steady as I reached out, clutching a bit of dirt and grass in front of me. The object in my assailant's hand, however, was much more interesting. His own kunai was forcefully and firmly in his grip. With my one good eye, I looked into his eyes. As I expected, his face was stone-set and emotionless. He knew what was coming, and he was ready for it. With the last of my strength, I turned my hand and jerked it into my chest.

The poison forced me down to the ground. He wasn't so lucky.

I knew my victory was only partial, though. He still had at least two other helpers alive and well and ready to cart me off. I decided not to worry about it. Instead, I fascinated myself by observing as my body gave out. Within seconds, I couldn't feel anything, just a vague sensation of firmness underneath me. My eyesight faded to blurry darkness soon after that, though I could still partially make out the light the flare was giving off. The forest's smell was next, and I figured taste went along with that, though I wasn't much in the mood for eating anyway.

I found myself thinking of everything I'd miss in the likely event these creeps killed me out of revenge. Shogi with Asuma-sensei, cloud-gazing with Choji, my tyrannical mom's well-cooked mackerel on a bed of kelp. My bed, of course, was also high on the list, as were days off of work.

And then there was her. Temari, as she often preferred to be called. Troublesome Woman, as I often preferred to call her. The bane of my existence and the reason I was still alive. One of the only people to constantly challenge me physically and intellectually, even when I hated her for it. Someone I could fight in perfect synchronization with, without even talking to her. One of only two people to single-handedly save my life. As I sifted back through my memories, it occurred to me that, outside of Choji, she was my closest friend. It seemed almost pathetic to admit it to myself, but it was true. As her guide, I spent almost every waking moment with her whenever she was in the Hidden Leaf Village. And as much grief as I gave the Hokage over being assigned to her, I never really minded it. She wasn't the problem, honestly. It was just the fact that it meant I had work to do. The Troublesome Wom… Temari… actually made it more bearable. And as for my current mission, I think seeing her might just have been worth the three-day run to her village.

Yeah. I think I'll miss her, too.

My hearing was the last sense to go. I heard two muffled sets of footsteps somewhere in front of me and figured it was time to go ahead and let the poison knock me out. But before I did, I could've sworn I heard the strangest thing.

"Ninja Art: Wind Scy…"

Oh, my head… My arm… My body… What a drag. Easy, easy. Don't move. Don't let them know you're awake. Just breathe.

The poison had certainly worn off. I could feel every excruciating ache and pain coursing through my body with each heartbeat. Forcing myself not to think about it, I instead began to formulate a plan. There was no sense in trying to escape now. I'd need to wait a while to gather my strength. Still, I needed to figure out where I was and how many people I had guarding me.

The first thing I felt, aside from the agony my body seemed to be in, was an oddly comfortable warmth enveloping me.

A fire… All right, I'm in a camp? No, the ground isn't right. Just hard dirt, almost rock. What else? I hear rain. Heavy rain. I must be in a shelter. A cave, maybe? Wait, someone else is breathing, I can hear them. One guard. There's… There's an echo. Yeah, definitely a cave. I can't be too far from the entrance, but there's no way to be sure. I could be in a pit for all I know. And what's this on my face? Gauze? Bandages? And on my back… And my arm is in a sling. They're… healing me? Why?

"You've already been out for 36 hours. Exactly how long are you going to pretend to be asleep, lazy ass?"

Her.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, only to realize I barely had the strength to do it. I managed to clear my throat and try again. "I guess not much longer," I said, my voice scratchy and dry from disuse.

She chuckled softly, which I didn't expect from her. Then again, she always did like to keep me guessing.

"Can you move?" she asked, concern tinting her question.

Good question…

With a groan, I slowly managed to push myself into a sitting position with my good arm, grimacing even as I did. I finally opened my eyes only to find that my suspicions were correct. Gauze bandages covered the left side of my face, preventing me front seeing much of anything with that eye. But my right one still worked fine, taking in the area around me. I was, in fact, in a cave, and there was a small fire near me to keep the area warm. But as I glanced down, I noticed something I hadn't felt before. I was shirtless. And without pants. In fact, all I could feel were my boxers, which was a bit of a concern for me.

"Where are my clothes?" I managed to ask, glancing at her.

She tilted her head, gesturing to the mouth of the cavern. My clothes were bundled near the entrance, looking torn, bloody, and not much like anything I wanted back.

I opened my mouth to ask my next question, but she cut me off. "You were pretty beat up, Shikamaru," she said. "I needed to make sure there weren't any other wounds on you."

I frowned gently. "So you took my pants off?"

"Relax," she said with a scoff, closing her eyes and settling back against the cave wall. "It's nothing I haven't seen before plenty of times."

What? What did she say?

"I, uh… What… What exactly did you-"

"Shikamaru," she said, sounding annoyed. "In our line of work, we're bound to see those types of things."

I think I want to go back to sleep…

She incorrectly took my silence as a cue to continue. "I mean, I'm sure you've seen plenty of women's before," she said. "Probably since the day you were born."

Is she out of her mind?

Temari suddenly burst out laughing, holding her stomach at the intensity of it. "You should see your face! Legs, idiot," she said between bouts of raucous laughter. "I'm talking about your legs. That's what I saw."

What a drag.

She continued laughing for well over two minutes. And while her enjoyment was at my expense, I couldn't help but feel relieved. She had saved me yet again. That was probably worth a joke or two. Eventually, though, she did calm herself, wiping a few tears from her eyes. Apparently, my expression had been quite priceless to her. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and spoke again. "Well, since you're up, hold still," she said. Despite the commanding nature in her voice, there was something in her eyes. Something almost… playful. I hated it when she got like this.

"Why?" I asked, still unused to my voice being so hoarse.

She simply scoffed, as if the answer should be obvious. "I want to check your wounds," she said. "You had a kunai lodged in your back when I found you, your elbow was swollen and purple, and your face was covered in blood. Or did you forget about all that, genius?"

I shook my head, "No, I meant why should I get up? I'm the one who's hurt here."

If she was going to give me grief, she was getting some back.

She rolled her eyes, a sign that I was succeeding in annoying her. "Because I want to see if you're strong enough to stand and walk. If you fall, I'll catch you."

Yeah, right.

But I knew better than to argue at this point. I'd already scored my point. I slowly shifted my feet under my body and, making sure the blanket was wrapped securely around my waist, I pushed myself to a standing position. I only wobbled for a second before I got my balance figured out. Taking a deep breath, I moved to her, shambling slowly over to her spot. Unfortunately, with the bandage covering my left eye, my perception wasn't fantastic. The lack of details impaired my decisions slightly, evidenced by when I unceremoniously dropped down. Right into Temari's lap.

I guess I knocked the air out of her, because she was silent for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and said, "Oi, get off. Don't think I'm too tired to kick your ass."

Even as she threatened me, though, I could tell her heart wasn't in it. She sounded exhausted, and with good reason. Her eyes had bags and dark circles under them. I didn't have to ask her to know I'd been out for a while. A small pang of guilt welled up inside me before I pushed it away.

Sighing, I quickly shifted off of her, sitting down on the dirt floor right next to her. I then turned away from her and leaned forward, exposing my back. I winced gently as she ripped the bandages away from the wound, only to hear her chide me for flinching.

"Relax, crybaby. It's better when the tape comes off quick and hard," she said, examining the wound. "Hrm… Looks like you'll be fine. Hold on." I could hear her rummaging through a bag. A few moments later, she was dressing my wound once more, taking care not to aggravate it. I was surprised how gentle she could be when she wasn't trying to destroy everything. As she worked, I heard her stifle a yawn and felt her body sway gently before she caught herself. That pang of guilt sprang up inside me again. I wasn't sure why.

Was it because I had made her stay up for nearly two days to keep watch? As a fan of sleep myself, I could certainly relate to her problem. And even though shinobi could stay up for days on end, who knows how long she'd been up before then? Was it because my injuries made her take care of me? I didn't like putting effort into much of anything, much less other people's problems. I could understand if she was a bit upset with have more work to do, even if she didn't show it. Or was it… Or was it just because I didn't like seeing her uncomfortable and exhausted, especially because it was my fault?

When she finished wrapping my wound, I slowly turned, resting gently against the cave wall and nodding my thanks. Taking a deep breath, I threw a glance at her rain-soaked sleeping mat. It must've started pouring sometime between when I passed out and when she found this place. She seemed to be dry, but that could be for any number of reasons. Bah, it didn't matter. My brain was already working out a strategy, regardless of whether I wanted it to.

Shaking my head gently to clear it, I took a deep breath, then stretched out before gently pressing my side to hers.

Damn troublesome woman... She'd better appreciate this. But then, what is she gonna do? She wouldn't hit me with her fan. Not in the condition I'm in. I hope.

"Fail at sitting down again, Nara? You're a little close, no?" she asked.

I braced myself for an argument.

"No," I said nonchalantly, almost matter-of-factly. "Your mat's drenched and this wall is uncomfortable. You did me a favor, I'm returning it. Get some rest, I'll keep watch."

With my eye bandaged, I couldn't see her response in my periphery. There was definitely some hesitation, which was probably bad. But I held my ground, letting the offer stand. If she was as tired as she looked, I knew I'd win out.

Sure enough, it didn't take her overly long to cave. But as I felt her body relax against mine, freeing herself of some pretty immense tension in the process, I suddenly felt that pang of guilt well up inside me again. She seemed… bared. Vulnerable. I knew she hated feeling like that, and I knew my offer was the reason she did. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe she was fine. But either way, the seemingly simple act of letting go of days' worth of stress so she could rest meant that she trusted me alone enough to keep her safe and sound at her weakest.

But then again, hadn't that always been the case? We'd saved each other's lives a number of times before now. All right, she'd saved my life a number of times before now. She had seen me at my weakest, my absolute lowest. Temari had been at the hospital after Choji almost died trying to bring Sasuke back. Temari had been there when that crazy Sound chick had me down, out, and a foot away from death. Temari had been there almost two days ago when…

What a pain…

I lifted my arm and draped it over her shoulders, allowing her to get more comfortable. There was no complaining, no protesting. She simply readjusted to get closer to me and drew part of my blanket over her lap. After a brief moment of hesitation, she rested her head on my shoulder.

It was the beginning of the end for me.

I reached up, lightly undoing one of her pigtails and letting that section of her hair fall limp. Judging from the contented sound she made, I figured she was all right with it. I unfastened a second band, then a third, letting them fall to the ground as her hair began to take a more natural shape.

I turned my head to glance at her and was surprised to see how short her hair actually was. Even mostly undone, it only hung to her shoulders. I always thought for some reason it would spill down her back. After a moment's consideration, I decided I liked that it was short. It was practical, which was Temari in a nutshell. I couldn't help but notice that it framed her face well. Maybe I'd suggest she wear it down more often. She looked…

Hell, when did this all happen? When did I decide… Well, all or nothing now.

I was about to open my mouth to speak to her. I was going to tell her, begrudgingly of course, how I'd appreciated everything she'd done for me. How she'd been there to get me through the tough times. How she'd always pushed me to be better than I thought I could be, even when I wanted to do nothing more than sit and watch clouds. I suppose I was also going to tell her that, at the very end, when I thought my life could effectively be over, her face was the last image in my mind. I guess I could let her draw her own conclusions from that. She wasn't stupid, after all. I wouldn't like her if she was.

But before I could begin, Temari disrupted my plans. Fucking surprise.

"So, this is it?" she asked groggily. "We're together now?"

Of course she knew. She'd probably known even before I did.

Bless you, woman.

"Seems like it," I said quietly as I freed the last of her pigtails. What else could I say? There was nothing more to add. Sighing softly, I slid my fingers through her hair to smooth it out, enjoying the feel of it against my skin. I also enjoyed the relaxed sounds she was making at my touch, but for different reasons entirely. Managing to make the lazy grin she loved to hate, I stroked her hair for a few minutes before my hand left to let my arm wrap around her. She took a moment to resituate her head on my shoulder while she nestled closer to me.

Is she… nuzzling me?

A not entirely unwelcome prospect.

I also noticed her own arm wrapping around my waist, loosely holding me to her. And it was at that moment that I felt that every single person I'd ever heard talk of love was completely insane.

There wasn't any fanfare, any music, any electricity in the air. There weren't any fireworks going off in my head or any goofy pet names running through my mind. I didn't have the urge to write sappy poetry, and as far as I could tell, she wasn't quietly pledging herself to be mine for all eternity. And if she woke up the next day and offered to do housework like a good wife, we were going to have a serious talk after I recovered from the heart attack that would give me. But that didn't matter. None of that nonsense was even remotely in the picture.

No, that wasn't it at all. As far as I could tell, we were just a guy and a girl getting exactly what we wanted and – far more importantly – what we needed from one another. We had companionship, warmth, protection, and a bit of peace and quiet. We had each other.

And for once, couldn't that be enough? Would that be so terrible? No, this was simple. It worked. I could do simple.

As the blonde warrior fell asleep in my arms, I found myself gently resting my cheek against the top of her head. To give myself something to do, I took a moment to inhale the scent of her hair, figuring I'd need to get used to it sooner or later. Letting my mind analyze it, I found that I couldn't quite pin down the smell. Pears? Some sort of melon? Peaches? Was a peach-scented shampoo even available in the desert? Whatever it was, I found it to be… pleasant. Was that a word I used now? Pleasant?

Hell, I was screwed… My dad was never going to let me live this down.