Mendouksai: Shikamaru + Temari

Chapter 3: Sakura Tree

"Hey Shika," she waved. The boy smiled and gave a quick hello in return.

"Umm… Lady Tsunade, I'm here to collect the paperwork for the Academy Students," she said, attempting to control her blush and Shikamaru stood next to her.

"Yes, of course, here you are," the busty lady smiled and handing her a folder with all the information of the new students.

"Thanks you, M'lady," she bowed, clutching onto the folder and smiling.

"No problem, is that all?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Very well, you are dismissed," Lady Tsunade said, waving them away with her hand. The duo bowed then left, smiling on their way out.

"So you're my escort huh?" she giggled, nudging Shikamaru. The black haired boy chuckled nervously and grinned.

"Guess so, I hope you know you're interrupting my nap. It's so troublesome," he laughed.

Temari blushed and giggled along with him. The two of them made their way towards an Equipment Room. Temari needed to take inventory on how much equipment they had stored for the Chuunin Exams.

"Hold this please?" she asked, gesturing towards the large binder with information.

"Yeah sure," he nodded, grasping the folder. The two blushed when their hands touched, sending chills through them both. Temari reluctantly pulled away and opened the door to the storage room. The inventory procedure took a few minutes as she counted everything up, noting what they had and what they needed. So far everything was in perfect order.

Once the duo finished their jobs of inventory, they decided to rest for the remainder of the day.

"Hey, Temari, let's go get some Dango," Shikamaru suggested, walking closely to Temari as they made their way through the village.

"Sure, if you don't think it's 'such a drag'," she smiled. The black haired boy just grinned and led the way to his favorite Dango shop. He opened the door then stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter first.

"M'lady," he smirked, playfully bowing as she entered. Temari blushed and giggled.

"Thank you kind sir," she responded, making her man friend blush.

The duo sat down in a small booth in the back of the restaurant, sitting across from each other. A waitress with long brown hair and bright green eyes approached them.

"Hello, I will be your waitress for this evening. What can I get you two to drink?" she asked, pulling out a pen and a piece of paper.

"Two waters," Shikamaru responded, yawning slightly.

"I'll be right back," the girl said and walked off towards the kitchen.

"Wow Shika, you sleep all day, but you're still tired," Temari smiled, rolling her eyes playfully. The boy stuck his tongue out at her then smirked.

"What can I say? I'm lazy," he chuckled.

"Here you are," the waitress said, placing the drinks on their table. "And what would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Two servings of Dango, please," Temari smiled. The girl nodded and walked off once again.

"So Temari, how have you been?"

"Hmm…pretty good. You?"

"Tired," he chuckled.

"Well that's not anything new," she smiled.

"So how'd you get stuck organizing the Chuunin Exams?" he asked, propping up his elbow and resting his head in his palm.

"Gaara thought it would be a good idea," Temari shrugged, sighing. "I don't see why he couldn't get Kankuro to do it though."

"Well he's probably not as organized as you are," Shikamaru stated.

"I suppose, but it's still tiring. I'll be running back and forth between villages, taking paperwork and equipment from place to place," she pouted.

"Hey, I'm your escort, so I will be too."

Temari smiled at that. She was glad that Shikamaru would be her company on the boring walks to and from the two villages. He could help her transport the supplies they needed, which would make the process go faster than originally planned. The blonde was actually looking forward to it all, getting to spend so much time with her crush.

Shikamaru was happy about it too. He was glad Lady Tsunade accepted his offer, when he told her how he felt. She looked touched by the boy's feelings and in turn, assigned the two to be a pair for the Chuunin Exams. He was excited to be able to be with Temari. To see her giggle at him jokes and to see her blush at his compliments. He knew he had fallen hard for the Kazekage's sister, but he didn't care. He happily accepted his feelings and embraced them.

"Here is your Dango. Enjoy," the waitress said, snapping the two out of their thoughts. She placed the two dishes in front of them and walked away towards another table to take their order.

The duo ate and laughed, making jokes and flirtatious comments to one another, completely oblivious to the other's feelings. They spent an hour in the small restaurant, simply enjoying each other's company. By now, they both had laughed so hard they cried, and flirted so much their cheeks were probably stained pink with blush. After Shikamaru paid, they left, giggling and chuckling at the small comments they made to one another.

"Hey Temari, come with me. I wanna show you something," Shikamaru smiled, holding his hand out toward the blushing female.

"O-okay," she smiled back, taking his hand happily. The boy led her towards his favorite place. It was a bit of a walk, but neither of them minded. In fact, they were happy. It gave them both a legitimate excuse to spend more time with each other than to just go home. The black haired boy led them up a small hill, and then ran down hill, still holding Temari's hand. She laughed and ran with him, tumbling into his chest when the hill ended. She blushed deeply while the other chuckled and enjoyed their closeness.

"Wait," he said. He turned Temari around and put his hand over her eyes. "No peaking," he ordered in a playful tone.

Temari whined but agreed, blushing as Shikamaru's touch. The boy began to lead them again, making sure she didn't trip or stumble.

"Shikaaaaaa! Where are we going?" she whined, elongating his name to make the point of her impatience.

"Relax, we're almost there," he smiled and whispered in her ear, making her shiver slightly.

They walked for a minute or so before he finally stopped. The duo was currently standing under the stretched branches of the full bloom Sakura tree. The lake was like glass once again. There were pink petals splattered all over the ground, only adding to the dream like moment. Birds were fluttering their wings in the branches, making little chirping noises.

'Okay, do it now. You can do it,' Shikamaru thought to himself. Taking a deep mental breath, he turned Temari to face him. She followed his movements happily, her heart going haywire. Slowly he leaned down to her height, leaving a small gap separating their lips. Temari stood there, clueless on what he planning on doing. All she could feel was his breath hit her lips, making her heart pound faster than it already was.

Shikamaru looked at her once more, before slowly pressing his lips on hers. He moved his hands from her eyes and slid them down to her waist, pulling her closer to his body. His arms looped around her waist and rested on the small of her back. Her eyes were wide and she couldn't think straight. All she knew was the boy of her dreams was currently kissing her…and that she was enjoying it. A lot.

Fluttering her eyes closed, she kissed back gently, lacing her arms around his next and twirling a few strands of his hair in between her fingers. She was shocked, but in complete heaven. Her heart pounded in her chest and her cheeks were tainted with a light blush. Shikamaru smiled into the kiss. He didn't actually expect her to kiss him back. He was expecting something more like a slap or complete rejection.

Not this. Of course, he wasn't complaining. He has never felt anything this good in his life. His dreams of the two of them sharing his first kiss didn't compare to the real things. Her lips were eager, but soft. She tasted like vanilla and sugar, so sweet. He loved it.

Temari wasn't thinking far from that either. She kissed him happily, noticing how warm and soft his lips were. They were a bit harsh, but smooth like velvet and soft like a baby's skin. He tasted like cinnamon, much to Temari's joy. Never did she think he would kiss her, that they would ever share this moment together. She loved it. Temari was on cloud nine the entire time.

They pulled away from each other, panting slightly, and blushes on both of their faces.

"Shikamaru?" she asked, still playing with his soft, black locks.

"Temari…I wish I told you a while ago. I…I love you, Temari. You're my best friend, and you're so not a drag," he said, nervous but confident. He gazed deep into her eyes, smiling slightly.

"Shikamaru…" she whispered, getting lost in his dark black eyes. "I-I love you too. I always have," Temari responded, pecking his lips again.

The two spent the night under the Sakura tree, smiling and giggling the entire time. Temari lay in Shikamaru's arms, her head rested on his chest, right above his heart. They whispered sweet nothings to each other before sleep over came them both, their dreams of nothing but the best kiss they ever had.

The End.