In the morning a bright light woke him up and an awful headache. Did they pour alcohol into his tea yesterday or what had happened? He looked around and saw the blinking lights of office buildings in the dark night outside the window. How could it be night? That bright night turned out to be a rather intense strip light in a clean white room. He slightly rose his hand to cover his eyes which weren't ready for that brightness but felt a heavy weight on it. As he looked down at it, a blonde pile of hair and a rosy cheek were to be seen, resting on his palms, regularly breathing deeply. She's sleeping. Temari, with that tiny wrinkle in the corner of his eye, his wife. He wasn't sure if he was about to freak out because of all that incomprehensible time-traveling or fall into tear because he was so happy to see her. Was all real? All that struggle? He wanted to kiss her forehead when she woke up rather rapidly and straightened up immediately. Her face expression was rather puzzled but finally she burst out loudly:
'What the hell were you thinking to yourself Nara?!' He cheeks got red and she grabbed him by his shoulders. Shikamaru was clueless and mostly terrified. Compared to the young Temari he has seen hours ago, this was a raging dragon. A slight feeling of regret overcame him fast.
'I am sorry?' He mumbled.
'You didn't bring my groceries you dumbass! How was I supposed to cook dinner!?' Suddenly she hugged him firmly and his head ached a bit more but he didn't care. She has been worried. 'Stupid old man! How clumsy must one be to get knocked out by watermelons?!' She laughed gently.
'That wasn't all my fault…' He whispered but stopped as he felt hot tears on his back. 'Hey…' He gently put his arms around her.
'Thanks God you woke up, you old idiot.' She sobbed for a moment but whipped away her tears fast and sat back down on the chair next to his bed.
'How long have I been gone?' Shikamaru looked around finally realizing he was in the hospital.
'Half a day. But the doctors couldn't tell when you'd wake up. The EEG showed intensive brain activity but no physical reactions. Like in some coma…'
'I had a really long dream I guess…' He scratched his aching head and twisted his face. 'When can I go home?'
'I don't know. I am going to get a doctor. Just don't move, you goat!' The blonde ran off with some teenage charm Shikamaru realized he had no longer perceived before the accident. The brunette sat down at the edge of his bed and looked at the ceiling. It was hard for him to believe that all those months he had lived in his fantasy world. All those deep conversations with his father. It was impossible they were all a product of his imagination, but on the other hand – he couldn't have ended up in some alternative reality just because of an accident, could he ?
'I said don't move!' The blonde reentered the room and dashed towards him with a vicious face expression.
'Hey, relax little lady.' He smiled at her.
'Don't lady me..' She hissed and wanted to force him to lie down when he caught both her wrists and smiled lazily at her surprised face.
'Calm down Temari. Why do you always have to make such a fuss about nothing?'
'Nothing?!' She let go of him. 'Nothing…' She shook her head and probably would say something if the doctor wouldn't have had interrupted them.
'So, mister Nara, I can see you are feeling better now?' The man with strands of gray hair spoke calmly.
'Absolutely. Besides the headache I feel like a new man.' Shikamaru had to laugh, considering that he actually really felt like having undergone some kind of makeover.
'I am glad to hear that, but we would like to have you for the night for observation.'
'Is that really necessary?' Shikamaru looked at Temari. 'I really would want to go home with my wife.'
'Well there is a slight danger that there might appear some complications but I can't force you.'
'Then I'd like to go.' Shikamaru could see Temari boiling and dying to disagree but she kept quiet this time. 'I think we should talk.'
Temari's eyes widened for a tenth of a second but Shikamaru spotted her uncertainty. He now knew, that he loved her madly and couldn't have made another choice than to marry her, but there were things in their marriage that needed to change. He wanted to have this talked through while still having the words of his father in mind.

They entered the dark corridor of their home and started taking off their shoes in silence.
'Where is Shikadai?' Shikamaru felt uncertain again. Maybe it wasn't just a dream and his life was now different.
'Upstairs. I told him to go to bed.' Temari's eyes were shimmering in a way Shikamaru was completely sure he hasn't seen before.
'Good. Should we go to the kitchen? Would you like some tea?' The family father let his wife through the door and they headed towards the kitchen which enlighten with one flicking of the hand. The narrow room seemed weirdly unreal. Unusually messy for their standard. He looked around and was just about to ask when Temari started answering his unspoken question.
'I was making diner when they called me. I didn't have the time to clean up. Sorry.' She was bustling around in her purple apron.
'You don't have to be sorry.' The man leaned outside to glance into the dining room where the table was still set. She really left everything standing and rushed to look after him.
'Listen, I know…' Suddenly she faced him and her eyes were even more sparkly, covered in a coat of tears.
'You know?' Shika was looking rather socked at his wife.
'I mean…I don't know. But I can only think to myself…' She turned away and clenched her fists. ' It is my fault, isn't it?'
'Your…What exactly Temari?' Her husband has lost all of his confidence and grip of the situation. The blonde has knocked him for a loop.
'The thing you wanted to tell me is..that you're having an affair…right?'
'Excuse me?' Shikamaru wasn't sure if laughing would be appropriate in this situation. An affair was the last thing he would want. He had more woman-trouble than he could possibly cope already, why add another one on top of it.
'If that's not it…Then…You simply stopped loving me.' She turned back towards him and looked at him with the bravest face expression she could fake. 'And I know this is all my fault…'
'Temari…' He felt like grinning, seeing his wife struggling this much over some unreal problems.
'Stop! I haven't finished talking.' She hissed. 'I know this is all my fault, because of the way I am. I know you've been miserable for a while now and instead of making you happy I only made it worse. Because…Because that's the way I am, ok? I am not good at that emotion-kind-of-thing… At first I tried to ignore it and hoped you'd get it together. Then I decided that maybe kicking your ass would help you find yourself…In the end that's all I ever did to you and somehow you loved me for the past 13 years.' She laughed nervously but a single tear ran down her cheek.' That didn't work out as planned as you were getting only worse…Being mean and grumpy. Tired of me and this family. I knew that Shikamaru.'
Shika was more than speechless. The fragile creature standing in front of him, resembling only the shadow of his strong wife was speaking words of truth. How could have he believed that all of his inner storm stayed hidden from her? Wasn't he proven wrong by only reliving the past? She's been reading him like a book since forever. She might never been good at that emotion-kind-of-thing but she's been an amazing person-reader.
'And I was getting pissed off by your behavior. You know I am not good at loosing and anytime anything doesn't go by my plan.' Another nervous giggle and her eyes pointed down. 'So I stared being mean, just because I was angry with you. You see what I meant by all of this being my fault? Instead of supporting you I got angry with you and laced into you. I have absolutely nothing to say to justify myself.'
' Are you done?' Shikamaru's arms were itching to put them around her and hold her close fro so long until she would finally have realized that she meant the world to him.
'Just one more thing.' One last gaze from that shining eyes and she bowed down low. 'Please don't leave me Shikamaru-san.' And his heart was officially broken by that devastating scene which was taking place in his unusually messy kitchen. ' I am begging you. Please don't leave me, even when you don't love me anymore.' Huge tears were dropping on the tiles. 'I am begging you, please stay. I can't get divorced from you. I can't be divorced. What a disgrace…I can't…can't without you Shikamaru-san. You are the only good thing that has happened to me before Shikadai. You two are the only family I have now. I can't…please….' The last part was more of a sobbing that an actually monologue. Shikamaru couldn't stop himself any longer and pressed her harshly against his chest. Although she wept for a moment longer finally her glassy eyes met his.
'I am so sorry.'
'Troublesome woman.' Shikamaru mumbled before kissing her forehead. 'You are such a big dumbass I can't comprehend how I missed that before.'
'What?' She was looking puzzled.
'How could you think I stopped loving you or am having an affair? Are you out of your mind, you silly goose?'
'But…'
'I am endlessly in love with you. I think I've subconsciously loved you pretty much from the start of your friendship. First I've worshiped you as a colleague, then as a friend, but in the end I faced the fact that is was never only that. Through that weird coma of mine, I came to the conclusion that even if I wanted I couldn't be with anyone else besides you. Not like I had much of a choice….' Shikamaru laughed bitter-sweetly.
'You must have been blind not to have spotted how all this girls were looking at you over the years Nara. You had many choices..' She mumbled.
'You are my choice. You were my choice and always will be. Is that clear now, Temari? Yeah, I was unhappy but looks like I've been a little sissy…' He snored recalling her words.
'So, you're not leaving me.'
'I am chained to you Nara no Temari. I am not moving anywhere.'
'Thank you.' She snuggled her face up his chest.
'Just two more things.'
'What?' She was crawling her small fingers into the material on his back.
'You could be a tiny bit nicer to me and I would love to have at least one afternoon for Shikamaru and family activities, without shopping, cleaning and mowing the lawn.'
'I think I can do that.'
'Second thing….'
'I thought those were already two.' She looked up with innocent eyes and a little devilish smile that made him grin.
'Second thing, Sabaku….Is it true that you were supposed to get engaged to some rich anbu guy?'
'What?' She was surprised.
'Yeah…just as I thought. Just…'
'How could you know that?'
'SO…is that true?'
'Well he proposed to me, but I said no.'
'Wow….why if you don't mind me asking?'
'I already had my eyes on someone else. Someone smarted whom I was getting along way too good.' She giggled and again hid her face in his arms. He smiled gently. Getting older, in the end, doesn't change this much. Sometimes one just has to take a step back to appreciate what he already has…
'Temari…How about….making Shikadai a little sister?'

FIN.