Theme: # 01 - Look Over Here!

Title: Holidays in Konoha

Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto

The years passing, his brats growing...And now they wanted to go on holidays. Yondaime Kazekage had far more important things in his mind to think of than trying to find out which other village would be proper for his children to go, but he couldn't help it. Nine times a day, with no particular order, Temari, Kankurou and Gaara would come in his office to ask him. Temari, as the older and "wiser" would come in with papers showing the beaches of the Wave and Fire Country, and texts describing them. Kankurou would come either empty handed or with a broken puppet, saying that he needed special pieces which were nowhere to be found in Suna...And Gaara...his last child, his little monstrous son...Sometimes he came in and sat peacefully on the floor, playing with his teddy bear Temari had bought him at some festival. Some others he would come in tearful and mumble "I don't want to live here anymore. Everyone hates me, teases me they're afraid of me and no kid wants to play with me. I want to leave..." All those times, Yondaime Kazekage really didn't know what to do.

And then one day, all three of his kids came in, walked up to his desk and raised their heads. Gaara was holding Temari's left hand and had his teddy bear in his embrace again.

"Dad!" Temari said, trying to fix up a serious tone in her childish voice. "This cannot go on!"

"This? What exactly are you trying to tell me, Temari?" the Kazekage asked, putting down his pen and crossing his fingers in front of his mouth. Behind the gesture his lips had formed a faint smile, curling just a little because he knew he'd laugh out loud if he let himself smile.

"We want to go on holidays! We've been telling you so for over a month now and you do nothing!" The way her eyebrows were furrowed above her serious look was really funny. As she spoke, her four buns trembled and shook, until she was finished. "And besides you've been telling us that we have to go visit this Konohagakure village! It's the perfect chance!"

"And for me to get new equipment for my puppets!"

"And for me to get some peace of mind, if I can..."

"And in the end for you too dad! You're not only the Kazekage, you're our father too, a man, and you too need a break sometimes! Come on, please? If not for the boys, do it for me! For your only daughter, ne?"

"The seasonal problems of being a parent...Alright then. We'll go to Konoha. I only hope that this little incident won't get you to drag me up until Yuki no Kuni for Christmas, alright?"

And so he took them to Konoha. Temari was really proud of herself, had it not been for her speech, they'd probably be spending just another boring summer at Suna.

Every day they'd go play around, meet other kids and then when they returned at the hotel they'd talk about their day to their father.

One of those joyous days, Temari got separated from the other two, and ended up wandering around a small valley, enclosed with a huge fence in which deers were walking, sitting, running around and some of them were feeding on the green grass. The girl stood and watched amazed; she never before had seen deers, and much more, from so close. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the little boy coming, whistling a song that he seemed to have made up just on that moment.

"Eeeeh?" his sharp eyes spotted Temari clinging to the fence, and he scratched his head. "Don't remember leaving any girls behind me last night...Oi, blondie!" he yelled waving his hand in front of her eyes. The girl had something that looked like a giant fan tied to her waist, and Shikamaru took a step back.

"What's this thing on your back, blondie?" he asked, after taking his distance from her.

"Huh? What do you care?" Temari turned and faced a boy, around one or two years younger then her, thin, who was wearing a green kimono with a strange texture. He had his hair tied up in a tail that made his whole head look like a pineapple.

"Just wondering."

"Hmmf..." the girl turned her back to him and stared at the deers again, leaning over to the fence. "Like a shrimp like you would understand."

"Blondie..." Shikamaru said, a playful grin on his face, "are you lost?"

"Hmph!" the pineapple kid was right, but Temari's pride didn't let her admit the fact. "What if I am?"

"You're not from here, are you?"

"No." she pouted.

"You're black."

"I'm tanned, you idiot!" pissed as she was, the girl smacked him at the head at once. "You got no right to insult me, shrimp! I'm the Kazekage's daughter and his firstborn as well!" she said, hands on her hips.

"Oh, that's why you're so tanned! You're from Sunagakure!" teased the pineapple kid.

"Heh heh..." a devilish smile made its appearance on her childish face as she looked at him and pinched his cheek. "What, you think you're better? You're as pale as a rotten wall! And you look like a pineapple too! You kiddo!"

"Hey! Get your hands off of me! Just because you're a Kage's brat it doesn't mean that you'll overuse the fame! Hmph!"

"Yeah, yeah, alright. What's your name?"

"What do you care?"

"Come on, tell me. I know no one in this place, I need to talk to someone!"

"Talk to the deers."

"Come on!"

"I'll give you a kiss if you do."

"Did I say I want one?"

"Come on! Just tell me your name! It won't hurt! I'm Temari, by the way."

"Temari?" Shikamaru said, looking at her. "Okay then, four-buns, I'll tell you what. I'll tell you my name but you'll tell me what you're doing here."

"Holidays."

"Huh?"

"I'm on holidays with my dad and brothers. I just got lost today on our stroll."

"Hmm...I'm Shikamaru."

"Shika-chan then? Is it a matching joke?"

"To what?"

"Dunno, the deers?"

"Well, my dad's name is Shikaku, grandpa was Shika, and I think all my ancestors had a name to do with deers...They're ours, we're growing them."

He looked to o cute when he was explaining about his family. Temari blinked, brought her hand toher lips and laughted.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hehe. It's just that you look too cute."

"Just a while ago you said I was annoying."

"I didn't say it."

"Not with words, with your eyes."

"Are you a genious?"

"Dunno. My teacher says so."

"That's great, I am too, back in Suna! I was first on the intelligence test they gave out at school!"

"What is an intelligence test?"

"I wish I could remember all the long term...Hey, look at that cloud! Doesn't it remind you of this fence?"

"Hell yeah! ...Ah...The clouds are so nice..." Shikamaru said and laid back, hands under his head, and watched the clouds slowly travel to the sky.

Temari looked at him.

"You like cloud watching? It's so unfortunate that we never have clouds in Suna. I can only stargaze if I want to look at the sky."

"Stargazing is okay, isn't it? Besides in the desert you can't expect to have clouds, it doesn't even rain."

"Yeah, I know..." Temari replied and crossed her hands over her belly. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it.

"Are you hungry? How many hours have you been out here alone?"

"Dunno...Didn't count them."

"You want some sakura-mochi? My mom gave me some before I left but I don't like cherry, so I'd give them to the deers, but...you can have them."

"Oh...Can I really eat them?"

"Yeah, t'is fine." Shikamaru said indifferently, looking at the sky. Small red clouds traveled on his face now too.

"You're so sweet! Thank you, pineapple boy!" Temari said and blew him a kiss on the cheek. Shikamaru looked at her dazed, and she just smiled. He touched the burning spot with his hand and his flushed face went even more red. He watched Temari eat the cherry cakes gracefully; she seemed to really enjoy them.

"D...Do they taste good?" he asked.

"Yes! They're so good...I haven't eaten mochi since my mom died! Now that I have grown up, I shall make more on my own!"

"Girly stuff..." he said lazily. "Hey, when you're done, lay down. You can watch the clouds now that you got a chance."

"You're right..." Temari said and, after untying her fan from her waist laid down next to him. It was a magnificent view, the blue sky and the white shapes traveling all alone over their heads. After a while, she realized they were holding hands and smiled. He was talking, showing her the different shapes and naming what they reminded him off, here a horse, there a leaf, a face, a mermaid, a bowl of miso...

"Hey! That looks like a deer!" Temari said suddenly.

"Where?"

"Over there, look!"

"Whoaaa...Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon there, naming the shapes to each other and forgetting all about the time to go home. Temari had forgotten that she was lost; she was having the time of her life and she really wished it could last forever.

- - - - - - -

Hmm...Not sure what I feel towards this. I wrote it really quickly, so I didn't have time to check for mistakes. I had to give them out today, it was my last deadline.

Minna, enjoy.