Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto. Naruto is by Masashi Kishimoto.

A/N:

This series is initially for Bleach and I know I promised the next one for this is an Urahara-Yoruichi fic, but consider this a very special edition. Additionally, it prompted me to extend the series to other manga. First for Naruto's How to Say Goodnight to a Lady 101 series.

Feature: Shikamaru Nara

Set between pages 12 and 13 of Naruto manga chapter 330.

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How to Say Goodnight to a Lady 101: Shikamaru Nara Style

The clouds drifted by in such a slow, lazy pace against the black of the sky. It was late, around midnight perhaps but he has not the slightest intention of sleeping. The whole of the Nara compound, the whole of Konoha was silently asleep but he was there awake and alone. The chilling wind of midnight blew in his face as his mind wandered.

"You're smart…and you have good sense…as a shinobi… You even have… the potential to become Hokage… Though your laziness… wouldn't like it…"

Shikamaru dragged a heavy sigh out. His sensei's last words still rang in his ears. He stared forlornly at the untouched shougi board in front of him. The pieces were all laid out, he was slumped, his right elbow propped in the table, just like every single time he played his favorite board game, but this time he does not have his favorite shougi partner with him.

"Want to play?"

Shikamaru turned around. "Wha-" His eyes widen at the blonde konoichi standing behind him. He blinked twice in stupid disbelief. How can a Suna kunoichi be inside the Nara compound, miles away from her home, in the dead of the night?

Temari smirked, satisfied with the surprise written all over Shikamaru's face. "So, shougi huh?" she walked her way opposite Shikamaru and sat, legs crossed.

"What are you doing here?" His face was a mix of disbelief and irritation.

"For a clan as established as yours, your security is pretty much weak I may say." she stated, ignoring his question.

"So you went hopping here to test our compound's security?" At his current state, the least he wants to do is argue with a troublesome woman.

"I just dropped by." It wasn't a total lie. At least was not total. She really just dropped by. She was on her way to Suna from a mission. Then she heard the news of Sarutobi Asuma's demise, who she remembered is Shikamaru's teacher. She really just dropped by, to see him though she'll never admit it. She lifted a shougi piece and moved it forward, eyeing Shikamaru, daring him for a game.

He looked at her for a while, wondering why she was really at Konoha in the dead of the night, in his house, at this time. The clank of the shougi piece against the board brought him back. The mere sound of the wood against wood made his heart throb in pain. But perhaps he needed this.

His fingers lifted and he made his move.

"It hurts so much ne?"

He looked at her, face blank in expression.

The blonde girl eyed him for a second before moving a piece forward and then kept her eyes on the board, "Cut the crap Nara. I know how it feels."

He raised a brow at her before making his move.

She chuckled, sadly, "When my father died, I had to keep it all in. I couldn't let my brothers see me cry."

He sighed, "Do you even know how to cry?"

Surprisingly, she smiled, true, genuine but sad smile. It always appeared to everyone that the 4th Kazekage's eldest child never cared - never appeared to care. But the 4th Kazekage was her father, and not even his position changed that.

Shikamaru looked at her for a good minute. He thought it was weird to see Temari vulnerable, or at least appear to be vulnerable. But the thought that she could be vulnerable made cracks in Shikamaru's well placed defenses.

"He couldn't beat me ever in shougi," he recalled wistfully, and sadly, as he lifted a piece and made his move.

"I see. That's why you loved playing with him."

He chuckled but his voice broke, "Yeah. Maybe."

Temari moved another piece forward, focusing her eyes on the board, purposely avoiding looking at him.

"You ever miss your father?"

"Yeah." She let a moment pass, then added, "He taught me how to play shougi."

The first streak of tears fell. "Asuma taught me too."

"He beat you the first time?" Temari felt the bottled emotions well up, but for now, she'll let Shikamaru have the moment.

"No. I beat him." The memory of that first game of shougi played in his mind and he was forced to wipe the tears that were streaming in his face. Perhaps crying in front of the woman who branded him cry baby was not the best idea but the tone of her voice and the calming of her presence told him otherwise.

"You're pretty good then."

"He told me so."

"You believe him?"

"Yeah."

"He's a pretty bad-ass shinobi."

"Well, he's the son of the 3rd Hokage, anyway."

"That's as good as saying I'm bad-ass as well. I'm the daughter of the 4th Kazekage."

Shikamaru tried to laugh with tears flowing from his eyes, "You're pretty full of yourself aren't you?"

"You said it yourself."

He cupped his eyes with an open palm, tears blinding him. The shougi piece he was about to move ended up inside his fist as he trembled from his sobbing. Temari remained silent.

"I miss him." He admitted between sobs.

Temari kept her face. She felt the urge to put her arms around him and comfort him but she didn't. That is not what Shikamaru needs from her. The sight before her and the knowledge of what brought Shikamaru to such state were forcing tears in her eyes but she held back. For maybe, it is the only way she could help him.

"I miss him so much it hurts." He pounded his chest with the fist holding the shougi piece, "I feel like I'm going to explode."

She remained silent, letting him open up the emotions he locked up.

Shikamaru's cries filled the air. Cries, wails, erupting from his heart. Tears flowed, endless like a fountain. The grief he kept for so long leaked out, rushing out like water from a breaking dam. Temari bowed, feeling the sting Shikamaru was feeling. She desperately fought her own tears finding its way to her eyes.

Minutes passed, the clock ticked. Eventually the sobs died out. The tears ceased. The pain remained but there was relief. His tears were drying in his face. Silence ensued. No words spoken.

"Where's the cry-baby speech Temari?" Shikamaru gave a small sarcastic laugh more to himself when he finally found his voice.

"I heard you didn't attend his funeral."

He bowed. He didn't. He can't. "Yeah."

"Do you want to visit him?"

He looked at her, studied her figure as she sat before him. He had always known she's strong and ruthless. She has a commanding presence, but he thought of how he missed out that gentleness in her eyes. It's almost masked out but it's still there, "Yeah. I guess."

Temari stood up. "Let's go then."

Shikamaru stared at her as she stood before him and a small, weak smile painted his face as he stood up.

His pillar of strength.

He stared at the stone block bearing Asuma's name as he scooted down to wipe the dirt on top of it. He picked his teacher's cigarette pack from his left pocket and the lighter at the right. He turned to Temari who was next to him, "Do you mind?" motioning to him lighting a cigarette.

Temari shook her head. She watched him light a stick and puff away the cigarette's smoke.

"The first time we met him, he was smoking a cigarette while introducing himself," he said, blowing smoke in the air.

She coughed and waved the smoke away.

"We coughed a lot and had tears in our eyes because of the smoke."

Temari wiped her mouth before speaking, "So I experienced just a while ago."

Shikamaru gave her a bitter smile, "He said we should not be crying just because he said he's going to be tough. I pointed out we were crying because of the smoke. That idiot of a sensei."

She watched him, reeling at the weight of his gesture. Come to think of it, she never saw him smoke before. She thought he'd be too lazy to even light a cigarette. It struck her as he blew another puff of smoke. She eyed the cigarette in his lips and the lighter he was clutching in his hand, "Are these… Are these his teacher's?"

"You know why he did quit smoking for a while?"

She answered him with a look.

"He's just about to be a dad…"

"What?"

Shikamaru chuckled though the pain in his voice failed to be masked out, "Kurenai is pregnant with Asuma's kid. He's actually going to be a father."

She turned to look at the grave marker and felt terribly and deeply sorry and sad.

He sighed, "He asked me to be his kid's sensei. And that I take his kid as my apprentice."

"Then that means you have to grow up. A kid cannot teach a child." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I guess so. Talk about troublesome." He blew smoke in the air, thinking about the immensity of his teacher's words. "Though I think I did caused him so much trouble since I became his student."

"Most likely. I would not doubt."

Shikamaru laughed half-heartedly. It feels better at least, having to talk about all these things, having someone to listen to him, having someone who understands the pain of losing someone you dearly loved, having Temari. "Who taught you the hobby of talking me down? You always make it sound as if I'm no good at all."

"Are you not?"

"Geez. You're as troublesome as always."

"Why do you always call me troublesome?"

"Are you not?" He eyed her in the corner of his eyes, his lips curving in a disgusted smirk. Her eyes narrowed to a slit and she was debating whether to kick him or punch him in face.

He smiled.

He needed that.

He grunted, getting up to his feet, "It's late. I think I should walk you home." Before he could process what he was doing, extended his hand to her, asking for her hand.

Despite herself, she placed her hand in his open palm.

They froze, looking at each other in this strangely uncommon gesture. He pulled her up and stood at her side, avoiding eye contact.

Despite the blush he was wearing, at which Asuma would have been laughing his ass off, Shikamaru turned to his teacher's grave, resolve brewing in his heart, "I'll figure this out. I promise," he whispered.

Temari looked at him. She saw determination in his eyes, concentration as if he is in battle, devising ways to lure the enemy.

He turned to her, "Do you stay in that lodging house?"

Shikamaru's question derailed her train of thoughts, "Yes."

He nodded, "Let's go."

Temari smiled inwardly, "Mission accomplished."

She stepped inside her room for the night. The comfort of the bed was pulling her inside.

"Temari."

She stopped in her track and glanced back at him. He was actually smiling.

"Thank you." He finally articulated it clearly. "I think I needed that."

"Which one?"

He chuckled and placed both of his hands in his pants' pockets as he looked at her.

She smiled, "No problem."

"Why does it always have to be you?"

"What?"

"Why do you always see me at my worst?"

She laughed at him, "You're always at your worst Shika."

Despite himself, his lips bloomed to a smirk. She's calling him by his nickname – not just his first name but his nickname.

She hated that smirk from the very first time she saw it in their battle in the Chuunin exams, when they first met, though she had long agreed to herself that it looked disarmingly gorgeous on him. Her eyes narrowed in warning at him.

His smirk dissolved to a small smile, awkward but true, even resolute. "Seriously."

She nodded and threw off a carefree wave. "Yeah. Yeah. I got it." Feeling like doing it, Temari rolled her eyes at him in addition.

He stepped closer and planted a soft kiss at her forehead, "Good night Temari."

She flushed light pink to crimson in a second. Words made escape from her brain and she was transfixed in her place. There was something in that simple gesture that caught her off guard and made her heart skip a beat.

"Sleep well. And thank you. I mean it," he muttered as he retreated from her.

Shikamaru looked up at the sky as soon as he was on the street. He rummaged his pockets for the cigarette pack and the lighter. His eyes mirrored the light of fire of the lighter as he lighted his stick. He threw a quick glance at the window of her room. He is once again indebted to her. He closed his eyes as he walked away, steps lighter and mind cleared. His brain was already devising moves for his shougi. For that shougi will play a very importantpart.

Temari stood by her window, feeling the impulse to see him off. Staring at his withdrawing figure, she sighed and finally understood the fire in his eyes. A smile broke in her face, "Ganbarre Nara. You'll do well." The strength of her words' conviction surprised her as well. Perhaps, she had always admired this little cry-baby, she admitted to herself.

Team Asuma's going to have their payback. That Hidan will pay a very dear price.

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A/N:

Sensei (Jp) = teacher

Ganbarre (Jp. read as Gambarre) = Do your best, a variation of 'ganbatte kudasai'

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Dedicated to Monique*

1987-2008

My dear, beloved friend

Thank you for all and everything

I miss you more than I could ever articulate

I love you my friend

Rest in peace

Because you always loved Shikamaru and Temari

This is for you