Teal-coloured hues had been pinned at the ground as she sat at the edge of one of Konoha's buildings, legs hanging freely whilst crossed.
Seemingly pouting, eyes as if locked to the side, mumbling a few words had been released by the kunoichi. "He just doesn't get me, and refused to understand. He was devoured by what he alone wanted to happen," sighed the female. "And I've never seen him snap out like that... To me..."
"Temari! Get out of the way!" A piercing call alerted the ninja of Sunagakure, including the number of jounins and chuunins sent with them.
She looked at their team leader in haste, then returned it to the enemy approaching her--he was swift, almost his movements couldn't be seen, unable to process by the naked eye. 'I wouldn't be able to make it! Dodging him is going to be impossible!'
Releasing a heavy sigh of determination, Temari showed the third star in her tessen, before readying herself to blow their opponent away.
But three shinobi from Konohagakure, including her partner, were commanded to go towards her, and others taking care of their main enemy's minions. Hand seals had been made, allowing Nara's signature technique to be executed, and capture the man trying to infiltrate the village, and kill whoever gets in his way.
Temari expressed a scoff. "If I did move to dodge, I'd die, anyway. That kind of shinobi should be locked in prison until he repents; the jutsu he was using would only be stopped if he gets to kill someone with his own hands--it's as if it needs blood. And if I did die there, their lives will be spared," she shifted her gazes downwards, unconsciously watching the people peacefully walking thereafter. "I don't want him to die. Is he that stupid?"
The medic ninjas were deployed at the area where the battle commenced, whilst others from the prison had captured, and restricted the man's use of jutsu, and the man himself. He looked like a kid unable to get the item he wanted; the difference was he had both of his hands cuffed.
"Shikamaru, about earlier--"
Temari was aware the lad did say something, but she couldn't comprehend it.
Seeing it as obviously as it was, Shikamaru repeated his statement vividly this time. "I told you to get out of his way!"
The usually calm, collected person, one who wouldn't bother thinking about things that had already happened, just snapped out at the blonde kunoichi. "You're supposed to be smart, Temari. What the hell happened back there?!"
Confused at his sudden rage, the lass had gotten back at him. "Hey, what are you getting mad about? I did what was supposed to. And the mission went well. Why are you so irritated?"
"Irritated?" Reconfirmed the man. "Ah, right. You're a tough ninja of Sunagakure, you wouldn't understand. It's useless to explain it to you."
"What's that got to do with me being Suna's--"
"I don't want people to die, Temari! Not under my command. I'm done with this, and I can't let that happen again!"
Patience at limit, Temari delivered a slap against his right cheek, in hopes to bring him back to reality. "That's it? Because you didn't want people to die under your command? You shouldn't have became a ninja, then! You've known this, yet you pushed through."
"You're acting as if you haven't heard why, like you don't know the very reason," muttered Shikamaru.
"You're blaming me for doing something that would most likely save me from a pinch? Are you even that Shikamaru I know, the one with rumoured 200% I.Q.?"
For some reason, Shikamaru left the female hanging.
"Shikamaru!" Roughly called the lass, but he didn't bother turning to her, nor to respond.
Reminscing what exactly happened not a day ago didn't come out profoundly agreeable for Temari. Tears began falling from the brim of her eyes; she didn't make much of a sound, but she did break down. Shoulders were moving along her sobs and sniffs, and found herself covering her countenance with her half-gloved hands.
Kids from below were waving at the kunoichi as they had noticed who she was. In the fringes of her hands she had seen this, therefore prevented that she was sad, instead waved back at the little ones. They looked happy afterwards; Temari had wiped her tears using the back of her arm, yet they wouldn't stop. "Ah..."
A creaking sound, undeniably that of a wooden door, came conquering some of the silence in the area, yet she wasn't able to take notice of it.
"Was I too hard to Shikamaru earlier?" Questioned the female to herself. "I was--," sobbed her before continuing. "--sure I'd die back there, and I already accepted it's gonna be my death. I was okay with me dying instead of Shikamaru. I don't want him to die... I love--"
"Temari?"
The voice came familiar, allowing the maize-haired female to swiftly clean her face off her tears by wiping it with the back of her arm before turning to him with her usual expression. "Ah, you."
Shikamaru had less idea how he could reconcile with her, but since he unknowingly called her attention, he definitely had to do something. "U-Uh... About that last mission we had together..."
"No, don't worry about it. I was at fault; I didn't follow a leader's orders," cleared her. It was hard to admit, but she would rather be honest than lie about it.
The man scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and guilt. "Uh, actually, I was..."
"You don't have to explain," quickly countered the kunoichi.
Albeit told not to, Shikamaru still unconsciously did. "I was afraid of... Well...," hesitation engulfed him before he had the utmost courage to speak. "I really am sorry. I was under the pressure of not letting any of my comrades die due to seeing even the closest to me gone right before my eyes, I didn't want that to happen again, not under my command. Plus, I was really afraid of losing you..."
Whilst he was occupied explaining himself to Gaara's sister, muffled sniffs could be heard from her distance. As he heaved his head to vividly see what was before him, it revealed an unhappy, snivelling blonde then. "T-Temari... I..."
"I was, I was ready to die there too... In Sunagakure, we were thought not to hesitate killing anyone being nothing but a hindrance, moreso ourselves dying when needed. And since I...," she took a moment to gather her breathing before continuing. "...love you, I was--"
Words had been put to halt as pair of arms embraced in a swift motion. "I'm really sorry, Temari..."
At a level of culpability, undeniably of remorse, discomfiture and malaise, Shikamaru embraced her tighter, focused only to blaming himself for his own actions earlier.
"Shikamaru, I--"
"Oh, Shikamaru-niichan! The hokage gave me a mission and assigned me to find you! Amazing, right?! I knew I'm a fine ninja-kore!"
Both quickly broke their embrace, with Temari turning away and removing her tears with her back hand once again, only to look back at the little shinobi next. "Oh?" Was what she only commented.
"A-Ah, right," responded Shikamaru, unsure if that looked obvious to the lad. "So, uh, I'll be there."
"No. She said I need to take you back with me, else the mission fails-kore! If you don't want to, I'll force you because I don't want to fail this important mission!" Insisted the latter.
"Fine, fine," effortlessly answered the man, then shifted his gazes toward the maize-haired female. "Well, I'll, uh, get going. See you later?"
Temari nodded, a sincere smile carved on her lips.
As both Shikamaru and Konohamaru walked along the busy roads of Konohagakure, the little one turned to his seemingly big brother, asking, "Hey, Shikamaru-niichan. Isn't she that rumoured cruel kunoichi from our allied village? Are you and that scary girl going out? Seems like you are-kore!"
"Huh, don't be stupid," said him, maintaining his usual countenance of disinterest. "There's no way we are, and will be," yet soonest he made such a statement, eyes shifted away from the puzzled youngster before forming a smile on his lips. That's actually gonna be good idea.