summer clouds - shikatema

cacti, flowers, and cigarettes

hey weebs! this is going to be the last chapter of this story. i told u it would be short lol but thank u for all of the sudden reads! I know we only on like 427 or something rn but it went up like 200 in two days lmao soooo yeah thanks for that. i hope you enjoy the ending im sorry if its bad but yeah lets get into it bruv

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Temari arrived at the gates of Konoha early in the morning. The two guards looked at her with heavy, careless eyes as she passed through the entrance. Tch... they're not even doing their jobs properly. What if I had been a transformation? Jackasses. She turned her nose up and forgot about it.

The sun had barely risen over the horizon yet, and the smallest amount of light slunk through the streets, a pale bluish hue painting the autumn air. In her hands she carried a single pot; a cactus. Temari assumed that Shikamaru would probably be too lazy to consistently care for a normal plant.

She drew up a loose plan in her head to stop by her hotel room first, drop off her bag, rest a bit, then head out again to find Shikamaru. The walk to her hotel had become something of a nice routine at this point. She knew the area like the back of her hand. Temari finally arrived at her second home, brushed away the noren curtains, and opened the door. As she approached the front desk, the usual receptionist sat up from a slumped position and greeted her guest with a sleepy smile.

"Ah, Lady Temari. What brings you to Konoha this time? Allied Shinobi business again?" She asked with a jolly tone.

Temari shook her head. "No, just something personal I've got to take care of."

"I see. Well, I'll mark you down right away for room 304. Please go on ahead, and enjoy your stay."

She bowed and began to make her way up the stairs. The girl vaguely recalled being carried up these steps the last time she had visited Konoha. Although much of it was nothing but a fog, she could still remember the emotions she felt as it was all happening to her. She remembered his warmth, his scent, and his coffee eyes that made her feel like she was in a dream.

Temari felt her heart flutter at the thought of him, and she stubbornly forced a silly grin back down to the bottom of her throat.

The smooth wooden door creaked slightly as she opened it, revealing her room. It was shrouded in dark dawn light. In the absence of bright color, one thing stood out to her. On the floor beside her foot, something twinkled. She looked down.

Sprinkled with dust and forgotten, there lay a small red flower. In picking it up she realized that it was nearly dead. And with only a moment of seeing it and being aware of its tiny presence, she smiled knowing that it was from him.

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Shikamaru awoke abruptly to an obnoxious banging on his door. Oh god, it's starting... were his first thoughts as his mind regained consciousness. Groaning, he groggily sat up and slipped out of his futon.

"It's gotta be Naruto. I'd bet my life on it," he said out loud as he walked over to his front door.

"Shikamaru, open up already, ya know!"

"Called it." He opened the door and there stood the blonde boy, his whole face lit up with a smile. Eyes and all.

Shikamaru sighed and prepared himself for the remainder of this annoying day. This was only the very first moment and he was already over it. "What do you want, Naruto?"

Naruto squinted his eyes and crossed his arms. "Is that any way to greet a friend who came all the way here to wish you a happy birthday?" He whined.

"It's how I greet someone who woke me up at ten in the morning on my birthday," the older grunted matter-of-factly. Naruto flinched.

"W-Whatever, dude. But anyway, a few of us were planning on going to Ichiraku this afternoon. Wanna come along and have lunch with us?" The blonde proposed.