Forgotten Thoughts || Shikamaru X Temari

Chapter 1: the mission

Shikamaru stood in front of her door. He waited outside, frozen in place as the sun beat down on his head. It had been months since he had last saw the building. Since he had last stepped inside the doorway and through the threshold. He tightened the grip he had on his backpack and let out a deep breath. After what felt like hours of standing in the same place he finally lifted his hand and knocked.

Temari was just finishing getting dressed as she heard the knock. She had no clue who it was, but company was always a good thing. "One moment!" She calls, before quickly finishing getting dressed and running to the door. The door swung open. "Hello! What do yo-" she cuts herself off upon realizing who it is. "What do you want?" She asks, her voice significantly less friendly.

Shikamaru waited for a reply. When he heard that familiar voice, her voice he gulped. He wasn't ready. It was too soon. 'Shikamaru you damn coward pull yourself together.' He thought. When the door swung open revealing her sandy blonde hair he felt his throat swell and his mouth dry. He shook his head to get his thoughts straight and sighed. "Orders from the Hokage." He lifted up the document to reveal it's contents. "You're with me."

She eyes the document. "Do I have too?" She asks, her voice holding an odd hate. Normally she wouldn't say no to a mission, but she couldn't stand who she was paired with. She felt that this mission was going downhill before it even started.

"Like I said. Orders from the Hokage. Pack your bag. We move out ASAP." Shikamaru tried to remain calm and keep a steady voice. It was better to not escalate the situation any further, especially with his partner being Temari. However, he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. 'Oh man what a drag.'

Temari sighs, stepping out of the way so he could enter the house. "Come inside while I get stuff together." She tells him. After he was inside she headed upstairs and started to pack a bag. Her mind was racing as she did so. She wasn't ready for this mission.

Shikamaru stepped inside and watched as Temari's figured disappeared into her room. What he used to call their room. He looked around her apartment. Not much had changed. It looked the same, smelled the same, but it didn't feel the same. Another sigh escaped him as he waited for Temari.

Temari wrote a quick note to her child and ran downstairs, taping it to the fridge. Taking a deep breath she grabs a pill bottle and stuffs it into her bag. She hoped she wouldn't need the pills but if something happened, they were food pills. "How long is this mission going to take, Shika-maru..." She mentally facepalms, the 'Maru' part of his name almost coming as an afterthought.

Shikamaru watched Temari come out of her room and put something in her bag. He adjusted the bag on his back as he spoke. "As long as it takes. A couple days maybe. Are you ready to go?" He took a step towards the door.

She nods. "Let's get this over with.." Temari sighs, heading towards the door. She actually hated this mission. They had broke up on bad terms and she wasn't ready to deal with this. She felt like this mission was destined to go wrong.