Island of Storms [Sakura]

Chapter 30 | Midnight

A knock came on the door of room fourteen of the Green Tide Inn, waking the person sleeping inside. The woman groaned and pulled the covers over her head. She hadn't slept in a real bed for months, she refused to deal with whoever was at the door. It came again and she grumbled, folding the pillow over her ears.

"Temari...?" a voice came through the door. It was surprising that she recognized it in her tired state, but she gave another groan and sat up. Her drowsy eyes focused on her feet as she slipped out of her covers and trudged over to the door, not being awake enough to care about how much of her skin was showing. She opened the door to come face to face with Shikamaru.

"How are you even awake?" she mumbled.

"I... wanted to see you?" he tried, earning a light glare from her as she turned to the clock that was on the desk next to the door.

"At eleven-fifty-three?" she asked.

"There seems to be a bar next door..." he tried again. She gave him a blank look.

"Something like that wouldn't bother you even if there was actually a bar next door."

"The new place...?" After a few seconds of her watching him, she gave a sigh and opened the door to allow him in.

"Come on." He gave a slight look of surprise. "You came to sleep in my room, right?"

He blinked.

"I, er..." She rolled her eyes and grabbed his black sleeping shirt, dragging him into the room. Closing the door, she turned to find him with one of his hands nervously shoved in his pocket. She took his free hand and pulled him over to the bed, having him take a seat before sitting down next to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He gave a sigh and looked at the floor.

"It's nothing... Would you mind if I slept in your room for the night?" he asked as he stuck his thumb in the direction of the small green couch. She gave a gentle smile.

"Sure..." He got up and walked over to the couch, laying down and closing his eyes. She watched him for some time, taking in how exhausted he looked. Something had either woken him up or he hadn't been able to sleep in the first place. He also looked a bit shaken, as if he had woken from a nightmare. She gave a quiet sigh and got back under her sheets.

She continued to worry over how he was acting, finding she was unable to fall back asleep. It was unusual to see him in such a state and it got under her skin.

"Shikamaru?" she murmured. He hummed in acknowledgment. "I'm cold."

He opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment before he sighed.

"Troublesome..." he mumbled as he got up. She smiled to herself in her small victory as he walked around to the other side of the bed, though he stopped before he sat down. "Might as well..."

Her brows furrowed in confusion as he climbed onto the bed and took a sitting position, pulling something out of his pocket.

"Might as well what?" she murmured, attempting to see his face. She let out a loud groan as the lamp on his side of the bed turned on, followed by her pulling the covers over her head. He grinned at her behavior before feeling a nervousness take hold of him.

"I've known you for ten years now, loved you for as long as I can remember. When we first met, you were a challenging opponent," he started. "You were on an arduous path. When I was faced with a member of the sound four, you came in at the right time and saved my ass. Although, I'm not sure if you coming to me was intentional or not."

"It was," she laughed from under the covers. He cracked a smile and pulled the covers down so he could see her, causing her to pout.

"You somehow know how to lighten the mood when I just bring it down," he continued, looking her in the eye, "and your smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You stand up for yourself and the things and people you love, stopping at nothing to keep them safe. At the moment I feel I don't have the right to protect and love you the same way..."

She stared at him with wide eyes, not having expected a confession so detailed and out of the blue. "I'd like to have that right if you'd let me."

Her face turned a flattering shade of pink as he opened his hand to reveal a small silver ring with five marquise-shaped crystals fanning out in a crescent. She stared at it for a moment before looking back up to meet his gaze.

"Are... you proposing to me?" she asked, cracking a smile as he shied away. He grumbled something she could only barely make out, and her smile grew before she reached out her hand. His own smile creeped up on him as he slid the ring onto her finger before she snuggled into the covers again. "Turn the damn light off."

A laugh escaped him and he turned the knob, once again engulfing the room in darkness.

He too made himself comfortable before she shuffled over to him. He smiled as he held her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I love you, Temari... More than I ever thought I would love someone..."

"I love you too, Shikamaru," she smiled.