[ShikaTema] The Thirty Day Challenge

Day 21: Separately

Sun had set; allowing most of the places darkened, if not dimmed, aside from the lively town of Konoha. Every tick of the clock had a huge role, a value for the upcoming new year. Streets were busy, filled with nothing but simultaneous chatters to incomprehensible buzzes and mutters of people--friends, family, down to strangers. These people only would achieve one goal: welcome and celebrate new year as prosperous as they could.

A huge, definitely readable clock had been placed atop the hokage's building to let the villagers know of the current time. It had displayed "1:03" for an hour and a few minutes, and the last part continued ticking a level down.

An hour. A plenty of time for someone doing nothing, and a small time for someone doing lots.

Shikamaru, with his undeniably, immense basic shinobi skills, had leapt from different houses for a reason he couldn't define. Chuunins like him had been sent out to take a vacation, and some loyally dedicated jounins had been assigned to be the guards for the current hokage. He couldn't understand; it was as if he was searching for something, or someone, but he couldn't decode it out himself.

Adults and teenagers were evidently occupied setting up a marvelous fireworks display as clock would strike 12MN later, kids playing around with the cheap firecrackers they bought from a nearby supply store, restaurants and inns full of visitors, and houses packed with their respective family members from different places gathering and spending time together.

Everyone stared at their clock for two more minutes, until the hokage had spoken, alerting the townspeople thereafter. "We have an hour left before the year ends!" Her strong voice echoed around the place; the faces of her people shone in excitement. A smile had been carved on her lips next, right hand on her waist whilst the villagers cheered by expressing their delight.

It's about to start.

Konohagakure's genius jumped on the buildings, clung onto the walls, and ran along the road to find himself a perfect spot to spend his night seeing new year's fireworks display, and welcome it without making too much effort. Standing in the middle of the crowd would be too troublesome for him, therefore such a plan had nudged his mind awake.

At the corner of the village, specifically at the right side of Konoha's huge, painted gates, was indeed a perfect spot for his hour of silence. Only indistinct concurrent mumbles of residents came apparent, but it had been overtaken by the noises of dancing leaves along with the fresh breeze of the Leaf.

Shikamaru ran on the wall, then jumped high enough to reach the topmost edge of the cement. Exactly two taps of his slippers had been heard whilst his hands were neatly kept inside his pockets. "A perfect place," uttered the lad to himself. It had overlooked the forest outside albeit drowned in darkness, the skies seemingly were already reachable by his bare hand.

This would do.

The ground space of his spot was small, but his body would fit perfectly with one of his legs hanging on the pouch of the wall.

A sigh had been expressed freely; Shikamaru had only taken one deep breath before taking the farthest, open corner of the place, and readied himself to wait for the celebration.

As he would, he had lay himself on the ground, arms crossed behind his head as if to serve as his temporary pillow.

The silhouette of a woman standing at his preferred spot had came quite vague but identifiable a few seconds after his small demeanours, four noticeable blonde pigtails came clear--the deemed cruelest kunoichi of their world was there a cell away from the edge.

Temari?! Why is she--?!

Adrenaline rushing in, the man immediately pushed himself upwards in a jiffy motion, head turning to her direction. However, the lass had started a conversation in the most anomalous way possible.

"If I was an enemy, you definitely are already dead."

It made Shikamaru's shoulders droop--he couldn't, there's no way would he expect a simple hello from her. How stupid. Not really desiring to bother more, the lad led on to ask her the question he had in his mind earlier, but a bit indirect. "Aren't you assigned as a personnel of peace for new year's in Sunagakure?"

"I was," cheaply replied Temari. To make more sense, the latter had opted to say more. "I actually have just arrived here. Quite a timing to see you in an unusual place."

Had she deemed it 'unusual' for the lass would often see him atop their house, lazily watching the clouds, slacking off or just plainly resting.

"Anything that is quiet, away from hassles, and peaceful places are the ones I'd prefer over anything else. I don't want to deal with anything too troublesome," said him thereafter sending his right hand behind his head to perform a few scratches of embarassment.

Shikamaru had disliked being with her--a drag, and scary--but at this moment, he couldn't seem to think of her that way. Apparently, he had himself picture her spending the new year with him, and the following days, including the future. With just that, the young man had pink tints crawl on his right cheek, however managed to hide some of it.

Gathering his utmost best, the genius began again. "Temari," called the man casually. "You know, I'm--"

A unison, if not one after another, of fireworks display had lit the skies up. In various colours and designs, it tinted the charcoal-hued darkness, giving it life.

With the tender booming slowly lowering, Temari turned to Shikamaru with a puzzled facial expression, only to reconfirm his utterance not a few minutes ago. "Did you say anything?"

"N-Nothing," responded him, pair of hues shifting intensively to the side to avoid the embarrassment his carelessness had caused.

On the other hand, Temari grinned willingly whilst she composed her answer. "Me, too," before returning her gazes to the skies to watch more of the event.

Shikamaru's face flushed red, and found both of his eyes pinned at the blonde. On those teal optics reflected the images of the skies--it was beautiful, she was beautiful. At that moment, the man knew that he was correct.

I love you, Temari.

(A/N: Mhm, your hunch was correct. The "me, too" part Temari said was Shikamaru's unshown/unwritten "I love you". Yep. Temari just said she does too, which made Shikamaru's face red. 👀

Ah, do note that this had been written in a rush, no rechecking and any of the sort! I apologise if I made errors.

Anyhow, have a great 2018!)