thank you so much for this ff... one of the greatest so far, just in line with Mussimm's Rain... made me laugh, cry and swoon... and believe me that's saying a lot... thank you for not rushing through the story... thank you thank you thank you!

This story is so amazing *_* I've never seen a better characterisation for Shikamaru, and his relationship with Temari here is also the most believable I've ever come across. My favourite part is everyone's reaction toward Chikako at the end of the fic, but the entire journey was very enjoyable as well, not to mention thogoughly well-written.

Thank you so much for writing <3

clavicle is the collarbone!

Hey,

Wow, this was incredible! Thanks for not rushing through the plot, and for sparing the time and effort to walk readers through this amazing journey. What these two must've gone through, how they took it; the politics, the process -- they all came together and fell in place remarkably, realistically, yet somewhat true to the notion of a fairytale kind or life, all while still maintaining normalcy.

I truly admire the patience and thought you must have spent thinking up, writing, and seeing through a story like this, with the length, events and time frame. The difficulty presented due to their varied statuses; how they approached it, the countless obstacles faced, the vexations and smiles; anguish and the sense that it was worthwhile; I loved it all. Thought you portrayed the mechanics of this relationship excellently; their conversations and interaction have shown them to be in character, and the storyline was wondrously believable.

With regard to the political circumstances, the validity of their relationship, and the multiple concerns, I thought they were addressed incredibly well. The depth, focus and attention given to this aspect of how these two just wanted to be together legitimately because they loved each other. The turn of events, pure interaction, or even distance, added substance to this fict,

Appreciated the Suna siblings' affection for each other; loved how you took their personalities and styles into consideration and integrated it effectively into this fict, and how you brought the other characters from both villages into the picture; their support and presence throughout the story made it more complete.

I'm immensely thankful that you chose not to rush anything, and took us through each phase by means of drawing out each of these memories and letting them all naturally come together to form one complete picture; success and failure intact. Even the feel, and their lives were all kept true. Liked the details like the overlooked law (and how it threatens to potentially get abused by other ninjas like Shikamaru), subtle and not-so-subtle snippets, right down to the simple introspection by characters and the acute observation, or rather, acknowledgement of tiny matters that don't go by unnoticed by them.

This fict was sweet without screaming fluff; romantic without needing romance (it is truly ShikaTema, after all; they're distinct like that). Thanks for doing justice to your plot and the characters, showing not telling, and for not getting frustrated enough with the plot to try to prematurely speed things up. The language, your style and the choice of words have also proven to be well chosen.

I know this was written quite some time back, but I'd like you to know it's very appreciated. Thank you so much for seeing this story to completion, and well done! :)


~Shadow

P.S. Did the title have any intended significance? I did wonder about it throughout the story. Shikamaru's age when he started wanting to make things fall into place, perhaps?

This is one of the most in character Shikamaru and Temari stories I have ever read. It is ripe with humor without being cheesy. I loved it! I would love to see more from you concerning this couple, as you seem to have an excellent grasp of both characters. I also thought you did a good job with the other Suna sibs characterization. I'm not a frequent reviewer, stories have to be either very good or exceedingly bad for me to bother reviewing (I have a bit in common with Shika, haha). This is firmly in the really good category. Thanks for sharing this story with us all. I'm adding it to my favs.

Wow.wow. This has to be by far the most impressive fanfic I have ever read here. The way you paint the scenes and draw one to the characters; the way you write out their emotion and behaviour is brilliant. It's believable, written well and very engaging. I was completely drawn into the story. You really are a great short story writer.

I was a fan of ShikaTema when I began watching the series. Then I've been thinking of their situation, where their loyalties lie, etc. and I started doubting a possible positive outcome for this pairing. Especially convinced after having read an essay that completely destroyed the possibility of a ShikaTema happy ending. After that I was still a fan of ShikaTema, but only in fanon.

Furthermore, I was really annoyed with the ShikaTema fanfic writers (many of them) by how they just swept the problem, that they did not live in the same village, aside. This is perhaps the first fic I've read that had fixed ShikaTema's problem plausibly.. The idea is brilliant. This fic has restored my canon faith in this pairing.

I love all the in character interactions, the dialogue and the metaphors, etc. And of course I think you've done Kankurou justice. I could just imagine everything happening. (Even the KankIno.. DX)

it's been a long time since i've found a legit shikatema fanfic that i like.
longer since i've found a fanfic that i love.
thankfully, i've found the latter with this fanfic.

I loved how you ended the story the most.That last sentence was just sweet and made me wanna cry.However I have to admit overall it was a SPECTACULAR story and well-writen.

I read this story as you wrote it, then i just found it again today and fell in love with it once again. Ive got to say that this is one of the best ShikaTema stories on the site. I love it xD

Oh god that was so beautiful, too beautiful, I almost cried there at the end.
You are one talented writer, and have a neat style going on that is easy and enjoyable to read.
Great job!

I'm a fan of this pairing but after this, I'm also a fan of your writing. The story was really well written.

wow, that was an amazing story! I absolutly loved it! you are a genius!

its an enjoyable romantic comedy ^^

I read your story in one sitting. I loved it! It was so believably Shika/Tem that I got so into it, I was surprised when I was already done reading it. Awesome job!