Disclaimer: Believe it or not, i dont own Naruto

Note: Constructive critisizm will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. I do my best to re-read the chapter before i post it up i'm only human. Only mention grammer if it's just rediculous or i misspelled a character's name. Tnx everyone! Enjoy the story!

"Nara Shikamaru. Sabaku no Temari. Lady Hokage requests your presence. Immediately."

The messenger-nin disappeared without a trace.

For Shikamaru, this was good timing. It was a drag having to guide the violence-prone kunoichi around. Maybe Temari was being called back to Suna. Now that would be good. It'd give him a chance to actually watch the clouds again without having to worry about her biting his head off about being 'late'. The only reason he stayed around was the fact that she was good for conversation.

Temari frowned. How was she suppose to get anything done with people calling for her every five minutes? The Chuunin Exams were only a few months away and she needed to do some serious security checks. And with Nara being late every single day it was amazing she managed to do as much as she did. Hmph, Nara was lucky he was good for a laugh, or he'd have more than just a few bruises from her fan.

"Now what?" Temari wondered out loud, jumping into the air. Shikamaru shrugged and followed her.

When they walked into the room, Tsunade visibly relaxed. Shikamaru's mind began to turn. Was there something bothering her that only they could deal with? He hoped not. It'd be just his luck to get stuck with her more often than he already was. He resisted the urge to sigh.

Temari glanced at Shikamaru to see if he'd noticed Lady Tsunade's reaction. Something flickered over his face for a moment, before he settled into his usual impassive expression. Yep, something was going on in that supposedly genius mind of his. Temari turned to focus back on Tsunade. She knew she and Shikamaru would have plenty of time to talk about it later.

She didn't know how right she was.

"Temari, Shikamaru. I'm appointing you both an S-rank mission."

Temari blinked in surprise. Shikamaru frowned slightly. Both their minds raced.

"Both of us?" Temari asked.

Suna and Konoha may have been pretty good allies for a while now, but Tsunade-sama still didn't have the right to appoint her missions.

Tsunade smiled. "Hai. Both of you. If you want, you may see the Kazekage's order in a moment, Temari. But first, let me tell you the assignment." Here, her face hardened.

"There is a little girl in the Rock Country. Her father is Suzuki Daishiro and her mother is Suzuki Tamika. Her name is Suzuki Akina. She is seven years old." Tsunade took a breath and sighed.

"She has an IQ of roughly 180 and, from what they wrote, a nasty temper."

Temari glanced at Shikamaru. He looked slightly surprised. She's almost as smart as him…

"She is the sole possessor of a very dangerous Keikke Genkia. Apparently, the trait has been lost for so many generations that the people in this village began to believe there was no hope of its return. It was suppose to have died out over a hundred and fifty years ago. Then, it popped back up in this girl." Tsunade took another deep breath.

"Frankly, the villagers are afraid of her." Shizune murmured, stroking a sleeping Tonton.

"And you want us to capture her." It was the statement, not a question. Shikamaru seemed pretty sure of this.

Until Tsunade smiled.

"Not at all. In fact, she's come to you."

Shikamaru frowned. Two surprises in one day. This was not going to end well. He sighed softly. What a drag, this was probably going to cut into his cloud watching time.

"Sabaku Temari. Nara Shikamaru. Your mission is to protect this little girl. Because of her abilities, there are many people after her. Her own village doesn't have the resources to protect her. Also, they write," She picked up a piece of paper. " 'We believe the Rose of the Sand and the Strategist of Konoha will be enough to handle her."

"Handle her?" Temari asked. Shikamaru's mind was going a mile a minute.

"Hai. Given her intelligence and her amount of strength, they believe that the two of you, together, would be enough to keep her in check, if you will, and protect her at the same time. They requested you especially." She sat back, watching the two of them.

"She doesn't seem like a walk in the park." Shikamaru said, when Temari was silent.

"Her own parents are afraid of her." Shizune replied.

Shikamaru looked over at Temari. She was staring, obviously looking at something that wasn't there in the office. She thinks this girl sounds like Gaara. Shikamaru guessed.

"So when is she due to arrive?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Dawn, to be precise." Shizune handed them a scroll. Shikamaru took it.

"What's this?"

"Instructions. On which one of you will have her and when."

Temari snapped out of her daze. "Have her?" She frowned.

Tsunade nodded. "Hai. It's all been arranged. Temari will take her to Suna when need be. But other wise, the two of you will stay in a house I've designated with the girl."

"Together?" They said in unison.

"Hai. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. This is an S-rank mission. Something I, Lord Kazekage, and the people of the village believe only you can accomplish. Do not be mistaken, this isn't mere babysitting. You will be risking your lives. If not from shinobi, then from her. Temari, here."

Tsunade handed her the scroll from Gaara.

"I expect the two of you to be here at dawn. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They replied.

"Good. You're dismissed." They left her office. Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"Well. I don't know about you, Shizune, but I have my money on the girl."

"Lady Tsunade! That's a horrible thing to say!"

Tsunade just laughed.

Temari read the letter from her brother while Shikamaru walked next to her, reading 'the instructions'. Gaara's message was clear. He was ordering her to do whatever Lady Tsunade instructed. She frowned, turning her head to Shikamaru. "I'm going to the embassy."

"No you're not."

Temari froze. The air grew tense.

"What did you just say to me, Nara?" She breathed, touching her fan lightly.

He held up both hands. "Hey, don't get mad at me. Maybe you should read 'the instructions'." He held the scroll out, which she snatched from his hands. She scanned it quickly.

"The house?" She murmured out loud.

"Hai. We're suppose to spend the night there. Make sure no one's trying to bug it or something."

"Hai. I know. I can read."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"This girl sounds like she's going to be a pain." Temari remarked when the house came into view.

"Not worse than you." Shikamaru murmured.

In an instant, her fan connected with his head. "Watch it, Nara." She snapped.

Shikamaru rubbed the sore whelp forming on his head. "In any case, you're right." He said, as if she hadn't just killed some of his brain cells. "We will have to be careful with this one. How troublesome."

After searching the house from top to bottom, Temari and Shikamaru found their respective bedrooms and went to sleep, wondering about the girl coming tomorrow and how they were going to keep from going crazy with the other only feet away.

Hope you enjoyed the story! Plz review! tnx