Title: Royalty
Pairing: Shikamaru X Temari
Rating: K+ for minor language
Word Count: 808 (short, I know)
Description: There was nothing on the planet more troublesome than an angry Sunan princess.
Author's Ramble: This will be multiple chapters. And it's Alternate Universe, of course. Inspired by the song Catch Me by Demi Lovato and also by the NaruHina story I'm in the process of writing. It's not coming out well so far...leh sigh. It was supposed to have this reincarnation aspect to it but I didn't want to put it in yet because it would have ruined the story...But yeah. Enjoy, anyways! :) Don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I never will so disclaimers shouldn't be necessary.

-i-

Before I fall, too fast…

The room was positively glowing. The extravagant chandeliers that hung from the ceiling cast a bright light across through the enormous room. Candles flickered in the darker corners and decorated tables. The sound of clinking glasses, soft laughter, and an orchestra filled the silence that would have existed otherwise. Everybody was smiling and joking and all around having what seemed to be a good time.

That is, everybody except for one very tired, very bored, noble.

Nara Shikamaru leaned against the wall furthest away from the party. His dress shirt was getting wrinkled but he really could care less. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets and he was doing his best to appear awake…not that he was making much of an effort to do so.

Chouji had made a beeline for the buffet as soon as they had stepped inside the palace. Ino…Shikamaru assumed she was off dancing and flirting with some handsome Sunan nobleman. This left him completely alone. That was okay. He didn't even want to be here in the first place but he couldn't very well complain to the Hokage – the title of monarchy in Konohagakure – now could he? If Tsunade were still Hokage…now Shikamaru really wouldn't have bothered to hold in his complaints. But Minato-sama was on the throne now and Shikamaru couldn't bring himself to whine to him.

The Nara heir sighed halfheartedly. He wished it was daytime, when he could actually see the clouds floating across the sky. He just wished he was outside in general. Being around so many people was troublesome.

Shikamaru mentally ran through the consequences of bypassing the party by spending it in the Kazekage's courtyard. They didn't seem too bad so he pushed himself off the wall and trudged his way to the halls of the palace.

He didn't care if anybody saw him exit the ballroom. Konohagakure and Sunagakure were eternal allies and friends – he was trusted to the wander the palace as he pleased. Besides, Shikamaru had met with the Kazekage on several occasions and could be considered a friend. He was safe either way.

Shikamaru slouched as he shuffled through the halls. It was much quieter in here, he noticed. The sounds from the ballroom were muffled by the thick walls and heavy door. It was nice, the Nara decided.

His wandering was unceremoniously interrupted when he ran into someone.

"Ouch." Shikamaru said, bringing a hand up to rub his sore head. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and searched for who he had run into.

"What?!" An irritable blonde woman snapped at him. Shikamaru inwardly sighed, already deciding this was going to be a rather troublesome situation. "No apology?!"

The blonde woman was glaring down at him as she picked up a pair of heels she must have dropped in their collision. She had tan skin from bathing in the Sunan sun and her eyes, that Shikamaru could tell, were a stunning shade of sea foam green. She wore a long white gown with intricate patterns of embroidery stitched into the cloth. Her blonde hair was pinned up away from her face and her lips were a deep red.

Shikamaru's mouth went dry.

"Stop gawking at me, baka." The blonde growled, hiking her skirt up and exposing long, freckled legs. She shoved the heels onto her feet, stumbling a bit in the process.

The Nara man swallowed and pushed himself to his feet. He cleared his throat and looked away from the woman. "I'm sorry."

She huffed. "Thanks to you I'm late to my own party…" She rolled her eyes and huffed once again. Shikamaru looked over at her again.

"You're Princess Temari?" He asked.

The blonde shot him a look. "What's it to you?"

Shikamaru scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Nothing. I just didn't think the princess would be such a troublesome woman."

Temari stiffened and gave him a deadly glare. "I may be a princess, but I am perfectly capable of kicking your noble ass."

He didn't doubt it for a second. But there was just something about seeing her angry like this…

"I don't think you could do that in those heels." He looked down to her feet, which were hidden by the long skirt of Temari's dress.

The princess of Suna looked absolutely livid. "No." She hissed at him. "But I can do this." She stepped forward and hiked up her skirt again…only to drive her knee into his groin. Shikamaru's face contorted into one of sheer agony as he doubled over with a gasp. She smirked in triumph.

"Oh Kami…" Shikamaru choked out.

"That was for insulting me." Temari told him, smirking once again. Then she turned on her heels and walked away, leaving the Nara nobleman sprawled on the ground in utter pain.