"So, Temari?" Shikamaru sat up and looked down at the blonde woman who was laying next to him on the grass, watching the clouds with him.

"Yeah?" she blinked up at him with her green eyes.

Shikamaru swallowed. Hard. "Uhm…" he was suddenly thinking that maybe he should have keep his mouth shut. Oh well…too late now. "I was gonna ask….something…."

Temari felt her heart speed up and she sat up next to him, staring at him, "What is it, Shikamaru?"

"Well…uh…" he lifted his hand to his neck, "I uhm…wanted to ask…"

"Yeah?" Temari whispered, her green eyes staring at him as her heart pounded away.

"Uhm…."

"Shikamaru, if you don't spit it out, I'm gonna kick your ass." Temari was starting to get impatient with him.

"Heh…" the Nara nervously scratched at his head, "Thing is…I want to…ask…" he looked at her and nervously swallowed another hard lump, "Uhm…maybe you'd…possibly consider…"

Oh damn, he was making a mess of this. He'd had it all planned out in his head how he was going to do this…and then he chokes.

Just great.

Temari shifted, frowning at him, "Shikamaru, I have to go. Gaara and Kankuro are probably already at the gates, anyway."

Shikamaru suddenly grabbed her wrist, spinning her to face him, rather…to look down at him with surprise and he realized he was in a kneeling position, "Wait!"

Temari's heart started to pound ten times faster.

Shikamaru's mouth was dry and he slowly looked up at her green eyes, "I was thinking of maybe asking you to possibly be my wife…if…you want…"

What a mess!

Temari's eyes went wide and she felt her breath hitch as she stared at him and then she grinned down at him, making him freeze.

Uh-oh.

This was it.

She was gonna kill him for even-

"Yeah, I'll do it."

His mouth fell open, "You…you…wait…what?"

Temari's grin widened more and she lifted her hand to his cheek, "I said I'll do it, you slacker."

Shikamaru just stared up at her with wide eyes and his mouth opened, but nothing came out and he pulled her down to him, kissing her so passionately that her knees went weak and she was on the ground with him, pulling him just as close as he was her.

When they broke apart, she caught a glimpse of his eyes and then smirked, "You're such a crybaby."

He twitched and rubbed at his eyes, "I am not. You're such a troublesome woman. Oh man, this is a drag!"

Temari smiled up at him, caressing his cheek, "Look at me."

He did and she pressed her lips back to his and he relaxed into her with a soft sigh afterwards.

And then she was on her feet, dragging him off, "Temari? Hey, where are we going?"

But the blonde woman didn't answer and kept leading him away until they were at the gates and she sensed Shikamaru tense, "Hey, wai-"

But she pushed him in front of her at the last second as they stood in front of her two younger brothers, who both frowned at the two and Kankuro spoke, "It's about time, Temari. You're about fifthteen minutes late."

Temari suddenly felt a little nervous herself, "Sorry…"

Shikamaru was stiff as a board as his eyes glanced between the puppet master to the sand user known as Kazekage. He calculated in his head that if he escaped….well that wouldn't happen. What about fighting back? No…they were going to kill him.

"What is it?" Gaara asked with a frown, taking in their suddenly nervous and tense postures.

"Well…" Temari let out a deep breath and cleared her throat, somewhat nudging Shikamaru, "Tell them."

"They're your brothers, you tell them!" he hissed at her.

"Don't tell me you forgot you'd have to deal with them?"

"You're the one who rushed us here without a plan!"

"Well if you'd have asked them first, this wouldn't be a problem!"

"Why would I have to ask them first?"

"Because they're my brothers!"

Shikamaru opened his mouth again when sand suddenly made a wall between the two, forcing them to snap their mouths shut and quickly turn to Gaara, whose arms were still folded and his eyes were on the two, Kankuro's brow had raised at them, "What's with you two? You're acting like kids getting in a fight over stealing cookies."

Shikamaru took a nervous step away from the sand and darted his eyes around, searching for a quick escape if he needed it, "Okay…so….I might have asked…"

"Asked what?" Kankuro blinked at him as Gaara allowed the sand to go back to his gourd, his pale teal eyes on the shadow user, who shiftily backed up a step and glanced at Temari, who was also looking at some other point in the other direction.

"Well…" Shikamaru took in a deep breath, "I might have asked Temari to marry me…."

The two brothers just stared at him and the Nara readied himself to flee. There was no way he'd be able to stand up to both of them. Especially since Gaara was the goddamned Kazekage!

"That's it?" Kankuro grinned suddenly, "That's what you two are so nervous about?"

Temari frowned at him and Shikamaru's eyes darted to Gaara, who had closed his eyes, a small smirk on his lips, "Kankuro, leave them alone."

The puppet user frowned at him, "What?"

Gaara glanced at the two shocked faces of his sister and future brother-in-law, "We've been waiting for this day for awhile now."

Shikamaru's mouth opened and then he cleared his throat and asked weakly, "What?"

Kankuro chuckled, folding his own arms, "Temari, Shikamaru, as smart as you two are, you're equally as dense."

Gaara smiled lightly, "We accept."

Temari stared at her two younger brothers and then somehow hugged them both with tears in her eyes, "Thank you." She whispered.

Shikamaru glanced away, scratching at his head again, "Now who's the crybaby." He muttered under his breath before looking back at Gaara, who awkwardly patted his sister's back and then to Kankuro who hugged her back, "There's no need to thank us, Temari. If you're happy, then that's all we need."

She smiled at them, pulling away and then glancing at Shikamaru again, and grabbed his hand, and looked back at her brothers, "I'm going to stay here a little longer."

Gaara nodded at her, his eyes going to Shikamaru's as he relayed a silent message to the Nara, who gulped nervously and then Kankuro grinned, giving a wave, "See ya, later."

Temari waved back and then looked up at her fiancée. "Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I might possibly love you."

He blinked at her and grinned, "Yeah…me too."