It was a cold day in Konoha. A blanket of white clouds spread across the whole sky, lightly sprinkling snow crystals onto the earth below, where the snow had accumulated to a depth of about half a meter. There were children frolicking in it playfully, building snowmen, having snowball fights, making snow angels; doing just about anything that one can do with snow. One young man made his way to a hill, where he found snow in his favorite cloud-watching spot. He stared at the ground for a few moments before muttering something.

"Tsk… Troublesome…" the young man thought out loud. "Well, I guess it's not that good of a day for cloud gazing anyway…" Shikamaru turned his eyes up to the monotonous cloud blanket above him before walking off to his other spot. After a few minutes, he arrived at a tree atop another hill, where he promptly flung himself up onto a large branch. Sitting down and laying his back against the rough bark of the tree, Shikamaru proceeded to look down at the busy marketplace below him. He found that while the marketplace was not relaxing, as was cloud watching, there was never a boring day to be had. As he followed the people below him, his mind wandered to his task for today. An ambassador was to arrive this afternoon from Suna, and was to be escorted around the town as she performed her duties. Shikamaru knew exactly who the ambassador was going to be, and was not entirely dreading this assignment.

The ambassador's name was Temari. She had always been the ambassador, so it was no surprise that she would be coming again. For Shikamaru, it had become a periodic task for him to escort her, and it was not uncommon to see them walking next to each other, Shikamaru with his hands either in his pockets or behind his head. Fortunately, he didn't mind too much; although she could be a bit overbearing, and sometimes even a bit of an annoyance, he almost enjoyed her company. He wasn't exactly sure why, but she seemed to have a certain something…

The road seemed to stretch on forever. Dust was kicked up off the ground by a pair of feet as they dragged along the path. The trees on either side looked exactly the same as the ones before them, making the trip seem even longer and unbearable. The young woman sighed. She had been down this path before many times, but it never felt any shorter. There were two things that kept her going. First was her sense of duty to Suna, her home village. She felt an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that she was on the forefront of bringing the two great nations closer together. The second thing keeping her going was…
Temari stopped and looked down at the ground. She had gone to Konoha many times as an ambassador under many different circumstances, but there had been one constant the entire time: Shikamaru. She had known him since the Chunin exams, although under less then friendly terms. Now that the two nations were at peace, she had gotten to know Shikamaru a little better. He was incredibly smart, she knew that from the Chunin exams, but he also had a tendency to be lazy. It seems as he grew this became less of a problem for him, but he would still groan and put up an air of discontent at even the smallest of tasks assigned to him. Temari smiled and continued walking at a bit of a faster pace. Yes, even though Shikamaru could be a hindrance sometimes, she enjoyed seeing him. She wasn't sure what it was about him, but there was just this certain something about him…

Shikamaru lazily let himself fall out of the tree and land on his feet. The bell tower had just tolled one, and he was going to be "needed" at the front gates soon. 'Heh,' he thought to himself, 'Temari has been around Konoha so many times I doubt she even needs me anymore.' He smiled to himself, and started walking to the main entrance. After a few minutes, he arrived, staring at the huge doors. 'Who is the idiot that designed these? Why the hell would Konoha need such enormous doors?' Shikamaru always wondered why these doors would need to be that big. He proceeded to lean back against the nearby wall and wait for Temari. He wondered how she would look now. Granted, she's probably done growing, but she may have gotten a new outfit or something. 'Maybe she got even more beaut- What the hell am I thinking?' Shikamaru was surprised that he was about to think something like that. Sure, she was good looking; tanned skin, nice outfits, deep green eyes. But was he about to think she was beautiful? 'Is it possible that I'm falling for her? No! She's just an ambassador from another nation. A really good looking ambassador… With a great personality…' Shikamaru shook his head of these thoughts, looked up at the sky and sighed.

Temari knew she was getting close. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. She looked up at the sky, but only saw clouds. Suddenly, she felt something cold on her nose. 'I guess it's snowing in Konoha…' This made her happy; living in Suna, she never got to see snow. But when she would travel to Konoha in the winter, she would often see snow on the ground. Snow was a lot like sand. It was small, blew everywhere, and had the potential to be a total pain in the ass. But it was also a lot of fun. Temari smiled, imagining herself trying to have a sandball fight. Snow was something she always looked forward to, along with seeing Shikamaru. Although sometimes she hated to admit it, she had taken a liking to the younger ninja. He was incredibly smart and talented in fighting skills, but that's not all the she liked about him. He cared for those close to him, and was determined to not let anything happen to them. He had an air of ease, of being laid back. 'Probably because he is,' Temari thought to herself. Last of all, he had become more handsome. Temari never let anyone know it, but she really liked how he looked. His black hair tied back high on his head, his brown eyes that seemed to have the wisdom of a thousand years… All of him. She turned her eyes back to the road ahead and saw a dark line in the distance that she knew to be the walls of Konoha. She began to increase her pace and concentrated on preparing her cool attitude. Strictly business, she told herself. Well, for the most part…

Shikamaru spotted a figure in the distance slowly approach the gates. He slowly lifted himself up and walked forward to greet the ambassador. After some time, Shikamaru was standing face-to-face with Temari. "Hey," he said nonchalantly.

"You're smart, come up with a way to make the trip more bearable," Temari retorted, reaching her arms up and stretching her back.

Shikamaru smirked slightly at the hidden compliment. Temari hadn't changed much. Her personality hadn't changed. Her hair style hadn't changed. Her outfit hadn't changed. But there was something that was different; he just couldn't put his finger on it. "I'll add it to my to-do list," Shikamaru replied flatly. "I guess I should escort you to your room now."

"Can't I rest my feet for a second?" Temari asked, exhausted. I've been walking for three days!"

"Suit yourself," Shikamaru said over his shoulder as he began walking into the village.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'll meet you at the Ambassador's Suite. You know how to get there"

Temari sighed and hurried after Shikamaru. "Hey, I'm not about to be left behind!"

After dropping off Temari's belongings at the Ambassador's Suite, Shikamaru led her to Tsunade's office to report in. Nothing new there. They had gone through that procedure many times before. After that, Temari performed a few minor errands while Shikamaru returned to his house before going back to his cloud-watching spot. Clearing away some snow on the ground, he lay down, put his hands behind his head, and stared up at the sky. It was still cloudy, though the snowfall had stopped. As much as he tried to think of something else (or rather, nothing at all), his mind kept finding its way back to Temari. 'Why do I keep thinking of her?' he wondered. 'She's overbearing and troublesome… and annoying… and talented… and caring… and beau-'

Shikamaru sat up. 'And beautiful…' He admitted it. She looked really good. It was something about her that had changed that he couldn't figure out. 'You know, she's really not that bad,' he thought. 'She's not as troublesome as most women. Compared to other women, she's…'

"Typical," Temari said, making Shikamaru jump slightly. "As soon as you get the chance, you drop whatever you're doing and come here." She cleared off some snow next to him and sat down. "I still don't see what you find so interesting in looking at the clouds. I don't see anything but white..."

"That makes two of us." Shikamaru replied as he sat up. Temari had a puzzled look on her face. "I'll explain it later."

"You sure it won't be too troublesome?"

"Har har."

Temari smiled a bit at Shikamaru's attitude. "It's getting late. I should be heading back to my room."

"Guess that means I need to 'escort' you there…" Shikamaru groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground, brushing the snow off of his body.

Temari pushed him back down into the snow. "Nobody's forcing you to take me there."

"Yea, but Tsunade would raise hell if I didn't," Shikamaru said. Temari extended her hand to help him up, but he instead used it to pull her into the snow next to him.

"Wha- Oof!" Temari was pulled down, her hands sinking through the snow rather than stopping her fall. She stood up, brushing the snow out of her hair. "Great," she grumbled, hugging her torso, "now I'm cold."
"What do you want me to do about it, hold you?" Shikamaru asked jokingly.
To his surprise, Temari flung her right arm around his waist, pulling him closer. "You made me cold, you warm me up," She replied sternly. She glared at him, but couldn't help but smile.
Shikamaru felt warmth coming to his cheeks. He was blushing. He silently thanked the darkness as he put his left arm around her body, holding her close and sharing his warmth. "Only because you asked so nicely," He told her simply. They walked off, snow crunching beneath their feet, leaving a pair of footsteps leading from the top of the hill where their bodies left imprints in the snow. They didn't notice it, but their body prints were next to each other, hand in hand.

Shikamaru was trying to avoid eye contact with Temari. She was glad; her face was blushing like crazy. Shikamaru's strong arm was around her waist, pulling her into the warmth of his body. She felt his well-toned muscles along his back and waist. She looked over at his deep brown eyes. They seemed to have all the wild nature of a deer, but were accented with wisdom and compassion. As they walked beneath the streetlamps, she would get to see his handsome face for a few seconds before being shrouded in darkness again.

Eventually, they arrived at the Ambassador's Suite. It looked just like any other building. The only difference was a sign next to the front door that said 'Honored guest of Konoha'. The 'honored guest' was typically a feudal lord, but in many cases, foreign ambassadors would utilize the room during their stay. Shikamaru and Temari approached the door and released their hold on each other.

"Well, here we are," Shikamaru said quietly.

"Yea. Thanks for 'escorting' me here," Temari replied.

"I thought you wanted me to keep you warm."

"Well, that too," she said, looking into his eyes. He glanced back into hers for a second before changing his focus to the ground. He hesitated for a second before finally opening one of his jacket flaps and reaching for something in an inside pocket. Temari shifted her gaze upwards, when something caught her eye.

Shikamaru was about to pull the object out of his coat when he heard Temari gasp. He looked at her and saw her eyes concentrated on an object above them. He followed her gaze until he saw it. It was a bough of mistletoe. Tied neatly to the lamppost they were standing under. Shikamaru's heart began beating faster. He looked at Temari, and she returned the gaze. This time, Shikamaru did not divert his eyes, but looked deep into hers. Then he saw it. He saw what was different about her. It was her eyes. They were the same color as before, a deep forest green. No, it was something deeper. Something in her eyes that was not there before. An emotion. A compassion.

Love.

Finally, he understood. She loved him. And he loved her back. Staring into her eyes made him feel safe, happy, warm. It made him feel at home. This is where he belonged. He slowly drew her body into his with his arms, wrapping them around her waist. He could feel her hands doing the same around his lower back, pulling him in. Their lips were only a few inches apart, and Shikamaru's heart was pounding against his chest, as if trying to burst free and present itself to Temari, saying 'Here I am, take me'. Sparks flew as their faces drew nearer. The couple closed their eyes, and their lips met in a romantic kiss. Shikamaru could feel the warmth of Temari's lips on his own, and began to run his hands up and down her back. He felt her hands pull his head in harder against her lips, as they both gave in to the nirvana of their passion.

After a couple of seconds, they released their lip lock and stared into each other's eyes. They remained silent for a few moments before Shikamaru spoke again.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," she replied, still looking into his eyes. "I should go to sleep soon, though."

"Yea, you have a busy day tomorrow," he said. "Get some rest; I'll meet you here tomorrow morning." Shikamaru began to walk back into town.

"I don't have to do anything until the afternoon."

Shikamaru turned his head. "I know."

Temari giggled and turned to open the door to her suite. After seeing Shikamaru turn around a corner, she went back outside and untied the mistletoe. 'Well, that worked better than I had planned,' she thought to herself, taking her mistletoe back inside with her. 'I'm glad I brought this with me.' She quickly changed into her sleep clothes and lay down between the sheets, where she promptly fell asleep, her mind replaying the kiss over and over in her dreams.

Shikamaru walked back to the tree by the marketplace and sat down on the branch he had sat in earlier that day. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out the object he had tried to use before. 'Well, I guess I didn't need this after all,' he thought to himself, holding the bough of mistletoe against his chest, looking at the lights of Konoha and thinking about his new-found love.