Because of the Naruto Gaiden updates and the recently translated version of Shikamaru Hiden, I have been inspired to come up (in just four hours i'm so proud of me :')) with a ShikaTema fanfic (it's been a while) for Mother's Day. I hope you guys enjoy it! And Happy Mother's Day to all you/your mother's, too :)

Disclaimer: I doughnut own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic. If I did, Neji wouldn't have died and he and Tenten would make beautiful babies like the rest of their friends have :( #brbcrying #stillnotiverit

Shikamaru, the baka

Growing up, Temari always knew that her whole life would be challenging.

Being the eldest child and the only daughter of the Kazekage meant a lot of responsibility on her part. Basically being the princess of Suna, much was expected from her appearance and behavior. She had to do only what was taught to her. She had more "don'ts" than she has "dos". She wasn't even allowed to play with anyone other than her nanny, whom she often scared shitless with her pranks. At that time, Temari was getting lonely, and because of this she prayed for siblings- the most unlikely of siblings.

There came her two little brothers; one a puppet master, and the other a jinchuuriki.

Dealing with Kankuro was never easy for Temari. As a child, he would steal the dolls their mother bought her and he'd attach strings on them, making them his DIY puppets. He'd also put the blame on her when he caused trouble, enjoying his power being the younger and more favored child by their parents then. She would get a long sermon from her father, telling her that she should be more responsible and that she should act like the older child. Temari despised Kankuro for those incidents, but what infuriated her most was when he'd sneak into her room and steal her makeup. Kankuro specifically liked the lipstick, but Temari found it odd that he didn't use it for his lips, he used it for his cheeks, and she ridiculed him for it.

In the end, of course, she got in trouble for supposedly "influencing" Kankuro of wearing makeup, but her father made up for it when he and their mother bought her a new set and bought Kankuro his own, of army paint that is.

Life then was bittersweet and crazy.

But Gaara was a whole different kind of crazy.

Before he was born, Shukaku, the one-tailed beast, was sealed within him. This resulted to their mother's death, and Temari, as young as almost five years old, had witnessed it all. She had become depressed by this event, mainly because that was the mark in her life when everything had changed drastically. Her father became mad with power and neglected her and Kankuro, only giving attention to Gaara, whom he forbid them to see and claiming that he was his heir and not her. Of course, she did not mind; she didn't care because she was young and didn't understand how all that politics worked. All she cared about then was getting her family back together, but losing Karura took a toll on all of them, especially on Gaara. Even though he never met her, Temari knew that this was the main reason that Gaara came to despise the world and began relying only on his own strength.

Being an older sister, Temari knew that she could never hate her own brother. Her mother taught her well, and she knew that she had to be a role model for Kankuro, especially when their father paid no heed to them since Gaara's birth. She knew that she wasn't old enough to make rash decisions, but she had to do what she had to do to get involved into her little brother's life and to try to set things right. Disregarding the rule her father set up for her and Kankuro, she and her brother would sometimes visit Gaara in his nursery, introducing themselves as his older brother and sister. They would play with him and teach him new things every time they got the chance to. For a while things actually worked and they were finally happy again. Temari enjoyed those moments while they lasted.

Until Gaara started hurting people with his sand.

He was regarded by Suna as a monster for later killing some of the villagers mercilessly who attempted to hurt him, but Temari didn't blame them for their actions. She was just as afraid of him as they were- maybe worse. From then on, she and Kankuro never entered Gaara's chambers again, frightened that they might be next.

It wasn't until the three of them graduated as ninjas that they were reunited and, miraculously, their father took notice of them, her and Kankuro specifically. She and her brothers would go on missions, serving as shinobi of Suna. Temari expected that by that happening, there would finally be closure between the three of them, and maybe things can go back to the way they were before.

But she was so, so wrong.

Just as things couldn't get any more exciting in Suna, with Gaara victimizing some of the villagers every week, Konoha was a different story. The Sand Siblings and their sensei, Baki, had to travel there for the Chuunin exams with a hidden motive: (1) Konoha Crush. She and her brothers went through a lot for that plan to succeed, just so they, at least her and Kankuro, could please their father.

Gaara was the mission's ultimate weapon, but it took a lot of blood and a blonde genin in an orange jumpsuit to stop him and change him for the better. Temari couldn't be more thankful for that boy, Naruto, because from then on her little brother had finally seen the light and the good in things, and also because he was the reason their mission had failed. Their defeat towards Konoha was a major turning point for her and her siblings, finally getting the closure they needed when Gaara openly apologized to her and Kankuro. She never wanted to infiltrate the village or hurt anyone, especially since investigations had found out that her father wasn't behind all of that and was actually murdered. Did that sadden her? Yes, but only because she lost a family member. She lost her love for her father a long time ago.

In Konoha, Temari had found peace and the slightest bit of happiness in her short stay there. She knew that from then on, she could never learn to hate that village.

Of course, how could she when that was where she met him?

Shikamaru Nara from the Nara Clan was not your typical teenage shinobi. Though lazy by nature, he has a rare intellect and about two-hundred IQ that allows him to prevail in combat. He hates responsibility, but ends up taking it, knowing that he may be of service to his friends and the village.

Observing from the way he acted, his annoyance of women, and his constant foregoing of (what she thought his favorite word was) the word "troublesome", Temari decided that this lazy ass wasn't all that.

And, again, she was so, so wrong.

After her battle with Shikamaru and the numerous rescue missions she had to do to save his lazy ass, Temari got to know him a lot better and found out that there was more to him that meets the eye. Through him, she saw a whole new world of life and friendships. She was very much thankful for this lazy ass, she concluded.

She also found it funny, how their relationship turned out to be.

As previously said, with her saving his lazy ass on rescue missions, he sort of made up for it by constantly being her guide whenever she visited Konoha as the ambassador of Suna. In her spare time from work, he would take her out to eat and sometimes invite her to go cloud-watching with him, which she very much enjoyed. Temari saw all of those acts from Shikamaru as a way of kindness to strengthen their bond as friends.

But one day, Shikamaru didn't want to be just friends anymore.

Two years after the Fourth Shinobi War, Temari had (again) saved Shikamaru's lazy ass while he was on a mission in The Land of Silence. Just as she, together with Gaara were about to depart from the Konoha ninja, he called out to her and asked her if she wanted to go out to eat the next time she visits Konoha.

"Like a date?" She had said, and she found it cute the way he acted all nervous around her for the first time.

Of course, she agreed. She was also flattered when she found out that he declined a mission from Kakashi, the current Hokage, just so he can go on a date with her. That one date led to so many others, and that quality bonding led to so much more between the two of them.

Years later, Shikamaru found himself proposing to her, with much effort, if Temari might add. She remembered him telling her that he had the (2) whole thing strategically planned out, asking all his friends, her brothers, the Hokage, and the villagers of Konoha to cooperate on the grand event, and Temari couldn't help but jump for joy and feel butterflies on her stomach when she heard this story, but only showed these emotions to her newly found girlfriends, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten, as she reckoned that showing such emotions to her now fiancé would be very embarrassing. She found it odd that he would go through such trouble, knowing him despising troublesome things, but found it sweet that he went through all of it just for her.

In the present, Temari found herself with Shikamaru in one of the clearings in the Nara forest. They were on their backs lying side by side on the grass. Shikamaru had his arm around her as she daydreamed about their future together.

Only then had Temari realized that this was another mark in her life that would make it more challenging than ever. Marrying to another hidden village was almost as complicated as to trying to defeat Shikamaru in a game of shogi, and adding to that was the fact that they were very influential people in the shinobi world- her being the sister of the Kazekage, him being the future advisor of the Hokage, and both of them being members of the Shinobi Union. And then there was the thought of after the marriage- that part Temari wasn't ready to think about yet. A family with Shikamaru would be lovely- a dream-come-true, but she was still traumatized about what happened to her parents and her and her siblings for receiving the lack of love and care for most of their childhood. She didn't want that to happen to her in future. She didn't want the same events to happen to her would-be family. She was afraid of what could go wrong.

Then she felt Shikamaru tighten his hold on her when she started shifting. "Don't let whatever's troubling you trouble you, troublesome woman." he said.

Temari felt her heart flutter at this. Shikamaru wasn't very good with words, but she liked the kind of affection he showed her; it wasn't corny or mainstream like the rest of the couples she were familiar with. He was different, and Temari liked different.

Shikamaru was different, and only then had it dawned upon her that this man would never leave her side. He wasn't like her father, who neglected her, or her siblings then, when they mistreated her (Kankuro as a child, and later Gaara for reasons we know why), no. He was Shikamaru Nara, the man who accepted her for her spunky nature and "troublesome woman" attitude.

Yes, she was cautious- scared even- of the challenging life ahead of her, but with him, she was willing to move forth and accept these for she knows that this time she will not face this new life alone and she will be loved regardless.

To confirm this, she looked up at him asked, "Shikamaru, do you promise not to love any other girl after me?"

This question caught the Nara heir off-guard. Where did that come from? Is this a trick question? He raised a brow at her and asked. "Why do you ask?"

Temari scowled. "Just answer the damn question, for Kami's sake!"

"Geez, woman. Calm down." A deep sigh emanated from Shikamaru. This question must be related to what's bothering her. I better answer carefully and get it right if I don't want a beating from her later. How troublesome. Thinking about this whole thing is troublesome.

"Well?"

Finally, he came up with a strategic answer. "No."

Temari was stunned by his answer. She untangled herself from him and sat up. "E-Excuse me?"

"No." Shikamaru repeated.

"So you mean to say that there's someone else?" The blonde said through gritted teeth. His answer crushed her heart to a million pieces, but she had to keep her act up. She was not going to let this lazy ass get the better of her.

"Yup." Shikamaru said as he sat up. "She looks a lot like you, too."

"Oh, really?" Temari cocked a brow at him. Who the hell is he talking about? She thought about it and tried to list down the possible suspects, even drawing close to think of accusing his best friend, Ino Yamanaka, as this supposed other girl just because they were both blonde, but Temari was now friends with said girl and trusted her enough with her boyfriend.

Shikamaru gave her an amused look. "When you meet her,-"

"Meet her?!"

"do you know what she'll be calling you by then?"

"I cannot believe what I am hearing right now, Nara." Temari growled. "Try me."

Shikamaru leaned closer to her and whispered, "Kaa-san."

Temari's eyes widened at her fiancé's answer. It took her a while to register what he had just said, and realized that he had been playing coy with her the whole time, purposely messing with her.

She blinked once.

Twice.

And when she got back to her senses, she grabbed her fan and smacked it on Shikamaru's head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" he scowled as he rubbed the back of his head. This was not the response I was hoping for.

"Shikamaru, you baka!" She stated with a frown, but the next thing Shikamaru knew she was all giggles and chuckles.

He sighed, but smiled. He liked seeing her smile- it was his favorite feature of her.

"You're sly, you know that?"

"Come on, it was the sweetest thing ever, don't you agree?" He smirked. "Better than a pick-up line, right?"

"Definitely." Temari laughed. "You're so annoying."

He draped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Smirking, he said, "But you've got to admit, it was the sweetest thing ever, right?"

Clearly, he's proud of what he's done to amuse me. Temari let out a snort."But you're still a baka, Shikamaru!"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm still a baka? Even after all that effort to strategize the most frustratingly sweet conversation we've ever had?"

"Yes," Temari smiled. She brushed her lips against his and said, "because I want a boy first."

Shikamaru Nara just got beat at his own game of outsmarting people. He smirked. Thank Kami I'm getting married to this troublesome woman.

And little did they know that years later, Temari got what she wanted.

*insert Shikadai's appearance here*

Yay! So that's it. I hope you guys like it :)

Also, it's been a while since I've written a fresh fanfic, so I'm a little rusty. Constructive criticism is welcomed.

(1) I've looked it up, and it seems that the name of Suna's plan to infiltrate Konoha was operation Konoha Crush. Prove me if I'm wrong, but you guys can look it up on the wikia.

(2) I would like to believe that Shikamaru's proposal to Temari was the biggest thing ever BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ULTIMATE OTP AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH FOR BEING CANON :') *ahem* And I think it would be nice for the feels. Enough said.

FUN FACT: I got this idea from my second fanfic Athrun's 'Serious' Jokes. Any AsuCaga fans out here? :)

Review ^^