Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Notes: My first Naruto fic, written as a request from causmicfire. Sorry if the characterisation is a bit off . . . I tried my best, but I'm just not used to them.

"Careful Planning" by Dailenna

Shikamaru had never been one to act when unnecessary. He loved to take his time in everything, planning far ahead or – better yet – doing things so low in energy that they didn't require a plan. He liked lazing about and watching the sky, because even watching people was too bothersome. They moved too fast.

That is why Temari was surprised when, on her way home to the Sand Village one day, she felt a familiar halt of her legs' movement just as she walked outside the Leaf Village's gate. She had wondered where Shikamaru was that morning, and put his absence in seeing her off down to the fact that he had probably become so lazy he wouldn't even get out of bed.

Her body turned around and walked along the outside of one of the village walls towards a copse of trees. Shikamaru approached, walking towards her, hands in his pockets. She had expected as much when her hands rearranged themselves onto her thighs, one clenched and the other curled loosely.

"What do you want? I am on a schedule, you know," Temari pointed out, not as upset by the interruption as her words implied.

Shikamaru shrugged and Temari found herself doing likewise. "You're early – you can waste some time."

She blinked in confusion before remembering that, as her Leaf Village contact, he had a copy of her timetable. If that hadn't been the case she might have had something to worry about.

"I expected to have more time to think than this," Shikamaru continued.

When Temari's hand ran through her hair because Shikamaru made the movement, she scowled. "Hey, are you planning on holding me with this forever? Let me go – you're making a mess of my hair."

Shikamaru gave her an odd look that made her feel as though he hadn't heard what she had just said. A slight smile crept onto the side of his mouth.

"You know, that's not a half bad idea. I'm going to go think for a while . . . Don't disturb me."

As though to annoy her, Shikamaru turned, and from her own movements Temari could guess he took eight steps before lying down and putting his hands behind his head.

She waited impatiently for some change in position. "What are you doing, you idiot?" Temari called. If he was just being lazy this was not the time for it. She could get back to the Sand Village early if she left now – she'd be able to set camp in better locations, too.

"Thinking," he called back. "Be quiet. You're distracting me."

It made Temari wary. Shikamaru hadn't often been so focussed that he had to remove all distractions, and those cases she knew of were often in the middle of a challenging battle. What was there to focus on now?

Patience was never something Temari thought she lacked, but time was passing by so slowly that eventually she called out, "I'm going to be late," and hoped that Shikamaru hadn't somehow fallen asleep and maintained his shadow possession technique. It was a surprise, then, when her arms swung out from behind her head and she climbed to her feet.

When Shikamaru approached again (and thus, so did she) she had to compliment the length of time he was able to hold his technique for.

He brushed it off. "It's a lot less effort when you aren't fighting against it the way an enemy ninja does."

"So are you going to let me go?" Temari asked.

Almost sheepishly, Shikamaru released the technique, and Temari felt voluntary movement returning to her body.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And what's this you were thinking about?"

He scratched his head, and Temari subconsciously ran a hand over her hair, as though to make sure his actions hadn't loosened it.

"There's not really any right way to say it."

Temari's eyes narrowed. "I need to be going. If you're not about to spit it out, I'll just be on my way." She spun around and had taken five steps when something light hit her in the back of the head. She turned back to face Shikamaru, jaw clenched.

To his credit, he appeared somewhat cowed. "Look, I'm no good at thinking on my feet," he told her, "but . . . would you be my wife?"

There was a moment of silence in which Temari's eyes bulged, and in which Shikamaru contemplated taking back his last sentence. Really. He needed more time to make a decision like this.

"Not if you throw things at my head," she finally said, indignantly.

He let out a sigh of simultaneous disappointment and relief. "Can you help me find the ring then? It disappeared in the grass when I threw it at you . . ."

With a annoyed sigh and a frown, Temari crouched and began searching through the grass. It would be just like him to do something like that and not want to do all the work to find it again. She expected that he wouldn't bother searching for it if it wasn't worth much. If it cost him so much money, it would have taken a lot of time working to save up for it, and if it took a lot of time saving up for it it'd take a lot of time working to replace that money, and that was time that could be better spent daydreaming and watching clouds.

A glint in the grass caught her eye, and Temari leaned forwards to pick up the gold band. She looked at it for a moment, and then glanced up to see Shikamaru watching her from where he had been searching. She stood up and pocketed the ring.

"I might as well think about it for a while," she finally said. "I'll let you know what I decide later."

And with that, she walked off, heading in the direction of home.

Yes, despite his laziness, Shikamaru was in no way stupid, which is why he knew that in special cases like these, a man had to have a plan of action. He smiled to himself and sat down, looking up at the sky.