Author: Emi of Shioriayano

AN: This is my 2nd fanfiction of the ones I've actually kept here. My first one was a flop. I am going to try and see this one through to the end so... :) Enjoy!

Summary: Shikamaru is engaged to a girl from Suna he doesn't know.

Disclaimer I do not own Naruto, if I did, it sure as heck wouldn't be named after something found in ramen...

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Why does everything in life have to be so complicated and hard? Couldn't we just wake up and be happy all day long with peace and no fighting? Sigh... I guess not. Too many people who have lived through years of war and fighting have grown accustomed to the constant fear and destruction that happens daily. Peace..it will never happen. Will it? Too bad I have to even go out today...troublesome.

Thinking was what Nara Shikamaru did to start his day...every day. The day in question was particularly difficult for this young Konoha ninja. Today was the day he was to meet his betrothed. He'd known about her for years. He had been betrothed when he was still an infant to a wealthy ninja clan's daughter who was, in fact, three years older than he.

The two clans both needed money and security at the time. The Nara clan needed the money and had gotten it in the form of the first "installment" of the young girl's dowery. The girl's clan needed security. They desperately had to have a connection between the two villages where each clan resided. All contact with both clans had agreeably broken off until last September 22, the day Shikamaru had turned 15. 16 was the legal age of marriage in both villages, however, both clans wanted time for the betrothed to "warm up" to each other. Neither of the betrothed objected to meeting their future spouses before the time they absolutely had to.

For Shikamaru, the whole ordeal was actually less troublesome than it should be. For one, he didn't have to chase women the rest of his life searching for one to call his own, he had one already. To his knowledge, he had never met the girl. All he knew was that she was a girl from Sunagakure who was 18 years old. It was currently March, the wedding to take place at the end of September, and today was the day he would finally meet her.

Well, no use avoiding it. Time to get up... Shikamaru thought as he hoisted himself out of bed.

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Meanwhile, somewhere on the road from Suna to Konoha, was a young girl at the age 18 with blonde hair put up in 4 bushy ponytails. And her name was Subaku-no Temari. She was on her way to meet the guy she was engaged to, some 15 year old guy from the Nara clan. She only knew one Nara, and that was Nara Shikamaru, whom she had fought in the Chunin exams and found out that he was the only one promoted. She had kept a steady friendship for the 3 years she had known him, and had even had a crush on him for a while, but vowed never to let her love get too far, for she knew that she would be engaged. The way she thought, if it was a Nara and related to Shikamaru, she got off pretty good. She would be gracious for the man to whom she had been betrothed. Little did she know, her betrothed was really her beloved...

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"SHIKAMARU! What have I told you about presentability when we are hosting esteemed guests in our home?! GO CHANGE NOW!" yelled a scarier than usual Nara Yoshino. Shikamaru loved his family, but sometimes they could just be damned scary! He trudged back up the stairs from whence he came, went into his small room and proceeded to take off everything he wore except for his undergarments. He started to look for what his mom wanted him to wear...until he saw the monstrosity lying on the bed.

"MOM! I AM NOT WEARING THIS!" He found himself staring at a frilly light blue matching shorts-and-coat ensemble with a ruffled shirt that came straight out of a 70's prom. Then, the scariest thing in the world burst into his room, just to make things worse.

"Shikamaru," said a bristling Yoshino in a calm voice, "you have nothing else to wear but this. If you do, show it to me."

Shikamaru sighed. Thank GOD dad forced me to buy a tux...Shikamaru thought as he made a mental note sacrifice himself to his father for saving him the embarrassment of dressing like this in front of his betrothed. He then showed his still steaming mother his black tux and the matching shoes.

"WHEN DID YOU GET A TUX? I wanted to beeee sniff Theereee when myy poooor baaybeee sniff got his first Tuu-hu-hux!" sobbed a randomly emotional Yoshino. She then smacked him over the head, once again angry, as usual. "You should have told me! I could gotten you a better one for a lot cheaper!"

"Moom! Dad forced me! It's not my fault! But I'm still glad he did! Go away so I can get dressed...again." Shikamaru pleaded with his mother. He finally got her shoved out the door as she was about to hit him over the head again.

Ahh, peace and quiet. Dressing, again, Shikamaru brushed his long hair and put it back into his standard ponytail. He thought about Suna...hot, dry, desert. Shikamaru thought about the people he knew from Suna. Only one came immediately to mind, Temari. He loved Temari, but wouldn't let it interfere with his engagement. To him, Temari was as beautiful as the clouds he watched on a warm summer day, maybe even more beautiful... He wondered what the girl he was going to meet looked like...

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"Finally! The gates to Konoha!" Kankuro, one of Temari's younger brothers shouted.

"You're giving me a headache...again." Calmly stated Gaara, the other of Temari's younger brothers and also the Kazekage, and the head of the Subaku-no clan. A very scary combination of power, no?

"Calm down, both of you. We are just going to check into our hotel, go to this guy's house and then going out to lunch with him. I have his address right here. PLEASE try to be nice, kind, gentle, and POLITE coughkankurocough ! I want this to go smoothly." Temari all but screamed at her brothers.

"Then let's continue," said the ever-polite Gaara as they passed through the gates showing their visas. No one stopped them, for everyone knew who they were and why they were here. A great alliance was about to be made between Konoha and Suna, but nobody knew how it came to be. They knew that Temari, sister to the great Kazekage and one of the last members of the great, powerful, and very rich Subaku-no clan from Suna, and Nara Shikamaru, heir to the great Nara clan and lazy Chunin extraordinaire were to be married for the good of the village. It was strange, but they were glad for it.

As soon as Temari got to her hotel, she grabbed her room key, went to her room, and collapsed on the bed..and fell asleep.

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"When is this girl I'm going to meet gonna get here?" Shikamaru droned. He hated waiting for stupid things like this. He'd rather be sleeping. He wished the girl were as lazy as he was and was wanting to sleep right now as much as he did.

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Temari woke up 30 minutes later, and she now had only 30 minutes to get ready. She hopped up, turned on the shower, got in, washed up, and got out. She then proceeded to blow dry her hair and put it up in four pom-pom pigtails. She then got dressed in a very nice kimono that was blue with purple and white flowers adorning it in a very attractive pattern. She was ready. She met her brothers in the lobby and they all got into a taxi cart and went off to meet her betrothed.

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Shikamaru watched as the taxi stopped in front of their house. He pulled back from the window to stand by the door for when she got there. He was actually starting to get nervous...

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Temari was nervous as she approached the door. She walked up the side walk and then stood on the stoop. With a shaking finger, she opened the door. Who was standing by the door, but none other than...

"SHIKAMARU?!"

"TEMARI?!"

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A/N Hope you enjoyed it! Second chapter shall be posted shortly :)