Shikamaru Nara loved sleeping. Almost more than clouds.

Mainly because when he was sleeping…he dreamt of clouds. Two favourite things in one. But then again, he sometimes argued to himself that he could watch clouds and then fall asleep. But he was just lazy in general, he never denied it at all. Would he rather catch a snooze or train his butt off with his teammates and sensei? Hmm…he just CAN'T decide.

On this particular summer afternoon, when the clouds were soaring across the cerulean sky, Shikamaru had plopped himself into his futon and fell into a deep, lazing sleep. drifting in the buoyant haze of his dream, he smiled unconsciously. Only he, in all male ninjas, who usually despised sleep and viewed it as a time where they are vulnerable to attacks (Neji Hyuuga as a prime example), could appreciate the beauty that was sleep.

"Shikamaru-dono…Shikamaru-dono!"

Shikamaru stirred in his rest as a voice called softly out to him. A servant knelt by his bedding, gently shaking him.

"SHIKAMARU-DONO!"

Shikamaru jumped up, semi-awake, to his instincts, ninja reflexes kicking in. Much to his annoyance, it was only a servant calling to him. He sat back down, ignoring him, and pulled the covers over his head again. The servant looked around helplessly, as he could neither attack or rebuke his young master.

"Kimoro, that's enough, let me handle this."

The servant looked up to see Shikaku Nara, head of the household (or as he claimed, since his wife was clearly the dominant one), standing beside him. He nodded gratefully and bowed before hastily exiting the room. Shikaku stuck his head out the sliding door, just to make sure Kimoro was out of sight.

Staring down at his lazy yet somehow genius son, he sighed.

"How the hell am I suppose to trust you with this household when you've barely been able to handle your laziness?"'

Shikamaru pulled down his covers, staring bluntly at his father. Shikaku sighed again, before sitting down beside his son.

"Shikamaru…your old enough to know this…but you've been engaged to a Kage's daughter before you were born. She's coming today. You're getting married, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and felt the foreshadowing of the rest of his life, in captivity with some woman who he knew would be troublesome. He knew that his father, being an important advisor to the Hokage herself, and many feudal lords, needed to make suitable arrangements for his future.

"So, who is she? I hope she's not too ugly."

He asked, rubbing his tired eyes, and looking at his father. Shikaku was surprised that his son was taking this all so easily. When one of the two best friends he had, Inoichi, betrothed his daughter, Ino, to a powerful ninja, who was part of Root ANBU, she had put up a fight. Shikaku shuddered. Inoichi wasn't able to talk(or walk) right for weeks.

"She's the daughter of the Kazekage."

"I know that, but well, who is she? What's she like?"

"Temari-san, ranked jounin, very well respected. And your age."

He answered, as Shikamaru fell back down into his covers.

"Marriage is so troublesome. I just hope she's not too like mom…that would be nasty."

Shikamaru droned, staring at the ceiling rigidly, fiddling his fingers. Shikaku muttered his agreement, then noted,

"You know, son, I'm surprised your taking this all in so calmly."

"Well…for one thing, if you're hinting about Ino's reaction, then it's because she's Ino…secondly,"

Shikamaru picked up his slipper beside his bed slowly, before smacking it right across his father's face. "I never said that I WOULDN'T have a reaction."

Temari had a secret. She loved sleep.

But it was kept a secret because her family viewed sleep as poison. Literally. They thought that sleep brought a shinobi's guard down. They thought it brought laziness. Especially laziness. "LAZY" was forbidden in their manor. Feeling lazy? Better go train your taijutsu. Acting lazy? Better start perfecting your genjutsu before someone catches you. Are lazy? Nope. That doesn't exist in Sunagakure. No ninja was ever lazy in a place like Sunagakure. Not her brothers, Kankuro or Gaara, who seemed to live on their half an hour rests every night. So was she lazy? Was ten hours of sleep too much to ask for? Temari hoped not. She only liked sleep, and liked it a lot. It was almost like taboo romance. A taboo romance that was far from the romance she was destined to. Her father had married her off to an important shinobi's son, somewhere in Konohagakure. Being taught never to talk back to any elder, she had agreed, whilst biting her tongue the entire time. Even if she disagreed, her father would force her anyways. Her father had the servants pack her bags that evening, before sending her off with a quick warning not to displease her soon father-in-law. That's where she was heading now, to meet her future family. The golden gondola she was carried in monotonously shifted from side to side, matching the footsteps of its carriers. It felt like a heartbeat, she couldn't help but note. And then that heartbeat stopped. The curtains on the windows of the grand gondola was lifted by a servant girl. Temari blinked at the bright sunlight that flooded all around her, and splashed onto her seat.

"We're here, Temari-sama."