A/N: Well, this is the first fic that I've written in a long time. Regardless, I had a blast writing this and hope to make this particular story into a multi-chapter deal. I apologize ahead of time, as I am fairly new to Naruto. I just began watching Shippuden a few days ago. I really hope you enjoy this fic and hope that you will review if you have the time! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I do not own any of the characters or plotlines for Naruto.

Rated based on very, very mild language.

Of All The Missions

Crouched down, fingertips touching gently, and eyes shut for perfect concentration, he began analyzing every possible move. He knew that the time he had to think about this was brief. "She'll be here any minute.." There was nothing normal about this mission, and that was saying a lot after the missions he had been assigned to in the past several years. A single bead of sweat formed on his brow, a sure sign that even genius had it's limits. "Dammit, times up..What a drag.." He stood slowly and with a sigh turned to face her.

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It wasn't really of much importance to Shikamaru, but everyone kept boasting about his becoming a Jounin. Even his mother, who was normally yelling at him decibels above the norm, had a pleasant smile on her face when she heard the news. Of course he knew all too well what becoming a Jounin meant; more work, less time to sleep. "Shikamaru Nara...a Jounin now...Well it's about time if you ask me." He heard a pleasantly familiar voice from behind him in the streets. "Eh..Even you know?" He turned to see Temari, a vivid smile on her face. "So what brings you back to our little town?" Shikamaru returned her smile, his hands finding the back of his head as they began to walk. "I'm here to drop off some important documents at the Kazekage's request. I'll be heading out tomorrow." Her visits to Konoha were becoming rare, whether he would admit it out loud or not, he missed seeing her. There was just something about that smile of hers and that sharp wit that had begun to grow on him.

Troublesome as it were, he considered her a good friend, he always tried to push those feelings in to the back of his mind. "I see..Well I suppose I'll see you to the Hokage's office." "You know I don't need an escort anymore, Shikamaru." Another one of those smiles pulled the corners of her lips and he caught a glance of it from the corner of his eye."Old habits die hard they say.." he added a gentle laugh to follow and stopped at the entrance to the ramen shop. "Well then, Temari...I'll see you around.." She stopped a few feet in front of him and upon turning placed a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations," She pressed her toes toward the ground, reached up to place a swift kiss on his cheek and before he even had time to lower his head to cover the tinge of red covering his cheeks, she was already gone.

"What a troublesome woman..." His mind rattled as he entered the ramen shop, cheeks still warm. "Hey, Chouji! I thought you were on a mission." His jovial friend turned around from his seat and finished slurping the remainder of the noodles in his mouth. "Shikamaru! Hey, I was but it turned out that what we were after was nothing more than a hoax. You know how that goes. Anyway, come sit down..I'm starved!" "Seems like you got a head start there, Chouji.." He pointed to his half empty ramen bowl as he grabbed a seat beside him. "Two bowls of the usual.." Chouji chimed to the man behind the counter. "You know me, Shikamaru, my stomach is always calling to me!" He couldn't help but laugh. His friend never ceased to amaze him. "Listen, Chouji..I need to ask you something important.."

Was he really going to do this? Ask his friend about women? It just wasn't him, but then again he wasn't a child anymore. Sometimes he felt like kicking his own ass for allowing these thoughts to fuel such a shyness (or laziness depending on how you look at it). "What, are you finally going to ask him to marry you, Shikamaru?" Ino's voice carried through the shop. She nearly went into a giggling fit at the sight of their faces. Each with his own unique expression, Ino waved nonchalantly at the them. "Oh really, you two...I'm only kidding..Look if you're going to ask him about how to talk to girls, you should probably redirect that one to me, Nara" "How did she even know?...This isn't going to end well.."

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He was standing in Tsunade's office, another mission assignment he presumed. A yawn escaped his lips; the early mornings never really were his thing. "Shikamaru Nara," Lady Tsunade's voice boomed from behind her desk. "Ma'am.." he replied with as much attentiveness as he could possibly muster. "So, I have a very important mission for you today, effective one hour from now." "Oh great..I don't even have time for a nap.." "What are the details?" It was that mischievous smile that formed on her lips that sent shivers up his spine.

Shikamaru got the strange feeling that this wasn't going to be a normal mission. "Well you see, Shikamaru..you've been at Jounin level for a few months now..and well, I suppose I should just cut to the chase. I heard from a little birdy named Ino a while back that you have the hots for a certain Sand Ninja. Now, normally I wouldn't interfere in such matters, however, I do owe Ino a favor and this was her request." If it were possible for his face to turn any more red, it would have been on fire. "Your mission, Shikamaru Nara, is to ask Temari of the Sand on a date..I expect a full report on the success of your mission tomorrow morning."

He couldn't believe this! Was the Hokage allowed to do such things? Speechless, and rightfully so, he stood a moment trying to ground himself. "And no worries, I requested her appearance several days ago, she should be here shortly...You are to meet her at the front gate.." After several seconds of pure silence passed, he finally managed to respond. "Yes ma'am".

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"Dammit, times up..What a drag.." He stood slowly and with a sigh turned to face her. "Hey! Shikamaru, long time no see!" The Sand Ninja gave him a warm smile. He could feel his throat beginning to dry and the perspiration beading up faster on his brow. This was it, mission or not, and he wanted it; he had for a while. He loved her smile, her sharp wit and the way she stood up for herself and the people she loved. He loved the way she allowed him to see a rare side of her when no one else was looking.

"Temari..." she cut him off, "Hey, you look like you've seen a ghost, are you okay..?" she seemed concerned, but there was that smile again. He reached down, without saying a word and grabbed her hand in his larger ones, "Temari..will you have dinner with me tonight?" He released the rest of his breath, as she stood, her grin becoming wider. She moved in closer to him, hand still cradled in his and pressed her soft lips to his cheek. "I thought you would never ask.."

Mission was a Success! Thanks for reading, and I hope that you will review if you have the time. I welcome critiques of all shapes and sizes =)