There is no real reason why Kiba is an annoying twit.

Edit: I fixed this chapter up a bit, mostly with quotation errors. I might have changed some words around, but overall its the same chapter as the origional.

Shikamaru sighed and groggily opened his eyes. He glanced over at a clock and saw he had ten minutes to pick Temari up at her embassy house. He groaned and sat up. "Sometimes it's troublesome to be so lazy.." he murmured to himself, imagining the pain of getting beat up -again- by Temari.

He quickly changed into his clothes then put his hair in a ponytail. He looked in the mirror and decided he looked fine enough. I'm only escorting Temari to a meeting…he thought to himself as he trudged down the stairs. It's not like he had to look all fancy. But I'm also taking her out on a date.

Shikamaru's steps halted.

"I'm taking Temari out on a date," he said out loud, as if realization hit him.

"Good for you, Son. It's about time you got yourself a woman."

Shikamaru sighed and looked in the kitchen doorway where Shikaku, his father, was standing munching on an apple. "Yeah, whatever. I have to go." He continued walking.

Suddenly, he was stopped as a shadow enveloped him. He groaned, halted on the wooden floor of his hallway. "Dad, let me go. I'm going to be late."

"Now wait a minute, Shikamaru." His father said, grinning with his hands up in the familiar hand sign associated with the Kagemane jutsu. "Now that you have a woman to take care of, you will need a house of your own."

"Daaad," Shikamaru groaned. "It's not like that, I'm only taking her to lunch -"

His father interrupted him. "And then to dinner and before you know it you will be married with children. Besides, Shikamaru, your mother and I have already decided you are just too old to live with your parents."

" Daaad…"

Shikaku canceled the jutsu. "We will more about it later. Now have a good time." He grinned and waved at his son before walking off.

Shikamaru groaned. My parents are so troublesome..

He ran out the door, remembering his having to meet Temari.

-----------

Shikamaru flinched and waited for the impact of Temari's fan hitting his head. When he felt nothing, he looked at her with raised eyebrows. Temari shrugged. " You're on time. For once."

He sighed and started walking. Temari followed him without hesitation, noting how grumpier than usual he seemed. "What's up?" she asked him.

Shikamaru frowned slightly. "Nothing."

Temari scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "Obviously something is wrong with you, or I wouldn't be asking you. Now talk, or else your ass will be kicked into next week."

Shikamaru groaned before glancing at her slightly. "My parents are kicking me out of the house."

Temari laughed shortly before saying, "You still live with your parents?"

Shikamaru groaned again. He looked back down at his feet. She thinks I'm a kid, he thought to himself. He didn't answer her.

"Why?" Temari said after a few seconds of silence.

"Why what?"

"You know what!"

"They think I'm too old to live with them." Shikamaru mumbled grudgingly. "And..." He didn't continue with his sentence.

"Don't make me pull out the fan," Temari said shortly.

"And they think I'm dating you, so obviously I need my own house," he finished quickly.

Temari was silent for a few seconds before she said, "Your whole village thinks we're dating." Shikamaru cringed, expecting her to explode in anger or something like that. Instead, all he heard was Temari's bell-like laughter.

"Woman, don't you understand that the whole situation is troublesome?" Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes towards the sky.

"Oh, yeah, it's very troublesome," Temari said with an exaggerated sigh. "And it is also very funny."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Funny?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you are really a genius," Temari sighed out, rolling her eyes. She continued walking beside Shikamaru.

"I don't quite have the same train of thought as you," Shikamaru murmured. He glanced at Temari to see her grinning.

"We don't look like a couple," Temari said simply.

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, but didn't say anything. He merely thought about what Temari said while they continued walking. Temari is right. We are total opposites, and practically hate each other. Why do people think we are a couple? he wondered before sighing as found the answer to his own question. I'm a genius, I should know this.

They arrived at the Hokage's Tower and Temari walked inside without saying anything, leaving Shikamaru outside by himself.

It is because we are total opposites….He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

And I kind of like her…..

He smirked to himself.

--------

"Shikamaru, wake up."

He opened one eye and saw Temari peering down at him. He yawned and opened his other eye. "Don't kill me when I'm down," he murmured before yawning again.

Temari scoffed but stood back as Shikamaru stood up. He eyed the scroll in her hand. "Well?"

She smirked and handed the scroll to him. "Read it."

He groaned and took the scroll.

Shiiiikamaru!

I hear you and Temari are becoming QUITE good friends. Hehehe..

Anyway, to business: Temari is leaving in two days. So, the rest of her stay you will show her the rest of the elements of the village. The next time she comes back to Konoha, you two will conduct plans for the next Chuunin exams.

And Good Luck with her.

-wink-

Signed,

Godaime Tsunade, yo.

He slowly shut the scroll than put it in his kunai pouch. He scowled in irritation.

"Even your Hokage thinks we're a couple," Temari remarked, looking up at the sky. " It must be something to do with you taking me out to lunch." She said it too innocently, Shikamaru had to draw his gaze to her.

"You told Tsunade-sama I'm taking you out to lunch?"

"More like..she asked me where you were taking me today, and I answered. Obviously she wanted to know if you are taking me willingly." She eyed him carefully. " I mean, you do have a reputation for being..lazy."

Shikamaru's scowl vanished and was replaced by an almost nervous look as he remembered he was supposed to be taking Temari to lunch. Temari raised her eyebrows. " What?"

"Um, lunch..Pizza place.." Shikamaru murmured, looking down.

"Oh, yeah. Well, take me," Temari said, remembering their 'date'.

"Sure.." Shikamaru innocently took her hand and started walking.

----------------

Temari glared at Shikamaru. She glared at him while ordering their food. She glared at him while the cooker set the pizza pan in front of them, and she glared at him while they ate. She even glared at his retreating form as he excused himself to the nearest restroom, just to get away from her horrendous Evil Eye. Seated on a sink, his back to a wall, he thought that Temari could see through walls, and maybe she was still glaring at him.

Shikamaru was noticeably scared when he returned to his seat. Temari was sipping on a cup of tea, glaring at him. Shikamaru gulped and let out a nervous laugh.

If it was possible, Temari would have glared harder.

Finally Shikamaru could take it no longer, and whilst paying for their food, turned to her and asked, "Did I do something. to offend you?"

The change on Temari's face was remarkable, although not what Shikamaru would of liked. She had a smug little smile on her face, and it was ( if possible) scarier than her glare. "No, Shikamaru, you have done nothing to offend me."
Her answer made him gulp a little. For whatever reason, Shikamaru knew that Temari was lying and it was just creeping him out.

"Then why were you glaring at me so intensely?"

"Oh, no reason," Temari said, turning in her seat and propping her arm on the table. "I just didn't give you permission to hold my hand."

Shikamaru looked at her a moment longer before slowly standing up. Surprise was written on Temari's face. "What are you doing?"

Shikamaru chuckled at Temari's change in attitude. "Are you ready to go? I have to show you around Konoha." Clearly Shikamaru wasn't going to remark on holding Temari's hand.

Temari scowled, but stood up. "Someday I'm going to find out what goes on in that head of yours."

"You don't want to know what goes on in my head," Shikamaru said simply. And it was true. There were few people who could bear the burden of having such ingenious thoughts, and, quite frankly, Shikamaru would feel sorry if someone did in fact have such powers as to look into his mind.

Apparently Temari misread his statement, and immediately brought her lip up in a sneer. Shikamaru looked at her, puzzled, before tilting his head towards the street, indicating they should start walking. Temari momentarily forgot about his 'perverted' mind and reached out to him. She grabbed his sleeve and said, "I wish to be escorted properly."
Shikamaru sighed and offered her his arm, of which she linked her own through. And they set off, a small grin tugging on each of their lips.

Unknown to them, a small flash went off and a hidden entity snickered with delight.

------

"So, what? Your village is all good and caring?" Temari questioned him, tilting her head to the side with a look of disgust on her face.

".. You are so troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled, lifting his head up and looking at the sky. For the past hour, Temari and he had been talking about Konoha's past wars and recent alliances with villages. Temari had started to get all pissy when Shikamaru mentioned that Suna was an example of the less friendly villages of Konoha's alliances.

"And I suppose my brother is bad too, ne? For being the kage of this 'less friendly' village?" Temari was still going strong.

"No, I'm just saying that-" He was cut off by Temari's bickering.

"You think that I am worthless because I come from a village that's 'inferior' to yours? Is that what you think?"

"Woman, give it a rest! Your voice is making my head hurt!"

Temari narrowed her eyes at him then crossed her arms and leaned back heavily against the bench they were sitting on. "You're such an ass," she murmured.

Shikamaru sighed. Temari could start biting his head of for no visible reason. But, then again, he suppose he did deserve her yelling at him, seeing as how he apparently did something totally wrong by holding her hand! And, to make matters worse, Shikamaru didn't even know why he held her hand earlier! His genius should have been kicking in a few hours earlier, but he reasoned his strange behavior was his teenage hormones. His mom had always warned him about them.

He chanced a glance over at Temari and saw she had a semi-pleasant look on her face as she peered up towards the heavens. He wondered what she was staring at before he looked up as well and saw the big, fluffy, white clouds floating lazily across the sky. He thought her sudden interest in the clouds funny, as Temari of the Sand had always yelled at him for being completely lazy at the time.

"Funny how things happen," Shikamaru muttered suddenly, surprising Temari from her cloud watching. She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah?"

"It seems my idleness is contagious."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Temari looked ready to backhand Shikamaru into next year. Of course, she could always use that giant, metal fan of hers.

He shrugged slowly, first lifting one shoulder and then the other. "Do you enjoy watching clouds?"

She eyed him carefully, wondering if she was falling into a trap, before deciding Shikamaru was too lazy to create a trap. But he did have the brains. "I like watching the stars better."

When Shikamaru didn't answer, Temari went on. "In the Sand, the sky is always clear. We hardly get any rain. So, naturally, at night the stars are very bright and visible."

For some reason, a silence followed her words. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable; it reminded Shikamaru of fog. He glanced to his side to see Temari staring across the dirt-paved road with a blank look on her face. He looked across as well but didn't see anything to stare at.

"Temari?"

She sighed before turning to look at him. "I'm going back to my embassy house. I'm tired."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows but didn't object. Temari looked tired. He didn't want to question about her sudden fatigue, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was bothering her. So, as Temari was standing up, Shikamaru reached out to grab her arm.

Temari tilted her head to the side and looked down at him with a serene expression. She blinked owlishly before smiling slightly. "What?"

"Are you..okay?"

"Yes. " A simple answer, nothing more.

Shikamaru didn't quite believe her. "You sure?"

"Yes."

"I mean, you looked -"

"I'm just sleepy, that's all."

Shikamaru nodded absentmindedly. He still didn't believe her. "Well..this is troublesome, but.." His sentence wandered before he started talking again. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

Temari's lips were twitching as if she was keeping back a smile. "I don't need to talk." She glanced where Shikamaru's hand was still grasping her hand. Shikamaru followed her gaze and quickly drew back his hand, blushing a bit.

"I do need an escort, though," Temari said faintly. Shikamaru almost smiled- almost. He stood up and took her hand.

The two ninja walked.

------

"Hehehe!"

"Hn."

"My plan is diabolical!"

"Hn."

"I totally rock."

"Hn."

"Shino, could you stop saying 'hn'? It makes me feel smart," said Kiba, frowning slightly as he walked down the street, a camera in one of his hands. Beside him, Akamaru barked an agreement.

Shino sighed ever so slightly. His friend's intrusive nature made him think he should have stuck to collecting bugs, instead of taking pictures of potential love scenes between the foreign woman from Sunagakure and Konohagakure's own genius . "Hn," he murmured again, just to get a rise out of Kiba.

"Never the mind! Tomorrow we shall have proof to the world that Shikamaru and Temari are an item!" shouted Kiba as he struck a dramatic pose and pointed ahead of him at a photograph shop. "Onward!" He ran towards the shop, leaving Shino behind to utter a faint, ' Hn'.