Shikamaru made an effort to arise first that morning and set to work, attempting to emulate his mother's award winning pancakes, as he and his father were the only two others aware of the recipe.
"That troublesome woman, I be she did that on purpose, she's not going to feed me charcoal again."
Temari, with a yawn strutted into the kitchen, intrigued by the cooking noises she was hearing, she was met with a frantic Shikamaru, in a frilly apron that must've belonged to his mother.

The roar of laughter made Shikamaru whirl around in alarm, he would have stood there with an irritated expression for a little while longer, but he didn't want his pancakes to burn.
He laid out the stack of red colored pancakes and when Temari was about to ask for syrup he said:
"Argh, just eat them, they don't need syrup."
"Oh and why is that Professor Breakfast?" Temari asked with a smirk.
"They're savory, the syrup would ruin them."
"Oh." Temari was generally impressed.
"Wow, a guy that can cook! What a catch! And he's a handsome little wuss bag too!"
Temari timidly took a bite of the red thing on her plate
Shikamaru watched intensely, he was out to impress today.

She slowly put the piece of pancake in her mouth, chewed slowly…
"WOW!!! THIS IS SO GOOD SHIKA-KUN!"
Shikamaru didn't notice the suffix at first, and all of a sudden he fell out of his chair whilst Temari was ravaging her breakfast.
Shikamaru picked himself up and ate his breakfast in a stunned silence, Temari realized her mistake but she was far too happy chowing down on her abstract breakfast.

After a large meeting with dozens of ninja from the villages that would be participating in the Chunin exam, Temari joined team 10 for lunch, well, invited herself.
After the lunch at their favorite Mongolian BBQ place, Chouji had to leave for clan training, and Ino dragged Temari away to go shopping with the girls.
When she left Shikamaru slumped deeply into the booth's seat.
Asuma cocked an eyebrow knowingly, looked around for any nearby waitresses, and light up, savoring the first drag.

"Girl troubles huh?"
"No."
"Come on Shikamaru, I've been your sensei for a few years, did the Suna Kunoichi reject you?"
With his signature sigh; " no…"
"So you can't tell her how you feel?"
"….yeah."
Asuma's face slid into a knowing grin
"Well, you know me and Kurenai?"
"Ugh…what about her?"
"Heh heh, it may shock you to find out she was alot like Temari when we younger, well maybe not as violent but still."
"No way, theres no one alive like that troublesome woman."
"Believe it buddy, we'd sneak out at night and meet in the park."
"How troublesome."
Asuma chuckled as he took a puff on his cigarette, making a happy noise when blowing out the smoke.
"Well, if you like Shika, tell her now, as an adult I can tell you, its better to regret things you have done, than to regret something you haven't done. Women are a lot like Shogi, you need to think ahead, have a plan, don't just rush into it."

"yeah what ever…"
"Do what you want, but me and Kurenai are still together, and that was the genin days –KOFF KOFF KOFF! ARRRGHHH CAK KOFF KOFF HOUGH!!!" As Shikamaru went to leave Asuma nearly coughed up a lung, and the dreaded waitress spotted the tendrils of smoke sneaking out from the booth, and she was promptly beating Asuma with a shoe, they seem to hurt more when you're slapped with one…

Shikmaru had spent the past few hours, laid out on his hill, gazing at the passing clouds.

Unfortunately for him Temari found him.
"OI! Been hiding have we, Nara? We'll, you have to take me out to dinner today! The girls were having a sleep over, pff as if I'd want to go to that..."
Shikamaru grumbled and sat up, and mumbled something.
"What was that about me, fatty?"
"Nothing… what do you want now?"
Temari laid out like Shikamaru was moments before.

"Why you do this so much?"
"Just do it for yourself, you'll see soon."
"Aha…" Temari's voice was pure sarcasm.

Ino and Chouji were walking through the same area, and were oddly enough, holding hands.

"Ooh JEEZ!"
Ino yanked Chouji into the bush
"Bwah! What the hell Ino!?"
"Look over there." Ino quietly said while pointing at the hill's summit where Temari and Shikamaru were strangely closer together than before.
With a chuckle Chouji said; "About time, Shikamaru must've realized he's too lazy for his own good sometimes."
"What do you mean?"
"He's had eyes for that Temari girl for ages…since the…the 'mission'."
"Oh, because she saved him?" Ino was burning this information into her brain to gossip with Sakura, Ten Ten and Hinata this evening.

"Yeah, but I only know because I over heard him whisper when she left with her brothers last time they were here for the alliance treaty."
"What did Shika say?"
"Whilst they were leaving he mumbled something about her coming back soon, and how troublesome she is."
"That's something he'd say…so THAT'S why me and Sakura can't tease him so much anymore…come to think of it she's been down lately too."

They watched in secret as Shikamaru and Temari inevitably got closer and closer until Shikamaru asked:
"How about that dinner?"
"Mmm…" Temari looked down trodden.

Shikamaru looked confused.
"What's the matter? You haven't hit me or shouted for a while."
"Shikamaru, do you hate me?"
"Umm…"
"Do you? I'm always abusing you and stuff…most guys would have run away by now."
"Damn, now or never, eugh I feel so sick, this is so troublesome, and why do us men always have to do this stuff…"
"Do you hate me?" She was a little surprised at his query and she responded;
"No! Of course not!"
How the tables have turned…

With a grin he asked: "So you 'like' me?"
BAMN! Asuma's advice was always golden, just like shogi after all.
"Ye-WHAT!?"
Shikamaru was wearing his 'I Win' smirk

"YOU BASTARD NARA!"
Temari attempted to tackle Shikamaru and punch his lights out, but again, she walked into that one too, damn he was too clever sometimes.
Although the jump was short, Shikamaru still manipulated her momentum and swung her over him and said:
"I do too."
Temari's big eyes went wide, and she went as red as Shikamaru was, who by now had moved away and was picking up her shopping for her.

She moved silently up behind him and how ever uncharacteristic of the kunoichi it was, she stood shyly behind him.
"Well, let's go…"

So they plodded off together towards the village.

After dropping her shopping off at his place and dressing up a little, (Temari wore the new black Kimono with a red sash she bought that day, from the glances she was getting from Shikamaru, it looked good.)
Shikamaru simply washed his hands and face, and put a new pair of pants of, these one were slightly longer, and more expensive looking, less rugged.

They set out, deciding to check out a place Shikamaru hadn't been into before, little did he know Ino's gang had spotted the couple and followed them in.

They sat down, ordered, and talked quietly about nothing in particular.

"SHIKA-MARUUU!" Ino piped up from across the noodle bar.
Shikamaru dead panned, sweat dropped, sighed and asked her what she was doing here, that troublesome Ino.
"Oh nothing in particular…" TenTen answered.
Temari knew what they were doing, while initially jealous of Ino getting his attention, she saw what Ino's game was, after all wasn't she dating that ripped kid in the red and armour?

"HOOK IN TEMARI!" Sakura had obviously ordered sake already, what can you expect? Being exposed to Tsunade's alcoholism all the time, it was BOUND to have negative effects on the girl.
So they ate whilst the group of girls a table or 2 over was teasing them the whole time,
troublesome.

After they finished the girls returned to Ino's, thanks to Sakura being the Hokage's apprentice, they managed to score some booze, no questions asked.

They were about to part ways when Ino and Hinata waltzed up to the pair and shoved some small square wrappers in their hands
Hinata quietly apologized while Ino declared it was 'Better to take responsibility for five minutes now than 18 years in nine months time!'

They quietly watched television, Temari stole Shikamaru's bed covers to keep warm, and snuggled in close to him under said bed covers on the couch.
"I'm having a bath."
"Wow."
"Your coming."
Shikamaru sweat dropped.
"Arrr…."
"Come on! Oh you PERVERT! We'll still be in our underwear, watch those hands Crybaby, I WILL break them if I find them where they aren't supposed to be."
"Ugh, what ever…you're so troublesome."
"And you love it!"
Shikamaru just sighed.

The Bubbles were high, the bath hot.
Temari slipped out of her kimono and plopped gracefully into the bath.
Shikamaru, wasn't so skilled, and slipped and fell over in the bath, almost drowning Temari with a directed wave at her face.
"Sor-" was all he could say before the fist impacted with his face.
After a few awkward moments Temari began the small talk…
She was finding that Shikamaru made excellent conversation, when he wanted to. You had to initiate to get anywhere with him. Her mind turned to the condoms Ino gave them, now residing in the bin.
"I'll keep that in mind." Shikamaru's bath was oddly large for the small apartment he lived in, obviously designed for a couple. As Temari slid deeper into the waters, so her neck was submerged, her feet and legs brushed Shikamaru, he gave a small, startled reaction, like when you wake up a sleeping cat.
Temari grinned, almost seductively at him.
"What's wrong wimp? Nervous?"

Shikmaru rolled his eyes and slumped lower into the bath like Temari had.
The combination of warm water and the deeply satisfied, ridiculously content feeling actually coming into physical contact with temari gave him, sent him to sleep.
He awoke to Temari gently shaking his shoulder telling him to get out of the bath and go to bed.
With a sigh he heaved himself out of the waters, gave Temari a look that said 'you need to leave'. Which she did, he changed into a new pair of boxer shorts and shirt Temari left, and joined her in his bed.
"I need to pay Asuma-Sensei back for the advice…I'll let him win at shogi or something."
He rolled over to face Temari, and found she was already asleep, and rolled over closer to him in her sleep.
With a small smile at how cute she looked asleep, he gently left his hand face down on her rising and falling tummy, lying on his side, with a faint smile, he fell asleep.
Temari was smiling too.

Well! That took me AGES but I finally did it! Oo, it kinda got real fluffy at the end huh? Oh well…
I have no idea whats gonna happen next chapter…ideas: ) Please:D
(oo its pretty long this time too! Is this good? Or are they better short?)

P.S: I didn't really proof read it sorry…