Nara Shikamaru lay idly in the vast fields of Konoha, eyes closed and mind clear. After his first mission as squad leader, he'd begun to realize that times like this, when he could engage in that which he enjoyed most—which was, to put it frankly, absolutely nothing—would soon become rare and fleeting, so he should learn to savor them that much more. He sighed and opened his eyes.

There are no clouds out today…he thought miserably. All the same, letting the sun hit his face and lull him off into a free, semi-conscious state was more than he could hope for. It took his mind off of the greater worries and annoyances that life had a tendency to throw his way.

Sasuke got away. Naruto had done his job and successfully subdued Sasuke, but Orochimaru, sensing a great amount of interference with his plans, had sent Kabuto to intercept the Uchiha boy should something go wrong. To make matters worse, the Sand-nins had not yet left Konoha, and Temari, taking the time to enjoy her stay there (this was the third and final day), took every opportunity she saw to gloat in Shikamaru's presence about how she had managed to save him.

Actually, this is the first time I've been able to relax because she always seems to find her way over to where I am…

Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes again. There were footsteps fast approaching him, but he paid them no mind. There was a good chance that it was simply his best friend, Chouji, and if such were the case, he already knew the drill. Just lie there, and enjoy one another's company. However, if it were someone who sought to disturb Shikamaru's peace, it only made sense to savor his last few seconds of freedom from thought and all things troublesome.

The footsteps stopped right above him. Since Chouji would have stopped beside him, and since the footsteps weren't as heavy as Chouji's, Shikamaru could safely assume that his best friend was not the person present. Shikamaru stubbornly kept his eyes closed. The defiant act almost seemed to suggest that by not looking at his company, he was hoping that he could will them to disappear. But that was stupid, and Shikamaru did not put effort into doing pointless, stupid things. He groaned.

"What do you want?" he said a bit more bluntly than he'd intended. From above him came the sound of sucking teeth; whoever it was clearly knew him, and was exasperated by his rudeness.

"Hey, dimwit," came a familiar and unwelcome voice. "You could at least look at me when I come to see you. It's a thing called manners. You should learn them sometime."

He opened his eyes to see Temari staring down at him with a rather smug look on her face. As usual, she had her hand resting firmly on one hip, the other hip cocked to the side. Since their encounter in the forests, he still hadn't determined whether or not she was welcome, but if she was going to continue teasing him, she might as well leave.

"Oh, it's you," he replied plainly. A vein popped in Temari's forehead.

"That was rude! Are you trying to piss me off?"

"Well, that depends," said Shikamaru, smirking as he sat up with a loud grunt. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

Temari sighed and smiled back.

"No, not at all. I actually came to ask if I could sit here with you and talk for awhile."

Shikamaru was taken aback. Then he screwed up his face and looked at her with scrutiny.

"Why me? There are others I'm sure you'd love to talk to. I shouldn't be your first choice."

"Actually," said Temari with a detached yawn for emphasis in their battle of wit, "you're not. I would have loved to spend time with the Uchiha boy, but since he's gone to get possessed, that puts a dent in those plans, doesn't it?"

She smirked.

Shikamaru flared his nostrils and planted his back on the grassy ground again.

"Do whatever you want," he said, waving his hand with a sense of disinterest. This made Temari smile more.

Looks like someone's jealous. Tch, acting like you don't care…Then…

She sat down beside him and looked up at the sky.

"No clouds out today… The sky here looks a lot like it does back home…."

Shikamaru let out a small 'hn' to show that he, at least, had the courtesy to listen.

"If you ask me, a sky without clouds is boring," he said. The last thing he expected to hear in response, however, was, "You think so, too?"

He sat upright when he heard this.

"You look surprised," she said. "You're not the only one who enjoys looking at the sky, you know. Boys are idiots back in Hidden Sand Village, so I can't really pursue a love life there, and there's not much else to do other than that, so when I'm not training, I'm admiring the desert sky."

"I see…" he said. Then he closed his eyes again and lay on his back. Temari stretched and then lay on her back as well, the back of her head resting on folded arms.

"You're not very talkative," she said with a smile.

"You're too talkative," countered Shikamaru, which made Temari laugh. Since their time in the forest, Shikamaru had admitted to himself that her full-blown smile had a strange effect on him. It made him feel quite warm inside, giving him an awkward, yet desirable melting sensation. He was actually enjoying her company, even if she was detracting from his "me" time.

"You're being stubborn."

"You're being troublesome."

They continued to lie there, content with letting the day drift cloudlessly by, a gentle breeze nipping occasionally at their clothes and hair.

"I've been asking around about you," she said. Shikamaru turned his head in her direction.

"Now that's a strange thing to say out of nowhere. Why do you want to know about a boring no-name like me?"

"Because you're not boring."

"Oh?"

"You're actually quite interesting. Since our fight during the Chuunin finals, I've been trying to figure you out, and well, since that flak jacket is a clear indication that you've been promoted, while I have not, I simply wanted to make sure you weren't slacking off on the job and all, considering I couldn't really tell from when you nearly got yourself killed on your last miss—"

"Okay, you know what?" said Shikamaru, irritation quite evident in his voice. "If you came out here for a 'thank you,' then thank you. If that's all you wanted, you can leave, now."

Temari giggled, which felt strange for Shikamaru, who could certainly picture her frowning, smirking, grinning, or out-and-out laughing… but a giggle, somewhere in between a smirk and laughter, and quite suggestive of a subtle femininity that she seemed to be exuding in his presence… that seemed out of place….

…And yet, he welcomed it.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Hey, Shadow Boy," she said, casually changing the subject, "what are your dreams?"

Shikamaru felt denied an answer, but he decided to drop the subject. After all, there was no point in ruining the pleasant atmosphere.

"Well, Fan Girl, if you really must know, I don't exactly have dreams or anything. More like expectations, but if I were to put them into words, they would probably be to become an average ninja with average pay, marry a woman who was neither ugly or beautiful—plain, that's the word—and have two children. First a girl, then a boy, and I would retire from this way of life once my daughter married and my son got a job. Then I'd spend the rest of my days playing go and shougi and I would die of old age before my wife."

Temari let out a slight snicker, causing Shikamaru to frown.

"What? Not ambitious enough for you?"

"No, not really…. You don't want a lot, but even so, it can be said that because of this, you know what you do want. That's admirable in some ways. There aren't too many people who can say that at our age. I was simply thinking that your Sensei was right about you; you are like an old man."

"I see… so not even Asuma was exempt from your inquiries about me."

"I couldn't consider myself a proud analyzer if I didn't use all of my available resources."

"But you weren't testing your analytical skills when you were asking about me, were you?" said Shikamaru suggestively. This prompted a slight blush on Temari's cheek, but it was far from noticeable. She smirked.

"Hmph, keep telling yourself that."

"What? Can't be interested in a guy like me?"

"Tch, like I'd waste time on a guy like you. Besides, according to your goals, I'm out of your league."

"And why is that?"

"You want a woman neither ugly nor beautiful. I'm beautiful, so it could never happen."

"Beautiful, eh? If you say so…."

"Hmph, idiot. I happen to be called the Desert Flower of the Hidden Sand because I'm the most beautiful young woman in my village."

Shikamaru thought for a second, then laughed. Temari was rather indignant about this.

"What's so funny? It's true!"

"I was just thinking that if desert flowers are like you with that fan of yours, they must be poisonous."

A second later, Shikamaru was muttering to himself as he stared up at the sky, a huge bump throbbing on his head. Temari's fist was unclenching, and she smiled with a great amount of satisfaction.

"You brought it on yourself," she said. "You should know better than to make fun of a girl, whether it be about her looks or personality."

"Sorry, but there's a girl on my team who is very annoying in that area—too annoying—so you'll have to forgive me if I refuse to play that game of tact."

"But you know something?" she asked. "If I were to choose a man to marry, it would probably be someone whose ambitions are as simple as yours."

Mildly surprised, Shikamaru looked to her for answers.

"W-what are you saying?"

"Well, my whole life's been hectic. I've spent a good deal of my time trying to become an exemplary ninja, not to mention dealing with a lot of the diplomacy surrounding my late father and the Hidden Sand. And then there's always protecting my little brother from himself and keeping him from killing me and Kankurou. Quite frankly, I've had enough of these annoyances, and I think settling down in a quiet, quaint place for an uneventful life with an uneventful man might be what I truly want."

"Oh," said Shikamaru, sounding slightly—but not noticeably—disappointed. "Sounds like you've got your hands full."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."

"Hey, now. Cursing like that doesn't suit you."

"You can kiss my ass."

"Smooch."

"Tch, dimwit."

The sun was already starting to set, and Temari sprawled her arms and legs out to their fullest reaches.

"I'll be leaving soon."

"Yeah. It makes sense to head out under nightfall so it's harder to be followed."

"Promise me one thing before I go," said Temari.

"What is it?"

"Promise that you'll become stronger. I don't want to see you running out of chakra again, and I certainly don't want to have to sa—"

"Will you give it a rest?" barked Shikamaru. "I get it! Fine, if that's what you want, I'll put a little more effort into my training."

"Then I'm happy."

Then again, thought Shikamaru, all effort's gotten me so far is a bunch of near-death experiences. Maybe I shouldn't have made that promise. Well, I can't back out now. I'm a man, after all…

"Oi! Why don't you two just kiss already?" came Kankurou's grumpy voice. He and Gaara were standing between two houses, arms crossed and looking very anxious to leave.

"Idiot," replied Temari. "Don't provoke me. Gaara's not the only one who follows through on death threats."

"Yeah, yeah. You ready?"

"Yep!" said Temari, grunting as she wearily climbed to her feet and stretched. "I'll be right there. Meet me at the front gate."

"Whatever," said Kankurou, and with a hand seal, Gaara transported himself and his brother in a whirl of sand.

"Well, later," said Shikamaru, and he closed his eyes again. A few seconds later, however, he reopened them when he noticed that there was something soft, warm, and slightly wet pressing down on his forehead. Temari was kneeling over him, planting a nice firm kiss there. "Temari…"

She stood, smirking.

"If I don't find another quaint man to settle down with, I'm going to come looking for you. You better make sure you're available until I settle down. If not, remember that you're dealing with a girl who creates tempests, has a short fuse, and is related to two brothers who can be rather sadistic at times."

Shikamaru laughed nervously.

She really is a pushy person…

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, later," she said, and she turned her back to him to meet up with her brothers at the front gates of Konoha.

Although, actually, I've already set my sights on you, Nara Shikamaru… You better be available when I'm ready for that uneventful life you dream of…

Shikamaru sighed and stood, watching the so-called Desert Flower of the Hidden Sand walk away until she was completely out of sight. He sighed.

"Temari of the Desert, eh…? Getting involved with her and her brothers would be very troublesome…."

He smirked.

Then again, I've had quite a taste for trouble lately.