Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


4:04 PM

Temari's nerves were caught in an unusual flux. After parting with Hibiki—assuring her she knew the way to her own room—she felt herself growing anxious about matters going undiscussed. Neither brother mentioned her letter outright, though Kankuro's jab earlier made it clear they had indeed read it.

What are they thinking? They're usually more straightforward than this.

Temari quickly fixed herself up, wanting to meet up with Shikamaru before they went to dinner. Her bedroom had remained the same since she left except for some new bedsheets, a swept floor, and dusted furniture. A picture of her, Gaara, Kankuro sat perched on her nightstand. Her fan found familiar residence leaned against the side of her bed as it had for years. But as quickly as she returned to her room, she was once again leaving.

When she opened the door to the hallway, the Kazekage stood waiting. Temari jumped.

"Gaara?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to give you some time to yourself."

Temari closed the door behind her. Had her worry summoned him?

"No big deal. Was just getting ready." They fell quiet as undiscussed matters lingered in the air between them.

"How long do you plan on staying, Temari?"

"Maybe a few days."

"That's good. And Shikamaru? How long is he staying?"

"Also few days. I'd like to show him more of Suna while work and missions were low…"

"I see."

The growing silence blared in her ears. "Actually," Temari began shifting her feet in the opposite direction. "I'm going to see if he's ready now. He doesn't know his way around yet—"

"When is the wedding?" Gaara asked abruptly.

Temari's heart stopped before it relieved. The band-aid was finally ripped off.

"We're not sure...maybe four, five months from now."

Gaara sighed. It seemed so soon. After all, it had been at least four or five months since he had last seen her.

"Look," the big sister grew soft in her tone. "Right before dinner isn't the time to discuss this."

"Agreed. I just…" the Kazekage looked lost all of a sudden like he didn't know where he was. "Needed to know when."

"Gaara…"

"I'm not upset. Please don't think that. Neither is Kankuro though he may come off that way. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth." Gaara turned away. "I'll see both of you at dinner with the Seniors. Try not to be late. You recall how troublesome they can be."

Her little brother cracked a smile, and she returned it, happy they could still share these little jokes after all this time.

"I bet they haven't changed," she remarked.

"Unfortunately not." His face intensified. "I haven't told them yet. We agreed to wait until you got here."

"I appreciate it."

"Perhaps the four of us can discuss after dinner how to present it to them. They won't be happy, but at least you'll have people in your corner." And with that Gaara left.

People in my corner, Temari thought. That was always nice to have, especially when that wasn't always the case in her life. She headed down the corridor towards Shikamaru's guest chambers, a bit more exuberant and assured than she felt moments prior.


4:30 PM

The engaged pair arrived at the dining room on time. The tall ceilings, walls lined with statues of past Kazekages and notable shinobi, and a long table adorned with ancient-looking candles, plates, and silverware were all too familiar to Temari. Shikamaru was taken aback: the Hokage and Leaf Elders were never as grandiose as this. The decor was evident of Suna's formality and pride.

Temari took a seat at the head of the table to Gaara's left, Shikamaru on her heel. Kankuro sat directly across from her.

"You're sitting in my seat!" She barked.

He shrugged. "You're never here. Thought I'd keep it warm in the meantime." His words were slick but his face, under a layer of fresh paint, indicated he was glad to have her back.

The council trailed in and took their usual seats. Leading them was a stern-looking elderly shinobi named Tojuro, the second most powerful Councilman; Hibiki scurried after him. Temari was quickly informed that the Senior Head of the Suna Council, Ebizo, had fallen ill the last few days and would not be joining. Baki, the Sand Siblings' former squad leader, tailed the procession.

"Lady Temari," he said, bowing towards her.

Temari groaned. "What's with all the etiquette, Baki-Sensei?"

Baki chuckled. He was always amused by the kunoichi's brashness. Tojuro masked his judgment before Hibiki whispered something in his ear.

"That's the one," referring to Shikamaru seated next to Temari. Tojuro turned up his chin and took stock of the Shinobi Union's chief coordinator and one of the Hokage's most trusted shinobi. Interesting.

As the last of the council sat down, the Kazekage stood to commence dinner. But first, he formally welcomed Lady Temari, daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, back from her extended stay in Konoha. He emphasized how well she had represented her village while attending to ambassador duties on Suna's behalf (at this Kankuro snorted before Temari shot him a threatening glance). The Seniors clapped politely as she rose from her seat, waiting for the formalities to end so she could devour her favorite dishes.

"I would also like to welcome her friend and ally, Shikamaru Nara. He has also played an instrumental role in facilitating new, positive relations between Konohagakure and Sunagakure." Shikamaru shot up, his signature ponytail standing stiff and upright.

Temari averted her eyes to keep from laughing. Such a dork! She found it quite endearing.

"As we eat, let us celebrate my elder sister's return, and the continued peace shared between the Leaf and the Sand." Gaara waved his hand for dinner to proceed.

Temari leaned into him, whispering. "Not that bad, right?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It could have been worse. He could have said I was—"

Suddenly, Tojuro erupted into a fit of coughs. The entire table turned his way as Hibiki ran to his aid. The Senior waved off the advisor, making a show of readjusting his napkin and reexamining his food.

"My apologies, everyone. Please don't mind me. There's something rather fishy on my plate. My taste buds are quite sensitive."

Gaara stared blankly at the Councilman. "We're having pork."

"Well, it tastes fishy."


5:13 PM

The dinner continued idly. Most councilmen were still ticked about the Kazekage's recent proposal but were willing to concede if their conditions were met. Festival chatter made its rounds. At the head of the table, Baki proposed that he and Shikamaru play a light round of Shogi during his stay. The Leaf shinobi gladly agreed.

Tojuro overheard from a few seats down. "Do I hear you're a Shogi player? How intriguing."

"He's really good at it." Temari quipped, her mouth partially stuffed with food. "A genius really."

Shikamaru could feel his cheeks warming. "I'm alright…"

"He's a natural strategist. No one can beat him."

Tojuro smiled. "A natural strategist?" Shikamaru did not like his tone.

"We'll have to test your abilities after dinner. Would you entertain an old man like myself with a game? Unless...you had additional plans?"

"No, I'd love to play."

"Don't be shy," the Councilman prodded. "If you had other plans, share them."

Temari clenched her fork. The conversation had shifted. She sensed the Councilman knew something he wasn't supposed to.

"I'm happy to play you." Thankfully, Shikamaru was used to pretending to be excited about things he didn't want to do. Over the years, he had shaken many people off his back in this way. But not this one. This one kept poking.

"If you have plans, just say so. A young man like you from the Leaf? You must want to go out and enjoy Suna's nightlife. There are many beautiful women here, I'm sure you've seen."

Temari slammed her fork down. "He said he'll play you! And he'll win, too." Tojuro retreated for the moment, satisfied with himself.

At the head of the table, Kankuro turned towards Gaara to see if he was also picking up on the tension. The Kazekage kept silent.

"I understand the Nara Clan is well known for their intellect. You made quite an impression during the war."

Shikamaru nodded, taking a sip from his glass. Dinner was getting to be a drag.

"So are you thinking of settling down?"

He nearly choked on his water.

Not content with simply eavesdropping, Kankuro crossed his arms. "I don't know if this is the right time to ask our guest about marriage prospects, Councilman." Besides, Kankuro wanted to be the one to interrogate the outsider. He simply promised Gaara he would wait until after dinner to do so.

"It's an innocent question. In my day, this sort of thing happened all the time."

"These are different times," Baki interjected respectfully. "We're currently at peace. There's no rush."

"Nonsense! Peace is temporary. At any moment, we could come under attack. I shouldn't have to remind you how quickly our allies can turn into enemies."

He turned to the secretly engaged pair who now looked absolutely sick of dinner.

"In that scenario, I doubt that any of the unity you two have worked so hard to build between our two villages would last." Tojuro folded his napkin. "That is just the way of the Shinobi world."

Once again, the entire table had invested their full attention into the second-highest Senior. Temari's foot shook steadily under the table. Not even a day back home, and already she felt a terribly familiar feeling, one she thought she left behind. Suddenly, Shikamaru slipped his hand in hers under the table, just discrete enough that no one could tell. He cleared his throat.

"With all due respect, Councilman, I have witnessed the many conversations between the Fifth Kazekage and our Sixth Hokage. I am consistently pleased by the mutual respect and trust evident in these exchanges. As such, I believe the current unity between our villages is stronger than what you speak of and surpasses whatever strained bonds we may have had in the past. I assure you that Konohagakure has no intention to betray its allies." Though Shikamaru's voice rose to ensure everyone heard, the speech wasn't for the table. It was for Temari.

Tojuro gestured to Hibiki to fetch him more water. "Perhaps. But, the fact remains that unity is fragile. Peace is fleeting. And marriage, well—" He paused for a long sip from his refilled glass. "Marriage is political. You should keep that in mind as you look to settle down."

Shikamaru tightened his grip around her hand. This was turning into a dangerously heated Shogi match, and they weren't even playing with actual pieces.

"Alas," the Senior continued. "I have told Lady Temari many times she should settle down already. But, she never listens. She can be rather hot-headed at times. How many worthy Suna shinobi has she rejected in the past two years? The Council is running out of people to recommend to her. A lady of the noble Kazekage Clan should have two kids by now."

Temari balled her free fist. She was so livid she could barely maintain appearances anymore.

"Councilman, you're out of line." At once an observer, the Kazekage accepted his role as leader and intervened. His eyes narrowed in on Tojuro. "We will not discuss this at dinner."

The tension in the room had reached a near boiling point. Everyone backed down, returning to their meals. Shikamaru could feel Temari cooling. But there was no mistaking: she was pissed.


6:01 PM

Dinner was coming to a close. The Seniors finished their meals and entertained themselves with talks of evening baths and games. It seemed Tojuro's actions—and the blatantly obvious romantic relationship between the Suna princess and Hokage's advisor—had gone completely over their heads.

Temari and Shikamaru slipped away from the dining hall, careful not to be too close as everyone filed out. Tojuro approached them.

"My apologies, young man. But I think we should postpone that game of Shogi. I'm feeling under the weather at the moment and would like to play you when I'm in full health." The Councilman feigned a tight, snake-like grin before parting.

Suddenly, the two brothers had moved in behind them. "Nice going. You almost caused a scene at dinner," Kankuro said.

"He started it!" Temari realized her right hand was still clenched in a fist, her nails piercing her skin. She let go.

"We should discuss the matter in private," Gaara said.

Temari bit her lip, looking back into the empty dining hall. Tojuro was probably gossiping to the other Seniors that very moment. It wasn't fair: he didn't have the right to talk about her life like it was a toy to play with. Still, they needed a plan to counter the elder's loose lips.

"Fine. Shikamaru?"

"Private is...fine." Though he wasn't too sure by the look the middle sibling was giving him.

They headed to the Kazekage's office to speak in private though Kankuro could hardly delay his interrogation. When did he propose? About a week-and-half-ago. How did he propose? While they were cloud-watching, a very casual day really. Were they living together already? Temari instructed Shikamaru not to answer that.

Kankuro cut his eyes. "What? It's very important information."

As they reached the office, Temari was glad that her brothers were at least receptive. They had not asked the most obvious question: would she be moving to Konoha permanently? There were so many details to get right before they went public. She was happy that Gaara was at least on her side, giving her extra confidence in her decision. They opened the door to Kazekage's office.

And there was Tojuro, seated pompously at the Kazekage's desk. Ready to divide and conquer.