Summary: Temari asks. Shikamaru would prefer not to answer.
Genre: Romance(I'M HOPELESS)/Humor
Warning: Unbeta'd. Rated-T for swearing.

Why?

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me perfectly well the first time." Shikamaru stares incredulously at her for a second, contemplating on whether she was actually serious or not. He sighs.

She was very much serious. He rubs the bridge of his nose, the possibility of her being the death of him lingering.

"Temari.." He growls dangerously. "You can't just casually blurt out something as personal as that." She sighs.

"Look, we both know it's true. All I want to know, is why?" She retorts smartly. He chooses his words carefully.

"How are you even so sure it's true?" She snorts.

"You don't actually have to have an IQ of 200 to notice it, you idiot, so just hurry up and answer the damn question." Temari exclaims, looming over the figure slumped against the shady tree. Closing his eyes, Shikamaru sighs dejectedly. He never could win arguments against her.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I highly doubt I actually, as you've so bluntly said it, 'love' you." He declares, still clearly unaware of his emotions. Because unfortunately for Shikamaru, he wasn't dealing with something easily decipherable with a shougi board, no. We're talking about love here. And Shikamaru thoroughly sucked at said subject.

Temari eyes him defiantly, before smiling slyly, frighteningly. "Oh really?" She purrs, and he suddenly finds himself desperately keeping his heartbeat in humane rates, praying to God she doesn't notice.

But she does. She always does. Her smile widens.

"Because I think.." Suddenly, she's saddling his slouched form. His eyes widen, but his linked hands don't leave the back of his neck. "I think.." Her voice is reduced to a mere whisper, but she still leans in closer. And he can't seem to tear his eyes off her enticing teal orbs or get why he's actually sweating. I mean, it's just Temari, for Pete's sake!

"..You're just.. Scared." She manages the sultriest voice he's ever heard, and shivers run up his spine and all throughout his entire body. Till embarrassingly enough, he literally falls to his side, overwhelmed by her. He quickly crawls off, fumbling all over.

"Stop it! Stop that!" He yells at her in panic, clumsily standing up. And she bursts out laughing. Really, who wouldn't? "And what the hell is so funny?!" He cries accusingly, only making her laugh louder.

"Y-YOU!"

Oh, he definitely didn't love her. Listening to her laugh, who in the entire universe could actually LOVE this woman?! I mean, her laugh?! It was.. It was horrible! And, and her smile.. Her pretty smile.. It was so ugly! Her hair was.. Bland! And she was just SO TROUBLESOME, damn it!

She is absolutely gorgeous, though.

Ssshhit.

"No way. No wayin hell I'm actually.." But he was. He very much was.

Seeing her laugh, he's sure he was. He doesn't even know when it happened or how or what.. He doesn't know how she even knew before he himself did. He didn't know anything!

"So," She abruptly interrupts, before he could even delve deeper into the thought of him loving this big, heaping pile of trouble. "All humiliatingly moronic antics aside, are you ready to admit how head over heels you are for me?" She's now sitting against the tree, freely occupying his previous spot. He cocks a brow, plopping down beside her and adopting his previous stance against the tree.

"Troublesome.." He murmurs amusingly, before his soft, welcoming gaze lingers on the beautiful form beside him.

"Well?" She urges impatiently.

Quickly, he grabs unto the back of her neck and pulls her towards him. She doesn't see it coming, her wide eyes being proof, but welcomes it nonetheless. He feels her soft lips, so unlike her rough nature and loves it so much that both his hands are pulling her closer. He feels the spark, the fireworks, every single explosion known to mankind is there. And it's like a secondary confirmation.

He truly, madly, deeply does love her. He's so sure because the clichéd kissing, the corny love songs and 'I love you's don't seem as cheesy with her.

The kiss slowly, hesitantly ends. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Temari quips happily, discreetly lacing hands with his. "But, you didn't answer my question. Why in hell do you love me?" His brows shoot up at the sheer mention of this. Why in hell indeed.. I mean, there had to be that.. Something to her.. Something that made him love her laugh, her smile and generally everything about her. She was trouble, that itself was quite clear, but.. What was it that made him giddy whenever he saw her walking towards him? What made him completely insane whenever she was either with or without him?! What made him love her like he does?!

"I don't.. know,exactly." Her face falls.

"You don't.. know? Are you serious?" She stares at the blankness of his face, then sighs. "Men.. And I thought I'd fallen for a genius." And again, that giddy, anxious, heart-racing feeling warms up his chest and face.

"You.. You've.. Fallen?" He stutters, as she giggles at his nervousness.

"Well, yeah." She states as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, why else would I be pestering you about this?" Shikamaru thought it was all just for sheer, sadistic fun. Having found out it wasn't, he manages the widest, toothiest smile he can muster as she blushes, something she never would have thought possible.

"You are without a doubt the most temperamental, overbearing, troublesome woman I have ever met.." She scowls at the string of insults.

"You better be getting somewhere with this."

"I am. Temari, you are the exact opposite of what I thought I wanted in a woman. You're loud; you attract too much attention, and you actually like it; you always, always boss me around; and you actually take pleasure in my pain. And yet.. I love you. And I don't even know why, and it's driving me crazy!" His hands flail around with every gesture. "You are the biggest," -sexiest- "most difficult mystery I've ever come across, and I doubt I'm coming to figuring you out anytime soon." He finally calms down, but only a bit.

"So Temari," He starts. "I think it's because I don't know why I love you that I love you." He finishes contently, and it takes a few moments for her to reply.

"Honestly, I don't get it." She blurts out, but he understands.. Barely. "So you're gonna have to explain further next time, alright?" She coos, leaning in closer for another sensuous kiss. He smiles.

He'll be explaining something he himself doesn't fully understand. Oh joy.

Oh well. As long as he gets to kiss her, whatever.

A/N: I think I hate this fic. TT_TT Damn. ARE THEY OoC?! Because seriously, I spent hours on end revising this thing. I can never get Shikamaru just right.. He's too smart for me! xD I still love him, though. It's hard having an OTP you suck at writing fics about. Really, I'd really really really love to know how this all panned out! Constructive criticism quite welcome.