If Temari had to pick one thing that she hated about Konoha, one thing over anything; over the humid climate, the long, rainy days or the odd, unnecessarily sweet food, it would have to be the kunoichi.

There was just something about the girls in the hidden village that made her want to retch- she knew easily enough that it was because of their femininity in the first place that she despised them. For in Suna, people rarely spoke of kunoichi; they spoke of shinobi and nothing else. There was little obvious difference between the male and the female nin in her own homeland. Both were trained in the same ways, were brought up to behave in exactly the same ways and acted as such. A small inclination in the back of Temari's head suggested to her that she might envy the Konoha 'kunoichi' in some ways- their upbringing had probably been easier than hers. But a different, much stronger voice in her mind assured the Sunan that she would not wish any of their attributes in place of her own.

The girlish giggles of Sakura and Ino that echoed down the narrow roads of the village and wafted about her ears making her wince assured Temari that not only would she never be friends with these girls- she would never respect them either. Girls whose only object in life was to secure a husband- whose only goal was to be sure that the village heartthrob glanced at them as he strutted down the street inspired nothing other than contempt and exasperation in the foreign girl. For one thing, she just couldn't understand why said girls needed the attention- if it was to make themselves feel better, Temari mused, it was an idiotic weakness. Both girls were overall quite pretty and good-looking- they were girls that could walk down the street themselves and be sure of a few glances from the opposite sex, so Temari just couldn't understand why they needed to ingratiate themselves by falling all over the place every time someone mentioned the name 'Sasuke'. Why, when it came to that particular boy, they acted as though without him, they couldn't go on. Without his attention or his approval, their lives would not be complete.

It annoyed Temari. It made her feel tired and angry and worry for the future of the next generation of kunoichi. If these were the young girl's role models, how were they ever to become competent leaders or fighters? How were they ever to realise that a woman's only role was not to provide children and to stay at home to take care of them- but that their opinions were as valid and constructive and useful as the next shinobi.

So Temari stayed well away; when they walked down the street, she walked five paces behind. Yes, they called her a bitch and a stuck-up one at that, but given how she felt about the girls, it made little difference to Temari whether or not she attained their good opinion. When she trained, she trained by herself. She ate by herself when possible and when she attended diplomatic events, she stayed at the other side of the room and talked only to the few congenial elders who came over and started to reminisce with her about her mother.

It had worked well enough- that was until word got back to Gaara. 'Unsociable' was the phrase- 'taciturn' and 'moody'. The letter had contained enough of those words for Temari to realise that she wasn't going to be able to maintain her distance from the Konoha Kunoichi anymore- her social group in the village could no longer consist of Nara Shikamaru and the boy who delivered her take-away ramen. It was also the letter that had Temari in her current situation- seated across the table from Hyuga Hinata eyeing the girl with something close to suspicion.

Gaara had recommended the acquaintance, having heeded Temari's warnings about idiotic bimbos who wanted to talk about nothing other than boys, and as such, seemed to have provided her with a dinner guest who wanted to talk about nothing at all. So much so that the girl kept her mouth closed the entire time. From the moment Temari had let her into the apartment, provided her with refreshments, offered her a seat and set their evenings food down in front of her guest, the girl had maintained an almost enviable silence choosing only to bow her head slightly in thanks for every gesture given.

And it was starting to unnerve the Sunan.

Chattering girls, Temari knew how to deal with. Sarcastic, know-it all guides who only ever droned their responses, Temari could also handle.

But quiet people...

Temari had never really been around quiet people- well, the only one was ever Gaara as a child but his silence meant bad things...very bad things...

Maybe that was why this girls' silence was unnerving her so much. Silence for Temari usually meant a nice new sand scarf that was intent on choking you.

So, she smiled at the girl, as nicely as she could, and hoped to get a response back.

She got a timid smile.

"So, Gaara tells me you are teamed with Inuzuka-san and Aburame-san, Hinata-chan?" Temari enquired, in what she hoped was a polite manner as she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

Hesitantly, the girl across the table followed suit, although Temari's eyes widened a little when she realised that the chopsticks were shaking.

Hinata nodded demurely and tried to eat. But the way in which her chopsticks were shaking made that a very difficult task- one that Temari would have found amusing had it not been so pitiable.

"And do you get on well with them?" she tried again, her eyes still focussing on Hinata's chopsticks which were picking up and dropping noodles at an alarming rate.

Again another nod came but Temari barely noticed it as finally, after a commendable effort, the fingers were unable to keep hold of the sticks anymore and the whole enterprise came to a clattering end with the sticks ending up on the floor and a few noodles following suit.

"G-g-gomen," Hinata said as Temari realised it wasn't the sound of the wood hitting the floor that had made her jump, but rather hearing the girl speak.

"It's fine," Temari assured her guest, trying to sound encouraging as opposed to intimidating- a new pursuit for her- as she picked up the chopsticks and wiped them down with a hand towel. "You don't have to apologise."

There was yet another shaky nod, after which Temari handed back the chopsticks and wondered how in God's name she was to get through this dinner. Because even though at this moment she found the girl's shyness somewhat endearing, a one-way conversation for three hours was not something Temari could handle and at some point in the evening she was almost certain to get annoyed and therefore loud and therefore start yelling. Which would of course, only make things worse.

Sighing, she decided to try a direct tactic. It had always worked for her in the past, so she played her best card.

"Hinata," Temari began somewhat authoritatively, trying to catch the girl's eyes. "Are you scared of me?"

Her eyes finally meeting Temari, Hinata blushed furiously before blinking a few times. She shook her head.

The Sunan breathed another sigh and leant forward on her elbows.

"Then why won't you talk to me?"

Her eyes moving around with uncertainty, the girl swallowed a couple of times not even bothering to try and begin eating again- a gesture for which Temari was eternally glad.

"T-t-this is how I am," was the response, said so quietly that Temari almost missed it.

"But surely you have conversations sometimes," Temari replied wryly, completely ill-at-ease with this new type of creature in front of her.

Stopping to consider for a moment, Hinata nodded eventually as Temari held back a growl- already feeling herself starting to get frustrated. "Sometimes," she said a little louder after which Temari took a calming breath.

"Well then would you like to try it?" she queried somewhat humorously.

"T-t-try what?"

Smiling at the girl's innocence, Temari regarded her expectantly.

"A conversation."

"Oh," Hinata breathed, unable to hold in a small smile after she realised Temari was joking. "Yes."

"Good," Temari stated bracingly, beginning to eat again and gesturing for Hinata to do the same. "So, my brother has sent you here because he seems to think I would find you the least objectionable of any of the kunoichi in Konoha," she continued happily. "Any idea why?"

Thinking the question over, Hinata finally managed to get a string of noodle into her mouth before answering.

"B-because my family name is Hyuga?" she tried, as though this was the automatic response to every question posed.

Letting out her usual bark of laughter, Temari shook her head.

"No, although I'm sure my family is the only reason yours forced you to come here," the Sunan replied easily. "I think he offered you the invitation because you're the exact opposite of Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. And that means one thing..."

The uncertainty was back on Hinata's face as though Temari might hit her at any moment.

"W-w-what?"

"That we'll be the best of friends, Hinata," she finished cheerily, flashing the girl a beaming smile which she returned as best she could.

"W-w-why don't you like Ino-san and Sakura-san?" Hinata asked, still eating successfully and Temari prided herself on having forced the girl to ask a question.

"Because they're idiots," she returned automatically. "To them being a woman means boys and make-up and shopping. It's all they talk about" Temari went on, when Hinata's look turned questioning. "I don't go in for much of that...and I don't think you do either."

Blushing again, Hinata looked doubtful.

"I'm not very good with boys," she answered quietly, her eyes on her food.

"It's not a question of being 'good' with boys," Temari stated distastefully, wrinkling her nose. "It's the way they act around boys- all the giggling and the fawning and fluttering their false eyelashes. I can't stand it."

"It works though," Hinata contradicted unknowingly, not really looking as though she agreed with Temari. "All of the boys..."

"Oh God," Temari sighed, setting down her chopsticks with a snap. "All of the boys like them and give them attention and follow them," she said in a high voice, doing her best to mimic Ino at which Hinata looked somewhat startled. "As if you would want any attention from those boys! Inuzuka Kiba? I'd rather date his mutt!" she bit out, before remembering that Hinata was on the same team as him. "Eh...sorry," she added, a bit calmer although feeling relieved when Hinata let out a little laugh. "What?"

"Ino says the same thing," she said shyly with a smile making Temari balk.

"Well, at least I don't encourage him," was Temari's begrudging rebuttal. "But you don't honestly wish you were like them, do you?" she went on, quickly steering the conversation into less annoying territory.

Clearing her throat for an extended period of time, Hinata's blush deepened.

"Hinata, why?" Temari forged on incredulously, nearly smacking the girl. "You don't need to be like them! You're a smart, engaging girl who happens to be a great shinobi and..."

"Maybe not exactly like them," Hinata interrupted when Temari began to tail off. "But...but I'd like to be able to talk to boys..."

Remaining silent as she let Hinata's answer sink in, Temari leant back and folded her arms.

"You can't talk to boys?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Not very well," she replied softly, now stirring her noodles about her bowl. "...Sakura can and-and...well, sometimes I wish I could… I..I..I'm not like you."

"Sorry?" Temari blurted out, confused as to how her name got placed in a sentence with Sakura's.

"I see the way you talk to Shikamaru-kun," Hinata explained mournfully. "You always have an answer to everything he says and you make him smile and laugh. He...he thinks you're funny. I could never do that," she finished a little bashfully, not really looking at Temari whose face was contorted into one of confusion.

"Ok, setting aside the fact that Nara does not think I'm funny- he thinks I'm an idiot," Temari retorted heatedly, feeling herself prickle at Hinata's words, "the ability to talk to boys...it's not a gift you're born with Hinata, you learn it! Maybe I'm better at it because of my brothers and because I can just never shut up but...you don't have to be like this Hinata. Trust me- if there's a boy you like..."

A thought hit Temari.

"Is there a boy you like?" she asked shrewdly, leaning forward on her elbows again and studying the girl's eyes intensely.

Hinata's deepening blush and worried eyes confirmed the matter.

"I-I-I thought you said only idiots talked about boys," the girl attempted to intercept, catching Temari off guard.

Momentarily stunned, the blonde rolled her eyes and refocused.

"There is a difference, Hinata," Temari half-scolded, trying not to huff. "We aren't talking about boys because that's all we're interested in. I'm trying to help you," she continued dedicatedly. "So, go on...tell me."

Shuffling about in her chair a bit, Temari's guest coughed a little and after a moment or two it became apparent that she was not going to give up the answer easily.

"You do realise I'm just going to pester you until you tell me, right?" Temari added, looking at the girl pointedly. When still no answer came, Temari, never one to be patient, sighed and decided to start pushing buttons.

"Kiba?" she tried, starting with the obvious ones.

Nothing.

"Shino?"

Still nothing.

"It's not Nara," she pressed on dryly, feeling that she might actually be getting closer to the most obvious person. With each name, Hinata's discomfort was growing measurably. "And I'm going to guess you're not as messed up as to fancy your cousin..."

Locking eyes with Hinata, Temari fixed her with her most intimidating countenance, refusing to let her look away.

"Naruto," she said rather than queried, feeling a smirk come over her face when Hinata's eyes twitched.

"Alright," Temari continued somewhat arrogantly, the smile playing about her whole face "now that that's settled..."

She trailed off whenever she noticed Hinata's shoulders shaking slightly as her head drooped.

"Oh God," she breathed, drifting out of her chair and over to Hinata's form. "You're crying- shit. I didn't mean to upset you...please, stop. I don't know..."

The girl continued to cry fervently, tears dripping down from under her bangs and onto her trouser legs.

"Hinata, please you have to stop crying. If you don't I'll get angry and..." Temari tried desperately, shaking the girl on the shoulder, already feeling her frustration rising and her cheeks flushing. Attempting to steady her bubbling annoyance, Temari took a few deep breaths that proved to be useless when Hinata let out a little moan.

"Hinata, stop crying!" she bellowed finally, banging her hand off of the table. "You are a ninja, not a baby so stop acting like one!"

Silence settled in after the loud interruption...yet Hinata's crying could still be heard.

Sighing, Temari groaned. At this rate she was going to end up breaking the girl's jaw.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she whimpered, wiping at her eyes hurriedly as she sniffed. "I-I-It's just that...I l-l-l-like him so much."

A pang hit Temari's heart as she watched Hinata cry and try to explain herself and then her anger was gone, replaced only with that stupid form of embarrassment she got when she realised that she was in the wrong.

"Does he feel the same way?" she asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

"No," Hinata replied thickly, shaking her head bashfully. "I don't think so. He would have said something if he did by now."

"Are you sure?" Temari consoled, sitting back down and contemplating taking Hinata's hand but deciding against it- she couldn't pull off comforting if she tried. "Sometimes guys are odd...shy and stuff and..."

"Naruto's not shy," she cut in bleakly, with a weak smile.

"But you are..." Temari wondered, feeling a plan hatch in her head.

"Sorry?"

"You are shy," she repeated. "Hinata, how would you like to be able to flirt with Naruto?"

Hinata looked uncertain for a moment but Temari didn't miss the hesitation in her natural reaction to say no.

"Alright," she grinned happily, "that's settled. I'll teach you."

Now looking both stunned and nervous, her guest regarded Temari with a sort of intense fascination.

"But..."

"And I'm not going to teach you how to flirt like Sakura or Ino," Temari butted in suavely, guessing the girl's line of objection. "I'll just show you how to make Naruto understand how wonderful you really are. Make it so you're able to talk to him without wanting to throw up, alright?"

The last sentence finally seemed faintly pleasing to Hinata, who let a small smile escape her after one last sniff.

"You could do that?" she asked softly.

Smiling brightly, Temari nodded.

"You look nervous," she laughed, starting to eat again.

"I just can't imagine..." Hinata started breathlessly, before cutting off and playing with her fingers shakily.

"Yes?" Temari prompted helpfully.

"...I'd like him to look at me like Shikamaru looks at you," she whispered eventually, smiling up hopefully at Temari who rolled her eyes again.

"Enough with the 'me and Nara' thing, alright, Hyuga? Not going to happen!" she stated firmly, wondering who else had this ridiculous idea in their head. "Although, you've given me an idea."

Hinata looked worried again although that didn't surprise Temari as she could feel a devious expression coming upon her face.

"W-w-what?"

"Just meet me here tomorrow at twelve, okay?" Temari said cryptically, "we're going to go get lunch at one."

Judging by the look on Hinata's face, Temari could tell that she knew that Naruto ate ramen for lunch every day at one, although the girl nodded, giving Temari hope that she might actually turn up.

Thankfully, Hinata did turn up the next day albeit slightly late and when she opened the door, Temari was not at all surprised to find the girl looking sea-sick.

"Come in," she sang cheerfully, widening the door and letting Hinata trudge into the room.

Seemingly unable to speak, Hinata watched both the room and Temari with a steady unease, as though her teacher might suddenly produce Naruto from underneath the sofa.

"You don't have to look so nervous," Temari consoled brightly, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. "Nothing to be afraid of. At all. Trust me; I won't make you do anything you don't feel like doing," she finished, leading her guest to the bedroom and sitting her down on the edge of the bed.

Nodding after a large gulp, Hinata continued to look pale.

"W-w-what are you doing?" she said with a start, as Temari moved towards her and knelt down in front of her.

"Just giving you a little help," Temari murmured, cracking open her compact and picking up the power brush.

"But, I thought you said…"

"I swear to God, if you compare me to Ino one more time, Hinata, I'll tell Naruto you're in love with Kiba," she interrupted distractedly with the hard threat still there in her voice as she began to dust Hinata's nose. "Besides, this isn't to make you look fake or sexy or…whatever. This is to make you look less…green."

Still not looking convinced, the girl shuffled around in her seat, nearly falling off when Temari came at her with an eyeliner pen.

"What's that?" she whispered fearfully, jerking back from the pen.

"It's called a miracle," Temari replied easily, grabbing Hinata by the chin forcefully and holding her head still. "Especially for you. You have amazing eyes, Hyuga. But they do nothing for you if you're not wearing eyeliner. Plus, if you start to cry, we can tell him you're allergic."

Drawing a line along Hinata's upper lid, Temari narrowed her eyes in concentration, almost missing Hinata's little jerk of nervousness when she mentioned crying.

"Now we don't need blusher 'cause you do a good enough job yourself," the blonde murmured to herself, rooting through her make-up bag. "Hmmm…nope, I think we're done," she finished after a moment, stepping back to take a look at her work. "Yup, that should do it."

"Don't I need to change my clothes?" Hinata asked apprehensively.

Furrowing her brow, Temari shook her head.

"Well…do I need to pull down my zip?"

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Temari turned to examine herself in the mirror, merely tightening her ponytails as an improvement.

"Sakura always says I need to lower my necklines to…"

"You see this is exactly why we need to get you a boyfriend," Temari interrupted loudly, hoping to make an impression. "So you can stop hanging around with morons. And besides, if Naruto was the kind of guy you could snare with a low neckline I wouldn't be doing this."

When Hinata continued to look an impressive combination of daunted, dizzy and tearful, Temari felt that same pang in her heart that she had felt last night and sat down beside the creature.

"Look, we're not going to do anything you don't want to," she reassured again, "no ugly flirting or prattling or pushing your chest out," Temari went on, feeling better when Hinata laughed a little. "We just want…well, boys are idiots as well. If you're not really clear- if you're quiet and nervous around him all the time, he probably thinks you don't like him. Today is just about showing him that that's not true, okay?"

Finally looking a little less nervous, Hinata gave a small smile and to Temari's relief, the remaining 'green-ness' seemed to fade.

"Good," she stated, her cheerful mood back, as she began to pack up her make-up.

"Why don't you wear your hair down?" Hinata queried softly, catching Temari's eye in the mirror.

Caught a little off-guard, Temari considered for a moment.

"It gets in the way when I'm training," she explained practically, shrugging her shoulders.

"You're not training today," the girl said meaningfully, still looking at her resolutely.

Deciding she had a point, Temari tugged the ties out of her hair and let the locks fall down to just above her shoulders. Picking up a brush, she combed through the tangles.

"Happy?" she asked as she worked.

Nodding, Hinata waited until Temari turned around to give her final opinion.

"It-it's really pretty," she smiled, causing Temari to smile in return.

"I didn't get into this job to worry about my looks," the blonde replied casually, about to go on another rant regarding high maintenance kunoichi when a knock sounded on the door.

Hinata jumped a mile in the air.

"W-w-who's that?"

"Shikamaru," Temari answered matter-of-factly, laughing inwardly at the girl's jitters. "He's meeting us for lunch. Well, he thinks he's meeting me but he won't mind."

When the green came back, Temari resumed her position beside Hinata and spoke softly again.

"So, here's the plan; just try and act towards Naruto the way I do to Nara, yeah? That's all- you don't have to be too confident or forward- just say variations of the things I say."

Swallowing deeply- which Temari took to be a confirmation of understanding- Hinata took a deep breath before following Temari in standing.

Walking back into the living room as Hinata shuffled behind her, Temari unconsciously ruffled her hair a little before opening the door.

There stood the Nara leaning against the doorframe although as she opened the door fully his brow furrowed.

"Your hair's down," he stated bluntly.

"And they made you take a test to see if you were a genius?" Temari batted back automatically, pushing him out from the doorframe as he rolled his eyes. "Not like that," she added quickly to Hinata who was looking at the pair of them oddly.

"Hey Hinata," Shikamaru greeted. "Didn't see you there. Are you joining us?"

Nodding pleasantly, Hinata walked with the two of them down the corridor and out of the apartment block.

"Not like what?" Shikamaru queried quietly to Temari as they moved when the conversation stalled.

"Mind your own business," she hissed. "And not like that either," Temari corrected again as Hinata once more looked over.

"Woman, what are you up to?"

"Nara, just shut up."

"Do I…?" Hinata began to question, sounding confused.

"Just wait until we get to lunch," Temari said with finality, ignoring Shikamaru who was still watching her with narrowed eyes.

"Where are we heading?" he asked blandly, yet Temari didn't miss the pointed tone behind the question.

"Ichiraku's" Hinata sniffed, seemingly attempting to keep it together.

"Of course," Shikamaru muttered under his breath, sounding pleased with himself and looking at Temari with a superior glare.

"This is going to be a long day," the blonde sighed bitterly, resisting the urge to elbow him in the ribs.

Snorting, Shikamaru was about to open his mouth again when Temari spotted exactly the blond spikes she had been looking for.

"Naruto!" she yelled across the crowds, as Hinata jumped and Shikamaru sighed.

The boy's head turned suddenly towards them and he gave them an idiotic wave before starting to move towards the group.

Eternally thankful that she had spared the blusher, Temari put a hand on the flushed girl's shoulders in an unsuccessful attempt to steady her.

"Hey guys," the boy said happily, as he came upon the group. "Your hair's down," he added to Temari.

"I'm honestly surprised Konoha has managed to survive this long with ninja like you," Temari deadpanned lowly, so only Shikamaru heard which resulted in another snort of derision.

"So, we're going for lunch," she continued brightly so the boy could actually hear, fixing her face with a smile and trying to look encouraging. "Ichiraku's…why don't you come?" she asked, as though the idea had just come upon her.

"I usually go at this time anyways!" Naruto replied with a beam, "are you sure you don't mind, though?" he asked, his eyes darting to Shikamaru.

"Of course not!" Temari answered instead, beginning to move the group towards the ramen hut. "We want you to come, don't we, Hinata?"

"Oh God," was Shikamaru's breathless remark as she felt him begin to laugh beside her. Elbowing him in the ribs and annoyed as Naruto looked momentarily confused, she waited for Hinata's reply, desperate for it to come.

"Y-y-yes, of-of course," she stuttered out finally, managing a brief smile in Naruto's direction.

Letting out a breath of relief as Naruto's face moved into an expression of disbelieving happiness, Temari forged on towards their destination, resisting the urge to grab Shikamaru by the collar and make him walk faster.

Grabbing a booth quickly before anyone had the chance to object, Temari hustled Hinata in first, pleased when Naruto took the opposite side of the table. Sliding in herself, she settled only to find Shikamaru sitting opposite and regarding her sardonically with his eyebrows raised expectantly.

Reminding herself that she should be focussing on Hinata, Temari looked away pointedly and eyed the pair at the end of the table as she opened her mouth to try and start some conversation although she immediately had to shut it again when the waiter appeared.

"So, what'll it be?"

"The regular bowl," Shikamaru replied dryly, not even checking the menu.

"Oh, that sounds good!" Temari concluded aloud positively, ignoring Shikamaru's stunned gaze. "I'll have that too."

"Just the usual please, Daisuke-kun," Naruto added, smiling at the waiter.

The table waited expectantly for Hinata's order.

"U-u-um…what N-N-Naruto-kun is having, p-p-please," she managed after several minutes, smiling waveringly at the waiter and ignoring Naruto fixatedly.

"I'm impressed Hinata," Naruto said to the shaking girl. "I didn't know you liked ramen that much!"

"She doesn't," Shikamaru cut in dryly, although thankfully only Temari heard so she didn't have to kick him.

"So, Hinata's been telling me all about how hard you've been training recently, Naruto," Temari interjected swiftly, feeling her stomach muscles clench with tension.

"She has?" the boy responded sounding surprised.

Temari nodded.

"Yeah…maybe we could all train together sometime," she tried hopefully, still ignoring Shikamaru and blanking out Hinata's loud gulp.

"Oh, I don't know," Naruto said cheerfully. "I don't know if I could ever hit Hinata," he went on, smiling at the girl who looked stunned. "She's too nice."

"I guess it will just be us then," Shikamaru said with a smirk to Temari, who didn't miss his overbearing tone.

"Well that's good 'cause I have no trouble hitting you," Temari bit back, unable to stop herself or warn Hinata in time.

"I-I-I have no trouble hitting Naruto-kun," was her softly innocent comment, completely misinterpreted by Naruto who looked confused again whilst Shikamaru snickered in the background.

Stifling a groan, Temari turned it into a sort of awkward laugh.

"She just means that she'd like to train with you, isn't that right Hinata?" Temari clarified for both parties benefit.

Smiling clearly again when Hinata nodded sparingly, Naruto addressed the group at large.

"I've been trying to work harder and harder each month, you know? Stop myself from only training for months at a time and then doing nothing for the next three. It needs to be consistent or else I lose everything I've done when I take a break…"

Trying to stop herself from yawning, Temari looked over to find Hinata enraptured and smiled lightly at the girl's infatuation. It amused her to see how much she really liked him; to such an extent that she found all of Naruto's prattle about training interesting.

"Are you still set on becoming Hokage?" Temari queried pleasingly, already knowing the answer- God, did she already know the answer- but attempting to steer the conversation in a different, more advantageous direction.

With a deep intake of breath, Naruto launched into a rant about how he would never give up on the dream- a rant that out of the remaining three, only Hinata looked genuinely interested in.

"…but it might take a long time," he finished as he came down after a few moments. "Sometimes I wonder if I can really do it."

Rightly taken aback as this was the first sign of doubt Temari had ever seen from the boy, she hoped somewhat naively that Hinata would take the initiative. Unfortunately, Shikamaru got there first.

"You'll do it, Naruto," he stated after a slight yawn. "If you want it that badly you will."

Smiling at Hinata, who was still waiting for Temari's cue, the girl went ahead despairingly.

"We all think you can do it, don't we Hinata?" she encouraged again, nudging Hinata in the elbow.

"O-o-of course," Hinata said a little louder than before. "Y-y-you're the only person who should be Hokage."

Looking remarkably pleased, Naruto's eyes widened.

"You really think so?"

Hinata nodded earnestly, giving Naruto a little smile after which the boy's expression made Temari feel like punching the air in victory. The mood at the table changed dramatically to one of buzzing peacefulness, as Naruto watched Hinata carefully and the girl flushed deeper although not to her aesthetic disadvantage. Further change took place when Shikamaru gave Temari a little conciliatory nod, after which she grinned at her own success. Unfortunately, the mood was spoiled spectacularly when the waiter arrived with their food and Naruto took his eyes off Hinata and looked as though he might propose to his dinner bowl.

"Thanks, Daisuke-kun!" Naruto called as the waiter walked off again and both Temari and Hinata marvelled nervously at the size of Hinata's ramen. Shikamaru merely fixed his face with an 'I told you so' expression and began to eat.

Tucking in with an astounding vigour, Naruto began eating at a disturbing pace which almost put Temari off of her own food although she settled a little when Hinata managed to pick up the chopsticks- her hand steady. Well, almost.

Picking up her utensils, Temari barely took a mouthful before humming loudly.

"Oh wow, this tastes really good," she said, smiling at her other three companions and ignoring Shikamaru's head-shaking as well as his stupid smirk.

"M-m-mine too," Hinata added a little more certainly, managing a smile which caused Naruto to stop eating miraculously.

"I'm glad you like it, Hinata," he said with his mouth still fun. "This place does the best ramen…"

"We should all come here more often," Temari enthused, biting the inside of her jaw whenever Shikamaru groaned.

"You think so?" Naruto asked quickly, sounding positive. "No one ever wants to come here with me 'cause I eat so loudly."

"Yeah…we-we all should," Hinata answered without the need for a prompt, allowing herself a wider smile which Naruto returned, their eyes now linked.

Feeling the inside of her stomach prickle with butterflies, Temari gave Shikamaru another smart look which only resulted in him continuing to eat grimly.

Wanting to annoy him so as to provoke a reaction but not forgetting her goal, Temari flicked her chopsticks carelessly and splashed some soup onto Shikamaru's hand.

"Oh!" she cried as though actually worried. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru-kun. Did I burn you?"

Grabbing a napkin, she weaved around her soup bowl and grabbed his hand, dabbing at the spill daintily and holding in her smirk of pleasure whenever he coughed uncomfortably, his cheeks flushing a little. She could admire him for holding in the 'troublesome' at the very least.

Rather gracelessly, Hinata attempted the same move. Dragging her chopsticks upwards through the liquid she accidentally hit the side of the bowl harder than she meant to, spilling the contents of it all over the table although mostly in Naruto's direction.

"A-a-a…s-s-sorr…s-s-sorr…" Hinata stuttered over and over again, tumbling over her words, her whole face turning bright red and her eyes filling with tears, as Naruto jumped up to avoid the liquid. Luckily, Shikamaru was quick on his feet and managed to catch it all with his napkin, swiping it across the table, sparing a minute to give Temari a hassled glare as he did so.

Grabbing Hinata's hand under the table in an attempt to calm her down, Temari waited to see if there was an opening in which she could take her to the bathroom and give her another pep talk.

"At least you don't have to eat all of it now, eh, Hinata?" Shikamaru consoled kindly, sitting down and giving the girl a sympathetic smile. Laughing at the boy's joke, Naruto sat back down, seemingly undisturbed which in turn caused Hinata to smile gratefully at Shikamaru.

"Thank you, Shikamaru-kun," she said softly, her face once more looking serene.

Temari would have been happy that calm had been restored if Naruto hadn't caught the unintentional yet prettily coy way in which Hinata was smiling at Shikamaru, causing the blonde to look momentarily nervous.

Gritting her teeth, and annoyed that things had spiralled downwards so quickly, Temari grabbed Shikamaru by the forearm.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she hissed meaningfully, dragging him upwards and out of the booth. "Just remembered there's some confidential chunin exam business we have to talk about," she simpered to the remaining pair, pushing Shikamaru away as she talked. "Back in a minute," she finished, trying to assure an obviously panic-stricken Hinata that she wouldn't leave her alone with Naruto for too long.

"What are you doing?" Temari snapped finally after she had pushed Shikamaru around a corner and a sufficient distance away from the restaurant.

"Sorry?" Shikamaru moaned tetchily, rubbing the back of his head and leaning against the wall as though he might sink to the ground and begin to throw a tantrum.

"Stop being so nice to Hinata!" she said forcefully, shoving him in the shoulder to get his attention. "It's making Naruto think that she likes you!"

"And you're trying to set them up, is that it?" Shikamaru questioned wearily, looking at her in exasperation.

"I'm trying to teach Hinata how to act like a normal person around him," Temari informed him begrudgingly. "And you're not helping."

"Well, therein lies the flaw, woman," Shikamaru replied quickly. "You're the last person to teach anyone how to be normal."

"Oh just stop being such a jackass and be useful," the blonde spat, glaring at him. "It would be helpful if you could stop laughing at everything I do!"

"I can't help it that you're terrible at flirting," he droned flatly, but she could tell he was trying to rile her more, hearing the underlying humour in his voice.

"I'm not trying to flirt with you, I'm trying to be nice to you," she hissed in response.

"Well, it's going remarkably well if that helps," he added with a smirk.

"Ugh," Temari sneered, walking back around the corner. "I have to get back to Hinata or else she'll combust. Help or I'll beat you, Nara, I mean it."

Grumbling in response, Shikamaru followed slowly behind until a thought hit Temari and she turned and stopped him with a hand on the chest.

"Oh and Nara? You'd know if I was flirting with you. Trust me."

Happy when he responded with a nod and his own cocky grin, Temari rounded the corner to the booth to find Naruto and Hinata talking away quite congenially, almost as if the soup-spilling incident had never happened. Sighing in relief, she resumed her seat and re-adjusted her smile.

"So, what are you two talking about?" she asked, all of a sudden noticing that Hinata's ramen was gone, Naruto's was finished and her own was now lukewarm.

"Just about how this was good fun," Naruto replied agreeably, looking from Temari to Hinata.

"We-we were saying how we should d-do it again, sometime," Hinata added almost audibly, smiling at them both.

"That sounds great!" Temari agreed, wondering if she could argue with the manager about paying for a bowl of soup that wasn't going to be eaten.

"Really? Well, I was just thinking, there's that new restaurant that's opened," Naruto began tentatively, looking around to gauge reaction.

"Yeah, definitely," Temari nodded, trying not to look at Hinata in case her own expression made Temari give away an obvious smile. "When?"

"I'm free tonight," Naruto replied automatically.

"Eh…" was all Temari heard from Shikamaru.

"Me too," Hinata interrupted quietly.

"So are we," Temari returned before Shikamaru could object. "That settles it! Tonight it is."

"We'll pick you up at eight then?" Naruto half-queried, half confirmed, both him and Hinata now smiling to ridiculous rates as Temari struggled to maintain her own.

"My place," the girl informed them, deciding that a further date, cold ramen and an already irritable Shikamaru were enough reasons to end this lunch early before anything else went wrong. Grabbing Hinata's arm, Temari manoeuvred them out of the booth and smile brightly at Naruto. "We'll see you later then."

"I thought you said all I had to do was be helpful," Shikamaru threw at her as they moved.

"Fine, be helpful," Temari shot back. "Pay for my lunch."

Not missing the growl that came from her converser, Temari grinned having won, and began to stalk away with Hinata in tow.

"I'll pay for yours, Hinata," she heard Naruto call after the pair and her grin widened.

"T-t-thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata called back as loudly as she could. "Where are we going?" she asked Temari a little breathlessly, as the Sunan kept up the pace.

"My apartment. To talk strategy."

"For six hours?" Hinata asked incredulously, causing Temari to stop them in the middle of the road.

"Hinata," she began, simmering with excitement and grabbing her friend by the shoulders, "you have a date with Naruto."

The girl's face drained of all colour.

"W-w-what?"

"You have a date with Naruto," she repeated slowly, moving back because it genuinely looked like Hinata was going to throw up.

"…Oh," was all Hinata said after a few moments.

"So, you see why we need to strategize?"

Hinata nodded fervently.

"Good," Temari confirmed, beginning to walk again.

"I'm glad it's a double date," Hinata all but whispered as they neared Temari's apartment. "I'm not sure I could do this without you."

Stopping dead in her tracks, Temari rounded on the girl once more.

"Okay, first things first, this is not a double date, right?"

Clearly she had spoken with some force as Hinata jumped.

"But…but if Naruto-kun and I are…"

"All that means is that me and Nara are your chaperones," Temari clarified firmly, eyeing Hinata to make sure she got the idea.

Hinata nodded uncertainly and began to play with her fingers again.

"Now, let's stop talking about someone as idiotic as Nara Shikamaru and focus on something useful. You have things to learn Hyuga Hinata and we don't have that much time."

Four hours later, Hinata was situated comfortably on the edge of Temari's couch, as the Sunan paced up and down in front of her.

"Okay, so recap; what do you do if he kisses you?"

Swallowing in concentration- a big improvement from earlier when the question had provoked an extended coughing fit- Hinata focussed her gaze although Temari didn't miss the blush on her cheeks.

"Close my eyes."

"And?"

"And count to ten."

"And?"

"…and let it happen."

"Well done," Temari praised succinctly as she continued to pace. "Next one; what do you do if he tries to hold your hand?"

The option of hand-holding may have seemed like a less daunting prospect than that of kissing but apparently to Hinata, that was not so. As the timid girl had informed Temari there were all sorts of things that could go wrong in hand-holding- sweatiness, accidentally breaking his finger…

"Relax," Hinata replied, sounding anything but.

"And?"

"And act like I'm enjoying it."

"And?"

"And preferably, actually enjoy it."

"Another one passed," Temari finished pleasantly. "I think we're almost there. Last one then; what do you do if he tries to feel you up?"

"Slap him."

"Good girl," Temari encouraged positively. "Hopefully at some point Nara and I can sneak off and leave you two alone."

"No!" Hinata exclaimed unhappily, sounding spooked. "You can't, p-p-please, I w-w-won't know what to do or s-s-say."

"Alright," Temari returned sympathetically, trying to calm her down, "I won't leave you alone."

"Promise?"

"I promise," she said with a smile, not fully meaning it.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, now we actually have to change your clothes…"

"B-b-but I don't have anything…"

"Don't worry, I have something you can wear," Temari replied soothingly, about to go and retrieve the garment before a knock sounded at the door. "Why don't you go into my bedroom and root through my wardrobe and see if there's anything you like and I'll go and see who that is."

Moving to the door as Hinata complied; Temari inwardly prayed that it wasn't some bringer of bad news, cancelling the date. How in God's name she was ever to break such news to Hinata…?

Thankfully on opening the door, Temari saw that it wasn't the bearer of catastrophe- unfortunately, she wasn't sure that the alternative guests were any better.

"Hi!" Ino beamed loudly, causing Temari to wince. "How're you?"

"I'm good thanks," Temari replied slowly and awkwardly, looking from Ino to Sakura and making no effort to mask her confusion as to what they were doing at her front door.

"Good," Ino murmured, doing her best to peer around the door frame and into the apartment. "Can we come in?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit busy at the moment," Temari said steadily, her face perfectly plain, keeping the door as shut as she could.

"Oh, but we're here to help!" Ino responded.

"I'm sorry?"

"We hear Hinata has a date with Naruto," Sakura said finally, missing all the false brightness of Ino- her face like stone.

Smiling the grin she only reserved for when she had beaten opponents, Temari nodded.

"Yup, she does."

"So, we've come to help her get ready," Ino added, obviously sensing both parties unease and attempting to dispel it- unsuccessfully.

"Oh…no thanks," Temari returned easily, leaning against the door frame.

"B-b-but she needs our help," the girl attempted, almost sounding earnest. "How will she know what…?"

"She has me," was Temari's simple response.

"You?" Sakura asked cattily.

Sighing loudly, Temari let her head droop, deciding to let all false pretence go.

"Yeah. Me. That's all she needs."

"No offence Temari but…"

"To be honest, I don't really care if you offend me, Ino," she cut in harshly. "But let me say this; Hinata only needs me because she doesn't need to learn how to lead Naruto on for two years and then run after his best friend," she went on, eyeing Sakura whose jaw and fists clenched, "and she doesn't need to learn how to flirt with him like someone selling themselves," she finished, moving her gaze to Ino, who finally decided that the gloves were off and let the stupid smile fall off her face.

"Well, at least she'll learn how to act like a frigid bitch that no one wants to be around," came the blonde's confident reply.

"Listen, Yamanaka," Temari started with a growl, "I would pound you into the ground right now, no problem if it weren't for the fact that she's in there. But if you want to reschedule for later on tonight, I can beat your ass then too, if you'd like?"

Happy that her threatening face worked as well in Konoha as it did in Suna, Temari watched in satisfaction as both girls moved away from her unhappily.

"And what about you?" was Ino's next question, clearly said with the purpose of deflecting Temari's earlier comments.

"What about me?"

"You and Shikamaru?" she simpered knowingly. "Is that a date too?"

Feeling her stomach clench and a fire light under her eyes, Temari decided that if she couldn't wipe the stupid expressions off of the two girl's faces with her fists, she'd do it another way.

"Yeah," she answered bluntly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ino's jaw dropped a little whilst Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," Temari repeated. "It's a double date. Me and Shikamaru were going out to eat anyways so we invited them along."

Both girls looked momentarily stunned, although Ino looked livid- her cheeks colouring, and it seemed like she was about to begin another tirade before Temari cut her off.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready," she concluded beginning to shut the door. "You see, I actually have plans tonight."

Slamming the door on the pairs outraged faces; Temari smirked to herself and wandered back into the bedroom.

"Any luck Hinata?"

Stopping as she witnessed the girl sitting down dejectedly on her bed, all the colour now gone from her complexion, Temari felt another period of self-doubt coming on.

"What's wrong?"

Hinata sighed.

"They can't believe I have a date with Naruto-kun," she whispered tearfully.

"So? Ino probably can't believe she hasn't been elected Hokage yet," Temari joked back feebly, sitting down on her dressing-table stool.

"They don't think I'm good enough for him."

Temari laughed aloud.

"Oh, please, Hinata, that is not what this is about," she informed the girl, half-bitterly. "They know you're good enough for Naruto. In fact, they both know you're exactly what he needs. Sakura just hates that because it means that she doesn't get to have Naruto hanging after her like a puppy anymore."

Still not looking convinced, Hinata wiped at her eyes a little, continuing to sniff and cling at the black cloth in her hands.

"Hinata, he likes you," Temari pressed softly. "He wants you. He's going on a date with you. Don't let what those two idiots said get inside your head and ruin tonight. Haven't you been waiting for this moment forever?"

Hinata nodded.

"Then enjoy it! You are going to have the best time, believe me."

Finally seeming to get through to the girl who gave away a small smile, Temari smiled back.

"Now what's this?" she queried towards the garment Hinata was holding.

"I-I-It seemed nice," she replied, holding up Temari's black dress- as the blonde nodded in agreement although she was stopped from replying when yet another knock sounded at her door.

Suppressing a curse, Temari smiled tightly at Hinata, knowing that if it was Sakura or Ino back again, she wasn't going to be able to hold back this time.

"Okay, why don't you try this on and I'll go and answer the door," she breathed, attempting calm and shutting the door tightly as she left, hoping Hinata wouldn't hear this time.

Upon opening the door, Temari was eternally grateful that she would not be committing double homicide today.

"What do you want Nara? I'm busy."

"Can I have a word?" Shikamaru asked, looking around her room and seemingly satisfied that they were alone.

"We're not by ourselves," Temari informed him meaningfully with a look, "Let's go outside."

Shutting the door and wandering outside into the sunshine, Temari led him around the corner of the building and leant against the wall.

"Alright, what is it?" she queried after a sigh.

"I just wanted to make sure you know what you're doing," he started matter-of-factly.

"Okay…" Temari said slowly, trying to make out his meaning.

"This is important," Shikamaru went on cryptically.

"I know that!"

"I don't think you do," the boy continued on austerely, bearing down on her. "I don't think you know how important this is."

Waiting for him to continue, Temari regarded him expectantly.

"Hinata doesn't just like Naruto," Shikamaru explained in a slightly patronizing tone which made Temari grit her teeth. "She loves him."

The words, although not hitting Temari like a tonne of bricks, did have the intended impact, making her think for the first time about how much this whole night might mean to Hinata- how it wasn't just a game for her to prove that it was possible to attract a boy without acting like either Sakura or Ino.

"She's in love with him," he added, "so tonight has to go well."

"I know that," Temari snapped back irritably, starting to despise the way Shikamaru was eternally right, "it will go well."

"Well, I'm glad you are so sure," he answered, sounding anything but certain. "Just don't go making her do anything stupid."

Rolling her eyes, Temari kept her glare on the boy, hoping to make him stir. Which he didn't do.

"I'm not going to make her do anything stupid," she returned brassily. "She's still acting like Hinata, just a little more confident."

Seemingly conceding this point, Shikamaru yawned.

"Besides, if anything goes really wrong I'll just teach her the 'bend and snap' and then he'll be putty in her hands. Works every time."

Wrinkling his brow, Shikamaru looked confused.

"The 'what' and 'what'?" he asked distastefully.

Letting out a breath of indignation, Temari pushed herself off the wall. Moving out into the middle of the road, she walked towards Shikamaru.

"Oh, look," she said, feigning surprise, "you dropped your cigarette," she declared, plucking the stick out from behind his ear and letting it fall to the ground. Pinning her left leg to her right and cocking it at the knee, she dragged her fingers carelessly down her thigh and along the contours of her calf, bending as she did so. Wrapping them around the cigarette, she proceeded to pop up at twice the speed of the original movement, her hands poised just above her ribcage.

"Here," she breathed, holding out the cigarette. She was about to comment on the effectiveness of the technique whenever she noticed the direction of Shikamaru's gaze.

"Hey!" Temari called sharply, "my eyes are up here!"

"To be fair, it wasn't your eyes that 'snapped'," Shikamaru replied with an indecent grin, his gaze still not wavering.

"Oi!" she hissed, hitting him on the forearm after which he reluctantly looked up. "Moron," was the final insult, as she shoved his cigarette back at him.

Still grinning stupidly, he followed her back into the apartment building.

"Alright, well I guess you may know what you are doing," he admitted, "just make sure Hinata does too."

"I will," Temari answered, now fully hassled and a little flushed to her annoyance, as they reached her front door.

Opening the door, she was about to hit him another punch for still grinning like an idiot when Hinata called out.

"Is that you Temari?" came her voice from the bedroom.

"Yes, Hinata, it's me," she called back, waiting for Shikamaru to leave, which he was not doing.

"T-T-The dress fits fine but I'm wearing the wrong underwear. Can I borrow one of your black bras, please?"

Feeling her eyes close in exasperation and embarrassment as she held in a groan, she prayed that when she opened her eyes Shikamaru would have spontaneously disappeared.

"Yeah, that's fine," she replied reluctantly, allowing herself sight only to be met with a gratified man.

"Black, huh?" was all he said, raising his eyebrows and struggling to contain his smirk.

"Go away," Temari spat, glaring at him and beginning to shut the door.

"Temari," he called, sounding serious, before she could close him out.

"What?" she sighed, opening the door fully again.

"I dropped my cigarette," was the response; a lordly look on his face as he gestured to the object on the floor.

"Oh, shove off!" she yelled, slamming the door to the sounds of his laughter.

"See you at eight, woman," she heard him call jovially through the door as she grumbled all the way to the bedroom.

"Hinata," she greeted the girl firmly. "Come here, there's one more thing you have to learn."

"You look incredible," she said, standing behind the girl who was dressed in a pretty black dress and low pumps and eyeing herself in the mirror like she couldn't quite believe it. "Don't you think?"

Hinata nodded, seemingly unable to speak anymore given her nerves.

"Try to calm down," Temari advised easily, once more running a brush through her hair and smoothing down her own dark blue dress. "It will all go fine."

Her advice fell on deaf ears though when a knock sounded on the door and Hinata let out a squeak.

"Five minutes early; he's keen," she quipped. "Well, come on," Temari coaxed, afraid she would never get the girl to leave the bedroom.

Opening the door, she greeted a very happy looking Naruto who was dressed quite nicely in a shirt.

"Hi," she addressed him, nudging Hinata forward.

"Hey," he said hesitantly, clearing caught off guard by the appearance of Hinata.

The two stared at each other for an extended moment, the girl's cheeks darkening, after which Temari decided there was quite enough non-blinking going on and pushed the group out into the hallway.

"Where's Shikamaru?" she asked distractedly, locking the door and leading them down into the lobby.

"No idea," Naruto shrugged, "he said he'd meet me here."

Walking a little in front of the two, Temari's question was soon answered when the door of her building banged open and in strode a red cheeked and clearly irate Shikamaru. Not bothering with the formalities, he stomped right over to Temari and stood huffing and puffing in front of her.

"Jeez, Nara, you could have at least changed your outfit," Temari intercepted before he managed to get a word out.

"Did you tell Ino this was a date?" he breathed lowly; the anger clearly bubbling underneath the surface causing Temari to pause before she answered.

"Yeah…so what?" she replied slowly, caught off guard by his heavy breathing.

"So what?" he exclaimed, smacking his hand off his forehead and taking a few steps backwards in exasperation as he closed his eyes.

"I didn't mean it," Temari tried honestly, completely stunned having never seen Shikamaru act this way before.

"Don't you know what you've done?" he growled, stalking back up to her. "She told my mother," he continued heavily whenever Temari didn't reply.

"Is that all?" she answered calmly, not quite believing his overreaction.

Letting out a laugh of sarcastic proportions, Shikamaru squared her face-to-face. "I barely get any peace at home as it is," he explained tensely. "Now, I will never be let alone. She'll want to have you over for dinner, she'll start pestering me about marriage and kids and houses and it will never end."

Trying to take in his outburst and decide whether he was genuinely upset or just acting stupid, Temari found herself unable to respond.

"Do you ever think about anyone else but yourself?" he asked bitterly, drawing her gaze. "I never asked you to drag me into this idiotic scheme which you are only doing because you want to beat Ino," Shikamaru went on, "but when you did I went along with it. Dragging in my mother is beyond the pale but it's exactly the sort of stupid shit you'd pull because you think you can get away with it. Well you can't- you berate Ino for acting like a moron when you are exactly the same…"

"That's enough."

Had the interruption come from a loudly irritated Temari or a gallant Naruto it might not have worked as well as it did. As it was, it came from a quietly powerful Hinata who stepped forward and attempted to draw herself up to Shikamaru's full height in the process of stunning the boy into silence.

"Temari only said that because she was trying to defend me," Hinata continued steadily to the collective amazement of the rest of the group. "Ino…Ino was being mean and saying nasty t-t-things and Temari was standing up for me. She's not an idiot and…and, you can't talk that way to my friend. It's not her fault you're scared of your mother."

All three of them stood there in stunned quiet, watching Hinata with their mouths open. It was a few moments before anyone spoke or moved.

"Shall we go?" Hinata said finally, taking the initiative and moving towards the door.

"…yeah," Naruto replied hesitantly, sounding impressed and running after her quickly.

Eventually, the remaining two followed them out of the building and caught up with the pair. All the way to the restaurant they remained silent as Naruto and Hinata talked about their likes and dislikes, and Shikamaru and Temari stared gobsmacked at them as though the roles had been reversed.

When they reached the place and sat down, the same continued. They ordered, the food came and Naruto and Hinata continued to talk.

If she was honest with herself, the reason Temari was quiet was because she wasn't sure how to proceed. Acting as though she was fine may have upset Shikamaru even more and caused him to reveal the whole ruse to Naruto although she couldn't be sure that that was how he would react. On the other hand, should she decide that she was actually annoyed at him for throwing such a stupid hissy fit and proceed to act as such; she would end up ruining a moment and evening that was so important to Hinata and something that she had been trying so hard to achieve for conceivably her whole teenage years.

So, she ended up remaining silent- not unhappy, not annoyed but not herself. She ate, she smiled, she kept a close eye on Hinata's and Naruto's conversation in case she needed to intercept at any point, but other than that, she was blank.

As the evening continued to pass this way, Temari became almost convinced that it was going to go without a hitch; she would be able to walk Hinata home after they left the boy's company- the girl would obviously be dancing on the stars- and then she would go home herself, decide whether she was annoyed at Shikamaru and then prepare to kill or mock him the next day depending on her decision.

Unfortunately for her, before any of this could happen, Ino walked in. She only noticed this because Hinata started to hiccup at an alarming rate instead of eating her dessert and then again because Ino made an alarming amount of noise whenever she noticed their table. Leaving aside the guy she had brought with her, she sashayed over to their table.

"Hey!" she announced loudly, smiling down at them all, Naruto- the only impervious one, smiling back. "How's everybody?"

"Good thanks Ino," Naruto replied obliviously, not noticing the grim faces the rest were sporting. "The food here is…"

"And how about you Shikamaru, how are you?" Ino cut him off swiftly, peering down at her teammate. "Enjoying your date?"

Ignoring the shocked look Naruto was throwing her way, Temari merely coughed and looked down at her plate, waiting for the moment when she would have to kill Ino because she couldn't bare the sound of that girl's laughter.

"Yeah, I am," he replied plainly, after which Temari's gaze shot up and she found herself looking as shocked as Ino although not perhaps quite as put out. She jumped again whenever his hand fell on top of hers and his fingers forced their way beside hers so that their hands were linked. "Hope you enjoy yours. Now, if you don't mind…"

With a loud huff, Ino stalked back over to her date and Temari pulled her hand back hastily.

"I didn't know you two were dating…" Naruto marvelled, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"We're not," Temari clarified firmly, although she allowed herself to shoot Shikamaru a grateful look; one which he returned with a smile.

When Naruto continued to look unconvinced, Temari, distinctly uncomfortable with her hand still burning, ignored his questioning glance and elbowed Hinata harshly in the arm. Caught off guard Hinata swerved sharply to her right, her right arm clattering across the table and knocking her chopstick onto the floor.

"Oh, look, Hinata," Temari pointed out smoothly as Shikamaru began to laugh again, "you've dropped your chopstick."

Half an hour later, all four were out of the restaurant and walking towards Temari's apartment block. The stars were out above them and from the way Hinata and Naruto were talking to each other in such quiet tones, Temari felt that now was the perfect time to stealthily slip out of the way. Happily a corner presented itself at such a moment and for the third time that day, Temari grabbed Shikamaru by the elbow and dragged him round it, hoping not to cause too much of a distraction.

"Woman…" he began, sounding hassled before she shushed him.

"Quiet Nara, I'm trying to get Naruto to make a move…" she confided, stationing him behind her and peering around the corner, inwardly squealing as she saw Naruto and Hinata standing face to face, his hand now placed on hers.

"Woman…" he tried again, this time tapping her on the shoulder.

"Nara, shut up," she insisted, batting his hand away, jumping a little as the pair moved closer.

"Temari…" it came again and this time he pulled at her clothing.

"Listen, if you're trying to apologize, don't bother; it's okay, I don't care! Just be quiet!" she hissed, barely having to watch Naruto placing his hand under Hinata's chin and tilting her head towards his as all she felt was Shikamaru's arms grasping her upper shoulders and pulling her roughly to face him. Pressing her into the wall, he snaked one arm thickly around her waist whilst the other slid into her hair, his fingers winding around the curls.

Finally, all Temari had a sense of was her own eyes closing as Shikamaru's lips touched upon hers in a rush of hot air and a whimper. He kissed her hard for what felt like several minutes, somehow pulling her upwards and closer to him, her feet nearly leaving the ground, as Temari hazed at the feeling of his chest rising and falling swelteringly against hers.

As he pulled back she felt her hot sweat turn suddenly cold, although his hands did not leave her hair or her hip.

"Sorry," he said thickly, his lips still rubbing lightly upon hers, "but you wouldn't listen."

Her deep breaths echoed out loudly into the night air as she panted, unable to think.

"Turns out that 'bend and snap' thing does work every time," he joked gruffly, before peppering her lips lightly again with this own, making it harder still for her to function.

"S-S-Shikamaru," she stuttered before she could help it, batting her eyelashes quickly as he pulled back and looked at her with that infuriating smirk.

"One kiss and you turn into Hinata?" he said lowly, laughing as he nuzzled under her ear.

Swallowing again, she found her throat constricting and she tried coughing to clear it.

"Are you blushing?" came Shikamaru's next question, asked with a tone full of mirth.

Feeling as though she was going to suffocate, Temari pushed him off of her and ran towards the centre street.

"Where are you going, woman?"

"I-I-I have to get out of here," Temari breathed shakily, grasping the wall as she moved. "I p-p-promised Hinata I wouldn't leave her alone. Hinata!" she barked loudly as she rounded onto the main road and the two figures in the shadows jumped apart quickly. "It's time we went home. Come on."

"Actually Temari, I'm going to walk Hinata home," Naruto said shyly, moving into the light and gently pulling Hinata after him by the hand.

"No," Temari stated, jumping as Shikamaru moved behind her closely and began running his fingers up and down her spine. "I have to walk Hinata home."

"It-it's okay, Temari," Hinata replied instead, the stars dancing in her eyes. "Naruto-kun can walk me home."

"But-but your clothes are at my apartment," she fought back, her stomach jumping in betrayal as she moved away from Shikamaru's fingers and groaning when they followed her.

"She'll get them tomorrow," Shikamaru confirmed satisfyingly, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her away in the opposite direction, "…and I'll walk you home."

"Night Temari, Shikamaru," Naruto called after them as they moved into the distance.

Realising she was fighting a losing battle, Temari pulled away from Shikamaru's arms and began to walk briskly back to her apartment.

"No need to walk me home, Nara, I know where I live," she said, sounding jittery, and bolting forward, hoping to lose him.

"That's good, you can remind me" Shikamaru answered from behind her as she heard the click of a lighter being flicked in the distance. "You did a good thing tonight," he added, his voice muffled as she assumed he had begun smoking. "…even if I nearly ruined it."

"I know," she answered jerkily, wrapping her arms around her torso in the cold night air. "I told you it would all work out fine. And you acted like a moron by the way."

"So, I take it an apology would be appropriate at this stage then?"

"Don't worry about it," Temari acknowledged, still moving ahead of him and not really thinking about the fight, more thinking about…

"Mmmm…I knew it would be fine too…" he said after a while, as smoke drifted past her eyes.

"How?"

"Because I told Naruto Hinata had feelings for him."

"What?" she shrieked, turning on her heel and trampling back to her, her hands on her hips. "You did what?"

"I told him she liked him," Shikamaru shrugged, his mouth turned upwards at the tips as he blew smoke up into the night air. "Just in case."

"When?"

"After you guys left us this afternoon. He kind of already knew; he was just making sure."

"You are such an idiot!" Temari yelled, slapping him on the shoulders, "what would've happened if he had…"

"Why is it I love it when you yell at me?" Shikamaru muttered blithely, taking another drag before dropping the stick and stubbing it out.

"I repeat; because you are an idiot! Who tells someone that another person likes them?"

"Yeah, it is kind of stupid," he agreed meaningfully, stepping towards her, "when you can just tell the person themselves."

Before she knew what was happening, again he skilfully slipped an armed around her waist and drew her to his chest. Unable to protest as his nearness made her head go blank, she was completely unprepared as he kissed her.

"Would you stop doing that?" she got out eventually, somehow losing the strength in her arms to push him away.

"If I stop will you 'snap' again?"

She found the strength.

Shoving him off of her, she tripped backwards.

"I'll see you in the meeting tomorrow, Nara," Temari called, hoping she wasn't blushing too much and moving towards her apartment with increasing speed.

"Yeah, yeah woman," she heard him murmur, "oh and Temari?"

"What?"

"This was a date."

Unable to let him have the last word, and deciding it was better to admit that she liked him than to let him win, Temari watched until he had moved a sufficient distance away;

"Glad you worked that one out…idiot."

A/N: So, a little fluff to make up for the angsty trappings of In Memoriam T. Apologies for all those Sakura/Ino fans out there- I actually really like Ino (not so much Sakura) but someone has to be the bad guy- more often than not in my fics, it ends up being her, lol.

Considerable nods to both Legally Blonde and the Gilmore Girls for inspiring this.

Hope you all enjoyed and the prompt list of ShikaTema Fest should be up this evening!

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SP7