A.N.: So this is my first attempt at a fanfic.

Tbh i got hooked onto Naruto just a month ago, I caught up on all the episodes in a week(yes I binge watch like crazy, yes i mean all that is 657episodes). Anyways i read the last volume of the manga and was completely heartbroken over the fact that the show will end soon.

I've paired ShikaTema ever since the Sasuke rescue arc, and they actually are together in the future, yaasss. If there was a movie about the life of ShikaTema i would watch it all day, erryday.

Considering i love the couple and they're my two favorite characters on the show it's only fitting that my first fanfic be about them.

Since this is being done as a hobby, no guarantees on further publications but if i feel like it i shall do so. Do review i'd love to know your opinions, constructive criticism is most definitely welcome. if you find errors go like bruv check yo spellings and i will, or your grammar is shyte and i shall improve on it.

Anyways that's it for the introduction, i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it. Cheers!

p.s. i see tons of people doing this so i might as well... I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS, IF I DID IT WOULD BE CALLED SHIKAMARU (:

A Troublesome Dilemma.

Troublesome, that's all that Shikamaru Nara could think about. The genius of Konoha was known throughout the village as the person who had everything figured out. The last thing he imagined was being flustered by the thoughts of a woman, a troublesome woman no less.

. .

Being the ambassador between Suna and Konoha, Sabaku no Temari was on her way to Konoha. She expected to reach there by the 14th. She couldn't help but admit to herself she was rather excited for this visit. Konoha was known for the way they celebrated Valentine's Day. Suna had their fair share of festivities, all the more since Gaara had been named Kazekage, but Konoha knew how to celebrate.

She had heard from her friends in Konoha about the celebrations. People finished work early just to spend the evening with loved ones. The streets were filled with all kinds of stalls. The fireworks at night were supposed to be one of the best parts of the event.

'Temari'… she was brought back to the present by the sound of Kankuro's voice. 'At the pace at which we're going we should reach Konoha by nightfall, I know you're excited for tomorrow's event but there is no need to move so fast' he said.

'Well I guess we could stop for a break if you're tired' Temari shot back with a smirk.

Kankuro sighed he knew his sister always had to get the last word in, but he was tired and a short break wouldn't hurt. He wondered how Yukata was keeping up she wasn't as experienced in the travel as Temari and he was. 'I reckon it'd be best if we stopped for a short break' he said, 'It's almost time for lunch anyways'.

Temari looked at him from the corner of her eye, she knew he was stopping just because Yukata was travelling with them, 'Alright' she said before coming to a stop.

. .

Why was he getting so worked up over her arrival. He had been her escort in Konoha ever since he could remember, why would this time be any different he asked himself. You want her to be your valentine, that's why it'll be different he told himself. His conversation with himself wasn't helping with the nerves.

Walking through the streets of Konoha he was on his way to meet the guys. He saw Sasuke and Naruto up ahead, probably on their way to the barbecue restaurant like he was. It had been a while since the guys had met up. He hadn't seen Kiba and Shino recently. He heard they just got back from a mission a few days ago.

'Shikamaru, how's it going?' Lee greeted him as he entered the restaurant. Up ahead the whole group were seated. Lee, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, Choji. Naruto moved a bit to make place for Shikamaru.

It had been a year since the war ended and in the short period of time everyone seemed more mature and different. Naruto was in training under Tsunade to become the Hokage when she retired, Shino had decided to teach in the academy and was now an instructor, Kiba and Lee were jounin instructors and already had their first squads assigned to them. Sasuke was part of the ANBU just like him, they both served directly under the Hokage.

When he arrived at the table everyone was discussing about the celebrations for tomorrow.

'Sasuke, tell me what you bought Sakura, I have no clue what to buy Hinata. It wouldn't kill you to help out your best friend would it?' Naruto asked.

'You're the most clueless person I know loser.' was all Sasuke said before Naruto sighed and went back to eating.

'Lee, please tell me your gift to Tenten isn't your youthful energy' Kiba asked with a sly smile.

'I don't know what you're talking about' a blushing Lee said.

Choji was too busy shoving barbecued meat into his mouth to partake in the conversation. Shikamaru already knew his best friend had his gift for Karui planned almost a week ago.

It seemed like everyone was set up for Valentine's Day, everyone but him. Shikamaru thought. Even Kiba and Shino were dating, Ino would kill Kiba if he forgot to get her something and Shino's girlfriend arrived from Kumogakure 2 days ago so he would definitely have an eventful Valentine's Day.

Shikamaru had no idea how to even approach the subject. He was sure he'd be killed for even asking her out. Not to mention her brothers were the scariest brothers, if she didn't kill him they'd be more than happy to complete the job at hand. Why does my life have to be so troublesome. Shikamaru thought.

If Asuma or his dad were alive he'd be able to ask them for advice. No point in getting upset now. He decided he was going to have to do some serious planning if he intended to stay alive by the end of this.

. .

Shikamaru woke up to his alarm blaring in his ears. He looked at the time, it was 6 in the morning. He stretched and yawned before getting out of bed.

'The things I do just to meet you when you arrive.' He said out loud before smiling.

After freshening up, he put on his uniform and tied his hair up into his usual top knot hairstyle. He grabbed a piece of toast on his way out of the door. He walked in his usual laid back manner. Hands behind his head, he wondered how today would unravel. He had survived a war and been in numerous life threatening situations, but never had he felt so scared before.

'Only one way to find out what happens today' he said as he walked through the rather empty streets.

After about 15 minutes of waiting he saw them in the distance. There were three of them just like he was told. As they got closer he could make out each of the individuals, there was a guy dressed in black with purple face paint and a girl with the standard shinobi outfit of Suna. At the back of the group he saw her; her sandy blonde hair had been tied into four pigtails just like she always wore them, those emerald green eyes that he loved, she wore her sand village headband on her forehead. She smiled as she spotted him, his heart skipped a beat, he smiled back.

'Hey there cry baby, sorry to have woken you up so early' Temari said with a smirk.

'Tch, troublesome. Why can't you arrive on time like normal shinobi, do you always have to be early.' He replied.

'I never asked you to wake up and receive me, I know my way around.' she snapped back.

'Leaving you alone would be too much of a drag, and then Tsunade would have my head which would be much too troublesome' he said before yawning.

'Just admit it you couldn't wait to see me, could you?' she asked.

He was caught off guard an blushed, she noticed it and smiled at him.

'If you love-birds are done catching up can we go the Hokage's tower we have to report our arrival.' Kankuro said

Shikamaru sighed, 'Alright let's go, I'll take you there' he said. 'Also Yukata it's nice to see you again' he smiled.

'It's good to see you too Shikamaru san.' Yukata replied.

. .

'I hope your journey was comfortable' Tsunade enquired. 'It is of my understanding that you'll be staying with us for the next 3 months Temari. Kankuro and Yukata are here to help with the inter-country training program between Suna and Konoha and are leaving in a week.'

'That's right milady. Gaara has also asked me to give you this, he said you requested it.' Temari said before handing her a parcel.

Tsunade opened the parcel behind her desk and saw a bottle of Suna's famous sake that she loved. She smiled to herself, tonight will be fun she thought. She opened a drawer and handed a parcel of her own to Kankuro 'I hope you can get this parcel to Gaara, tell him it's a gift from me' Tsunade said.

'Yes milady, consider it done' Kankuo replied.

Everyone in the room knew of Tsunade and Gaara's secret trade. Gaara loved scotch as much as Tsunade loved her sake.

'Temari, I got Konohamaru to clean your apartment before you arrived. So you won't have to worry about that anymore.' Tsunade said before handing Temari her house keys. 'Kankuro and Yukata I have arranged rooms for you both at Konoha's Sheraton, everything has been paid for so just enjoy your stay. Shikamaru shall take you there' Tsunade said.

'Also before I forget, the Valentine's Day celebrations begins at 5, do visit it, it's a lot of fun for young loves' she said before shooting a glance at Kankuro and Yukata.

Yukata instantly blushed, and Kankuro started coughing. Everyone in the room seemed amused, everyone except Shikamaru who was now even more scared about confronting Temari.

'Thank you Hokage-sama.' Temari said as she chuckled at what just happened.

. .

After dropping Kankuro and Yukata off at their hotel, Temari and Shikamaru started walking back towards Temari's apartment.

'You seem awfully dull today.' Temari stated, What happened? Did your dream girl reject you today?'

Shikamaru was caught off-guard for the second time that day. He quickly regained his composure 'I haven't asked any girl yet.' He said.

'Why? Are you into guys?' Temari asked before chuckling

'Shut up, troublesome woman' Shikamaru shot back.

This was even harder than he imagined. Why couldn't he just ask her and get it over with. His mind filled with everything that could go wrong, getting a concussion from being hit by her fan, or being hit by her Wind Scythe Jutsu, being killed by Gaara's Sand or Kankuro's puppets. The possibilities were endless.

'Oi… Are you listening?' Temari asked ringing Shikamaru back to reality.

'What?' he said

'I said im hungry lets go grab some brunch' she replied 'Ichiraku as usual?'

'Hmm alright' he said, this would give him more time to figure out how to approach the subject.

...

After ordering their meals at Ichiraku, Shikamaru closed his eyes and was in deep thought.

'Why are you so quiet today?. is everything okay?' Temari asked in between eating.

'Huh... It's nothing.' he replied.

She knew he was lying, something seemed off ever since they met that morning. She decided to push the topic.

'Don't lie to me, there's clearly something going on.'

'Whatever, it doesn't matter.'

'Wouldn't you have given up by now saying it's too troublesome and answered.'

Deciding to change the topic 'What plans do you have for today?' he asked

'I dunno I was thinking of going to the festival. I've heard the fireworks display is amazing.'

'Do you plan on going alone?' he asked sounding surprised. He was surprised she would even be interested in something like the festival. This made things better.

'Yeah why, can't I have a good time on my own.' she replied a bit annoyed at his surprised tone.

'I didn't say anything like that' he replied before signalling to pops for the cheque.

He quickly took the bill before Temari could reach for it and covered the tab.

'My treat' he said before smiling. It's the least he could do since he annoyed her before

'Oh, someone's being chivalrous today' she said before smiling back.

'Right, shall we? I've to drop you home before my duty ends'

'Okay'

The walk to her place took 10 minutes. It felt like the longest 10 minutes to him, and the silence wasn't helping. Usually he would love the quiet, but today he hated it.

'Okay this is me' she said before facing him. 'Thanks for lunch'

'Don't worry about it' he replied

She turned and started heading up before he called out to her. 'Temari'

'What is it now lazy' she asked

'It's boring going to the festival alone, I'll come keep you company' he replied

Was this really happening, was the lazy guy she knew actually offering to do work. This was new.

'Are you asking me to be your valentine?' she asked

'W-What, no, I don't know… Whatever'

'You know I won't say yes unless you ask me properly.' she said and smirked

'C'mon do I have to.'

'Yeah.'

'Alright' he shrugged

'I mean I'm not gonna say yes unless you do it.' she said

'I don't think you're gonna say yes anyways, probably just doing this to humiliate me.'

'Okay let's see how good you do it'

'Fine… If I were to ask you out which may or may not happen depending on your response' he said

'Yeah'

'Would you maybe, kinda, wanna, I dunno…'

'I swear I'm gonna kick your ass' she said rather annoyed

'Maybe I don't need a valentine.' He said

'Great, I'm going in then.'

'Okay wait. This is such a drag but would you I dunno be my valentine Temari?'

'I'll think about it.' she said smiling before opening the door to her apartment and closing it on his face.

'WHAT? I went through all that trouble for this. Man this is such a drag, she didn't even say yes.'

Suddenly her door opened, 'Pick me up at 6, and don't be late.' she said before closing it again.

He was left smiling at her doorway. How did I get wound up with such a troublesome woman he thought. Turning around he walked to his apartment a few blocks away smiling like an idiot.

. .

At 5 in the evening after getting ready for the festival, he decided to go pick up some flowers for Temari. The line at the Yamanaka flower shop extended out on the street, it was at times like these he was glad he had ties with Ino. Strolling into the shop he looked around trying to decide on a flower. He hadn't noticed that Ino had crept up behind him. Startling him she asked 'What are you doing in a flower shop Nara? Don't tell me some poor girl agreed to be your valentine.'

'Whatever Ino, I just need some flowers.' he sighed

'So who is the poor girl that has the most boring date in Konoha?' Ino asked smirking

'Atleast her date won't smell like a dog.' Shikamaru shot back

Taken aback she didn't know how to respond. 'Just come up front when you've decided.' she finally said.

Exiting the flower shop he walked towards her house. He was wearing a green haori with the Nara symbol on the back. His hair was tied up in a half ponytail.

Approaching her house he felt nervous once again. What if she was messing with me he thought. Pushing the thought aside, he walked up to her door and knocked on it thrice to get her attention. Once would go unnoticed, twice and the knock would appear weak, thrice would signify the urgency of the person at the door.

The door opened to what he would describe as the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Temari was dressed in a sleeveless white and pink kimono with a patern of pink roses; there was a slit on the right side of the kimono that rose up till mid-thigh, her hair was tied into a ponytail instead of her usual pigtails. When Shikamaru saw her, all he could do was stare. He never expected her to look so beautiful.

'Quit staring at me like that, is there something on my face' Temari asked blushing a bit from the embarrassment.

'It's nothing, It's just that you look very pretty in that kimono.' he said smiling

'Huh, what's that supposed to mean. Am i not pretty otherwise.'

'Just take the compliment woman, geez.' He said before handing her a bouquet of roses. 'These are for you.'

Blushing, she accepted them. 'You didn't have to... Thank you Shikamaru'

'Well I thought about it and the roses are like you; if you're willing to deal with the thorns it is the most beautiful flower.' He said

A second later he was rubbing his head from the punch that she gave him. 'OW, what was that for now?' he asked

'For saying I'm like thorns.'

'Whatever… Shall we?' he asked

'We shall' she replied before closing the door.

. .

'The festival looks so colourful and bright' she said taking in the view around her

'Well we do know how to have a celebration' he said

They were walking closer than they usually do; Shikamaru was trying to keep himself from reaching for her hand, he was certain that she'd beat him up if he did.

Sensing the inner conflict that had Shikamaru distracted, she grabbed his hand. Shocked at her action he looked at her, she winked at him before smiling. Shikamaru couldn't help but smile back.

It seemed like all of Konoha was at the festival. They spotted all their friends. Choji and Karui were at one of the food stalls eating dumplings. Kiba, Ino, Shino and his girlfriend were at one of the gaming stalls trying to catch fish. Tenten and Lee were at another gaming stall that included knocking down targets, Tenten obviously won the prize there. Sasuke and Sakura were walking hand in hand towards the minimarkets. Naruto was pulling a very red Hinata through the crowds towards the haunted house; Shikamaru was surprised how she could still be so shy after dating Naruto for more than a year. They spotted few other people they knew, there was Kurenai sensei carrying a 2 year old Mirai, Kakashi and Shizune were sitting at one of the benches with Gai and Anko eating dumpings. They even saw Kankuro scurry into one of the shops with Yukata which made Temari giggle.

'Why don't we pick up something to eat and get a good view before the fireworks start?' Shikamaru asked.

'Sure thing, sounds good to me' Temari replied.

Lightly squeezing her hand he guided her through the crowd where they picked up some rice balls and dumplings.

'I know the perfect spot to watch the fireworks from.' he said

They walked slowly enjoying each other's company, they didn't need to make conversation, the silence spoke for itself. They climbed the top of the Hokage tower, when they reached the roof they found Naruto and Hinata busy at each other's mouth.

'Ahem' Shikamaru said.

The couple was so shocked by the presence of their friends they seemed at a loss for words, Hinata's face got darker while Naruto giggled to himself.

'If you'd like the privacy we'd be more than happy to leave you two be.' Temari said with a sly grin.

'No, No Temari-chan, I know this place has the best view of the fireworks, stay. we can watch it together' Hinata said

'Alright then' Shikamaru said before flopping down

Temari just walked in front of him and sat in between his legs. Shikamaru was shocked at her, he blushed a bit while Naruto just stared unsure of how this couple came to be. Temari leaned back and rested against his chest. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

'WHAT IS GOIN…' before Naruto could complete his sentence the first firework flew through the sky and went off in a beautiful display of light. The crowd from the market cheered.

Both the couples just sat there admiring the night sky, Hinata in Naruto's arms and Temari in Shikamaru's. The moment being captured in silence, everything seemed perfect.

Towards the end of the display Shikamaru whispered in Temari's ears 'Let me know when you're ready to go. Okay?' he said

She turned to face him, 'I'm ready.' she said

After bidding farewell to Naruto and Hinata, they both started walking back to Temari's apartment.

. .

'I wish Suna had celebrations like these, Valentine's Day would be something else then.' Temari said

'I'm glad they don't, atleast it gives you an excuse to come again next year' he said smiling at her.

She smiled back and leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they continued walking.

After 15 minutes they reached Temari's apartment.

'Thank you lazy boy, I had a great time... I may even come back next year, debatable though.' Temari said

'Women are so troublesome' he said smiling 'Anyways I'm glad you had a good time. Goodnight Temari.'

'Goodnight Nara'

'Oh by the way, I know you hit me earlier because I said you resemble thorns, but I also said you're beautiful like the rose.'

She smiled sheepishly. Before he realised what happened she closed the distance between them and planted her lips against his. After realising what happened he closed his eyes too and kissed her back.

It was everything he imagined his first kiss to be, besides the part about it being sloppy and messy. They broke the kiss after what seemed like eternity both trying to catch their breath.

'That's for calling me beautiful' She said

He leaned forward for seconds but her finger stopped his lips. 'That's all you're getting for now.' she said with an evil smirk.

Shikamaru sighed, he knew this girl was trouble. She turned to enter her house but found herself frozen, it was a familiar feeling, she had been frozen like this before.

'SHIKAMARU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Temari yelled.

He walked her up till the door and turned her around, he leaned forward and she leaned forward as she was under his Shadow Possession Technique. He gave her a peck on the forehead and said 'I shall call you beautiful everyday if that's what I get in return'

She blushed. 'Shut up' she said.

He released the Jutsu. She raised her arm; he immediately closed his eyes expecting to be slapped into tomorrow. She caressed his cheek, and stood on her toes before kissing his cheek, 'You can't use the same line and get the same result everytime Nara, your opponents will predict your moves. You've to work harder than just call me beautiful to get a kiss again.' She said.

She quickly opened the door and closed it on his face before he had a chance to reply.

'Tch, what a troublesome woman.' he said to himself before smiling.

This is just the beginning of your troubles, he thought to himself, but she's worth every ounce of trouble. He walked back home smiling and recollecting everything that had happened today. This day had unfolded in a rather interesting way. He would always remember this Valentine's Day, she would make sure of it.

He lay in bed thinking about the Suna princess. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep, his lips still curved upwards.

Fin.

Thank you guys for sticking it out till the end, hopefully you smiled. let me know what you think. I may just write another one soon (:

Bye for now.