Nara Yoshino slid out of bed and stretched her arms yawning. She was in a rather good mood considering the previous night her husband paid some attention to her that had not been given in awhile, due to all the missions and necessity for sleep. She sighed girlishly as she could feel the warmth her husband's kisses and soft caresses on her face. She may whip him but he knows how to tame the beast, that was for certain. She pulled on a robe over her short nightgown and as she walked out to the kitchen. The smell of eggs and toast filled her nostrils and she went happily over to her husband who gave a nice good morning kiss. She parted with him and walked down to the room where her son, her pride and joy, was sleeping. She decided the morning was too good to ruin by arguing with her son so she would leave him be but still let him know breakfast was almost ready. She opened the door and her morning cheerfulness did a complete 180.

"SHIAKAMRU!!!" She screamed as she whipped around, her eyes blazing like fire as her son's head popped up from the couch, her husband coming towards her.

"Honey, listen-"

"SHUT IT SHIKAKU! That's why last night you were in such a good mood! Because you knew and you were trying to hide it from me!" She snapped at her husband despite the helpless look on his face.

"Kaasan, listen it's not what you think." Her son said slowly walking towards her.

"Don't give me that!" She screamed and then sighed and looked at her son disappointedly. "I thought we raised you better than that. And with an outsider no less!"

"Kaasan," Nara Shikamaru said slowly, grasping his mother on her shoulders "I didn't."

"Wha?" His mother said staring at him dumbfounded as he walked into his bedroom towards the bed. "Then why is there a woman on your bed in your clothes?!"

At the mention of the clothes, her son halted and shrunk on the floor into a ball rocking himself back and forth in a fetal position. Her husband scratched his head and pushed his wife gently into their son's room towards the figure on the bed, ignoring his son. He whispered to her quietly in her ear and she nodded. She then turned to her son who seemed to be somewhat recovered from whatever had bothered him and she rushed to him and grasped him in a tight hug.

"Oh my son! I knew you were a virtuous and good man! Whatever woman you land with will be lucky indeed! I knew you weren't a lazy good-for-nothing like everyone else says! Oh, my baby!" She wailed, feeling bad for accusing her son.

"It's okay Kaasan." He said rubbing her back and glaring at his father as Shikaku made fun of him.

"Wha- WHAT?!"

All heads turned towards the bed and the woman sat up slowly examining her new clothing. She slowly let go of the fabric between her fingers and slowly looked up at the people in the room with such a fire and brimstone in her eyes that surpassed Yoshino's.

Shikaku stepped up to her with a grin on his face, as if he were making a joke. "Good morning Temari! My name is Nara Shikaku and welcome to my home. In case you are wondering I am Shikamaru's father." Shikaku looked up at his son with a look that told him 'I enjoy making you suffer because it's funny.'

The Temari's gaze then turned towards Shikamaru and there was a brief pause before she began screaming at him which caused him to plug his ears. The only thing either of his parents understood was "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! THEN I'M GOING TO SEND YOU TO SUNA AND HAVE MY BROTHERS KILL YOU!!" Their son was ready to make a break for it but as soon as the woman's feet touched the floor, she wobbled and Shikamaru rushed to catch her before she fell.

Her anger vanished, Temari looked up at Shikamaru's relieved face confused. "What happened? Why am I so weak? Why am I here?" she looked at him bewildered, as if the fact that she was in Shikamaru's bedroom with him and his parents had just been noticed.

As he laid her back in his bed gently he said, "You were attacked on your way here. We rescued you."

"We?" she said and he pulled the covers up. She pushed them down and sat up as he answered her.

"My father and I." He said, trying to push her back down.

"What happened? Oh, wait. I think I do remember fighting…" she said as she pushed his hand away so she could sit up. Shikamaru's hands came back to push her down on the pillow and she snapped "Leave me alone! Why am I not in the hospital?"

He retracted his hand and for a moment Temari thought she saw shock in his face before it was replaced with his usual bored expression. "You were poisoned. We had to react quickly. We knew what the poison was and we had the ingredients at home to fix up the antidote quickly. If we took you to a hospital, we doubted they would have known what to do."

"Since when were you a medic ninja?" She sneered and his face hardened.

"Since my family came into existence. The Nara's have a long history of medical prestige, documented in books that all Nara's have to memorize." He said coldly and she shuddered involuntarily, even though her forehead felt like it was on fire.

"Well then take me to hospital or send me home." She demanded and he frowned.

"Not happening."

"Listen you, as Suna's rep I demand to be taken to a hospital! And I don't even want to know how I came to be wearing your clothes either!" She snapped angrily, her temper flaring. She thought he would give in because it would be too troublesome to deal with her temper but instead he did the opposite.

His face flushed at the mention of the clothes but his face remained hard. "No. I'm not taking you anywhere. You're staying here."

"She is?" Yoshino asked aloud and her husband shushed her. Neither Shikamaru nor Temari made a sign that they noticed. Instead Temari's temper flared even more.

"YOU are my guide. YOU do what I SAY!" She screeched.

"YOU are my FRIEND and YOU'RE SICK!" He bellowed back angrily, sending Temari into a loss of words out of shock. In her four years of knowing him, he had never raised his voice at her or anyone that she had seen. She didn't even know his voice could even get that loud.

"Oh! I knew he had it in him! Just like his mummy!" Yoshino sighed, fake sniffling.

"Kaasan! Not now!" He snapped and she rolled her eyes at her son who turned his attention back to the woman in his bed.

His expression softened as he saw the shock on her face. He gently pushed her shoulders and she complied, laying her head down on the pillow. At first, her face was one of defeat and submission but the sharpness came back into her eyes and she asked,

"Did you strip me?"

He froze as his face reddened and he pulled away from her and walked out of the room, trying to forget the anger and disappointment in her face.

Yoshino watched her son go by, obviously ashamed, and she opened her mouth to speak but her husband shushed her. "I'm going to get breakfast and medicine for Temari. Why don't you talk to our son?" His wife nodded and Shikaku kissed her before she left the room.

"I'll be back in a minute." He told the woman on the bed who was on her side facing the wall. It was obvious to the jounin that she was crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to hide what was already hidden.

When he brought back breakfast and the medicine, she was still facing the wall. He set the tray down that he was holding on the desk in the room as he pulled up a chair next to the bed. He got the tray and put it in his lap after he sat down. He stared at the back of the Suna kunochi that causing his son so much trouble and laughed inwardly. He was going to marry her, there was no doubt about it.

"What's so funny?" She snapped, still facing the wall. Apparently he laughed out loud.

"Oh, fatherly musings. Turn around and sit up so you can eat and drink. I'll tell you what happened last night."

She turned around slowly and at first he thought he would have to help her up but she managed on her own. He gave her the tray and she ate slowly as he spoke.

"You were due at the gate around 9 in the morning. Shikamaru got there around 9:10, just to spite you he told me later. He asked the gate guards if they had seen you and they replied no. After conversing with them for about half an hour, with you still not showing up, he told them he was going to get breakfast at a café. If you arrived, he told them to direct you there. In the café, he saw Hinata and Naruto and ended up talking with them for about an hour and a half. When he remembered you were supposed to be coming, he rushed back to the gate only to find that you still had not arrived. He shrugged it off as you being a little late, due to stopping a bit longer for food or sleeping in a bit longer. So, he came home and told the gate guards that he would be here, waiting.

Around 2 in the afternoon, he became silently perplexed when you didn't bang down the house door during our shogi game. At 3 he couldn't take it anymore, left mid-game, and went down to the gate. He returned hastily and said that you had not arrived and he asked me if I would go help find you and we both rushed to the outskirts of Konoha. We took a guard with us and around 5 we sent him to Tsunade, telling her that you were missing. We thought that maybe Tsunade had gotten a message that you would be late and forgot to tell Shikamaru. I must say, I have never seen him more worried in my life. He paced around, stopped, and then paced again. By the time the messenger had come back, his ponytail was gone from running his fingers through his hair so much. The messenger reported that Tsunade did not receive any kind of message and that she was sending out teams to help us.

My son cursed the most profane of words, which was odd because I have never heard him do so before, and immediately summoned a pack of wolves. You know about his wolf summons yes? Ah okay. He sent the twins, Nana and Yaya, in one direction, Kiki in another, and the healer, Mizuki, straight down the normal path to the sand. He then took Kousuke and went in one direction while I waited for news from the other wolves. About half an hour later, Kiki came to me and told me that he found you just as you passed out. We left immediately and the twins and Mizuki met up with us quickly. Kiki informed us that you were poisoned. Our pace quickened and when we reached you Mizuki immediately took to your side and informed us of the poison that was in you. Once I heard that, I swore loudly because the poison that was in you would move quickly.

Shikamaru was handling your attackers well with Kousuke by his side and Nana and Yaya immediate joined in the fight. I went to your side and Mizuki began to try and slow the poison. When she told she had slowed it as much as possible, we rushed back to the house. Yoshino, who is a heavy sleeper, did not stir as we hastily made the antidote. I was administering it as Shikamaru came into the house. I told him to go to Tsunade and inform her of the current situation and he left. When he returned, I was cleaning up the mess from the antidote, you were already in bed. He didn't believe me when I told him the poison was gone but as a side effect from the antidote, you would be stuck with a fever and went to check on you himself.

When I walked in, he was staring at you, his face red. I asked him what the matter was and he pointed to a red spot on his sheet. It was from blood and your clothes needed to be washed. He turned to me and looked at me pleadingly, begging that he didn't have to take your clothes off. You see, my son is rather innocent. He doesn't blush at the mention or talk of sex but he doesn't read Icha Icha Paradise or porn either. When I was younger, I did so I couldn't help but make fun of him which he swears to get back at me for. So, I offered to do it for him but he instantly refused, saying he would do it himself. Despite his words, he froze and didn't even know where to begin, which is ultimate proof that Nara men are- um, never mind.

Ahem, anyway I suggested to put a long shirt over you, and then take off your clothes. I left to take the stained sheets to the wash and get a fresh pair. When I came back, he had the shirt covering you but was having difficulty untying the obi. His hands would reach for it and then stop. Reach for it and then stop. I went over and pulled on the obi and did it for him. He stared at me shocked and then got angry and shoved me back. Why you ask? I know you didn't speak, it was in your face. Well, I figured he was being protective. He didn't want me around you or touching you while he was undressing you even though I could have done it in five minutes. Don't look at me like that, it was strictly medical and it was necessary. If I wanted pleasure, I could have gone to my wife down the hall.

Moving along, he somehow got your kimono thing off and he summoned Mizuki who healed your arm. I thought he would be done but then he looked at me and back to you continuously, nervously. I walked over and saw that your bra was stained as well. I told him that it would have to come off and go to the wash and he flushed harder than he had before. I thought his head was going to explode. So, to help him out a bit, I reach out to take it off myself when he grabbed my wrist. On his face was the most determined look I had ever seen, which includes the day he was born on up. He reached behind your back and was extremely careful to not touch any part of you that was not necessary. After he unhooked it, he pulled the shirt down over your chest, and took it off. He threw it on the floor, shivering disgustedly and the pulled your arms through the arm holes in the shirt.

He took the clean sheet I had brought and pulled it over you and gently removed your forehead protector and took the ponytails out of your hair. I threw your bra in the wash and I saw him in the living room scrubbing your forehead protector, trying to get the blood off of the hourglass. I went to bed which woke Yoshino which forced me to-um never mind. Anyway, I knew he didn't go to bed for awhile because the light was still on when I went to sleep. And then you know what happened this morning."

She was listening to him warily and he knew sleep would take her any second. Her head turned towards him and she asked softly "What were you going to say about Nara men?"

Shikaku was taken aback by her question. He thought a question might pertain to his son's nervousness and why he walked out ashamed earlier. However, his son had told him she was the most intelligent woman he had ever met so perhaps she already knew and now understood.

"Perhaps I'll tell you sometime, but not now. It is not the time. Now, drink your medicine and go to sleep like you want to."

He handed her the elixir and she chugged it down. As Shikaku helped her lay down she asked "Why is now not the time?"

He grinned in response and told her goodnight.