UsualDisclaimer: I do not own Naruto, this story is for amusement purposes only. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Temari's Tournament

Background-Post Fourth Shinobi War

The three sand siblings sat in ornate thrones as if they were royalty holding court. Temari was on the right wearing a teal gown that matched her mesmerizing eyes with her hair down. Gaara was in the middle dressed in his Kazekage's robes while Kankuro was seated to the left wearing his councilman robes. Temari looked slowly around the elaborately decorated ballroom. The Raikage, Darui, C, and Killer Bee were all talking in one corner. Naruto, who was here in his official position as 'Hokage in training', was busy chatting up the Mizukage and Chojuro. The room was filled with notable shinobi much to Temari's dismay. This situation had grown to unexpected proportions now. People from near and far had arrived for this, Suna's grandest event in several decades. Temari's tournament, where the kunoichi herself was the prize the men were fighting for. The wind mistress was starting to worry she wouldn't be able to get out of her predicament unscathed. The kunoichi bit her lower lip out of frustration.

Things had started when the sand siblings had returned from the fourth shinobi world war. All three had stood out with their exceptional deeds, so their names were fresh in many people's minds. The Sunan council felt this was the perfect time to marry Temari off to ensure peace and economic stability for their village. The council members were very forceful that they wanted her to marry someone from Kumogakure since it was the most financially stable village. Kunkuro had argued that Temari was too valuable as a kunoichi to no avail; the council didn't care about losing Suna's primary tactician. Gaara had stepped in at that point and proposed a tournament for Temari's hand with a very handsome entry fee. The victor of the tournament then had to defeat the kunoichi since Temari would never marry someone she didn't respect. The Kazekage also reasoned this step was necessary since Temari killing her husband shortly after their marriage would worsen the relationship with the man's village. The final stroke of genius was when Gaara stated that the victor's ultimate challenge would be to confront himself and Kankuro together, which was their right as her brothers he explained. Temari initially thought she was in the clear, no one interested in her would be able to defeat all three of the sand siblings. Who would be crazy enough to even enter this tournament? The kunoichi had been shocked at the number of applications and entry fees that began flooding in.

Everything had grown to the point that the council thought it would be wonderful to throw a grand ball prior to the tournament, to showcase their prize. Gaara had called on Temari's friend, Hinata Hyuga, to come and instruct the kunoichi on the finer points of royalty level occasions. Temari had always managed to get out of formal events until now, so she felt very out of place. Gaara also requested Konoha's genius to assist Temari with analyzing battle styles and techniques so she could prepare her strategy to defeat whoever ended up being the victor. The last two months had been a blur of etiquette and dance lessons with Hinata, which Temari picked up quickly. Temari spent what little spare time she had going over the files of the suitors with Shikamaru. He had explained each person's strengths, weaknesses, and the best way for her to attack each one.

"Temari," Hinata's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Please stop biting your lip. You need to smile at your guests and not appear annoyed by them."

"Oh, sorry," the blonde responded looking back apologetically, "I'm just overwhelmed right now."

"You'll be fine," reassured Shikamaru from the shadows. "Hinata and I can hear everything that you can thanks to the microphone hidden on your dress. We can talk you through any situation you end up in. I have intelligence on every person here," the former fourth division commander told her confidently.

"That's not my real issue," snapped the blonde at the shadows behind her. "My problem is that I am being forced to marry. I never dreamed I would have this many suitors with all the ridiculous requirements that Gaara and I made." The kunoichi added in barely a whisper, "I am going to have to fight for my own freedom."

"You underestimated the appeal you have," Shikamaru stated in a bored tone as he shoved his hands into his pockets from where he hid. "You are one of the best kunoichi in the world, the former Kazekage's daughter, the current Kazekage's sister, and a war hero." The young genius looked away as he added, "You also look particularly beautiful tonight. Any man would be proud to have you as his wife."

"So can I add you to my list of suitors then?" Temari teased as she genuinely smiled at where the shadow user hid.

"Tch, troublesome woman," the Nara muttered under his breath.

Temari stood from her throne and began to walk gracefully towards the dance floor. "That's a shame. I would have enjoyed the rematch," she said softly towards the microphone to make sure Shikamaru heard it. Gaara and Kankuro stood as the room fell silent watching the young woman in awe. Citizens, shinobi, and Kages all watched the Sunan princess glide to the center of the room and raise her hand for Baki to proceed.

"The first dance of the evening with Temari shall go to Darui of Kumogakure," Baki announced with a booming voice.

"Wow, the council isn't being subtle at all on who they want me to marry," Temari muttered without moving her mouth.

A and Killer B were apparently very pleased with their fellow Kumo nin being selected. They bumped fists with Darui as they wished him luck. The tall young man made his way to the center of the floor where Temari stood waiting. The dark skinned shinobi took the wind mistress' left hand into his right as he knelt down on one knee before her.

"Sabaku no Temari, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked looking up into her blue-green eyes.

The kunoichi couldn't help but chuckle as she nodded her head, "Well, they did say you receive the first dance."

"That doesn't mean that you want to dance with me though," the young man answered as he stood back up to his full height. "I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don't want to," the dark skinned shinobi said with a voice that was smooth and comforting. He still held her hand softly in his, not to strong and not to weak.

Temari cocked her head and smirked at him since this was not something she was expecting. "Hmmn, a gentleman amongst scoundrels," the kunoichi murmured as she looked him over from head to toe. "How interesting. I think I would enjoy dancing with you, Darui," Temari said softly as she stepped closer to the young man.

Darui brought her hand to his lips and kissed softly, "I'm not very good at this type of thing, so hopefully I won't disappoint you."

"I think we'll manage," the wind mistress laughed as she winked. "What can you dance?"

"It's pretty dull, but all I can do is waltz," the tall young man answered.

"A waltz, by Dvorak!" Temari called to the musicians as she turned and genuinely smiled to the Kumo nin. The pair began dancing as if they weren't uncomfortable with all eyes in the room staring at them. The blonde kunoichi was pleasantly surprised with how easy Darui was to talk to.

Hinata looked over to Shikamaru when he emerged silently from the shadows enough to watch the couple. The byakugan user noticed the Nara's jaw was clenched and his eyes held a controlled fury. 'Have you told her?' she mouthed to him silently when he finally looked over. The shadow user shook his head no in response which caused Hinata to give him a look that read, 'Then what do you expect?' The pair watched and listened in silence as Darui and Temari parted ways after their dance. The shinobi from Kumogakure had been a perfect combination of serious, witty, and intelligent conversation. The pony tailed Nara was inwardly pleased that as Temari danced with each following suitor things began to deteriorate at a rapid pace. Temari laughed at some, was annoyed by others, and abruptly left halfway through the song on men she simply refused to endure. Shikamaru and Hinata tried to walk her through some of the rough spots, but Temari simply was not willing to put up with anyone simply for the sake of her council and politics. The genius' mood improved significantly when Temari finally lost her temper and punched a young man from Amegakure after he grabbed her 'assets' while dancing.

"How dare you!" the kunoichi fumed as she pushed him away. "I could break you in half with one finger!"

Hinata and Shikamaru had realized what was happening prior to the blow landing and swooped in quickly. The pony tailed Nara was supposed to stop her with his shadow possession jutsu, but decided to let Temari hit the shinobi anyway. The guy really did deserve her wrath. It's funny watching a room full of shinobi part to avoid a flying body without stopping their conversations. The Nara grabbed Temari around the waist then quickly whisked her out of the room while the young man from Amegakure flew across the room and crashed into a wall. Hinata rushed over and apologized profusely to the young man that had been assaulted as she pulled him out from under the rubble. Gaara's eyes twinkled with laughter watching everything transpire as Kankuro tried to stifle a grin behind his hand. Naruto, Killer Bee, and the Raikage burst out laughing while everyone else stood in shocked silence. The other members of the Sunan council looked on in horror as Baki walked to a balcony over the ballroom.

"Hors d'oeuvres will now be served with dinner to follow. If you will all make your way into the Grand Dining Hall please," the shinobi requested in a commanding tone.

"Sounds good to me," roared the Raikage. "That weakling is disqualified from the process now, right?" he asked Baki for everyone to hear.

"Temari has the right to terminate anyone from the process at any time," answered Baki. "I think it is safe to say he has been eliminated."

"Excellent," the Raikage smiled as he turned to Killer Bee. "This contest looks like it is going to be more entertaining than I thought!"

Temari was soaking her aching muscles in a bathtub the next day, wishing she understood how dancing in a corseted dress was more painful than any type of physical training she had done before. She thought about the evening before and smiled as she thought about her dances with Darui. The wind mistress had found that when she came back after her outburst, her field of suitors was already beginning to decrease. The kunoichi had danced with every suitor once, but the only one that she danced with again was Darui. The blonde found that she actually enjoyed talking to him, which was good since he was the most likely to win the tournament anyway. 'Darui actually has the potential to beat my brothers and I', the kunoichi thought as she dunked her head under the water. Temari actually danced with the handsome Kumo nin five times until Shikamaru came out to dance with her. She still was confused about what had happened next.

Temari had teased Shikamaru as usual, asking if he was jealous. The Nara had surprised her when he informed her that yes, he actually was. The wind mistress had been at a loss for words, so they danced in silence until near the end of the song. Shikamaru had pulled her close to him to hug her tightly as he whispered in her ear that he was sorry, but he couldn't be her advisor for the tournament anymore. He had turned around and walked away, leaving her standing there with her mouth agape. Temari was angry and confused initially, feeling as if he had abandoned her when she needed him most.

A knock on the bathroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Onnesan," she heard through the door.

"Yes, Gaara? I'm in the bathtub soaking, is there any way this can wait?" Temari whined.

"Just see me as soon as you're done," he answered through the door.

'That's not good,' thought Temari to herself as she quickly washed her hair and finished up her bath.

Darui and C were walking around Suna aimlessly while the Raikage and Killer Bee were recovering from the festivities the night before. They had found Sunan sake to be stronger than they thought. Naruto had challenged all of them to a drinking game, but ended up disappearing halfway through. Darui was never in on the game, C stopped after Naruto disappeared, but the Raikage and Bee continued until they passed out.

Darui would have preferred to be alone with his thoughts this morning, but C had insisted on tagging along with him. Darui reflected on how he had originally been pressured into coming to Suna by Kumo's own council, but now he was actually rather pleased that he had decided to come. The dark skinned young man had not had the chance to talk to Temari much before last night, but now had to admit that he was intrigued. The wind mistress from Suna was strong, intelligent, and beautiful. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which was refreshing in a way. The blonde kunoichi also didn't take unwanted advances lightly either, which was made painfully clear last night.

The young man who could wield lightning and water knew deep down that his real competition in this tournament was going to be Temari and her brothers. He was confident, but cautious. The former commander of first division would approach every battle as if it was the final but was already devising what attacks would be best against each of the sand siblings. C was rambling on about how he thought he still had a good chance in the tournament, when they both heard someone call Darui's name. The two turned to see Shikamaru Nara walking up to them with his hands in his pockets.

"Darui, can I talk to you alone please?" the shadow user asked with a bored expression on his face.

Darui shrugged with a similar lazy expression on his own face, "Sure." Darui turned to C, "I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you later. OK?"

"Yeah, later," the blonde answered as he walked away wondering where he could find some good mochi.

Shikamaru waited until C was beyond hearing distance before he began. "Darui, I just wanted to let you know that I am entering the tournament. I figured it would be proper to let you know as a courtesy from one former division commander to another."

"Thanks for the heads up," Darui shrugged as if it was no big deal. "But that's not all, is it?"

"I am well aware that the odds favor you for winning in this tournament," the genius began. "You are a good shinobi, but I have no idea to your personal character," Shikamaru paused as he looked into Darui's eyes. "You told her last night that you had no intention of forcing her to do anything that she doesn't want to. Did you mean that?"

The tall young man shook his head yes. "I'm pretty dull and predictable. If I say something, I mean it," Darui shrugged.

Shikamaru looked for any signs of deception but didn't find any. He sighed as he began to rub the back of his neck. "It's troublesome, but I have arranged for you and I to spend some extra time with Temari. We will both get two hours each day for the next week before the tournament. It will be supervised by Kankuro or Gaara, of course. She will end up with one of us, so may the best man win," the shadow user stated as he extended his hand.

Darui looked at the genius thoughtfully, "We've both looked over the field of applicants and know I really didn't have any competition until now." He grasped Shikamaru's hand and shook firmly, "May the best man win."

"Hinata!" yelled Temari as she banged on the door of her friend's room. "Hinata I need to talk to you now!"

The dark haired woman opened the door slightly peeking out sleepily. "Temari, can you give me just a few minutes?"

"OK but I really need you to hurry," the wind mistress huffed as she crossed her arms.

Hinata emerged from her room dressed and looking perfect in three minutes flat. "Where do you want to go for breakfast?" the Hyuga chirped cheerfully.

Temari was secretly envious of how efficient the kunoichi was at making herself presentable. "Wait a minute," the blonde said as she looked at Hinata sideways. "You normally invite me into your room while you get ready. Do you have someone in there?" the kunoichi asked as her eyes grew wide and a huge grin spread across her face.

Hinata began to press her fingers together absentmindedly. "Ahhh..uhmmm..what makes you think that?" the pale beauty sputtered as she blushed fiercely.

"Naruto!" yelled Temari to the door of Hinata's room. "Did you have a good evening with Hinata-chan?"

"Believe it!" he automatically responded enthusiastically from behind the door.

Hinata grabbed Temari by the hand and proceeded to drag her to breakfast as Temari laughed hysterically. "What did you need to talk to me about?" Hinata asked hoping to distract the wind mistress.

"Oh! You remember how upset I was last night that Shikamaru suddenly said he wouldn't help me anymore and left?" the blonde began as they entered her favorite bakery. Hinata shook her head yes as she bought enough cinnamon buns for the two of them. "He didn't leave Suna!" Temari smiled. "Instead he went to Gaara and entered the tournament!"

Hinata smiled knowingly at her friend. 'It was about time,' she thought to herself.

"The weird thing is he arranged daily 'dates' for both he and Darui over the next week. Why would he do that? What am I supposed to do?" the Suna shinobi sighed. "Men are strange."

Hinata looked at her friend thoughtfully. "Does Shikamaru do anything that is not meticulously well thought out first?"

"No," answered Temari quickly.

"Realistically, who is the most likely to win this tournament and face you?" Hinata queried in between bites.

"Until Shikamaru entered, it was definitely Darui," the blonde said softly. "The two of them are pretty close, but Darui trained with the third Raikage and has a kekkei genkai. On the other hand, Shikamaru found a way to defeat Hidan and cornered Madara. Ugh! I don't know!" the kunoichi groaned as she threw her hands into the air. "As far as jutsu versatility, Darui, but Shikamaru is so brilliant that he finds a way to defeat everything," Temari stated calmly before growing agitated again. "Hinata, this is the kind of thing that I discuss with Shikamaru!" the wind mistress almost yelled in the small bakery. "This makes my head hurt," she sighed as she buried her hands in her blonde hair.

"Oh, I am about to make your head hurt worse, my dear," Hinata chuckled. "Who would you rather be married to? Shikamaru or Darui?"

The wind mistress just sat there staring at the Hyuga as if she had forgotten how to speak. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes were like that of a deer.

"You do remember that ultimately this is what the tournament is all about?" the Hyuga heiress teased. "That is most likely why Shikamaru has arranged these mini dates for you between himself and Darui. He wants you to decide who you want to be with, then ask the other to withdraw," Hinata shrugged as if it was very simple.

"I didn't think Shikamaru ever thought of me as anything more than a friend," the Suna kunoichi sighed in exasperation.

"You can discuss that with him when you get your time with him," Hinata suggested. "Actually, forget about that for a moment. Think about which one you see yourself growing old with. Who could you see as the father of your children? Which village would you be happy in?" Hinata raised an eyebrow as she emphasized her last question knowing very well how much Temari loved being in Konoha.

"Why didn't he say something before I had the chance to get to know Darui?" Temari mumbled laying her head on the table. "That would have made my choice so much easier if I hadn't known there was another option."

"What kind of attitude is that?" Hinata laughed. "Just go on the dates this week and see how things go."

"You're right," the wind mistress moaned. "There's a good chance that neither one will make it past Gaara anyway, so I'm worrying about nothing." The two women laughed as they finished their breakfast not noticing that a certain shadowy figure had been lingering nearby listening to their conversation.

A/N –Hello everyone! This was what I worked on while I have been gone the last 6 weeks without my laptop/internet. I took a notebook and wrote what I thought would be a one shot…well as you can see it's not turning out to be a one shot. More like a two or three shot. I am hoping to get the rest of this typed out and edited within the next couple weeks in addition to getting back to my two ongoing stories. Thank you all for your patience.

Where on earth did this idea come from you ask? When doing character research I began to realize how many similarities there are between Darui and Shikamaru, so I decided to do a new love triangle I haven't seen anywhere else. Enjoy!