The sun shined brightly upon the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A few harmless white fluffy clouds floated through the blue sky, providing a lovely morning for the villagers to wake up to. Streams of sunlight broke through the windows, rousing the people of the town.

Inside the Paradise Hotel, a foreign kunoichi stirred under the blankets of her bed. She rolled over in the bed just for blinding light to hit her in the eyes through her curtains. She sighed as she opened her dark green eyes. The young woman slightly blinked to get rid of the remaining sleep that clouded her vision.

“Alright, time to get up,” Temari told herself. The Sand kunoichi slowly pulled herself into a sitting position in her bed, stretching her arms above her head. She sluggishly pushed herself out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for her departure.

Temari hopped into the shower and let the steaming hot water run down her lightly tanned skin. Her shoulder length sandy blonde hair clung to her face and neck as the water rinsed it out. After completely cleansing herself, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and proceeded to don her ninja wardrobe. She wore an orange battle kimono, similar to the black one she had worn in her later teen years. A green sash was tied around her waist, and orange fingerless gloves covered her hands.

Once she was dressed, she began to pull her hair up into her signature four ponytail style. She glanced at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her work. As the finishing touch, she tied her Sand ninja headband around her forehead, her bangs coming down to gently brush against the metal plate.

She emerged from the bathroom, feeling refreshed after taking her long shower. The Sand kunoichi gathered her items into her backpack and strapped her metal fan to her back. Temari carried her bag at her side, and once she was sure she had everything, she left the hotel.

Temari emerged from the building to breathe in the fresh air that seemed to fill the Leaf Village. Her home didn’t have crisp air like this, so it was always a gift to relish in the foreign atmosphere whenever she could.

After breathing in the new air for what should be her last time for a while, she glanced to the side to see a shadow emerge from beside the wall of the hotel building. She smiled slightly as she saw Shikamaru approach her. He was wearing black pants and a fishnet shirt underneath his green Leaf jounin vest.

The Leaf ninja smiled back when he saw that Temari had noticed him. The two fell into step with the other, side by side, as they walked on through the village.

“So this is your last day here, correct?” Shikamaru asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“It is,” Temari nodded. “I have completed my mission as Suna’s representative, so I need to return to my village.”

“Hmm,” the Leaf ninja replied with an acknowledging nod. “So you’ll be back for the Chuunin Exams, then?”

“Yeah, I will,” the kunoichi replied kindly. “You know, you didn’t have to escort me to the gates. I’m a big girl. I can find my way to the gates,” Temari smirked.

“Yeah, but it is my mission to escort you throughout the village during your stay here. That pretty much means I’m stuck with you until you get out of here,” Shikamaru teased. “Troublesome woman…”

Temari chuckled. “Well alright, whatever…”

The gates of Konoha appeared in front of them after only a few more moments of walking. The green majestic doors opened up to the outside world, and the two shinobi could see the forest extending out before them for an indistinguishable distance. They turned to each other, ready for their goodbyes.

“So, I guess I’ll see you later then,” Temari said as she grinned at her friend.

Shikamaru nodded his head. “You know where to find me,” he said with a smirk.

Temari turned to leave for her three-day journey back to Suna. She had barely crossed the threshold to completely leave the village when the screeching of a bird caught both shinobi’s attention. The Suna ninja turned just in time to see a brown hawk swoop down towards them. Shikamaru reflexively lifted his right arm, and the bird easily landed on the makeshift perch. The jounin slightly grimaced at the bird’s talons digging into his bare arm, but after only a moment, he began to ignore it.

He reached up to grab the little white piece of paper that was tied to the hawk’s leg. His black eyes read through the small note lazily before he finally sighed. Shikamaru slowly glanced up at the kunoichi before him, who was staring at him expectantly.

“Looks like you’re still stuck here,” Shikamaru said sluggishly. Temari raised an eyebrow at his statement in surprise. “The Hokage wishes to see us,” he explained. The Sand ninja sighed as she nodded her head, redirecting herself to follow her escort back into the Leaf Village.

**********************************************************

After only a few minutes, Shikamaru and Temari arrived at the Fifth Hokage’s office. The Leaf shinobi gently knocked on the large wooden door a couple times before shoving his hand back into his pocket.

“Come in,” a voice said from inside the room. Shikamaru turned the knob and opened the door, allowing Temari to walk in first before following in after her.

Once inside Lady Tsunade’s office, both Shikamaru’s and Temari’s eyes widened at what was waiting for them. Tsunade was seated at her desk, with her hands folded in front of her face, and Shizune was standing behind her, with TonTon cuddled in her arms. This was the normal part, as this particular scene was very common to experience when entering the Hokage’s office.

What threw Shikamaru and Temari off was the fact that Naruto and Sakura were standing on the left side of the room, and Gaara and Kankurou were standing on the opposite side.

Temari furrowed her eyebrows as she eyed her brothers. “Gaara? Kankurou? What are you two doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Konoha?”

“There were some last minute arrangements concerning the Leaf-Sand alliance treaty that needed to be discussed,” Gaara said as he glanced over at the Hokage. He crossed his arms over his chest, signifying that the rest of the explanation was handed over to the blonde woman.

Tsunade nodded her head. “There are some concerns that need to be taken care of in order for the alliance to be reestablished.”

“What kind of concerns?” Shikamaru asked in confusion.

The busty woman sighed as she stared at the two new arrivals. “Ever since the war ended, the countries have had a difficult time readjusting to previous treaties. The Joint Shinobi Alliance has basically established new treaties while canceling some others.”

“But… Is it really that difficult to renew the Leaf-Sand alliance?” Temari asked, slightly bewildered.

“The economies of the Leaf and the Sand are disastrously low,” Tsunade informed as she leaned back in her swivel chair. “Even though our villages are meant to be allies, other nations do not believe in our peace treaty. Even with the shinobi countries emerging victorious in the war, mistrust is a sad aftereffect that is evident in all places now. Now, they are not cooperating with either of us.”

“What do you mean by cooperating?” the Sand kunoichi asked.

Kankurou looked up to lock eyes with his sister as he attempted to explain the diplomatic issues for the two Kage, as the stress was becoming a bit evident in both of their expressions. “Countries aren’t trading with us, people aren’t coming to the villages, and nations aren’t hiring our ninja. If this keeps up, basically, both of our villages will be in shambles,” the puppet master said.

“However, there is one way to encourage the other countries to believe in our alliance,” Sakura said, her jade eyes illustrating her hopefulness.

“What is it?” Shikamaru asked, his comrade’s hope having a slightly positive impact on him. However, his faith dwindled when he noticed Naruto snickering beside his pink-haired teammate.

Tsunade paused for a moment. She leaned forward in her chair and laced her hands together in front of her ruby lips. She took in a deep breath before she replied to Shikamaru’s question. “A marriage between Konoha and Suna.”

Shikamaru’s mouth fell open. “You can’t mean…”

Temari went wide-eyed. “You’re not saying that…”

Everyone else in the room nodded. “Shikamaru, Temari, the Kazekage and I are assigning you the mission of matrimony,” Tsunade declared, her voice projecting loudly across the room.

“WHAT?!” Shikamaru and Temari both yelled at the same time. Both were sporting fearful expressions across their faces.

“It’s only a pretend marriage,” Sakura said calmly, hoping to soothe the growing anxiety in the room. “But the only ones who’ll know it is phony will be us. You two just have to act married to fool everyone.”

“Yeah, it’s just three months,” Naruto shrugged with a bright grin on his whiskered face. “Even you, Shikamaru, should be able to handle a wife for three months.”

“After that, you two can go back to your normal lives,” Tsunade said coolly.

“But why me? Why not Gaara or Kankurou?” Temari complained. She crossed her arms over her chest, acting like a stubborn child.

“Temari, Gaara’s the Kazekage. He can’t just marry anyone,” Kankurou said matter-of-factly. “I have a girlfriend in Suna, so that’s out of the question. And besides, word has it that you two are dating anyway."

Shikamaru and Temari blushed at this. The two glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes before quickly averting their respective gazes to something else in the room other than the person standing beside them. Simultaneously, both were thinking of killing the person who had spread the rumor of them dating. They were just friends, and they wouldn’t have said that their ‘friendship’ meant ‘dating.’

“You two have known each other for eleven years. You’ve done plenty of missions together. This seemed like the best arrangement,” the Fifth Hokage said as her hazel orbs eyed the two shinobi up and down.

“But… a marriage? Is this really necessary?” Shikamaru whined.

“Yes,” Tsunade scolded sternly. She rose from her seat to enhance her figure of authority. “This is a mission. Should you refuse the marriage, you would be refusing the orders of your leaders. Is that what you two intend on doing?”

Shikamaru and Temari glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Then they looked back at Tsunade and Gaara. “No,” they both muttered at the same time as they looked to the floor in sadness.

“Good,” the woman said with a nod. She gestured to Naruto and Sakura, who were standing to her right. “Naruto and Sakura will act as coordinators to ensure that no one finds out about the fake marriage. They will relay new information to you whenever it is necessary.” After receiving nods from the two now engaged shinobi, Tsunade seated herself back in her swivel chair. “Now, you two had better go prepare the plans for your wedding. I expect a ceremony at the end of next week,” she smiled.

Temari’s face scrunched up into a pout as her coordinator dragged her down the busy streets of the Leaf Village. “Do I have to?” she groaned, her voice sounding uncharacteristically childish.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she kept a firm grip on the Sand kunoichi’s wrist. “Yes, you have to.”

This answer did little to satisfy the engaged woman’s depression. “But I really, really don’t want to!”

The pink-haired woman glanced back at her friend with slightly amused emerald eyes. With Temari’s insistent whining, it was hard to fight back her giggles. “Oh, come on!” Sakura laughed. “What’s so bad about her?”

“She’s too… bubbly,” the foreign shinobi groaned, grimacing at the last word as she spoke it.

“Okay, I’ll give you that one,” the bride’s coordinator shrugged. “But she is Shikamaru’s teammate. She can’t not be included in this.”

Temari rolled her dark green orbs. She gave up on struggling out of the pinkette’s grasp and just let herself be pulled along like a rag doll down the dirt roads. Sakura was pleased when her companion surrendered, but she kept a light hold on her, just in case she tried to run away again.

“You know, you should be happy that Tsunade asked Naruto and me to be the best man and maid of honor,” Sakura said. She chanced a glance behind her out of the corner of her eyes to see a stubborn pout still on Temari’s lips. “If we weren’t your coordinators, I’m quite sure Ino would have ended up as your maid of honor. Then you’d be working on wedding plans until all hours of the night.”

“With a wedding coming up in less than two weeks, I will be staying up until all hours of the night!” the engaged kunoichi exclaimed. “Sure, I trust you to help me out, but I fail to see how Naruto is going to help out too!”

“Eh, in terms of the wedding, Naruto is only helping Shikamaru with his duties as the groom. It’s a much less complicated process for him, even if he is Naruto,” the medic ninja shrugged.

As the two women continued walking, Sakura noticed that Temari had finally decided to walk alongside her. Inwardly smiling at the reluctant cooperation, the pinkette released her fellow kunoichi’s gloved wrist.

It was only a few moments later when the Yamanaka Flower Shop came into view. Flowers of all colors and variety were displayed outside the windows as advertisement, attracting the attention of many passing villagers. The sweet aromas of the blossoms mixed together, creating a light perfume to tickle the ninjas’ noses as they approached the front door.

The Leaf kunoichi entered the shop first, indirectly ringing the silver bell that hung at the top of the door. Ino, who had been arranging flowers at the cashier counter, reflexively turned at the sound of the chimes. She grinned brightly when she saw rival/best friend and new acquaintance walk through the door.

“Forehead! Temari! What brings you two here?” Ino said as she stopped fidgeting with the bouquet of flowers. She wiped her hands on her yellow apron to rid the dew of the plants from her fingers, her crystal blue eyes never leaving the two arrivals.

“We have something to tell you,” Sakura said with a suggestive grin. She glanced at her companion and gently nudged her in the ribs when she said nothing. “Go on, Temari. Tell Ino-pig the big news.”

The Suna ninja scowled at the pink-haired girl, her dark green eyes glaring into the other’s lighter jade orbs. Temari glanced back at the Yamanaka and was just about to speak when the impatient blonde interrupted her.

“Well, what is it?” Ino asked eagerly as she placed her hands on her slender hips. “Did Shikamaru finally propose to you or something?”

The poor foreign woman gawked at the flower shop owner’s words while the medic ninja fell into a fit of giggles. “What… Why does everyone seem to think that Shikamaru and I are dating?!” Temari asked, frazzled beyond belief.

Ino blinked in surprise. “Wait… you guys aren’t dating?”

Temari was about to yell that it wasn’t true, but an indiscreet cough from the pinkette reminded her of her ‘mission’. “Uh… well, I just wanted to know where you heard that…”

“Oh, it’s old news, actually,” Ino giggled with a wave of her hand. “That rumor has been going on for a while.”

Temari’s previous vow to kill the rumor starter rekindled almost immediately.

“Well, you’re actually not too far off, Pig,” Sakura chuckled. She nudged Temari’s ribs again, urging her to give the big news.

“Uh… right… um… I’m…” Temari stammered as she rubbed the back of her sandy blonde head nervously. “IamgettingmarriedtoShikamaru,” she finally muttered out, almost inaudibly.

Ino clasped her hands to her agape mouth as she gasped. “Oh my gosh, did you just say…”

Temari reluctantly nodded, trying her best to act happy about her pretend marriage. “Yeah, we’re-”

“OHMYGOODNESS!” the blue-eyed girl exclaimed, repeatedly jumping up and down while clapping excitedly. “CONGRATULATIONS!”

“Thanks…” Temari mumbled, gently massaging her ears in an attempt to get her hearing back. “Well anyway, I came to ask… if you wanted to be a… bridesmaid…” she continued, muttering the word with a small grimace.

If possible, Ino’s smile stretched even wider. “Of course! I would love to! I accept!” she screamed with glee. “When’s the wedding?”

“Next Saturday,” Sakura replied.

“WHAT?!” Ino shouted in surprise, taken aback. “That’s like, no time at all!”

“Don’t worry, Ino-pig, it’s all covered,” the medic responded with a wave of her hand. “Everything is going to be handled.”

Her friend shot her a disbelieving look, but as she turned her uncovered blue eye to the engaged woman, a slow smile appeared across her full lips. “Ooh, you and Shikamaru must really be in love to have a wedding so soon.” The sun-kissed skin of Temari’s cheeks immediately reddened at this comment, and her eyes averted away from the other blonde’s prying blue orbs. “See! It’s true!” Ino said, pointing a triumphant finger at the other girl.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend’s loud personality, but she intervened to save Temari anyway. “Anyway, Ino-pig, we’re getting the other bridesmaids together tonight for a celebration. We’ll all meet later.”

“Alright then,” the Leaf ninja nodded. She sent one last smile at Temari as she gave another, “Congratulations.”

Temari nodded in response as she followed Sakura out the door and into the streets. The pink-haired girl began giggling when she saw the scowl on the blonde’s face. “The sad thing is… we still have to ask Hinata and Tenten to be bridesmaids.”

Temari’s head instantly fell to loll back on her shoulders as she glared at the sky. “Why do we need such a big wedding?” she groaned.

“The bigger the wedding is, the more believable the marriage will be,” Sakura winked.

**********************************************************

“Ah, I love barbecue and everything, Shikamaru, but what is the catch?” Kiba asked suspiciously as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Shikamaru sighed lazily as he leaned his head on the palm of his hand. “This is such a drag…” he thought to himself.

He stared at the Inuzuka seated across from him; Akamaru, who was transformed into Kiba’s twin, was busily eating the meat in front of him while Kiba was still staring at the Nara, making for a an easy differentiation between master and hound.

“Hey, hey, as long as Shikamaru is paying, I don’t mind one bit!” Chouji exclaimed happily from beside his best friend as he threw a piece of pork into his open mouth.

“But this certainly must be interesting if he has invited all of us here on such short notice,” Neji commented as he calmly used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat from the grill in the center of the table.

“Yah, cumf bon, Shifamaru,” Naruto mumbled out through mouthfuls of prime rib. “Bell dem da fig mews!”

“What the hell did he say?” Kiba asked, turning to one of the other ninja in confusion.

“I believe he said something about big news,” the Hyuuga said, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.

“Dop balking wit bor mouf fool!” Chouji yelled at the blonde seated to his right. Across the table, Kiba face-palmed, and Neji shook his head in irritation.

“Can we just get on with this?” the dog ninja asked in growing exasperation.

“Might as well just say it…” Shikamaru sighed. “I’m getting married,” he said calmly, not even faltering in his words.

Each person who was unaware of this news had a different reaction.

Kiba, who had been about to reach for a piece of beef on the grill, slipped in surprise when he finally comprehended his comrade’s words. The result: a burnt hand. He howled loudly as his palm sizzled, his screams attracting the attention of the other customers and workers.

Akamaru’s mouth fell open in shock, allowing his chewed food to fall back onto the table in a messy heap.

Chouji, incapable of ever letting barbecue fall from his lips, dropped his chopsticks instead. The wooden utensils rolled onto the cooking device, leaving them black and crisped.

Neji, as a Hyuuga, remained as stoic as ever, though his eyebrows noticeably rose a couple centimeters.

Naruto, who already knew of the news, just flashed a big smile, delighted at knowing the truth behind the marriage.

“When did this decision happen?!” the tattooed ninja inquired loudly, shaking his injured hand vigorously in an attempt to cool it off.

“Yesterday,” Shikamaru replied.

“Well then…” Neji said while shaking his head, trying to get over the initial shock, “when will you and Temari be wedded?”

Shikamaru eyed the pale-eyed jounin suspiciously. “Next Saturday… And how did you know it was Temari?”

“Because you two are dating…?” the Hyuuga replied, though it came out as a question since the new fiancé gave off the impression that the dating rumor was untrue.

Naruto burst out laughing, unable to contain himself. Shikamaru glared at him with as much force as his lazy demeanor could muster. The other shinobi just stared quizzically at him.

“What the heck is so funny?” Kiba asked in bewilderment.

He glanced at a passing waitress, and he quickly snatched the water pitcher from her and plunged his burnt hand into it. The woman stared at him astonishment, but upon seeing the now ruined water, she marched off, muttering something about, “annoying ninja.”

“Huh?” Naruto asked, his lips still upturned into his wide grin. He waved his hand in a dismissing manner when he finally realized what Kiba had asked. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Just thinking about how Shikamaru is too lazy to be a decent husband.”

“That is true,” Chouji smiled. “Do you think you can handle the married life, Shikamaru?”

“It’s not like I exactly have a choice…” Shikamaru thought to himself. But in response to Chouji’s question, he just grunted with a, “Hn.”

“All joking aside,” Neji interrupted, “congratulations, Shikamaru.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he rested his head back on his fist. “So anyway… I wanted to ask if you guys would be my groomsmen.”

Kiba, Chouji, and Neji blinked in surprise before they all smiled. “Sure!” the dog ninja grinned.

“Of course,” the Akimichi said.

“I’d be honored,” the Byakugan user nodded.

“And you already know my answer,” the blonde ninja said with a thumbs up.

Shikamaru nodded his thanks to his friends. The remainder of their lunch was filled with teases and taunts, all directed toward Shikamaru and his fate at being ‘tied down.’ Though through the good natured fun, the Nara could see the happiness that his comrades felt for him, which actually made him feel a bit bad about lying to them like he was, even if it was a mission.

He looked around the table at his friends, and he realized that his groomsmen for this ‘mission of matrimony’ were the same shinobi who had been apart of his team during the Sasuke Retrieval mission. As he pushed away the guilt that came with his first failed attempt at being a team leader, Shikamaru couldn’t help but appreciate the irony that came with his decisions in picking people for mission purposes.