There was too much buzz for his liking. Word had finally gotten out about Temari's and his relationship and already there was talk of "how exciting an inter-country wedding would be" and "where will their children live?" all before Shikamaru himself had had time to think about it. He was the king of planning ahead but his relationship was the one thing he refused to let himself plan. Temari was too unpredictable for any kind of plans anyway.

As he walked through the streets of Konoha, his peaceful hometown, his refuge that he could always rely on to ground him and make him feel at ease, he had never felt more out of place. People turned their heads and whispered as he passed, and he could feel the gaze of strangers pointing him out and saying "I hear he's engaged to the Kazekage's sister." In reality he was very much not engaged. He'd be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind but he had no intention to propose anytime soon.

The truth is Shikamaru had always been a private sort of guy. Even though he had an important job, he made sure that he was never in the limelight. It just wasn't his style; like he always said as a kid, that life was just too troublesome for him. He was much happier just getting on with what he thought was important, making changes from the side-line and watching the differences he made take shape without the fame or the glory. Temari often told him how she thought he could be a Hokage someday, but they both knew that wasn't the life for them.

Shikamaru stopped in a newsstand to pick up a paper for his mother. She loved the glossy, gossipy magazines for reasons Shikamaru couldn't explain, but for some reason he always found himself in the middle of his mother's and Ino's gossip sessions, and he knew a lot more than he cared to. When he picked up his mother's favourite from the pile, his eyes almost bulged out the way they did in cartoons. He saw his own face in the corner of the cover, accompanied by Temari's, placed in a heart bubble surrounded by question marks. He turned to the vendor worriedly asking, "How many people have bought this?"

The vendor chuckled. "Quite a few. Congratulations Mr Nara; you're the talk of the town." Shikamaru just closed his eyes and sighed.

"Ma, I'm home." He called out through the house as he took his shoes off at the door.

"SHIKAMARU NARA!" His mother's voice boomed down the stairs making Shikamaru jump. Even after so many years his mother still had the ability to scare him out of his skin. She came thundering down to the front hallway clutching the phone in her hand as if it were a baton. "When did you get engaged without even telling your mother? And apparently I have grandchildren on the way? What is going on? You better have a good explanation or I swear I'm going to beat you senseless. And to hear about this from Ino's mother? Do you understand how embarrassing it is that I don't even know what my own son is doing?!" She was brandishing the phone dangerously in a way that made Shikamaru tense up and realise he needed to diffuse this quickly.

"Relax, Ma, look, none of that is true. People just found out about me and Temari-"

"Temari and I," she interjected.

"Whatever. I don't know why but the papers have gone crazy overnight. But I promise I'm not engaged or having a baby or anything with Temari. What you know is the extent of it; you know I'd never do that to you. You'd kill me." Shikamaru stated, matter-of-factly.

Yoshino's mouth curled into a smile. "Good boy. Come here, you look so stressed." She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to her level.

"Ma, I'm fine I-" he tried to say, but his words got lost in the hug she wrapped him in. He relaxed a little in her arms. She patted him softly on the back and pulled away. She asked for the magazine and he reluctantly handed it to her, reiterating again that it was all lies. Yoshino gasped a little as she read the article. "What is it?" Shikamaru, now curious about the garbage magazine, spun round to her side to read over her shoulder.

Inside was an article of scandalous fiction, almost all of which revolved around Temari's family in a 'get-to-know-her' section. It focussed on her "scarred past" of murdered parents, demonic siblings and domestic abuse, and how she now sought refuge in Konoha. Shikamaru never realised how much he cared for Temari until he read that article and felt his own blood boil for her.

"What are you going to do about it?" his mother said, angry for her son and for the young woman she so admired and loved.

"Well, being the Hokage's assistant has to have its perks, right?"

Temari was forced into a sort of fame from a young age being the Kazekage's daughter, a princess; she'd never liked having the attention or prestige and instead preferred being seen as another ninja rather than a princess. But then again, being a skilled kunoichi, smart ambassador and beautiful princess brought her even more attention in ways she didn't appreciate. She complained about this to Shikamaru a lot; about how no matter how much she did for the good of Suna, it seemed all that mattered to others was how much more eligible that made her for marriage. Shikamaru was one of the few people aside from her brothers who recognised everything she had worked so hard for. So, she had to admit the sudden attention that seemed to have exploded in Suna overnight was a little unwelcome. And once again, it was not her hard work that had got her into the limelight, but her love-life.

She spent the whole morning being asked about her relationship with "The Genius of the Leaf" and when the wedding was, as if it was a given thing. She then spent her afternoon explaining the situation to the council of village elders, all of whom expressed "deep concern" about her ambivalence to the relationship. She was so riled up after her meeting that she set off for Konoha that evening rather than the next morning, leaving Kankuro and Gaara worried. They liked to tease their big sister but they'd never seen her let something get under her skin so much.

When she arrived in Konoha, it was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. She finally understood how Naruto must have felt after the war, except he was getting this from the entire shinobi population. There must have been at least a hundred people waiting for her at the gate, armed with signs and posters, asking for her to sign things for them. She felt like a celebrity; she couldn't help the lost, speechless expression that came with it.

"Alright, clear the way, come on." She heard a familiar voice bring her back down to earth and smiled immediately. She saw his face through a crowd of people being moved aside by the two gatesmen and fixed her gaze on him. She suddenly felt grounded and sane again, and remembered exactly why she was here. The crowd fell silent as Shikamaru approached Temari and asked, "Are you okay? I got a call from Kankuro, he was worried."

"I'm fine," she said, staring directly at him and no-one else, "I'm fine now. How are you holding up? I see things have been equally crazy your end." He laughed.

"Yeah, you could say that. Do you mind if we catch up where we're not being watched by half of the village?" She looked around for the first time since he arrived and realised he was right; almost half the village had turned up.

"Yes, we should 100% do that," she said, bending down to pick up her bag. There was a large coo from their audience when he picked her bag up for her, which warranted an eye roll from both of them.

They both lay on a slight slope in the Nara Forest, so they were tilted to face the stars. She had her head on his stomach and stretched her legs out at a right angle to his as they watched the sky around them turn darker and darker. They each filled each other in on the disaster the last three days had been and laughed at just how horribly it had all gone.

"Well, at least it's over I guess," Temari said, rolling over to face him, "I mean it's all out there finally. We don't have to pretend anymore."

Shikamaru looked down at her. "Yeah I guess you're right. I can hold your hand in the street now," he teased.

"Ew no, no hand holding. What are you, five?" He chuckled and she felt the rumble of his chest against her chin.

"No, just a guy with an amazing girlfriend that he would like to show off."

"You're in an awfully sappy mood. What's happened to you?" She reshuffled herself so she was resting on top of him from the side.

"Nothing, I just realised how much you mean to me these past few days. That this whole thing is a drag but it's worth it if I get to be with you." She was close enough to him now that she could crane her neck up to kiss him, and lightly pressed her lips onto his. She couldn't tell whether it was what he just said, or that they were in their favourite spot under the stars, or even everything that had happened in the last three days, but as she felt her heart swell she knew she had to say it.

"I love you." She stared into his deep, dark eyes, not ashamed or even waiting for a reply. "Just, thought you might like to know." She smiled, not her usual smirk or even her wide toothed grin, but a soft, gentle smile.

"Thank god. I didn't want to be the first one to say it." He took his hand out from behind his head and slid it onto her cheek to hold her as he kissed her, slowly. He knew the world outside was a whirlwind right now; but sitting here with her, he felt like nothing had ever been so simple.