Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

[Summary: Kankuro and Shikamaru have a talk after his engagement to Temari]

"Well then, we'll take it from here. Thank you, Kakashi-san."

Gaara pulled the door shut behind him and met the stares of his two siblings and the Hokage's advisor.

"How was it?" Temari's teal green eyes were calm but not relaxed, as they usually were during their monthly meetings with the Hokage.

"It went smoothly, just as expected." Gaara turned his attention over to the spiky-haired figure leaning against the wall opposite him. "I suppose I should give credit to Shikamaru. Kakashi-san did say he would be lost without your help."

Shikamaru pushed himself off the wall and straightened himself into a proper posture, as should be done when in the presence of the Kazekage. However, the image was ruined by the small smirk adorning his lips.

"It's just another part of my job, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara kept his green eyes on Shikamaru's brown ones. "There is no need to be so formal. Call me Gaara, as you usually do."

Kankuro shook his head at his little brother's words. "Man, you really don't know how good you have it." He clapped a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "I, on the other hand, don't mind being called Kankuro-sama. How about it, Nara?"

Temari put a hand to her temple and sighed. "Shameless and incorrigible," she said loud enough for Kankuro to hear. But it was a wasted attempt, because his booming laugh effortlessly drowned out her words.

Acting like a child again. She thought, while she watched the older of the two brothers hitting it off with her fiancé. The person in question didn't seem bothered to have Kankuro's arm over his shoulders, in fact he looked like he was enjoying himself. Seeing how Kankuro and Shikamaru seemed to be getting along, her expression softened.

Gaara could tell what was going through his sister's mind as she stared at the two men. He decided this was the right time to keep the promise he made with Kankuro earlier.

"Sister, would you escort me to the inn we'll be staying in tonight?"

Temari snapped out of her thoughts. "Sure. Are you coming, Kankuro?"

"Nah. I'll hang around with Nara for a while longer." She raised an eyebrow at this, but decided not to question it. Instead her eyes flitted over to Shikamaru, who was already staring straight at her. She mouthed a question.

Are we still going to go out later? He nodded in confirmation, and Temari smiled in relief and satisfaction.

Before leaving, Gaara sent a meaningful look over to Kankuro, which he returned with a grateful smile. As soon as his siblings were out of their sights, Kankuro pulled Shikamaru to his side and mischievously said, "You're on break right now, right? How about we have a talk outside?"

Shikamaru shrugged in reply. In the back of his mind, he already had an idea what they were going to be talking about.

The moment they stepped outside the Hokage Residence, Kankuro's demeanor changed. His expression was no longer playful or friendly. "So. You're engaged to my sister now."

Shikamaru matched his earnest expression. "That's right."

"I'm not going to question Temari's decision because she chose this herself."

Kankuro aggressively closed his distance to Shikamaru until their faces were mere inches apart. "But you better be serious about it. She's sacrificing her whole life in Suna to get married to you."

"I'm aware of that. Just so you know, I'm just as serious about this as she is. Aside from my mom, Temari's the most important woman in my life. All I want is for her to be happy."

Kankuro studied Shikamaru's face for a bit longer. Satisfied with the answer he got, he backed away and a playful smile once again spread across his painted face. "Man, when did you become so cool? When I first saw you in our Chūnin Exam, I thought you were a loser."

Shikamaru chuckled fondly at the memory of his genin days. "I was a loser, but I'm not ashamed of it."

"You don't seem like the type to be," Kankuro agreed.

A short comfortable silence ensued between the two grown men, broken only by the sound of Kankuro slapping Shikamaru on the back.

"Guess we'll be brothers soon."

A smile curved at Shikamaru's lips as he mulled it over. "Heh. What a drag."