Exception

By the time he was ten, he knew what he wanted.

He knew that he wanted to take over his family's farm. He knew he wanted a small family, a girl and a boy in that order. He knew he wanted an average looking, quiet wife who took care of the children no question. He knew he wanted a simple life.

Nothing troublesome.

Troublesome, in terms of people, usually meant loud, aggressive, rebellious and spontaneous. They had the type of personalities that led to complicated situations and problems. They were the type to get involved with the law, business and politics, either for or against.

He hated politics.

He didn't want to get mixed up in something like that. So, from an early age he decided to avoid those people. He wouldn't outright ignore them, but he would not encourage any relationship with them. He decided to laze around and not draw any attention to himself.

It had worked in school.

No one of that spectrum of personality bothered him and he stroked up friendships with the kind, patient people he wanted to. Like his best friend Chouji.

He didn't date as teenager.

Teenage romance was, of course, classified under the troublesome category. But after school, he figured he would need to start dating soon if he wished to complete his dream of a simple family. However, he didn't want to deal with the drama of ex-girlfriends, so in the beginning he made a list. A list of all the qualities a woman would have to have to be the right woman for him.

She would be quiet, passive, caring, not career-driven, not nagging, humble, and have the desire to be a good mother. She would also wear modest clothes and have a face that was not too ugly or beautiful. She was to be a simple woman who wasn't brilliant or dumb.

By the time he was twenty, he knew what he wanted and set out for it.

The first woman he dated was a good woman who helped her father run his shop. She held most of the characteristics; she was caring and wanted a family instead of a career. Though a little out-spoken, she was mostly everything he desired and he had high hopes, until the third date came around. Apparently the woman could hold her liquor. Nothing good could come from a woman who not only liked to drink but also had a tolerance of it. It ended that night.

The second woman only lasted a date. Evidently, she had gotten a promotion that she couldn't wait to start.

The third woman had soon become his first girlfriend when dating her didn't become as fruitless as the two women before. She was practically perfect. She worked as a teacher and though she loved her children, she was more than willingly to give up her job to start her own family. She was quiet and kind-heartened and made delicious dishes. She was also tidy and had no problem with losing in a game of Shogi or Go. It seemed great, until it got serious. Then she started to pick out what he would wear, told him to do better at his job and frowned whenever he didn't use proper manners. He soon broke up with her.

The fourth woman had worn a form fitting, low cut dress that showed an ample amount of cleavage on their first date. There was nothing wrong with sexy, but he didn't want that in his wife. He gave the benefit of the doubt though and asked her out again. The third date never came after she told him about her tattoo.

The fifth woman he had dated for four dates before he found out that kids didn't like her.

By that time he was beginning to doubt a simple woman existed. There had been plenty of them centuries ago so he didn't think it was possible for them to be extinct. The searching was certainly becoming exhausting.

He had decided to take a break and see if she would come to him. He began to work more on his family's farm. After a year of not dating, he had packed a shipping order for Suna then went to deliver it. It wasn't unheard of to get an order from Suna. They barely had any greenery so they had to order for a lot of their supplies; he thought nothing of the trip when he left.

When he arrived at the desert themed city, he had been greeted by a woman. She was a tall, voluptuous woman with a mischievous streak in her green-blue eyes and a cocky smirk on her painted lips. It was the first time that the mere sight of a woman had caused him a headache.

"You the delivery boy from the Nara farm?"

Her hand was on her hip and her legs were tensed in a way that promised she would get the answer one way or another.

"My name's Shikamaru and yes I have the delivery, but I'm not a delivery boy."

Her smirk grew as a flash of amusement flicked in her eyes.

"I'm Temari and I hate to break it to you, but you are."

He had felt an unusual irritation from being handled in such a way and his headache had amplified once he heard her name. She was part of the Sabaku family, the sister of two powerful politicians. In just one minute, he knew what she was.

She was troublesome.

He had gotten through the delivery with bare sanity. For some reason, the woman had made it her sole mission to tease and taunt him which she always seemed to find enjoyment out of it. He kept his mouth shut through the whole thing despite his want to flee. He had a feeling that if he did, she would chase him.

A great wave of relief washed over him when he finally left the city and returned to the farm. Back to his simple, normal, calm life. She wouldn't be there to shake him up and he thanked heaven that interaction with the woman was a one-time deal.

Of course, the higher powers had an odd sense of humor.

She had called again and put in an order. A special order. An order that requested he would be the one to deliver it. He had a brief debate with his father over the subject, but one look from his mother and he was already packing.

He did everything he could to delay the horrible harassing he was sure to receive when he would meet that city woman. The number of stops he had made on the way had doubled and the speed in which the truck moved was much slower than what it should have been. Arrival at Suna had been a day later than scheduled.

He mildly wondered if she would be irritated at his lateness and surprisingly felt satisfied with that thought. When he finally did arrive at Suna, the sandy-haired aristocratic rose an eyebrow, gave an amused smirk and beckoned him forward with her red nails. It took him a second to recover from the shock and once he did he felt a rush of aggravation from her casual display.

As he went about his delivery, she used the same taunting tone as before making criticizing comments on his appearance and attitude. The blue in her eyes would electrify whenever she saw his body tense with revolt. He kept his mouth shut nevertheless and followed her directions until his truck was empty. She gave him a mocking wave as he left and walked back into the city with a sway in her hips.

Never once did she mention his tardiness.

He decided on his way back to the farm to just forget the whole thing.

Of course, fate did enjoy a good laugh at his expense.

When he had arrived at home, he was greeted by his angry mother claiming that a Temari had called saying that he had forgotten to deliver an order. He had spent a good fifteen minutes standing at the doorstep getting chewed out by his mother before going to pack the delivery he had "forgotten".

A hundred miles apart and she could still piss him off.

He had handled the order a bit rougher than normal and he had made sure to hit every bump on the road to Suna. Once he had arrived at the outskirts to the foreign city, the frown on his face had grown near permanent. When he finally saw her again, the smirk he had seen both times before became a full blown smile revealing white teeth and the true shine of her eyes. He had told himself that smile made him more infuriated than ever and that it did not diminish his frown.

That thought seemed more convincing when she began to pick fun at him again, like the prior deliveries.

He wasn't too surprised when after a month from that delivery she called again for another order to be delivered by him. He had packed up the order, drove, arrived, she ridiculed, he got irritated, she amused and then he left. It had become their routine after only three deliveries and it continued that way for another six months. It was after the thirteenth delivery that she broke the whole practice.

She had requested an overnight delivery.

He supposed he really shouldn't be shocked, she was the type of woman that lived for the unexpected, but he couldn't help but be suspicious. She was a schemer; she probably had something lined up for him.

The delivery began like all the others with the exception of the fading sun on the horizon. She pestered him with her words and kept close to him as she posed in that tight, short dress. When he handed over the last package, he was at a lost as to what to do next. As far as he was concerned the delivery was over, but he had been ordered to stay overnight. Temari just smirked at him and told him to follow.

Even after fourteen deliveries, he still was not comfortable with her orders but he obliged anyway.

He had walked with her through the streets, getting looks for her famous family name which she promptly ignored. He figured she was the kind of woman who wouldn't let society get to her; she just had that rebellious air to her. It was the same kind of air that would put him off.

She had led him to a mansion, the kind of huge house that he suspected a rich politician family would live in. He had raised an eyebrow in question to her which she disregarded as they walked into the wealthy building. Mable floors, expensive rugs and paintings, a grand staircase. Just what he expected inside even though being brought inside her home was certainly unexpected. He didn't question it nonetheless as he was introduced to her brothers and rushed into the dining room for dinner.

The meal had been awkward at first. He didn't know Temari beyond her mere fun to tease him and he had just meant the two famous Sabaku brothers, not to mention his mental query to why he was in this mansion. But he soon learned that despite his reputation, Gaara was a great conversationalist and despite his roughish appearance, Kankurou had been the one to cook the delicious meal. He had also discovered that Temari was helping Gaara work on a law that helped give underprivileged children the right to education and healthcare.

For no reason, he stored that piece of information in the back of his head.

As soon as dinner was finished, that troublesome woman dragged him out of her house and to a club in the shadier part of town. The bartender instantly recognized her and sent them to her regular booth. Drinks were immediately set down at their table and she didn't look twice before downing the alcohol. His mind was in a daze from all of the turnarounds. That question from the beginning of the evening, the question of why the hell he was here began to flutter in his mind. But before he could tell the bold blonde woman that he didn't like clubs she tugged him out onto the dance floor.

He wasn't sure how she did it, but she somehow conned him into a dance…and then another…and another…until he was sure his male pride had been shattered beyond repair. They had drunk more that night and he had learned that she could be quite competitive in a drinking game. He had no idea what time they left, he just knew that he had never stayed out this late with a girl before.

She was leading him to his hotel. She said that it was the best that Suna had to offer and all expenses had been covered for. At that moment, he had to stop, which in turn made Temari stop and turn to him. The darkness of the night shaded her face, but he could almost sense the questioning wrinkle in her brow.

He just had to ask.

"What was this all about?"

She stepped closer to him so the light of the moon could fall on her face. Her eyes, which appeared greener that night, roamed his figure before stopping and locking with his eyes. He had expected a smirk, but she smiled. Something she had only did three times before.

"It was a date Nara. Get used to it."

He only blinked at her as she casted him an unreadable look that seemed way too sharp to be real. The smile still remained on her face as she then turned around and began walking.

He had lain awake that night in his hotel room. Temari had left soon as the hotel was insight. She was just the type of woman he didn't want to date. She was manipulative, cunning, demanding, blunt, uncompromising and way too attractive. But the most important factor was that he couldn't make heads or tails if she would make a good wife and mother. At times he believed she could, but then other times he would doubt.

Even if she did, he knew his life would not be simple.

She would make sure of it.

He could recount all of the snipes she made at him and how her eyes sparked with blues, how her red lips curved. He had turned over in bed, snuggled into his pillow and thought "what the hell".

He could make this one exception.

By the time he was thirty, he knew what he wanted and he had it.

A/N: So this was my first try at ShikamaruXTemari. I've always loved the couple, but never came up with a good idea for them before now. I hope I did them justice. Please leave a review; I would love to hear what you thought! :D

Also, HUGE thanks to Benchwarmer who read this over and gave me some suggestions. If you're a NarutoXHinata fan he is writing a great story right now about the couple.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.