Dialogue

Nara Shikamaru

You were on assignment to Konoha, assisting in putting the Chunin exams together.  Considering what happened when you and your siblings crashed the Chunin exams, you could understand why your brother was a little…cautious when it came to the security of the exams.  Thus, as Kazekage, he sent you and your sister to help in setting up the necessary security.  As an ANBU of Suna, you were a bit overqualified and had to introduce yourself as a Jounin to everyone, so they didn’t know your actual rank, but you understood the precautions.

There were ANBU crawling all over your first Chunin exams, and the whole thing still ended in a Genin almost being crippled, two Jinchuriki getting in a destructive fight, Orochimaru cursing another Genin who then abandoned the village, the death of the Third Hokage, and a bunch of other bad things that a bunch of perspective Chunin that were going to fail the exams shouldn’t have been put in the middle of.  Hell, even the one kid that passed shouldn’t have been put into the middle of it.  It was a disaster.

Traveling back and forth throughout the passing months landed you in Konoha during the first snow as you were surveying the grounds you were planning on using for the second stage of the exams, your sister sifting through files in the Hokage’s mansion to find the appropriate shinobi to guard the exams, Shikamaru doing the same as you, as well as making sure you didn't get lost.  As the snow started falling, you couldn’t help but look up, cupping your hands to catch a few snowflakes before staring at awe at the spots the cold white powder was starting to accumulate.

“It’s so…white.”

Shikamaru, who was unfazed from the snow as he had expected it to fall some time during the day, looked at you with a raised brow and pointed out the obvious, like it was something you should have known, “It’s snow.”

You snapped your head in his direction, clearly unamused as you snapped at him, “I grew up in the desert, I don’t know what weather is, let alone snow.”

He didn’t say anything, just nodding and dropping the subject as he watched you enjoy your first snowfall.  You had a point.

Still, watching as you and Temari had your first snowball fight later that afternoon and you started laughing so hard you couldn’t breathe, it was…cute.

Oh dear god, he did not just think that.