This is my first fanfic!
I'm going to shove that information out there right now so you won't be disappointed in me (which I really hope you wouldn't be either way..) I hope you all have the slightest bit of faith in me before you read this! I plan making it a long one seeing as writing is one of the few things that helps me blow off steam at school! (I'm a sophomore in college!)
I plan on updating weekly or bi-weekly, but since I'm home for the next month, I'll be updating a lot more frequently.
I'm totally up for constructive criticism, by the way! I'm all for it. If you are like "this has SO MANY SPELLING ERRORS", tell me and be like "YO CHECK YO'SELF." And I will. I will check myself. You scratch my back, I scratch yours, man. I got you.
Now that I've told you my life story and made you thoroughly uncomfortable.. Why don't we get on with this!
The impending threat of rain sent a streak of bright lightning across the darkening clouds, followed by an ominous clap of thunder that shook the stale air. Temari furrowed her brow as she exited the Hokage mansion, having just dropped off several scrolls to Tsunade and, after a long few days of travel, she was in no mood to find herself stuck in a storm. She turned the key that Tsunade had given her over in her fingers a few times, finding it odd that the Hokage said that the paperwork would take more than a few days and that she should stay in Konaha until she finished up. She had wondered what Gaara had written on the scrolls that were so important he hurried her out of Suna, but she quickly dismissed her own questions as the patter of rain resounded through the village.
Temari darted underneath the nearest eve of a house. The shrieks of little children echoed amongst the houses and buildings, their laughter quickly followed by the thumps of windows closing and the food vendors that littered the streets began closing up. It had been a long time since the destruction of Konaha, and she remembered the vigor at which the people of the town began rebuilding with the hope that they could return to their normal lives; Many were unaware of how much they were all still in danger, despite the fact that the war coming to an end and many of the Akatsuki were in custody of their respective nations or killed in battle. She had seen many people die, all fighting bravely and valiantly. Her scars were still a fresh purple on her skin. A chill ran down her spine.
The buildings that she began passing grew more and more unfamiliar, she paused, looking for signs, but saw none that would help her. She pondered whether or not she should return the way she came but when she looked back, she could no longer see the mansion. She huffed, her exhaustion getting the better of her and she allowed herself to lean against the building.
"Lost?" A voice mused. She turned around quickly to be met by a familiar Nara leaning over her, his face dangerously close to hers. Temari stepped back quickly, almost offended that he would think she would be something as stupid as lost. Though, she regretted, she was.
"No, of course not." Temari felt a light heat rise in her face but she quickly pushed it away from her cheeks. She crossed her arms in her own defense, trying to put more obstacles between her and the lazy man in front of her. But shook her blonde bangs into her face.
"Then what are you doing in the pouring rain?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, waiting for a brilliant answer out of the woman, one he had always deemed more troublesome than anything else. In a way, she reminded him of his mother. Bossy. Loud. Angry. Too proud for her own good.
"I delivered some scrolls to Tsunade this afternoon and she requested that I remain here until she can read them and finish up some of her paperwork before I return. She gave me a key and I was-"
"The houses that she lends to visiting nin are that way, you know." He interrupted pointed in the opposite direction in which she was heading, a sly smile sneaking across his face.
"You better wipe that dirty smile across your face, Nara." She snarled, but she turned her face away to hide the smile that snuck across her face as well.
"Ah, just as troublesome as I remember. But it is getting late, I should escort you there." Shikamaru shrugged, and began walking towards the houses, quickly snapping the key out of Temari's hand.
"And just why would you do that?" She asked, stiffening her legs beneath her.
"Tsunade would have my head if I didn't treat you with the utmost respect during your stay. You are an affiliate of the Kazekage, after all." The boy lied, but he would never admit to the gentlemanly ways that his father had always taught him growing up, especially to a woman as troublesome as this one. Shikaku always reminded him that one day she'd save his ass, and he was never one to question his father's wisdom.
"I suppose so." Temari resigned, her fatigue finally sending small jolts of aching pain through her muscles. Shikamaru noticed how quickly she backed down; He stole glances at her as he walked her to her house. Her eyes looked dull, but he saw her smile when he looked her again. He sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. That woman was always a step ahead. Damn.
- x -
The house was too dark and too quiet, the air was too stagnant and she felt a quick and cool draft breeze by her as she shut the door. The thought of staying in this small apartment for God knows how long irritated Temari to no end. The Hokage should have had some sort of decency to give her an estimated time until she would be sent on her way. Gaara must have been aware of the length of time that she would be gone, but a sense of worry came over her with the thought of there being some sort of attack on Sunagakure while she was away. The war was not yet over and the sense of danger and anxiety never left her.
Temari finally heard Shikamaru's footsteps trail away from the door and she had wondered why he lingered so long, but the wonder was fleeting as she slumped against the door. The woman finally willed herself to stand, but the dull ache that filled every contraction and relaxation of her muscles pulsed trough her entire body. She finally felt her weight collapse under her as she fell onto couch and her blonde hair cascaded around her, free from their ties. The Sand nin hadn't felt this kind of exhaustion in a long time. Temari was always in constant motion, always having somewhere to be and something to be working on, mission to mission, village to village and now that she had nothing to do but weight, the presence of danger that she had shadowed over her every step was suddenly gone. Sleep finally fell over her like a blanket.
It was too dark to see, but the stars guided them between the thick trees that reached into the sky. She heard the shouts of her fellow
ninjas falling victim to the Akatsuki, their screams penetrating her fear with sadness and pity. They had been friends, but she kept running. Her feet ached, her muscles screamed with searing pain, tears blurred the edges of her eyes, but she continued to run. She heard the one running to the right of her get pulled away, the sounds of bones breaking and gurgling echoed through her mind but she couldn't scream. The one to the left was next. She heard only silence. A calm fell over the forest, the stars' light slowly fading. Faster and faster, the forest grew darker until nothing. She was forced to stop fleeing, the only thing left was her chest heaving and grasping for air that just wasn't coming to her and then… she heard it. A twig snapped behind her. She spun around, swinging her fan quicker than she could think and she heard trees tumble from the strength of wind. A whisper behind her.
"Where are you? Fucking cowards!" She yelled, throwing a gust of wind behind her again. Tears blinded her eyes with rage and fury.
"Who's the coward?" A voice asked before grasping her neck and forcing her into the darkness.
Her eyes snapped open, her chest felt as if it were caving in, each breath more ragged than the last. She pushed her blonde hair out of her face, sweat wiped smooth against her brow.
"Temari. Temari, please. Calm down." Another whisper called to her. Temari scrambled to sit upright; she no longer knew where she was. The nin's eyes struggled to adjust to the moonlight, they weren't clearing quick enough and her hands shot out to find her fan, but nothing was in her reach. She let out a panicked whimper and looked towards the whisper. Hands grabbed her wrists quickly and she struggled, squeezing her eyes shut as tears welled in her eyes. She shouted once, twice, only to be met with silence. No one was helping her.
"You're okay. You're okay. You had a dream, it was just a bad dream." The same whisper deepened into a rough voice, calming her. Her panic released its grip on her lungs and she breathed deeply for the first time that night, Shikamaru's voice finally registering in her ears. The brown-haired boy finally let go of her wrists and they fell to her side with ease. Temari knew he could hear and see her this way, choking back sobs in the middle of the night. She scolded herself, she never allowed anyone to see her so fragile and she promised to never let it happen again.
"What on Earth are you doing here, Nara.." She managed to breath, but her voice was so ragged from shouting that it came out more as a statement than a question. Her lips trembled.
"I make rounds through Konaha during the night to make sure everyone is inside before curfew. This war has cost us enough that we have to take much greater precautions." Shikamaru sighed, his own fatigue spread across his face. "Tsunade asked me to check in and see if you needed anything. The door was unlocked and I heard you shouting in your sleep. I-"
"I'm sorry." Temari interrupted with an apology, she never wanted anyone to help her, and she knew this was her own battle that she would one day overcome, as she did everything else.
"Hn." Shikamaru sighed again, shrugging. He was unsure of whether or not he accepted this apology, but he was positive that if he told her not to apologize, she would fight with him about it for days. He looked at her shaken form and felt a strange sense of wanting to protect her. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that was too tough and too troublesome to need or want his protection. But he hadn't felt bothered when he stepped in. Nor when he reassured her of her presence back on Earth. Nor while he stared at her now, shadowed by the moonlight. That in itself was troublesome.
- x -
Shikamaru sat on Temari's couch, craning his neck to look out the window at the crescent moon that illuminated the village in the most perfect way. Cascading shadows danced as clouds passed over and the stars themselves painted a prophecy that no one could read. The dew from the storm had settled on the ground, reflecting the moon's rays just so that each blade of grass mimicked the stars in the sky. He could have easily stayed like that for an eternity or two, but he heard soft footsteps trailing back into the room and the almost aggressive snarl of a very aggressive woman came with it.
"I don't understand how you can zone out like that. Your laziness actually evades me, it just seems so pointless to just look at things." Temari smiled and stated as if that her word was law, placing a warm cup of tea in front of her lazy guest. Shikamaru tended to forget that she was, in fact, capable of mild acts of kindness, although that kindness was typically wrapped in a terribly loud yell. Temari's smile faded as she was met with a longer stream of silence. The soft haze of crickets hung over the apartment. It was almost too cliché for her to bear.
"I made you tea, the least you could do is drink it." Temari teased, taking a slow sip from her cup, the warmth filled her body and she felt a sense of comfort overwhelm her into relaxation.
"I was thinking" he blurted out, quickly and almost as harshly. "What was your dream about?" Temari froze with her cup against her lips, she lowered her hands to her lap and looked down at her tea. Her fearful reflection already belied what she was planning to say.
"It's nothing, really. Just a dream." She frowned at her own words, the amount of times she had to say this were immeasurable. She hadn't remembered the last time that she had gotten through the night without being plagued by her mind's games. Silence again. Temari began thinking too, only to be met with a whisper.
"You're not the only one, you know. We're all this way." Shikamaru hesitated, "I've lost a lot, too, in all of this. It's not fair, but there's no use in keeping quiet about it." He murmured, just enough so that Temari felt it trail up and down her skin.
"Shikamaru," She whispered, so softly, so gently.
"I should go," He stood up suddenly, his hands clenched with a mixture of sadness and anger. He walked by her swiftly, never looking down at her and never her at him, but she could have sworn that she saw the smallest glint of tears in his eyes. Temari knew that he was suffering as well and her heart ached with wanting to help. But she knew that she would be more of a burden than a help in the state that she was in. But, in a sense, she felt some sort of gratefulness in knowing that she was not the only one who struggled so painfully.
"Thank you for the tea." He said before he shut the door. She hadn't gotten up to look out the window for him, but wondered if he was looking up for her in the middle of the night. Temari had wanted to reach out and grab his hand as he walked past her, as if it would comfort him somehow in the same way that she knew it would comfort her. Everyone had so many things stolen from them during this war and she knew that Asuma's death as well as his own father's was never far from Shikamaru's mind, but she wondered how deeply his scars lay and how long those would take to heal. She began to wonder the same thing about her own.
