Battleships Round 1 Entry
Title: Faded Shadows
Ship: Shikamaru/Temari
Theme: Colours
Requirements: No slash, not in first person, must use the word "canvas" at least twice, something tearjerking.

Temari had always understood that being a ninja meant casualties and deaths; that many will not live to see children, let alone grandchildren. For her, it had never mattered; her brothers were way too powerful to be killed and she couldn't care less about any of the other ninjas. She never cared about losing men; in the end, they were just numbers. Easily replaceable once the new recruits join their ranks. But as she watched him fall to the attacks of Obito, she ran.

Rules that had been pounded and crammed into her very being were thrown straight out the window as she deserted her post. She couldn't afford to think straight as she sprinted towards the fallen ninja. Shikmaru was dying. It didn't take a medical-nin to understand that much. Temari didn't care if she might get in the way; she just wanted to see him, to hold him, and to tell him things she had been meaning to say for a long time.

Temari reached Shikamaru just as Sakura yelled for someone to help him into a better position. Shikamaru needed his head raised to help ease the breathing, and Temari found her lap to be just the right height. Temari didn't miss the chance to embrace him as she placed his head on her lap. But she could only hug him for so long before she let go for Sakura to resume her healing procedure.

Temari would have been content to watch in silence as she supports Shikamaru's upper body. But as Shikamaru painfully regains consciousness, her mouth wavered as she watched him grimace.

"Shikamaru… "

Only then, does his vacant eyes stare up at the blonde before him. He eyes widened a little before he dared himself to speak, "Temari…?"

"Yes, it's me, Shikamaru. I'm here for you," Temari's voice quavered as she watched his slow reactions.

"It's… getting harder to see, Temari… it's getting so dark…and lonely…" Shikamaru's words tore Temari's heart to shreds, but Temari refused to reveal her troubled emotions; surely he had enough to deal with already.

"Don't let go of the light- Shikamaru! Don't forget our happy times; and the times of trouble which we overcame together! Remember the colour of our lives!"

"Colours…?" Shikamaru's echo was vacant and uncomprehending.

Temari could tell it was all Shikamaru could do to barely process the things she said, but with Naruto occupied with the rest of the ninja troops, she'll have to be the one inspiring Shikamaru to persevere.

"Yes, like the colour of the roses we found in the garden behind the Hokage's quarters!" Temari suggested with forced cheerfulness. "The red patches placed beautifully everywhere, with the green grass in the background the emphasize the beautiful crimson. You said it was one of the most beautiful things you'd seen, remember?! And you admited that ditching chunin exam duties weren't such a drag after all!"

Temari was rambling; she knew. But anything was better than watching Shikamaru's heavy lids threaten to close forever. But her heart turned as heavy as bricks when Shikamaru uttered, "But it's also the colour of blood…"

"Then what about the colour orange? It's the colour of the small paper fan you gave me for my birthday last year, remember? Anyone could tell you didn't put that much effort into it; but the fact that you made something is still wonderful. I still have it in my bedroom; I put it on my wall for display. Once this war ends, I'll bring you over to my place, so I can show that to you…!"

"…"

"Please, don't looks so damn serene! Don't you dare accept the idea of death; you gotta keep fighting!" Temari cried at her loudest, as if that would somehow help penetrate his unresponsive thoughts. "Alright; then how about something physically closer? Think of yellow; the colour of my hair!"

Sneaking a look back at Shikamaru's childhood friend standing behind her, she added, "It's also Ino's hair! Think of the people all around you; your friends and family, everyone fighting beside you today, and everyone you usually hang out with back in Konoha! Don't forget them, and don't forget their laughs! Fight on to be with them again!"

"…" There is silence once again, as Shikamaru stared on. But Temari couldn't help but release a small sob as Shikamaru tiredly reached up to caress her hair. "…Please… continue…"

"Then… the skies and the hills; remember the Konoha scenery that I had loved so much in all my visits! The clear blue sky with the occasional drifting cloud; the tall gentle hills with long green grass bending to the flow of the breeze. Do you still remember us, sitting on a picnic mat, admiring the view as we shared our lunch? Do you still remember how your hand brushed mine, and we ended up holding hands for the first time? All of that, under the bright blue sky? And above the gentle green hills?"

There were faint tears in Shikamaru's eyes as he admitted, "…I… don't… remember… anymore…"

"No, please, don't give in now! Then what about the purple dress we bought together last Summer…? When you found out how much I loved it, you had immediately pulled out your wallet. And it became mine before I even thought to protest! And then I visited Konoha every day after that, remember? Just so I could show off myself wearing that dress every single day. And I'd keep wearing it once we get back; but what's the point if you're not there with me!?"

"I can't see… I can't even picture… these colours… I can't even remember what they look like… !" Shikamaru admitted hoarsly. "All I see is the darkness and the black… They're overwhelming me…The shadows are overwhelming everything!"

"Idiot Shikamaru! You're supposed to be able to manipulate shadows, aren't you!?" Temari felt her heart accelerate with worry at this disheartening confession. "You're thinking like a picture painted on a white canvas, Shikamaru! But remember, even if a canvas is dyed black, there will always be oils that show even on the black! Don't give in to the shadows, Shikamaru! Our colours still have a chance to show… Our colours… and my love…!"

Shikamaru's smile was painful and heartrending as he confessed, "I love you too… but I'm so sorry… please find someone else more deserving than me… who can actually live through the wa-"

Shikamaru was interuppted as he found Temari's lips on his. There were more things he wanted to say, but at that moment in time, he could only close his eyes and return her kiss. But that was when he realised his heavy lids failed to open, and that it was too much of a drag for him to try and open them.

Sakura, who had remained silent until now, looked into Temari's eyes with her own troubled ones. "I'm afraid this isn't enough - I'll have to use the emergency operation healing jutsu."

"Is that bad?" Temari's voice broke with fear.

"It'll hurt a bit, and possibly for you as well, as he is still lying on your lap," Sakura stated, her voice drained and exhausted.

"Do your best, and don't mind me," Temari replied softly, then watched without a word as Sakura performed the seals for the jutsu, and the chakra around Shikamaru changed to an intense red.

Do you feel this, Shikamaru? Do you feel the red? Can you see it? Temari thought silently. Then slowly, a burning agony reached her lap, and she could only imagine what it must feel for Shikamaru… if he was still capable of feeling.

Temari doesn't scream or make a sound as she endures the pain. For Shikamaru, she'd put up with anything and any pain. If it mean his survival, she'd be willing to even remain forever in this agonizing torture.

But eventually, the chakra and the burning faded, and Sakura looked up with tearful eyes. "Ino… Choji… Temari… I'm so sorry….!"

It didn't take a genius to know what she was apologizing for.

-x-x-x-x-

-x-x-x-x-

When Temari finally stands back up to face Obito, her unyielding eyes are hard and her mouthis set in a firm line. With one smooth movement, she opens her large fan, and charges. She is no longer fighting for the peace or for the ninjas' future. It is simply an unforgiving resolve to avenge the man who had come to mean everything to her.

Because Temari knows. She knows she would never be able to laugh as she once did ever again. And with that lingering thought, the tears start overflowing and she cries.

A/N: Thanks for reading~! This is written for ScribblinDayDreamer's Battleships challenge; where I choose a ship (Shikatema in this case) and write a fic according to the genre, theme and requirements given by the judge. So yeah~ Shikatema ftw!