Thought I'd try my hand at a multi-chaptered fic, rather than just a drabble! I've always been a bit terrified of writing longer stories, so I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone a little. :p
I wanted to come up with some new Shikamaru/Temari fic as my old stuff… is a little lacking in some areas.
Set post-manga. (Might become AU at some point if it diverges from any canon events.) Rated T for now but might become M later, too.
Sorry if this first chapter is a little boring and I'm sorry for any mistakes and choppy writing! I won't be updating this too regularly and I'm not sure if I'll finish it, but it seems like a fun experiment and I'll try to do my best!
Reviews are very welcome!
Waves of heat radiated from the distant hills, though the Hidden Sand Village still managed to remain relatively cool and dry within the shade of its hollowed-out canyon.
It wasn't quite noon yet, but, come 1500 hours, the streets would grow to be just as hot.
After finishing up her paperwork, Temari went to sit out in the hall of the Kage offices with her lunch. Kankuro joined her after a short while, sitting next to her with his own.
Some days, they would switch off with office work for Gaara. (And on the busiest of days, they would both be frantically helping around the offices.) There were plenty of other secretaries and council members who were all too willing to help as much as they could, too. However, Temari and Kankuro were still Gaara's two most trusted advisors.
Kankuro scrubbed a hand into his hair beneath his hood before taking a bite of onigiri.
"Bad sandstorms to the east." He muttered. "Hopefully it'll bring some clouds our way, though."
"Everyone will have to make sure to hold off missions for a day or two - wouldn't want anyone caught out in one of those." Temari frowned. Most sandstorms cropped up during monsoon season, nearer to autumn, but it was only early summer. A rather rare occurrence.
"Speaking of that." Kankuro finished the rest of his onigiri in one bite, "There's a Leaf Ninja that they just brought into the hospital who was caught out in it. Must've been something important or they're just not all that bright." He smirked.
"Oh, come on." Temari snorted, "They obviously don't have the luxury of our dry weather, it's not easy for them to know what to expect." She said acerbically.
They both snickered.
"So, what's Gaara up to?" Kankuro asked.
"Still in a meeting with some jounin - Hisao and Mitsuru. Otherwise we could have all had lunch within the office." She explained, eating the last of her onigiri.
The office doors soon opened a moment after she spoke, the jounin quickly taking their leave.
The two siblings joined their younger brother in the office again, Gaara setting aside the report he was reading upon his wide desk.
Temari nudged the untouched bento upon the desk somewhat concernedly. "Gaara… Do make sure to eat lunch." At times, he would skip meals, or forget entirely - and it worried Temari far more than she liked to admit sometimes.
"I will." Gaara said simply. He serenely took a sip of his now-lukewarm tea as if to assure her.
(Sometimes Temari wondered if he'd taken his stoic composure to a new level of seriousness or if he was merely being very dryly, sarcastically humorous in his responses.) (She suspected the latter.)
Kankuro took a nearby chair, "So. What was that all about?"
"Hisao and Mitsuru just delivered a report on the storm. It doesn't seem to be a natural one." Gaara replied.
"I thought it seemed strange." Temari added.
"It is strange." Gaara agreed. "Whoever is behind it could pose a threat to the Sand. The Leaf ninja who was just brought in from the storm might have more information."
"I'll see to getting that information, then." Temari made to leave, "We'll need to tighten border security, perhaps, as well as issue a warning to the village for now."
Kankuro sighed in annoyance, "As if our workload wasn't heavy enough."
Temari turned to glance back at Gaara. "By the way, who is this Leaf ninja? I might be acquainted with them."
"Shikamaru Nara." He said.