It was over.
The final blow had been struck.
The enemy had been vanquished.
It was over.
But for Temari, the adrenalin pumping through her veins did not abate, and her mind could not rest at ease.
Muscles straining, heart pounding, she scrambled over rubble and debris and bodies, pushing herself forward all while trying not to panic. She heaved in great lungfuls of air, choking as dust and dirt scratched at her throat and clogged her lungs. The air was still thick with the stuff, having been stirred when the huge tree fell. It was stifling and suffocating, and it was the least of her worries.
All around her, shinobi were moving. Some were hauling away the bodies of their comrades, taking them away to be sealed. Some, probably from the medical unit, were administering first aid to the injured (and there were much more injured than there were uninjured). Some, like herself, were searching, searching, searching. Frantically, without pause, Temari pushed forward, desperate.
She did not just survive a war only to have her entire world ripped from her.
At least Kankurō was safe. That knowledge alone gave her the strength to push on, even when her body was at its limit, ready to drop like a stone at any moment. And her heart sang praises of thanks for the safety of her brother. But she couldn't rest, couldn't let herself assume that Gaara was safe. He had been one of the closest ones to the danger. She had to know, had to find out.
Temari was responsible for her brothers. Even though Gaara was the Kazekage, it didn't change the fact that she was the head of the family, and had been ever since her father died. She had practically raised Kankurō after their mother died, as her father had been much too busy running the village and attempting to kill the child jinchūriki. And though she wished she had made different choices, she had viewed Gaara with the same contempt that her father did, and she pushed her youngest brother away, fearing his power as much as the other villagers.
It was a mistake that she could never quite seem to forgive herself for. But he had been spending the last few years trying to make up for it as best she could by becoming Gaara's protector. There was no one in the entire shinobi world that believed in Gaara more than Temari now did, and there was certainly no one that loved him as much.
Temari came to a particularly large pile of rubble. Sounds of other shinobi could be heard from the other side. Barely slowing down, Temari started climbing, slipping on the loose dirt as she clambered along its side. Her fingers grabbed for purchase, the skin on the tips slicing open as they caught on jagged fragments of rocks. She barely felt the pain though. She just climbed higher.
At the top, she had a better view of the battlefield, though she wasn't all that high up. She saw a few familiar faces from the Leaf. A group of three pale-eyed Hyūga were gathered in a little cluster. They were holding onto each other tightly, and the girl was sobbing uncontrollably into the chest of a young man. The young man, looking confused and dazed, patted her back awkwardly. The eldest of the group had his arms wrapped around both of them, looking stoic but immensely grateful at the same time.
Temari could guess what had happened with only a glance. Everyone had thought Neji Hyūga was dead.
Her frantic eyes found the next group. Two green-clad shinobi hugging each other with tears running down their faces, looking more like father and son than sensei and student. Off to the side, the girl with double buns—the same girl that Temari remembered fighting in the first chūnin exams—was surveying the scene with something like trepidation and perhaps some exasperation, though there also seemed to be happiness in her expression.
And there, farther away, were the heroes of the war. Team 7. They were too far away though for Temari to clearly see their expressions. She was sure they had a lot to talk about, especially with the Uchiha's current rogue status still in play.
But that could wait for another time. Because Temari still didn't see him.
She slid down the tiny mountain of debris, kicking up more dust, and broke into a run. Surely, if he was alive and unharmed, he would be somewhere near his friends?
And then she caught sight of Gaara, standing tall with the other Kage. Their expressions were grim, troubled, but there was also some semblance of relief in their faces. Gaara, despite his young age, looked to be right at home with the other Kage, completely comfortable with his position. He had commanded the Allied Shinobi Forces, saved the life of the nine-tails jinchūriki, and gained the respect of, not only the Kage, but everyone in the Great Nations as well. No one could say any longer that he was just a monster, because everything he had accomplished had been without the one-tail Shukaku.
And though Temari's heart positively leapt with joy at the sight of her little brother standing regally and safe and alive with the other village leaders, she could not yet stop her search. Not until she was sure that everyone she cared about was alive.
So she pushed past the desire to run up to Gaara and smother him in a hug—not only would he not appreciate it, but it might just be a little embarrassing in front of the other Kage—and rushed past. There would be time later for her to just sit with both of her brothers and look back on everything in their own time. Right now, she was going to search for that last person.
She didn't have long to wait, for her eyes finally found him, standing not even twenty meters away. He was giving out orders to a group of shinobi, composed and collected, with a strength she had never seen in him before. His back was straight and proud—there was none of his usual slouch in his shoulders. He looked so much older than seventeen, and so much wiser, as though the war had given him a lifetime of experience and wisdom to draw upon.
He looked like a commander.
She bolted towards him, emotions getting the better of her. There was no thought in her mind other than punching him firmly in the nose for making her worry so much.
But as she got closer, and he turned towards her, their eyes met. His face was streaked with blood and grime, and there were several lacerations that marred his skin (yet somehow, his hair had managed to stay in that ridiculous pineapple-ish ponytail). And suddenly, she could barely breathe; because no matter how tired and dirty and haggard he looked, he was alive, and there was something in his eyes as he looked at her that she couldn't put her finger on. But she found that she no longer wanted to punch him.
So even though she herself was covered in dirt and grime and blood, and she hadn't been able to bathe in who knows how long, she flung herself at him and gripped him in a tight hug. If he was surprised by her actions, then he hid it well, for his strong arms didn't hesitate to wrap around her and pull her close. He buried his face in her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin as he released a long, relieved sigh.
"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured.
To Temari's horror, tears stung at her eyes, and she had to rapidly blink them away before she embarrassed herself. Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper as she replied, "And I'm glad you didn't get yourself killed, you crybaby."
He chuckled, deep and soft, the sound warming her blood and sending shivers down her spine. "Naw. Dying would have been too troublesome."
Temari choked out a laugh. It was such a Shikamaru thing to say. She wouldn't deny though that it made her feel better, and she wouldn't mind having to listen to him say things like that more often.
Temari hugged him tighter and said in her head what she had been too afraid to say out loud.
I'm glad you're alive, because I can't live without you.
A/N: If you liked this, then check out my other Naruto story called The Road to Destruction (post-war as well). Yes, I am shamelessly promoting my own fic... sue me.
Also, I am planning on adding more chapters to this (definitely another Shika/Tema, cause I'm in love with that pairing), and all will take place in the aftermath of the final battle. I am taking requests, so if there's any particular characters you'd like to see make an appearance, leave me a review and I'll see what I can do ;).