A/N: I was feeling sad so I took out my anger in writing. Just a heads up: this ain't a happy sappy romance.
Monochrome
When she first held the kunai, she was shocked by how such a small thing could cause so much devastation.
The first time she practiced with the small knife-like weapon, it was on small straw doves which Baki threw in the air for her. She didn't miss once, but felt tears come to her eyes as the fragile objects fell to the ground, pierced by the weapons she'd thrown.
Her first live kill was a hare. Survival training, and emotional training. It had been an gift from Kankurō for her fourth birthday. She'd named the young hare Kumo, for he was white and fluffy. Her father, however, thought that her bond with this animal was naïve and childish. The then-six-year old cried for weeks on end after being forced to look at the life drain from her little cloud's eyes.
Her first human kill was when she was seven. A man, Chuunin probably, tried to attack her during an escort mission to Kumogakure - ironically.
She panicked and teared up after she noticed that she'd instinctively aimed for vital organs. She then saw that the man's hitai-ite held the symbol of her homeland. Of Suna.
Realising that the man had just tried to assassinate her, she found herself laughing, hysterically.
She stood over his broken corpse and stared down at him as hope vanished from the young man's face. Smirking the whole time.
She never cried again.
When she lost against some lazy brat at her Chuunin exams, she was shocked to discover that she did not hate him. In fact, she found herself respecting him.
Still, she felt she was weak for losing against a boy who was three years her junior.
When she was assigned to help the genius weeks later, she was filled with arrogance. This was her chance to prove that she was not as weak as he must have found her. Sure enough, she didn't miss her target, destroying her completely with her second move.
He smirked at her triumphant grin and they returned to Konoha.
He was a wreck. Twitching and fidgeting and inflicting pain on himself. The mere sight of his actions filled her with disgust. This boy had the audacity to call himself a Shinobi? And of Chuunin rank at that!
She called him out on it, berating him, but for some reason, she found herself speaking softly to him. She even reassured him (in a roundabout way) telling him that sacrifice was an inevitable part of any mission.
After their talk of sorts, he realised that she would insult him and think negatively of him, regardless of how he answered her questions. He got up to leave and she witnessed a harsh lecture from his dad. She knew that his dad treated him far better than her own did her, but she still found herself pitying the boy. He cried.
She broke a little inside, realising that he still had a heart that could shatter. She envied and pitied him, wondering what her life would be like if she allowed her emotions to rule her like the lazy boy did.
When she left the vibrant village with Gaara and Kankurō, she couldn't help but tease him for the tears he'd shed.
"Nara," she thought to herself. "What a strange kid,"
She ended up working closely with the Nara 'kid' afterwards. Being ambassador to Suna, and with him being her escort, she found herself taking a liking to the strange boy. Every once in awhile, he'd take her to watch the clouds with him. She hated it, and constantly gave out to him for it, shocked at herself for being so childish.
He eventually manipulate the reason out of her, and didn't mock her for being touchy about clouds.
After the war, she was shocked to discover that she wanted to make sure he was alright. He meant nothing to her, and the bloodshed hadn't scarred her enough to merit comforting. She passed by sobbing figures and frowned. Crying won't bring the dead back.
Deciding not to look for him, fearing what he'd think, she decided to do some target practice. The doves this time were not made of straw. She did not cry as their figures crumpled elegantly to her feet, dead.
She did not cry as she realised how empty she was.
She did not cry, because she couldn't.
She continued practicing. There was nothing left to shatter within her, so she settled for taking out her anger on birds of peace. Innocent little things.
When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she didn't flinch.
"That's no way to cope with your emotions, Temari,"
The Nara boy's eyes were filled with worry. She wanted to spit at his feet and give out to him for showing such an emotion, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she shrugged,
"What emotions?"
"Shinobi are still human, Temari, we all have emotions," He smiled softly and took her hand, leading her towards the safety of the tents.
She smiled, secretly charmed by the kindness he was showing her. Feeling happy that he'd actually gone to look for her.
The two became good friends. She found herself falling for the boy who made her feel as though the glorious sun was something he'd built for her in his toolshed. The boy who taught her that happiness and love were things even she deserved. She found herself falling for the boy whom she knew loved her.
She continued her target practices, all victims were inanimate other than those she took on missions. He affected her in the strangest of ways.
Her monochrome sky became one full of colour and hope. Birds suddenly sang and the stars smiled at her. The clouds no longer scared her.
Life suddenly changed into something of great beauty.
But it disappeared as quickly as it came.
She should have stopped the moment she noticed the cracks in the universe he swore would never shatter. She should have warned him that the Sunan army was coming to Konoha. She never did make the right decisions though.
She never did miss a target.
When his file was placed on her desk, she simply sighed and started her strategy. Her pride was more important to her than something as silly as 'love'.
She never did miss a target.
The kunai shocked him. His death was quick. The only mercy she showed to the man she loved was to end it painlessly for him.
She didn't cry, but as she watched death take him away from the life he deserved, she felt the last human part of her wither and die with him.
He did not look into her eyes as he died. He looked to the clouds. The clouds he'd always longed to be.
When she married a wealthy man for the sake of her village, she insisted that their future child would be called Shikakumo. The world showed her no mercy for her sins however, and didn't bless her with a child, but she did not care. She wouldn't have loved it anyway.
She occasionally found herself staring up at the clouds which no longer held any beauty. Her eyes saw in monochrome.
She didn't cry.
She never cried.