Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto.
A Promise Kept
Chapter 1
A beautiful woman with blonde, shoulder length hair and green eyes, wearing a black yukata with red obi, always appeared on the man's dream for the last three months.
And even if a handful of female acquaintances had come up with their courage and admitted to him that they find him good looking, the man ignored them. He was obsessed with the woman that visited him every night.
The man, a feeling of wanting to share his visions with someone, had told his friends about his dreams but Lee just beamed meaningfully and Naruto became loud and joked that he was losing his mind for thinking too much.
Changes gradually started to happen. The man pushed by his dreams had his long blackish hair reaching almost to his waist cut up to about his shoulders and then he tied it in a high ponytail. He then had his ears pierced so he could sports a stud on each ear.
Looking at the mirror, he saw what he wanted to see, his new image reflected. A lean man with shoulders slouched and eyes piercing despite being small.
The man who called himself Shikamaru allowed the woman in his dream to taunt him. And each night Shikamaru would extend his hand towards the woman but always it was only air that he grasped, the sensation would then wake him up.
One day as he was about to cross the street waiting for the green light, Shikamaru saw a girl on the other side of the four lane road. The girl with four pigtails attracted his attention as she turned her head and he was able to see her profile. Shikamaru ran to catch up with her but she was able to board the bus before he was able to reach her. Shikamaru followed the bus with his eyes. It was too late now and probably it was just wishful thinking that made him see the woman in his dreams in that girl.
However, that night, for the first time in three months, Shikamaru had his sleep undisturbed by any dream.
Shikamaru stirred, feeling that something was missing. That day Shikamaru went to the area where he caught an image of the girl but he never spotted her. Then after five days of waiting he was able to get a glimpse her.
"Hey mister, quit your staring. You give me the creeps," the girl muttered after noticing that a man just stood there gazing at her.
"Sorry, it's just that you look just like her," Shikamaru replied.
"Listen old man, your pick up line sucks. Are you into that kind of thing 'cause if you are, I'm gonna call the police," the girl threatened.
"Tch, you even sound like her." Shikamaru shrugged. "Do you have, by any chance, an older sister?"
"Even if I have an older sister, what is it to you? Now, go away before I call the police." The girl has now placed her hands on her hips, tilted her head and glared.
"Temari said that she likes folding fans. That she collects them. But it's a secret she doesn't want her friends to know about since it will make her look too girly."
"How—how did you know my name? Are you stalking me? Pervert!" The girl did not run but instead she kicked Shikamaru on the shin and she even used her bag to hit him anywhere she could reach "Pervert! Hentai! Dirty old man!"
"Hey! Stop it! I didn't know your name is Temari! And I'm not stalking you!" Shikamaru tried to shield his body with his forearms but the girl was tall for her age and very aggressive. " Hey, I said cut it out."
"If you're not stalking me how do you explain the fact that you know I like fans," the girl called Temari demanded.
"You—you like fans. You collect them?" Shikamaru asked wonderingly. The woman in his dreams resembled the girl. They even had the same pitch of voice and in a way they acted the same. But it couldn't be? This girl looked about twelve, atleast about thirteen years younger than him and probably sixteen years younger than the woman in his dream. But how would you explain the fact that ever since he saw the girl, the woman had stopped visiting his dreams?
"Don't pretend that you don't know, asshole!" Temari spat.
"Listen, I don't—" Shikamaru was not able to finish what he was trying to say. A man in a blue uniform approached them.
"Is there a problem here, Miss?" the policeman inquired. "Someone, told me that you—" the policeman indicated Temari, "hit this guy?" He then pointed towards Shikamaru.
"Yeah, this man is stalking me!" the girl answered vehemently.
"Is this true, sir?"
"I—no. Our dad said that my sister run away. She obviously doesn't want to go home yet. I'm just trying to convince her," Shikamaru explained with a straight face.
"That's not true, officer! I don't know this person!" Temari contradicted, voice aghast.
"Sir, of course she would deny knowing her big brother but you can ask me anything about her and I could probably answer it."
"Oh my God, you really are a stalker!"
The police officer looked from one to the other, wondering who to believe. "Alright, let's see some ID."
"Why should I show you my ID? I didn't do anything wrong," Temari protested.
Shikamaru smirked. "Here, officer," Shikamaru said as he gave his ID.
"Ma'am?" The officer outstretched his hand towards Temari, asking for her identification card.
"Ok, fine. I didn't bring my ID."
The policeman returned his hand at his side then stared meaningfully at the glowering girl before glancing at the calm man. "Sorry sir. I would let you proceed at convincing your sister."
"Thank you, officer." Shikamaru grinned and saluted.
"Just doing my job. Ma'am, nothing good happens to people that ran away."
"But officer, he is not my brother," Temari reiterated through clenched teeth. The police just clucked his tongue and walked away.
Temari looked angrily at the man. He has weird blank eyes. "YOU! You're really a pervert, aren't you?"
"I'm not!"
"Then shoo!" Temari waved her hand in the universal go away sign.
"Listen. Aren't you curious how I learned your name?"
"No." Temari crossed her arms on her chest.
"You like watching plants grow." Shikamaru stated, then seeing Temari about to turn around to leave, he mumbled, "And you hate your father."
"How did you know that? I—I've never told anyone about my feelings towards my father? And come to think of it how did you know I run away from home?"
"You would not believe this but you told me. You said when you were 12 years old, you ran away from home."
"Why the hell would I tell you that? I don't even know you."
"Bring your voice down. People are staring."
"I don't care. What you're telling me is preposterous. You must be mental. I—"
"Shut up. You used to visit me every night in my sleep. In my dreams, we just sit together on some hill, sometimes we talk but most of the time, we argue. Sometimes, you tell me things that are important. Sometimes, I tell you things I don't even tell my closest friends," Shikamaru explained.
Temari shook her head and retorted, "You're sick!"
"I'm not sick! I'm not losing my mind. For the past three months I only dream of you. And everytime I wake up, I remember everything with clarity. I don't know why or how but somehow we are connected."
"No, we are not connected at all! And I mean it, stay away from me," Temari warned, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes. She turned away and started walking. She was supposed to wait for the bus but today they were more than fifteen minutes late already. She couldn't afford a taxi. She was just going to start walking; hoping the man would stop following her but the man was persistent.
"Then since I saw you five days ago, I don't see you anymore. I mean the you in my dream. It made me wonder that's why I tried to find you." Shikamaru still attempted to convince her to believe him. "Look, you even admit you did not tell anyone about the way you feel about your father."
"Stop following me!" Temari shrieked. "You have a lucky guess that's all."
"How about the other things? How did I know that?"
"You probably followed me around, gathering information or you just made a good guess. No big deal. Now, go away or I'll scream bloody murder!"
"I'm sorry if I scared you...but...your age, it's all wrong. You're supposed to be older than me. Not way younger."
"God, you're really sick." Temari walked faster then she sprinted to a run.
"Wait!" Shikamaru started to follow and realized that he was just going to frighten her farther.
Temari didn't stop running until she reached the side of some building and hid herself. She sneaked a quick look over the corner of the wall to verify if she lost the man following her. She exhaled her breath and unclenched her hand holding her bag. "God, that was close," she murmured to herself.
That day, Temari went home. She might hate her father but she knew she would miss her brothers. And she had a real scare...
The next day, Shikamaru met Lee. They were supposed to hang out together with Naruto but Naruto said he was unavailable since he was going to coach a baseball team. Shikamaru then relayed to Lee what happened with the mysterious girl but Lee, perplexed, asked why did he pretend to be the girl's brother and why did he inform the police, she run away. Shikamaru tried to come up with an answer but couldn't. He remembered everything before but now he felt like he forgot something. Did she really run away from home?
That night the Temari of his dreams appeared again but she aged a bit. She was still beautiful but she could be from anything thirty to forty years old.
"What's up, lazy?" Temari asked.
"What? Why? I—thought you've gone?" Shikamaru asked.
"Why? Do you want me to go?" Temari playfully asked.
"I—no. Stay."
"I think I will," Temari answered with a smile. There was a long pause during which Shikamaru stole surreptitious glances.
"Where have you been?" Shikamaru asked next.
"Why? Did you miss me?" Temari teased.
"Yes," Shikamaru admitted nonchalantly. "And you have been gone for just five nights but it seems like you've been gone far longer than that."
"Oh, you mean I look older?" Temari touched both her cheeks slowly as a mysterious grin appeared. "Well, you must have done something right while I'm gone."
"What do you mean?"
Temari just continued grinning mysteriously. Shikamaru tried to touch her but it only caused her to vanish. Shikamaru subsequently woke up then.
But it did not matter. For the next several nights Temari still haunted his dreams. This time Temari divulged more about her family, about her younger brother who was being recruited by an Akatsuki gang. Her brother Gaara continued to say no to the gang which caused the attacked on him. Gaara fought back. He was injured badly and the police had to kill one of the Akatsuki gang members to be able to save him.
"You only talked about your family, your father and your brothers. What about that special man in your life?" Shikamaru asked one night.
"I thought that was you," Temari replied.
"I thought it was me too but you never included me in your stories. I was never a part of your life when you were alive, wasn't I?"
"What do you mean, Shikamaru? Are you implying I'm dead?" Temari muttered with a frown marring her forehead.
"That's the only explanation I could come up to explain what is happening now."
"You're wrong Shikamaru, at this time, I'm not dead," Temari replied softly. "And you did play a big role in my life and my kid brother liked you."
TBC
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~10-31.11-2 10AF~
A/N: R and R ~it means Read and Review and not Read and Run okay :D ~
