For all those who have read, favourited, alerted and reviewed my stories. Thank you for your constant feedback; It's greatly appreciated. I hope that this story will keep you entertained throughout. It was fun writing and I hope that it is fun reading it too. Loosely based on the interaction between Milo and Kida in the film: Atlantis: The Lost City.

Inside the Fire

Chapter 1

The forest was dark and deep, the only sound that could be heard were the sinister noises of animals that lurked near by. The trees were large and thick, the old age visible by the green moss growing on the bark and the dead foliage on the ground. He pushed his way through the vegetation, knife in hand as he trekked along the muddy undergrowth. Having had lost his group on the expedition he thought that this couldn't get much more troublesome. Shikamaru had been on his way to the small hut on the outside of the Amazon and had been clever enough to give his only compass to Ino who had been more likely to get lost than he was. Kind of ironic how that turned out. And typical. He should have predicted that something like this would happen. Good luck tended to avoid him whenever possible.

He scowled at a nearby branch for no other reason than that it was there. His shoulders ached, he had a pain in the small of his back and his feet felt like they were going to fall off. He should be in the comfort of the warm cabin by now. If luck decided to pay him a visit, his comrades would look for him.. and find him soon. He had been the one to draw the map and it was up to his best friend Chouji to follow it. Chouji was second in command of the expedition and even though Shikamaru could tell basic direction due to the direction of the sun, he didn't want to have to go through the Amazon by himself.

He needed to go north and the sun was right in the middle of the sky so he would have to wait a few hours before the blazing orb would set and show him which way to head. So instead of continuing on the hopeless trek through the Amazon rain forest, he pulled off his heavy gear bag and sat down on a cut down tree to his left and sighed before burying his head in his hands; he was exhausted. If he had a bed, he would be happy, no matter where he was. To make it worse, there were no clouds in the sky so he couldn't pass the time in the only way he knew how.

I suppose things could be worse. And just as that silly little thought entered his head, the clouds that had recently been completely absent seemed to roll out from their hiding places, dark grey puffs of air. A loud boom almost caused him to jump out of his skin and then the rain started. Maybe that's why they called it the Amazon rain forest. He picked up his bag from the floor of the earth and pulled it back onto his shoulders, ignoring the stabbing pain throughout his body. He managed to walk a few miles in the downpour until he found a little alcove under two trees that were stuck together. Crawling inside, he hit his head on the lowly branch and was promptly knocked unconscious. During his extended sleep, he could faintly here the sound of humming and feel soft hands touch his forehead.


When he woke up, he found that he was relatively warm, wrapped in some of the blankets from his huge bag and couldn't remember how they got there. His eyes hurt and were filled with sleep but he knew that if he didn't open them now, he wouldn't at all. After a few minutes of staring at nothing, he heard a branch break nearby and was immediately alert, remembering the soft feeling on his forehead. The lurking animals would surely sense a meal nearby. Taking the initiative, he pulled from the bag, a box of matches and picked up a small branch that must have fallen from the tree he was lying under. He lit the small piece and held it high in his hand, hoping that whatever was coming to eat him would either go away or just kill him fast. He wasn't in the mood for a painful death.

From where he sat, he could see a tall figure approach wearily, creeping slowly. The figure was tall and slender with deadly curves so he assumed it was a woman. He didn't think that it was someone from his group because none of them were that tall but maybe she was also lost. What made his heart beat a little faster was the fact that she seemed to be holding a spear of some sort. It was a sharp jagged rock strapped onto a large sturdy piece of wood by some kind of animal skin. Probably a tiger.

From the shadows stepped a tanned woman, sandy blond hair dressed in brown material that covered her chest and barely covered her bottom. Her midriff was completely bare and the clothing seemed to blend in with the environment. Her eyes were sharp and focused, teal piercing his own and a dark green necklace hung on her neck. Under her left arm was an animal carcass, newly acquired he guessed from the fresh smell of blood. His body went rigid and he tried his best to remain completely calm which was relatively easy considering who he was. Nara Shikamaru; the laziest not-at-all-bothered person in the world. The tall blond stepped forward slowly, right foot then left before she stood only a few metres away from him. She eyed the gear bag and then the fire before finally looking at him again. She had prominent features, sharp and focused as she was. She was taller than any woman he knew but he had a feeling that she would still be smaller than him if he stood next to her, something he didn't want to try out just yet. And then she spoke, low and clear as she continued to watch him. Her voice was low, far lower than an average woman's should be.

"Ig grek fu?" she asked, eyes narrowing that much more. He almost smiled in relief; he knew that language. It was an ancient language founded by the people of Sunagakure who were long deceased; or so he thought. He had studied it in the university back home and that was where he met most of the people that he was currently on the expedition with. His eyes widened a little bit in realisation, remembering what he had studied so intently. He replied to her in her own language.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru." She seemed to ponder that statement for a moment, looking out of the alcove at the sky briefly before meeting his eyes again.

"Why are you here, Nara Shikamaru?" she asked, voice higher but eyes still narrowed.

"I came on an expedition with a group of people but got lost before we reached our cabin. I'm looking for the way back." She took a few steps closer, still gripping the spear tightly so that the knuckles on her hands were white. She wasn't taking any chances. "Have you proof?" Typical. "I have a brochure in my bag. Can I get it out to show you?" he asked and he wasn't really expecting her to let him.

"Don't try anything funny," she said and then as an after thought, "put out that fire." He did as she asked, watching first as she dropped the dead animal in the corner. He wasn't one to take chances either. Looking through his bag, he couldn't actually find the brochure for the Amazonian cabin so he emptied it out onto the floor. The tall blond woman eyed each thing that spilled from the bag until she became so curious that she stepped closer and picked up something that had fallen astray from the pile. It was a rubber band. He usually carried around about ten just in case his hair tie broke or maybe he needed to hold something together. She pulled at it a little, watching it curiously with her head tilted to the side. Then she let it go before pulling at it again. She seemed amazed at the way it regained its normal shape and began wrapping it around her fingers. He looked away from her for a second, finding the brochure wrapped up with some rope.

"Here," he said, his voice breaking. He coughed to clear it but he didn't think that would help. She took the brochure from him and he felt her soft skin for a brief second. He expected it to be course and hard and was surprised by her delicateness when it looked like only a few moments ago, she had killed an animal. She didn't seem to understand anything on the leaflet.

"Read it to me," she ordered and her tone left no room for argument. He did as she asked, translating the manuscript into her language, voicing the little black inked letters on the paper in his hands. He didn't really hear what he was reading but she seemed to be hanging on his every word.

"Hmm," she said, more to herself than to him in particular, "Come. I must bring you to my brother now." He gulped audibly and she smirked at him, showing off her brilliant pearly whites.

"Gaara will only kill you after he hears what you have to say." He couldn't help but roll his eyes. Was that supposed to make him feel better? He was going to die anyway so why didn't she just do it herself. By the way she held the spear, he could tell she would be well capable of killing him with a simple flick of her wrist. She pulled two branches from the tree above and began rubbing them together fast and furiously, trying to light a fire. He struggled with words but some syllables finally managed to make their way out.

"I have matches. Will I light the fire?" he asked, hoping she would say yes. Her hands were already starting to tear with the friction.

"Matches?" she questioned, eyes narrowing again. He picked up the discarded box a few inches away and took one out before lighting it. Her eyes widened in disbelief, watching the small little flicker of fire on the top of the miniature candle. Before he could do so much as drop it, she snatched it out of his hand, not flinching when she touched the flame. With the force of her hand and the added air, the match quenched before she was able to study it anymore. She visibly pouted and then looked at him as if it was his fault.

"You made it turn off," she said, glaring at him while bearing her teeth. He couldn't help but roll my eyes. Troublesome woman, blaming me for her own fault.

"I didn't make it turn off. The wind blew it out because you moved too fast." She continued to glare but seemed to give up after a few minutes.

"Do it again," she ordered and he complied only because he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders. She took the match from him a little more carefully and held it under the branches until they caught fire. She dropped the match without a second thought and pulled the animal carcass closer to her before ripping each limb off one by one. He watched in amazement as she held it over the fire and as it began cooking, she looked at him with quizzical eyes.

"You are hungry," she said and it wasn't a question, more like a statement. He didn't say anything but looked at his bag to see if he still had some food left. She seemed to notice, her eyes following his own.

"You don't eat animal?" and this time it was actually a question. He shook his head lightly.

"No I do," he said and she pulled another limb from the dead heap before tossing it to him easily. He didn't want to tell her that he would much prefer his food prepackaged and you know, dead for a few hours at least. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, watching as the flames flickered and cooked the food in their out stretched hands. She seemed at ease, sitting here in a strangers company, one whom she thought would die soon enough anyway. The rain was still strong outside, pelting on the leaves that covered their heads and making a nice soothing sound as it washed away any traces of where he'd been. Just great. The group would never find him now. Although he wasn't sure that he wanted them to find him. Only because he was sure that this Suna woman could over power everyone on the expedition and he didn't want her people to get to his friends. If it meant that he had to die alone, then so be it.

"What's your name?" he asked carefully as he watched her pull at the food to see if it was completely cooked. She took few minutes before answering, clearly not seeing the need to rush things. He was going to die soon and he wanted to know everything about his soon to be murderers.

"My name is Temari," she said and didn't bother to elaborate. Temari. That was a nice name. He didn't know anyone that had the same name and he supposed that fit her. She seemed one of a kind, completely original. Her clothing covered all the essentials but didn't cover her shapely curves. That was enough to kill any red blooded man. He was cold even though he was wrapped up in bunches of clothes but she looked completely at ease in the weather; almost like she was warm. He shivered involuntarily. Temari looked at him briefly before returning her gaze to the fire. The rain outside stopped abruptly and the Suna woman gathered up the remains of the animal and dumped them in the barely lighting fire. Shikamaru stood up and was proved correct in his assumption that he was indeed taller than her. Just barely, and considering that he was six foot four inches, that was saying something.

"If we leave now, we may make it back before the next rainfall," she said, her clear voice ringing high and echoing slightly in the small alcove. He nodded once, meeting your eyes.

"I will need to tie your hands behind your back," she said and took the rope that the brochure had recently been tangled in. He didn't ask why but he guessed that it was to stop him escaping. He doubted he could bring himself to try and escape. Even after the rest he had already gotten, he felt completely drained of energy. She tied the rope securely around his wrists and was surprisingly gentle even though he couldn't even budge his hands. He hated to admit it but he was excited. After a decade of studying the lost language, he was going to meeting those that actually spoke it. If legend was true, they were all insanely beautiful, tall and strong. Temari fit the bill perfectly.

She led him out of the alcove, pushing him gently through the brambles in the way and when their feet touched the forest floor, she grabbed his shoulders lightly and led him through. They didn't encounter any problems until they had been walking for a half an hour. A large tiger burst free of a lowly tree and began circling both like prey. Shikamaru nearly had a heart attack there and then. How typical. He was finally going to see the ancient clan of the Amazon but he was going to be eaten by a tiger before that. Troublesome. Temari, on the other hand didn't bat an eyelid. And then she spoke, in her clear crisp voice a language that he had never heard before in his twenty one years of life.

"Agata no yig ja," she whispered, barely audible in the huge forest. The tiger seemed more alert after she spoke, bowed and then backed away from the small clearing gracefully. Temari smirked and then spoke her thoughts.

"Serves him right."

Shikamaru didn't ask her what she had said because he was too busy trying to swallow his heart again. The pounding of his most important organ drummed in his ears like its beats were numbered. He supposed they were in fact. He was being led to his death by the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Kind of ironic.

"How long more until we get there?" he asked when he felt safe enough. She looked at him for a second before looking back at the floor ahead. She was contemplating it seemed.

"About 400 miles," she said and what was worse was she sounded cheery, like that was nothing at all. Shikamaru almost fell to his knees when those words left her lips and she had to pull him back to his feet.

"Oh that is right," she said and then smirked an alarming smirk, "You are human," and she shook her head laughing slightly. He personally couldn't see what was so funny. He would die of dehydration before then, even if it rained again.

"And you're not?" he questioned, voice strained with near exhaustion. She grinned but didn't answer him.

Temari allowed for a break every hour or so, making sure he was filled to the brim with water and would complain every time he had to relieve himself. The embarrassing thing about it was that she insisted she stay with him when he needed to get rid of all the water in his bladder. She didn't seem to notice the way his cheeks completely turned red.

After what felt like a week and a half in Shikamaru's opinion, they stopped in front of two completely straight diagonal trees with thick trunks and sturdy bark on each. Temari pulled Shikamaru to her side and then said very clearly and loudly; "Sabaku No Temari. Princess of Suna."

No sooner did the words leave her mouth, the two trees materialised into two tall men, both tanned and burly with strong arms and spears in each hand. They bowed lowly to Temari and let her walk passed them, heads still bent. They didn't seem to care that Shikamaru was standing there with her. They were wearing similar clothing to Temari except less well kept and obviously with less worth. A large purple-blue hole appeared from no where and Temari stepped forward, pulling Shikamaru with her. He eyed the hole with wide eyes, clearly fearing whatever was in store.

He felt like he was a completely different person. Never before had he felt so many emotions in one day. Excitement, fear, anxiety, and exhaustion when normally, it was only boredom. The next thing he knew, he was pushed a few more steps and the purple-blue hole swallowed both he and Temari whole.


"Welcome to Sunagakure no Sato, the city of life."

The city was gold. Not made out of gold, but made of Sand. Shikamaru's brain, IQ of over 200 or not, could not actually comprehend how a whole civilisation could survive in the Amazon rain forest. They looked tame even with the cloth and animal skin for hair ties. For one thing, how could so much sand be acquired in a forest? Shikamaru felt like his head was spinning with so many questions. The people of Sunagakure looked at him for a moment or two before looking away again. The occasional person would bow to Temari.

"Temari-hime," they said, respectful faces filled with admiration for the woman that was currently holding him captive. All chances of escape were gone. Wouldn't you know that it was his luck that made him be caught by the princess of this world. Troublesome. Temari bowed back to each in turn often smiling when the younger would point at her with amazement. Shikamaru began to grow nervous. His death was coming. His only regret was that he didn't get to say goodbye to everyone. Although, he supposed, maybe it was better this way. No questions and no goodbyes. Just an end.

The houses were not actually houses. They were more like sculptures made of sand and water mixed together to form a clay like substance that held the small buildings together. The largest building was at the end of the sandy path, towering over most of the houses with an intimidating glare. Temari stepped forwards forcefully, causing Shikamaru to do the same. She kept a firm grip on his shoulder as they proceeded. Outside the largest building was a huge fountain made of glass and marble with three statues standing in the middle, water bursting from different areas of their bodies. The first was of a small beautiful boy wearing the richest cloths made of golden material. The second was of a tall woman, prominent features and a dazzling smile on her perfect lips with a long flowing dress. Even though the dress was made of glass, it still gave the impression of movement. The last was of a man, kneeling down on one knee and something small in his hand. The woman seemed to be smiling at him.

"That is the legend of how our people came to be," said Temari, seeing Shikamaru's curious gaze on the beautiful statues, "It is said that Lord Kyoshi proposed to the beautiful Lady Esmerild and were married soon after. The boy in the statue was Esmerild's brother who is actually my great great great grandfather. My brothers and I are the only descendants left."

Shikamaru looked at Temari and then back at the statue. The woman in the sculpture looked very similar to her, eyes bright even when frozen in place. The water danced around their feet, almost as if it was willing to move whichever way they wished.

The door to the tallest building stood in front of them and Temari pushed him through the open door. On the wall was a small sign written in the ancient language; The Kazekage's quarters.

"What's the Kazekage?" he asked, looking at the sign intently as though that would give him the answers. Temari joined him in staring at the sign.

"The Kazekage is the ruler of Sunagkure," she said, voice higher and clearer as though she had recited this many times before, "It was my father before he died and his father before him. It is now my youngest brother. Tradition states that the torch must be passed from youngest brother to youngest brother. My father was the youngest male of his siblings, like my brother is now. You are to refer to him as Kazekage-sama or Lord Kazekage as a sign of respect."

Shikamaru nodded, eyes glazed over as he tried to remember all this newly acquired information. Temari didn't seem to mind that he was taking his time looking around the room at all the beautiful artifacts. At the desk in the back of the room, a woman coughed loudly.

"Ah, Kisho-san," said Temari, smiling at the receptionist of sorts, "I would like to speak to Gaara."

Kisho smiled back and nodded before standing up out of her seat. She wore the same loin cloth as Temari but it was a little more ragged. It was strange, Shikamaru thought, that these people were so civilised but still wearing animal skin for clothing. Maybe strange was an understatement. It was completely baffling.

There was a large hole in the wall in the shape of a door, covered in small beads that hung from the top of the indent. It was obviously supposed to separate the rooms and did a fairly good job of it. Kisho led them to the next room and Shikamaru followed cautiously behind with his hands in his pockets. The room they entered was bright, almost everything was covered in sand. There was a small animal rug on the floor in front of a wooden table made from tree trucks. It was relatively smooth.

Behind the desk sat a red haired man, dark skin and strange black markings around his eyes. He had his eyes closed and was leaning back in his chair facing the ceiling above their heads. Kisho bowed deeply.

"Kazekage-sama, you have visitors. Your sister, Temari-hime and her guest." She bowed once more before exiting the room causing the beads hanging on the door to shake. Temari grabbed his shoulder and pushed him forward slightly.

"Gaara," she said, and Shikamaru assumed that using his name wasn't a form of disrespect between the siblings, "This is Nara Shikamaru. I found him unconscious in the forest. He got separated from his group on an expedition and doesn't know his way back." Shikamaru didn't tell her that he could find his way if given the chance. He thought better of opening his mouth to speak to the ruler of Sunagakure. This was the main chief. He must be cruel and a dominant figure. He would hardly listen to a mere human.

"Step forward Nara Shikamaru," he commanded and Shikamaru was startled to see that Gaara was no older than him. He wore traditional robes made from the finest material, embroidered with different patterns. Shikamaru did as he was told, taking his hands out of his pockets in the process. Gaara eyed Shikamaru with great intensity, scrutinizing him completely and not bothering to do the human thing and look away. But then again, who said he was human?

"You may stay for the time being," he said, his voice as clear as Temari's, "You will stay in my home under my surveillance and my people will take you to the cabin in a few days."

Shikamaru blinked startled out of whatever thoughts were flowing through his mind. How did Gaara even know that he was going to the cabin? Temari pushed his shoulder a little harder.

"Thank you Kazekage-sama," he said, his voice its usual bored self. Temari looked at him incredulously as if he was insane.

"You will keep our secret when you leave," said Gaara and even though he said it quietly, it sounded like a threat. Shikamaru nodded once before stuffing his hands back into his pockets. Temari bowed, forcing Shikamaru to do the same and then led him back out of the chambers. She said goodbye to Kisho at the main room and walked outside into the cool air with Shikamaru at her heels.

"I'll show you where you will be staying," said Temari, walking a few steps ahead of him at a brisk pace. Shikamaru would have had to run if he was the kind of person to try and keep up. As it was, he lagged behind because he was far too tired to do much more. The people in the street obviously didn't think it was rude to point and whisper about the new presence in their town. Childrens' eyes widened when he passed, often running to their parents to keep out of harms way.

Temari led him on the short cut to the Kazekage quarters, walking proudly down the streets of her home. She stopped to let Shikamaru catch up every once in a while but it was pointless because he continued to fall behind. They reached the large house soon enough and Shikamaru followed the Suna woman up the steps. A vast variety of flowers were decorating the pathway and there were strange markings up the sides of the walls. He couldn't concentrate on what they were. He was far too tired to concentrate.

Inside the house was an aray of beautiful furniture, all made of glass or some kind of material. There were large pillars in the four corners of the room, everything else was sand.

"You will stay in that room to the right. My brother Kankurou will not be home for a few days anyway," she said, taking the ties from her hair, "In the morning, I will have questions for you and I expect answers. You may sleep now. I assume you are tired after travel."

Shikamaru didn't need to be told twice and was in his appointed room before all the ties were out of Temari's hair. He lay on the sheets of animal skin and didn't bother looking around the room. Instead, he turned face first into the warmth of the bed and slept. In the morning, he would have questions for her too.


So what did you think? All feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it's to tell me that this story sucks or you are enjoying it. I can't get better without knowing how you feel about the story. I'll update ASAP. It shouldn't be long until then. Thanks for reading. The next chapter is slightly longer.