Disclaimer: I still will not ever own Naruto unless I suddenly dominate the world in the future . . .
Author's Note: I thought about writing a sequel to the other story, but I couldn't think of any ideas. But then last night I suddenly thought an idea, and started elaborating on it. And I'm not good at writing sequels, so, ah . . . consider this an EXPERIMENT. Sometimes EXPERIMENTS fail.
Warning: Another sad story. And if you haven't read I fled. She fell., then this will make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. So if you haven't read that, go read that first. And like I said earlier, EXPERIMENTS sometimes fail.
Despair
or
Silent Tears
无声的泪水
"A broken heart bleeds tears."
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
The last time Shikamaru had seen Temari was ten years ago.
She stood beside him in battle, wearing the new forehead protector. Shikamaru noticed that it had a nick on the bottom right corner. But he didn't say anything.
That was right before he lost her, before he lost everyone.
But he'd promised her that he'd find her.
Shikamaru was back home, leaping through the forests of Konoha where deer once roamed.
They were all dead now.
He frowned.
Don't think about that, he told himself.
He stared at the moonlit sky, stared at the three stars shining up above.
Temari . . .
Where are you?
Are you hiding from me?
Are the higher powers torturing us and keeping us apart?
Why can't I find you?
Shikamaru raced on, thinking, remembering.
It was the day when
"Hey, why do you always wear that, even when you don't need to?"
"You mean my forehead protector?"
"Yeah."
"Well . . . it symbolizes that one is a ninja. I'm not good at explaining things . . . but the Sand's ninja are proud, so wearing the forehead protector is a symbol of pride for us. There are a few exceptions, though . . . but if a Sand ninja goes missing, and then their forehead protector is found, it means that the ninja went down fighting . . . does that make sense?"
"So if I find your forehead pro-"
"Silly! I'm not going to die!"
What if she's dead? What if you've searched for nothing? For a dead person who you're never going to find?
His thoughts flew to the memories of that woman. The woman who had saved him from the Ten-Tails.
She's dead too.
That woman . . . she had resembled Temari.
But she hadn't been wearing a forehead protector.
Temari always wore her forehead protector. She said that it indicated that she was a shinobi, a ninja.
It couldn't have been her. It couldn't have been her.
No. Temari wouldn't have taken the forehead protector off. He knew her. She wouldn't have. The only reason she wouldn't be wearing it would be if she was-
He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the Hidden Sand forehead protector.
It had a slight nick on the bottom right corner.
But Shikamaru didn't say anything. He just stood there and let the tears fall.
When someone is truly sad,
he doesn't moan, or wail, or sob.
When someone is truly sad,
he sheds silent tears,
silent tears of despair.