Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Reaching You, Feeling You

Love Fool Forever

Chapter I: Saving You

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Her foot stepped on the grass lightly. She gripped the handle of her giant fan tighter, sensing movement from behind. She glanced at her siblings, noticing that they've sensed it, too.

The expression on her younger brother's face was scaring her a little. It was like he wanted to kill so badly that he couldn't hold the urge in any longer. The horror on her face mirrored her other younger brother, who looked like he wanted to hold Gaara in place right now.

In this situation, Temari decided to take action herself. "Kankuro," she said. "Go on with Gaara. I'll catch up later."

Kankuro nodded at her slightly. "All right," he said resignedly. "Just hurry up with it."

Temari watched them leave, then spun around and faced the bushes in front of her. "Oi," she said in a bored tone. "Come out, brats. Hiding will get you nowhere."

Three people got out of the bushes with disheveled appearances. One was a guy with long, spiky brown hair and a plump body, one was a girl with long blonde hair tied into a high ponytail, and the other one was another guy with raven hair tied into a high, spiky ponytail.

She got out her fan and slammed it to the ground. "What are you kids hiding for?" she said, a feeling of contempt running through her veins. "Do you really think that you three can take down even one of us just to get our scroll?"

They didn't reply, but she noticed their bodies trembling slightly with fear in their eyes and smirked. "Changed your mind, eh?" She slammed her fan to the ground again, watching them as they jolted. "State your names."

"A-Akimichi Chouji."

"Y-Yamanaka Ino."

"…Nara Shikamaru."

She looked at their headbands. "Konoha shinobi, huh?" Her grip on her fan tightened. "I suggest that you three leave right now if you don't want to get hurt."

The three nodded quickly and disappeared from her sight.

Temari let out a sigh. Good thing Gaara didn't see them… or else they'd be dead by now…

She looked up at the sky, savoring the moment as the wind passed by. It would be hard to find some quiet moments when her country was allying with the Sound and planning to attack Konoha. She knew that there would often be times that she wouldn't be given the chance to think quietly to herself. She knew that this quick moment would give her the smallest amount of peace.

After a few minutes, she stood on her guard again and started to walk off towards where Kankuro and Gaara had gone to when she suddenly heard a scream.

She knew that she should ignore it, but she recognized that shrill voice. It belonged to the blonde girl she met earlier.

She knew that it would add to Gaara's impatience, but her legs had a mind of its own. She had always wanted peace, and she wasn't one for bloodshed. Sure, she was, at times, condescending, cold, and presumptuous, but it didn't mean that she was just like a tool, too. She cared, even if it was just a little.

And she knew that the Konoha shinobi she met earlier had somewhat no chance of retrieving a scroll when they were behaving themselves in that way.

When she got to them, the girl, Ino, was crying while kneeling beside her fallen teammate. The other guy, Chouji, looked somber and was clutching the scroll in his hand. Temari, feeling a bit worried, rushed over to the fallen guy's side.

"What happened?" she demanded, turning to Ino.

"W-We were ambushed, and… and…"

"Where is his wound?" Temari interrupted, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Th-There." She pointed at his side. It was bleeding profusely.

Any minute now, he would be dead, Temari thought. He was hit on a vital part. There's nothing I can do for him.

Unless…

Temari hesitated. No! I can't. He's a stranger. And a Konoha shinobi at that!

But time is running out.

She took a deep breath, thinking of what she was about to do. If I will do it, then I would be greatly exhausted, and Gaara and Kankuro would become suspicious… She looked at the guy, Shikamaru, who was writhing in pain.

There's no more time.

"I-Ino…" Shikamaru said weakly. "Chouji… Sorry…" He was half-conscious now.

And with that, Temari didn't hesitate anymore.

She placed her hands on his side and a pale blue glow began to appear.

Ino's eyes widened. "W-What are you doing?"

"Healing him," Temari replied stiffly.

"But… why?"

I don't know either. Temari gritted her teeth, Kankuro must be wondering where I am now. Damn. Why am I letting myself get soft around these Konoha bunch?

"You can't heal him," Ino said. "He has been stabbed on a vital part. There's… no more hope—"

"Shut up," Temari snapped. "How do you know, anyway? Are you a medic?"

Ino recoiled, fear evident on her face. "I-I know just a little bit from my dad…"

"Then you must also know that this isn't some ordinary healing jutsu," Temari said, sweat starting to trickle down her face. "The chakra's color is pale blue, not green."

Ino looked surprised. "You're right… Then, what kind of jutsu are you using?"

"…A reincarnation jutsu."

"What? That's unheard of!" Ino stared at her as if she were crazy. "How does it work?"

"Basically, the user, giving their life force to the target, uses all their chakra as an intermediary. This technique can be used on both the living and dead. Using it on the living can save and restore the target from an otherwise fatal condition but will leave the user greatly exhausted. When used on the dead, the user will find certain death in exchange for the soul of the deceased. While in use, the released chakra shines a pale-blue color, and if the user's own chakra is insufficient, a third party can assist. Out of humane motives, Sunagakure labeled this technique as a "kinjutsu" immediately after its development. Nowadays, the only one who can use this technique is its developer, Chiyo." Temari bit her lip. "I learned about this from her for she is an elder from my village. She was adamant at first, but I managed to convince her. It wasn't easy though. It took me about two years to be able to get her to teach me. The purpose of this technique was to give life to puppets, the puppets Chiyo had in mind being those of Sasori's parents." She caught the slightly confused look on Ino's face. "Don't worry. I don't know who Sasori is, either. Anyway, this was also for a means to give combat puppets life to increase their efficiency in battle."

Silence filled the surroundings.

Temari was exhausted now. No, I can't give up… I'm almost done… I can do this…

"…Thank you," Ino said finally, grateful tears flowing down her cheeks. "Thank you… Thank you so much."

Before Temari could reply, Shikamaru's half-lidded eyes slowly opened. The wound on his side was completely healed. Temari drew her hands back immediately.

"What… What happened…?" He was sitting up now. His gaze drifted towards his side and he gaped. "I'm… healed? What's going on?" He turned to Ino, seemingly wanting answers.

The blonde started to speak, but Temari beat her to it. "I saved you, idiot." Then, without warning, she started to fall to the ground.

But Shikamaru caught her before she did. "How…?"

"She saved you using a reincarnation jutsu," Ino blurted out. "She saved you, Shikamaru. You should thank her."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's greatly exhausted," Chouji piped in. He looked really happy now, seeing that his friend was all right. "She gave some of her life force to you."

Shikamaru looked at the girl in his arms and sighed. "Troublesome woman…" he muttered. "How could you do that to someone you don't even know…?"

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When Temari opened her eyes, she saw Shikamaru hovering over her, looking bored.

"You awake now?" he said.

She sat up, feeling her head. "What happened to me?" she mumbled.

"You fainted," he said, frowning. "And I have something to ask you."

"What?"

"I feel kind of funny."

"Like? Explain."

"You still feel exhausted, and you're anxious to go back to your brothers."

Her eyes widened slightly. "How—"

"Don't ask," he said, grumbling. "I feel funny because… I think I can feel you."

"What?"

"It's kinda hard to explain," Shikamaru said. "But I can suddenly read your mind and your emotions. I can suddenly know what you're currently feeling." When he saw Temari's stoic expression, he added, "It's like we share a bond, only it's one-way."

"That's impossible," she said. "The consequence for healing a fatal wound is only great exhaustion, whereas for bringing the dead back to life is the death of the user."

"Has someone used it on a person with a fatal wound before?"

She flushed slightly. "No," she admitted. "It had always been the dead. And no one practically uses it. Only the members of the Puppet Brigade can, but the jutsu has been labeled as a kinjutsu."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "You used a forbidden technique on me?" When Temari glared at him, he said angrily, "That's insane, woman. What were you thinking? I'm merely no one to you, right?"

"Why can't you just be grateful, brat?" Temari snapped. "What's done is done. I can't do anything about it now, Yes, I was reckless. Yes, I was wrong. Don't take it out on me!" She stood up angrily, wobbling slightly from weariness. "I'm leaving now. I hope we don't see each other again."

He watched her leave, then he let out a groan. "Why are women always so troublesome?"

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"Where have you been?" Gaara said, a hint of fury detected in his voice.

Temari shuddered slightly. "I… took care of some Konoha brats."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "And it took you about an hour to do that? Usually you finish them off in a few minutes."

"They had… backup," Temari added hastily. "Sorry for taking too long."

"Hmph." Gaara walked off. "Useless."

Temari bit her lip. Damn brats. If only I had let Gaara take care of them…

End

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It's done! This random ShikaTema idea had been in my head for weeks now, and I'm glad that I finally let it all out. Soo, do you guys want me to continue this? I mean, if you want me to, then okay. But if you don't want me to, then it's okay, too. Well, whether this becomes a multi-chapter or not depends on you. Bye bye!