A/N: So, I've been thinking, and after redrawing an old OC named Kurogane, I've decided that she is me and I am her. So this is my story, and how I came to be "Mrs. Naara". Enjoy!
Chapter 1
She waited patiently in the abnormally shaped limbs of the tree. The colors of autumn had tainted the leaves all shades of orange and yellow. She knew that one false move would send all the leaves that hid her plummeting to the ground, thus revealing her position. Her nimble fingers reached into the tan pouches on either side of the belt that rested on her hips withdrawing three slightly rusted shuriken on both sides and letting them rest in her gloved palms. Her target was walking cautiously towards the tree that she sat in, his head darting left and right with a kunai at the ready. She lowered her head to get a better view of the target. He had jet black hair that was tied into several small braids, most likely a clan style. His eyes were almost as dark as his hair, but not dark enough to blend in with his fear stricken pupils. His clothes were dirty and torn in several places. His pale white arms were visible through a rather large tear in his fishnet sleeves. Over the fishnet undershirt was a light gray protective vest. He wore thin gray pants that reached his ankles and black sandals. Is her aim was accurate and her timing was right, she figured that she could land him in the chest where a rather large opening in the vest left him vulnerable. Her olive colored hair hung down in her face as she readied to attack. As she raised her weapons, a kunai knife flew through the air and landed the target in the unprotected portion of his back. The target collapsed on the ground, his kunai skidding gracefully across the forest floor. Kurogane jumped down from her perch and was swiftly joined by two others. One of them had olive hair like hers only shorter, and had bright green eyes. He wore a long sleeved gray shirt under his protective vest and black pants that tucked into his black sandals. The other had bright blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and wore a tan tank top and fishnet elbow gloves. Her gray skirt reached to about mid-thigh and was loose enough to run in. Her knees were covered in similar fishnet to the ones that lined her arms and she wore black sandals like her teammates. Kurogane herself wore a navy tank top, vermilion skirt and navy sandals.
"Don't worry Kuro-Chan, he's only unconscious," the blonde, Kabuki, said, crossing her arms over her chest. Kurogane smirked at her teammate, her gaze falling back on the body before them moments later. She ran her fingers through her feathered hair and sighed.
"Kabuki, you have outdone yourself. Tell me something though—how much solution did you put on that kunai?" Kurogane asked, watching as Kabuki removed the knife from their target's back. Kabuki stared at the body for a moment and looked at the cut that the kunai had made.
"I dipped it in four times. I figured that if I was going to attack that the wound should at least heal itself, considering that the Kazekage will want to speak with him when he comes to," Kabuki explained while cleaning off and putting away the kunai knife that had knocked out their target.
"Does he have the stolen goods?" the third person, Yuuto, asked. Kurogane got down on one knee and used a kunai of her own to cut the straps on the target's canvas backpack. She opened it by the main zipper and examined the contents.
"All four secret scrolls and the missing weapons are accounted for, Nee-Sama," Kurogane said, tossing the canvas bag to her older brother. Yuuto caught it casually and after examining the contents for himself he tucked it under his arm. Kurogane stood up and all three glares fell on the body once more.
"What are we going to do with him?" Yuuto asked, gesturing to the body. All three ninja's exchanged sideways glances before letting their gaze fall back on the target. It grew awkwardly silent between them as they pondered what to do next.
"We could always tie him to a tree and get the anbu to retrieve him later," Kabuki suggested, resting her right elbow in her left palm and using her hand to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Kurogane shrugged her shoulders.
"It isn't the anbu's job to clean up our messes Kabuki," Kurogane pointed out. Yuuto nodded in agreement with his sister.
"You make a valid point Kuro-Chan. But Temari-Sempai didn't tell us what to do with the target when or if we caught him," he said. Another silence fell over the three teammates.
"I still say we tie him to a tree…" Kabuki said seriously. She even appeared unfazed at the skeptical gazes of her teammates.
Kurogane dropped the canvas backpack onto Temari's metal table in the mission assignment hut about an hour later. The blonde jonin stared up at Kurogane and pursed her lips in confusion at her. Temari waited for an explanation for the sudden action.
"The stolen goods," Kurogane explained in a monotonous tone of voice. Temari nodded and turned back to the paperwork on the table in front of her. She set down her pen and folded her hands together.
"Is the target in custody?" Temari asked. Kurogane nodded once at her superior.
"Yuuto and Kabuki took four anbu out into the forest to collect him," Kurogane said. Temari opened her mouth to say something but Kurogane held up her left index finger to stop her. "And before you say anything—yes he was subdued… tied to a tree and unconscious. That was Kabuki's doing," she said. Temari gave a loud laugh and continued chuckling to herself after the fact.
"Well, that's Kabu-Chan for you. Excellent work, as always. Here's your pay," Temari said, handing a sack of coins to Kurogane. The olive haired girl weighed the bag in one hand, then the other, switching the hand that she held the bag in every ten seconds or so.
"Are we still on for the double date tonight?" Temari asked. Kurogane sighed and tied the coins to her belt.
"Temari, as much as I love going out on Friday nights with you for curry, I don't really think it's such a good idea to set me up with another one of your boyfriend's friends…" Kurogane said with a sigh. "Not after the last time you tried to set me up with a guy…" she shuddered. Temari laughed at the thought of Kurogane's most recent date. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know not to call him fat?"
"Don't worry Kuro-Chan; I think you'll really like this guy! He's just your type… I know so," Temari reassured her distressed friend.
"Again, Temari—as much as I appreciate your efforts, can't we just go out for curry as friends? No boyfriends or blind dates?" Kurogane pleaded, her hands folded together in distress. Temari sighed and put both hands to her forehead. She sighed loudly, and met gazes with her friend.
"I'll make you a deal Kurogane. You come to the restaurant with me and Shikamaru tonight, meet the guy, and if you hate him then I promise to stop setting you up on blind dates," Temari reasoned. Kurogane sighed in defeat and looked around the room nonchalantly, finally staring at Temari again.
"Fine—I accept your deal… for the curry, not for the date," Kurogane said. Temari jumped up from her seat and hugged Kurogane tightly.
"You won't regret it, I promise!" she said happily. Kurogane sighed and pulled away from Temari's death hug.
"I'm going to go train for a bit… I'll meet you at the gates at 7:30?" Kurogane asked. Temari nodded quickly.
"Sounds great, I'll see you then!" she said. Kurogane turned and trotted to the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by two large wooden puppets. She screeched and jumped back when one of them opened its mouth with a creek, revealing a light pink sand rose. Kurogane rolled her eyes and her mouth tightened in exasperation.
"Kankuro!" she called out angrily. The brunette poked his head out from behind the puppets and gave her a goofy grin.
"Hey Kuro-Chan; fancy meeting you here!" Kankuro said. Kurogane groaned and put her thumb and index finger to her left temple, rubbing the vein that had popped out. Kankuro's puppets vanished into thin air, and Kurogane evaded him, making her way down the hall swiftly. "Kuro-Chan!" Kankuro called after her. Kurogane turned around and faced her friend's annoying brother.
"What do you want Kankuro?" Kurogane snapped. Kankuro flinched a little bit, but quickly recovered.
"I was—well, I was just wondering if you wanted to get some lunch sometime, you know… like a date," Kankuro stammered. Kurogane sighed and decided to let him down gently rather than yell at him. Yes; Kankuro could be an annoying ass sometimes—it was true. But that didn't mean she had to be a jerk to him.
"Look, Kankuro—you are a really nice guy and all… and any other time I'd probably say yes. But your sister got me a blind date for tonight, and I promised to meet him," Kurogane said. Okay; it wasn't a complete lie. She was just—using Temari as a cover up to get the creep away from her!
"Oh, okay," Kankuro said. Kurogane began to walk away, but Kankuro's gloved hand grabbed her bicep. "Kuro-Chan? Will you at least take this desert rose? I found it just for you…" he said. Kurogane took the flower and smiled genuinely at her friend's brother.
"Thank you Kankuro…" she said. And she meant it too.
Kurogane found herself smirking as she sat casually on her favorite tree's branch. This specific tree had housed a platform at one point, but had been taken down as she and Yuuto grew older. The tree that rested outside of the gates to the sand village held a lot of memories for her. A lot of her ninja training had taken place in this tree because of its enormous height and durability. Even as it grew a new layer of bark each year, Kurogane's footprints left a permanent mark on the side she used her chakra to climb up every day. She was smirking because right below her was Temari's current boyfriend, Shikamaru Naara. His black hair was in its signature ponytail that rested on top of his head. He wore his forest green jonin rank vest over a fishnet shirt, and his leaf village headband was tied on his right bicep. Kurogane's grin grew slightly as she timed her ambush. As he passed under her, she crouched and lunged forward, landing the leaf ninja right on the back, sending them both toppling to the ground.
"Hey Shikamaru!" Kurogane said excitedly, getting off of him. A loud huff of air blew away Kurogane's bangs as Shikamaru stood up and brushed himself off.
"Kurogane… how many times have I told you not to do that to me?" his monotonous voice rang out. Kurogane crossed her arms over her chest and gave her own annoyed huff.
"As many times as I've done it?" she said, trying to be funny. Shikamaru held out a hand to help her up and she took it gratefully—standing quickly and losing contact with the leaf jonin. He gestured towards the village as a sign to suggest that they start walking. Kurogane fell into step with him and locked her hands together behind her back.
"So how've you been Shikamaru? Temari-Sama has been pretty distressed since you left last month," Kurogane said, trying to strike up a conversation with him.
"Well I think she's just troublesome if she depends on me like that," Shikamaru said, averting gazes with Kurogane.
"She's not troublesome if she misses her boyfriend!" Kurogane cried. "If she's so troublesome, then why do you date her?" Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.
"She's less troublesome than some people I know," Shikamaru said, poking Kurogane's nose and walking ahead of her. Kurogane blushed deeply and trotted to catch up with Shikamaru.
"Well… you're nothing but a hydrogenated buffoon!" Kurogane said, attempting to insult him. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Do you even know what hydrogenated means?" he asked.
"Well…no—but you are one!" Kurogane said.
"I am unfazed by your sad attempts at insults," Shikamaru said with a fake yawn. Kurogane pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.
"I'll never know why Temari puts up with you…" Kurogane said.
"On the contrary, I don't see why Temari puts up with a troublesome person such as yourself…" Shikamaru countered.
"You know Shikamaru; I don't even know why I put up with you!" Kurogane said. Not missing a beat, Shikamaru said,
"You don't have to put up with me you know." Kurogane felt like saying something, but she knew that her best friend's boyfriend was right. As they entered the sand village, Kurogane could feel a blush inching its way across her face.
"Hey Temari-Kun?" Kurogane asked as they made their way through the village, buying groceries. The blonde jonin stared at Kurogane.
"What's up Kuro-Chan?" she responded, picking up a rather large orange fruit, examining it, and putting it back with the others of its kind. Kurogane picked up the same fruit as she passed and put it back on a pile of similarly shaped pink fruits. Temari shot Kurogane a glance, so she thought it'd be best to ask her question.
"Why do you put up with Shikamaru?" she asked, putting a few instant ramen cups in her basket. Temari's glare stayed on Kurogane.
"What kind of a question is that?" Temari asked rudely.
"An important one to ask… now tell me!" Kurogane said. Temari grabbed a few boxes of Gaara's favorite breakfast food before turning back to her friend.
"I put up with Shikamaru because he's my boyfriend, Kuro-Chan! You wouldn't know this because you're…"
"Single… I know, I know," Kurogane finished for Temari. "But I mean… he's so annoying and full of himself! I swear, if he isn't calling someone troublesome, he'll die!" Temari rolled her eyes.
"He doesn't call me troublesome. So I must be different in some way, right?" Temari asked. Kurogane rolled her eyes. A few of her more recent conversations with Shikamaru came into her mind. All of which included either calling her troublesome, or saying that something about Temari was troublesome. Of course, she didn't need to know that. Temari was waiting for Kurogane's answer. "Uh, yeah… But that's because he's always calling me troublesome," she lied.
"Well, if this is a sad attempt to get out of that blind date tonight, then you fail," Temari said. Kurogane groaned loudly and began sulking, stomping her feet as she walked behind Temari.
"Thank you, Temari—for reminding me of that. I wasn't even thinking about it until just now. Excuse a girl for being curious," Kurogane groaned. Temari made her way to the check out and began putting groceries on the counter so she could pay.
"I really think you'll like this guy Kurogane, trust me," Temari said, handing the money for her groceries to the cashier.
"Have you ever met him?" Kurogane asked. "Because the last time you hadn't met him, and we ALL know how that turned out."
"This time, I picked your date Kurogane," Temari said. The two girls made their way into the main village, where Shikamaru was on a bench reading a book.
"Oh yeah? What's his name?" Kurogane asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"His name is Raiden," Temari smirked. Kurogane's eyes widened in complete horror.
"Raiden? As in Raiden Arai?" she asked.
"Well it's not so much of a blind date anymore, thanks a lot!" Temari said. She paused in thought. "Well, I suppose that he doesn't know that you're his date…" she added.
"Arai-Kun is fuller of himself than Shikamaru, Temari! The man thinks he's a god or something," Kurogane cried. A loud snap startled Kurogane.
"I resent that remark," a monotonous voice followed. Both women turned to Shikamaru who now stood near them. Both of them rolled their eyes in annoyance.
"I stand corrected. No one is more full of themselves than, ladies and gentlemen, Shikamaru Naara," Kurogane said, clapping her hands in an unimpressed rhythm. This earned an eye roll from both Shikamaru and Temari. Kurogane's eyes widened as Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Temari and smirked before kissing his girlfriend. Kurogane covered her eyes and groaned. "Oh come on you guys! That's so not cool!" she cried. Shikamaru only deepened his contact with Temari. "Guys, get a room!" she complained. Kurogane gave a loud groan. "I give up!" she cried before storming off.
Shikamaru smirked to himself as he ended his kiss with Temari. Maybe this girl was less troublesome than she was worth.
A/N: So you can tell that Shikamaru is a bit of a jerk, and dating Temari. Since this is MY backstory, you can most definitely tell that I will be doing some twisting later on.
Oh! And Raiden means godlike—or something along those lines.
Next Chapter: Kurogane goes on her "blind date" with Raiden, Shikamaru, and Temari.
