Chapter 3 of Thunderclouds

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

They walked back to the camp and he found himself thinking more about what Tenten said than the actual events.

Days passed with no sign there was ever a village of Sound. A cloud of uncomfortable anguish had settled over the once lively Konoha. When would the next attack be? How hard would their resting rain down on them? The pessimistic were sure the end of Konoha was near.

Tenten was irritated to say the least. Now a jounin, she was constantly working to defend the border that wasn't being attacked. Her head felt violated. To what purpose had the loss of her hair served? She subconsciously fingered the existing tendrils. Slowly she inched her hand down to the nape of her neck at the oddly-shaped bruise that hadn't healed yet.

I wonder why he didn't kill me… The question that had been plaguing her mind for weeks resurfaced unexpectedly. Even though Tenten was now a respected ninja she knew Sasuke could have easily killed both Shikamaru and herself. He had been so fast… but so had Naruto. The legendary sannins could really teach.

I need to talk to Shikamaru. He was there. Maybe he knew why they were still alive. Shikamaru was, after all, a genius. Tenten groaned. How was she going to persuade him it wasn't a troublesome topic?

Shikamaru was lying on his bed in shock. The day had been something out of a horror story… The only relief was coming home to find his mother admonishing his father about the clothes he didn't fold properly. Finally, something normal.

Damn you, Uchiha! He screamed inwardly as he punched his pillow. The bed that had been a place of rest and comfort for nineteen years had suddenly become cold and unfeeling.

All he wanted from life was an average job as a ninja. An average looking wife. Two kids, a girl than a boy. To retire when his daughter married and his son got a job. And to die before his wife. Already he had crossed off the average job, but what else would have to scratch itself from his list?

He scratched violently at the cursed seal on his neck. A grim Tsunade confirmed his new link to Orochimaru. She spent hours trying to find a way to get rid of his seal. Not one technique would seal it. The hokage assigned him a new mission, as well. It was simple but heartbreaking for him. Leave Konoha and, disguised as a traveler, move to the mountains until she found a seal for him. At the end of the exhausting day she shoved a scroll over her desk to him that confirmed his fate. A last will and testament.

Not that he had much to write on it. Shikamaru never had a girlfriend and still lived with his parents. All he wrote on the will was 'Give everything to my parents. They can sort the rest out.'

"You really are one of the best shinobi in Konoha, Shikamaru. When you're motivated, that is. You've brought back more living comrades than dead, and for that, I have to thank you," Tsunade said as she opened the door for him, "Good luck, Nara Shikamaru."

Tsunade looked so aged and resigned when she said her farewell to him that he couldn't even whine about how troublesome it was.

Mother…Father…Chouji…Ino…Asuma…Naruto…Sakura…Kiba…Tenten…Were his last coherent thoughts before he fell into a disturbing sleep.

Green and yellow eyes with slits for pupils stared into his own muddy eyes. Shikamaru had never felt so terrified and over what? He screamed, stumbling further into the nightmare. The eyes just stared back into his… amused. Then another set appeared next to them. The blood filled irises with three dark tadpoles swimming around the center.

"Shikamaru-kun, are you coming to my village?" chuckled a sinister voice.

Shikamaru fell further backwards. His lips felt incapable of movement and his body was numb. What was happening? What was Orochimaru doing in his head?

A sterner voice made itself known, "There's a problem we need your brain for. In exchange we will remove your seal."

Bullshit…

The Nara finally found his voice, "Why…?"

Orochimaru answered, "Why you? We know your IQ is over 200. We need you to solve a certain… problem that has presented itself to us."

Every inch of his body was still throbbing, "Why…?"

"We knew you wouldn't come to us unless you had something you needed from us. That's a different kind of cursed seal. In each passing month that you don't solve our problem you'll lose the memory of someone close to you. Orochimaru will cancel the seal when you do what is necessary," replied a pitiless Sasuke.

Shikamaru tried to move, but he couldn't. He had never felt so helpless. Even so, he felt resolute. He would say no, for the sake of his village.

"No? Is that your answer?" Orochimaru asked expectantly, "We thought you might say that. Remember, though, I can control you through this seal. If you don't help us we will use you to kill your own family. Your own friends."

Shikamaru was drowning in his unrelenting future. What could he do to save his village and his friends? He could kill himself.

Sasuke looked bored, "You can't kill just yourself with that seal. We've attached you to that girl, Tenten. Your fate is her fate. You will bring her with you to avoid death."

Trapped and ready for the slaughter. That's what he was. Shikamaru had no choice but to agree.

Tenten's brown eyes fluttered open and she looked at her alarm clock. She grinned slightly, it was 5:59. One minute, she was always awake one minute before she had to be.

Mmmm… Yawning cheerfully she hopped out of her covers. Tenten never understood why she was so happy in the morning. Just the idea of a new day streaming in with the sunlight was enough to keep her positive until lunch.

After a quick shower, she pulled on her clothes and glanced at herself in the mirror. Tenten's body was lean and muscular. Her light pink sleeveless shirt buttoned up on the right side of her chest. It was elbow length and baggy, covering her top half modestly as she never felt the need to show off. Sometimes the other kunoichi tried to take her shopping for tighter clothes. She'd politely decline saying 'Where would I hide my weapons?'

They have a perverted answer for every weapon possible. She thought with a small giggle. Tenten grabbed an apple and jogged out the door for her morning training.

"Aaah!" She shouted as she tripped over something warm on her way out.

Rubbing her backside as she stood up she turned around to berate whatever tripped her.

"Shikamaru-san?" She said, surprised.

Shikamaru was rubbing his leg and had the audacity to glare at her.

"Ow," was all he grumbled before standing up.

Apparently he had been sitting there waiting for her to come out. Tenten had rarely ever seen him outside of work. In fact, she found it strange for him to be here at all. It seemed so troublesome for him. Actually, the weirdest thing was the large pack strapped to his back.

Shikamaru groaned, "This is troublesome, but I need to check something. Could you pull down your collar for me?"

Tenten almost fainted. Shikamaru-san's a pervert! She reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai.

"Of course not," She all but shouted, "You're such a pervert!"

Shikamaru put his hands up defensively. He backed off, clearly frightened of the angry Tenten.

"No! No. It's nothing like that! I just have to-"

"Check that I'm a girl?" She growled, furious about his reference to her boyish hair, and raised her kunai over his head.

Shikamaru swiftly sidestepped under her arm and stood behind her. A shadow crept to Tenten's body and she froze in mid spin. Oh no! I can't believe I didn't think about that. She felt the all the blood in her body rush to her face as her arm reached back and grabbed her collar. The collar pushed down slowly… One inch, two inches, three inches. Then, her collar was pulled back up.

"You women are so troublesome. Men say something and you automatically think it's some kind of reference to your looks. There's something… wrong with you and me. The hokage will explain it to you herself," Shikamaru said, "Now, I'm releasing my jutsu. But you have to calm down, pack your things, and walk with me to the hokage's office. If you pull out another kunai I'll use kage mane again."

Tenten snarled. So that's how it was going to be. Hold on… pack?

"You can let me go, I won't hurt you," She said grudgingly, "But why do I have to pack?"

"I can't tell you with so many people around," He muttered, "Just do it. Everything will be explained in the hokage's office."

Tenten felt the use of her body return and in a fit of indignance stomped on his foot before reentering her apartment.

"Oh." Tenten said falling weakly into her seat.

Tsunade looked apologetic, "I'm sorry but there is no other way. With this war going on, I can't spend all of my shinobi's time watching you two. And with Shikamaru's updates, you can't afford to stay in Konoha."

Tenten glanced at Shikamaru who was avoiding everyone's gaze while staring out the window. What was going to happen to the two of them? Were they just going to do what Orochimaru wanted and then somehow get back to the lives they used to live? The seal was tingling. Her old life no longer mattered.

"What will you tell our friends?" She asked, not truly wanting to know the answer.

Tsunade closed her eyes, "They'll think that you and Shikamaru were given slow acting poisons during the last battle. To them you are dead."

Tenten's eyes began to water. I can't cry here, I can't cry here! This new information meant she wouldn't even be able to say good-bye to her friends. She was going to be buried alive. She was pounding on the lid and it wouldn't budge. Tenten felt Shikamaru's body tense. He didn't know about this part either.

With an enormous amount of effort she pushed herself out of the chair and grabbed her pack. As she walked out the door, she turned and looked Tsunade in the eye.

"You know, Hokage-sama? On my first day as a genin Gai-sensei asked us what our goals were. Mine was to be like you."

And with one last look at her former idol, she stepped out into the hallway and into her future.

--:--Author's Note--:--

Eep! That chapter was hard to write. I hit a writer's block four or five times. But here it is, chapter three of Thunderclouds! I hope you enjoyed it.

Please review!