Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.
A/N: Short, but the next one will be a bit longer and fill in a few gaps. Happy reading.

Chapter Two: Under the Sun

The heat was almost enough to make him long for the cold, bleak dark of his cell. Cloudless and blue, the sun beat down upon him from high over head. He lounged beneath a tall tree, its branches so thin and leaves so brittle that they offered no protection. It was the only tree nearby, however, and he did not possess the energy or willpower to locate more decent shade. Then again, he didn't have the energy to do much of anything.

Ordinarily it took three days to reach Suna. According to his calculations, it had been two days since his banishment. He did not know how far he had run that first day, and he had no desire to ever find out. It was not difficult, however, to assess that he was no longer in the Land of Fire and that the Suna deserts were looming near if the sand that filled the gaps between his fingers and toes was anything to go by.

Among other things, Shikamaru was also fairly certain that he smelled awful. Dried sweat clung to him like a second film of skin. Dirt was caked on his body and clothes; he was sure he felt just as awful as he looked. Nightmares plagued him in his sleep and for that he forced himself to stay awake. But even with his eyes wide open, visions of his family, friends and home caused torment and pain beyond that of which he'd ever felt before.

It wasn't long until he began to wonder if his mind had been dragged down to the cold depths of insanity.

His stomach growled, twisting in agony. The last he had eaten had been stale bread in his little cell. When he had left Konoha, he had not stopped to eat or drink - hadn't stopped to do much of anything but wail in despair. Now he was sorely regretting his ignorance, particularly now that his common sense and infamous genius had been returned to him. There was nothing to provide food or water and he lacked the strength to move away. Strangely calm, he realized that death was inevitable; at this rate he would die either of starvation or dehydration.

But then, he mused bitterly, perhaps he wanted to die.

Shikamaru winced as his stomach let loose another rumble of protest. His throat too dry to moan, he settled for closing his eyes, his head lolling back to rest against the tree trunk. It was painfully silent as a dry wind swept overhead. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his chin.

I can't take it anymore.

To most an hour out in the sun would be murder. To the people of Suna, however, the heat was a natural and welcome part of their home. They had all long since adapted to the dry, harsh winds and lack of rainfall. Visitors often felt as if they had been tossed in the fiery pits of hell itself and indeed it often seemed there was no escape.

It was in such heat that Temari set out on her mission. In all honesty it wasn't really a mission - more or less the result of her extreme boredom and having a younger brother as Kazekage there to relieve such boredom as he saw fit. Unfortunately this meant being paired with Kankurou and assigned patrol duty. Patrol was, again, an understatement, she thought, unless two miles north east of the village itself could be considered 'patrol'.

A sigh escaped her lips as she held up a hand to shield her blue eyes from the sun. There was nothing but barren desert before her, the only sign of life the glimmering black dot that marked Kankurou's position some meters ahead. So long as they were being honest, she had to admit that this was rather pointless grunt work. She could be doing something productive, such as training - all the better to beat Pineapple-head the next time she saw him.

An amused smirk twitching at her lips, Temari hoisted up her fan and dashed off after her brother. He seemed just as bored as she was, if not only more so. How he managed to keep cool in his dark clothes, she would never know, but he didn't break a sweat as they dashed further away from Suna Village.

"Did you find anything?" Temari grunted, sparing a glance at Kankurou as they ran.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Why, were you expecting something?"

"It doesn't hurt to ask," she retorted. They bickered on for several more minutes until they came to another stop. "I'll take the left, you go right." Kankurou nodded and set off to scout to the right while Temari trudged to the left. As she walked, her mind wandered back to the day's chores and other things she had neglected to do; at least there wouldn't be anyone waiting to yell at her when she returned.

A ball of dust began to rise in the sudden warm breeze. Aside from the unsettled dirt, Temari saw nothing of remote interest. There were no birds in the cloudless sky, no lizards scuttling between rocks; not a single insect buzzed in the air. Thus, had it never moved, she would have never realized that there was something - or someone - lurking beneath the tree that lay several meters away.

Her eyes narrowed as she set off at a silent sprint, a scowl marring her rose red lips the closer she came. Now she could make out a figure huddled at the trunk of the tree, though she could not get close enough to properly identify him (or her) without giving away her position.

"Kankurou," she hissed, her fingers switching on the mike at her throat. "Over."

"Yeah, Temari? Over." Kankurou's voice was slightly obstructed by static; he was father away than she thought.

"I found something," she replied. Temari paused. "I'm going in. Over."

"... Be careful, Temari. Over."

Temari took in a deep breath, momentarily closing her eyes before she slowly made her way over to the tree. As she neared, the person did not move. Temari found this to be quite odd; wouldn't someone stuck in the middle of nowhere be searching for water or food? Unless they didn't want to be found...

Hand placed delicately on her fan, she took one last step around the tree.

"Pineapple head?"