AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello, hello!

I'm glad you've made it this far (or perhaps more appropriately, that I haven't managed to scare you off yet). I hope to stray off the path a little bit from here on out, so this doesn't turn into just another ShikaTem. I hope you enjoy!

Let's see just how far the rabbit hole goes,

M. Turing

P.S.

Apologies for the lack of recent updates…that whole school thing. Good news: I'm on break. Bad news: not entirely sure how often I'll be updating. At the moment, I'm thinking there might be quite a bit of time between updates…but that might change…if people sound like they're interested in reading more…*cough*…review...

/AUTHOR'S NOTE


Chapter 4: Kunai


The door's handle was cool in Kankuro's hand; behind him, he heard Gaara speaking softly with the two elderly councilors who'd taken it upon themselves to harass the Kazekage before the council meeting proper.

"Kazekage-sama, I think it would be wise to hold back our younger genin from the exams; it wouldn't do to send them before we can be…sure…of their abilities."

Gaara fixed the elderly ninja with his full attention, mentally preparing to battle both the suggestion and the isolationist rationale hiding below it, "Kantou-san, I understand your concerns, but don't you think it better we leave that decision up to their jounin instructors? "

"But Kazekage-sama, imagine the…repercussions…if their instructors have overestimated their—"

Kankuro felt the old man's nasal voice fading into the background; it was yet another of the many 'grave' mistakes his brother was making. Sometimes, he wondered how his brother could take it all—even now his knuckles were itching to send the pompous fool sliding across the carpet on his ass. It was hard enough making improvements, but now council members were even showing up at their house to continue harassing Gaara! Kankuro's fingers slowly wound themselves into two fists as his eyes narrowed on his two unsuspecting victims—Kantou still arguing with Gaara and his accomplice Chonko nodding his head vigorously beside him.

As if sensing his brother's increasingly hostile thoughts, Gaara suddenly looked up from his conversation, immediately catching Kankuro's eyes in his own unshakable gaze.

"Kankuro, Please make sure Temari's ready. We need to be leaving soon."

He had been about to do it anyway, but Gaara's words made it clear that his anger had been too visible. At this rate, Gaara might not even let him into the council room. Suppressing a snicker at the memory of Gaara forcibly restraining him from hurting a particularly stupid council member at the last meeting, Kankuro decided that he would most definitely not be allowed into the meeting. It was a good thing Temari would be there to help Gaara out. Kankuro's hand tightened around the knob to Temari's room and turned.

Through the small opening between the door and its frame, Kankuro glimpsed Shikamaru's feet—remembering with some amusement the leaf nin's desert adventure. "Shika—", Kankuro stuck his head past the door, "MARU"

The door slammed into the wall as Kankuro hurtled himself at the leaf nin who currently had his sister pinned in a rather compromising position on the bed.

'Dead. That bastard is dead.'

Kankuro's arm pulled back as he gathered chakra into his fist; Shikamaru reacted too slowly—he was wide open, and Kankuro had every intention of making him pay for it. Kankuro's fist flew forward, intent on crushing the right side of the leaf nin's face.

"TRAITOR!"

Kankuro almost tripped over himself, landing an awkward half-blow to Shikamaru's cheek.

"Kazekage-sama! This is unacceptable! Treason! Sedition! Guards!"

Turning, Kankuro found the source of the screaming-Chonko stood in the doorway, red faced, and pointing into Temari's room like he'd seen an enemy nin making off with Suna's greatest secrets. Seeing the obnoxious and apparently crazed man, Kankuro winced; he had only intended to crack the door open. Temari was going to kill him.

"Guards! Guards!"

Kankuro, for the life of him, couldn't understand what the senile man was yelling at, following the councilor's outstretched finger towards himself—no, towards…turning Kankuro followed the councilor's outstretched finger to Temari, running across Shikamaru's discarded Konoha headband in the process.


Three days later…

Shikamaru stared out the window of his new room-a simple apartment in one of Suna's inns. With a loud sigh, he let his head drop, wincing as his bruised cheek met his arm. That morning had gone from amazing to horrifying in the space of moments. Worst of all, he couldn't get that old man out of his mind. Closing his eyes, Shikamaru walked through the ordeal again.

The door opening, Kankuro hitting him, that annoying man's yells, but-worst of all—the man behind him, the one next to Gaara. Even after Gaara had ordered the loud one to be silent, the man's face had maintained the same smile—as though he had just … won something. It wasn't Gaara's orders that he move to his current room or the sudden disappearance of Temari and her brothers that bothered him, it was that stupid smile. The man hadn't said a word the entire time, but somehow…it just felt like trouble.

Shaking his head, Shikamaru attempted to forget, to pretend the entire thing hadn't happened. He had just arrived in Suna, and Temari and her brothers were simply too busy to talk to him…for three days straight…

Shikamaru vaguely noted the door opening silently behind him as he played through the horrifying incident yet again.

"Nara-san", the voice was low, barely audible, and completely devoid of feeling. Shikamaru suppressed the urge to shrink away as Gaara walked into his room, moving to stand beside his windowsill perch.

"I apologize for my lack of free time over the past few days. As I'm sure you're aware, something urgent came up".

Shikamaru found himself holding his breathe, "How bad is it?"

"It could be worse. Relations between shinobi of different villages, as I'm sure you're aware", Shikamaru swallowed hard at the emphasis, "are forbidden. Councilor Chonko wasn't exaggerating when he called for guards."

The silence stretched for several minutes—a time Shikamaru filled by directing every insult he knew at himself. There was no question; even in the progressive Konoha a relationship between two shinobi of different villages meant censure, removal from any sensitive information, demotion to C and D ranked missions, and likely an ANBU tail for good measure. That was, of course, for a regular shinobi—not one who had the power to sway the Hokage. This was not going to be good.

"What's the damage?", Shikamaru againt felt himself incapable of breathing, waiting for Gaara to deliver the news.

Without a word, Gaara turned and walked out the way he had come, leaving the door ajar. Shikamaru took the hint and followed the Kazekage, his apprehension building with every step.

Gaara finally stopped on the top floor of the inn, stepping out onto a balcony overlooking Suna's main square. Below them, Shikamaru could faintly hear music and laughter. Looking closer, Shikamaru found himself blinking in an attempt to clear his eyes: below him the Sunans were wearing not just colors, but bright colors. Men dressed in blues and greens danced happily with women in reds, oranges, and pinks whilst children clad in every color of the rainbow chased each other. It was rare to see a Sunan deviate from dessert yellows and browns, but this many villagers—there must have been nearly a quarter of the village below him-all wearing such bright clothing was bizarre.

"They look happy don't they?"

Shikamaru looked questioningly at the Sunan leader, "What's going on?"

Gaara sighed as though a great weight had landed on his shoulders, breathing deep several times before answering.

"It's a celebration."

Shikamaru felt his interest fading, absently turning to the cloud-filled sky—maybe it would help him calm down until Gaara finally told him what was going to happen.

"They're celebrating a marriage, Shikamaru."

A cloud shaped like a kunai was slowly making its way towards an amorphous blob a small distance away. Shikamaru suddenly found the collision one of the most interesting things he had ever seen.

"If it were anyone else, the council would have left it to my discretion, but they wouldn't let this slide. She has too much sway to risk having her loyalties divided. I had no choice."

Shikamaru felt his stomach drop. Gaara wasn't saying…

A flash of blond hair caught Shikamaru's eye below. He could see Temari, her hair still tied into four distinctive bunches, making her way across the square. Shikamaru's throat tightened as he took in the soft white kimono she wore, and the children throwing flowers at her feet.

Shiamaru ripped his eyes away from the square and Temari to send a questioning glance toward Gaara—who kept his eyes trained on the square below.

Looking back, Shikamaru saw Temari stepping forward into the arms of a black clad man, her arms wrapping securely around his neck.

"He's a good man Shikamaru"

Temari smiled, then leaned forward—her lips brushing her husband's lightly before he pulled her tighter, deepening the kiss. Shikamaru felt a kunai bury itself in his heart as Temari's arms tightened around the man's neck, pulling him even further into the kiss.

"I've informed the Hokage of the situation, and she's agreed that it would be best if you left immediately."


End Flashback

It had been hours since Temari left his room; the moon had long ago crested in the sky, and was steadily marching towards the horizon. Lying on his bed, Shikamaru was as awake now as he had been the moment she left; the events of that horrible trip replaying continuously in his mind.