A/N: This story is becoming a bit more involved than I first thought, but that's OK with me. I hope it is with you too.
Italics are thoughts.
Gaara flew on his sand away from the dawning sun over the quickly erected encampment. He was proud of the resiliency of the troops. They had practically lost the war, but they were still pushing on. He then looked up at the towering Shinju tree, a constant reminder of what was to come if they failed, and remembered all they had to lose.
He spotted the large tent that was serving as headquarters and lowered to attend the first meeting of many for the day. He looked over the remaining kage. Tsunade was no longer with them and Onoki was so injured that he didn't even complain about being carried in on Akatsuchi's shoulders. In addition to the remaining kage were Mifune from the Land of Iron, Kurotsuchi, Darui, C, Shizune, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kakashi who was laid out recovering on a stretcher. Everyone sat around a large oval table in the center of the tent. A map was laid across it and other than an almost bare stand-alone bulletin board the tent was unfurnished.
Gaara was the last to enter. He acknowledged everyone and felt Baki and his siblings' absence. Baki had stayed behind in Suna. Kankurou and his division were on their way to the encampment. They would meet with Sai to use his birds to get here as quickly as possible.
However, Temari had not tried to contact him yet. They were just beginning to get things organized and that was the reason for this meeting. It was easily possible that news about the meeting hadn't reached her or that she was just busy with something else. Gaara couldn't fathom anything that she was doing that would be more important than this meeting, but he trusted her judgment.
Onoki started, "I know that no one is in high spirits, but we have to do our best to keep morale up. There will be time to properly mourn our dead once things have settled, but first we need to reorganize, re-strategize and cut that damn tree down."
Gaara quietly stated, "We all agree with you, Onoki. But before we try to cut anything down we need to know where we stand and where we're going."
A stood up, "That's the purpose of this meeting. Tsunade is no longer here, so let's start with the medical division. Shizune, please begin."
Shizune stood. "Yes. The medical division is doing better than expected. With the loss of Tsunade there is a great reduction in our ability to heal large numbers at once during battle, however if that situation presents itself Sakura and Katsuya will do the best they can. Most of our resources are going towards healing the injured. Many are suffering from severe chakra exhaustion which will mostly just take time to heal. We are also making sure that our elite ninja storage scrolls are all accounted for as well as storing anyone else who has died. "
A ensured her, "We know how hard it must be for those of you from Konoha, and we appreciate your professionalism."
Shizune bowed quickly before sitting, "Thank you."
"It will save us time to save the individual division reports until later after they report to Gaara. Otherwise, Gaara what do you have to add."
Gaara clasped his hands in front of him and looked more solemn than usual. "I'll have more to add later. I do have some tasks for our division commanders, but I'm wondering what we should do about Kakashi."
"What do you mean?" asked Mei.
"Kakashi was designated as the next Hokage after the incident with Danzo. Until Konoha has a chance to regroup and meet with their council, I think we should treat Kakashi as the acting Hokage. Are there any objections?"
Everyone turned to the many shinobi from Konoha. No one spoke up as they all looked away from the table and towards the ground. Naruto finally raised his head and said, "Kakashi-sensei has my support." This seemed to be what they were all waiting for and everyone else instantly looked like a problem was resolved.
"I don't know if I'm actually able to be Hokage at the moment. I can hardly stand."
"You will regain your full strength in a few days at most. I think we all saw that you were pivotal in this battle, and you're the last Sharingan user left in The Allied Forces." Sakura informed him.
Shikamaru added, "I don't think anyone will have any sufficient objections especially because it's just temporary."
"OK, I accept this responsibility until we are able to return to Konoha."
"Let's get down to business. We need to come up with a strategy." yelled Onoki.
"What have we tried on the tree so far?" asked A.
Onoki answered, "We know that trying to attack the roots is useless because there are too many and they grow too fast."
"They also literally try to suck the life out of you." mumbled Shikamaru.
"Right, so nothing that takes too long at a short range." stated A
Naruto looked up, "What about my Rasenshuriken? I don't have to get close and it will obliterate it."
"Couldn't that work? It is a tree so it can't dodge quickly. It also can't throw those beast balls like the animal form. I think we should try it." said Sakura.
Mifune quietly asked, "What if it doesn't work? Should we have back-ups ready or wait and come up with something after it doesn't work?"
Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and said, "More theories and strategies won't hurt us. How long do we actually have before the flower blooms?"
Gaara said, "We're not sure, but I think we have at least a couple of weeks. I heard Madara say something like 'Enjoy the next few weeks; they will be your last.'"
"I heard him too." added Naruto.
"So if we strategize for a week we'll have at least a week to try things out. Maybe even more time if it's anything like a normal plant." said Shikamaru.
Kakashi looked towards Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, at some point talk with Ino and get her opinion on this plant."
Mei asked, "Onoki, what about your dust techniques? Shouldn't that do something to the tree?"
Onoki shook his head. "It should. But we are talking about the Shinju tree here. This tree is not going to go down easily or without a fight."
Kurotsuchi stood up to emphasize her point as she stated, "Yes, we need something other than just attacking the tree."
"We have to get to Madara." agreed A.
Mei interrupted, "We don't even know where Madara is."
A countered, "We can get all of our sensory types left on that job. We have to find him."
"Madara is probably holed up in an old Akatsuki base." said Onoki.
Kakashi asked, "What about Kabuto? He might know something. Karin Uzumaki also has a unique sensing ability."
"We have to find both of them then." said A.
"What are we going to do if we can't destroy the tree?" asked Mifune. No one had a good answer for him so no one answered. They all looked to one another hoping that someone had a solution until Onoki spoke up.
"I don't think now is the time to discuss that. We can all think about it, but we should be focused on how to win not how to deal with losing."
Kakashi added, "I agree. We have to focus on our victory. We also can't have the troops thinking about defeat. They have to believe we have some sort of a plan."
A forcefully stood up, "Enough. Gaara, meet with the division leaders next. Kakashi, I think at some point you need to meet with your Konoha shinobi. You and Onoki also need to rest and heal. I want both of you to get medical attention straight from Shizune. Mei and I are going to take a tour of the encampment and try to contact the Daimyos. Mei, can you keep Chojiro with them instead of having him meet you here?"
"Chojiro's a good boy. I'm sure he can handle it." said Mei.
"Everyone is dismissed." A along with Mei and Onoki on Akatsuchi's shoulders exited the room.
"Everyone who is not a division leader is welcome to stay. Shikamaru I will need you and a top Yamanaka here. C, can you please stay as well. I believe that you are a sensory type, correct?" Shikamaru nodded and left the tent.
C looked towards Gaara, "Yes, Kazekage-sama."
"Good. Does anyone know where Kitsuchi is?"
"Yeah, I'll go get my father." Kurostuchi said already half-way out the tent.
"If Aoba Yamashiro is alive bring him here. Can one of you do that?"
"He is alive. I can go get him."
"Thank You, Naruto." As Naruto left Kankurou entered. He looked around and acknowledged everyone before going to his brother. Kankurou's face did not reveal the relief he felt upon seeing Gaara but the pat on his brother's shoulder in greeting gave Gaara the message.
"Gaara, sorry I'm late. We didn't run into Sai for quite a while. What did I miss?"
"I'll fill you in later." Gaara waited a few minutes and when everyone except Shikamaru returned to the tent and the meeting began. "I would like to congratulate you all on a fight well fought. This has been an incredibly short war, but also an incredibly difficult one. Not just physically but psychologically as well. I had to face my father. I can only imagine which other resurrected shinobi others had to face." Kankurou's eyes squinted in thought at the mention of his father. He definitely had a lot to discuss with Gaara.
Shikamaru entered with Ino and Santa Yamanaka. They nodded to everyone as Gaara continued.
"Everyone needs to account for everyone in their division by 10am tomorrow. That will be our next meeting. Kakashi, I would like you to stay the leader of the Third Division but could you please appoint someone as your proxy and inform me tomorrow. Naruto, until then, could you cover Kakashi's duties?"
"Uh…yeah, Gaara, no problem." Naruto straightened his back. He wasn't listening well before and realized he would have to from then on.
"We also need to set up a recovery team for those who are missing."
"Gaara, shouldn't we figure out if anyone's missing first?" asked Kankurou.
Gaara answered, "Yes, but we should have a team ready to deploy tomorrow after our meeting. It will save time. Kankurou, I want to ask you to lead this team, but we may need your division if we locate Madara. Does anyone have any suggestions?"
Kakashi said, "I think Santa Yamanaka would be a good person. It will only be a temporary division and then afterwards he can join the sensory division or come back to the Third."
"Any other suggestions?" Gaara looked around at everyone and ended on Santa. "Santa, do you accept this appointment?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
"Collect a team today and have them ready to leave immediately after our meeting tomorrow. Inform them that this will be a temporary division and they can return to their original assignments after it disbands." Santa nods his understanding.
"Aoba Yamashiro, would you accept Inoichi Yamanaka's former position as head of the Intelligence Division?"
"Yes."
"Any objections? Good. Ino Yamanaka, you were able to communicate in a manner similar to your father. Would you be able to continue doing this?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
"Ms. Yamanaka, please begin reporting to both Mifune and Aoba. C, will you accept Ao's former position as captain of the Sensor Division?"
"Yes, Kazekage-sama."
"You and Aoba will work together. As soon as your divisions have been established begin looking for Kabuto, Karin, and Madara. I would imagine Kabuto and Karin will be easier to find so start with them.
"I'll be sure to notify the other kage later today of everything we decided. If there are any objections, I'll let you all know. Along with everything I've given you to do I would appreciate it if everyone also thinks about possible ways to win this war. Are there any questions? Then I will see you all soon."
As everyone began to leave Gaara quietly asked Naruto and Shikamaru to stay behind. They both sat back down. Naruto looked down at his hands while Shikamaru just seemed tired.
"Shikamaru, thank you for all you've done. A lot has been laid at your feet and you've accepted it all. I know you're still suffering from chakra depletion and the death of your father, so I want you to just focus on our strategy. I will account for everyone in the Fourth Division. Please do what you do best tonight."
Shikamaru didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He scratched the back of his head and gave Gaara a deep nod.
"Naruto, I know you want to be the Hokage, but I hope you understand why I suggested Kakashi. I've noticed how you're feeling and I want you to know that I have confidence in you. When you get back to Konoha I'm sure you will have a good chance at being the next Hokage."
"Gaara…" Naruto lifted his head and they all saw his tears. "I failed everyone. So many people died...I DIED! I'm afraid everyone's going to resent me. This war was to protect me, and I couldn't even protect them."
"Naruto, you will be the best hokage Konoha has ever seen. I'm sure of it. Everyone believes in you. I do not have many friends, and I do not know what to say to comfort you; however, I will always be your friend. You can always talk to me. I will listen and be there for you."
Shikamaru sighed, "We all believe in you. This war was not just to protect you. It was to protect everyone. We were all at risk. I don't want to die yet, but I would to protect you. I almost did. I'm not going to sit here and convince you how I and your peers feel about you. You just need some time to process everything. Why don't you go talk to Hinata?"
"Why Hinata?"
Shikamaru groaned, "It's good to know that whatever you go through, you'll still be Naruto."
"Huh? Shikamaru, you never make sense."
Gaara asked Naruto, "Are you feeling a little better?"
"Yeah, but I think I am going to talk to Hinata if Shikamaru thinks it'll help. He's a genius so he should know." Kankurou poorly stifled a snort and looked towards the ceiling to avoid everyone's gaze. "I should talk to Sakura too. I'm sure she's upset about Sasuke."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto one last time before starting to stand, "Jeez, Naruto…Gaara, is that all you wanted to say? I'd like to take a nap."
"No, actually there was something else…Shikamaru, have you- have you seen Temari?" Kankurou's and Shikamaru's eyes widened simultaneously. Kankurou noticed she wasn't at the meeting, but she also wasn't a division leader. He didn't realize she was actually missing.
Shikamaru dropped back into his seat. "No, but I haven't seen a lot of people. It doesn't mean anything. If I do see her, I'll send her straight to you. If it's urgent I can ask Ino to send out a message-"
"No. As you said, there are many people who we haven't seen. Informing a lot of people that I'm looking for her would just make her upset. Thank you, both of you."
Kankurou could barely contain himself until Naruto and Shikamaru left. "There's a lot you need to tell me, Gaara."
After Gaara filled in Kankurou on what he missed at the earlier meeting, Gaara set out to account for the people in his division while Kankurou began searching for Temari.
Temari couldn't believe her life. She had a foul-tasting wad of cloth stuffed in her mouth and a tight gag keeping it in. The fancy kimono she was forced to wear was making her sweat and the extremely tight collar around her neck was unbearable. She almost ran into Z on her way from Madara.
"Why Temari, I love this new look on you. Would you like a cloth that matches your outfit? Then you'll look really cute."
Temari growled and punched Z in the face. She stepped over him and went towards the library. "Ow, you didn't have to punch me. It's not my mouth that got you in your present situation." He stood up and followed her to the library. "Come with me so we can get you out of that kimono."
She changed into her black kimono with a red sash and took out the hair ornaments. "I put a few cookbooks in the kitchen for you. When you're done cooking, you'll shower and then change for dinner."
Temari went out and unenthusiastically browsed through the cookbooks. I have to get out of here. I can't believe that I'm trying to figure out what to cook Madara for dinner. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next few weeks, figuring out what to feed him and how I should dance for him? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, my world revolving around HIM?
Isn't this exactly what I wanted to avoid in my life, being someone's…? I can't even call myself a housewife. Thank goodness I can't call myself a housewife. But what am I? A slave? Some kind of servile companion?
Temari threw the cookbook in front of her as far as it would go and brought her hands to her head. OK Temari, get yourself together. This is war. While my comrades are up there fighting, I'm down here fighting. I'm just fighting in a different way. I'm fighting by…cooking this man's dinner and dancing for him. She slammed her fists on the table and grunted. I am stronger than this! It's not like I don't cook at home. This is no different...
This is completely different. No one forces me to cook back home. If anything, I force Kankurou to cook for us. He does eat the most. I miss them so much. They wouldn't even recognize me like this. Temari rubbed her eyes, cleared her head, and decided on tonjiru for dinner. When she finished, she called for Z to remove her collar and went to shower.
Cooking had surprisingly occupied her mind enough to have a calming effect on her. She tried to do the same in the shower but washing her body only reminded her of the belly dance she would have to do.
Temari had never danced in front of a man before today. She thought back to when she learned how to dance. Her father had forced her to take ballet to give her more grace. It was because of ballet that she learned how to belly dance.
The classes were full of civilian girls and, though none of the girls actually liked her, she was always invited to their parties and sleepovers. Their families invited her with the hopes of either gaining her father's favor or of not offending him by excluding his daughter. Either way, Temari got invited, and Baki always forced her to go. He thought she needed to socialize with other females.
At first she was miserable. Everyone would cater to her and be extremely polite. Then it somehow morphed into them just ignoring her. She would end up sitting at a table in the back of the room waiting for an appropriate time to leave. That is until one family hired a professional belly dancer for their daughter's twelfth birthday party. All of the parties had belly dancing but not usually a professional.
Temari remembered all of the girls and their mothers dancing and having fun. They formed a circle and each took a turn in the middle. The hired belly dancer went around showing them new moves and helping with their old ones until she noticed me in the back of the room. She walked over and grabbed my hands. "What's wrong? Are you afraid you can't dance? Come on, that's why I'm here." Before Temari could even get out an answer or protest she was pulled out of the chair and thrust into the circle.
She tried to leave, but the girls delighted at the chance to embarrass the Kazekage's daughter. If she got mad at them and told her father, the girls all figured they could just blame the hired dancer. Thus Temari found herself trapped inside an impenetrable circle surrounded by laughing faces and a persistent woman whose hands kept going to her hips.
She had watched them all dance many times before and figured that she could do a quick move or two and then crawl back to her corner. Unfortunately, she wasn't as bad as everyone expected and they encouraged the professional to give her more help.
Ever since that party some of the girls took it as their mission to not only somehow force Temari to dance with them, but to also take pleasure in deriding her moves. Temari figured the best way to get back at them was by being better than them. What could be more upsetting than being outshone by the girl you hated?
Temari would sneak and practice her dancing when everyone was out of the house. As far as she knew, only girls danced this way and she didn't want her brothers, Baki, or her father catching her.
Temari almost laughed at herself as she remembered the satisfaction she felt from showing those girls up. Then she remembered who she would be dancing in front of this evening and any good memories she had were squelched.
She dried off, put on the bathrobe laying out for her and fixed her hair. She entered the bedroom to find Z putting out some clothes for her.
"Hi Temari, let us know when you're dressed. We'll come back in to make sure you're ready. I'll change your gag now though." He moved behind Temari and removed her wet gag. He gave her a wad of purple cloth to put in her mouth and tied a black cloth around her head to keep it in place. "You're going to look so cute." Temari gave him a look that could cut and pushed him out the door.
She put on the long dark lavender cotton gypsy skirt and pulled a similar black skirt over it. The top was a black demi-cup bra decorated with many silver charms and coins. There was a large silver amulet hanging from the center with small chains dangling from it. There were chains that looped from the bra and hung on the side of her torso, and those chains had a few long charms on them too. She squirmed as she waited for the metal to warm to her body temperature.
She tied a wide ornate purple and silver sash around her hips. Long strings of fringe hung down to her calves and were interspersed with shorter multi-colored tassels and charms. As she opened the door to leave, Z and Zetsu burst through carrying a lot of jewelry and dumped it all on the bed.
"Now we're going to finish you off." Z bent over and started gathering her skirt and hiking it up.
"Mm mmm!" Temari tried to back away from Z but Zetsu held her in place by her shoulders.
"We're just making it easier for you to dance." Z stuck the gathered part of her skirts in her sash and waistline and created an extremely high slit over her right leg that revealed itself when she moved.
"Hmph." I'm pretty sure this is not going to make it easier for me to dance.
Z attached a couple of wide ornate silver cuffs around her upper arm that had looped chains hanging from them similar to her top. Zetsu started putting a headpiece on her with a large ruby in a flat diamond-shaped ornate silver setting. Curved silver metal netting came from the sides of the diamond and connected in the back. The top of the diamond-shaped setting was held in place a by a small metal chain that ran along the center of her scalp to the back of her head. He then placed large fake purple flowers in her ponytails.
Z was putting numerous silver bracelets on both of her arms and wrists when Zetsu grabbed one of her ears. "Hmm." I am so sick of these people touching me.
"I'm surprised your ears are pierced."
Zetsu held up a pair of turquoise teardrop earrings before pushing them in her ears. "Hauu!" She tried to yank her arm out of Z's hands but he had a surprisingly strong grip.
"Don't make a scene, Temari. We're almost done. There are just a couple more things."
Temari groaned and pushed Z away. He clucked his tongue as he grasped her hand. "Don't get tired of us just yet. You still have a long, long time with us." He placed a ring on each finger that had a thin chain connected to a large flat pearlescent stone that lied on her hand. Two small chains came from the stone and connected to a silver cuff bracelet with matching stone inlay. He let her hand go and went to place one on her other hand.
Temari moved her hands to test the reach of this strange bracelet and found that even though it didn't impede her movement it was distracting. Every time she moved her hand or even a finger she could feel the give and take of the little chains.
Z then bent down and grabbed her ankle so suddenly she almost fell over. He put a pair of matching silver cuff anklets with more of the pearlescent stone inlay. She was thankful that the anklets weren't the type with little bells on them. She already made a little noise when she moved from the other metal on her and she didn't want bells to add to it.
"Now you're ready, Temari. It's almost 8 so just go in."
Temari walked out of the bedroom and felt bare. She felt decorated, and all of the feelings she had earlier before cooking dinner came flooding back. She started taking deep breaths and paused in front of the outer door of what she deemed the entertaining room.
You can do this. No matter what he does to you, you will always be Temari, a person. I am not his doll or his toy or…his. I am me. Even though I'm doing the things he wants me to do, I still have my own agenda. I hate him. I hate that I have to do this…Think of the war. What is your mission? My mission is to defeat Madara, stay alive, and get out of here.
Kankurou and Gaara were both noticeably upset when they met each other that evening. Gaara had not only learned Temari was in fact missing, but that many people were also missing. Kankurou was upset because no one seemed to know anything about Temari, and he couldn't understand how anyone could not notice his sister.
The last time anyone remembered seeing her was when they were still fighting the Edo Tensei shinobi. Matsuri remembered seeing her fight Madara along with the rest of their division. Gaara remembered seeing her right before the kage began to fight Madara. Kankurou only found one person who remembered seeing her soon after the kage and Madara began battling but nothing after that.
"Have you talked to Ikuo? He's the one in charge under Temari." advised Gaara.
"I did, but I think you should talk to him. There was something about what said that caught my attention. He said, and I quote, 'I don't know where Temari went.' Who said she 'went' anywhere? Not to mention everyone else was confused and surprised that I was asking about Temari, but he almost seemed to be expecting me. I think he knows more than he's telling."
"Kankurou, that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he tell us everything we need to know? Do you think he harmed Temari?"
"I don't think he could touch Temari if he tried his hardest. I just think that he knows more than he's saying. Maybe he saw her hurt or something and didn't help her. Maybe he let her die. But he knows something. I'm almost sure of it."
Gaara did not look forward to intimidating another village's shinobi into giving him information about his sister. He would have to figure out a way to handle Ikuo, but in the mean time, he had a lot of other people to find as well. "Tonight we'll go through the medical scrolls to cross-check my missing shinobi list. Then tomorrow you're going with Santa's recovery team to find Temari and bring her back. Let's just pray she's not in a storage scroll somewhere or worse."
Temari deeply exhaled and knelt to open the sliding door. She could smell the soup she cooked and stood to walk to the table but stopped. Madara was standing before her with his arms folded. The oppressive power he emanated still managed to startle her.
His eyes slowly shifted down from her face and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. Her hands twitched at the impulse to cover herself but she stopped them. Instead, she proudly raised her head and straightened her posture. She had nothing to be ashamed of and she would not let him turn her into some blushing little girl.
Madara took her in visually and sent Zetsu a telepathic message to procure more belly dancing outfits. He liked them on her. Her body was much better than he expected. She was clearly toned but she looked soft in all the right places. Madara began to wonder how soft she would feel as his eyes went from her chest to her abdomen.
Temari struggled to keep her breathing even and to not show that she felt Madara's gaze upon her. He unfolded his arms to reveal the purple collar in his hand. Temari knew he wanted to put it around her neck and started to walk over to him. The subtle change in his face as he saw her leg come from beneath her skirt would have gotten a swift kick from Temari in any other situation. But she knew a kick at Madara would not be worth the anger that would come after.
He kept his distance as he tightened the collar and removed her gag. "Don't make me use this again. Dance and then we'll eat."
It had been so long since Madara had seen a girl belly dance that he didn't really care if Temari was good or not. He did care about her effort, and he expected much from her in that regard.
He also realized it had been a while since he could look at the female form for as long as he pleased. Maybe things would have been different in the shinobi world if he had left his own blood legacy in the world. But leaving a legacy admits mortality, and Madara wasn't ready to consider a true death in his first life.
He watched Temari walk to the music player then over to the platform. He could feel her tension. The Suna girls he remembered had always been sweet, cheerful, and a little guarded. He acknowledged they also could have been that way because they were hoping that a notable Shinobi from a fertile land would come and take them away as his wife.
He tried to think back to the Suna kunoichi he encountered and couldn't remember coming face-to-face with any of them. He thought back to some of the things he would hear his clansmen and other shinobi say but it was all a vague memory. He remembered the sense that they were all emotionally distant…or maybe they were all distance fighters, or maybe they were both. He didn't pay much attention to the conversations back then and it didn't really matter anyway.
Temari looked out to Madara the moment before the music started. She knew the key to any kind of dancing being effective was emotion and that was about all she had right now. The dance would fall flat if she didn't convey her feelings and she knew that Madara would see everything. His eyes seemed to miss nothing about her. She had no choice but to let some of her emotional guard down while dancing. She turned her back to him as the first notes started.
[The song she chose was "Bir Demet Yasemen" by John Berberian & Bob Tashjian you tu .be / k21Gss1vTyg just take out the spaces. The dance is filled with hip and chest movements along with very graceful arms. Just imagine belly dancing.]
Temari picked a song about unending grief and she had no problem imagining the feeling. She started with her back to Madara and her arms down. She kept her arms slow and hip movements deep and dramatic. She eventually faced Madara leading with her hips and keeping her head facing the side as long as possible. She finally faced him once the lyrics started and she found her movements came easily. She kept everything solemn and slow for most of the song. She seemed to be searching for something and never finding it. About three minutes into the song she begins to flutter her hips along with the music and move around more. Her hips, stomach, and chest move faster for a while before the lyrics start again. She slows, but she's not as slow as before. Throughout the song she has avoided Madara's eyes and continues to do so. She ends the song in a slow turn and lateral hip movements facing away from him.
Madara was pleased with himself as he watched her sit at the table. He knew he had a talented eye, but Temari was truly a lucky find. He knew nothing about this girl before taking her, and he was satisfied with himself for picking such a magnificent girl on a whim. She was attractive, talented, and her dance was better than the ones he remembered.
Those laughing, smiling girls of the past were interchangeable. Their moves were all the same. They teased and tantalized with their bodies. Temari did much more than that. She communicated her despair. And whether she wanted to be or not, she was more tantalizing than anyone he'd ever seen. He was ready to escalate their interactions and he knew that would scare her.
He wanted to scare her. He imagined her face emoting against her will. He imagined her body twisting and curving in an effort to escape.
She pushed a bowl of soup towards him and served a bowl for herself. He watched her eat and avoid his eyes. He knew she felt uncomfortable but Madara was only concerned with himself. He didn't consider himself so low that he would take what was meant to be given, but he began to wonder if this situation was different than normal. He wasn't a random man looking for a quick thrill, too lazy to approach a woman, or put off by a woman's rejection. He was Madara Uchiha, and he did nothing below his name.
He doubted that Temari would willingly consent to the many salacious thoughts going through his head. He didn't particularly mind that she wouldn't consent to some things, but he had his own concerns. He could keep pushing her boundaries and testing her reactions. He decided that if he didn't hear a clear protest from her he would choose to remain outwardly ignorant to her more subtle objections. Until then there was no reason to stop his hands or eyes. He played with the idea that maybe she wanted him. He knew he was attractive and many women had tried to captivate him in the past.
He wanted to know more about the girl that finally fascinated him. He wanted to know who and what ran through her blood.
He remembered that Suna had an interesting tradition when it came to names. They never gave out their whole names. If they could get away with it they wouldn't give you any name. He didn't know if they had secret clans or if clans just didn't matter in the desert. They were either very private or very philosophical in their idea of identity. Madara knew that he would look more into Suna's history tomorrow, but tonight he would just see what Temari had to say.
Madara had finished half of his meal by this time, and Temari began to think that if their meals always went this way she wouldn't mind them. That is until he broke the silence.
"Tell me about yourself, Temari. Other than what you think I know."
"Am I actually allowed to talk freely? I don't want to say a sentence too much and wind up gagged all night."
"You have already said too much, but I won't gag you tonight. I don't want to wake up in a pool of your drool." Temari hid her reaction at the reminder of her sleeping arrangement. She had almost forgotten that she was expected to share a room and bed with him. But a sleeping Madara will be easier to threaten. If I could get a wind blade close enough to his neck I could make him release me. But should I really do this tonight?
Madara saw her almost imperceptible reaction and smiled to himself.
"There's not much to tell about me that you probably don't know. But, I'll say it anyway. I'm the Fourth Kazekage's eldest child. I have two younger brothers, and one of them became the Fifth Kazekage. I use wind and a giant tessen, my fan that caught you when we briefly fought. I'm a jonin and I had a wonderful life before you showed up."
"I know all of that. Now tell me more." Temari held down a grumble and continued.
"I've completed 42 missions."
"More." Temari figured that Madara wouldn't stop unless she said something unrelated to being a shinobi.
"I like kenchin soup, and I don't like things with lots of wiggling limbs. I like the color purple. I like looking at and learning about flowers. I really like my current hairstyle even though it's been the same since I was 5. I don't have many friends but I love my brothers very much."
"Do you have any other family?" Madara put aside the many comments that came to mind about her statements. He had more important things to question her about.
"They are the only two still living. They are…very special to me. Did you have any siblings?"
"Yes, but I want to hear about you not about me. What do you know of your other family? Was your clan always small?"
"Why the interest in my family? Is there something I should know?"
"What have I told you about answering my questions and questioning my actions? All you need to know is the answer to my question." Oh shit. Dammit, Temari, you can smooth this over. I don't want him angry when I have to sleep near him.
Temari bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Madara-sama. I forgot. I won't forget again. You told me to always answer your questions and to not question what you do. I won't do it again. Give me a chance to answer your questions." Temari hadn't humbled herself in front of someone like that since…ever and she prayed that she was believable.
Madara knew she wasn't sincere, but he also wanted to let her off easy. "Proceed."
Temari kept her head bowed as she answered, "I don't know much about my other family. I believe we are somehow related to Akasuna no Sasori and the Honored Siblings, Chiyo and Ebizo. There may have been some relation to the first Kazekage. I personally think Kankurou is related to the second. They both have a fondness for theatrics. Honestly I could be related to many people and not know it. We don't keep track of things like that. We don't have clans."
Madara mulled that last sentence over. Most of his life revolved around his clan and he had a hard time imagining a life as someone who didn't have those ties. Did it offer a freedom he couldn't comprehend? He wondered on what it meant in terms of his actions. Without a clan to lead there would have been fewer expectations, fewer fights, and fewer responsibilities. But without his clan, there might be no Sharingan and there may be no Konoha. He knew he liked the power his clan granted him and being born as someone had its advantages in the world.
No, he appreciated his clan but he did begin to think about those without one a bit more.
"How do you feel not knowing your history?"
"I never viewed it as not knowing my history. I know a lot of history. I just don't know my blood heritage. I don't think I'm missing much by not having a clan except having even more responsibilities imposed on me." She paused and quickly looked up at him before looking back down. "Did you like many of the people in your clan?"
"I loved my clan. They were all very important in my life. If you know a lot of history, what do you know of Suna? You clearly don't know much about Konoha."
"You're right. I don't know nearly as much about Konoha as you. I don't even know as much as I would like about your clan. Or any clan. Or clans in general. I think clans just promote infighting, isolation, and distrust within a village. However, Konoha seems to be handling clans well so I'm probably wrong." Temari could have sworn she heard a snort come from Madara but she knew she had to be mistaken.
"As far as Suna's history, I know as much as I could find out about Shukaku. I know he's always lived amongst the sand. I don't know where he originated though or how he exactly relates to your Jubi.
"I know about our past kazekage and a bit about our history before Suna existed. We were a country of both nomads and sedentary peoples. We spoke different languages and had different customs until a foreign traveler visited each group and gave certain worthy people a gift. He was also seen as kind of a priest and would teach about solidarity in the need to survive and the importance of simultaneously keeping an individual mind amongst a group. I think it was said that his followers were the most powerful shinobi. It's definitely why our leaders seem to have extreme philosophies. We all think too much.
"This was the basis of everyone eventually coming together. When people started working together life became easier in the desert and everyone's lives got better. But there were so many different types of peoples that distrust and fighting eventually appeared again. Therefore it was decided to rid ourselves of the reason to fight amongst ourselves and only focus on outsiders like Konoha."
"Hmm…I rather like history, Temari. But I don't ever remember hearing about a wandering foreigner in the Land of Wind. Where was he from?"
"I don't know. I didn't find a lot written about him. I saw a reference to a reference of his three children though. So I guess he had three kids." Madara made a point to himself to look up this foreign traveler.
"That song you danced to was interesting. Wasn't it in one of the old languages?"
"Yes. Our father and uncle made sure we knew all of the old languages. No one speaks them anymore but our father was so strict we all still remember them."
"Tell me about the song." Temari coughed when she thought about the possible consequences of that question.
"The song was in an old language and I think the song itself is really old. It's about…basically it's about being separated from a love one. The wound will never heal and the pain will never cease as long as they're separated. All he has is a bunch of jasmine to remember him or her or them."
"You like flowers. What does jasmine mean to your people?"
"Just because I like flowers doesn't mean I know everything about them. I'm not from Konoha where they're everywhere. I do know that it's sometimes used by temples. And it generally means love and that kind of thing. Sometimes women use it to accessorize as well."
"So the song is about a lover that's gone?"
"Possibly. There are a lot of possible interpretations. That's part of the song's beauty." Madara wanted to ask her more but he felt it was getting late. They had finished dinner and were just talking. It felt nice to talk about something other than war. It was even nice to not play a mind game with Temari for a while.
He stood to leave and Temari stood a moment later. "I'm going to take a bath and then I'll probably get some sleep. It's been a while since I've actually slept and I look forward to it." He reached over and barely grazed her waist with his finger. "Especially with something to keep me warm at night." He almost missed her sharp intake of breath but it was enough to satisfy him. "Until later."
He left the room leaving a stunned Temari. She looked down at the table and called for Zetsu. He was there in an instant cleaning off the table. He also informed her that Z was waiting for her in the bedroom.
She met a smiling Z and suppressed the urge to hit his face. "Hi Temari, did you have a nice dinner?"
"Sure."
"Here are your pajamas. And you get a choice. Do you want me to tie you up or Madara?"
"Excuse me?"
"Really Temari, you ought to get your hearing checked. I said-"
"You." Z left her to change and told her to open the door when she was ready. Temari started to undress when she noticed the pajamas were not hers. She continued to undress and then put on the black satin boxer shorts that went about two inches past her rear. The top was short-sleeved and buttoned. It was black satin as well with pink piping and very snug.
She made sure to button every button before opening the door for Z. "Why am I not wearing my own pajamas?"
"These are better. Now just lie down on the bed and please don't give me any trouble. Madara wouldn't be happy if you did." Temari lay on the bed and noticed the small bag Z placed on the bed. "Turn around and lay on your stomach with your hands behind you."
Temari hesitated. She had been tied up down here before but she was knocked out. There was something about doing exactly what Zetsu said that felt very wrong. She quashed the feeling and did as he said. She had no better alternatives that she could see.
She knew she was getting bound because Madara would be a fool to trust her enough to sleep next to her without some precaution. She felt Z buckle the leather cuffs around her wrists and lock them in place. She could feel the chain between them was less than four inches long. Then Z put a long chain that led from the one on her cuffs to the back of her collar.
"All done. Just wait here for Madara. It's OK if you fall asleep; just remember stay on top of the covers." Temari turned around as Z closed the bedroom door. She tested out her restraints and found that there was no way she could maneuver her arms in front of her or use her chakra. She also couldn't curl her back well. The way Z latched on the cuffs prevented her arms from bringing her hands closer to her neck in any way.
What am I going to do now? I knew it wouldn't be easy. I've got to get out of here! Now that Madara's no longer a corpse I've got to move quickly. He's probably sitting in the bath now thinking about the things he could do to me.
My biggest obstacle is figuring a way out. Even if I killed or incapacitated him, I'd still be stuck in this cave condo. Temari looked towards the door. I thought I heard him coming. Now I'm getting paranoid.
Think! Think! THINK! Maybe I'll ask to spend more time with him. He might give something away and I definitely won't find out anything while he's sleep or watching me dance. I'm just going to have to spend more time with him. Temari didn't know how long she laid there but it seemed like hours to her. She started imagining sounds and expecting the door to open at any moment. She wished that she could fall asleep before he came to the room, but there was no chance her mind would calm enough for that.
After Madara left Temari he went to the library to plan his next day. His first priority was to figure out what the Allied Forces were going to do. He doubted they would give up and accept their fate. He also didn't want to underestimate them. Firstly, he didn't want them to find out he was right beneath them. He also needed a way to listen in. Zetsu was out because Naruto could easily detect him through negative feelings and there was no way Madara wouldn't be detected in the same manner.
The simplest thing to do would be to erase Temari's memory and release her under a jutsu that would unknowingly make her report information to Madara. It would be perfect and subtle. Not even she would suspect herself of being his spy.
It would be perfect if he wanted to let her go. Madara was having too much fun with her to even think about letting her go for so long. And there was no way he would erase her memory of their time together. He would have to find another way. He also needed to make sure a certain set of siblings didn't spend too much time looking for her.
Madara figured that with enough time and energy someone could figure out what happened to her. He didn't need those shinobi above ground to make this battle any more personal than it already was. If a time came when taunting them with his find became useful then that's when he would do it.
Zetsu, where are you?
"Here." Zetsu appeared out of the wall and went over to sit in front of Madara.
"I know you aren't my original Zetsu, but I can still find value in your council. How should we prevent them from finding us, and how do you think we should infiltrate the alliance?"
"Well, there are two shinobi I know capable of finding us. Naruto and Karin Uzumaki. There's nothing we can do about Naruto and he's not a definite. But Karin would definitely be able to find us if she tried hard enough."
"Then you know what you must do."
"Should I bring her down here, or kill her?"
"..."
"Well you brought Temari down here. At least Karin would be useful. She's an Uzumaki sensor and she has Senju blood in her. If you do the horizontal tango with her the child has the possibility to get your Rinnegan eyes."
Madara made no pretense at containing his anger. "You know nothing. I have no desire to make any babies with anybody. And I definitely wouldn't want to make a child who may one day be as great as me especially while I'm still around. If I create a child it will be for a purpose and he would be different than me and may one day be greater than me. Otherwise, what's the point?
"She also seems...off." Madara added.
"Temari's definitely 'off' too. So should I bring her here, or kill her?"
"..."
"Got it. She's dead. As for infiltrating the Allied Forces, we could try the same thing that helped us the first time…"
"Now I remember why I keep you around. Good job, Zetsu. Now, go kill Karin Uzumaki." Zetsu began to leave the library when Madara stopped him. "It's time to kill Temari too."
Temari heard the door open and tried to quiet her mind. She was on her side facing away from the door and most of the bed. She felt the bed give as Madara got in.
He reached over and pulled her shoulder towards him so she was lying on her arms and back looking up at him looking down on her. She saw his eyes trace her figure before they traveled back up from her legs and paused at her midsection. She tried to stay as still as possible. She almost didn't breathe.
"This was a mistake." He hastily scooped her in his arms and brought her to the shallow pit of pillows and blankets at the far end of the room. "You'll sleep here from now on."
"What? Can you at least put a blanket over me?" But Madara was already out the door. Temari didn't want to think about what caused that strange behavior, but she could relax a bit more knowing that Madara wouldn't roll over on top of her at any time of the night.
She tried to wait for him to return but soon fell asleep. Madara did eventually return to his bed and was amused to see that Temari only managed to get a blanket over her legs.
He fell asleep almost immediately in a dreamless sleep; however, every time Temari woke in the night he did as well.
A/N: So Madara... Well Temari's confused but as long as she's not harassed she doesn't mind. Next chapter will deal more with how Madara feels about Tema. He has some weird thoughts about her as you can see and they're only going to get crazier.
