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Temari and 1cc Chapter 7


It felt good to be out in the World again. Me and Chouji didn't speak much, as we kept jumping from tree to tree. I knew Suna was a good 3 days away, maybe 2 if we traveled fast enough. So, assuming everything goes according to plan, we are expected to go to Suna, spend a day there, and come back, making it a week total that we would be expected gone. If we got there in two days, then I'd have three days to try and find her, and then convince Temari of my feelings, then another two to return. I smiled to myself and picked up the pace.

We set up camp that night and sat around the fire, mostly talking. It was just the three of us. Me, Chouji, and Temari. I did a double-take and sure enough she was sitting next to Chouji. "Temari?! What the hell?" She got up and walked towards me. "You didn't think I'd let my boyfriend run off without me, did you?" My heart started to beat faster, and I was sweating. "Is it just me or are the crickets really loud?" I could hear their chirping getting louder and louder, drowning out my thoughts. Chouji was saying something, but I couldn't hear him. Temari was smiling at me. Something was wrong here. I felt someone shaking me and looked up to see Chouji. He looked worried. "Shika, take your medicine. You were having a relapse." "Sure thing Chou. These auditory and visual hallucinations are weird." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pill bottles. It was then that I realized the one thing I didn't plan for. I didn't grab enough pills for this trip, I was going to have to ration it out to whenever I was having an episode. I looked up at Chouji and I knew he understood. He also knew we were too far out to run back to Konoha. 'This is going to be interesting.'

The next day came and went. I had only one episode after last night. What I thought was Temari turned out to be a tree. Now I don't know if you've ever run full force into a tree, but let me assure you that it is not as fun as it sounds. I was just glad I didn't break my nose. Then we went through the desert. I was suprised that there were no mirages or anything of her. The sun was brutal, and it took most of the day to reach Suna, the hidden sand village. It was nightfall when we got to the inn. We paid the man, ate, showered (individually),
and each settled into a bed. The desert had wore us both out. I don't know about Chouji, but I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

I was ready the next morning, to get out and go find her. "You sure you don't want to go with me to the Kazekage's office first?" "Nah, Chouji I need to go find her." He waved at me and wished me luck. I was wandering the streets looking for her. I must have wandered for hours, because next thing I knew, the sun was directly overhead, and I was feeling pretty hungry. I bumped into a guy wearing some purple face paint and what looked like cat ears. "Hey jackass! Watch where you are going!" I mumbled out an apology and ducked into a cafe.

The place was deserted. An eldery woman who looked like she was falling asleep noticed me and instantly brightened up. "Oh, a customer! Welcome! Are you hungry?" I let her lead me to a small table and sat down. She took my order and came back with a water. "So where are you from dear?" I sipped my water and replied. "Konoha." "Well what brings you all the way to Suna?" I hesitated, but there was something about her kind face that made me want to tell her. "I'm looking for someone." "Is this someone a girl?" I laughed. "Yes, how did you know?" "Eh, it happens more than you'd think. In fact my husband came all the way from the Hidden Mist village just to try and court me. Forty five years later and we're still married." She brought me out my food, and set it in front of me. "So, this girl you're looking for, what's her name?" "Well, I don't really know her name. We met in Konoha, and then she got brought back here before I could tell her how I felt." She nodded her head while listening to me. "Oh, that's a shame. Well, what does she look like"
"Well she's a little bit shorter than me. She's older though. She has green eyes and blond hair. She usually has her hair pulled up into four ponytails." The old woman considered this for a moment. "You know, that's a pretty unique hairstyle. In fact, I think I've only seen the Kazekage's sister with her hair like that. She was a young pretty thing with blode hair too." I almost choked on my food. 'The Kazekage? Shit! I shoulda went with Chouji!' I paid the bill and ran out the door, not even bothering to finish my food. I turned back around a second later and she pointed me in the right direction.

I ran around the corner, and collided with someone. We fell to the ground and I looked up at him. It was the face paint guy again.
"You asshole! That's the second time! Get over here and let me beat you senseless!" 'Oh God. Not right now.' I scrambled to my feet and ran with all my might. I arrived five minutes later outside of the Kazekage tower, gasping for breath, the face paint guy long since gave up the chase. I spotted Chouji walking my way. "Chou! You haven't went in yet, have you?" "I just got out. He was very busy today. Three hours of waiting in line just to give him a scroll and have him give me one back. Can you believe that?" "Dammit! She may be the Kazekage's sister!" Chouji opened a bag of chips, and started eating. "Well, Shikamaru. I hope you like waiting in line."
He stretched a little to emphasize his point.

I waited in the Kazekage's (you guessed it) waiting room. Hours passed. I was the last person in line. It was well after sundown when I finally got to go in and see the Kazekage, I heard from some people in line that his name is Gaara. I couldn't help but wonder what he was like. I knocked and an icy voice granted me permission to enter. Coming in, I was shocked at his appearance. He looked younger than me! His robes seemed to be way too big for his small frame. Dark rings were circling his eyes, I wonder if he ever slept. "May I help you?" I blinked and then opened my mouth to answer. Then, I realized I hadn't thought into this plan very much. I had no idea what to say to him. I watched him rubbing his eyes and couldn't stop from saying something stupid. "Rough day, Kazekage-sama?" He looked at me with genuine suprise. I guess he wasn't accustomed to people asking him about himself. 'Probably too busy bitching to him.' "You wouldn't believe it. I've been sitting here since seven in the morning. I had twenty minutes for lunch and then right back to it."
I sat down in a chair across from him and stretched back. "That doesn't sound like fun. Don't you have anything to do in here to relax?"
I was actually interested now, he looked so overworked. "Well, I have a Shogi set in the corner. I rarely get to use it, but that is as close to relaxing as I get. It's kind of hard to play without a partner." I flashed him a smile. "Would you like to play a game or two, Kazekage-sama?" I saw the ghost of a smile on his face. "It's Gaara and yes, I would."

We played for a few hours. He was a great opponent. Of course, I won, but he gave me a run for my money a few times. "Well Nara Shikamaru," he said with a smile on his face, "It was nice to meet you. I enjoyed myself greatly, but I should be getting home." "Same to you, Gaara." He turned to walk out of the door, and then stopped short. "I'm sorry. I never asked what brought you here to me?" I blinked. I had totally forgotten why I was there! I really hoped he was the understanding type. "Was your sister recently in a Konoha hospital?" I found myself wrapped in a mountain of sand that seemed to materialize out of no where. "Who are you?! What do you want with my sister?!" I managed to choke out, "I was in there with her." The sand seemed to loosen so I could breathe, but it still held me firmly in place. "You see, for the last few months, I've spent all of my free time with her, and I was going to ask her out, but you found her and took her back before I could. I just can't deal with not knowing if she returns my feelings or not." "Oh, you are the person she speaks of." He thought for a moment before bringing the sand up around me once again. "Wait a minute, why were you in that mental hospital? Oh, and I wouldn't advise lieing, or I will break your body." I think the calm way he said that was the most disturbing thing of all.