"When Aruki and I first got married, my father was still alive. I was very close to him. He only had one sister – though she had died as a teenager years before after contracting a terrible disease that left her terminally ill. After which remained only four members of our family still breathing; my grandfather, my dad, myself, and then there was my brother…
"My grandfather was a shinobi, one of the finest in his league. He lived in the hidden village of the Water Country and was highly respected by all of his peers, the Mizukage included."
Temari gasped ever so slightly. The Water Country's village hidden in the mist was famous for its outbreak of persecution against bloodlines within its own walls, and also known for its formerly ferocious training methods, which had eventually been cut short. But ninjas from the village never truly changed when it came to brutality and unnecessary killing and they were opponents to be worthily considered when in battle.
How could a kind, defenseless family like the Usura's originate from a powerful shinobi within the walls of such a merciless village?
"When I was ten years of age, my grandfather was diagnosed with the same strange disease that had killed my aunt. It ate the both of them alive, from the inside out, digging deeper everyday into their brain. First they lost use of their limbs, then their entire bodies. Eventually their memories faded and before the day of the deaths, they were mere vegetables, in deep comas and unable to do a thing for themselves.
"It was a dishonorable way for a shinobi to die, at least in the Water County. My father and I both knew that my grandfather would have rather died, covered in his own blood and the blood of his enemies, than lying helplessly on a hospital bed, depending on other people to take care of him. He had no choice, though…"
With glazed eyes, Genzi quickly shook his head.
"But this story isn't just about my grandfather. It's about the bloodline that we shared."
Shikamaru, obviously familiar with bloodlines, narrowed his eyes at Genzi. So far, he wasn't seeing where this story was heading. When he glanced at Temari, he saw that she was in the same position as him. To concentrate better, he pressed his fingers together in his constructive "O" shape, thinking over every word that had been said so far.
Genzi continued, "Before Makkura- my grandfather- was severely bedridden by his disease, he had called in my father, my brother, and myself to see him. As we stood by his bedside, he began to tell us stories of our family history, listing names of people in our past, telling us to listen carefully as he did so. When he explained why he became a shinobi, he said it was because his own father had given him something precious. Something that he must protect at all costs."
Shikamaru realized what Genzi was talking about a moment before the man began reaching for his neck. He gritted his teeth as he watched his employer pull out a piece of jewelry from underneath his shirt, and pulled it over his head. It was the same necklace that Shikamaru had seen in the picture the first day on the boat, the one with the green emerald embedded into a circle of pure gold. But now seen in person, it was much, much more brilliant.
It was small, easily able to fit in the palm of Genzi's huge hand. The emerald was green, yes, but when Shikamaru watched closely, it seemed to glow with a pale shade of blue and gold, as if some living thing was inside of it.
The Heart of Gold.
Temari's hand grabbed at Shikamaru's left shoulder as she stared at Genzi's treasure. Her eyes sparkled with wonder.
"Oh… Wow, it's so beautiful!" she gasped.
"This is the Heart of Gold, Temari. It's what is passed down through my family's main tree, eldest-to-eldest, generation after generation. Like my grandfather taught my father, my dad has also taught me the secrets of the necklace and what it means to our family name. It is to be defended to the death. I was to teach Jerome as soon as he became of age…"
Aruki threw her gaze to the floor, her puffy eyes still pouring tears for her stolen son. She hadn't yet, however, said a word for Genzi's story, and from the looks of it, didn't plan to.
"What's so special about it, Genzi?" Temari asked, looking up at him with a slight frown on her lips. "Why does it glow?"
Genzi leaned forward and handed the necklace to her. She took it with slight hesitation, and brought it closer to her face. Shikamaru leaned in closer next to her and studied it as well.
"That is the secret of the necklace. For whoever carries the bloodline of the Usura family, they are the ones who can unlock the power that is hidden deep inside the confines of the jewel. When a shinobi learns how to tap into its power, he or she is granted quadruple the amount of their normal chakra limits, and they can perform heavy-duty jutsus with ease, and many times over."
"And is there any type of element or jutsu type it specializes in?" Temari asked, touching a forefinger to the center of the emerald. When she really concentrated, she thought she could feel something strange at the tip of her fingertips, and it left her with an eerie sensation of being watched.
Genzi held out his hand and took the necklace back. "No, there are no limits on what type of jutsus a ninja could perform with the necklace. If the holder uses water element jutsus, then it will support his talents. If, on the other hand, a few generations later, a new holder knows fire element jutsus, it wouldn't matter. The necklace just gives you chakra. But there have been a few cases where, when the holder was under extreme pressure, the necklace's power engulfed the holder so that he lost his own will and the necklace took over."
It sounds more like a Jinchuuriki to me. Like a Bijuu being passed down from generation to generation, Temari morbidly observed, and she thought of her brother, Gaara, and the few times his Bijuu had been released. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle and an extremely dangerous situation to be in. She hoped she never had to see times like that anymore.
"It's like the necklace has a mind of its own," Genzi continued. "It can heal, too! In the past, when teammates have come close to death, the Usura necklace-bearers have been able to suck massive amounts of chakra from the necklace and themselves and focus it on the fatal wounds, closing them over and repairing damage that otherwise couldn't have been fixed in time."
Shikamaru looked over at Temari, who seemed completely thrown into the conversation, as if she couldn't hear enough of it. He glanced at Aruki, still trying to hold back her tears, and his heart grew enraged.
He cut off the conversation by abruptly standing up, closing his fists so tight that his knuckles grew white. All three sitting people looked up at him in surprise, and Temari tried to catch his gaze, but he wouldn't look her in the eye.
"I refuse to be a part of this any longer," he muttered darkly, eyes narrowed. "The entire time we've been here, both you and Aruki have known the situation perfectly well, and yet you've sent us off on pointless missions, risking our lives for nothing!"
He glared challengingly at Genzi, who returned his gaze with a shameful eye. "Shikamaru, I'm--"
"Temari almost died, Genzi! And for what? A necklace that needs to be kept secret from the outside world? The world couldn't even use it anyways!" He went to turn away, shaking his head in anger, when a hand stopped him.
Temari was standing next to him, disbelief on her face as she clutched his hand. She wasn't about to let him storm off like that.
Shikamaru turned to look at her, but this time there was less anger than there had been before.
"Shikamaru, calm down. Why are you this upset? I've never seen you make an outburst like before." She squeezed his hand, pulling him back down as she sat on her own chair. "Listen to what they have to say, Shika."
The pet name again. What was with the pet name?
He felt a bit reassured and shoved himself back into his chair, returning the squeeze to Temari's soft hand before letting go of it. He knew he shouldn't have been such a jackass to Genzi and Aruki, but… When he looked at Temari lately, all he had been thinking of was how much fear he had felt when he thought she was going to die, the taste of devastation that scared the piss out of him so much still there in his mouth. He had been very, very confused, especially since the night that he and Temari had sat by the fireplace together. Now, hearing all of this that Genzi had to say, it made him so distressed that for once, his usually calm and collected mind had just went crazy.
"Fine. I'm listening."
Aruki and Genzi looked very much relieved to hear him say that.
"Thank you, Shikamaru," Genzi said, loud and clearly, trying to sound like he truly meant it. "I know it was wrong of me to do that to you and Temari. But please listen to what I have to say. This necklace is more precious to my family than my own life. I must protect it and its secrets more than anything else in the world.
"But there is more to my motives than that… For you see… The man who kidnapped Jerome today is my brother."
Both Temari and Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit. Now Shikamaru understood it all a bit better. Genzi had to do whatever he could to keep this necklace away from his darker brother, because if it fell in the wrong hands, it meant disaster. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, slouching against the back of the chair like his old self again.
"Will you help us get Jerome back and protect the necklace, Shikamaru and Temari?" Genzi asked, leaning forward to look them in the eyes.
Temari turned to Shikamaru. He still had his eyes closed. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he beat her to the punch.
"I made several promises during the course of this mission, and I don't plan on breaking any of them," the spiky-haired Konoha ninja fiercely responded, looking over at Aruki with his trusty crooked smile. "If Temari is up to it, then I will help you, even if it is ridiculously troublesome."
All three looked over at Temari, and she frowned.
"Oh, hell, am I ever ready."
Author's Note: I TOLD you I didn't abandon you guys!
I am soooooooo sorry for the unusually long update time! December and January were just unfathomably busy, and I had no time or privacy to work on this chapter properly. But I've finally got back into the swing of things! HURRAH!
Also, sorry for the crappy quality and shortness of the chapter. I rushed to save you guys the agony of any more waiting xD
LOVE YOU ALL! ♥
Stay faithfully tuned for chapter 11!
P.S.: Help me with getting this chapter perfect like the others. Tell me about any mistakes I make in my writing, please!