dawning
.:a river in egypt:.
chapter ten
She cut her hair.
That was the most obvious change. Everyone did a double-take when they saw her. Where once Sakura's pink hair reached almost to the small of her back, it was now cropped just below her chin, framing her face.
"For the mission," the medic-nin explained, fingering the ends of her hair and looking a bit self-conscious. "Shikamaru thought we should do something to alter our appearance, so..." She trailed off, a light pink hue coloring her cheeks from the scrutiny of her peers.
"It looks nice," Hinata said, smiling. "I think it suits you like that."
The medic-nin grinned and thanked Hinata for the compliment. Then the group busied themselves with various last-minute tasks before breaking camp. Hinata and Shino worked side-by-side, carefully erasing all traces of their stay. As she bent down to retrieve a scrap of litter, Sakura's voice caught her attention. Hinata turned white eyes toward the sound and watched the medic-nin as she spoke to their squad leader.
The conversation was purely professional in nature. In fact, it was almost cold. As though they were acquaintances and not friends. It wasn't as though they were being adverse to each other. Quite the opposite, in fact. They were very polite. Almost painfully so... in a rigid sort of way.
'Why are they acting like that..?' Hinata wondered, frowning.
After last night, the Hyuga heiress thought for sure that something significant had happened between the two. That their relationship had changed at some point during the mission. Where once they were friends, now they are more. She had been genuinely happy for them when she saw them kissing, so much so that she almost told Shino about what she saw but decided at the last minute to keep it to herself. She wondered now if she had deactivated her Byakugan too soon. If perhaps she had missed something.
Hinata frowned in puzzlement. 'I could have sworn... their chakra... that was passion, wasn't it?'
Uncertainty was beginning to set in and she unconsciously began to chew on her bottom lip. Unlike Neji, Hinata still did not comprehend everything she saw with her Byakugan. She could report what she saw with her eyes, but understanding the motivation that drives people to do what they do... that was something she was still learning.
Her older cousin could interpret emotions and motivation from body language and chakra flow as easily as he could tie his own shoes. It was an innate talent for him. And it was an insight that he was very proud of. If he saw something with his Byakugan, he believed it. In spite of any protests he may receive to the contrary. Neji trusted his own eyes and understanding of human motivation beyond all else.
While Hinata trusted her eyes, she still didn't have the confidence that Neji had in terms of pure interpretation. She thought she saw passion and lust last night. Chakra definitely built up between the two Leaf-nins and it only grew more intense as their kissing continued. Hinata, feeling a bit like a voyeur, quickly deactivated her Byakugan and told Shino that her assignment was complete.
But now...
Hinata eyed the couple and wondered if what she saw wasn't passion, but embarrassment? What if she was wrong... again?
'If only Neji were here,' Hinata thought as self-doubt began to erode her confidence. 'He would know.'
Then a new thought struck her.
'If Neji were here, he'd be angry with me for even thinking such a thing.' She peered at the couple, noting the careful distance they kept from one another. 'Neji would tell me to really look at them. I can't simply believe what they want me to believe. They're ninja. I have to look at them.'
So she did.
The pair parted company with barely a word between them. Careful to watch them without being too obvious, Hinata waited. Shikamaru's body language didn't give very much away, but Sakura's did. She wasn't looking at Sasuke as often. And when the medic-nin did look toward the Uchiha heir, her expression wasn't as heavy as it had been only days before. Where there was once grief and heartache, she now saw uncertainty and perhaps self-reproach.
The more Hinata thought about it, the more she noticed. And an odd sense of pride began to creep into the back of her mind. She was almost certain now.
Both Shikamaru and Sakura were preoccupied, and it didn't appear to be the strangeness of their mission that weighed upon their minds. If that were the case, they wouldn't be acting so painfully polite toward each other one moment and then carefully trying to avoid each other the next. It was so subtle, that Hinata was certain that if she hadn't been paying attention, she would have missed it.
Shikamaru and Sakura were attracted to each other. And that attraction made them both uncomfortable.
A small smile lifted the Hyuga heiress' features. 'So the kiss was real. I was right.'
"Hinata."
The Byakugan user nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. She met his scowl with an expression of guilt and he frowned at her.
"What did you see last night?" he asked, his voice pitched for her eyes only.
Unable to control it, Hinata's blush was immediate and condemning. Shikamaru's frown deepened at the colored hue of her cheeks, but he said nothing.
Fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and taking a deep breath, she told him about the unusual chakra signatures she saw. She told him how the chakra glowed and swirled. How it circulated in a way she had never seen before and how it seemed to radiate from the young mother's body like a light bulb.
Intrigued, Shikamaru asked her a few more questions, pressing her for details and clarifying a few points. Hinata stuttered through some of her answers, trying to do her best to explain what she saw, but found it difficult to keep up with his line of thought at times. There were several points in their conversation where Hinata felt that her answers were lacking in the details he needed and she felt guilty for that. She soon began to wonder if she had let him down in her assigned task.
"And the male target?" Shikamaru asked. "Kisho?"
"There was nothing. Even when you hit..." she trailed off when Shikamaru's expression tightened. She felt her cheeks redden once again. Changing her explanation, she said, "His chakra was... consistent for a civilian."
"Mm."
Hinata stood there, unsure of what to do while Shikamaru processed the information she provided.
After a long moment, he said, "Thank you, Hinata. You've been a great help."
At his words, the weight of uncertainly lifted from her shoulders and she gave him a shy, but grateful smile before returning to her work alongside Shino. A few minutes later, Shikamaru announced that it was time to move out and meet up with their escorts to the Sand Village.
• • •
Tired, thirsty and covered in the grit of travel, Shikamaru sighed with relief when the Hidden Village of the Sand finally came into view. He wanted nothing more than to find a comfortable place to relax but knew he wouldn't be given the opportunity. The simple fact that Gaara sent his siblings to meet them told Shikamaru that the Kazekage was taking a very personal interest in his report. Which wasn't that surprising, given the political environment that surrounded the shinobi of the sand.
Barely three steps beyond the gates of Sunagakure and Temari brought the group to a halt.
"Kankurou, please show everyone to the guest house." Temari caught the shadow user's eye, "Gaara wants to hear Shikamaru's report now."
The lazy Jounin sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sakura should come along, too. She'll have some medical insights that I won't."
Temari nodded and turned on her heel, leading them toward the center of town. Sakura quickly fell in step beside Shikamaru as they followed the Kazekage's elder sister through the village and into the Kage tower. Gaara was waiting for them when they entered his office. He motioned for them to sit and a nearby Chuunin offered the two leaf-nin something to drink.
Gaara eyed them both while they quenched their thirst. Then said, "The Hokage is hopeful that you learned more about the Akatsuki's plans than Kakashi's team did."
Shikamaru swallowed a mouthful of water and scowled. "Our mission will raise more questions than answers."
Arms folded over his chest, the Kazekage settled himself deeper into his seat as he waited for the shadow-user to continue.
Shikamaru didn't waste any time on trivialities. His report began with a brief overview of what their mission objectives were and how he and Sakura worked together to achieve them. Then he began describing their targets, giving detailed physical descriptions and a basic psychological profile of both. Gaara's interest visibly piqued when Shikamaru said that one of their targets, Ami, was pregnant. But he remained quiet and thoughtful while the Leaf Jounin talked about Hinata using her Byakugan to study their chakra signatures.
Only then did Gaara interrupt him to ask questions.
"What about the baby?" the Kazekage asked.
"We don't know anything about it," Sakura said, adding her voice to the conversation for the first time since sitting down. "She didn't give us the name of the father or any details about him."
"Hinata did say that the chakra signature of the baby was highly unusual," Shikamaru added.
Sakura's brows rose in surprise. "She did?"
The Jounin spared her a quick glance and nodded.
Gaara's jaw clenched. "How, exactly, was it unusual?"
The corner of Shikamaru's lip curled upwards as a wry, knowing smile lifted his features. "She said it was very bright. Very strong. She said that the mother's aura was almost 'pale' in comparison."
The silence in the room pressed in around them, charged with anxiety. Gaara's expression turned cold and tight. He was becoming agitated.
"Did Hinata say what the infant's aura looked like?" Gaara asked.
Shikamaru spared Sakura a quick glance, trying to gauge how she was reacting to the added dimension of the situation that Hinata had provided. Until the baby was born, Hinata's observation was the best evidence yet about their assumption that the baby was a Jinchuuriki. Intelligent green eyes appeared distant and thoughtful as the medic quietly cataloged and processed the new information. In spite of her professionalism, Shikamaru caught a tremor of concern growing within her as she began to fidget.
"She simply said it was unusually strong," Shikamaru said. "She said it caught her attention almost immediately."
No one said a word for several seconds. Shikamaru observed the Kazekage, curious to hear what he had to say next, but he was in no hurry to share his thoughts. Gaara took a sip of water, sat back in his chair and focused his attention on Sakura. It was clear he was waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, he questioned her.
"Can you add anything to what the Hyuuga girl observed?" Gaara asked. "Sakura?"
So deep in thought that the sound of her name gave her a start, and she flinched. Gaara said nothing more. He simply waited. Clearing her throat, she began.
"Newborns don't develop a strong chakra flow until they're at least a few weeks old," she said, voice soft. "An unborn baby has the same chakra flow as its mother. Only after birth does it start to change."
Gaara eyed Sakura, his expression tight and unreadable.
"If you are asking me to give you a medical reason to explain what Hinata saw, I can't," she said. "At least not without a full exam and a battery of tests. There is no known medical reason for a fetus to have the kind of chakra that Hinata described, but there are jutsus that-"
"What can you say?" he asked, interrupting her. "What did you observe?"
Sakura sat up a little straighter in her seat and said, "She is much further along than I originally guessed. Looking at her, I figured her to be in her second trimester, but she told me that she is in her third. If that's true, then the fetus is very underweight. She's a petite girl and not very tall. She isn't showing as much as she should. I doubt she's getting the proper medical care she needs for her pregnancy. If any at all." Capturing the Kazekage's gaze, Sakura quickly added, "There is no doubt in my mind that Ami is being abused and was most likely impregnated as the result of rape. I would like to see her taken into protective custody."
Gaara nodded once at her words, not in agreement, but in simple acknowledgment and they both knew it. Shikamaru sensed a dismissal incoming with no small amount of disappointment. He had hoped that the Kazekage would share his thoughts about Ami and her baby, but he was clearly unwilling. At least so far.
It was just as well. The unusually severe expression that Gaara wore said enough and Shikamaru was more than ready to be alone for awhile and finally relax.
• • •
After taking a quick shower and changing into his standard-issue jounin uniform, Shikamaru left the small one-room flat he had been provided by the Village of the Sand to wander. He almost regretted his decision to leave the guesthouse when he felt the cruel heat of the late afternoon sun bearing down on him. Few people walked the streets so late in the day as most wisely remained indoors to keep cool.
Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, Shikamaru sighed. 'It's no wonder that the Sand-nin have always been such dangerous opponents,' he thought as he wandered down an alley between two residential buildings, 'Having to live in a hellhole like this would make you tough...'
Shikamaru stopped in his tracks when he emerged from the alleyway. Shadowed by an apartment building and tucked away in a little corner of the world to be easily forgotten was a vacant lot with a small knoll. The grass had long since died with the passing of the rainy season and the other plant life nearby looked beat to hell from the oppressive heat and occasional sand storm, but in spite of the harshness, that tiny plot of land looked like home to him. Hands clasped behind his head, Shikamaru stretched out on his back as far as the little knoll would allow, not caring about the strange and curious looks he earned from the residents of the apartment complex nearby.
It was with a stab of disappointment that he stared up into the sky to see it devoid of clouds. It had been too long since he last visited the Wind Country and he had forgotten. One does not cloud watch in the Sand Village because there were simply no clouds to watch. (That is unless you count the few high wisps of white that looked more like faint smears than actual clouds.) No, in Suna, you stared at the wide, blue, open, blank, formless sky.
At nothing, essentially.
And a cloudless sky always felt depressing to him somehow. Empty. Which made the whole exercise moot. Staring at the clouds had always stirred his imagination and triggered long periods of deep pondering. It was how his father had taught him to relax his mind and unwind - and he couldn't do it, no matter how badly he wanted to.
It was frustrating.
With a sigh, he turned his mind to the puzzle that haunted his thoughts. There were so many pieces, so many options and variables to consider when it came to the Akatsuki and their goals... Shikamaru needed to figure them out. He needed to understand them. It was easy to see that the Akatsuki was working to create a new jinchuuriki, but it was so obvious that it was almost too obvious. And Shikamaru never trusted the obvious. Especially when it came to an organization as crafty as the Akatsuki. They were skilled at pulling strings and manipulating people and events to fit their needs. They were defeated, certainly, but not destroyed. And that fact alone made them all the more dangerous in Shikamaru's mind.
Squinting up at the sky, Shikamaru's eyes peered into the endless expanse of blue. There was also the Earth Country to consider. How did they fit into everything? Were they allies with the Akatsuki now, or have the Stone been infiltrated by the Akatsuki? Somehow, the pieces all fit together. There was a goal the Akatsuki was trying to achieve, an outcome. Perhaps something far more sinister than simply trying to bring about the Shinobi Wars once again.
The fact that they were moving now, while Naruto was being groomed specifically to become the next Hokage, was no coincidence. Naruto made it perfectly clear what he wanted to do with the Akatsuki once he became Hokage, regardless of what any of the other Kages and Feudal Lords thought. In fact, Gaara publicly stated that he would assist Konoha in any endeavor designed to eliminate the Akatsuki.
Even if he couldn't figure out their motives, Shikamaru could plainly see where their sudden bravery came from. Someone powerful was looking out for them. Someone was protecting them, enabling them. The person best equipped to protect a group of S-class criminals had to be someone of significant political and/or military power. The Feudal Lord of the Wind Country fit that description. As did the Mizukage and Tsuchikage.
Shikamaru rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead and sighed. Sakura was right. No matter what happened, even if they found proof that the Akatsuki was active in the Earth country or that the Feudal Lord of the Wind Country was supporting the S-class group of criminals, there was a very low chance that violent hostilities could be avoided. Diplomacy could only work for so long against a group of people bent on war.
'I wonder what Sakura thinks of Gaara's reaction to our report?' he wondered. 'I should have stopped by her flat and checked on her...'
As soon as the thought entered his mind, he frowned. Thinking about Sakura in one way or another was as persistent as it was troublesome, but there it was, making yet another reappearance in the forefront of his mind. He'd done so well with keeping thoughts of her at bay, buried under anything he could think of to distract himself from his growing attraction. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, thoughts of her would creep up again and he was doomed to remember what it was like to kiss her.
'Once this mission is over, everything will be back to normal again,' he told himself. 'I'll be sent on another troublesome assignment and Sakura will train with the Hokage to prepare for her Jounin exam. I'll stop thinking about her all the time and she'll go back to mooning over Sasuke...'
His frown cut deep lines into his face. It had always perplexed him the way females tended to gush over the Uchiha heir in general. It just never made sense to him, but the thought of Sakura fawning over Sasuke made his gut clench uncomfortably tight. His mood was starting to sour.
'How is it that women can so easily make things so complicated,' he wondered, his eyes staring dully toward the horizon as he fingered the wedding band he still wore. Sakura was complicating his thoughts far too much. No matter how much he tried to control his sentiments and remain steady, he could no longer deny the obvious to himself.
He was infatuated with her. She intrigued and challenged him. He enjoyed being near her, talking to her, listening to her... And those developing feelings were already making his role in the mission all the more problematic. It wasn't that he didn't believe he could focus past it and perform as required, because he was confident that he could. He just didn't like the constant tension and brooding.
"Figured I would find you laying around somewhere," a familiar female voice said, instantly derailing his train of thought. "But I didn't think I'd have to look for you this far from your flat."
Shikamaru scowled and craned his neck to see Temari standing over him, hands on her hips and a lips curled up in a half smirk. It was an expression he was all too familiar with. During his years as Chuunin Examiner, he had forged a friendship with the wind user that sometimes seemed far more troublesome than it was worth.
Now was one of those times.
Shikamaru simply glared at her as her smirk became more smug and amused. He wondered if she had sought him out for the sole purpose to annoy him. He could recall many an occasion where she set out to do just that. The lazy Jounin had long ago observed that there was a mean streak in most of the women he knew, and Temari's streak seemed especially wide.
The young woman's expression was completely devoid of anything that indicated a need for Shikamaru to engage her in conversation, let alone verbally acknowledge her arrival. With a sigh, he broke eye contact and listlessly returned his gaze to the empty blueness of the sky above, dismissing her presence with his lack of interest. He knew immediately that such a gesture would irritate her, so he was sure to do it as expertly as possible.
He heard her shift her weight and imagined she was glowering at the top of his head.
"Pft. You are the laziest man I have ever met."
• • •
Her barb had no obvious impact as he continued to pointedly ignore her. Their silent battle of wills went unbroken and Temari was irked to find that she was losing. Fast. She would have to quickly think of another tactic to get the apathetic Leaf-nin riled or give up all together.
After a long moment devoid of inspiration, she sighed.
"Gaara wants to see you and Sakura again."
"Right now?"
Temari snorted, "Yes, right now."
Shikamaru sat up and slowly got to his feet. He dusted himself off, then, without a word, made his way toward the alley and out to the main street beyond. Temari rolled her eyes at his retreating form as she followed after him.
"Is Sakura at the Kage tower now?" he asked.
"No. We need to stop by her room and wake her," she said, falling into step beside him. "Hinata told me that Sakura had complained of being tired and having a bad headache. I guess she's napping so I decided to let her rest a bit longer and look for you first."
Out of the corner of her eye, Temari saw Shikamaru scowl. Taking a chance, she threw out a good-natured tease just to see how he would react. "No need to worry. I'm sure your wife will be fine," she said. "She's a medic-nin after all."
He snorted, but said nothing.
An ornery smile lifted her features as the building that the Leaf-nin were staying in came into view. "So what's it like?" she asked.
He squinted at her. "What?"
"Being married."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Troublesome?" she grinned. "Or did you enjoy it?"
"We accomplished our mission," he said, ignoring her question. "The assignment was fine."
Temari wasn't one to let such a non-answer go. Her amusement intensified and she pressed him again, enjoying the way his jaw clenched in annoyance from her simple teasing.
"Oh, Shikamaru," she grinned. "That's not what I asked. I asked what it was like being married to Sakura."
"We're not married."
"Really?" she said as she reached for his hand, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You haven't taken your ring off yet."
Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly when Temari released his hand.
"In fact, I caught you fidgeting with it when I found you. Doesn't seem like you simply forgot that you have it on."
He didn't reply. Instead he peered off into the distance with a seemingly bored expression. Temari knew he was trying to get her to drop the subject by pretending to be completely indifferent to it, but she knew him well enough to recognize the subtle signs of annoyance that he gave off. One of which he was displaying quite prominently. Jaw clenched tightly shut and the corners of his lips turned downward; Shikamaru was unconsciously starting to grind his teeth together.
"She hasn't taken her ring off either," Temari added, still smirking as she studied his profile. "Is there a reason for that?"
"It probably has to do with the fact that neither one of us wants to risk losing a pair of rings that don't belong to us," he said finally.
"Is that right?" she asked, voice heavy with sarcasm. "So all that time alone together, sharing a hotel room, pretending to be a couple — nothing happened?"
Expression tight, he paused and caught her eye. "What exactly are you trying to imply, Temari?"
She laughed and nudged his arm good-naturedly. "I didn't realize I was 'implying' anything. I'm just saying... two of you alone, hotel room—"
"I slept on the floor."
Temari frowned in mock disappointment. "You always have to follow protocol, don't you? Squad leaders can still have fun, Shikamaru. I mean, did you at least kiss her?"
He sighed.
"You had to have had to kiss her at some point during the mission," she continued, trying to push as many buttons as she could. "Was it an open-mouthed kiss? Was there tongue?"
"Why do you care?"
She smirked. "Oh, my. I'll take that as a 'yes' then."
His lack of reply confirmed her statement. "Honestly," she said, grinning smugly, "I'm surprised little Miss Uchiha-obsessive was able to pull off the role of being married to you in the first place. Did she pretend you were Sasuke just to make it believable?"
Shikamaru's expression turned cold and dark. The transformation was so quick and complete, that Temari found herself suddenly at a loss for words. Regret formed a knot in her belly as she realized she had teased her friend too much and ended up hitting a nerve.
Temari opened her mouth to apologize, to attempt to take back her words, but Shikamaru stole her moment. Voice curt, the shadow user derailed the topic without even sparing her a glace. "Is the Kazekage going to share his thoughts on the situation with us now?"
"I didn't mean—"
She let her apology die in her throat when he turned to look at her. Without saying a word, she knew he wanted her to drop the subject. Immediately.
Clearing her throat, she conceded. "Gaara does what Gaara wants," she said, "He's not known for discussing his insights into a particular situation. Especially when it comes to the recent activities of the Akatsuki. Not unless he has to, but I suspect that he is willing to talk to you now that he has had a chance to think about everything."
Shikamaru gave a single, brief nod, but said nothing more. She studied him out of the corners of her eyes as he refocused his thoughts on the mission rather than his personal life. 'Good grief,' she thought, 'he's got it bad.'
As they made their way down the path toward the entrance of the guesthouse, the wind user paused, forcing Shikamaru to stop as well. He turned to face her, his expression still tight and very much annoyed.
"You do realize," she said carefully, voice low, "that the council still frowns upon speaking to outsiders about the internal affairs of the Sand. All internal affairs. Even to a trusted ally. This is very problematic for us."
Shikamaru lifted a brow, interest piqued.
Reaching for the door, she said, "Let's get Sakura. The Kazekage doesn't like to be kept waiting."
• • •
He watched them approach, eyes angry red with black flecks swirling. Words fell from their lips, dripping with information that set his nerves on fire.
"...all that time alone together, sharing a hotel room, pretending to be a couple — nothing happened?"
Sasuke scowled.
"Well, did you at least kiss her?"
The remnant of the cursed seal flexed and quivered just beneath his skin. It's movement turning his mood even more acrid. Jaw tightly clenched, he continued to absorb their conversation as his fingers dug into the wood of the windowsill.
"Gaara does what Gaara wants. He's not known for discussing his insights into a particular situation. Especially when it comes to the recent activities of the Akatsuki. Not unless he has to..."
Sudden rage filled him, sending his blood pumping in hard torrents throughout his body. He could hear his pulse in his ears as he glared down at the conversing pair below. White-hot pain shot down Sasuke's arm and across his upper back, sending him reeling. He covered the remnant with his hand and hissed in pain, doing his best to remain standing as the seal throbbed ferociously. Struggling to peer out the window, he cursed under his breath when he saw that the pair had already entered the building.
Paranoia fluttered inside of him, sending him stumbling toward the bathroom. The pain was almost unbearable. If he didn't get control over his emotions, his suffering would only intensify. He needed to chance to calm down and figure out a plan. The Akatsuki was near.
And so was Itachi.