A/N: This should be fun. If you enjoy mixed-emotion scenes, this chapter has some of that, so buckle up bois.
Time for chapter 45
Enjoy!
Temari wore a scowl as she stomped down the hall towards the door to Gaara's study. It was just after lunch, and while the food itself had been pleasant, the information she had acquired during the meal was just the opposite. As she trudged along, her uninvited companion tried to reason with her.
"Look, I get why you're angry, but is this really a good idea? You know him better than I do, but crossing Gaara doesn't feel like a good idea" Shikamaru said as he struggled to keep pace with the indignated blonde. Temari snorted at his question.
"Gaara doesn't value family much, but he tends to let Kankuro and I off easy. Besides, I'm not in the wrong here. He is" she huffed, not bothering to glance at the shadow user. The shadow user shook his head and sighed tiredly as the fan wielder came to a halt in front of a door. Before he could step forward in any meaningful way, she turned around and stabbed a kunai into the floor in front of his feet.
"Don't cross the knife. This is my business, not yours. This'll be done in five minutes. And no matter what you think you hear, don't come inside" she ordered. As Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, Temari turned back around and threw the door open, slamming it behind her once she was within the room. As it tended to be, the study was dark save for the light of a lamp.
"Turn on the lights, Gaara. It's noon" the sand kunoichi snapped at her brother, who was seated behind his desk in the far left corner of the room. The redhead raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told and hit the switch. Once the room was fully lit, Temari stormed up to the desk and slammed her hands down on it.
"So, would you mind explaining to me why you thought it was a good idea to kill more than half the council?" she hissed. The Jinchuuriki chuckled at her aggression and leaned back in his chair calmly.
"Pests should be exterminated, and we had a few. Trust me, you'll be thanking me for this in a few years. Maybe even months, depending on my fortunes" he replied with a shrug. Temari shook her head and stood up straight again.
"No, I won't be. All this will do is create tension in the administration. Nothing good comes of this. Maybe the people you killed were a bit questionable, but murdering them wasn't the answer. We could have forced them out of their positions in other ways" she said firmly. Gaara frowned and leaned over his desktop.
"You think I killed them simply because they were 'questionable'? No, they were in direct opposition to our agenda. They would have become an issue given enough time to scheme. I cut off the snake's head, Temari. Think before you criticize" he said sharply. One particular detail of his response aroused irritation and anger in the sand kunoichi.
"You mean your agenda. This had nothing to do with me. You were ensuring your own rise to power. Don't try to make this about something it isn't" she said accusingly. Gaara rested his chin on his hands.
"This is about much more than myself, elder sister. The likelihood of me surviving into my thirties is decidedly quite low. Clearing the path for either you or Kankuro, preferably you, to a reign as Kazekage is my priority as of now" he said. Temari pursed her lips.
"You know as well as I do that Kankuro can't lead the village, and even if I can, that isn't what I want. I hate being responsible for people, and I'm nobody's idea of inspiring" she said. Gaara shrugged again and gave her an unsympathetic look.
"You don't have much of a choice, I'm afraid. Unless you're selfish enough to watch this village fall to ruin under the guidance of an incompetent fool, you're going to lead it one day" he assured her insensitively. The fan wielder clenched her jaw.
"Don't try to guilt me into this, brat. I'm still your older sister, and you need to show me some respect" she growled. Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Don't get bold with me, Temari. You won't like where it gets you" he warned, slowly rising up from his chair as he spoke.
"You're trying to play god. You can't just bend people to your will. That isn't how life works. You can rule this village and live out your fantasy all you want, but I won't be a part of it" the sand kunoichi said firmly. Gaara scowled.
" 'Play god'? Is that what you think? If so, you really should reconsider your thought process. Everything I do is driven by reason and premeditation. I enjoy blood and guts, but even I know that parsing out how much of it I spill is beneficial" he said. Temari gave him a disgusted look.
"Okay, maybe you aren't playing god. I don't think you're even stable enough to play around with life and death. You just kill on a whim. Every once in a while, you come up with some half-baked plan, but that's it. You're just a crooked kid" she said. Realizing immediately that she had said too much, Temari looked on rigidly as the cogs turned in Gaara's twisted mind.
"I dislike being questioned, but I'm not petty enough to simply deny your accusations without providing evidence of my own argument first. How about I disprove only one of your statements instead of all of them?" he said vaguely. A tendril of sand then crept out of his gourd in the corner of the room and wrapped around the door handle. The sand then turned it and pushed the door open, revealing Shikamaru leaned against the opposite wall.
"Would you mind stepping into my study for a moment, Shikamaru? There's something I wish to settle with my sister" Gaara asked politely. Temari's blood ran cold as she recognized her brother's intentions. She looked to the shadow user and shook her head rapidly.
"Don't come in. Don't listen to him" she said tensely. Shikamaru, sensing that she was not trying to be controlling, nodded and remained against the wall. The redhead sighed at the development and extended a hand forward. The sand limb then extended beyond the confines of the room and latched onto Shikamaru's ankle, dragging him into the study.
"So nice of you to join us. Now, let's get down to business" the Jinchuuriki said, shifting the grip of his sand from the shadow user's ankle to his throat. Temari made a sound of desperate protest, but shut her mouth when Gaara hoisted Shikamaru off the ground by his neck.
"So, since you claimed that I lack the stability to play with life and death, we're going to conduct an experiment. The human brain begins to hemorrhage when deprived of oxygen for four consecutive minutes, but I wonder, does mid-air suspension speed up that process? I'm going to hypothesize and say that it does" he said coldly. The Jinchuuriki's sand then clamped down on the Nara's neck, causing him to go red immediately. The sand kunoichi balled her hands into fists.
"What do you want? What will make you let him go?" she demanded as her former foe gagged and choked. Gaara smirked.
"Two things. First of all, I want you to repent for your egregious statements, and second, I want you to do it on your knees. Grovel at my feet" he listed, clearly enjoying every moment of his cruel game. Temari bared her teeth and slowly bent down to a kneeling position.
"I'd speed up a bit if I were you. Your little pet project is struggling. Ninety seconds of suffocation can't be good for you" Gaara jeered. The Jinchuuriki then stopped moving, seemingly frozen. Temari turned her gaze upwards and saw that Shikamaru had connected his shadow to Gaara's.
"Oh, now that's a surprise. I didn't think you had anything left in you. I guess you warrant a bit more than strangulation" the redhead chuckled as he effortlessly broke free from the konoha genin's jutsu. A separate strain of sand then formed at Gaara's side and shaped itself into a javelin-esque rod. The Jinchuuriki positioned the new horde of serrated sand in front of Shikamaru's stomach, prompting Temari to launch herself from her knees. While she was unable to put her body between the sand spear and the Nara, she was able to grab hold of the deadly rod with her hands.
Mustering every bit of her strength, the fan wielder pushed back against it and held it from puncturing Shikamaru's abdomen. Back down on her knees to better plant herself, Temari looked up to Gaara.
"Please stop…" she begged quietly. Much to her shock and great relief, her brother granted her feeble request, releasing Shikamaru from his grip and dissipating the sand spear.
"You may not have taken back your foolish words, but you grovelled more sincerely than I thought possible" he said as the sand returned to his gourd. The Jinchuuriki then made his way over to the container of sand and slung it over his shoulder.
"I'll leave you to tend to him. Just make sure you've cleaned up the blood by the time I get back. I'm taking a walk" he said, exiting the room with his gourd a moment later. Temari glanced down at her hands once he was gone, the palms of which had been badly cut open by the sharp spear of sediment. Reality then came crashing back to her as she spotted Shikamaru slowly sitting up and rubbing his neck. She considered rushing to his aid, but opted against it when she felt her eyes sting.
"Thanks for that, Temari. I'd have been dead" the shadow user said gratefully in reference to the act of heroism that had prevented his skewering. When he received no response, Shikamaru looked at her more closely.
"Are you...crying?" he asked carefully. Temari nodded and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry…" she sniffled quietly, her tone utterly defeated. The konoha genin frowned and scooted a bit closer to her to better hear her.
"For what? You had no way to know that he was going to do that" he reassured. The sand kunoichi shook her head and buried her face in her knees.
"No, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry for bringing you here. For kidnapping you and dragging you into this hell. My hell" she said shakily. Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows.
"I mean, I appreciate the apology, but why are you saying that? You said it yourself, I probably would have died if you hadn't taken me. As much as it still bugs me" he asked skeptically. Temari lifted her face from her knees and wrested her chin on them.
"Because you'd be better off dead than surviving in this place. I should have just let you die. It would have been a mercy" she said, a new wave of sobs hitting her the moment she finished the sentence. Shikamaru frowned.
"I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but why did you do it?" he asked, fully expecting to be snapped at in response. To his surprise, Temari did no such thing.
"Do you really want to know? You won't like the answer" she asked in response. The shadow user nodded hesitantly. The sand kunoichi sighed heavily and turned her head to look at him.
"I just wanted somebody to share this with, I guess. Not that 'this' is desirable. I brought you into my nightmare. This life of fear and a lack of control. I...just wanted a friend, or something like it" she admitted, clearly ashamed of her words. Shikamaru stared at her silently for a moment.
"And you chose me, because...why?" he asked in confusion. Temari studied her bloody hands and let them drop to her sides.
"You're smart, you're resourceful, and you're the kind of guy who can adapt to anything when forced. Honestly, I would have let you die if you hadn't beaten me the way you did. If you hadn't shown me just how rawhide tough you can be when your back is to the wall. I knew when I woke up in the infirmary that you were up for it. Even now, after being strangled half to death, you aren't panicked" she explained softly. The shadow user gave her a strange look.
"You know, part of me wants to say you're a selfish brat and call it a day, but at the same time, I understand. I don't like your reasons, but you also don't deserve to suffer. Nobody does" he said kindly. Temari's bottom lip quivered and her arms shook as she reached out and laid a bloody hand on the side of his face.
"And neither do you. I thought it would be easier for me to cope with all of this if somebody else was taking the same punishment, but all it did was make me feel guilty. Kankuro is smart enough to stay out of Gaara's way, but I'm too stubborn. You paid the price for my hard-headedness today, and I'm so, so sorry for that, Shikamaru" she apologized. Shikamaru glanced at the hand on his cheek.
"Do you want a hug?" he asked. Much to his shock, Temari nodded and reached forward, like a small child needing to be consoled. Sighing internally, the recently-strangled shinobi pulled her into an embrace.
"And before you say something about how I shouldn't get the wrong idea, don't even start. You're tired, and from what you've told me, you've been all alone for awhile. Just take the comfort you need and deserve" he said quietly. The usually brash girl hid her face in his shoulder and squeezed him to the point of discomfort on his end. They stayed seated on the floor, locked together for nearly five minutes before Temari pulled away and wiped her eyes.
"Thank you. I needed that. It's been a long time since I've been hugged" she said meekly. Shikamaru studied her carefully.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you need to take somebody from another village? You have people in this village too" he asked curiously. The sand kunoichi laughed sarcastically, an undertone of bitterness audible.
"When your father is the Kazekage and your youngest brother has a higher body count than most jonin, people tend to avoid you" she said bluntly. Shikamaru winced and nodded.
"Yeah, they would" he said sympathetically. He then looked to the clock hanging on the wall of the study. It was twelve-twenty-five.
"We should probably get up and go. You can call in a maid to clean up the blood" he said. Temari nodded and shakily rose to her feet.
"Again, I'm sorry for today" she said dejectedly. Shikamaru held up a hand and gestured for her to start walking.
"Quit apologizing. It doesn't suit you, and you already said you were sorry. I don't need anything more" he said tiredly. At that, the genin exited into the hall and went their separate ways for the remainder of the day, with Shikamaru returning to his sleeping quarters as per usual, and Temari disappearing into the streets of Suna.
Come nightfall, the konoha genin's door was watchfully guarded by his guilt-ridden captor, unbeknownst to him.
Kurenai looked on with great interest as Naruto and Neji went back and forth several meters away. The boys had decided to spar an hour ago, and they had not stopped since. While they clearly weren't trying particularly hard, the speed with which exchanges occurred was still staggering for a pair of genin. While the Jonin woman wore a look of surprise on her face, Hinata, who stood by her side sipping on a canteen of water, simply smiled and appreciated the display from both.
"Humbling, isn't it? To see two novice shinobi dive four layers deep into a single trade of strikes. It was for me" the heiress said with a knowing chuckle. Kurenai eyed the Hyuga girl, sensing a past conflict. Despite the detection of since-resolved tension, she decided not to press.
"They're both exceptionally skilled in close, that's for sure. Taijutsu isn't my specialty, so the specifics are lost to me" she admitted. Hinata smiled.
"Would you like an explanation of what each of them are doing to trouble the other?" she offered. The jonin nodded, prompting the heiress to gesture to the boys.
"What would you like me to start with?" she asked. Kurenai thought for a moment before answering the question.
"I know a bit about footwork, but Naruto repeatedly crosses his feet when he's moving toward and around Neji. According to what I was taught, that's a mistake. Why does he keep doing it?" she asked curiously. Just as she asked the question, the Jinchuuriki stepped across his own stance and rolled under a palm strike from Neji before pivoting out to his left and resetting.
"He isn't quite crossing his feet. He's shifting his stance to cover distance. He throws away strikes to disguise the movement of his feet. Kakashi-sensei taught him some odd tricks, and frankly, I'm a bit jealous" she explained. Kurenai nodded.
"He's much more skilled than I thought he would be, honestly" she said. Hinata raised an eyebrow and gave her a look.
"What impression were you under?" she asked skeptically. The Jonin shrugged and marvelled at a wonderful display of defensive craft from Neji as he evaded four consecutive punches in the tightest of quarters.
"He more or less outwilled you when you fought him, and I didn't get to see him fight Gaara. I was out at the village border. We had caught wind of Suna's intentions to invade an hour before the matches started, and I was stationed north" she explained. The pair then lapsed into silence. Eventually, Kurenai spoke once more.
"What I never doubted, though, was how powerful he is. I could feel his chakra from across the village when he was standing against Orochimaru. Everybody could. It was what gave us the motivation to push them back. If a genin was willing to go to the depths of hell to defend his village, so should we" she said. Hinata sighed and gazed at her cousin and teammate as they maneuvered around each other.
"In a day and a half, that strength is going to be tested against somebody very much like him. I suspect, however, that Gaara intentionally concealed his upper limits while he was in Konoha. Lee-san was only able to damage him by virtue of Gaara's lack of respect for his power, and Naruto-kun was never able to build any momentum. I pray to the powers that be that he can find a way to win without getting himself killed in the process" she said. Kurenai absently chewed her lip.
"Do you think he'll win?" she asked. The Hyuga girl finished the last of the water in her canteen and tossed it aside.
"I know Naruto-kun's limits, at least somewhat. I don't know Gaara's. Logically, it is very unlikely that Gaara can match him for raw strength. So, using basic reasoning, I feel as though the most likely result is Gaara's death" she said blankly. The Jonin sighed.
'You wish you could be sure, but you aren't. None of us are' she thought to herself. The boys then wrapped up their sparring session and flopped to their backs. Hinata jogged over to the exhausted genin and began to converse with them. Kurenai smiled at the scene.
'As dire as this all feels, I hope you survive, Naruto. For Hinata's sake'
A/N: Ah, that was fun to write. Gaara's still a dick, Temari is in fact a girl, and Shikamaru is capable of being sympathetic. All is right in the world. Tell me what you though :)
See you next chapter! Read and Review!
