Chapter Thirty-One
The Kazekage's private study was paneled in warm, red wood to break the monotony of the tan stucco walls. The room, like most of the oasis held difficult memories for Temari. On one hand, Father had allowed her and Mom free reign of the room when he wasn't present, and Temari had spent hours here studying maps and historical accounts of the events of the three Great Shinobi Wars to date. The study's library even included several curious accounts of the Waring States Period. It was one of the few places she remembered happy memories with both Mom and Dad.
More painful memories awoke in this place like ghosts animating after lying dormant. After Mom's death, Father almost abandoned the oasis entirely – only returning on occasion. The few times she came with him, Father would lock himself in the study, staring pensively into nothingness. The last time she'd been here, Temari had no idea if it actually had been father or if it was Orochimaru impersonating him. All she knew was the change had happened sometime before she left for Konoha. Before you ended up with crybaby!
Shikamaru sat on her right at the desk, and Gaara to her left. The other members of the party – Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Hinata, Sai, Ino, Sakura, and Kankaro - sat on one side of the room while Jiraiya and Tsunade sat with the unannounced Fourth Raikage and his brother, Killer B. Temari swallowed a lump in her throat as she took in the gravity of who she was talking to: three of the ten Jinchuriki and three of the five major Kages. Normally, an occasion like this would be news of international importance. Of course, these aren't normal times.
"Good evening all, I'm hoping you're all finding our accommodations to your liking," a wave of affirmations confirmed at least no one was unpleased with their quarters or their amenities. "My brother called you all here in hopes of discussing a growing crisis of international importance – a crisis that threatens the whole of the Shinobi World." She scanned the crowd, noticing absent reactions. "Some of what we're about to discuss are known facts, some reasonable speculation, and some is…" she searched for the word, "… not-fully substantiated theory. We will do our best to present what we know before delving into the speculative, starting with the delegation from Konohakagure." She turned a hand to Shikamaru.
He stood as she sat, "As you all know, an attempt was made to frame Naruto for the attempted murder of the Raikage. What you may not yet know is that the attack on the Raikage was orchestrated by a former head of the Konoha ANBU as well as members of the mercenary group: the Akatsuki. The person imitating Naruto at that time was Sasuke Uchiha, who we believe is acting under coercion from the Akatsuki."
Shikamaru locked eyes with Lord Minato who nodded, "We also know that the Akatsuki are operating under the orders of a former Hidden Leaf Shinobi, Obito Uchiha; however, we have strong reason believe he is operating under orders from Madara Uchiha."
"Pardon me for saying," the Raikage interrupted, "but last I heard Madara was dead."
"For a long time," Jiraiya replied, crossing his arms uncomfortably, "that was our expectation, too."
"In any case," Temari broke in, "the Hidden Leaf have had brush-ins with seemingly resurrected shinobi, including two reanimated Hokages. We can reasonably assume the same could happen with Madara."
"And we have reason to believe the criminal Orochimaru might be lending the ability of resurrection to the Akatsuki, possibly to revive Madara," Lord Minato added.
"For what purpose?" Naruto's voice caused everyone to pause. All eyes were staring at him. He really does have a way of revealing the elephant in the room. "Why would he come back now of all times?"
"Perhaps it has something to do with the Jinchuriki," Gaara spoke up, "We know the Akatsuki have been targeting us, and right now Killer B, you, and myself are the only ones that have evaded capture."
"And me," Hinata broke in. So, you are a jinchuriki as well. Temari had suspected but never had it confirmed until now.
"Lady Hinata," Gaara spoke, "your anonymity offered some level of protection…"
"And we can't rely on it forever," she shook her head, "I used tailed-beast form in the Chunin Exams and at Blood Prison; if the Akatsuki haven't yet figured it out, they will sooner or later." Hinata turned to Naruto, Lord Minato, and Lady Kushina, "I'm sorry, but if we're going to work together, I think everyone needs to know the cards on the table."
"She's right," Temari spoke, turning to the delegation from Kumokagure. "Which begs the question: what can you tell us?"
B and his brother exchanged a glance and a nod, "Not much, I'm afraid," the Raikage spoke.
"Your teams used to regular cross the border with the Country of Sound, surely you have tried accessing the country since the border closed?" Shikamaru inquired.
A twitch of B's cheek hinted Shikamaru had touched on something delicate. "I'm afraid," he cleared his throat, "that's some fantastical, and quite crazy shit," he turned to Kushina and Hinata, "Pardon my language."
"It's fine," Kushina nodded, "what 'fantastical shit' are you talking about?"
B and the Raikage again exchanged troubled looks. Finally, the Raikage nodded. "My apprentice Karui was tasked with an infiltration mission a few weeks ago," B spoke haunted, "She returned with a tale of monsters and mutated humans walking the streets, the country's population little more than zombies, which was a bit much to take purely at face value." He wiped away a bead of sweat from his temple, "However, Karui isn't known for flights of fancy or delusion. I believe that she saw something pretty horrific on that side of the border."
Temari watched Naruto, Minato, Jiraiya, and Hinata turn ghostly pale as all color drained from them. "Lord Hokage, is there something you'd like to share?" Temari's heartrate slowly accelerated – she'd never seen Lord Minato so truly scared.
"What kind of monsters?" Minato asked.
B spoke gravely, slowly, "Some kind of thing that bonded over them, like a second lifeform possessing a host." The fact that Minato was asking for more detail suggested Karui had discovered something familiar
"Whatever thing Obito had attached to him," Naruto spoke, "it allowed him to regenerate from wounds that normally would be fatal; I stabbed him in the chest with a kunai with little effect."
"I struck two chakra points, but it only stunned it. I-I've never seen something shrug off such an attack so easily. It-it was like there was a separate chakra network attached to him."
"How many did Karui say she saw?" Temari asked, feeling ice water around her toes.
"By her account," B's throat bobbed up and down, "the entire population was assimilated."
The room froze, and the oxygen level dropped as troubled gasps erupted throughout. "Are you saying, there could be an army of those things!" Temari's voice came out sharp with fear.
"Two," Shikamaru's voice ground like stone being turned to gravel, "Let's assume for a minute the loss of all chatter from Amekagure was for the same reason." He turned to Minato, "The two events are linked closely to the Akatsuki, and we have to assume the sudden closing of the countries are linked."
"They're not invulnerable," Naruto added, "We did hurt Obito quite badly with fire that one time."
"In any case, I think our greatest concern is how to respond to this new threat," Gaara added. "Even with relatively small populations compared to our own, we could be facing two armies of mutated super soldiers under command of one of the most powerful shinobi who ever lived. I seriously doubt our armed forces individually could handle such a threat."
"You're calling for a coordinated response?" the Raikage asked.
Gaara nodded, "This threat could extinguish all the great shinobi countries if we let it see it's plan through to the end. We should consider a more formal summit of the major, and minor, Kages to coordinate a proper response."
"Oh my god!" Hinata gasped.
"Hinata?" Naruto turned to his girlfriend; eyes wide with concern.
"The traffickers were taking people as payment for Fatal Lust. We assumed it was selling them into slavery…"
"So," Temari added, "Fatal Lust wasn't just about weakening our numbers; it was about building their own. They've been planning this a long time!"
"Why target the jinchuriki?" Kushina asked, freezing the room. "There has to be more to it than some army of monstrosities, and human trafficking, otherwise, they would have attacked already."
"The tailed-beasts are the villages' secret weapons," Hinata said.
"There is something troubling about that," Kushina shook her head. "They made a pass at me when Naruto was born, meaning this was planned for a very long time as Temari suggest. If Obito had this thing attached to him and he could make an army from it, why didn't he then, why wait for sixteen, almost seventeen years?" She locked eyes with Gaara, "Gaara, you said the Akatsuki who took you said the Eye of the Moon would be ready by the October full moon, right?"
"Yes, but we still don't know what it means," he added.
"We know it has to do with Madara," Jiraiya added in.
"Have you asked the Uchiha Clan leader if he knows?" Temari blurted out.
Shocked thoughtfulness overcame everyone. "Madara was the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan," Minato slapped his forehead.
"You think they're part of this?" Shikamaru said skeptical.
"Maybe not intentionally," Naruto added, "but that clan has its secrets. Perhaps there is something they can share to give us a better idea of what is happening."
"All the great clans have secrets," Hinata added, "have we ever actually asked Lord Fugaku if he knew anything about the Eye of the Moon?"
Minato stared blankly, "Madara had been so removed from the clan, it never occurred to me that any of his descendants might know what it meant!"
"Let's not worry about the past, but worry about the future," Temari chimed in. "I think when you get back you are due for a long conversation with the Uchiha patriarch."
"You don't think he was trying to set himself up to topple us?" Tsunade asked.
"All he had to do was side with Orochimaru during the Konoha Crush," Minato shook his head.
"I agree, he had countless opportunities to destroy us without us knowing in the meantime," Temari said. "In any case, I think we can agree that it is in our best interests to continue sharing intelligence and, possibly, coordinate a military response to whatever is happening in the Land of Sound and the Land of Rain?"
"It seems fate would have us work together," Minato eyed B and the Raikage, "after once nearly killing one another."
"Hey, fate acts in strange ways!" B threw his hands up, "Make me think of a song!"
"ANOTHER TIME!" the room yelped in unison. After a pause, there laughter. Temari needed the laughter to exorcise this place of the past. She needed it to dispel, at least for now, the terrible knowledge that war was coming to the Shinobi World – very soon.
"Everyone," Gaara spoke up, "If there is nothing else, I believe we should adjourn for the night and make the most of the remaining long weekend." His voice became solemn, "I have a feeling this will be our last bit of downtime for quite a while. Before we part for the weekend, I think we should try setting up a more formal summit, and I think we should include the other Kages and the lords of some of the small countries, too."
After a collection of affirmations, the group began dispersing, but Temari remained, as did her brothers and Shikamaru. Why is he staying? "Got something on your mind?" Temari asked her lover.
"Gaara asked me to stay after the meeting. I have a feeling," he eyed first Gaara and Kankaro, "this is where your brothers tell you I'm no good, and tell me I should stay away from you."
"You couldn't be more wrong," Gaara chuckled.
"Speak for yourself, little brother," Kankaro groaned, "I still say we take him out back and bury him in the desert."
"Kankaro," Temari chided, "I am your older sister, not a younger one!" She knew where this was going, and she prayed she wasn't about to break up with Shikamaru as a result.
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," he cracked his knuckles as he turned his attention to Shikamaru. "How about it, little man, care to deny you've been sleeping with my sister?" You've got to be shitting me, really, little brother?!
"Kankaro!" she protested.
"I won't deny anything," Shikamaru spoke up, "For overbearing and troublesome as your sister is, I am in love with her!" Shikamaru's brown eyes burned like two fiery coals but soon turned to almost puppy-dog pleading, "And I'd like to think she loves me, too."
"Temari?" Kankaro asked.
"I love him, and not just because he keeps the bed nice and warm," she grinned. Hopefully, Kankaro backs off.
"Your feet are freezing by the way," Shikamaru quipped.
"What are your intentions, Shikamaru!" Kankaro did not soften his demeanor. Shit!
Gaara's tongue slid in his cheek, suppressing amused laughter, "I don't think he knows!" he chuckled.
"You're shitting me!" Kankaro stared at Shikamaru in disbelief. He turned to Temari, "You never told him?!"
"No, I didn't," Temari bit her lip, hoping this conversation wouldn't happen right now, nor here of all places. The two would be jerks about this issue!
"Temari," Shikamaru stared with growing confusion, "what the hell are they talking about?"
"Shikamaru," she hesitated, "that first night… there was a reason why I did things the way I did…"
"Like what?"
"The whole thing about ruining you…" her cheeks went red, remembering the hot night of unfettered passion.
"Yeah," he raised a confused eyebrow.
"In Suna… a couple's first intercourse is usually an act of proposal," she explained, bringing her hand to the bridge of her nose to massage away her embarrassment.
"What!?" Shikamaru's eyes bowed wide, "You… you were asking me the whole time!"
"I was hoping to actually pop that question another time," she glared at her brothers, "but it seems I can't dance around it too much longer."
"Temari," Gaara tented his hands, "I understand your reluctance, but as a princess of Suna, you two have sealed the deal, right?"
Temari met Shikamaru's eyes, "We have," she nodded. "Shikamaru…" she felt along the front of her neck, feeling her heart trying to climb up her throat, "… custom dictates I ask… will you be my husband?"
Shock chiseled through Shikamaru's face at the question. Temari fully prepared herself for rejection, and she couldn't blame Shikamaru. How can you blame him? You just sprang an ambush proposal on him! His face turned stony, "Yes."
YES?! "Yes?" Kankaro and Gaara's mouths dropped.
"Yes," Shikamaru nodded with sharp determination. "I had no idea this would happen, but I'm prepared to pay the price for whatever we've done."
"Well, I'll be damned," Kankaro scratched his chin.
"Sh-Shikamaru," Temari's jaw fell to the ground. "I-I'm sorry…"
He took her hand, "I'm not. If this is how it needs to be, then so be it." His thumb massaged over her knuckles.
"Of course," Gaara mused, "just because you two are engaged, that does not mean you have to get married with any immediacy."
Kanakaro snorted in hilarity, and soon Gaara joined in laughter. "Laugh it up, jerkwads!" Temari shouted, pounding a fist on the desk they sat around.
"Please tell me this wasn't a cruel joke," Shikamaru's face twisted.
"It isn't," Temari protested, "the two of them are correct; by tradition in Suna, we were engaged by default." Temari turned her fiery glare to her bothers.
"Shikamaru," Kankaro paused his laughter, "Temari is our only sister, and we needed to know if you were truly serious and not just looking for a good time. Things in Suna are different than Konoha."
"So, I see," Shikamaru turned his eyes back to Temari, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Shikamaru," Temari choked, "The first time; I sincerely thought one or both of us was going to die. I didn't want to lay that burden at your feet if you survived and I didn't."
"And what about afterwards?" he asked.
"Well, truth be known, I didn't know how to tell you; that was what we were supposed to talk about last night," she bit her lip, "That was why I asked where things were going. I was scared you'd reject a proposal so soon."
Shikamaru's expression softened, "You could have just asked, troublesome woman. I still would have said yes."
"I appreciate that, crybaby!" the weight fell off her shoulders.
"That said," Kankaro added, "just know if you break up with her, custom dictates that we kill you."
"KANKARO!" Temari growled.
"Well, what, you can't blame a guy for trying," he laughed.
"It's not true, Shikamaru" Gaara reassured, "Kankaro is testing your mettle."
"And do I pass?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure," he huffed, "but if you hurt my big sister…"
"I'm more worried about her hurting me!" Shikamaru laughed, squeezing Temari's hand tighter.
"All right you two," Temari let go of Shikamaru's hand and crossed her arms, "you've had your fun toying with my boy… fiancé," she glanced back to Shikamaru and smiled. "If there is nothing else, I think he and I need to have a long talk."
"Certainly," Gaara nodded, "Temari, before I forget, I'm reassigning you to the diplomatic staff in Konoha for the foreseeable future. When this lot returns, you'll be going with them." Gaara turned to his brother, "Let's go, Kankaro," and they left.
"Well," Shikamaru said, "what a pain this day has become!"
"You want to back out?"
"Never," he shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I do love you, Temari, and I don't think I'll ever find a woman as troublesome as you anywhere in the world."
"You do realize we'll have to explain this to your folks."
"What a pain!"
"I thought your mom liked me?" she curled her eyebrows in confusion.
"She does, that's the problem!"
"How?"
"She's going to insist we get married right away," his face morphed into horror, "and then she's going to demand to know when we will be giving her grandkids!"
"That does sound like your mom," Temari laughed, not caring about the tribulations coming up. "Shikamaru…"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Being that we're engaged now…"
"Yeah?" he tilted his head to the side.
"Well, care to spend the night with me in my room? Fiancé," she winked.
"I could think of nothing better!"
Author's notes: Hello everyone, and thank you for reading. The chapter was much shorter than hoped for (I blame my increasingly busier work schedule). As always, nothing got cut out, I just have to push back to the following week. I appreciate the patience with the short chapters lately; just finding any time to write this week was a major challenge. Anyhow, I'll see you all next week as some secrets come to light. Stay healthy, stay safe, and I'll see you next Saturday.