a/n: Hello! This is my first chapter...Um, i hope you guys like it! I sorry if IT MIGHT TURN OUT TO OOC for you. I apologize for that. Please do review afterawards. I really would appreciate it... Anyway, without further ado, I present to you the first Chapter entitle BLACK AND WHITE!
"Hurry!" a pony tailed konoha chounin yelled back at a blonde haired suna kunoichi.
He grabbed her by the hand and led her deep into the dark forest. The full moon was bright. The stars twinkled spontaneously against the dark night sky. The wind blew violently making the autumn leaves rustle. The sound of the Crickets were ear piercing. Despite the orchestra of different sounds, two pairs of footsteps could be heard running away from a mob.
"Shikamaru, we have to confront them…" said the blonde ninja.
"Are you insane!" He replied hysterically. "Though we're great ninjas, we are still no match to twenty-five sound nins!"
"Demo…"She answered back. "What do you suggest we do then, ne? Run forever?"
He sighed. "How troublesome…"
After a few hours of running, they finally reached a clearing. It was a cliff that led to a deep dry ravine. The shinobis realized that they had been cornered…like a rat…
"Got anymore suggestions, troublesome woman?" He smirked.
"Well, you COULD use your kage-mane on them, if you can…" she replied sarcastically.
"Or you could just jump of the cliff to your safety and leave the rest to me." He said as if he was joking.
"What gave you that idea?"
"My heart…"
"Well, tell your goddamn heart to stop it! I won't be a burden…" she crossed her hands.
"But, it thinks if you stay, YOU will be a burden…"
She slapped him in the face and shouted. "If you think you're cool saving my ass, well, here's the picture, lazy bastard, I ain't leaving…"
"Women are so troublesome…" he just murmured.
With that, Shikamaru pushed Temari backwards towards the deep ravine. And thankfully because of Temari's quick reflexes, she was able to hang by a branch and hide in one of the small excavations on the side. She clenched her hand tightly and tried to return to the top and help the shadow controller. But something stopped her from doing it. A shadow was pulling her feet to stay in her hiding place. She sat there for a while feeling how useless she was. It wasn't long when she saw an ebony haired shinobi pass her falling down the cliff.
She stretched her hands hoping to grab this ninja. Instead of this shinobi extending his hand, he just shook his head and whispered, "I will always be there to protect you, I promise…because I love you…" The Suna kunoichi made those words echo through her ears making sure she heard right. She saw the shadow disappear into the gorge while drops of tears followed him. She held firmly a silver locket with a rose embossed on it.
Did that lazy fiancé of hers just jump off a cliff to save her life to possibly create a diversion? No, he was a thoughtless bastard and he was too indifferent to do a thing like that. Did he just say those words? Never in their relationship did he utter 'I-love-you'. It wasn't like him. Sadly, even if he did declare his feelings for her, it was already too late. Her husband-to-be was already at the bottom of the canyon with his internal organs spread everywhere. So, why bother to look when you will the person you cherished most like that?
Also, why go back to the Hidden Sand village or Hidden Leaf Village if you allowed your partner to be killed by the enemy without being able to do anything? What face can she show to the Nara clan if she was careless to watch her partner? She would be labeled as a murderer. She figured. She has no pride left to show her brother who was the Kazekage herself. And moreover, she had no face left to show to Sunakagure as the daughter of the late kazekage. She had to go and leave everything behind. She knew it was her only option left.
At dawn, she concluded that it was safe to go up the cliff. She scanned everything lying on the ground hoping to find some remains of her departed fiancé. But when she found none, she immediately grabbed a kunai from her pouch and tried to pierce it through her throat. Before the kunai landed on her neck, she noticed something different on her shadow. Instead of seeing the silhouette of a four pig-tailed kunoichi wearing a kimono about to stab herself, she saw the profile of a pony-tailed man wearing what looks like to be a chounin vest. She immediately dropped to her knees and wept to herself.
She gently touched the locket. She remembered how Shikamaru gave it to her as an engagement present.
"Hey," Shikamaru smiled to Temari while handing her a small box which was wrapped in pink Japanese paper.
"What is it?" she asked. "A prank?"
"Hell no…" he frowned. "Do know all trouble it caused me to get you that?"
"Well…well…"she sneered. "The lousiest and laziest bastard in the world would give me a present."
"You're lucky." He joked. "You're the first one I gave you an EXPENSIVE PRESENT, though you're bossy and TROUBLESOME…"
"Thank you." She said roughly while grabbing the box. "I appreciate it…"
"Now open it…" he bent down on his knees while holding one of Temari's hands.
When Temari opened the present, she found a shiny silver locket with a rose sculpted on it. She just smiled. She knew what Shikamaru was up to. He was a traditional man. He did a lot of things though to hide it. Shikamaru first asked Temari if she wanted to be courted.
"Cut the crap, I like you though it's troublesome…may I court you?"
It wasn't really the best way to say it. But, hey, at least he tried. Now it was this, the proposal…
"I just didn't imagine myself doing this troublesome thing. But here it goes. Will would you like to spend the rest of your life with me?"
Temari couldn't help but laugh when she heard those words. She never did expect that during their first encounter at the chounin exams, he would say a thing like that. Not that she didn't like him saying that to her, (contrary, she did.) but it just wasn't him…
What more is that she hardly expresses her feelings for him. She wasn't the kind of girl that would shout, "I love you with all my heart, Shikamaru." She was never that kind of girl; she was different. She saw Ino and Sakura as ninjas who let their emotions get the better of them. After all, it is said in the rules that a ninja SHOULD NOT display her emotions. And besides, she didn't need to tell him that. He already knew. Hey, he was a genius after all.
But irony, those moments have only become memories of the past. Her hope of having a peaceful life was gone. She had lost sight of it all when her Shikamaru fell to his death. Her heart didn't just break into two but infinitely many pieces. She had lost her desire to live…
Until one day a vision came to her as a dream. If she had enough shadows, will they bring him back to life and live happily ever after. Perhaps not, but it was worth a shot. After all, she still has a long time to roam earth and she had nothing to lose.
"So, you are the shadow eater…" Kagesora asked.
She nodded. "Aren't you afraid?"
He shook his head. "You have nothing to eat anyway…"
She smiled and realized he was right.
"Temari and Kagenohi…?"
"Shadow's princess… I was his princess and he was my knight in shining armor…"
"And why Nara?"
She smiled as if this man knew the answer.
"How about you?" she asked. "What is your story?"
He smiled. "Like I have one…"
"Surely, you do…"
Kagesora stood up. "Come on, I'll take you inside. It's getting dark…"
"Are you sure you're allowing-" she asked.
"What you don't want to?" he replied sarcastically.
Kagenohi bowed and followed him. He let the girl enter first.
He scratched the back of his head. "Tsk, tsk…women are so troublesome." He murmured.
Then, he banged the door behind him.
A/n: Well, that was chapter one. The this chapter is entitled Black and white beacuse in movies flashbacks are often black and white or monochromatic. Also, if you don't know why Temari named herself as a Nara, here's the scoop. She was supposed to be married to Shikamaru, right? So, if Temari changed her name to a Nara this would mean that she wasmarried Shikamaru. Before I forget, please do tell me your comments and suggestion about my fic. It will really help in improving my fic...anyway, have to go! BYE-BYE!