This Chapter is purely a flash back, sorry to keep the story on delay, but I couldn't stop myself from writing this!

Takes place a year into Shikamaru's command over his troops, he thought he had her figured out. Wrong. Temari shows a side that changed him shows him the meaning of King essentially. They fought against each other, the people in between didn't have to get involved.

I know Im cheesy lol

Rated M still cause you know stuff

Enjoy!

3 years ago

Only a year into being Commander of the Leaf's western force and he'd figured out his opponent, mostly, the way she enforced her tactical plans and the way she chose to strike his troops mercilessly, as well as her ruthless nature during battle. She had proven easy to keep alive as her fire seemed to fuel her wrath and any weakness she had hidden deep down, if she had one that was. It didn't take long, about three months into his promotion, to realize he respected the woman immensely for her sheer strong offensive approach that doubled as her defense, his father was right to warn him about her.

His base camp had been informed of a sudden raid of Sand shinobi attacking the small highland town of Bara, population of less than hundred townsfolk, named after the herbal roses grown there, and the furthest town west of the Land of Fire. It was taken back from the Sand years ago during the third great war, or something like that, those details written in ancient scroll reports handed down from previous commanders. The Leaf shinobi stationed there, now dead, were meant to protect the town and people, after finally being taken back a month ago from the three yearlong hold The Land of Wind had on it. It had been a struggle and since they entered the town many have frowned upon their presence, unusual for a previous owned territory, stating they sought peace and wished to be away from the war between the nations. Shikamaru had hesitated at first to take over with the town the people inside reluctant to the sudden change, but it had been his order and he never questioned it, until tonight.

He'd planned the tactical retaking of the town in a matter of hours and prepared his unit of forty to capture it back while the enemy remained inside the fenced walls, recovering, the best time to strike when they were still weakened from their days battle. With his unit hidden in the trees surrounding the town, he had taken two with him to evaluate the best course to choose based on their numbers. Pressed against the dark brown shingled roofs Shikamaru stared down the silence among the two Sand shinobi standing guard before the largest home in town, said to be filled with the elders, woman, and children, the men of the town were seen further outside the gates, not very many as they had joined in the ranks of the Sand in the last year, why he still couldn't figure out. The two guarding Sand shinobi both turned their attention to the command called out to them, prompting his attention to turn to the commander of the front, Temari of the Sand.

"Goro Jun report" The dominating demanding voice, free of all feminine charm that most woman possessed, echoed down the main pathway instantly tensing Shikamaru's body, he figured the commander of the Sand would be here to oversee the takeover, he'd planned her into the possibilities anyways. Cruel, merciless woman who mocked her enemies under an iron fist, surprising at first, he understood now why she led the marches and captured so much of the Fire country in a year of her command, she was deadly as she was beautiful.

"Lady Temari, we've supplied food for the woman and children inside and sent the men to help deliver the rest of the supplies in with our shinobi, none of them were killed but a few were hurt some still missing, probably ran from the Leaf's defense. They had traps set outside of town" The guards bowed to her as she approached them, dipping deeply to her presence. Then there was the way her shinobi revered her, he'd seen it more than once, they way they basically worshiped the ground she walked on. Shikamaru found it strange that the Suna army admired her in such a way, then again, he could recognize the way she was constantly at the front leading without a single regard for the lives of his shinobi, she wasn't playing a game she was serious, and her troops were no different. That or she was a stunning woman who seemed to twist a man's heart with a single smile, he'd leave that inner remark in the back of his mind with her teal eyes. Her tactic proved a challenge to even himself, she fought with such wrath he was still surprised he'd lasted this long against her, and reports from the previous captains, now dead, of the Leaf defense always described her as ruthless.

He'd lost a few dozen men and women in the last month solely due to her push against his new reinforced defense, she didn't hold back, it was true what they said about the Sand, their troops were not to be taken lightly, much to his irritation on pushing for taking back the territory that belonged to the Fire by the Hokage's orders from the Daimyo to turn on the offence. He kept still eyes narrowed at her approach, the wind even seemed to follow at her command, kissing bare skin and shifting her sand colors scarf as her hands pulling back the cloth from her hair, sandy tuffs dampened by the recent rain from the day's attack, bangs sticking slightly to the sand symbol on her headband, specks of blood too small to see adoring her clothing. Darkened teal eyes set in an unforgiving glare as she turned to her men lips downturned in a tight frown, displeased.

"Did you get rid of the bodies yet?" her tone lowered, but above a whisper never losing the bitter edge, as if not to alert the townsfolk who had survived in the raid, at the word of bodies she looked down quietly, her guard standing straight at attention.

"Ma'am we've taken them outside the town, we'll have them buried as soon as we can finish our count of the town's people" a dark-haired man nodded firmly to her, but her gaze never met theirs when they had straightened to face her, she chose to stare towards the rose fence entrance into the town lost in thought it seemed.

"Did you do it before they saw?" she muttered crossing her arms. A younger man looked sheepishly to his companion who stilled and turned his gaze down. "Goro answer me I don't like waiting" the sudden call of his name Goro, the dark haired one, looked back up quickly and nodded hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, some of them did" his gaze once again downturned.

"Of course, all of you are idiots" her tone sharp and deadly warning behind it, a shudder running down Shikamaru's spine at the cold tone, he was sure she could kill with her voice alone. A quiet softer voice whispered back to them, much to his surprise that she could even register a sound as gentle as that "Get them blankets and make sure everyone is fed, I'm not letting them suffer any more than they need to the Leaf will pay for this" Shikamaru tensed going over his move to make but halted in choosing on when a cry from a child came down the main pathway. Temari turned quick her arms dropping to her sides and watched as a pair of her shinobi dragged the wailing child towards her "Stop now" the men looked at each other and with her sudden command let the child go, the little girl, four or five, clad in a blood tattered rosy cloak fell to her knees in the mud and stifling her cry as she wiped at her eyes with dirtied arms, probably having been out in the mud and rain all day. Shikamaru could feel the fearful stares of his two men turned towards him, the sudden unease of what he saw a few years back of her attack on one of their patrols rising to memory. Surely, she stopped her wrath at seeing innocent people as enemies, he'd have to intervene, quickly thinking of how to plan the course ahead and save the girl from the glare of the Sand command, however, it wasn't set on the girl but the men to her sides, her own shinobi.

"My Lady, we found her hidden among one of the outposts, set by the Leaf outside of town" they both bowed and tensed when she spoke, frozen by her intense glare back.

"Did she see?" her tone even and calm gaze slowly turning to the girl, her short brown hair covering her stifled tears hiding away from the eyes, as she shook.

"She hasn't spoken and didn't want to come with us, so we had to grab her, but I suspect she ran from the battle during the day" one confirmed looking at his companion who readied to say something but snapped his mouth shut when her eyes shot back up to them silencing them from speaking further.

"Idiots the both of you" she clenched her jaw voice remaining calm, but Shikamaru could see the retrain in her will to break it and shout "my one rule is to avoid having the children see any of this don't you think it's enough they have to be in the middle of a war"

"But my Lady you said take back the town and kill all the Leaf's shinobi" one stammered stepping back

"I said do this mission discreetly, and only if necessary, no one in the town should have witnessed any of this. We were supposed to take our people back from the Leaf and you all were careless today" they cowered as she took another step forward the subtle shift in the wind blowing at her scarf "These townsfolk have been our people for three year, we have been treating them as our own brothers and sisters not as our enemy, how dare you" a harsh edge to her words as she stepped forward. His dark eyes widened slightly, she was defending the town's people, yet his reports claimed she had been taking over villages without regard to the lives inside.

"But Lady Temari they are not" the other tried to defend and followed his companion in their retreat backwards, his words failing.

"Not what? Not from the Sand?" She mocked her words hissed out through clenched teeth still restrained to sound as calm as she could make it "Regardless of where they are originally from these people have been nothing but humble to us, our enemy is the shinobi of the Leaf not innocent civilians I've stated this time and time again" Temari stopped before the girl, who had slowly turned her red rimmed eyes up to the woman who loomed over her, furious teals making the men cower under her stare "I will deal with you later, Leave" With her final command they nodded and turned rushing away, knowing the mercy they had been shown no doubt. Temari shut her eyes taking a breath to still her heaving chest and looked down gently at the girl, kneeling before the girl in the mud, the fear in her tear-filled eyes staring up at the commander

"I'm so sorry you shouldn't have seen any of this" She whispered barley enough for Shikamaru to hear, his shoulders dropped slightly in a sense of shock, the voice didn't belong to the woman he'd fought over the past year it was soft caring, like that of a mother soothing her child. The girl wiped at her eyes tensing when Temari leaned back pulling her own sandy scarf from her neck and wrapping it around the girl "It's alright now don't you worry we'll find you mother and get you somewhere warm" the smile she gave the girl seemed to fill her with a sense of awe, her fear replaced with curiosity as the kind gesture. Temari offered the girl a hand and when she took it helped her stand, but remaining on her knees herself, using her other hand to wipe the mud and tears from her cheek "What's your name?"

"Kohana" the girl whispered.

"Little flower" Temari hummed with a smile Kohana blinking quietly back with wide eyes "I'm Temari, let's go find your mother I'm sure she's worried about you" she placed a hand to the girl's slumped shoulder her lids half shut in grief.

"My mama isn't here" she muttered quietly.

"Father?" the girl shook her head and looked down quietly new tears welling up in her eyes "Did they die when the old guards were here?" the girl nodded and began crying again, Temari pulled her in embracing her silently, Kohana quick to wrap her arms around her neck, and helped stifle the wail from her in her shoulder. Shikamaru glanced down feeling the sense of shame at the thought that her parents had probably died a month back in the battle to take over the village, one he'd said wouldn't lead to anything good but he never had a say in that matter. The real meaning of war making itself known to him. Turning back, he watched as she picked the girl up into her arms, Kohana's arms still wrapped around her neck, and headed for the guards posted outside the main house, both tense and awaiting her to speak. She hummed something that sounded like a lullaby, unknown to Shikamaru, to the child and looked between the guards, before disappearing into the house.

"What do we do?" the younger man, Jun, whispered hastily to Goro who was as silent and somber as Temari had been "I thought we were supposed to be taking over this place not helping the people"

"You new recruits don't know anything" Goro muttered shaking his head, he'd been at war for years now and was a loyal to the Subakano family since Rasa had been Kazekage "learn your history before you start asking too much kid"

"But I thought we were at war with the Land of Fire, right? I mean this was their town"

"You thought wrong, we are at war with the Hidden Leaf village not the smaller villages around us" Goro warned with a sigh "these people are innocent and Temari always said to never hurt them or let them see what we have to do to restore our power back in the Land of Wind. Respect her command or else" he warned.

"But" Jun attempted to ask but Goro cut him off.

"Shut up will you Jun, be lucky there was a child here and you didn't have to see her really get mad at those two" Goro sighed rubbing his shoulder "last man who talked back to her ended up with a broken arm, not to mention suspended from the front by the Kazekage himself. Do you really want to anger the Kazekage's sister by questioning her?"

"No" Jun looked down instantly, a moment of silence passing before he raised his head opening his mouth to speak but froze as the door opened behind him. Temari stepped out stopping beside Goro who straightened at her presence.

"Goro Jun" The two looked at her, her eyes turned down. Shikamaru held his breath, the entire situation having made his rethinking the mission at hand, of course he'd never hurt innocent people, that wasn't even something someone could question him about. He'd become unsure during the words spoken and his two men besides him both seemed hesitant to move or speak to him, seemed they all felt the discomfort in the thought of proceeding with the battle.

"My lady?" Goro speaking seemed to stir Shikamaru back into listening to the conversation below, the sudden uneasy feeling rising to his throat at her next words.

"When were you two going to sense the three Leaf shinobi hiding on the roof ahead of us?" Shikamaru could feel the eyes of his men on him and as he moved to stand felt the sudden rush of the breeze at his back. He turned slowly narrowing his eyes back at her glare, his men quick to ready kunai at his sides. Goro and Jun coming to her side weapons in hand as they each stared back, the silence thick with suspense "Had fun listening to all that?" no mocking tone, no smirk, nothing but a stare so dark he felt as though he'd fall into the abyss of the glare, she was serious. Shikamaru remained calm, at least willed his body hard enough to remain still, showing no fear, surprised as he was, he knew any sudden movement could provoke an attack.

"We were just leaving" he spoke cautiously as if having to choose each word was life or death, he held onto the gaze, each of their eyes tightening at the mock battle among them. Each determining the victor.

"So soon?" still void of every taunt, the wrath behind her words would kill him before she did "I will not fight in this town, so I will say this once, you can leave and rethink attacking our people again or else" the warning clear Shikamaru closed his eyes, the options thinned down in a matter of seconds before he slowly opened them to look back at hers. He knew he couldn't kill her, it was his mission to prevent the war from reaching Konoha, if he allowed her this town at least he'd be able to ensure she'd remain alive, and the people seemed to be in good hands. Cruel as she was, he was relieved that she wasn't a heartless kunoichi as they had written about her the past three years.

"We will retreat" he stepped back, his men looking at him quickly as if he'd gone mad. They didn't seem to understand the command, or why he moved back, and when one turned back to Temari raising his weapon to her stepping bravely, or stupidly, forward, Goro and Jun instantly reacted tensing and readying to attack. His man stilled with a gasp and against his will his arm stretched out and released the kunai, the faint clank of it hitting the roof tiles echoing into the tense silence. Shikamaru glared from him, his move made silencing his protest, back to her lowering his arm to his side the man following behind him.

"But sir" his other man stammered looking at his commander.

"I said we are retreating" Shikamaru's tone raised slightly as if that would get through to them, thankfully they both silenced at the command, he straightened and allowed his shadow to return to him, his gaze never leaving Temari's.

"Smart move Shikamaru, glad to know you're not an idiot like the rest of them" her words accompanied with a smirk her tease retuning even the pleasant attitude behind it. She braved a step past his stunned guards who stared ahead and if they'd escaped death and stopped at his side. Both commanders turning side glares at one another "next time you decide to sneak into one of my towns I'll kill you" She spoke evenly and calm and when finished turned a soft smile towards him, a silent warning never to share what he saw below, his eyes widening slightly fixated on the delicate turn of her lips and returned to her gaze as she brushed past him and jumped from the roof. Goro stepped forward nudging his head to Jun to follow and they disappeared after her. With the new uneasy feeling resting in his chest, he let out a sigh and turned to lead his men back to the wall, where his unit laid in wait, and took his first real retreat from her. He never spoke about it, neither did his men both having died months later in a patrol against the Land of Earth, and watched every time he faced her to see if he'd ever see the smile rise to her lips again.