Hey everyone! Thank you for reading this story and sending in the reviews. I didn't think that Revelations 2 would actually bring some readers to "tears". At least you all know why the Sand brothers have tried so hard to keep Shikamaru away from Temari. Now that they know longer believe the Shadow Warrior is a threat, how will they feel about him now?
Inspiration: More music that keeps on getting stuck in my head. Currently listening to Nickelback Savin' Me. The title fit the mood to my last chapter. Interesting video too.
Flashback to the once traveling Sand Goddess…
Late in the evening, the desert beauty sleeps in the Taiga (river) Inn. Random images flashed and faded before her eyes. Voices, whispers and screams roared in her ears. She's been having these dreams for weeks, yet they still don't make any sense.
Until now…
Team Temari traveled down the vast forest of Tsuchi (Earth Country). The three kunoichis had a problem free mission from the start, a political meeting between the elders of Iwagakure. After a three day stay in their village, they headed to the Youchi City where her brothers were waiting for their return.
Suddenly, a group of ruthless brutes dressed in an olive attire ran between the trio.
"MOVE BITCH!" One of the men collided into Temari's shoulder knocking her off balance, she promptly recovered with a raging flames in her eyes.
"Stay on the route until I back!" The Sand leader instructed. "Nobody calls me a bitch and gets away with it!" The subordinates watched her vanish into the shadows, the enraged Sand Goddess went in pursuit of the disrespectful swine.
'Damn they're fast! But not fast enough!' Temari finally caught up with the pushovers. She kept herself hidden until she found the right opportunity to attack.
"Remember boys, kill anyone with a mask on. There should be five of them."
"Hai!"
'Masks? There must be ANBU nearby.'
"Boss, we're not alone."
"You got that right." Temari whispered into the commander's ear. He turned his head, there was no one behind him.
"Who said that?" His minions looked at him at a complete loss. "Who said that!"
"Boss we didn't say anything."
"I did." Temari emerged before him, the butt of her war fan thrusted up towards his nose cracking his septum. The cracking of the cartilage echoed through the silent forest. Scarlet liquid spurted out of the center of his face.
"OH FUCK! FUCK! MY FACE! AHHHHH!" The other men halted their movements, astonished by the Goddess's speed of attack.
Temari laughed at the comical sight. She flicked her wrist to get the commander's blood off of her hands; which then splattered into his eyes, temporarily blinding him.
"KILL HER! I WANT THAT FUCKING WHORE DEAD!"
Minions surrounded the Sand Goddess armed with shurinken and kunai knives. All of them came at her with full force.
"Incompetent fools." The fan wielding kunoichi reached for her fan, spreading the leaves open; the three violet disks exposed.
"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Great Cutting Whirlwind Technique)!"
Massive blasts of wind sliced through the dense forest as the minions screamed in pain and agony. Chakra charged winds sliced through their skin, striping it red with blood. Several gusts chopped the tall tree trunks into logs sending them flying. The velocity and force that drove pieces of wood crushed their bodies on impact. Footsteps ran in the opposite direction of the turbulent winds.
"Serves you right for calling us bitches!"
She swung her war fan again once more, another gust of wind followed the last, destroying more of the landscape.
The visions of the forest began to blur…
"MEGAMI GET DOWN!" Strong arms enveloped her body, the soft padding of his vest pressed against her back. Together their bodies slammed onto the forest floor.
"Kagemusha?" The white and amethyst mask that surfaced before her. His dark eyes peered behind the holes of his mask.
"Use that new jutsu I taught you."
"Find your subordinates and don't look back, just run."
"For the life of me please don't get involved."
The Shadow Warrior flickered into the night.
"I am your shadow, Kagemusha. Regardless of the distance, I am with you always."
Megami ran through the forest to reunite with her team.
"Temari-sensei!"
"Thank goodness you're back."
"Did you get those arrogant bastards?"
"I sure did. They won't be a problem anymore. Did you run into any trouble since I was gone?"
"Not at all."
(twig) Snap.
The kunoichis glance at each other through the corners of their eyes. They concealed themselves within the high branches of the next tree ahead of them, whispering to converse.
"Are we being followed?"
"Let's hope not."
Temari placed an index finger over her lips, instructing the girls to silence themselves. She meticulously tuned in her hearing to the fast-paced footsteps. In order to communicate, she used hand signals.
"20 men - NE - 60m"
Temari shook her head from side to side. "No."
"32" (shakes head) "43" her eyes widen. "more than 50!"
She performed a hand seal with urgency. The pupils in her eyes dilated, leaving the center entirely black with a dark green ring encircling it. Kokuei Teikan Jutsu (Shadow Vision) ran an intense flow of chakra through the optic nerve to the surface of her iris. This gave the user the ability to see shadows within shadows, or "ultra night vision". The jutsu distinguished the variations of light and how it hits an object at certain angles, with an increase in chakra flow the user can see in the dark for a short period of time. The Sand Goddess counted the shadows of the men, to receive a more accurate count than the sound of footsteps.
"62 men - NE - 68m"
Temari deactivated the jutsu, the excessive chakra flow returned to the rest of her body, the intense flow left her breathless. She continued to sign, then pointed to the others "move SE, don't stop!"
The subordinates were concerned. "What about you?"
"Go without me."
"When can we expect your return?"
"Soon. Now move."
Team Temari split into opposite directions. The Sand Goddess trailed the army of night fighters.
'They're heading towards Shikamaru. He can't hold off a ambush in his condition. Even when I reached for his hand, I could see that he was in pain. He can't hold a kunai knife, let alone utilize a jutsu.'
Bright white lights flashed into her eyes. Clouds moved across the starry night before her eyes…
'Gaara, Kankurō'
Bleep…… Bleep….. Bleep… Bleep.
"Where are my units? If she crashes again she's gonna die!"
"I love you Megami no Suna. I would never make you chose between me or your family. You already know that. "
"Shikamaru!" Temari opens her tear flooded eyes, her hand reaching out to him. Only to realized that she's alone again, sleeping in a bed without him by her side. She places the back of her hand on her face to wipe away the tears. 'This is ridiculous, I've been crying in my sleep again.'
The Sand Goddess reaches for the lamp on the nightstand, pulling on the thin chain to brighten the room. Beside the lamp was her dream diary. According to her doctor's orders, she was instructed to record her dreams if she can remember them. The writings may provide closure to that one fateful night. That closure can mend the broken bonds between her family, herself, and her lover Shikamaru the Shadow Warrior.
She ran her fingers through the cream colored pages of the black velvet hard back. Temari read the previous page of notes before.
I stood there helplessly, I couldn't stop the ambush in the making, more of them came from all directions. They were after men behind a mask, one of them was mine. I watched them attack him using their tactless jutsus, their taijitsu was even worse. The shadow butchery just begun. The scent of blood filled the air, leaving behind a glossy wet shine on the earth. They were so easy to kill but their persistence prevailed. Rapid moving shadows came towards him, the Shadow Warrior used a rebel's body as a shield. The shadows penetrated his skin with ease.
Kagemusha defeated most of them, the remaining ten could care less about their remaining comrades. All they had left was their mission, to kill him. One of them tried to grab the mask off of his face. To retaliate, he broke his forearm in half. The Shadow Warrior showed him some mercy with a swift death; turning the victim's back towards him, placing his hands adjacently on his jaw and on top of his skull, with one abrupt twist he cracked the disks of his spine out of alignment. The body descended to the ground.
The others attempted to flee from their death sentence, but it was no use. Kagemusha trapped them within his shadow, using his shurinken to slice their jugulars. The blood poured down their throats as the bodies collapsed.
Just when he thought the massacre was over, a Stealth Shurinken pierced into his stomach. A last attempt move from a dying rebel succeeded. Kagemusha witnessed his last breath. The Shadow Warrior fell to the floor, crimson fluid steeped through the padded white vest.
"AAAHHHHH!" He screams.
I watched him fall, the blood soaking through his clothes. When I reached out to touch him, my hands went right though him, as if I were a ghost. My body gradually became transparent I could now see through myself. A sharp pain accumulated in the center of my stomach, then spread throughout my entire being, for I am his shadow, his pain is mine.
He placed his hands over the fatal flesh wound applying firm pressure to slow the bleeding. The black blood leaked between his fingers. Life began to flash before his eyes.
The last vision he had the greatest impact of all.
The two of us stood in the middle of a dry desert, the soft white sand beneath our feet. A refreshing breeze blew past us, green leaves danced in the air, not a single one of them touched the ground. We pulled each other in for our final kiss, our worlds merged into one.
I witnessed his pain and suffering as the life in his eyes began to fade. I screamed his name but my voice was gone.
I watched my lover die before me; for I am his shadow, his soul is mine.
Temari began to put the pieces of her memoir together, attempting to make sense of her scattered dreams. She grabbed a hold of her medical file which was on the other side of the bed, reading the doctor's notes on that critical night in Iwa.
Patient suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen, the delay for blood units decreased chances of full recovery. Will perform additional test to discover the extent, if she wakes from her coma. 12 percent chance of ever awakening, strong possibility of becoming brain dead in the next few days. Kazekage has signed the consent form to stop life support if conditions worsen or do not improve.
'I still can't remember what happened in Iwa. What's the point in telling Shikamaru if I don't even know what happened?'
A wave of nausea swept over her stomach. Chunks of last night's dinner rose to her throat. She squinted her eyes shut, swallowing the partially digested meal before it could reached the rest of her tongue. The burn of the hydrochloric acid lingered in the back of her throat. Temari lifted the covers off of her bed, she walked to the bathroom sink to wash the aftertaste out of her mouth.
'That's the second time since I left the doctor's office.'
"I don't even know why I ordered the seafood platter. I don't even like seafood, should've stopped at the mackerel."
"Your blood is running low on iron, increase your protein intake and you should be just fine."
'And I thought the doctor's orders are supposed to make you feel better, not vomit.'
Temari returned to bed, laying on her side to ease the upset stomach, curling herself into a fetal position. Her stomach rested against her knees. Too disturbed to sleep, she reflected back to the time right after Shikamaru left, which was over a month ago.
Leaving her at the wall, she walked the rest of the way home…
"Think carefully about what you want in life before you use that key."
"What did they say to you to make you turn so cold?"
Megami changed directions, instead she headed for the Kazekage's tower. The lights were still on in the round window. She bounded from rooftop to rooftop until she reached her destination.
The Sand Goddess stormed into the office, slamming the recently repaired door into the wall. The doorknob punched a hole into the wall.
"What did you say to him!"
"Temari calm down." Gaara requested in a clam tone of voice.
"Like hell I will! What did you say to him?"
"Temari please, you don't have to yell." Kankurō was sitting on the floor reassembling his shattered puppet Saiko.
"Stay out of this! You caused enough trouble already, you Troublesome Prick!"
He crossed his arms, the insult disgusted him. "Humph. You sound more like him everyday."
"Shut it Kankurō!" She directed her attention towards her other younger brother. "Gaara, what did you say to Shikamaru?" Her voice lightly softened but still carried a serious undertone.
"The question is what didn't you say to Shikamaru? You promised us that you would confront him about his mission the next you saw him." Giving his sister a stern stare.
"I was going to, but it doesn't make any damn sense to tell him something that I can't recall. By the way, the two of are doing a fine job keeping us apart."
"We were just protecting you." The red-head stated.
"Protecting me from him? I told you that her would never hurt me. Never!"
"We know that now, that's why we asked."
"What exactly did you tell him?"
"Everything. We even showed him your medical file, pictures and all."
"You didn't?"
"We did. Just to make sure that he was being truthful and he was."
"The crybaby bawled when he saw them." Kankurō explained himself with a straight face and direct eye contact.
"I still thought that he was lying, until I saw the way that he held you before the two of you went to the wall. Then it finally sank in how much really he loves you."
"Kankurō…" She forgot the next insult that she was going to fire at him.
"Temari, I'm sorry that I attacked him earlier. You have a right to your own life, it was wrong for me to get involved at that moment."
She nodded to accept his apology, Temari took a seat and looked at her brothers. "So what happens now?"
"That's up to you. We do accept him because you love him." The sheen of a silver charm caught Gaara's eye. "What is that?"
"What?"
Kankurō viewed the silver chain and charm, then pointed. "That around your neck?"
"Oh this?" Her lips curled into a smile. "A key to Shikamaru's new house. He asked me to live in with him and I said yes."
"Is that so?" Gaara asked lifting one of his eyebrows.
"Yes." The answer finally sank in, the brothers had a concerned look on their faces.
"So that's your plan, just run off the Konoha and leave everything you know behind? This village, your family?" Kankurō wondered.
"Shikamaru even told me to think it over, but my mind is made up. He would never force me to choose between you."
"What about your duties as a Sand shinobi? We need you Temari. I'm not telling you this as the Kazekage but as your brother."
"I know, but I love him. Shikamaru's the only one I can see myself with. I don't want to lose him again, we saved each other countless times. I knew he was the one when he protected me during the war with the Sound. I could have died that night if it wasn't for him." Her fingers interlaced the based of the key.
The puppeteer rose off the floor and advanced towards Temari, he stood in front of her while leaning against the desk.
"We almost lost you in Iwa, it's a miracle that you survived through it. He's in ANBU now, he can handle himself. I still don't understand why you didn't listen to him."
"He needed me, I can't explain why. I just know."
"Are you sure that you want to leave?" The Kazekage attempted to second guess her motives.
"Yes. I still want to keep the apartment so when I come back to visit I'll have a place to stay. I'll hire some movers to take some of the furniture to Konoha."
"You're serious? I never thought I would see the day that you become a Leaf shinobi." Kankurō made an effort to laugh off Temari's decision.
She proudly remarked. "It doesn't matter where I am, I will always be Temari no Sabaku."
"When do you plan on leaving?" The youngest brother questioned.
"Probably next week. That'll give me time to pack, clean up…and say goodbye."
"Before you start packing, spend some time with us. It's been a while since we did something as a family that doesn't involve a mission. I'll give your missions to other Jounins, it would be an honor for them to take your place."
"I would love that." Temari revealed a soft rare, genuine smile.
The puppeteer spoke once more. "Temari, there is a place you should go before you leave for Konoha. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Yori. Her practice is in Tenpi (sunshine) City, four hours from here. She's the best neurologist in the country, her staff can examine you to determine if you are well enough to travel. I'll escort you there, we'll stay in the city for at least three days to get your test results back. If everything goes well, you can head to Konoha from there."
"Thank you Kankurō."
"It would be a damn shame if you went to Konoha only to discover out that you can't remember where you live." The Sand Siblings cracked a smile at the joke.
"Thank you for everything." The Sand Goddess was appreciative that her brother had given her their blessings.
"It would be wrong to keep you away from a life of happiness, you deserve it." Gaara stated with a sincere smile in return.
Temari spent the two following weeks with her brothers; going out to dinner, watching movies, even playing on the swing set at the park after sunset. The day before Temari left, her subordinates threw her a surprise party, inviting everyone in the village. Afterwards, the Sand Goddess went back to her half empty apartment to sleep on the soft mattress for the last time.
Before she turned in, Temari kneeled on the floor, pulling a pink box out from under her bed. She removed the lid, presenting the original carefully filed childhood photos of her and her family. The extra copy of prints were packed and labeled, waiting by the door for the movers. Temari examined each of them slowly, reminiscing of happier innocent times. The second to last file was labeled "MOM."
Temari obtained a small collection of her mother Karura, she wished that she knew her better instead of hearing stories from her uncle Yashamaru. Yet she was thankful for the few mother/daughter photos of them together. When her hair was down, Shikamaru once mentioned that she looked just like her; the same caring eyes with lighter hair. That compliment alone left her speechless for the rest of that afternoon.
The final file in the box was labeled "US". A secretive thick collection of her and Shikamaru. Photos of them together in Suna and Konoha, post-mission getaways, and more than a few pictures of them together tangled in their bed sheets, revealing everything and nothing.
The last print of the stack was labeled on the back "The Men of My Life". She remembered trying so hard to get them to smile for the last shot which failed miserably. The serious look on all of their faces had an alluring effect, with Shikamaru was positioned in the center her of brothers. Temari then reached aimlessly underneath the bed for a spare frame to place the headshot in.
Instead of a frame, she felt a palm-sized box. She scrutinized what was within her hands, a small blue box wrapped in string. Temari knew it didn't belong to her.
"Shikamaru?"
"I just remembered that I need to pick up something before I leave."
"I'll be back in half an hour at most. I promise."
'He was such in a hurry to leave, he didn't even noticed that left without it. I'll just give this to Shikamaru, he can deliver this to Headquarters himself. The last thing he needs to do now is to track a stolen package.'
That same blue box was safely stored inside of her overnight bag, hidden within the secret double-zipper compartment. All night it drove Temari crazy not knowing what contents were inside.
She mentally resisted to think about it, 'it's a crime to open someone else's mail, let alone opening a "top secret" ANBU package.'
Temari forced another memory to surface to her mind.
Kankurō escorted this sister to Tenpi City, dropping her off at the practice of Dr. Yori and Associates. Once she walked through the door, Temari was immediately greeted by the receptionist…
"Ohayo Temari-san, we've been expecting you. Please follow me to the exam room."
"Is there any paperwork I need to fill out first."
"Not at all, Kazekage-sama forwarded us your all of information last week. You're our only patient today, we're devoting this entire day to you."
"Thank you, I'm truly grateful for all of your efforts."
The receptionist smiled. "Follow me please."
Temari followed him down the hall and into the small, exam room. A hospital gown was neatly folded on the off-white padded exam table.
"Please remove your garments and change into the gown, Dr. Yori will be with you shortly." He walks out of the room, shutting the door softly.
"Temari took the gown into the restroom to change. She stacked her folded cotton lavender t-shirt dress and black shorts on top of one another. Walking back out into the room, she set her clothes beside her; sitting on top of the bed waiting for the doctor."
Knock. Knock.
"I'm ready."
Dr. Yori entered the room. A fair skinned woman with bright green-eyes and shoulder-length red hair with strawberry blonde highlights. High cheekbones and a soft jaw line structured her face; small frameless square lenses enhanced the brightness in her eyes. A three-quarter length white coat with her name embroidered above her breast pocket, draped over her body medium framed body. Black pleated pants and black running sneakers completed the professional outfit.
"Good morning Temari-san, I'm Dr. Yori." She held her hand out in front of her patient, Temari shook her hand in response.
"Good morning Doctor."
Dr. Yori pulled up the rolling stool beside the bed. "I already understand that you do not have any history of family illness. So let's get started with a questionnaire to inform me about your general health. Okay?"
"Since your surgery, have you come down with any unusual symptoms such as headaches, exhaustion or fainting."
"Exhaustion, yes. Occasionally dizzy spell."
"Have you done any strenuous form of training recently?"
"No, I was instructed by my last doctor to get plenty of bed rest."
"Date of your last menstruation?"
"Six weeks ago."
"Do you think you're pregnant?"
"No, I just been irregular since the surgery. The excessive blood loss threw my cycle off the calendar."
"Alright. Well run some blood test and a RBC count to make sure. Other than that it sounds like a case of anemia, I'll organize an iron-rich diet plan for you if that's the case."
"Okay."
"Looks like you're ready for you CAT scan. Oh by the way, are you wearing an under wire bra?"
"No, why?"
"Good. My last patient had one on and ruined the test results we couldn't figure out why until after we rescheduled her to a later date."
The results of her CAT scan were fine except for small hole near her amygdala, which is responsible for forming and storing memories for emotional events. Temari was lucky to only lose a week of her memory, it could have been worse. Her blood test became back positive for anemia, Dr. Yori mentioned it would take at least two weeks for her iron levels to return to normalcy if she followed the diet and recommended her to take a multi-vitamin as well.
After the appointment, Dr. Yori referred Temari to see a psychologist for a therapy session.
"Although patients who do not remember their tragic accidents, it is highly recommended for them to see someone. Some people are in denial of the event or need closure to move on. I would like you to come back to see Dr. Hatsu tomorrow afternoon at 3:00, he'll be back from his vacation."
Temari did just that, Dr. Hatsu suggested to record her dreams in her diary. Since she cannot remember her mission herself but the hearsay from her brothers, he came to the conclusion that it would be best for Temari to analyze her own dreams. The discovery of the symbolic meanings will be more gratifying to her. With both of her doctor's approval, Temari left Tenpi City to continue her journey to Konoha.
The Sand Goddess continued to lie in bed still trying to fight off the curiosity in the little blue box. It has been two hours of avoiding the urge of trying not to open it, the tension began to eat away at her.
"I can't take this any more!" She got herself off the bed and began rummaging through the bag and unzipped the pocket open, pulling out the blue package.
She unfastened the string around the box, with a slow motion lifted the lid.
(gasps) Overwhelmed, Temari placed her free hand over her open mouth.
The contents had a flawless luster that sparkled in the light. The 1.75 carat white gold Moissanite engagement ring twinkled before the Goddess's eyes. Removing the ring out of the box, she read the well-defined inscription.
(Suna hourglass) Our Love Has No Boundaries (Konoha Leaf)
"Oh, Shikamaru…"
She slipped the band over her left ring finger, it was a perfect fit. The Sand Goddess returned to bed, she watched it sparkle until her eye lids became heavy. Temari no longer had nightmares about her past but beautiful dreams about her future.
I have experimented with different genres of writing, this one is the sappiest by far.
Yay! A happy ending for this chapter. More comical humor is on the way.
Coming Up! Ch.8 A Small World - Catching up with Kunoichis