A/N: Hey yal, I decided to upload two today because I felt really bad! I have the story planned out completely but this chapter was one I didn't enjoy writing but I knew it had to come about because of the whole development process. Enjoy!


The sun rays beamed against Temari's face early in the morning. She was planning on leaving within the hour in hopes Shikamaru would still be asleep. She had nothing left to say to him, nothing she wanted to get off her chest. She decided that at this point, fate would determine their overall relationship. She wasn't one to force anyone to change for her, and if push came to shove and she wanted to get married and have children someday and he refused, she would go separate ways.

Temari rose from bed, packed her things, tightened her obi and fastened her fan on her back. She took a deep breath and looked out the window.

"There's nothing left for me to say, nothing left for me to explain. I've got me." Temari took a second to ponder on her thoughts before relaxing her shoulders.

"Alright." Was the only thing she could say before walking out.

Konoha was still asleep at this time. Most stores were closed, there were no children running around and playing. Just a small breeze and a rising sun.

As she walked out her door she looked both ways and smiled to see the empty streets. Temari wanted peace and quiet. She didn't want to think about Shikamaru or Hidan, she just wanted to get home to her brothers.

"Well, you're up awfully early." Shikamaru was leaning on the side of her residency building slightly shadowed from her peripheral vision.

He let out a big yawn. "Everyone in their right mind's still asleep."

Shikamaru walked towards Temari and she froze. "How did he know-"

"-Why are you-"

"Lady Tsunade told me you were leaving this morning. No wonder you were acting so weird last night. Care to explain why you didn't tell me?" There was annoyance in his voice quickly replaced by a grin.

Temari looked at him noticing the bags under his eyes. He looked like he'd been waiting outside her building for hours not knowing what time she was leaving.

"I didn't want to bother anyone." She scratched the back of her head and looked in the opposite direction.

The two began to walk side by side throughout the village.

"I have my own village to think about, you know? I've been gone too long, so since I'm finished here, I thought I'd head back. Too much has happened here and I just don't want to be anymore trouble to anyone."

Shikamaru looked over to her. He knew he had messed up, but he couldn't help admiring her beauty. They could get into the worst arguments and he'd still have a soft spot for her.

"-Yea, but without having any breakfast?" He crossed his arms and questioned her.

"Oh, I'll find a teahouse or something along the way. Come to think of it, what are you doing up so early?"

"Believe me, I wish I wasn't, but you didn't bother to tell me you were leaving and I'm supposed to be your escort while you're in our little village remember?"

Temari began to reminisce on the very first time he escorted her through the village. It started with small talk followed by drinks and soon later they were making out in the hokage office when they were left alone to do paperwork together.

"Good times" She giggled and he took notice and raised a brow.

"It's a drag, but it's my mission." Shikamaru let out a small laugh.

With every step, he examined each part of her body. He really didn't want her to leave, and he knew he messed up but he wasn't one to dwell on negative thoughts.

She smiled and put a hand up to her mouth. "Sorry to be so much trouble."

After walking for several minutes they finally reached the gate.

"Your mission is done."

"So I guess we'll meet again at the Chunin exams, huh?"

She looked more than ready to leave but deep down she felt bad about how last night went. "Yeah, I'll see you then."

Temari began to walk but before she could get far, Shikamaru grabbed her hand bringing her to a halt.

She took half a turn facing her head towards him watching him look down at the ground before gazing into her dark teal eyes with remorse.

"I really didn't mean to come off the way I did, Tem. I'm sorry."

She wanted to believe what he was saying, but the way he just brushed serious matters off while they were happening only to get mad about them later was irritable.

"Don't worry about it, we'll see each other soon, alright?"

He didn't know how to feel about her statement. Everything she said felt bittersweet and he felt at fault for it.

"If anything happens, anything at all, send out a message and I'll be there the next day. I promise."

Shikamaru kissed the back of her hand and pursed his lips inward awkwardly when letting go.

Temari took a step forward and paused.

"You ask me? It's time you became a jonin. You won't have any problems if you'd just stop complaining about what a drag everything is. And this Hidan situation… I got it, I promise."

His eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder in embarrassment as she let out a laugh and began to exit.

"Man, what a drag."

Temari's calm journey back to Suna was cut in half after finding out Gaara had been kidnapped and Kankuro was in brutal condition. She wasn't one to believe in bad omens, but she had a bad feeling after her cup broke while drinking at a teahouse located halfway between Konoha and Suna. Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura had caught up to her eventually to tell her the bad news. Although it seemed as if the world was crumbling around her, Temari kept her composure and let the three follow her path back to Suna.

Hidan hadn't given her any creepy hallucinations, letters, or dreams in the past day, so she had felt some small sense of reassurance, in hopes that he was just trying to scare her or get a rise out of her without actually physically touching her, or so she thought.

The four of them finally arrived within minutes of Suna, but were troubled by a sandstorm causing them to stay in a nearby cave until it cleared up. During this time, Kakashi read his book while Sakura and Naruto bickered back and forth about the storm.

Temari sat closer towards the entryway of the cave leaning her body up against a rock watching the wind blow the sand outside.

"Will you two cut it out? We aren't able to go anywhere and there's nothing anyone in Suna can do about it. When there's a storm we're told to stay put." She glared at an impatient Naruto.

Naruto let out a huff and crossed his arms. "Temari, aren't you guys trained in this sand stuff? Why can't you just blow the wind away with your fan or something!"

Sakura and Temari looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Naruto, you're a special kind of person you know that?" Temari gave him a grin and he rolled his eyes.

"Well I'm bored!"

"Take a nap then!" Sakura chimed.

"Speaking of naps, leave me alone." Temari laid down against the rock she was leaning on and pulled a blanket from her bag.

The storm was relaxing to watch and the whistling the wind made was calming.

Her eyes were weary but the minute she tried to close them shut, the hallucinations snuck up on her.

"Temari... don't run"

Temari's eyes fluttered wide with confusion. She tried to turn her head but her body wouldn't let her. She could still hear Sakura and Naruto talking behind her, but their voices became faint and distant as the outside storm worsened. What she was witnessing before her eyes was the sand shape shifting with those beaming red devil eyes being the only indicator that it was Hidan.

There was a clanking metal sound, and then time froze. Temari was able to move but when she turned around, the three were gone. The sandstorm was still visible in front of her, but whatever remained behind her was in a void of darkness.

She was alone with him again and with that she grabbed her fan and opened it ready to put up a fight.

"This is going to be the last time you mess with me so show yourself!" She screamed into the roaring sandstorm looking directly into those red eyes.

Hidan's entity swarmed towards Temari in the form of sand, missing her when she fanned an attack towards it.

She turned around only to see him standing before her in human form.

It was actually him this time.

Temari was still on guard with her fan. She was out for the kill, yet Hidan showed no fear. And with this, she began to breathe heavier by the minute waiting for him to make a move.

Yet he just stood there and grinned with his scythe behind him.

"I'm not here to hurt you, let's talk."

"Why would I talk to you!" She hissed back and spit towards his direction.

Hidan let out a smirk and scoffed before taking a step towards her. "I can help you save your brothers..."

Her eyes grew angrier not wanting to hear what he was saying.

"What did you do to my brothers?!"

"I didn't do anything to them. But I know who did." He took another step towards her, glitching out of sight. Temari looked around but saw nothing, only to be greeted by him from behind pressing his chest against her back.

"There's a simple solution, my love. Join me... it's only going to get worse."

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Hidan possessed powers she couldn't get past. With him knowing exactly what was going on with her brothers, she couldn't tell if he was with the enemy, the enemy, or a spy. Either way she thought he was out of his mind and delusional.

"That cloak... looks so familiar?" Temari had noticed the red clouds on Hidan's cloak, but the name she was trying to recall wasn't familiar in her present mind.

"Once I find out who exactly you are-"

"-I know everything about you already. Let's not make things complicated."

There it was again, that paralyzed state. Every time he touched her it was like he had control over her physical state, yet none of this was actually real- it was a result of him visiting her in a dream or daydream. He could manipulate space and time to communicate with her and mess with her mind- how she perceived things.

"You've been so good at keeping secrets... the boy doesn't need to know anything else." He pressed his nose against her hair and inhaled. Her body was the only thing stagnant- yet her mouth was not.

"Who's to say you're in charge of me?" She spat.

"I do what I want."

Hidan ran his arms over Temari's shoulders slowly before bringing up a hand to choke her.

"Ah feisty, keep that mentality and I'll also do what I want." His laugh was poison. He sounded like he belonged in a mental institution strapped to a bed.

He released his grip and walked away from her leaving her to gasp for air. She felt her chest compressing and suddenly her stagnant state was released causing her to fall to her knees.

"He can't protect you, so don't run to him because that lazy boy can't do anything. Jashin is the only one that can save your brothers, Jashin is waiting for you... Temari."