Chapter 13
"Your shadow...it moved" Temari is stunned. She looks at Kamaru as if it's the first time she has seen him.
"Tch, what about it?" Shikamaru asks nonchalantly, his voice, his stance doesn't reveal any thing of his inner turmoil. Shikamaru has always wondered why his father has commanded him more than four years ago to kill Temari if she sees his shadow jutsu. He has never discovered the reason why but he has a feeling he will soon.
Temari has remained standing still. The only movement she makes the clenching and unclenching of her hands at her sides. She continues to observe Kamaru, as if measuring him. Finally she speaks "Our birthdates are the same"
Shikamaru doesn't expect those words from Temari. Their similar birthdates is the farthest thing on his mind right now. But with her words he remembers that two months prior when he is about to turn eighteen, he has mulled over the chance that maybe with this one birthday he could spend it together with her. They have never celebrated their birthdays together since Temari didn't have any mission to Suna near or on that date. The possibility of them celebrating together at that time has led him to believe that it would have made up for all his missed birthdays. But his eighteenth birthday has come and gone showing that the likelihood of that happening is nil. "Birthdays don't mean anything to me, Temari" Shikamaru declares.
"I can see you don't need me seeing as you already disposed of him and her" Kankuro pants and just points at the two fallen enemies. He takes much needed oxygen since he has run the whole way trying to catch up on Temari and Shikamaru. Then Kankuro finally takes a look around and observes the tense atmosphere between Shikamaru and Temari. It's unusual for the two to stop bickering. Right now, they are just staring at each other, their faces blank and their thoughts unreadable "Hey! What's up with you two?"
"Nothing" replies Shikamaru. He turns his back and starts to pick up his scattered kunai he has thrown before trying to strike the enemy.
Temari just stares at Shikamaru's back.
Kankuro glances from one to the other. Unable to contain his curiosity "Come on, big bro. What?"
Shikamaru ignores Kankuro. He wipes the nonexistent blood off his kunai with the cloth he keeps on his pocket for this purpose.
It's not the first time Kankuro is ignored by Shikamaru. Since Kankuro gets that treatment all the time, he just grins "Hey, if you don't want to answer I could always ask Temari"
Shikamaru pauses from placing the kunai on his holster on his right leg.
"So Temari, what's up between you and big bro?" Kankuro approaches Temari, his leer teasing "Did he finally do something inappropriate?"
Shikamaru swivels around, stomps towards Kankuro and upon reaching him, Shikamaru grasps his arm to turn him and shouts "I DID NOTHING INAPPROPRIATE! I did it to save her! It was my shadow that protected her!" Shikamaru takes a breath. He calms down and when next he speaks, it's with a cold voice, his threat for once sounding believable to Kankuro "And if you tell father what happened here, I'm going to kill you"
"Yes, Shikamaru-niisan" Kankuro's eyes widen. He has never seen his brother this angry before. He's actually amazed his big bro is capable of that emotion.
Suddenly Temari demands "What did you call him, Kankuro?"
"Tch, he called me Shikamaru. It's my full name. The name given to me by my father" Shikamaru almost spats.
"Oh my God" Temari murmurs, dazed. She can't believe Shikamaru is her twin brother but it's the only explanation that fits. Shikamaru and her otosan have the same eyes. She has always thought so but she has never really associated them together because if she takes a look into their eyes, she always sees that they are two different persons. Then she sees the shadow jutsu performed by Kamaru—wrong Shikamaru. The jutsu and the name all belong to the Nara clan. What farther proof does she need? Their similar birthdate. Nobody was pregnant in the Nara clan other than her mother that year she was born. She can't be wrong. Shikamaru is her twin brother. Her brother. Something in her wants to shout, to throw things, to get mad, to cry. Temari feels her tears slowly course down her cheeks and before anyone could notice it she turns around and run.
Temari's wrong, somebody does noticed her tears. Shikamaru clenches his fists as he follows with his eyes Temari. He doesn't understand anything. And he wants it to remain that way since he still feels that it's safer for her sake if he doesn't know anything. Afterall, there's a chance that if he learns what that revelation to her was, that maybe he really has to kill her.
TBC
1/24/11
A/N: How was it?