Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
The puppeteer raced towards the bedside. "Is he breathing?"
"He's breathing, but his pulse is faint." One medical-nin handed Kankuro a bottle while the other two worked to remove the ingested toxins from Ebizo's motionless body. "We found this on the floor."
Kankuro inspected the purple liquid contents of the bottle. Poison, still relatively full. Good thing he didn't drink it all.
Baki and several other shinobi standing guard informed the Kazekage of the events thus far. At around noon, a member of the nursing staff arrived to deliver Ebizo's medicine as they did for the past week since the elder fell sick. Ten minutes later, a passing guard overheard an odd scuffle coming from Ebizo's room. Knocking down the door after three kicks, he found the Senior Head, alone and unconscious on his bed. Purple beads dripped from his agape mouth. The guard called for back-up. Twenty minutes later, the medical-nin were still tending furiously to Ebizo in his unresponsive state, discovering the medicine was indeed poison. It was at this time the Kazekage and his siblings walked in on the panic.
Gaara rested a hand on his chin, listening. "Has the nursing staff been questioned yet?"
"I've sent someone to their quarters to investigate," Baki replied. "It seems they have a rotating schedule. We'll learn soon who was attending to Lord Ebizo today."
Temari stepped in. "Hold on, you don't seriously think one of our nurses would do this. They have no gain from this."
"That may be true," Baki acknowledged. "Nonetheless, we must conduct a full sweep of any potential suspect."
Shikamaru observed the commotion going on at Ebizo's bedside. Poison disguised as medicine. An odd scuffle, supposedly between two people. But when the guard knocked down the door, no perpetrator. Typically, house nurses were regular civilians; they didn't have the same shinobi training as a medical-nin would. Then what kind of nurse could escape the room that fast?
Temari's eyes met his as his brows furrowed. She's thinking the same thing.
Baki continued. "The rest of the council has been informed of matters. Tojuro has stepped in and called for an emergency meeting this afternoon."
There it is, Shikamaru thought. Temari said nothing. If her intuition was correct, as it tended to be, the second Councilman was likely implicated in this. Perhaps, he or someone he hired used the Transformation Technique to sneak into Ebizo's room as a nurse. From there, it would be easy to eliminate the Senior Head, ill and bedridden, by feeding him his "medicine".
But there had been a confrontation. Chances were the perpetrator wasn't expecting much of a brawl once they entered the room. Did Ebizo in his sickly state realize he was being tricked into an early death, knock the poison away, and fight back? The noise was certainly enough to attract a passing guard. If it weren't for that change in circumstances, the assassin never would have left behind their poison.
Suddenly, one of the medical-nin turned towards them. "He's stabilizing!" The room crowded around his bedside.
In a glowing cloud of chakra, the operating nin removed the last of the ingested toxin from the body. Ultimately, he was expected to be okay but would likely remain comatose for several days, she confirmed. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief; next morning's headline could have read much worse.
Still, Kankuro had more on his mind. "So what does this mean? If he's unconscious, he can't preside over the Council."
Gaara's expression betrayed no emotion. "As second-in-line, Tojuro would assume acting Senior Head. That is the rule by law."
"Huh. Figures."
The crowd dispersed from the room. Gaara called for extra security around every Seniors' room and the meeting chamber, in case the perpetrator was still lurking. The medical-nin, all on high alert, transported the victim's body to the care unit where they could continue to tend to him. Gaara agreed that the rest of them would convene immediately for the emergency meeting Tojuro had so promptly called.
Listening, the blonde kunoichi crossed her arms. She sensed a snake in their midst. But she couldn't voice her theories just yet; the atmosphere was too shaken and uncertain. Kankuro gestured her way, indicating they should get a headstart to the meeting chamber.
Before leaving, she turned to Shikamaru. "They probably won't let you sit in on this." He shrugged.
"I figured. I'll just head back to my room for the time being." To the average observer, their ease was unassuming. But their eyes conveyed their mutual suspicions. He mouthed two words: be careful. She nodded and departed with Kankuro.
The Leaf shinobi started in the direction of his room. As a guest, there was little he could do now. No village wanted a foreign shinobi getting mixed up in their affairs, peacetime or not. He made it some ways down the hallway before someone appeared behind him.
"Wait, Shikamaru." The grainy timbre of that familiar voice sent the hairs on his back flying.
He froze in his tracks. Great, I hope I didn't make the suspect list...When he turned around, Gaara's mildly cold eyes met his. It was unsettling how easily those eyes transported Shikamaru back to that day at the hospital; Gaara's first conversation with him had contained a promise of a bloodlust. While that ravenous look was now gone, those transparent, watchful orbs still evoked a latent fear in those who met their gaze. The nearest person was occupied and a great distance down the hall; it was just the two of them. He hoped there would never come a day when it was just the two of them.
"I have a favor to ask you," Gaara said. "Please, I think you're the only one who can do it."
Shikamaru blinked. Uh oh.
The meeting chamber was abreast with chatter about the recent assassination attempt. In the chaos, all council members were quickly removed from their quarters and ushered to the meeting chamber. Three shinobi stood guard at the door; another five lined the wall of the circular room. At the table, members whispered: Did you hear about Lord Ebizo? Could another nation be plotting against us? Tojuro assumed the primary seat overlooking the rest of the table. Not even an hour after the incident and he was already flaunting his new position. The Sand Siblings mustered as much politeness as they could and took places to the right of him.
Tojuro stood, his long white sleeves outstretched in both directions. "Welcome, Lord Kazekage, Lord Kankuro, Lady Temari, and fellow councilmen. Thank you for meeting on such short notice. As you may know, the Senior Head of the Suna Council, Lord Ebizo, was attacked today." He paused, letting the tension in the room bubble. "An enemy attempted to poison our dear friend. I'm told his condition is fair, but he is currently unconscious. It is with grave responsibility that I shall step in as acting Senior Head until our friend comes to."
Agitation pulsed through the room. So they were under attack? By who? As thoughts and accusations began to spiral, Gaara interjected.
"We are conducting a full investigation of all potential suspects. The building will be under strict surveillance until the perpetrator is found. Everyone who enters and leaves will be noted."
The new Senior Head nodded in agreement. "Yes, there is no need to panic. In fact, after a jittery morning, I think we deserve a lighter conversation. Don't you think?"
Kankuro stole a glance his sister's way but she maintained a calm gaze over the table. He wouldn't dare.
"In fact," Tojuro gestured towards her. "I believe Lady Temari has some news to clear our worried heads."
He would. He absolutely would.
Gaara whispered to Tojuro that now was definitely not the time to bring up the engagement. But the new Head insisted they all needed something to lift their spirits. Temari squeezed the edge of the table as the eleven members looked towards her with expectation. One or two of them appeared especially curious, no doubt having tasted the same gossip the cleaning lady from earlier that morning had heard. Hibiki stood alert by Tojuro's side.
Damn him! They sure had her cornered. Those nosy bastards weren't even as worried as they were pretending to be. This day had provided them more excitement than they experienced in months. They were always looking for a show; it was embarrassing. And in the midst of an attack on their leadership? They sure had a lot of nerve...
Temari stood up so fast her chair almost flipped behind her.
"I'm engaged to Nara Shikamaru. The wedding will be this June in Konohagakure, it'll be a small event, nothing lavish. Come if you'd like, or don't."
The room was hushed to a complete, dumbfounded lull.
"Thank you," she said, braving a tight smile before steadying herself back into her seat. Kankuro fought the urge to facepalm at the lack of tact and the youngest offered no comment.
Let the uproar commence.
Baki surveyed the circle of his stunned peers before breaking the silence. "I think I speak for everyone when I say...this is pleasant news."
Huh?
"Yes, we haven't had an engagement in awhile!"
"I second that!"
Temari stole a glance at her brothers who now looked just as startled. Given the face-off the night before, she expected a more...hostile response. She turned to face the dastardly man sitting at the head of the table but his expression was illegible. Had he prepared for his peers to respond this way?
One Senior even said, "We couldn't ask for better!" At this, she finally held up her hands.
"Hold on. You have no opposition to this? At all?"
"Why would we oppose?" the sixth Councilman squeaked. She wanted to answer along the lines of because they all had a rigorous need to control every little thing that went on in the village and her life, from the appropriate length of her skirt to how spiky her ponytails could be on a given day.
"He's from the Leaf," she managed instead. "You don't mind that at all?"
The fourth Councilman mused, "Perhaps in the past that may have posed an issue. But the Fourth Shinobi War has ushered in mutual peace."
"Yes, and something like this could cement beneficial relations between our respective villages for centuries!" the ninth Councilman added.
Temari lowered her gaze. So that's what this is really about. They weren't really happy for her. To them, she was a tool to achieve a larger goal.
For the sake of his former student, Baki interjected. "But, of course, this is also a beautiful thing in itself."
"And what's this nonsense about not attending?" the third Councilman asked. "We have planned and attended every wedding for the noble family since the First Kazekage! Of course, if we are doing this, it really should be held in this village. And not June. The occasion is much more suited for April, don't you think?"
"I second that motion!"
"Agreed."
Temari shut her eyes, waiting for this meeting to be over. She almost wished they had flat-out rejected the idea so that when she went ahead and did it anyway, she wouldn't have to involve them. Tojuro quieted the restless chatter of councilmen which had now divulged into full wedding planning mode.
"Be calm, we will have plenty of time to discuss. I just pray that we catch the assassin soon. And that Lord Ebizo makes a speedy recovery so he can also attend this event." Temari repressed an eye roll. Tojuro continued, "The upcoming festival will be the perfect time for you two to announce your engagement to the public. Speaking of the festival, this year's events will be relocated to the east end to celebrate new development..."
Temari could feel the narrative slipping fast from her fingers. Her brothers listened on warily, mindful of everything that happened that day. The three siblings were dealing with very crafty opponents from all sides.
After the extensive meeting, Temari collapsed on her bed in a daze, burying her head in her pillow as if she were fifteen years old. Who did the council think they were? Changing dates, switching locations, making plans to parade them around the public like zoo animals. On top of that, someone was plotting against Ebizo who was still out cold. Security would certainly rev up around the village over the next few days.
What the hell is going on?
She had had enough of today. Just before she could prepare for bed, she heard a low, urgent knocking at her door.
"Temari? It's Shikamaru. Please, it's important." Temari instinctively grabbed her kunai.
No way, Shikamaru's way too afraid of breaking rules to come here this late. The intruder could still be around using a Transformation. She flung the door open and thrusted her weapon beneath the visitor's neck.
"Woah, WOAH, it's me!" The visitor who appeared to be Shikamaru threw his hands up in defense. Her weapon remained angled.
"It's really me, I swear. Remember, the Chunin Exams?" Unconvinced, she edged the weapon a little closer to his chin. Shikamaru recognized that this was probably a poor example to argue his case.
"Uhm, there was the time you saved me from that Sound Ninja-girl, the one with the flute? We fought together in Fourth Division! C'mon, something more personal….oh, y-you have this jagged scar on your left hip that never healed right from a really early mission and I know because—"
"Shut up." She lowered her kunai. "Come in." Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief.
As he entered, he took note of the room. It was pretty bare, simple. Her fan laid at the side of her bed. She had a picture of her and her siblings on the nightstand. Some garments poked out from the dresser drawers but, otherwise, it was a very tidy set-up. While larger, exemplifying her status in the building, the room was almost identical to his guest chamber.
"Sorry, but today has been a mess," Temari rubbed her temples. "You said it was important?" Shikamaru snapped out of observation mode. Leaning lightly against her dresser, he cleared his throat.
"I think Tojuro was behind the attack today."
She crossed her arms, frowning. "Hmph, I figured as much. But we don't have any evidence yet."
"I searched his office when you were all at the meeting."
"Hold on." Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I hate him, too. But you could get in a lot of trouble for entering a Senior's office without permission."
"Gaara told me to do it."
Gaara told you? Why would he get Shikamaru wrapped up in all of this? She decided to move on for the moment.
"The office must've been locked though."
Shikamaru grazed the back of his neck and stated that he had his ways. In truth, he'd learned how to pick locks pretty early on in life after learning his dad had a closet full of "stuff" he'd kept hidden from the family. But this wasn't the time to tell her that.
"Look," he continued. "Gaara and I both believed Tojuro may have been involved. So I agreed to poke around, while security was still preoccupied with the living and meeting chambers. I'm sorry...for the second time this trip. But I noticed a few things."
"First, his office was absolutely spotless. Nothing was out of place. It was like he knew someone might investigate him so he covered his tracks." He clicked his lighter at a methodical pace. "Next, I looked for anything that might be poison. No luck. But I did find a vile of food pills buried in his filing cabinet."
She raised an eyebrow. "Odd, but what's so suspicious about food pills?"
"Nothing, except they usually come in a long, horizontal container with compartments. These were in a vile meant to hold liquid. When I looked closer, sure enough, the bottom of the glass was stained slightly purple."
She began to link the pieces. "He kept the poison in that vile. Then he switched out the poison for the pills."
He nodded. "Kankuro might be able to tell where he got it from. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any other connection to the incident before your meeting ended. But I did find something else."
His hand pulled out an unassuming envelope from his vest pocket. When he flipped it over, it had three words on it.
The kunoichi's face tightened. "Where did you find this?"
"In his office closet, far back on a shelf, in a box. The penmanship is too flowery compared to his other documents. And the envelope is way old, he may have forgotten he had it. This is from someone else, I bet." Shikamaru handed her the envelope, waiting for her to respond to the intel he gathered. All she could focus on, however, were those three little words.
My dear Temari
Who...who would write that? No one called her "dear", not even those closest to her.
"I…" She thumbed the yellow corners of the envelope. "...Have you shared any of this with Gaara?"
The Leaf shinobi paused. Ordinarily, he would report directly back to the person who had given him the task. But the circumstances had changed. "I figured I'd tell you first," was all he offered.
Between the envelope and the recurring recollections of Karura since that morning, Temari's brain had reached overload. Could this really be...no. Too much had transpired already; she wouldn't do this to herself now. She tossed the envelope into the drawer of her nightstand. Her partner's eyes grew large but he did not comment.
"Thank you for telling me all this," she said finally. "I'll tell Gaara about the vile first thing tomorrow morning. He's down at the care unit right now, I won't alarm them."
"You're not gonna open the envelope?"
"Later. It doesn't seem to connect with today's attack."
"Yeah, but still..."
She laid back on her bed, chin to the ceiling. "Please don't interfere anymore. I don't need you getting on their bad side. Especially now that they're actually "happy" about you." He raised an eyebrow but took a seat at the edge of the bed. She explained how they'd be making their "debut" at the festival in a few days. In begrudging detail, she unloaded onto him her frustrations about the Council's response, as well as the many changes they were advising.
"Shikamaru, you should have heard them, they want to control everything. They want it here, they want it sooner."
"Sooner, really?"
"Right! Never in a million years would I have thought they would be this eager."
"At least they're cool about it."
She huffed, "A little too cool. They know if they reject it, I'll just do it anyway, without them. They have to spin this in their favor."
At times like these, it was chancy not to agree with Temari so he just listened. He did reserve his own suspicions though. After all, Tojuro still didn't trust this union at all. If he really did attack Ebizo, he surely wouldn't let the engagement or his peers ruin his master plan. But what did that plan entail exactly? Shikamaru desperately wanted to know but Temari had removed him from the case.
As he thought, he found himself subconsciously fiddling with her thumb, probably mistaking it for his lighter. Temari wondered how long it would take him to catch his oversight. Was this the first time he was seeing her room? Yes, she realized, peering over the familiar stage which had seen her through many years. On the left wall was a large dent from when a young Kankuro test-ran a failed puppet; he glibly cited "better spatial dimensions" as the reason for testing in her room. She really let him have it over that one. With an absent mind, Temari wondered if she would ever return to this room after this trip.
Shikamaru abruptly let go of her hand and stood up. It was as if he just realized he was in the lion's den. "I should get back to my own room. We'll talk tomorrow." She sat up.
"It's okay, the Seniors know about us now. And you already searched one of their offices. I doubt you'd get in trouble for this."
"Still…"
"Please. You can't break the rules once?" Her words were extra sweet, forgoing any irritability she exuded moments prior. Shikamaru was almost swayed.
"Sorry, I'm still representing the Leaf while I'm here." At this, she waved her hand, exasperated.
"Whatever, crybaby," she muttered. "Don't stay, I'm done flirting."
"That was flirting?"
"Yes, and?" The sugary quality of her voice completely evaporated and her default brash had returned. Shikamaru chuckled at the versatility which in turn made her smile. It was amazing that despite the stress of all this, she could still bring out that toothy grin, the one that made her eyes close in glee. He loved seeing her happy like this. And he loved even more that he was one of few people she would share this expression with.
As he made his way to the door, he hoped that expression made it to their wedding day. Hopefully, she'd still feel the same way then as she did now. Unless—his brain began rapidly iterating through the worse cases—the pressures of all of this would drive her to resent him for proposing in the first place and dragging her away from her village and leaving her brothers behind to deal with the mess he helped create. If that were to happen, she might never trust him with that smile again. What would he do then? What strategy could fix that? His hand paused on the doorknob.
"What is it?" Temari asked.
It's just all so troublesome. "Nothing." He shoved his hand back into his pocket.
"I guess...I could hang around," he said. "And leave before it gets too late. That should be okay, right?"
A/N: Chapter coming sometime next week. Stay safe, stay well.
