A/N: I hope you're enjoying the style of the fic so far. Apologies if these introductory chapters are a little slow; don't worry, the story will pick up pace soon (and the chapters will be much longer) - look forward to it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work. It goes without saying, but all our troops performed outstandingly on the battlefield and the Hidden Leaf Village owes the Allied Shinobi Forces its survival, success and future. We have a lot of work to do now that the war is over in terms of physical and economical rebuilding, not to mention all the paperwork and treaty reviews, but I believe that in this time of peace, the shinobi deserve a break from missions – at least for the next two days."
"That's absurd, Tsunade! We can't risk allowing our entire shinobi force to-"
"I agree with the Hokage," Gaara interjected. "I apologise, Raikage, but there really is no need to worry. We always have them on standby if we need them. But as of now, we've just ended a very intense war. That has been the focus of everyone's attention, and as such we don't have any important missions to assign anyway. Our priority for the moment should be the wellbeing of our shinobi and civilians."
Onoki nodded. "It would be wise for most of our forces to at least undergo preliminary medical examinations. We can't just send them out again when we have no idea what the extent of the mental and physical damage is across the shinobi population. Besides, for now we are all still Allied. I doubt there will be anything above a D-rank for them."
With some reluctance, the Raikage conceded this argument. "Fine. But we cannot rest easy. We must always be on the highest level of alert."
"Of course," Mei responded automatically. "That's a given. The war may have ended, but there are still threats out there."
"I'm glad we still have a sense of unity nonetheless." Tsunade looked at the Division commanders and higher-ups standing around the gathering of Kage. "Shizune, Shikamaru, Kakashi. Thank you for your service to Konoha. You're free to go, I will be in touch when missions resume."
Gaara looked at his siblings. "You two should go as well. Stop by the hospital while you're at it."
"I don't need to get checked out," Temari muttered at him. "Besides, are they not already at full capacity with war casualties?"
Kankuro ushered her out of the room before she made a scene. "Just listen to him, Tema. He's the Kazekage."
"Well the Kazekage can go fu-"
"Temari!" Kankuro snapped. "Let's go."
As the leaders and elders slowly filed out of the meeting, Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. It really was over, and his life would slowly return to normal. But as he plodded down the winding corridor towards the outside world, the gravity of the situation hit him. He had lost so many, experienced so much. He had to fight his own sensei, reincarnated as his enemy. He watched helplessly as Neji sacrificed himself for his loved ones. His father, the first man he ever looked up to, was gone in an instant and there was nothing he could do about it. Was there really a victory? All he felt inside was failure. Failure to protect anyone he gave a damn about.
A few steps behind were the Sand siblings, or two of them at least. They murmured something between themselves, and all Shikamaru could think about was having to go home and face his mother all by himself. She was a scary woman, so he couldn't possibly imagine what she was like when she was grieving.
"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto waved as he spotted his friend coming out of the building. "How was the meeting? Sasuke and I saw them all yesterday. They congratulated us. What did they tell you?"
"Just your typical debrief," Shikamaru replied nonchalantly. "A drag, to say the least."
Naruto noticed his friend's low spirits, but a cheeky grin spread across his face in response. "Well, let's go celebrate the end of the war at Ichiraku!" He noticed Kakashi trailing behind. "Kakashi-sensei, your treat!"
"I'm sorry, guys, I have somewhere to be. Maybe another time." And the next second, he was gone.
Shikamaru smiled halfheartedly at his friend. "Thanks, Naruto, but I think I'd better go home. I should see how my mom's doing."
"Okay," Naruto nodded as he turned towards the direction of his favourite restaurant. "You're missing out!" he called.
Alone once more, Shikamaru wandered aimlessly through the village, remarking how even though in the space of two days he'd been through hell and back, Konoha was virtually unchanged.
After some time, a hand caught his shoulder. He turned to see Temari at his side, an exhausted but happy look on her face.
"There you are," she said with a smirk on her face. "I've been looking for you. I'm heading back to Suna tonight, so I just wanted to say goodbye before I left."
His eyes quickly dropped to the ground. "There's no need. We'll see each other around."
She frowned. "We live in different villages, remember? Besides, Konoha and Suna are on good terms nowadays. There's no need for me to hang around here really, not until some new union is formed."
"I thought you hanging around here was to keep the peace?"
"I guess, but now that the priority is more so reconstruction rather than inter-village relations, I'll probably focus on being a part of the Kazekage's guard for a while. Konoha doesn't hold much appeal besides…" she trailed off before she revealed too much and her inner blush became apparent.
"Well, good luck in Suna. With you as Gaara's bodyguard, no one will ever mess with the Sand."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, a small sense of triumph in her voice. "So long, Nara."
"See ya."
The slightly smug look in her eyes became tinged with sadness for a brief moment as she realised this would be the last goodbye for a while. Nonetheless, she would never let him see her in any state of vulnerability. She produced a familiar smirk just for him as she headed towards the village border and gestured farewell without looking back.
Suddenly, that same inexplicable feeling that had sunk into him two years ago returned full-force. She was leaving just as she did back then, and his reaction was exactly the same. He didn't feel any more in touch with his emotions now than he did aged 15, but yet again it was something to do with this woman, in spite of the fact they had rarely seen each other between these two occasions. Somehow, this stubborn and fiercely independent kunoichi had wormed her way into his brain, and as much as he'd rather forget she was there, she inevitably always was. Today, he was a little broken, but just seeing her smile made him feel a little more whole again. Yes, that was this feeling.
This time, he wouldn't let her go so easily. Or at least, it was worth a shot.
"Temari!"
Surprised, the blonde turned around and raised her eyebrows. This was new. Never in her life had she seen him make an actual effort where it wasn't life-or-death.
"You should stay a little longer."
She looked at him, confused. "Why?"
"Uh," he stalled, realising he hadn't thought this through. Say it, you coward. "I don't know. I just thought…you never know when the Hokage might need you again, and…"
"The Hokage? Isn't that more your domain, Nara?" she smirked. "I think we can agree that we both have things to take care of, in our own villages. Don't fret your pretty little head, though; I'll still come to your aid if you need me, crybaby."