The farther I fall I'm beside you
As lost as I get I will find you
The deeper the wound I'm inside you
For ever and ever I'm a part of
You and me...
"We're In This Together" by Nine Inch Nails
A bright white light, greeted Temari first. Her eyes refused to focus, but blue blurs soon swirled with the white. A moment later, indistinguishable noises and an intense pounding in her head joined. It felt like she was moving, but when she tried to move her head to get a look, splitting pain surged through her body and head, and black closed in again.
The next time, when the light greeted her, thankfully, it was dimmer. She focused on her breathing, willing her consciousness to stay, and the noise slowly became distinguishable as voices of people speaking somewhere outside the room. The voices could belong to , and more likely, the they belong to enemies. Slowly, she moved her hands and then her arms. She then checked herself for any weapons that may have been missed on her person. Gratefully, she found a kunai still strapped to her upper thigh.
She attempted to move her head to assess her surroundings. It was painful, but successful this time, though her vision was still blurred. She was laying on a mat in a room, and was dimly lit with a lantern. There was a small window, and the amount of light coming through it indicated that it was night. There was lump within a couple arm lengths from her, about the size of a person.
She stared hard at the lump and blinked several times to clear her vision. It was definitely a person. She blinked several more times. Is that…? It looks like Shikamaru! Her heart raced and she hastily started to pull herself to him. She no longer noticed any pain.
As she struggled to his side, an unwanted thought froze her. It's possible that it's just his body. Pushing back a feeling of dread, she forced herself to continue inching her way to him, her mind chanting. Please let him be alive, please let him be alive…
Within arms reach, she reached a hand to his pale face. It was still warm. Thank Kami! He's alive! He didn't respond to her touch, but he was alive, and that's what mattered. She fought herself the rest of the way to his side.
Reaching her hand to his face again, turning his head to face her own. She kept resting there, as her thumb stroked his cheek. She then spoke in hushed tones. "Shikamaru, wake up. Come on, wake up lazy ass… you don't just get to kiss me and leave me here, by myself." Voice cracking and shaking, she added, "What were you thinking?! I thought you were dead!" A traitorous tear ran from her eye and down into her hair.
Slowly, his eyes opened. "Tem?" He tried to move but a quiet moan escaped his throat instead. "Wha… where?"
"I don't know." She paused. The voices sounded like they were getting closer and someone was going to be coming through the door soon. "Don't try to move. Just stay still." She removed the kunai from her thigh, and forced herself into a sitting position, facing the door and her back to Shikamaru. Forcing back a wave of dizziness, she clasped the kunai with both hands, and prepared herself to defend them both.
The door knob turned. Ino stepped in and gasped at the sight that met her. Temari exhaled with a small smile, and promptly lost consciousness, as she slumped to the ground.
When she awoke, her mat had been moved to Shikamaru's side. His hand was entwined with hers as he slept. She felt the warmth of his hand and heard the light sound of his breath. She closed her eyes and enjoyed laying still, near him, once again.