Bitter.
He set his teacup down with a grimace. Looking around, he wasn't too surprised by the quality of his drink. Rotting floorboards and broken chairs revealed the teahouse's disrepair. His heel tapped lazily against the wood as he stared into his beverage. Even inside, he could still feel chilled air that hung in misty clouds off the cliff faces outside. He sat in his comfortable quiet, the only sounds breaking the long moments of silence being the noisy snacking of his partner across from him. Bowl after bowl and plate after plate were cast aside as she ate. He wasn't surprised, however, since he had seen lay beneath her clothes first-hand. All the muscles that defined her figure would require an insane amount of food to fuel them. Thankfully, they were alone; he had found himself becoming more possessive recently after she had asked him for jewellery with a distinct meaning. So, whenever he got the chance to watch herself indulge, a smile always managed to creep onto his face.
A steady stream of traffic passed behind him on the street outside. Unaware of their presence, both shinobi planned on keeping it that way as they searched for information. The elderly couple who owned the empty teahouse had been a good start, but it wasn't good enough. His ears picked up the faint hum of satisfaction across the table. A bright grin filled with a set of dazzling teeth greeted him when he looked up. The outskirts of the Village Hidden in the Clouds had been wrung dry of intelligence on the missions of the Raikage and his shinobi. Narrowing down the areas where he knew the Cloud shinobi had searched for the Two Tails and the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails, he stared at the map in front of him.
"So where have you already looked for Lord Killer Bee?"
Shikamaru almost jumped out of his seat. The familiar voice sent a jolt down his spine, He held himself still, creasing the corners of the paper under his grip. Across the table, Temari recognised the owner of the smooth voice also. She reached for her weapon but stopped after he held his palm up.
Outside, another voice explained the Cloud's current information that all matched with what he had heard. From the sound of the conversation, this kunoichi knew a little more than what he had been able to gather so far which only helped to increase his intelligence regarding the Eight Tails and its whereabouts.
With concern leaking into his voice, Kakashi made a suggestion to the kunoichi. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to send one of my shinobi to aid with the search for Lord Killer Bee; I think his skills would prove useful"
"Yeah, Kiba's the best tracker in the Inuzuka clan" another voice added.
Temari noticed when Shikamaru stopped breathing. His wide-eyed stare and balled fists worried her as she struggled to place a name to the new voice. Mature, feminine undertones accompanied the sultry voice, revealing the owner's confidence in themselves.
"What is she doing here?" he let out under his breath.
The voices drifted off, following the flow of traffic. When he was sure that he wouldn't be noticed, Shikamaru peeked out of the window. Temari joined him in watching as Kakashi walked with two kunoichi, one blonde and the other brunette.
Temari raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru. "So, how come Kakashi didn't sense us? I had heard that his nose was almost on par with most of the Inuzuka clan's shinobi"
He shrugged. "If I had to guess, I would assume that it's due to my scent's common nature; it would take a tracker like Kiba to discern my scent from other smokers"
For once, Temari was thankful for his nasty habit. But she also couldn't ignore his unbreakable stare and chewed lip.
Whilst they waited till sundown, they discussed their plan of action. As they spoke, Temari noticed some of Shikamaru's out of place actions. His darting eyes and drumming fingers gave away his faraway thoughts. When the sun set, they slinked their way through the quietened streets. Avoiding the more populous roads, the only people they encountered were too drunk to recognise their attire. They headed for the last known location that the Cloud shinobi had seen Killer Bee: an old temple that he was known for using whenever he went on his spontaneous retreats.
Signs of recent activity were rife from the steps to the interior of the temple. Keeping their eyes open, they looked around for anything clues to their target's whereabouts. Brushed into the corner, past the ancient pillars, by the draught that flowed in through the door, Shikamaru squatted down to inspect a piece of cloth.
"We should wait a bit longer before heading out" he said.
Temari wandered over towards him. "Yeah, you're right. We should let Kiba get further ahead before following. And, it'll be easier if we let the better tracker lead us to the Eight Tails' jinchuriki" she looked towards the paw prints in the dust.
He hummed in agreement.
Temari tapped her heel. Even after all the years of the awkward silence that loomed over them whenever they were together, Temari always found her uglier thoughts taking advantage of their constant camouflage. She gritted her teeth, hating the fact that Shikamaru never seemed to be affected by it. His bland expression wouldn't waiver, no matter what, much to most people's, including Temari's, dismay. Luckily, Temari's brighter thoughts enlightened her. Thankfully, she could appreciate his incredible poker face. In fact, it only served to endear him in her frustratingly lovestruck heart.
Clomp! Clomp!
Heavy footsteps drew their combined attention to the entrance. On instinct, Temari drew her Tessen fan from her back and a serrated knife appeared from Shikamaru's billowing sleeve.
"Fancy seeing you two here!"
Even in the night's darkness, bestial fangs glinted like daggers. Two characters emerged from the shadows. With his hands behind his head, the first figure calmly strutted towards them whilst the other followed with his hand around his sheathed sword's hilt to match Temari's and Shikamaru's actions.
Withdrawing his blade, Shikamaru stood up to meet Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm surprised! I guess we all had the same idea"
Sasuke's hand loosened his grip slightly. Opposite him, Temari rested a hand on her hip as her fan dropped to her side to use as a crutch.
"Did you manage to find anything?" Sasuke glared at him.
Shikamaru gestured behind him. "Only what Kiba already found"
"Kiba's here?" an excited smile spread across his face. Although, it was the intense stare in his eyes as the cloudless sky narrowed when he heard the name of his old friend that drew a quirked eyebrow from both Shikamaru and Temari.
Reluctantly, he nodded slowly. "We're putting some distance between us before following him to the Eight Tails"
"Then I guess we'll see you after we capture the Tailed Beast" Sasuke smirked at him.
Shikamaru questioned him. "What's that supposed to mean?
Stepping towards them, Naruto spread his arms. "Waiting for Kiba will take too long so I'm just gonna find Bee and Giyuki with sage mode" he sat down, crossing his legs as he lowered himself.
"You two are also annoyingly slow" Sasuke remarked.
Temari stomped her foot. "Well, we can't all have Tailed Beasts inside us to increase our speed or ridiculous kekkai genkai to put any witnesses under a genjutsu. So, what would you have us do?" she glared as her volume rose.
Returning her vicious look with one of his own, Sasuke spun on his heel with a flash of his patterned cloak. As his companion headed towards the way he came in, Naruto wrapped an arm around Temari's shoulders and pulled her close to his broad chest.
"If you want, we can swap partners, Temari; with my speed we'd have enough time to spare to indulge in more… important things" the jinchuriki suggested whilst smirking down at her. As he spoke, he traced her collarbone with a singular talon.
Shrugging him off, Temari slunk away next to Shikamaru. "I think I'll just use my fan to catch up with Shikamaru. Besides…" she nodded towards the entrance. "… I don't think your boyfriend there is excited about the prospect of switching partners" her intense expression was only broken when she allowed a small, sly smile to curl her ruby lips.
Naruto cackled to himself as he sat down once more. Temari and Shikamaru watched as his fidgety and vibrant nature seemed to vanish as soon as his butt hit the ground. With his hands clasped in between his legs, Naruto's breathing slowed and fell into a steady rhythm. For a little while, he sat still. When his eyes took on a fiery glow, they shot open. It was faint, but even Shikamaru and Temari could feel the mass of chakra that surged towards Naruto. The air around them seemed to become denser the more he concentrated.
"Kakashi-sensei's here too?"
Even from his position, he could sense Sasuke's smugness.
"And Shikamaru, Kuren—" Naruto began to turn towards him with a devious grin across his face.
"I know!" he growled, staring daggers down at the excited Naruto. Shikamaru grimaced. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter and a cigarette.
The blonde restrained himself, a smirk still plastered on his lips. Temari glanced between them, wanting to ask who Naruto was talking about but when his fierce gaze met her own concerned look for a brief instant, she dropped her head with the notion. He reached out to try and reassure her, but his quivering hand faltered and hid back in his lengthy sleeves.
"Did you find the Eight Tails yet?" Sasuke called out. When Naruto nodded, he continued. "Then, let's go already!" he began treading down the steps at the entrance.
Picking himself up, Naruto brushed the dust of his cloak. "He's never any fun" he shrugged. "I'll see you soon, Temari" he gave her a wink as he strolled away giggling to himself.
Shikamaru cleared his throat. "We should probably get going as well. I think we'll be far enough behind Kiba to not risk being detected"
Humming her agreement, Temari brushed a loose strand of her sandy hair behind her ear. Her nervous action drew his attention to the rings that adorned her upper helix as they led down to her studded lobe, glinting with the chakra crystal that Shikamaru had found. When she walked past him, Shikamaru caught a glimpse of the mirrored pattern on her other ear. The new jewellery only added to her beauty, in his opinion. The rebellious look it gave her contrasted the regal cheekbones that framed her glittering diamonds.
Shikamaru wiped the drool off his chin and stomped out the remnant stub of his cigarette took a few moments to regain his composure before walking to her side at the entrance. He tried his best for a smile as he searched his thoughts for an interesting topic of conversation for their journey. But when he tried to speak, Shikamaru was abruptly cut off with a body slam into the closest pillar. The aged stone seemed to groan under the force and flecks of crumbling rubble exploded in a cloud of dust.
"What was that fo— aargh!" he squirmed as she smacked a hand over his mouth.
With a finger pressed to her lips, she sent him a very clear message. As he fell silent, Shikamaru began to hear voices.
"… he wouldn't do something like that! He always does what's right!" a woman wailed.
Footsteps accompanying the voices came closer. Temari dragged Shikamaru behind the pillar, enveloping them in shadows. She pressed herself against him as they hid. They felt each other's breath fall into sync, Shikamaru's against her ear and Temari's against his jaw. When the silent pants brushed against her ear, Temari realised that her body wasn't the same anymore. Her legs trembled and her fists tightened with every one of Shikamaru's breaths against her sensitive ear as she bit back her moans and rubbed her thighs together to stave off her burning core.
However, her dilated eyes still managed to catch the signs of his own struggles, no matter how slight they were. The reddening of his ears. The darting of his almond eyes. The shaky hand that attempted to steady itself on her lower back. Unfortunately, it failed. Fortunately, it instead rested on her plump rear. She squeaked, burying her face in his neck. Nuzzling him, Temari sniffed in his ashy fragrance.
"Can we just focus on what we're here for?" the voices grew louder as they passed through the entranceway. "Now, if I remember right, this is where Mabui directed Kiba and Sai to begin their search"
The scuffling forced Shikamaru to cover his mouth with his other hand.
"No, we're not finished Kakashi! I can't believe that you would side with that woman so easily! She doesn't know anything about Shikamaru!"
Against her, Temari felt Shikamaru's body become as stiff as the stone behind his back upon hearing the voice. Temari risked a peek around the corner. In the middle of the room, Kakashi stood looking around, away from the corner that Temari and Shikamaru hid. Next to him, the woman from earlier watched his masked face expectantly. With her first clear look at the woman, Temari couldn't help but hold her breath. A mature yet ageless face was framed by luscious curtains of untameable raven hair, similar to Shikamaru's. Sleek curves and rounded hips led down into slender legs that seemed endless, providing the woman with a larger than average height, especially for those from Hidden Leaf Village. Her manicured nails sat perfectly on her dainty hands and her ruby lips, affixed into a pout, still gave her an innocent charm.
She stared at Kakashi furiously, waiting for an answer.
"You're being too harsh on Shizune. She knows where you're coming from but, as the Hokage's assistant, she has to review both sides of the argument" he explained. "So, for now, if we encounter Shikamaru, we'll do our best to take him alive and then he'll have to be subjected to interrogation back in the Hidden Leaf"
She gasped. "Interrogation? Are you serious? He doesn't deserve that!"
"He's a rogue shinobi, Kurenai" Kakashi argued. "No matter what's happening behind the scenes, he still made the choice to abandon the Hidden Leaf Village" he pointed out.
Furrowing her brow, Temari looked back at Shikamaru. She tried her best to discern the connection that they seemed to share. Aside from their hair, they were similar, but not enough to be related. Thankfully, the feature that distinguished them most from each other was their eyes. Her blood red irises were far apart from the soft brown of Shikamaru's eyes. The structure of her face was dissimilar too, her cheekbones and jawline being smoother than Shikamaru's sharper features. And the way they acted was totally different as well. Kurenai seemed so much more self-assured than Shikamaru who Temari could practically read the hidden anxiety behind his calm façade with her eyes closed.
Her thoughts turned to the way they both dressed. Even before he started wearing the infamous cloud-patterned dark robe of the Akatsuki, Shikamaru chose to dress in the standard-issue chunin vest whilst this kunoichi wore a cloudy dress, patterned with thorns, that revealed the scarlet sleeve on her right arm from the mesh blouse she had on underneath.
Kakashi sniffed the air. Inspecting a patch of the floor that seemed to clear of dust, Kakashi took note of the shape that looked like someone had sat down with their legs crossed. He knew that Killer Bee meditated, no matter how hard it was to imagine. But, the smell that wafted from the spot was more familiar to Kakashi. He wandered around, trying to discern the scent from the constant fragrance of smoke that hovered in the air. He wished that he had Kiba's sense of smell, his was good but nowhere near the Inuzuka clan's. Confused, Kakashi took a moment to think to himself. In the corner of his vision, he caught a glimpse of a squashed cigarette. He didn't take Killer Bee to be a smoker.
A flurry of coughs behind him worried Kakashi. He craned his neck to see Kurenai covering her mouth with a fist. "Is everything alright?" he moved towards her.
She waved him off. "I'm fine… it's just that I didn't expect to ever smell… his favourite cigarettes again" she hacked.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Who's…" his question fell flat as he answered it himself. An old sense of guilt resurfaced. Whilst he had been training Naruto, Shikamaru had to watch as Asuma was mercilessly killed by that freak, Hidan. He had helped Team 10 avenge their teacher, but when the news of Kurenai's pregnancy reached Kakashi, he couldn't help but blame himself for Mirai having to grow up without a father, something that Kakashi understood all too well.
Shaking his head, Kakashi regained his sense of duty. An idea began to form in the back of his mind. It didn't take long to connect the dots of his deductive theory.
"Did Shikamaru smoke the same brand as Asuma?" Kakashi asked Kurenai, a curious thought festering.
She stroked her chin. "I don't know, he never smoked around me whilst I was pregnant with Mirai. And even after she was born, he didn't smoke when I was around" Kakashi's head dropped slightly. "But…" he raised it once more. "… if his first ever cigarette was one of Asuma's favourite brand, then he probably would have kept on smoking the same ones just out of pure laziness. Why do you ask?"
"I need to tell you something, Kurenai" his hushed tone caught her curious attention immediately. "But first, I need you to promise me that you'll keep your head clear after I tell you. So, don't do anything reckless, okay?"
"Kakashi, you're scaring me. Just tell me already" she leant away slightly.
He took a deep breath. "I-I think that he's here, in the Land of Lightning"
"Who's here?"
Lunging towards her, he trapped her shoulder in a vice grip. "Shikamaru"
She stared into his eyes. Flashes of seriousness glowed in his smoky irises. Even with the mask covering most of his face, Kurenai could tell that it was pulled into a grimace. Still, even if this got her closer to her goal, she couldn't believe what Kakashi was suggesting was true.
"That doesn't make any sense! Why would he be here of all places?" she questioned Kakashi.
He pointed at the squashed stub. "I don't know, but it has to be him" he looked between it and the patch on the ground that wasn't covered in dust. If he was right, then that scent would have to belong to only one person. He hoped it wasn't, but logic dictated that it had to be him. He was just here. And if he was here, and Kakashi picked up his scent, then Kiba would surely do the same.
"Kakashi?" Kurenai's concerned voice, sweetened with worry for her friend, broke him out of the staring contest he was participating in with the tiled floor.
His widened stare met her gaze. "I… need to go"
"What?"
"I need to go, now"
Kurenai waved her hands in front of her in a timeout motion. "Where are you going?" she called out as Kakashi backed away, turning hurriedly.
"I need to go find Kiba before he does something reckless" he beckoned for her with a quick wave. "Come on!"
With her gaze nervously darting around the temple, Kurenai stood still. Biting her lip, dropped her head once more whilst avoiding meeting Kakashi eyes. "Go… go on ahead. You're faster than me anyways so go and find Kiba. I'll catch up" she managed to spin her demand confidently.
He hesitated for a few seconds. But Kurenai's insistent stance and the knowledge of Kiba's recklessness pressured Kakashi to leave. Within seconds, his footsteps faded into the distant landscape, leaving Kurenai in silence.
Eerily quiet moments passed before she dropped to the floor. Shallow breaths passed through her nose as she withdrew her knees into her arms.
"We should go too" Shikamaru tapped Temari's arm. She continued staring at Kurenai out of the corner of her eye. "If Naruto and Sasuke end up fighting both the Eight Tails, Kiba and Kakashi then they might need a little help" he slipped out from between her and the pillar. "Come on, let's go" he tugged her.
She shook off his grasp, still watching the Leaf kunoichi in the centre of the temple floor. "It's fine, go" she tried to wave him off but he didn't budge until she finally looked towards him. "I just need to sort something out quickly, I'll be right behind you" her fierce gaze froze him in place for a moment.
However, her ferocious snarl spurred his basic instincts of fight of flight, mostly flight, into action. With the hair on the back of his neck firmly stood on end, Shikamaru began strolling towards the entrance.
His steps echoed off the stone, unfortunately. Wide eyes rose from her knees to watch on in shock at the sight before them. Boots peeked out from the bottom of shadowy folds. Bloodied clouds floated on the billowing fabric. Spiky dark hair absorbed the darkness around it and metallic studs glinted in the temple's shade.
Picking herself up from the floor, Kurenai found herself reaching out. The name was out of her mouth before she knew it. "Shikamaru"
The echoes stopped abruptly. "What are you doing here, Kurenai?"
"To bring you back home!" her voice took on a furious tone, though the pleading failed to hide itself. Her vision blurred as her eyes took on a glossy sheen.
Without looking back, Shikamaru responded. "I can't do that so…" he cleared his throat. "go home, you shouldn't be here" he began to walk off.
She lunged towards the doorway. "You promised! You said you'd take care of Mirai!" she wailed. He disappeared from her teary view down the stairs into the unknown. Determined to reach him, she ran to the door. The light of the outside called to her. But, before she could realise it, a strong grip yanked her backwards.
A rough figure, covered in shadows, held her firm, pinning her where she stood. Kurenai struggled and squirmed, fighting with as much as she could. Her half-hearted efforts were only fuelled on the desire to achieve the goal that she came out of retirement for. She had been denying it for so long, but seeing him now, it… was too much. The gash across the symbolic leaf of his home village reflected her quivering form in the metal that strained around his bicep. His clothes, they were the same as those that were worn when her daughter's father was taken from her. He promised, so why did he leave her here?
"Who are you? And what do you want with Shikamaru?" a bittersweet voice hissed in her ear.
A moment later, Kurenai was thrown back into the centre of the temple floor. Rubbing her backside, she took in her attacker. The same attire framed the hourglass figure of this foreign kunoichi. Due to her bronze tan, Kurenai assumed that she must have had heritage in the Land of Wind. The giant fan strapped to her back reminded Kurenai of the chunin exams five years prior. The same chunin exams that Shikamaru had been matched up against a Sand genin who used a similar weapon as this rogue kunoichi looming above her. Fearsome diamonds bored into her, attempting to drill out the information she had demanded.
"I want him back!"
Kurenai went to stand up with an irritated expression. She was stopped as the kunoichi crouched down, coming uncomfortably close to her face with their foreheads almost touching.
A vicious snarl worked its way onto her lips. "Why? Who is he to you?" she asked.
Being a mature and experienced kunoichi, Kurenai had grown accustomed to detecting underlying messages through tones and nervous tells. With this girl, the need to interrogate Kurenai with a feral growl along with the chewing of her lip gave away the worry in the forefront of her thoughts.
"He's… the guardian of my family. And, he needs my help" she replied through gritted teeth.
The rogue kunoichi's fist clenched around her throat. "Your help?" she snorted. "Helping him requires sacrifice. So, tell me…" the immense pressure that blocked her airway caused her face to turn a violent spectrum of bluish shades. "What would you sacrifice for Shikamaru?"
A/N- Hey, what's up? Not much to say this time except the usual. So I hope you enjoyed and let me know if you liked this chapter. That's all so I'll see you next time.
Yours truly,
Signing off