Many apologies for taking so long to upload this stuff. But thanks for the patience! Rated T :3
Time had passed by slowly that day. The sun blazed high in the sky as the world turned. No clouds in the skies and no breeze to cool down sweaty skins made things worse. Birds flew by and creatures in the forests which surrounded the wall called out to one another. Aside from said creatures, there wasn't much around the castle that would be a threat to anyone. Yet the shadows that moved by in the blink of an eye remained wary and ever cautious.
With a soft sigh and a wipe of her brow, Nene began to wonder how long this perimeter check would take. These days they took more caution and effort to make sure no one was trying to sneak into their home. She always liked doing these patrols though no matter how boring they were because she took the time and effort to talk to her children one on one. Despite her knowing her children for years she often found out bits of information about her boys she would of never gathered otherwise. Such as Kiyomasa's fear of being left alone, Masanori's extensive collection of animal claws, and a mystery romance novel being written by Mitsunari. It was always fun getting to know a new quirk and interest of theirs with their conversations.
"Do you think she has a boyfriend?" Masanori asked Nene, to which Mitsunari scoffed at the man. "What?! You got something to say you fool?"
Giving his companion a shake of his head he replied, "A woman who looks that plain wouldn't have many suitor's at her door, though I doubt she'd be so desperate for companionship as to seek being at your side." He then received a hit to the arm by Nene who scowled at him in disapproval of his words. The look she gave him caused him to shutter and Kiyomasa suppressed a laugh at his blood brother's stupidity.
"Just because her looks aren't striking to you doesn't mean a thing! She has more within her than she lets on. As a warrior, you should know never to underestimate anyone just by their appearance. Besides..." Nene smiled at nothing in particular as spoke to the trio, "She is beautiful in her own way. I'm sure if you just talk to her, you'd get along with her plenty!"
Hideyoshi soon went to their side and gave his wife a pat on her behind, "My dearest Nene, who was left to take care of Tokuhime?"
"Oh, Hanzo was left behind," she told him. "I hope she doesn't mind."
At the castle grounds the young princess smiled softly to everyone she passed by. She waved to a few and wished others a good afternoon. Everyone was working hard harvesting crops, tending to the animals or just watching the forests from atop the walls. They looked ever ready to throw themselves to their deaths for her and that disheartened the girl. Not just because they would, but also because she had the ability to fend for herself. Yet here she was in the shoes of a woman who couldn't fight. How lame!
"I guess things could be worse," she said aloud to herself, ignoring Gaara's confused expression towards her. They had been walking around together side by side for the past several hours and she had yet to feel even slightly tired. She stopped and noticed that Gaara had as well. She felt that feeling again; as if she was being watched. "Kazekage-Sama, do you mind if we head towards the castle? I wish to greet Nene when she returns." She tried to sound casual, just in case the pair of eyes that watched belonged to an enemy. Can't let them know she sensed them, right?
"Hn," was his only response as he walked at her side. He could feel the watchful eyes as well but not their location. Whoever it was, they were good at hiding their presence and chakra. Together they almost made it to the large middle structure but Tenten stopped abruptly, noticing something unusual that caused him to stop as well. Gaara was not surprised but he was still confused at the sight of a boy lying in the middle of the dirt path.
He was resting out in the open and no one took notice of it but Tenten and Gaara. So that meant it was normal, right? Tenten walked a bit closer to see who the sleeping boy could be, though it was no one she had seen before. She guessed they missed a few people during Nene's tour of the meet and greet. He looked younger, maybe a year or so under Tenten as he had much of a baby face to him. He wore a long white open kimono which had blue trimmings and designs. His blue hakama pants had white leaf designs near the ends at his feet. Upon his head was a white hat that faded to yellow with a golden tassel hanging at the end. He wore something of a black and golden chest plate and yellow sash that held his haidate together. The geta he wore looked hard to walk in, considering the balance training he'd have to go through just to move around in them!
"Excuse me?" The young kunoichi softly said to the sleeping man, thinking maybe he'd be better maybe lying elsewhere. His eyes slowly opened and he took his time sitting up. He didn't look like much to Tenten but as Gai had often told her when she was his student, "Never underestimate your opponent no matter how they look!" She never would but the first thing she couldn't help but think of when she watched him was that he was probably similar to Shikamaru; hopelessly lazy.
His large steel colored eyes took a single glance at the two and he nodded his head. "Well, well! It's about time I saw you two. Nice choice of princess might I add." The boy sounded young too but his voice had something of a calm, collected and cheerful tone. It was inviting to the two ninjas. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said as he got up and brushed the dirt off his clothing, "I am Hanbei Takenaka. I'm one of the people who came up with the plan of hiring you guys in the first place." He walked over to Gaara and placed forward a hand over to him. Hanbei smiled a bit bigger when Gaara took his hand in the greet. "I'd offer my hand in greeting to you too, Princess... But people watching would wonder why. So let's not and say we did." That got a smile out of the girl and he turned away sheepishly.
Tenten looked over at Gaara with her sudden smile and made it made him smile too. It was nice to see him smile. They found someone easy to talk to and it was refreshing to see a young face that wasn't too overly bearing or loud. "I am Tenten. I'm sure you know who the Kazekage is," she asked the boy. He nodded to her and she fiddled with her hands a bit. That feeling of being watched came back once more. She leaned over to the boy and whispered, "Do you ever get that feeling of being watched? I've been feeling a pair of eyes watching us from afar."
"Eh? You feel like that?" He replied back to her. He got a nod for an answer and he looked at Gaara who also nodded at him. Tilting his head from side to side, he looked around himself and smiled. "Nothing to worry about. Odds are, it's Hanzo who's lurking in the shadows watching you." When Gaara asked who Hanzo was, Hanbei yawned. "He's one of our better ninja warriors here. Not much of a talker mind you but he gets the job done." That put the two a little more at ease he noticed. Well, considering her life was on the line it was no surprise the two would be a bit jumpy.
"Who are the others who came up with this plan?" Gaara asked from the back, his eyes still searching for the hidden ninja who watched them from the shadows. Wondering how good of a fighter he was and how long he could last under the wave of sand.
Hanbei smiled and pointed a finger over towards the castle doors. There stood a tall man speaking to a servant woman. He looked as if he had a large, strong frame but his face seemed rather ill. His dark hair was turning white, his body was completely pale and he had shadows around his white eyes. Wearing essentially the same thing as Hanbei with everything mostly in black and without a hat he had more naturally menacing appearance. His hands were behind his back as he was inspecting everything around him as the servant left his sights. He took a look over at the trio and he turned away as Hanbei waved at him and walked the other direction.
It didn't look too out of the ordinary but it caused Hanbei to sigh a bit. It peaked Tenten's curiosity to want to know the reason behind that sigh, since that was the type of sigh Ino used to make when she would go after Sai and her efforts made no advance to that pale kid. This would be interesting...
"Hey!"
They turned their heads to see several familiar faces. Nene waved from the top of Hideyoshi's shoulders and jumped off as the band of brothers walked towards their usual hangout to eat, drink, argue and doubtlessly fight. Hideyoshi had given Nene a kiss and went off to join them. Tenten smiled and waved back at the group. Gaara and Hanbei just watched, one with a scowl and the other with a lazy smile. They walked toward one another and Nene gave Hanbei that look that sent shivers down Tenten's back.
"Where have you been?!" Nene's hand moved faster than the group could blink and it held on to Hanbei's ear, gently pulling him to her. She ignored his pain while she scolded him. "I don't even know why I'm asking. You were probably asleep somewhere. Humph! You were supposed to be with us during the perimeter check!" Letting the poor boy go, she turned her head to Gaara and smiled. "Gaara-Sama, would you be a dear and come with me for a moment? I'll need help with your abilities outside the walls. Can't be too careful, you know?" The smile didn't fade as she saw Gaara's eyes widen a bit and his face turn uncomfortable. He seemed to fidget for a split second and he looked over at Tenten before nodding his head. Clapping her hands, Nene gave a little giggle. "Good! Now let's head on out. Hanbei, make sure to watch the princess for us! And don't slack off!" Tenten watched as Gaara was pulled out of the castle grounds with ease by Nene's sturdy grip. It was strange to see Gaara go but it was nice that he would be helping out Nene. For some odd reason, she wanted him to like that woman and wanted Nene to like him in return. In a friendly manner only, of course.
"She's far too infatuated with Hideyoshi for me to worry! Wait, why would I be worried?" A sudden clearing of a throat caught her attention and she looked over at Hanbei who was smirking.
"So..." he said with plenty of playfulness in his voice. "What do you think of the red head? A Gal like you can't have too many suitors when you look-" Hanbei saw something in her eye that quickly caused him to shut his mouth. He had a tendency to say his thoughts out loud too freely, especially when around women. It made him seem a bit inconsiderate but at least he was honest, right?
She gave him a smile afterwords and a shrug, responding in what he guessed was her version of what the princess would actually say. "He seemed to have great manners for one who isn't of noble birth but it isn't surprising. He speaks well of politics and he seems strong to me. I don't mind having him around to take better care of me." Tenten leaned just a bit closer to Hanbei and willed herself up an Ino smile, "He's a good friend to my best friend. And what do you think of that Kanbei character? It seems you have a gleam in your eye for him. Could it be respect for your superior?"
There was a look of shock from Hanbei himself as he tried to reel in his thoughts and he turned away from Tenten, giving her a very nonchalant attitude and answer. "A good strategist, despite his methods seemingly more like a barbarian than a tactition. He listens to me, occasionally, when I have more peaceful solutions to problems. However he's always going on about snuffing out any sparks that would fan the flames of danger to our lord and can't even admit to his..." He looked over at her and she was far closer than he remembered her being. She was giving him the eyes that Nene would often give to her kids when she knew they were hiding something from her. It caused him to take a step back, "Wh-what?" He tried to hide his face by looking away again though he still felt the heat on his face was growing ever more so.
She wanted to laugh right then and there. The baffled look, the nervous expression and now that blush he had. They were all clear signs of him hiding something. She was a ninja under the robes silk after all, detection wasn't beyond her abilities. Besides her inner nosy girl was too curious to ignore the wonderment of what this boy saw in that older man. But she eased up on him and began to walk towards the castle stairs, she had almost two weeks to get the answer out of him and she was a patient woman after all. Well... more patient than she used to be. Hell, she should be after dealing with Lee and Gai's crazy antics over the years. "You're a strategist right? Care to try some shogi maybe?"
Hanbei had calmed his fluster and turned to look at the fake princess. "My pleasure, Princess! Shall I call for your usual tea and cakes while we play?" He winked at her and Tenten smiled with a nod. They walked in together and the doors closed behind them.
From the shadows a ninja whose eyes never left the girl watched her every grace and movement. He slithered back into darkness, making sure no one ever knew he was there. They never do.
It had taken the trio until sunset to finally see the little village in the distance. Temari was grateful to see it just as much as the princess was. She knew how to handle long missions where the outdoors would be her bed but she liked the idea more of sleeping on a soft, warm bed. Perhaps after a delicious and hearty meal. Her idle thoughts had her head up in the clouds for a moment but stopped abruptly along with Shikamaru. She noticed him looking around, on edge just as much as she was. The princess who was in between them looked at Temari confused. "Is something the-?"
"Shh!" Temari hushed the girl and put her hand over Tokuhime's mouth before she could say something stupid. She leaned close to the princess and whispered. "There's something around. I can feel their presence."
Shikamaru walked over to the girls and began to ready his Shadow Sewing technique with his hands hidden close to his body. "Yeah and whoever it is... There's a whole lot of them." He then quickly dodged a handful of shurikens that came speeding toward him. They were coming from high atop the trees. Enemies on higher ground. And more weapons were being thrown at them by the handful each second. "Go! Make sure she's safe!" Shikamaru ordered. Temari didn't argue and took the princess out of the immediate area, all the while dodging the weapons and holding the girl down from a tantrum she was having.
Already getting tired of dodging and repeating said dodge, he began to jump up into the trees to find the ones responsible. For a second he saw no one around but soon they appeared like a flash of light. All were large and burly men. Thick with hair, muscle and fat. "We're surrounded by the shadows of the forest. Should be easy enough for me grab them," he thought to himself, Shikamaru throwing up his hand seals to grab the group. His shadow moved fast and made contact with the men but they were not bounded. "What?!" He was thrown off guard as he side jumped to a vacant tree branch when one of the men hurled a large axe at him. "Why didn't it work?"
Temari was having a load of her own troubles with the princess. The girl fought her every step of the way. When she found a secluded area, she dropped Tokuhime and let go of her mouth. "HOW DARE Y-"
"Just shut up! For Kami's sake will you shut up?! We're being attacked and all you're doing is complaining while we're saving your ass. Now shut up for five damn seconds and let me fight in piece!" Temari left to go back to Shikamaru's side. Ignoring what the princess was yelling to her as she went beyond ears range of the girl to see Shikamaru dance around like target practice. She reached into her ragged obi and pulled out two small fans. Gathering up the wind behind her, she yelled at Shikamaru to move out the way. In a second he changed his course of direction and she swung her arms to create a whirlwind toward the men. It slowed them down but they weren't harmed. "What on earth? It should of at least hurled them back several yards."
"Yeah well these guys aren't ordinary. My Shadow Sewing technique didn't work on them." he stated to her. She was just as confused as he was but soon they found themselves baffled and furious as the princess showed up behind them, extremely angry.
"You two are complete morons!" She moved her arm from Shikamaru's grip as one of the burly man ran to her and swung his axe at her head. However Tokuhime was unscathed and walked toward the lot of them. She did a hand signal and said "Begone!" With that, the men disappeared in a flash of light and they were no more. She turned with a huff to look at the ninjas. "If you would of listened to me, you would of found out this was all a trap." With a shake of her head she sighed a bit at them. "The people around here are known to use illusions to ward off bandits. We probably set off a trap somewhere along the way."
The princess began to make her way back to the path they were following moments ago, "I forgive you Cloud-Kun, since you didn't know. But you, miss loud mouth... I would expect you to listen to me instead of telling me to shut up. There's a reason why the lower class are taught to shut up and listen at a young age. I guess you missed a few too many lessons when you were growing up. But no surprises there."
When she was out of sight, Temari left a large indent of her fist against the closest tree near her. This princess was getting on her last nerve with her stupid words and so was Shikamaru for not saying anything. But she would of damned him for trying to defend her. A part of her though would have been glad if he gave her the chance. "Damn it, what do I want?" Her mind was running with too many horrible things to say to them but soon a soft hand grabbed at her shoulder and she turned to face Shikamaru with a scowl. He said nothing to her but gently laid a kiss on her lips before departing toward the princess.
Temari watched him go as she stood there for a minute, recollecting all her thoughts and finally letting the steam out in a hard exhale. "The things I put up with..." So despite it all she too went back to the main road. Tonight, the trio would sleep in warm beds. Small blessings.
Many thanks to you followers! I'll try to write faster and upload more frequently. But you know... Writers Block can be hard to chisel down!
