Okay, I've been promising to tell you what happened to Temari since the second chapter, so here it is!

Maybe I shouldn't sound so happy...

"Really, Temari, isn't it a bit too soon? Asuma is only two. Your leaving like this will confuse him and make him fussy and probably more dependent on you when you come back."

Temari rolled her eyes as she finished fastening her shoes on, glancing up at her friend with a bland look on her face. "Listen Sakura, I'm a ninja. I need to do ninja things which means that I need to take missions or else I'll die from the boredom of home life. I was cleared for duty and it's such a simply pansy mission that I'll be back in less than a week. The kids will be fine, I'll be fine, we'll all be fine." Sakura sighed but nodded her head, knowing that her older friend wasn't exactly suited for being a housewife and had been going stir crazy the past few months.

Temari slung her bag over her shoulder and went down the steps and into the family room, interrupting the game that her's and Sakura's kids were playing. Kyoko, taking in the way her mother was dressed and the bag slung over her shoulder, ran over and threw her arms around her waist, wanting desperately to ask her to stay but knowing she couldn't. After all, she was a ninja's child and tearful pleas were given no room in this life.

Temari shoved aside the clutching in her stomach that came at the thought of leaving her babies for any amount of time -no matter if her sanity demanded it- and cupped her five year old's face. "Hey now, I'll be back soon. Just in time for your birthday and for your admission ceremony to the academy. So stop with the pouting, okay?" The little black haired girl nodded her head determinedly. Her father went off on missions and he always came back fine, so even if her mom left she was sure to come back.

She had said so, after all.

Asuma toddled over to her and gripped her leg, looking up at his mother with wide questioning eyes, his wheat blonde hair that he had gotten from her falling around his face. "Mama go?" Temari crouched down and smiled at her son cockily.

"Yep, and I'll bring my favorite boy a present back, how does that sound?" He nodded slowly, liking the idea of being her favorite and getting a present.

She smiled at her kids and hid the sudden anxiety that filled her at the thought of leaving them. "Okay, give me a kiss you two." She said and they quickly did, Asuma's slobbery one leaving a smear of saliva on her cheek. She stood up and turned to her husband who had been sitting in an arm chair to watch the kids, cocking her hip as she smirked at him. "I guess you want a kiss too, huh?" She said as she sauntered over to him.

She leaned over him and they met for a brief and warm kiss, only breaking away so that they could whisper without the kids hearing. "Take care of yourselves for me, will you?"

"Same to you."

She nodded the tiniest bit before she stood up and went to the door, picking up her large fan and strapping it to her back, only looking back to give her family a grin and a wave before she turned and left, closing the door behind her with a distinctive click.

Temari blinked at the darkness surrounding her, hissing as her body throbbed and ached with every thought she dared to think. There were heavy weights at her wrists -shackles- and a tugging sensation coming from them that she could feel throughout her body, weakening her and leaving her vulnerable.

Chakra. They were taking her chakra.

How had this happened? How had she gotten here? The mission had been going just fine; after all, it had been just a stupid low level assassination and package retrieval when... When?

There were so many of them. Dozens, hundreds, thousands, she didn't know. They surrounded them, their blank forehead protectors proclaiming them to belong to no village, the lack of ties proclaiming them to be that much more dangerous. Temari had her fan fully unfurled, furiously beating off her attackers, her chakra and strength quickly depleting.

An attack. They'd been attacked by an unknown enemy.

Her teammate, Jin, cried out, his face contorting in pain as one of the enemy stabbed him right through his stomach, two more quickly stabbing him in his heart and throat. Temari cried out in fury, flicking her fan to get them away from the man, turning her back for the barest second.

Jin had barely been more than a boy, his face still soft as his childhood hung onto him tightly. The poor thing. Temari could almost see it as Asuma who had fallen before her, his sweet little face contorted with pain and fear, tears running down his cheeks.

How would Jin's real mother deal with it?

She was out of chakra and out of hope, desperately fighting of the enemy and trying to stay alive. She had promised that she would come back. She had promised that she wouldn't be late.

Something pricked the back of her neck and she felt the darkness consuming her, and the last thing she saw was her family standing in the doorway as she waved goodbye, already waiting for her return.

Temari bit her lip to hold back her sob, a strangled whimper coming out instead. Her family, her home, everything. She had left it all behind and now she was paying the price.

"Hello? Newbie? You there?" Temari blinked at the strangled and high pitched voice that came from the darkness.

"Yes, hello? Who's there?" All that came was a chuckle.

"Ah, I was wondering when they'd bring in a new one since they killed the old one. A girl, from the sounds of it. And don't worry doll, you're not dead. Though you'll soon be wishing you were." The strange man started to cackle and giggle crazily, striking a small shaft of fear into Temari's heart.

"I... Where are we?"

"Where? Why, we're in in the darkest part of the world, where the sun never shines and the gods never smile. Where demons walk in the form of men and the ghosts cry out in agony. Where soon the only thing you'll know is pain, even your own name will disappear from your mind." He giggled again.

"We're in hell."

Temari felt so many things at that moment, but the first and foremost was anger. How dare they take her away from her family and expect her to meekly stay chained in some cell with a mad man and darkness as her only company. She would fight, no matter how long it took she would fight and find a way to get back to her family.

"Temari."

"Hmm?"

"My name is Nara Temari. I will not forget."

The silence that surrounded her was even more off putting than the man's psychotic giggles.

"I wish you luck." Was the sad, almost defeated and sympathetic reply that came from the hidden man.

Temari was thrown back into the room, her body screaming in protest as it hit the unforgiving stone floor of her cell. The door closed, taking with it all light and hope, leaving the cell's occupants to the all-consuming darkness. Temari didn't even bother to move, her body screaming from the experiment they had just done. They had sent waves of electricity into her body in short jolts, wanting to see how long it took until it became unbearable for her.

Thirteen rounds. Thirteen before she finally blacked out, and then maybe more after that.

The smell of burnt flesh and hair was quickly filling their little cell, reminding her of brimstone and ashes, of the hell that she was trapped in and had been stuck in for who knew how long.

Weeks? Months? Years?

Closing her eyes she kept the tears away by sheer force of will and began with her mantra, the only thing that kept her sane in this new and cruel world.

Temari. My name is Temari. Temari. My name is Temari. Temari.

My name is Temari.

Please! Don't kill me! Kathy did it, take her!

Actually, this one was all me. Sorry Kathy. (except for Jin. Kathy wanted him)

I meant to put all of the Temari story in here, but then I thought, "Nah, I'll add some more bits about Shikamaru and the kids before that." So you'll have to wait.

Sorry.

You guys believe me when I say I love you, right?