Cloudless Sky

Chapter 5: Falling into the Shadows

"Take out a patrol of Hunter-nin?" Shikamaru said, looking at Deidara, who shrugged slightly as they trudged back into the forest.

"A group of six or seven, no less, un. They've been spotted getting ready to split up, so you and I are gonna have to follow the groups that they split into, un." Deidara said, stopping to look around for evidence of the groups being in the area. Shikamaru nodded slightly.

"Why didn't they assign the whole Akatsuki team to help us?" Shikamaru asked. "Another troublesome decision. If they called for backup, we'll have no chance." He pointed out, glancing in the direction Deidara was. Deidara shrugged, a wry smirk on his face.

"Apparently they have better things to do. And risking the whole organization on one patrol would be idiotic, un." Deidara replied. He stopped and turned slowly. He bent down, brushing through the stomped leaves. "They made camp here, un." He said, staring at the burnt twigs. Shikamaru nodded.

"They most likely headed east because of the direction the body was turned in when they found it dead. If they assumed that they were taken from behind, then they would find that the direction they were headed was east, to fulfill their mission, to find where we reside." Shikamaru said. Deidara looked surprised.

"How did you remember...un..." Deidara said, faultering on words. Shikamaru let out a small smirk.

"One of the perks of being a genius..." He said, putting his hands behind his head, tilting his hat upwards. Deidara nodded.

"But the two groups, un." He added, to which Shikamaru nodded.

"You go east, I'll take west. They most likely split up because they weren't sure if they were right or not. A small risk, but it does the job if the hunted can be overpowered. Which I doubt will happen to one of us." Shikamaru said. Deidara smirked, and clamped his shoulder.

"Yet again, un. You continue to surprise me...un." Deidara said, before running off into the east. Shikamaru headed slowly into the west, keeping his eyes pealed for anything strange.

---

Temari's footsteps in the calm and quiet forest were quick and steady. She had been going for hours, she was sure, but she wouldn't leave until she had found Shikamaru. Maybe it was that he was the only one who had gotten used to her mildly frightening personality, maybe it was because he had saved her, or maybe it was because she missed the smartass. Either way, she was going to rescue Shikamaru, because frankly, they were tied two to two on the saving each other score board. And Temari hated to lose.

---

Shikamaru stopped to rest at a tree, again taking off his hat and wiping the sweat off his forehead. He had gotten used to his hair down, even though it did get rather troublesome when the loose pieces fell in front of his face. Suddenly he heard footsteps. He quickly adjusted his hat and glanced around.

There, a few steps to the left, was a certain blonde kunoichi with a fan strapped to her back, looking extremely depressed and determined at the same time. Shikamaru almost yelped. 'TEMARI? Troublesome woman! What the hell is she doing here?!' What if she discovered him? What if the Akatsuki killed her? He had to get away. But how...?

---

Temari stopped when she heard the crunching of leaves to her right, and slowly turned around as her spine tingled. There, partly behind a tree, stood a lone Akatsuki. Her eyes widened in fear. 'Damnit! I'm dead for sure...what do I do?!' Her head screamed. She took out her fan easily. She wasn't sure what the Akatsuki would do, but she knew she had to fight, or death would come to her too soon. She ran towards the Akatsuki, fan at the ready.

Shikamaru gaped. She was going to attack? He couldn't use his shadow jutsu, she would see it was him. His fingers found their thinking position, tilted out of her view so she couldn't see his hands. His eyes closed. Suddenly they opened slightly. He turned around, and at the last moment, grabbed her wrists, causing her fan to drop. Her eyes widened in fear. Then she did the unthinkable.

She kicked him between the legs. He let out a gasp of pain, but didn't do anything else. 'Typical Temari...always being so troublesome!' His mind moaned. "Stop! Kunoichi!" He murmured, in a lower voice than his own. Temari looked confused, suddenly not very fearful.

"You're the worst Akatsuki I've ever seen! Are you kidding me? You must be fresh meat. Well you're not getting any special treatment from me!" She hollered, picking up her fan. He sent a kick at her wrists, causing the fan to drop again. He grabbed her wrists in a quick blur, his hat-covered face inches from her own.

"I don't want to fight, kunoichi. Leave now and I won't hurt you." He murmured, although it pained him to look into her saddened eyes. Had something happened to her? At least he knew she was safe. That's all that mattered. Suddenly he caught sight of the necklace around her neck with a small Akatsuki cloud charm on it. So they weren't lying.

"Let me go!" She said hoarsely. He let go of her wrists.

"Leave. Don't tell anyone what you've seen." He said flatly. Temari sent a punch at his face. He let out a small groan and adjusted his hat.

"What the hell are you doing, Temari? I'm an Akatsuki! This isn't a sparring match!" He growled. Suddenly Temari's eyes flung open. She stepped back, obviously a little bit frightened.

"How do you know my name?" She croaked, opening her fan and throwing him a violent look. "Tell me...or else!" She cried, too flustered to think of a good threat. 'Man, I'm in deep now!' Shikamaru cursed himself in his head.

"I know a lot of things." He said, giving the same cold Itachi look that he had picked up. 'How does she not recognize me? Do I look that...different?' He thought, staring her over. How long had it been? Two weeks? Three? A month, since he was captured? Suddenly her eyes flickered to his arm and her mouth opened slightly.

"You have a Konoha protector! Who the hell are you?!" She cried, stepping back again. 'Damn, the protector! I was careless to leave it on...she can't know it's me...I can't hurt her...'

"Leave now!" He said angrily, getting out a kunai. She glared and stepped forward, facing him.

"Why won't you kill me, Akatsuki? Any other would, so what's so different about you? You don't seem the type." She said, narrowing her eyes. 'What's beneath that hat? And why are they from Konoha?' She thought slowly. Shikamaru glared right back, although she couldn't see it.

"I bet you'd like to know about the Nara boy." Shikamaru said, staring at her. Her eyes widened, and she looked eager.

"Tell me what you've done to him!" She said hoarsely. Shikamaru looked away.

"He was killed during an interrogation. Now leave, before they kill you too." Shikamaru lied.

Seeing the look on her face startled him. Her eyes grew dull and her face paled. Suddenly tears fell from her face, and she sunk to the ground. 'Is TEMARI CRYING?!' He asked himself in his head. 'Over HIM? But...she was the one that told him he needed the emotional training...' He thought. He stared down at her. She was on her knees sobbing. 'How can she be so violent and so...fragile?' "Get up and go." Shikamaru said. "You know what you wanted to know, so leave me." He said hoarsely. He couldn't stand seeing her upset. She stared up at him cruelly.

"I don't care. Just kill me too. It's not worth it." She said, throwing her fan off to the side. Shikamaru stared down at her.

"I don't want to kill you. It wouldn't help me." Shikamaru said with a small frown. Temari glared and walked toward him.

"What's your problem? First you don't try to hurt me..." She said trailing off.

"Was he important to you?" Shikamaru asked curtly. Temari blinked.

"Shikamaru? Yes...he was my best friend, we made a good team, and...I'll never get to tell that lazy crybaby that I..." She trailed off. Shikamaru sat down lazily.

"That you what?" He asked again. 'She doesn't know it's me...but I hate hurting her...' She shook her head after a while, and sat down after a while.

"Nothing. Why are you so...unthreatening? Akatsuki are supposed to kill mercilessly. Why are you with them?" She asked, staring hard at him. He shook his head and shrugged.

"It was the right thing to do, you could say." He answered. She narrowed her eyes, but nodding a little bit. She started to stare off distantly, then blinked and got up.

"I'll go. But I'm not lying when I say I will see you again soon, Akatsuki." She said angrily. She took off quickly, not turning back. 'Is she nuts? Now she's going to go see me, which could be a REAL Akatsuki for all she knows, and...aghh, troublesome, troublesome! I'm so confused.' He thought angrily, holding his head.

"Shikamaru!" Came a voice. He turned around. There was Deidara, calling him back. He nodded curtly and ran over.

"You took them out?" Shikamaru asked. Deidara nodded with a grin.

"A few got away, turns out they weren't hunter-nin...they were some ANBU and a few Chuunin and Jounin."

"Chuunin and Jounin?" He asked, trying not to sound hoarse. 'Oh no...what if...'

"I took out the two ANBU, but the famous copy-nin, a pink-haired healer, and a Byukagen user with long hair got away." He said, sounding disappointed. Shikamaru sighed with relief. He knew no one in the ANBU. So Kakashi, Sakura, and Neji had been on this mission too?

"Good. Let's go back." Shikamaru said, and they walked back, Shikamaru praying to god that no one else close to him would be killed.

---

Temari was laying down on a bench in the market place, staring at the stars. It was nighttime, too late for anyone to be out. She closed her eyes slowly, feeling the hot tears burn her cheeks again. She hated feeling like this when she had been the tough girl, the one no one would ever beat or control. She was the best. She didn't need emotions, she didn't need to feel anything but victory.

But she knew that what she wanted to be was a perfect ninja, and that wasn't going to happen. Perfect ninjas were unfeeling shells of killers, and sometimes that doesn't stay perfect for long. It didn't matter, though; All Temari wanted was to stop thinking about him.

He was the one that had led her around, defended her, had been a friend to her when she scared everyone else. And now he was dead, and there had been so much more that she had wanted to tell him...

She had wanted to thank him for letting her win in Shougi that one time, the only time he had let anyone win. She had wanted to thank him for paying for countless lunches before meetings, and she wanted to thank him for taking her to said meetings. She had wanted to thank him for saving him from that kunai headed straight for her before he was lost.

Most of all, although maybe she didn't know it yet, she wanted to thank him for loving her too.

A/N: Yay! THANK YOU TO YOU AWESOME READERS! You all rock so hard If you have any ideas, I'd be glad to hear 'em! Much love!