Cloudless Sky
Chapter 9: Six Months
Six months.
It had been six months since she had found about about him.
Shikamaru: feared and respected member of the Akatsuki, an S-class missing-nin. But no one knew that—she had told no one that he was still alive. She became unsocial—she cast others out, training to become stronger.
Temari realized now with a bitter laugh that this was why she had become strong at all—the pain of Gaara, her mother's death, and now Shikamaru...it drove her to be a better kunoichi, to be emotionless. She became harder, still happy-go-lucky and carefree, but more serious.
She had been put on missions with the other Chuunin when they needed her. She became a Jounin quickly. She became a weapon, a kunoichi with a stone heart and a perfect analyzer. She was said to be the new Shikamaru...although the words left unsaid were that she could never have his IQ of 200 and his caring towards his team. She couldn't live up to him. And she didn't want to.
---
"S-Shikamaru no Danna." A voice said quietly. "Not to be, ah, rude, but, do you have a plan?" Zetsu finished. He and Deidara stayed a ways behind the figure, clutching their weapons tightly. Deidara sent a piercing look at Zetsu, a 'what the hell are you doing?' type of look. Zetsu glowered. He was an Akatsuki! He shouldn't be afraid of this runt!
Shikamaru kept staring ahead with narrowed eyes. "Troublesome imbeciles. To be eager is to forget your mind. We're here for one reason, and to fulfill that goal, we must take the less troublesome route and be patient. Idiot." He scoffed, not looking back once.
Six months.
Did she hate him? Did Konoha know about him? But what did it matter...he had everything he needed, didn't he?
Partners, but not friends. They never took the loneliness away—but you learn to mold it into a shell. Isn't this what shinobi were supposed to do?
He knew he missed her, although he hated to think it, admit it. He tried to keep his mind on the plan, but it always drifted to Konoha.
Does Chouji miss him?
Does Ino cry?
Does Asuma visit the memorial stone?
Does Temari care?
---
"Temari." Said a voice, a gentle knock at her door. She got up and opened the door slightly.
Sakura.
"What?" Temari asked, sounding bored. Sakura looked at her warily.
"Well, Tsunade has assigned us to a mission. Two Chuunin and a Jounin, that would be You, Ino, and I." She said. Temari looked at her, hesitating, then nodded.
"Be out in a minute." She said. She put on a low shirt made of netting, a pair of capris good for missions and scouting, and her Jounin vest. She hadn't been assigned a team yet, so she assisted on missions instead. She grabbed her fan and flung open the door, barely missing Sakura, who had sidestepped quickly.
"Sorry." Was all she said, although Sakura knew she didn't really mean it.
"Ino will meet us at the memorial rock. She went to..." Sakura looked away. Temari shrugged.
"You can talk about him. Frankly, I don't give a shit." She said curtly, with a menacing tone to it. Sakura looked at her, shocked.
"How can you say that, when months ago you too were sobbing on the rock, becoming weak?" Sakura said angrily, she raised a fist, became calm, and backed down. Temari glared at her.
Temari fingered her necklace casually. It hadn't come off, and she guessed maybe it should stay that way.
"Because weakness became an opponent. I defeated it."
---
Shikamaru squatted down, staring into the distance.
"We're taking down the next patrol, correct?" Zetsu said. Shikamaru nodded slowly.
"It will most likely be a team of Chuunins and one or more Jounin. I'll capture the Jounin in my Jutsu and you two will take care of the Chuunin. It will most likely be a team of three or four. We'll each battle our own way." He turned to them, a cold look in his eyes. "When they die, Zetsu, dispose of them well."
---
"So all we have to do is deliver this message?" Ino asked, holding a scroll between her two fingers. She tossed it into the air and caught it a few times, obviously bored. Sakura snatched it away from her furiously.
"Ino-pig! This is top secret information! What would we tell Tsunade-sama if you dropped it, or even ripped it!" Sakura cried. Temari glared at them.
"Your skills are lacking in the 'low key' department. Be quiet before enemies notice us." She said. Ino rolled her eyes.
"Finemmmmforeheadgirl..." She mumbled, smirking at Sakura. Sakura's eyes shot open and she stomped her foot, causing the ground to crack into a fissure under her enormous strength. Temari turned around, furious.
"You idiots! Do you know what you've done? Now we'll be found for sure!" She growled. Ino rolled her eyes.
"Geeze, this is like, a D-rank mission. Chill Temari." She said, but looked over warily. Temari narrowed her eyes.
"You'll never become a Jounin with that attitude." She remarked.
"Maybe we don't want to be Jounin!" Ino said defiantly. Sakura put a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Listen, Ino, Temari's right. She's above us. We should listen to her." She said, the voice of reason.
"Hmph." Was all Ino said. Temari didn't thank Sakura—she just kept walking.
---
The three Akatsuki's heads turned as they heard a tremendous cracking sound. Shikamaru sidestepped as he saw a fissure form underneath him. He narrowed his eyes, turning to his teammates.
"Sakura Haruno." Was all he said. They looked at him, puzzled. "Capable of tremendous strength and advanced medical jutsu. She's here." He said. 'Man, how troublesome...I don't want to fight people I know! This is way too out of hand...but the Genin Rookies...I can't let innocents die because of my selfishness, even if it is too troublesome...'
---
Temari's footsteps became faster. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and fought to keep up, panting.
"What's wrong, Temari?" She said. Ino rolled her eyes.
"It must be that time of the month." She snickered. Temari turned to her, cold eyes beading into Ino's.
"Like you've had your own, stupid girl." Was all she said, with a ferocious sneer and a triumphant smirk. Sakura sighed.
"Temari is a Jounin, Ino-pig! Do you want Tsunade-sama to demote us?" She said, eyes blazing. Ino rolled her eyes, glaring, but kept quiet. Temari smirked to herself triumphantly, turning to give them a sidelong glance.
"The faster we get this done, the faster we get back. The faster we get back, the faster life goes by. The faster life goes by, the faster happiness comes." Temari said curtly. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes we should be grateful for the slower things come." Sakura pointed out. Ino nodded slightly.
"Like love. If it comes slower, it's more enjoyable!" She said, nudging Sakura, who rolled her eyes, a slight blush creeping onto her face. Temari clenched her fists, not wanting to look at the girls behind her. She kept her gaze ahead.
"Love is just an obstacle in a kunoichi's path."
---
Shikamaru stopped, staring at his surroundings. Zetsu scowled. Again?, he mouthed to Deidara, who nodded slightly.
"They're close." Shikamaru replied, as if reading their minds. They snapped their mouths shut and gazed at him, ready for a plan. Shikamaru's finger lined a small crack in the earth. "This fission was created as an aftermath of a troublesome quake, most likely Sakura Haruno. From the cracks, you can see it was made a few minutes ago, and judging by the sister cracks that fork off," He stopped, brushing his hands off on his robe, and tilting his hat down, "They are behind that tree." He said, pointing offhandedly to a tree a ways down the forest.
True to Shikamaru's words, Sakura, Ino, and Temari passed through the tree, not seeing them. Deidara smirked.
"Shikamaru no Danna is smart, un." He said, smiling victoriously at Zetsu, who scowled.
Deidara took off, quickly followed by Zetsu, and lastly, Shikamaru. They jumped on three separate trees in front of the girls' paths. Shikamaru gaped as he saw Ino and Temari with Sakura. Three on three.
'Temari...Ino...Sakura...I went on missions with all of them. They grew with me, trained with me. And now we're rivals. And death lingers in front of us, waiting. Troublesome women...always the women! Damn, they're my friends! Temari...I can't hurt her...' Shikamaru thought, blinking wildly.
It was too late to avoid. Deidara jumped in front of their paths, followed by Zetsu, and a half-hearted Shikamaru. The girls gasped, especially Temari. Ino ran back, Sakura stood her ground, looking frightened and off guard.
"What the hell?!" Ino squeaked. Then she hardened, smirking. "These guys have another thing coming if they think they can get away with fighting us!" She said, jabbing a thumb to her chest proudly. Sakura frowned, determined.
"Damnit Ino, these are Akatsuki! Not sparring buddies!" She barked, brining out a kunai with a flick of her wrist. Temari stared in shock at the figure behind Deidara and Zetsu.
'Shikamaru...'
A/N: Sorry it's been a while. Here it is. What'll happen next? OOooohh...