The night sky dripped heavily with stars as Temari and Shikamaru walked slowly down the night road. It was too nice out to run, and yet neither felt the tired ache that signaled the time to camp. The two walked silently, not touching as they enjoyed the quiet of the night. They were both reasonably relaxed after a good dinner and pleasant company. Which is why they weren't aware of the man shadowing them.
"The poor Nara men," Temari commented out of the blue. Shikamaru gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. She laughed softly at him. "You guys just can't catch a break. If it isn't women from other countries plaguing you and bossing you around, it's an even scarier kunoichi who is always around you. The Nara men only get foreign girls, you and your uncle, or women who bother you twenty four seven, your dad." He chuckled at this summary.
"Yeah pretty much." He lifted his face to the sky watching the thin dark clouds float slowly across an even darker sky. It was quiet again. Temari watched Shikamaru as he watched the clouds, drinking in the serenity of his face. She loved how strong he was without being physically overbearing, how wise without making her feel stupid. Temari was so engrossed it took her a minute to realize she was no longer staring at his profile, but his dark eyes. Although his eyes shone with love for her, there was a hint of sadness in them.
"What is it?" She asked softly, holding his gaze. He escaped her eyes to look at the sky.
"I miss my uncle. He was cool. It's been years since I've seen him, and we were pretty close." Temari waited a moment before responding.
"Where is he now? We could drop by." Shikamaru smiled down at her.
"We don't know, that's the problem. He used to stop by once a year when I was little, but he stopped when I was ten. Last he told us he was hunting down some legend pertaining to a 'master of shadows'. Who knows where he wound up. The only reason he visited us that year was to get information from the Nara clan's records. We don't even know if he found what he was looking for."
"Wow. Seems like an interesting guy."
"You would've liked him. He wasn't the same as usual Nara men, 'cause he actually liked adventure and running around and such." Temari tried to picture a Nara actually moving, and failed.
"Can't see that. But he still fell victim to the troublesome Nara curse." Shikamaru chuckled.
"Yeah, wh-" he stopped. So did Temari, both sensing the unfamiliar chakra signature behind them. It was a strong pulse, signifying a strong shinobi. We both spun around into our fighting stances.
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I was about 100 yards behind them when I let my chakra flare up, alerting them to my presence. I was curious as to how they'd react, what the two strategists would do when confronted with an enemy they knew nothing about.
I watched as they froze for a moment, before spinning around. The woman hit a summoning scroll, a giant tessan appearing in her hand, which she promptly swung out in front of her, a wall between the two of them and any attacks that might come. While she formed this defense the man crouched down low behind her, hands forming a seal I recognized, one that would launch his shadow the moment he saw a target. It was a good formation, the woman defending her partner, he ready to attack while trusting her to keep him safe. Both of them then stopped moving, waiting for him to make a move, give away the first bit of information.
Lightly I jumped out of the tree I was in and onto the road, slowly walking towards the two lovers.
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"Where is he?" Temari muttered, eyes frantically scanning the surrounding trees, the sky, everywhere.
"Patience." Shikamaru's voice was tenser then usual as the two waited to see their opponent. Suddenly a figure jumped out of the forest hitting the road solidly. The shadowy person straightened up and started to walk towards them, as Shikamaru and Temari prepared for whatever would come.
"Peace!" The man (apparently it was a man) called out, his low baritone echoing slightly off the trees. They didn't move, time had taught them not to trust the unknown.
"No thank you," Temari answered. Shikamaru glared at her before addressing the man.
"Who are you? State your name and village please." He cautiously began inching his shadow towards the black mark that represented the stranger's shadow. But as he approached his target, he found his shadow hitting a wall. Shikamaru's eyes widened. There was a wall around the man now that he looked closely, one made of shadows. He cursed under his breath. Temari shifted her weight, Shikamaru's unhappiness worrying her.
"What is it?" she exhaled, the words barely loud enough for Shikamaru to hear.
"The guy's a shadow manipulator too, he has some sort of wall made of shadows. My techniques won't work on him."
"Damn." The man laughed.
"Who am I? I am the darkness, I am the essence of nothing, the absence of light. I am deeper than the darkest shadow, yet kinder than the brightest day. I am always with everyone, following at everyone's heels, yet marking their path in the sun." His slow measured steps had brought him within 50 yards, but it was still too far to see his face in the darkness.
"I am from the village that is my heart, my true village tore from me one I treasured, forcing me to commit the unspeakable crime, the killing of one's own love, their true heart. In rage I became the Traitor, killing all, not discriminating because of village. What is the difference between two villages in the end? We are all mortal, we all die, we are only different because we chose to call ourselves so. I have no village because their are no village's, only the worldwide village of man." The man was only a few steps away now. He paused on the edge of their sight, taunting them with his closeness.
"As for my name, well a name is nothing more than a label, it truly holds no meaning, but if you must know what I was called when I associated with those who needed to call me, I am-" he took the remaining step towards them. "-Nara Shikaji."
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Watching them react was fun. First I spewed all that crap about darkness, and villages, and names, which definitely threw them off (I can use the shadows as my eyes giving me perfect night vision). But after they heard my name, well. First Temari's jaw dropped, as Shikamaru's hands fell limply to his sides. Then his eyes widened. You'd think with him being a genius and all the fact that I could repel shadows would have tipped him off. But I must admit, I wouldn't have expected me to show up.
I figured I should give them some time to absorb the information, so I just stood there smiling at them. For a while. A long while. Finally Shikamaru stood up, walking around Temari and her fan to stand directly in front of me. At which point he awkwardly raised his arms, and put them around me.
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Wow. That's all I could think. Well, that's all I could think after the initial shock wore off. Why wow? Because Shikamaru's uncle looked good. Long hair that was loosely pulled back in a low ponytail that reached down to his hips. His black clothing, put together with the black hair and the black eyes made him look like he himself was a shadow, easily blending him in with the dark where he seemed to belong. I always thought Shikamaru looked like his dad, but now I realized it was his uncle he resembled. That hooded look with the hidden intelligence, his father showed more on his face as opposed to Shikamaru who had almost no expression on his face. Apparently something he picked up from Uncle Shikaji. I heard some rustling, a sound Shikamaru intentionally let occur so I wouldn't be startled when he stood up. He moved around me, walking towards his uncle. Shikamaru wasn't really one for physical shows of affection, and I was the same so worked for us. That's why I was extremely shocked when he hugged his uncle.
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I know I shocked Temari when I hugged Shikaji, Im not one who shows affection like that. But I had to prove to myself that he was Shikaji. A hug was a weird way to do it, but one, if he was really an enemy, it would be a perfect opportunity to attack me. And two, I remembered from my childhood that whenever Shikamaru hugged someone, he would pat them on the back three times before really hugging them. Something he picked up from his girlfriend that he did in memory of her.
I stood there holding him, waiting. I started to run through scenarios in my mind, how to attack him if he was an impostor, how to escape, how to make sure Temari stayed safe.
Then his hands landed on my back and I felt him tap me three times. I relaxed, and he pulled me close. Temari's chakra spiked for a second when he tapped me, then went down when she saw I was fine and not worrying.
"Hey Shikamaru," his harsh voice was quiet now, not loud like it had been earlier. "Long time no see. You've gotten big." His eyes flashed over to Temari. "And a girl."
I pulled away from him, looking into the eyes I hadn't seen in so long. He smiled at me, and I realized we were the same height.
"Not bigger then you though,"
"That's true. Same height, same habits, and now it looks like we have the same taste in girls." Shikamaru looked at him quizzically. "Horribly dangerous, not just foreign but from an enemy village, and of course drop dead gorgeous, ." He winked at Temari, who was back to an expression of shock. Shikaji wasn't really serious, but he had always had a policy; compliment and you'll go far. Shikamaru never really him followed in that.
"You okay Temari?" He asked her, turning around to face her. His uncle's dazzling grin had faded to an expression of puzzlement at Temari's reaction. Shikamaru sighed before explaining. "She's not really used to extravagant compliments, with a harsh childhood, no real parents, being a shinobi. I don't do big compliments. This is a new thing for her, give her time to adjust."
"But that shouldn't have stopped people from complimenting her." Temari had moved from her spot to join the Nara's. When she was close enough, she stopped and smiled prettily at Shikaji. He relaxed, Shikamaru tensed up. Temari didn't smile prettily. She just didn't. He should've known.
Crack
Shikaji stumbled back a few steps, a red hand print rapidly becoming clear on his cheek. Temari was still smiling, and Shikamaru took a step back, just in case. "That's why people don't compliment me. I don't do compliments." She rested her hand casually on the handle of her open fan. "Remember that please." Shikaji nodded, still too surprised to speak. "Good, you understand. I won't be needing this tonight it seems." She folded up her fan, stowing it on her back as it usually was.
"The Nara curse, in the flesh," he said reverently. Shikamaru was enjoying the fact that Temari was beating on someone other than him, considering he had been her only target recently. But time was passing, and he needed to know why his uncle was here.
"Uncle-" he started to ask, but Shikaji cut him off.
"I guess you want to know what brought me here."
"Not that I'm unhappy to see you, it's just been so long, why now?" Shikaji smiled at Shikamaru.
"Because you're not tied done for now. No village, no specific goal, I thought now would be a good time to make you an offer."
"I'm listening."
"You remember how I was chasing after that so called 'myth' of a shadow master?" Shikamaru nodded, he remembered. "The reason I disappeared for so long was because I found him. I found the Shadow Master, became his apprentice, and am now the current Shadow Master. But I'm getting old, and I need my own apprentice to pass the techniques down to. So, are you interested?" Shikamaru just stared at him, before replying.
"Let me get this straight. The myth isn't a myth but a true story and person. You are now this person, who knows how. And you want me to become the myth now?" Shikaji thought for a moment.
"Basically." Shikamaru shook his head from side to side.
"I can't do this going on only that much Uncle. I love and trust you, but I need more than a myth. I also have Temari to think about. I'm not leaving her." Shikaji looked at him like he had just sprouted a third arm.
"I never said you'd have to leave Temari. And if you need proof, come home with me. I live nearby, and even if you decline my offer at least you'll spend some time with your long lost uncle." He was still undecided.
"Of course we'll come." Temari's voice rang out. "It's important to maintain relations with your family, treasure every moment. You can't go see your father and mother right now, so get what you can. Grab every minute you can." The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before Shikamaru bowed his head.
"I guess we're going. Which way?" Shikaji's face grew a predatory grin.
"Come closer, hold on tight to me, and hold your breath." Shikamaru and Temari shared a puzzled glance, before doing as he said. "One of the Shadow Master's techniques; Shadow Transport!" The shadows beneath them shifted for a moment, before turning dark and creeping up their bodies. Then in a roar of air, they were sucked down into the shadows.
