Welcome my loves! We now begin ARC 2!
Shikamaru here is the embodiment of "Ok I'll do it, but I'm gonna complain the whole time." I love him to pieces. Iykyk. Also, if you have not looked at a NARUTO land map recently, it would be very helpful for you to do so. Arc 2 is very politics heavy and geography is important. Thank you so much for reading along! XOXO - VB
- Distant Lands -
Shikamaru was no slouch of a ninja, but there are times where he wonders how he'd ever ended up in his profession.
He could have been a librarian, or a simple bread baker. Hell, he'd slept through most of his academy classes and failed most of his tests anyway. It was a miracle they'd let him become a Genin at all. But no, he'd decided to become a ninja. Out of all the professions available to him, he'd chosen one that required excessive amounts of running. Because he was an idiot.
Shikamaru clutches at a stitch beginning to form between his ribs, thinking back to his last training session with team Asuma. They were not doing enough cardio.
"Two more kilometer until we reach our rest stop." Utsuho calls back to the rest of the team. Their convoy leader was running them hard. The long summer days meant they ran well into the evening, only to hit the road again just after dawn.
Shikamaru sneaks a sideways glance at Sakura running effortlessly beside him. Her stamina remains untouched by the last two days of travel, earning her another irritated glare. She'd always been teachers pet, but now she was just making him look bad…
When he'd questioned her about her boundless energy their first night out, she'd simply said 'Hospital Hours' and left it at that. He'd always admired how easily she could adapt to new situations, but here her skillset was undeniable. Even now, after a full days run, her strides were long and her breathing relaxed. He hates her just a little bit for making it look so easy- would probably hate her more if he didn't like her so damn much.
The unwanted thought surfaces like a bubble in water. And like each bubble before it, he push it back down, praying it will stay submerged. It would not do to indulge in thoughts of his best friend like that. He'd need to be more careful moving forward.
It's twilight when their team finally skids into an open clearing. Everyone begins the task of setting up camp, and it's all Shikamaru can do to play off his exhaustion.
Ruya volunteers to go collect firewood while Kiwa draws upon her Mud-release to create a makeshift shelter. The final structure is domed and roughly cave like, but the walls are dry and hard as clay. It reminding him of the adobe structures common in Suna's outer territories. It won't hold up to a thunderstorm, but it will keep them cool for the night.
Earlier that morning, they'd crossed their first boarder check. They were deep into River country now: sprawling grass planes webbed with muddy rivers. Farther to the north he can make out the rust red soil of a deep ravine. The night air is already thick with mosquitoes and the chirp of cicadas sing around him. He instantly regretted his choice of mesh shirt, digging into his knapsack to pull out some repellant.
"How did I let you talk me into this?" he complains, just loud enough for Sakura to hear him. His ribs are already riddled with bug bites.
"Easily." She teases, "Much too easily." She laughs at his dramatic overtones and settles into the seat beside him. Her megawatt smile is a knife to the heart. He tries to focus on the bug bites instead.
"This is what I get for letting you boss me around."
She's busy pulling rations from her pack. "That's slander and you know it. You could have made me beg so much harder than you did."
He fights down a blush when she says the word beg.
"Don't think you're getting out of carrying me home." He growls. He bumps her shoulder lightly with his before he realizes what he's doing. Holy shit. Did he just flirt with her?
Her smile is secretive and knowing. "I've already carried you home once. You sure you want me to do it again?"
His face burns in remembered embarrassment, thinking back to Ino's birthday party. He can't unsee her looking up at him, eyes alive with mirth and victory. "On second thought, I think I'll just walk. My mom still hasn't let me live that night down."
"Your mom is my hero." She laughs in response. They fall into companionable silence after that.
Someone gets a campfire going, the woodsmoke driving off the worst of the bugs. Sakura talks comfortably with Ruya and Kiwa. Utsuho is cordial, but mostly reserved. Their dinner tonight is another round of cold rations. Tomorrow they should arrive in Suna before sundown.
Shikamaru fantasizes about spiced meats served on soft flatbreads and skewers of grilled Mackerel fresh from the coals. It's a meal he's had many times in Suna, something familiar to look forward to amidst all the other changes.
When the fire begins to settle to embers, Sakura offers to take first watch. The convoy trio each thank her politely, heading to the mud structure to tuck in for a few hours. She gives him a questioning look when he doesn't make to leave. He just shrugs, leaning back against his log recliner. "I'm comfortable where I am." He tells her.
He's never been more uncomfortable in his life.
But the orange firelight is doing pretty things to her hair, and he suspects they won't be alone like this for a while. He tells himself he's just enjoying time with his friend. He's getting better and better at pretending.
Still, he's grateful for these moments alone. Even in Konoha, they were always surrounded by people. He rarely got to see what she was like when she wasn't playing chess or trying to save the freaking world. He wasn't exaggerating when he called her a workaholic. The woman mostly existed to do three things: Obey Tsunade's orders, jump when she said jump, and when that was done, to ask How High?
It was nice seeing this other Sakura shine through. Seeing her face soften as she stares into the camp fire, leaning into his side like she hadn't a care int he world.
It doesn't matter that his eyes are heavy, or that his sleeping bag is calling to him from the covered shelter. Wild horses couldn't make him move.
'I'm such an idiot.'
The evening stretches on and on. Together, they stay up late into the night, comfortable in each others company. Occasionally, they make small conversation to keep each other from falling asleep. Shikamaru notices how the firelight reflects against the curves of Kiwa's mud hut.
Sakura watches in fascination as he plays out a silent kabuki theater with shadow puppets from his Jutsu. She stares, unable to peel her eyes away. He is half way through a historical retelling when he realizes she's fallen asleep, head tilted back against her makeshift seat.
He watches her, trying to puzzle out exactly what he feels. Why now, after all this time? He doesn't have an answer, and he isn't sure he needs one. He doesn't like change. But maybe…
Calling up his Jutsu, he unspools silken threads of shadows. They prop her up just enough to get his arms under her legs. He carries her over to her bedroll, tucking her into the eves of the shelter. If the others see him, they don't say a word. He returns to the fire pit and drops in a fresh log. He settles himself in to finish first watch.
He wonders how he got so lucky to end up in his profession.
- Palm lines -
Sakura wakes in the middle of the night, warm and comfortable in her bedroll. She doesn't remember falling asleep, or even walking away from the fire. Someone is shifting in the dark beside her- Ruya getting out of bed to take over next watch. Shikamaru takes his place in the pavilion, and it's only then she realizes how she'd gotten to bed.
Something tender makes itself known in her chest, a whisper that aches of admiration and longing. She watches Shikamaru settle into a bedroll, hair falling lose around his shoulders.
His limbs are a sprawl of long lines and angles. She watches his chest rise and fall with his breath. Something possesses her as she watches him sleep. Her hand slips out from the folds of her field blanket, fingers reaching towards his upturned palm.
He's just far away enough that his hand is out of reach. She feels silly, but she leaves her arm outstretched anyway. She slips back into dreams of shadow puppet theater and whispers in the wild dark.
The next morning, Sakura feels uncharacteristically shy. Her heart is a war drum that pounds in her chest. At some point in the night, their fingers have become intertwined. She wakes to Shikamaru's fingers tracing patters against her skin. His eyes snap open instantly when he feels her move, and they pull apart like they've each been burned. They don't acknowledge the touch as they go through the motions of breaking down camp, preparing to head out on their final run.
Utsuho briefs them on the upcoming terrain: Today they leave River country and will pass through into Wind. Their next rest stop will be at the boarder outpost where they will refill canteens and prepare to make the desert crossing.
Shikamaru seems determined to avoid her gaze as they set off on their last day of travel. Despite the unspoken tension between them, his body is her shadow. He runs at her side, just steps behind her. They make their way through open country like this, the weight of his eyes on her every move.
The war drums beat on and on in her chest. She hopes the others can not hear it's call.
- Weathervane -
The boarder outpost between River and Wind is purposefully unremarkable, just a large beige structure along the edge of the water channel delineating one country from the next. There are no other markers dividing the land. Both countries share the single occupancy with a revolving roster of patrol officers, each coming and going in mutual business.
A dark skinned officer with cropped red hair asks for their passports when they make to pass through. Utsuho bristles with visible irritation when she tells them to wait. He tells her they will not be unlawfully detained, but the officer insists they comply with her orders.
She tells them to remain by the gate, then makes her way to a back room in search of some supervisor. "He's been waiting for you." She says, before disappearing.
The convoy nin exchange questioning looks, each of them unsettled with this strange development. But five sets of eyebrows disappear when the officer returns, lifted in shock at the young man following behind her.
His Kage hat hangs from the hand at his side, and there's no mistaking Gaara of the Sand. Sakura reels from one shock strait into the next when he extends a hand out to her in formal greeting. She's almost too shocked to take it in return.
"Kazekage-sama, my apologies. We were told you were expecting us in Sunagakure tonight. Were we misinformed?" Utsuho asks, folding into a military bow.
"You were not." Gaara says. He does not elaborate and Utsuho does not push further.
Gaara turns back to Sakura and Shikamaru. She doesn't miss the stiffness in his nod towards her friend. Then again, it's Gaara of the sand. Anything more than cursory acknowledgement would be outright affectionate.
"There's been a change in plans." Gaara says. "The River Daimyo has pulled a bait and switch. I'm here to brief you on the road."
He nods to the patrol officer on his way out the building. Her convoy team trips over themselves in their rush to follow behind. You don't keep the Kazekage waiting, Gaara of the Sand even less so.
Outside, he dons his Kage hat. With a gesture like wiping water from the brim, the sand around him bends to his will. Two platforms begin to take shape in the air, and Sakura finally understands just why he's there.
The Kazekage intended to fly them to Suna. She's torn between being flattered and worried by his urgency.
"I'll explain once we're in the air." Gaara says, noting Sakura's obvious hesitation.
The convoy trio mount their sand cloud with visible trepidation. Sakura and Shikamaru join Gaara on his, and soon they are speeding through the dry desert air. The unrelenting sun sears into her uncovered shoulders.
"Tell us what's happened." Shikamaru says. His expression is calmer than her own, and she schools her face into matching stoicism. She wonders how he seems so unaffected by Gaara's penetrating stare.
"River, Rain and Grass have been dealing behind our backs." Gaara begins. His gaze remains fixed on the far horizon, their destination somewhere far in the distance. "Given their history of voting together, this was to be expected. But the timing is less than ideal."
"It was my impression Fire and River had come to an understanding." Sakura says, recalling her most recent correspondence with Fire countries Daimyo. "Our Daimyo was going to sponsor our bill at the summit, and River was going to encourage Rain and Grass to co-sign."
"The River and Daimyo has chosen not to attend." Gaara says. Sakura feels like the air has been punched from her lungs. "The decision was supposedly made at the last moment. Apparently, his wife is pregnant, so he's sent his General in his stead."
Sakura and Shikamaru trade surprised glances, and Gaara continues.
"My intelligence says River's Daimyo has made his intentions known regarding our proposal. He is interested in backing our bill, but the River General has priorities that diverge from his wishes. We can consider any previous negotiations or promises off the table. We will have to convince this General to side with us on our own, and we have one day to figure out how to do it."
Maybe it was the altitude, but Sakura feels her breath come in shallow sips. This was a major setback to their plans. While the success of her proposal would hinge on her speech, these things were often decided well before the actual summit.
Politics often operated like a delicate chess strategy, with intentions set from the very beginning of the game. Untested plays at the last minute usually resulted in a dead game. This development could jeopardize everything she'd worked for…
"What do we know about this River General?" She asks.
"I know them by reputation only." Gaara replies. "I've never had reason to deal with them directly."
Wind and Fire were dominating countries when it came to military presence, but they were physically divided by River, Grass and Rain. The three smaller countries created a natural land blockade between Suna and Konoha, and they leveraged this frequently to their political benefit.
River was the financial powerhouse of their joint alliance, their ruddy rivers heavy with deposits of gold. Between that, and rice being Rain country's cash crop, the smaller countries held a near monopoly over their most valuable exports. They might be lacking in raw manpower, but they made up for in plentiful resources.
Political alliances were unpredictable as summer storms, with winds that could often change on a dime. Every vote had far reaching consequences, and River country was the Weathervane.
"I have to say… I'm surprised you're here." Gaara say cryptically to Shikamaru. They share a look that Sakura doesn't understand.
"I'm just here to serve a worthy cause." Shikamaru says, but there's more to his words than what's on the surface.
After a moment, Gaara nods, apparently placated by this answer. "We should review the bills that were sponsored last Summit, specifically the ones brought up by River and Rain. I think our leverage can be found in there."
"Talk us through it." Shikamaru says. He settles into his seat of sand.
Sakura doesn't miss the word 'us' instead of the expected 'me'.
They debrief and strategize the whole way to Suna, a new plan for the Summit taking form. Meanwhile on the other sand cloud, Ruya and Kiwa play rock-paper-scissors. Utsuho keeps faithful watch on the rear horizon.
- Authors Note -
And so the political scheming begins. The greater plot begins to unfold. Shikamaru still has bug bites. Alternate chapter title: Air Gaara
If you came for the spicy student-teacher drama, I'm thrilled you've stayed for the rest of this story. As always, my deepest thanks for reading my work. If you've enjoyed the story so far, please consider leaving a review. It helps others find the story, and sharing is caring soooo…..
Xoxo - VB