Content warning: This chapter references some very dark subjects. Reader's discretion is advised.
Chapter Eight
The knot tying Naruto's stomach tightened, threatening to expel whatever he'd had for lunch as he stepped beyond the door. A place that can cause Sasuke to have a panic attack can't be a fun place to hang out. Naruto activated his Byakugan, expelling the darkness, and he wished instantly that he had remained blissfully in the dark.
Rows of glass containment cylinders lined the walls, backlit in places by flickering fluorescent bulbs twittering away after two years of neglect. "My god…" Naruto's stomach twisted as he eyed the contents of the containers. Some contained human remains; others contained malformed things that might have been part human. Nausea fought with Naruto as he eyed some of the specimens – those that had developed along far enough looked like an attempt to clone Sasuke.
"There still is power after two years," Hinata gazed at the disturbing collection.
"I guess he didn't want his little collection to spoil," Naruto said, sickened by the perversion of science and nature.
"Oh god," Hinata gasped, "Naruto?!"
"What is it…" he turned toward Hinata and spotted a cylinder at the far end of the lab, still fully backlit. Inside, there was something that looked eerily human. Naruto stepped closer, recognizing the chakra signature, "Orochimaru!"
As they approached, the pale form of a young child came into view, floating in a fetal position. Hinata scoured a set of nearby papers, most of them water-damaged, as Naruto continued to stare. "He unlocked the secret he was looking for – immortality." He exchanged a troubled look with Hinata, "He created a perfect physical clone of his younger self."
Hinata scanned the notes, "Not perfect," she said with an ominous tone as she flipped the pages of notes, "Age-related damage required a donor's DNA to correct for the damage to my own DNA." She paused reading to stare at Naruto, "Sasuke."
The thought of everything Sasuke had endured had been unimaginable. Naruto did not want to contemplate the fact that he was standing inches from a clone that was essentially a mixing of Sasuke with Orochimaru – much less that the clone was still viable. Before he could further contemplate the ethics of letting whatever was in the tank live or setting an explosive tag on the glass, he heard indistinct yelling from the hallway. Sakura came running in, oblivious to what she was running past. "Naruto, Hinata!"
"Sakura!" Hinata and he said in unison as the girl approached.
"It's Sasuke," Sakura's already pale face was ghostly white in the dark.
"What happened?" Naruto asked, deep with concern.
"Someone else is here! They are influencing him with a genjutsu!"
"Are you sure?" Hinata asked.
"I'm resistant to genjutsu; I recognize the sensation of someone trying to use it!" Interesting; I wonder if she can teach that trick. Sakura continued, "Whoever this is trying to isolated us!"
Naruto scanned with his Byakugan. I could clearly see Sasuke chasing nothingness, but he saw at least two others presences. One was clearly human, scouring what looked like a lab below them. The other was much less distinct – a distortion of sorts. "He's here, but so is someone else."
"Who?" Sakura asked.
"Whomever is trying to isolate us," Naruto said with a grim nod. "We stick together, but Sakura…"
"Yes?" she asked.
"Before we leave, we have a major issue we need to resolve," Naruto debated keeping the clone a secret, but now was not the time for secrets.
"What?"
"That," Hinata pointed to the clone hybrid of Orochimaru and Sasuke.
"Oh my god!" Sakura balked.
"Let's get Sasuke first!" Naruto nodded, "This way!" he led the group through the darkness.
"Boss, are you sure we should be doing this, and not Asuma, or his father?" Kakashi asked as they entered the stairwell to the Academy planetarium.
"This is an object lesson for you and him," Minato replied as they slowly climbed the stairs, "one of the most important lessons you can learn as a Hokage – and a shinobi in general." Minato smirked the way he had for decades as a jonin-sensei, a father, and a Hokage. Kakashi recognized it as the delight of a teacher about to impart knowledge upon a student.
"Minato, about that," Kakashi's mind wandered back to his son, Sakumo and his wife, Shizune. He contemplated the new baby on the way, feeling inadequate to the task of being a father again.
"Yes?" Minato paused their climb.
"I know you and Kushina want to retire; I can't blame you after almost twenty years…"
"I know you're not excited at the prospect of filling our shoes," Minato said.
"Then why?" Kakashi asked with a modicum of frustration, fear, and humiliation mixing in his voice. "Why me?"
"Son," Minato stared with his brilliant sapphire eyes – eyes that inspired even the most down-and-out defeatists, "I've asked you to carry a lot of burdens over the years."
"I hardly consider guarding you and your family a burden," Kakashi replied.
"And raising my son, looking after Hinata," Minato counted off on his fingers, "and standing in as Hokage more than a few times for my wife and myself." He stared thoughtfully, "Not to mention some of the risky shit we did back in the day!"
"Sensei… I'm not ready…" Kakashi shook his head.
"I wasn't, either. Neither was Kushina. Nor was Lord Third." Minato reminded him. "That is why it is important that we change the guard soon."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Because I'm not ready?"
"Because we are at peace," Minato corrected, "and presumably we have time."
"Time for what?" concern began entering his voice.
"Presumably, Naruto will become Hokage after you," Minato shrugged, "just a guess."
"A fair guess," Kakashi agreed. Himawari had not openly stated that her father was Hokage, but her knowledge of events hinted she had access to the restricted archives – something only a Hokage or someone closely trusted by the Hokage would have access to.
Minato's tone turned somber, "And we know she came from a future where Kushina, Akemi, and I died extremely young – without seeing our children grow up."
Kakashi's back tightened up. Minato had been ready to let him have the night off that night. His mind wandered to the hateful places that alternate history must have gone: Naruto an orphan, Hiashi raising two girls as a single father while under the thumb of his father, Danzo running about unchecked, the Uchiha Clan being massacred, a sickly Lord Third resuming office; and the possibility that the Konoha Crush, Pain's Assault, and the Fourth Shinobi War ending differently. All of it changed because you were there. "Minato…"
"And from what you told me, she came from a place where you and your wife never tied the knot," his expression turned thoughtful, "Balancing duty and one's spouse is one of the hardest lessons anyone can learn, especially for a Hokage."
"I can't imagine what he's going through," Kakashi said as they resumed their climb, "He almost loses his wife during the war, and now he has the hard task of telling us the world is coming to an end."
"With any luck, Naruto and the others will find some clue as to what is happening," Minato tried to reassure both of them as they moved upward.
They reached the landing to the planetarium and found Shikamaru working at a computer and frantically scribbling notes on paper and a chalkboard. Kakashi said nothing, nor did Minato. While Kakashi was no expert, the smudged multiple erasures of calculations along with the growing mountain of crushed disposable paper cups hinted Shikamaru had been crunching numbers for hours, maybe longer. "Shikamaru." The younger man said nothing, still lost in his work. Desperate to be wrong somewhere. "Shikamaru," Kakashi said a bit more insistent.
"Huh?" he turned and looked surprised that he hadn't noticed the two enter. "Kakashi, Lord Fourth?"
"You can give it a rest, son," Kakashi said, extending a folder of papers he'd been carrying. "The Anami observatory confirmed your numbers as accurate." Kakashi shrugged, "Apparently they thought their numbers were off until they saw your data."
Shikamaru stopped scribbling, accepted the papers, and nodded. "It crosses the threshold of no return in about a month." Shikamaru shrank in on himself.
"There still is time to figure things out," Kakashi assured him.
"What if…" Shikamaru's voice shook, "… what if we can't?"
Kakashi had rarely contemplated the end of the world. In his years, he'd expected to die long before it was remotely possible. Now that he had a wife, a child, and an expectant child, the prospect of the world ending in early December left him feeling hollow. He had lived a decent life, but poor Shikamaru was facing the prospect of his ending just as it was starting. Kakashi's mind wandered back to Shizune. "Shikamaru, where is your wife?"
"What?" the younger man was startled by the question.
"Where is your wife, Shikamaru?" Kakashi reasserted the question.
"H-home…" he replied in a squeak, "… she said it would be best if I worked alone."
"Go to her, Shikamaru," Kakashi ordered. "You've done everything you can for now. Staying here isn't going to change a damn thing… except…"
"Except what?" Shikamaru demanded.
"She'll alone and scared, rather than just scared." Kakashi didn't know where the words came from, but a look over his shoulder confirmed a nod and smirk from Minato. "Shikamaru, dammit, go! That's an order!" Kakashi demaned. The boy set down his papers, bowed, and took off running.
"So, what did we learn here today, Hokage-to-be?" Minato asked with amusement.
"That's annoying, boss!" Kakashi groaned.
"Now you know how I felt when you and Jiraiya were on my case all those years ago," he grinned. Kakashi remembered the nights of following Danzo and Yui Hyūga, exposing their secret as well as Hattori Hyūga's plot to subvert his clan's succession.
"So, this is revenge?"
"I wasn't ready to be Hokage, much less Hokage-to-be," Minato shrugged. "I get the feeling Naruto isn't going to be much better given how much he bristles under the attention." Minato crossed his arms, "But, what lesson have we learned here, Kakashi?"
"I'm getting the sense it has to do with not letting fear of not being ready paralyze us?"
"Partially," Minato chuckled, "but tell me: where is your wife?"
Kakashi knew full-well Shizune was at home with Sakumo. "I assume you're telling me to make the most of tonight?"
"I have to go pick up Akane from the Hyūga Compound," Minato returned to seriousness, "I get the bad feeling after tonight time with our loved ones will start coming with a significant premium."
Kakashi's mind wandered back to the lonely nights after Pain's Assault and the long separation they endured during the war. They'll be back soon before you know it; so quit dawdling! "I'll see you in the morning, sir!" Kakashi bowed then took off.
Hinata remembered being afraid of many things as a child; being afraid of the dark was not one of them. The mixed blessing of Byakugan included the ability to see in total darkness. Unfortunately, being able to see all of the horrors the night hid for others cut almost as bad as not being able to see them. In addition, the ability to see beyond what was considered visible made working with those without darkvision a challenge as she wandered ahead of Sakura, who stumbled along with a flashlight guiding the way.
Hinata stared through the walls and the rock beyond to see Sasuke, now curled into a fetal position in a room up ahead. She had no idea what horrors he was seeing, and she was pretty sure she didn't want to know. Orochimaru had clearly experimented on Sasuke beyond sexual assault, if the dead and viable clones in the lab had been any hint.
Cold beads of sweat crawled down Hinata's back and neck despite the frigid chill down here. When Hinata had gone to please with Nine-Tails to spare Kushina, she had walked down a hallway as dreary and damp as the one she was in right night. She rounded a bend in the hallway and something brushed up against her face. "AHHHHHH!" she screamed at the unexpected contact. In the panic, Hinata let her Byakugan down.
"Hinata!" Naruto shouted as his footsteps thundered close by. His voice reassured her, and she realized it had been nothing more than spiderwebs. Great one! Shit your pants in front of your fiancé over a goddamn spiderweb!
"Let me help with that," a smooth, confident voice spoke as a hand took a lock of her hair and stroked away the webbing. THAT'S NOT NARUTO!
Hinata's blood froze as the alarm bells in her head all sounded at once. It took maybe half a second to jump away and scream at the top of her range. Hinata reactivated her Byakugan and confirmed she was now in the hallway outside the lab, and Naruto and Sakura were far from being able to intervene. Despite every instinct not to, Hinata stared at her stalker. His build and height was on par with Naruto or Sasuke's. He wore archaic white robes that accented his ghostly white, almost albino, skin and hair. Perhaps most terrifying, Hinata noticed empty sockets where eyes should be. Hinata adopted a fighting stance. "Who are you!" she demanded, heaving as she focused on her opponent.
"There is no need for that," the figure grinned confidently, completely unnerved by Hinata's threatening stance. "My name is Toneri." The thin smile on his lips betrayed amusement, as if Hinata was no more threatening than a kitten. Hinata had faced down Madara, Ten-Tails, Obito, and Kaguya; but none of them left her feeling as terrified as she felt now. Any of the former would have wringed her neck without so much as a second thought about killing her.
He wants you. Wants you to go with him, to let him touch you. Acid churned in Hinata's stomach at the thought of the bastard's hands touching her where Naruto had many times as she fought the urge to throw up at the mere thought of being violated. By now, she could see Naruto hurrying toward her. Keep him talking. He must be suppressing the Flying Thunder God seal! "And what do you want, Toneri?" She accented his name, hoping he'd get a clue that she wasn't interested.
"That should be obvious," his grin again grew wide, predatory.
The urge to run or fight fought with Hinata's need for answers, "Why me?"
"Another thing that should be obvious, Byakugan Prince," his lip curled, exposing pearly white teeth. "Your beauty and your abilities are the stuff of legends." He tilted his head, as if he was examining her despite his lack of eyes. "You will make a fine bride and mother."
Hinata swallowed down vomit. He really was planning on wedding, bedding, and impregnating her. Hinata's body threatened to revolt at the mere thought of him within her, much less her carrying whatever hellish offspring would result from his seed. Naruto was closing. "Why are you dropping the moon?"
"My sweet child," he took a step closer, "the world is too ugly to sustain something so beautiful and pure. When you come to me, I will wipe the slate clean, and remake the world into a place of beauty worthy of you and our children!"
"Kyahhhh!" Naruto's leg swung through the air as Toneri dissolved into a distortion in time and space. Naruto narrowly missed kicking the concrete wall as his leg whipped through empty air with enough force to break bones. As he landed, his milky blue-white eyes morphed as he was shrouded by orange chakra, turning into Sage Mode. "He's gone!" He turned to look at Hinata, "Are you…"
"I'm fine," Hinata finally breathed, "I'm fine…"
"Did he say anything?" Naruto stared with concern, "Are you hurt?"
"He says his name is Toneri," Hinata shivered just saying the name. Her stalker no longer was an anonymous shadow – he was flesh and blood with a name now.
"Anything else?" Naruto asked, slowly closing the gap between them, one ear clearly listening for any local movement.
"Na-Naruto… he's… dropping the moon…" the chill traversed Hinata's spine.
"I kind of figured…"
"FOR ME!" she screeched, heaving at the terrifying realization, "He… he's going to kill everyone, destroy everything… because of me!" Guilt sank in Hinata's stomach like a slab of granite. I didn't ask for this! I would never have asked this! Hinata's lips curled, and she began sobbing.
"Honey!" Naruto took her in his arms, but even his reassuring embrace did little to stem the flow of tears. "It's okay; this is not your fault!" As Naruto held her close, something oddly familiar came over Hinata. I've seen that pattern before! "Hinata… what is it?" Naruto tilted his head as he stared at her.
"N-Naruto-kun… The robes… we was wearing a pattern just like your Path of Six Sages Robes!" Could it be? Hinata remembered meeting Lord Hamura, struggled to remember what he'd mentioned. There was one survivor of the branch of his line that went to safeguard Kaguya's remains on the moon. Could Toneri be it?! "Naruto! Hamura said most of his family went to safeguard Kaguya's remains on the moon, right?"
He nodded, "And he mentioned there being only one survivor of that line. It makes sense that it would be Toneri."
"But why?" Hinata asked, incredulous. "Why destroy the earth?! He was tasked with protecting it, wasn't he?"
"Why stalk you?" Naruto shook his head, not taking his eyes off her as he let his Sage Mode disperse. "Hinata, who knows what twisted things happened in the last thousand or so years." His face turned sullen, "Think of Sasuke, for that matter think of Obito."
"Why him?" Hinata asked.
"Hinata, think of all the evil he became, all the terrible things he did," Naruto shook his head, "remember despite that he was once like me."
"Naruto," She stared with blazing intensity, "you were never like him!" The thought of Naruto ever turning evil or betraying her or the village was too terrible a thought to compute. "And you never will be like him!" Hinata let tears go, but quickly wiped them away.
"Not as long," Naruto choked slightly as he wiped away a stray tear from her cheek, "as I have you." His simple, indominable smile returned to his face, "Now come on, let's get Saskue." Hinata nodded, and they took off.
The dark of the bunker glowed hellfire red as Sasuke chased his quarry down into the bowels of the facility. Not getting away this time you slippery little bastard! Sasuke sprinted down the dreary hallway with the speed of a man possessed. As his legs carried him, his mind surreptitiously wandered back to another time when he'd been running down this hallway. His legs slowed for the briefest of moments, but his legs again began to move on autopilot.
The hallway was different, and he was running from his captors. Specifically, he'd slipped his bonds during a torture session with Orochimaru. He was running down the hallway, naked, defenseless, and seeking any way that might lead to salvation. Don't go this way! Don't do it!
Reason gave way to memory, and Sasuke opened the door to a room all too familiar. He'd been here many times, drugged up out of his mind, and blinded with fanciful illusions. "Welcome home, love," the sultry voice called from in the dark. Karin waited for him, as she had waited many times, naked, voluptuous, and horny. "I thought you'd never get here!" The red-haired seductress removed her glasses and playfully chewed on the arm of her spectacles as she reclined on the futon on the ground. "Come Sasuke, we have a lot of catching up to do!" she winked.
In the back of Sasuke's mind, alarm bells rang, desperate to overcome the impossible reality. This is just a fantasy! She is NOT REAL! "No," Sasuke shook his head, mortified by what he was seeing.
He blinked, and Karin had changed into Sakura's nude form, "Would you still say that to me?" Sakura stood up from the futon, striding with her long legs, confident in her skin despite her less-voluptuous body. "I can make you feel all better," her words crawled in his ear as her naked form rubbed against him.
This isn't her! You're on a goddamn mission, and she wouldn't be doing this! "No…" Sasuke's voice trembled against arousal and fear. The dam holding back the flood of memories was swept away as he remembered misdeeds spent in this room. Sasuke met Karin while saving her during the survival course in the Chunin Exams. When Sasuke was captured by the Akatsuki, he'd been surprised to meet her again, now a young woman.
"Sasuke," her hot breathe spilled into his ear, "why did you kill me?" The voice shifted from Sakura back to Karin's, then to Hinata's, "Why did you kill me?" the body moved back from Saskue, revealing Hinata's pregnant form with a sword through the abdomen.
"I… I didn't!" Sasuke skittered back to the wall, gluing himself to the steel construction. The room began spinning as nausea threatened him. I didn't kill Hinata! What the hell is going on! Sasuke remembered being doped up and being conditioned to think Karin was Sakura. He'd impregnated her and watched her belly grow carrying what would have been his son. And then Orochimaru made you kill them both!
"Why, Sasuke?" Hinata asked in a ghostly frail tone. He blinked, and the image was replaced with Sakura, "Why?" By now, his voice was heaving. Orchimaru made you think Naruto killed her! You killed what you thought was Hinata in a fit of rage! Get a grip!
"Y-you! You're not real!" he pointed a shaking finger at whatever he was seeing.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! SASUKE!" the female voices overwhelmed him, and he drew his kunai, swinging violently. "Sasuke!" a hard stop struck his forearm, "Sasuke! It's me!" the voice was Sakura, but he trusted nothing as he pushed off.
"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" he wound up to make another swipe.
"Dammit, boy, snap out of it!" Sakura's fist connected firmly to the tip of his jaw where Naruto had broken it at the Valley of the End. He staggered back, and felt the CLANG of his head hitting the steel wall before his sank down the wall into a shiver mass.
"Sasuke!" she grabbed him by the collage, shaking him, "you were trapped in a genjutsu! None of that was real! I AM!"
Sasuke realized all he was seeing was darkness around him, except for the light of Sakura's flashlight. Son of a bitch! His Sharringan activated, again turning the world an angry red. Goddammit, I've been played!
As he scanned the room, there was a set of bones in the corner with a sword through them. Tattered bits of clothing again channeled the horrific memory of what he'd done – been made to do. "Oh god!" Sasuke turned and threw up, retching several times. He broke down sobbing in the presence of Karin and his unborn child's remains. A firm hand dragged him out into the hallway, the sound of the door slamming, shaking him as he shivered on the floor. "WHAT HAVE I DONE!" he sobbed.
The same firm set of hands sat him up with his back to a wall. "It wasn't you, Sasuke!" Sakura tried reassuring him.
"I… I did it all…" he wheezed.
"You weren't in control," she said firmly, pinning him to the wall, "just like you weren't in there now."
"OH GOD, SAKURA! DID I HURT YOU!" he sobbed.
"Not a mark on me that won't wash off," she smiled, her own tears reflection from the flashlight's beam. "It's okay."
"No," he shook his head, "it's not!" Sasuke croaked. "I almost killed you!"
"You weren't even close," she almost laughed.
"Sakura, he got into my head!"
"I'm sure he could have done the same to all of us."
"Sakura, he knew my weakness; he knew about all of this!"
Sakura nodded in a disconcerted understanding, "He's been watching all of us, not just Hinata."
Sasuke nodded, "And he knows how to weaken use, make use doubt ourselves." He shook his head, "I can't… I can't…"
"Sasuke," she placed a hand on his cheek, "dammit, you pulled through, you were able to distinguish what was real from what wasn't!" Tears actively leaked from her eyes.
"Sakura, Sasuke!" Hinata's voice called as she and Naruto approached.
"We're over here!" Sakura called. The two soon appeared out of the shadows.
"Are you both all right?" Naruto asked.
"Peachy," Sasuke huffed, calm washing over him at the presence of the everyone. "Did you find anything?"
Naruto and Hinata exchanged a troubled look and nodded, "Yes," Hinata answered, "but I'm afraid what we have to show you might be… disturbing."
"Par for the course," Sakura nodded.
"Am I missing something?" Sasuke asked?
"Full disclosure," Naruto added, "we have a hard decision to make."
"Great…" Sasuke groaned as he got to his feet. "How bad?" The silence between his three friends hinted it was pretty goddamn bad. "Okay, did I have another child I don't know about?"
"Something like that," Sakura answered, "It will be easier to show you."
The group moved in silence, and they eventually returned to the lab. "By the way, you said there were two people?" Sakura turned to Naruto.
"Two?" Sasuke asked.
"Whomever the other one was, he or she took off the second Toneri took Hinata," he shook his head, "they're gone."
"Who is Toneri?" Sasuke asked.
"My stalker," Hinata answered.
"You spoke to him?" Sakura asked.
"He took me away, told me he was dropping the moon," Hinata said coldly, "he wants to marry and fuck me like a rabbit."
Even Sasuke was taken aback by the statement – Hinata was rarely so vulgar. There was a certain understanding: he'd been violated, and now this Toneri was threatening to violate her. "Why is he dropping it for you?" he asked.
"Something about remaking the world for a place for 'you and our children,'" Hinata sassed as she recited her assailant's words.
"So, some kind of creationist fantasy," Sakura said.
"At least we learned something useful from this trip," Sasuke said as they carefully entered the lab. Sasuke's throat tightened as he took in the view of the familiar glass cylinders containing failed clone attempts – some resembling Orochimaru, some resembling Sasuke. He saw the gurney and table with shackles and other sick tools of torture and experimentation. Finally, Sasuke saw what had the others walking on eggshells. "No way…" he walked up to the cylinder holding what looked like a perfect young clone of Orochimaru.
"Sasuke," Naruto spoke, "the clone is still viable…"
Sasuke stared at the pallid flesh of the figure within the tank. There was no way of knowing a million different thing right now: did it have some memory imprint, what was used as an embryo, would it even survive if removed from the tank? Do you really want to take that chance after what its creator did to you? "Sasuke, t-there is more," Hinata's voice shivered as her fingers tapped together.
More? Sasuke's mind wandered back to areas he kept safely locked away. He remembered too well what Orochimaru said during their first encounter during the Chunin Exams, "Your body would be a terrible thing to waste, child!" Orochimaru had marked him with a cursed seal then, had later used the seal to influence and control him during the Fatal Lust Crisis and Fourth Shinobi War. Sasuke's hands clenched into tight fists as he remembered Orochimaru boasting about his perfect plan for immortality – the best of both worlds! "Oh god!" he gasped. He stared incredulous at the others, then at the cylinder. "Part of that abomination is me!?"
All Naruto could do was nod. "Sasuke, I'm all for destroying it…"
"NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM WHATEVER UNHOLY EXPERIEMENTS WERE DONE HERE!" Sasuke boomed enough to cause flakes of concrete dust drop from the ceiling. Whatever was inside the cylinder was an abomination, an abomination conceived without his consent.
Naruto stared at Hinata, then Sakura, and the three nodded. "If you want," Naruto held out several explosive tags, "you can set the charges; otherwise, I will."
Sasuke took the tags without hesitation and slapped them onto the glass of the cylinder. Sasuke knew the shockwave would kill whatever was inside instantly. He placed his palm over the tag to initiate the detonation process, and he paused. His hand shook as he stared at the melding of his life and his assailants.' "Never again!" Sasuke initiated the detonation and ran from the area with the others as the explosive tags blew.
Temari stared down into the dark of the courtyard, vainly waiting for her husband to return home. While coming home and staying with her in-laws had been pleasant, being back in Konoha had only worsened things with Shikamaru. He'd been gone all night, every night, and she'd awaken to find him passed out next to her, wearing the same outfit from the day before.
Unable to watch like a widow by the sea, Temari moved to the next window, sat on a stool next to Shikamaru's telescope, set her eye next to the eyepiece, and again stared at her opponent. The moon was big and bright, only showing the earliest sign of wanning. As she eyeballed it, daring it to approach further, Temari's mind wandered to happier times. Shikamaru and she had used this exact telescope during her first stay in Konoha. He had taught her the different features such as the Sea of Tranquility and the adjacent Sea of Serenity. Despite the desolate appearance, there was a divine beauty that inspired legends such as the Moon Princess Warrior.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" the male voice from behind her almost caused Temari to jump.
"Shikamaru!" she gasped as she turned to see her husband standing in the doorway, looking sullen. "Y-you're home?!"
"Kakashi and Minato told there was nothing more I could do re-crunching the numbers," he shrugged.
"Then it is confirmed?" Temari was elated that she didn't have to question Shikamaru's mental health, but she felt a pang of despair at the knowledge of what being right meant.
"I'm afraid so," he shook his head, "Temari, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." He leaned against the doorframe.
"For what?" she asked.
"I…" he studied her the same way he studied the moon, "… I did want to have children! I just wasn't ready…"
"Shikamaru, what in the hell are you apologizing about?" mild amusement painted her voice, "We will have children someday, probably soon."
"Temari," he stared incredulous, "the goddamn moon is falling!"
"And?" Temari shrugged.
"And we have a month, at best!"
"Well," she crossed her arms, "I guess I can wait a while longer."
"What are you talking about?" his frustration began to rise. Boy, you're too cute when you're flustered.
"About the baby thing; I can wait," she teased.
"Temari, there won't be a world for it!"
"Yes there will," she retorted, "you're a smart guy and not the only one working on this," she shrugged again and crossed her arms, "I'm sure we'll figure things out!"
"How are you so calm!"
"One of us has to be," she replied, walking over to him. Temari placed a hand on his cheek, "Just like how you were for me when I woke up bald, with my head wrapped in bandages, and my right arm and leg in traction." She stared at him longingly, "Come on, I have something to show you." She seized his arm and dragged him toward the dresser.
"What is it?" he stumbled along with her.
Temari opened the top drawer, revealing a small box wrapped in birthday paper, "You never did open it when we got back from the war," she handed him he small parcel, "Come on, hot and brainy, open your damn gift."
Shikamaru tore at the paper and flipped open the box inside. Even in the dimness of only moonlight, the ornate magnifying glass inscribed Agent Nara, KIB looked brilliant as the day she'd had it made. "Temari!" He held the gift received over two years too late.
"You're a smart guy, Shikamaru," she smiled, "I want you to know that." She moved closer to him, "There is something else I want you know, just so things are clear between us."
"What's that?" he stared with his granite-brown eyes darkened by shadow.
"You have," Temari smirked as she drew her hand back, "A SEXY BUTT!" Her hand firmly but playfully slapped him across the seat of his pants before she squeezed his right cheek.
"GAH!" he shouted as she chuckled. "Troublesome… woman!"
She pulled him to her, resting his head on her shoulder, not removing her hand from his buns. "You wouldn't have me any other way!" she reminded. She released the squeeze and playfully patted his butt a few times. "Now come on," she started dragging him to bed, "Let's get some rest, I get the feeling we're both in for sleepless nights ahead.
Author's notes: Hi everyone. I hope you enjoyed and I thank you for reading. I hope you are all safe and healthy and the holidays were not too much of a drain. Between holidays and some major events, finding time to write was a challenge, and i hope this chapter was up to standard.
If you are reading at time of publication, I have a chance for you to influence the future of Sasuke and Sakura. I posted a poll to my profile. I will keep it up through January 28, 2023. I greatly appreciate any and all ready feedback. Until next chapter, stay healthy, stay safe, and I hope your 2023 is off to a good start.