Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Regret Not A Thing ❯ Ch. 18: Salvation ( Chapter 18 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Regret Not A Thing

By Mizerable

Ch. 18: Salvation

The soft rustle of clothing seemed to roar inside the Hokage's office. The three, despite their desolate weariness from traveling through Water Country and…and…They still chose to immediately make their mission report. Tsunade watched them with eyes both scrutinizing and sympathetic. They looked like pitiful abandoned children, dirty and ragged and broken.

Sakura kept her gaze averted, not able to face her former mentor completely. Not when the reason, the person, that pulled them apart was gone without a trace.

Neji chose to watch the world beyond the window instead. Birds flew by with their usual careless grace. Once again, the cage pressed in against him.

Shikamaru stared forward with a stony expression. Tsunade wouldn't call it an attempt to restrain emotions on his part. Rather, he appeared as a person completely devoid of feeling. As if he shut down his entire being.

“If you need,” Tsunade began cautiously, “If you feel it wiser to give this report at a later time—“

“We were ambushed by the Akatsuki,” Shikamaru voiced flatly, and Tsunade sucked in a shaky breath.

“So the rumors are true,” she seemed to murmur mostly to herself, “They have gone on the offensive…”

“We succeeded in killing our attacker,” Neji stated, perhaps intending to calm the Hokage's nerves.

“You—” she was at a loss for words as she rose from her chair, “You three succeed in taking out an Akatsuki agent?”

“Yep,” Shikamaru was still a blank slate, “He's dead and we're still here, somehow.”

Even though Asuma is the one who should be standing here.

The unspoken words screamed through all their minds. Perhaps Shikamaru was not as unreadable as he would have liked.

“How…?”

“Shikamaru came up with the strategy,” Neji replied, earning a nod from Tsunade, “Sakura landed the killing blow.”

Sakura's shoulders jerked, though she didn't raise her head. Even though she could feel Tsunade watching her. And the Hokage doesn't know whether congratulations were in order, or if Sakura would be better served by a hug.

“I'm so glad all of you returned home safely,” she finally spoke with gentle tones, “Please do get some rest.”

She would press them no further. They were here and alive. That was all the news she could handle at this point.

Shikamaru turned sharply and marched out of the office without another word. Neji offered a bow of respect before making his own exit. Sakura remained turned in on herself and shuffled towards the door in silence.

“Sakura?”

She paused by the door at the sound of Tsunade's voice.

“If you'd like, I would be more than willing to further assist in your training.”

“That would be quite unnecessary,” she coolly declined.

She was strong enough to kill S-Class criminals. She could heal a squad's share of injuries earned from fighting an S-Class criminal. What else could she gain? It wasn't as if she could afford to let herself grow fond of her teacher once more. Not when betrayal and loss was waiting in the wings.

“Oh Sakura, I'm so sorry,” Tsunade's palms pressed against the desk, head bowed, “I never wanted you to suffer like this.”

I tried so hard to protect you from the hurt I grew to know so well.

“And maybe if you'd had the heart to tell me about Sasuke-kun from the start, none of this would have happened.”

The door close with a soft click but the emptiness of the room echoed in Tsunade's chest. Tears splashed against the wood of her desk with a heartbeat staccato.

“I'm such a fool,” she murmured to four unyielding walls, “A hypocrite who tried to spare her student and blinded myself to everything else. We never learn, do we, Jiraiya…”

* * *

Sakura's home was very quiet when she entered. The smell of cooked food drifted from the kitchen, but she didn't go to greet her mother. Silence was a gift she gained from her hard years and slipped upstairs without so much as even a creak from the floorboards.

Once alone in her room, she stood oh so still and just breathed. The window was open to let in a pleasant breeze. The curtains fluttered and sunlight cheerily spilled through. A stack of medical books rested neatly atop her desk. Beside it was a framed photograph. The photograph.

Slowly she walked towards it, hand raised, before her body all but collapsed to the floor. Her fingertips just grazed the edge of the table as she curled in on herself. And she wept. Uncontrollable body-wracking sobs overwhelmed her very being; wailing like a wounded animal.

Gone.

Sasuke was gone, gone, gone!

All she ever worked for, ever wished for…It wasn't worth a fucking thing!

If she couldn't save one life, just that one life, none of her training mattered. So what if she killed an Akatsuki? Knowing that it kept Naruto a little safer was a bitter comfort when she knew Naruto couldn't bear a world without Sasuke there with them. Yet Sakura hadn't been fast enough. She didn't make it back in time. She failed both her teammates.

She didn't keep her promise to Naruto that she would succeed. And she knew Sasuke all too well. He had to have known he was out of time and likely went off to die somewhere. Alone. He wouldn't have wanted them to see him like that. He wouldn't have been able to see them and know how soon it would all end. Know that he couldn't stay with them.

In the end, all she'd been good for was crying. Nothing ever changed. She never changed. Here she was lying on the floor crying, screaming her throat raw and she didn't even know who it was for anymore. For her broken promise to Naruto? For the loss of Sasuke? For realizing just how pathetic she really was?

Sakura also knew she deeply wounded Tsunade with her words. Words she hadn't meant. But to keep anyone close meant she would be that much more devastated when she lost them. It meant there would be that many more people she would let down, disappoint. She was just so insufferably weak, so aimless, so pointless. Without Sasuke's presence, without even the hope to see him again…All her courage, her strength, her everything spiraled down the drain.

Sasuke-kun…

Every time you go, you always take the best of me with you.

* * *

Strange that it was another day of fine weather. A soft blue sky dotted with puffy clouds. So pleasant it just made you sick. It wasn't supposed to be a nice day. It should be gray and cold and raining and…

Sunshine just didn't belong at a funeral.

But here the village stood as a stark sea of black. They stand as one for one fallen man. For Asuma.

Shikamaru is at the ceremony this time, cold as stone, as the rock holding everything else steady. To his left was Ino, holding his arm. Her features were reserved and only the bruising grip she kept on his arm gave her away. Ino, he thought, always tried too hard to keep people from worrying. As if everyone didn't know how she must be feeling…

And to his right, Kurenai clung to him like a lifeline. There was little doubt she'd be on the ground if Shikamaru wasn't there to support her. With the sun shining the way it was, he couldn't avoid catching its reflection against the ring on her left hand. He wondered if had anything worth complaining about when he looked at that ring. Yes, he lost his teacher. His mentor. The coolest adult he'd ever known. But Kurenai lost her husband.

But if I had stayed, maybe we wouldn't have lost anyone…

Behind them stood Hinata and Shino, wishing they could also offer some sort of comfort to their teacher. Kurenai was always so gentle with them, showered them with encouragement. She kept their team together no matter what changed, no matter what they lost. Yet it seemed there was nothing they could do for her in return. Sakura, of course, was there. But at a distance again. Hinata thought it was so unfair that after the bit of ground she and Sakura had gained towards one another, the gap was now wider than ever.

Sakura stood with her head bowed, shoulders quaking. Even with Naruto's arm around her. Even as he whispered softly in her ear. Yes, things were as they'd always been. Sasuke was gone and they relied only on one another. Hinata was hardly jealous, though. She just hurt so terribly. She didn't know how to express to anyone how much she was upset over learning of Sasuke's disappearance. She had tried so hard, so very hard, to save him. To fix everything. And now they all had less than when he left the first time.

More betrayal, more loss, more death. It just never ended.

“If you need to stand with him, then go,” Shino spoke tersely, as always.

Hinata's head jerked up. She hadn't even realized she was crying until then.

“Shino-kun…”

“It's alright to admit you're saddened by Uchiha's disappearance. If it is Naruto's support you need right now, don't hesitate on it.”

She shook her head, eyes lowered.

“I'm here for Kurenai-sensei.”

The pair grew quiet again as the ceremony progressed. Watched as Shikamaru subtly shifted his balance so he could keep Kurenai on her feet. Watched Ino's white-knuckled hand grasp his other arm.

“It's not your fault,” Shino added, “You know that, right?”

Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. A weak smile threatened to break through. Even though she tried so hard not to blame herself, actually hearing someone say it left her feeling far more vindicated than she had any right to be. No, things really hadn't changed in this village. As she glanced over at Shino, she was glad some things stayed the same.

In the back of the crowd stood the Sand siblings, forever showing their solidarity and respect for their Leaf brethren. Every now and then, Kankurou would shift and fidget. Somehow it seemed out of place for them to be there. It was a terrible thing that a man died. But it felt like the three of them were on the outside looking in. Like they were infringing on other people's pain. Did anyone even notice they were there?

Temari wondered the same thing, even as her eyes kept drifting back to Shikamaru.

You're such a hypocrite. Always trying to be the strong one, no matter how hard everyone around you struggles to do the same. You waste all your time on everybody except yourself…

She forced herself to look away from him, filled with a mixture of annoyance and another feeling she couldn't quite place. Though something in the back of her mind registered it as…pity? And that's when she glanced over at Gaara. His face was stoic and perhaps far too contemplative for her to be comfortable with. No, it wasn't the loss of this one man that weighed so heavily on his mind. She knew it was how he died that got under Gaara's skin.

Cautiously, her hand reached out and brushed her fingertips against his. He flinched at the contact but continued to stare forward nonetheless. Temari took this as a good sign and firmly took hold of his hand. She only looked straight ahead now and kept her silence, but the message was clear.

Don't worry. I won't let them take you.

Moments passed by quietly, gravely. But then she felt it. Gaara's fingers slowly moved to intertwine with hers before he squeezed her hand. It took every ounce of her training not to burst into tears at his affectionate gesture. She, too, heard her brother's unspoken words.

There's no need to worry. I will not lose to them.

* * *

The funeral ended and the crowd dispersed. Most left, some lingered.

Lee made his way through the departing to find the three Sand-nin. It felt like it had been far too long since they all had the chance to just talk. He found a smile creeping across his face as he watched Temari and Gaara casually let go of one another's hands.

“I'm glad you guys came,” Lee began.

“…Of course,” Gaara answered stiffly.

Lee rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation. He started and stopped talking several times, desperately trying to avoid all the painful things on everyone's minds.

“I'm glad I got to see Tenten,” Lee finally said. She stood a good distance away, speaking with Neji in hushed tones. Lee obviously wanted to say something about her current predicament, which was the same as Neji's. Yet he couldn't force the words out of his mouth.

“There are worse things than marriage and family, even under such circumstances,” Gaara spoke blandly.

They pointedly avoided looking at Asuma's tombstone.

“It's funny, you know?” Lee's voice was strangely calm, “Tenten didn't seem as upset about it as I thought she would be.”

“I waited,” Tenten whispered so that only Neji would hear her, “I convinced them to hold off until you came back. So you could attend, of course.”

Her expression was subtly sly.

“Of course,” Neji could feel the key turning in the lock of his cage. He focused on that one thought, rather than think about how deeply Kurenai was mourning the loss of her spouse. Death was the only real certainty anyone had in life. But what life would be worth living if a person was too afraid to take that step forward, too afraid to lose?

“I know you planned on returning home soon…?” Lee's voice seemed to hint quite strongly that he did not want to see the three leave.

“Things have obviously changed,” Temari kept herself detached, kept that feeling of hope Gaara offered her fresh in her mind. Gaara said nothing on the subject, though he found himself searching for Naruto. He was still around, still holding Sakura close. Tension and fear radiated off the pair in waves. Gaara made a point of ignoring the noose around his neck as it seemed to grow a little tighter.

“I'll help you,” Lee announced, “When it's time to fight them, I'll be there.”

“We're allies,” Gaara said crisply, “I rather assumed as much.”

“No! Well, yeah, there's that,” Lee stumbled over his words, “But we're friends, too. Right? I don't want to see those guys hurt you.”

Gaara shifted uncomfortably. Even Naruto had yet to be so bold as to flat out call him a friend.

“That's good of you to say,” he finally managed.

“It's true!”

“Hn…yes. I suppose it is.”

Gaara scowls at his siblings as they try to stifle their snickering. They just couldn't help themselves, though. Their baby brother had come such a long way and they were so damn proud of him. When it came time to face the Akatsuki, they would relish every moment spent on knocking their fucking teeth out. Because nobody messed with their family. Nobody.

* * *

“For the last time, I don't have a clue about where he went,” Anko argued with the Anbu at the door, looking far worse for the wear, “Maybe if you guys were doing your job, you'd have kept better tabs on him.”

You little idiot! What kind of stunt were you trying to pull? How did you just vanish in your condition?

“Really, is this any way to treat a sick woman?” Kakashi drawled. The Anbu seemed ready to argue, but hesitantly took their leave when Kakashi glared coldly at them. No, today was not the day to try his patience.

Anko stepped aside from the doorway, a wordless invitation. Kakashi complied in kind.

“Tea?”

“Please,” Kakashi replied, “Have a seat. I'll take care of it.”

Anko stubbornly wanted to argue that she could do it herself, but decided it would be wise to swallow her pride on the matter. She knew this was hardly a social call. There was no sense in making matters any worse.

“You knew he was leaving,” Kakashi set a mug before her.

“Yeah,” the warm cup felt good in her hands, “Hell if I know what he's planning, though.”

She couldn't explain it, but something inside her kept believing he was still alive. Not for long, but still alive.

“I see,” a casual answer. It left room for her to speak freely.

“That boy's always hiding something,” she continued, “And…”

A long silence.

“`And'?”

“Don't think he wanted anyone around. When he, you know?”

“Sounds like him,” Kakashi swirled his tea about, “You didn't try to stop him?”

“There'd be no point,” an oddly fond smile, “He kept doing everything for everybody else. Sought revenge for his dead family's sake. Tried to stay alive so a cure could be found for my sake. Can't blame the kid for at least wantin' to die on his own terms.”

Kakashi remembered the first time he saw Sasuke after all those years, pressing a knife to his own throat.

“…So that's what it was, huh?”

“Far as I can tell,” she seemed to grow distant as she raised her mug with a trembling hand. Kakashi reached out, steadied her hold to let her drink.

“Hey,” an unbearably solemn tone, “Would you be so good as to stop at the florist for me? I'd like to send something, since I can't go see Kurenai in person.”

“…Of course.”

* * *

As Kakashi took his leave, Naruto and Sakura arrived at the door. Their dark expressions, coupled with his lack of knowledge that the pair had made amends with Sasuke, left him firmly believing they had to be angrier than ever.

“Are you okay, Sensei?” Sakura was calm, controlled, and asking about more than one matter. This wasn't about just his wayward student's disappearance. It was no secret Kakashi and Asuma had been quite good friends.

“Well as could be expected,” he replied in his usual, lazy way, “I heard about your victory in Water Country, by the way. I'm very proud of you, Sakura.”

She smiled weakly, yet it still managed to remind him so very much of the young girl that was once his student. Well, still his student. Right, Gai?

She seemed uncomfortable with the praise, though. As if to say how wrong it seemed for someone at her age managed to help defeat an Akatsuki member, while Asuma—

“I did what I had to do,” no boasting, no gloating, “I'm not going to let those people get to Naruto.”

Naruto, in turn, looked decidedly bashful. They pointedly made the effort not to admit Sakura wouldn't have let anyone interfere in her mission to rescue Sasuke. Even though…Even though…

“You two should head home,” Kakashi suddenly sounded very tired, “You're not going to find any closure here.”

“It's not like that. I figured he'd pull something like this,” Naruto sounded bitter, older, “We just wanted to see if Anko was okay.”

“She's had a rough past few hours. It might be better to let her rest now.”

“Nonsense!” Anko appeared behind Kakashi, “They took the time to come here, so they're more than welcome to come in.”

Kakashi simply nodded then before leaving.

The pair followed Anko inside and helped her settle on the couch, draping a blanket around her. The poor women looked like she hadn't slept since Sasuke went missing.

“I got the cure,” Sakura blurted out, “So you're going to be okay.”

“Ha! Knew I could count on you kids,” Anko spoke what should have been words of relief, but mostly she sounded weary. She drew silent as she stared at the two, dressed in their funeral attire. Yes, this was a deep time of mourning. For more reasons than mere words could ever express.

“Sasuke,” Naruto spoke in such an unnaturally grave tone for him, “Did he say anything? Before he…?”

“`Unfinished business.' So he said, anyway,” Anko eased back in her seat.

“But Itachi and Orochimaru are dead!” Naruto shouted, fists shaking at his sides, “What else could he possibly—”

“Naruto,” Sakura gently touched his arm, “I don't think…He didn't want us to find the cure for him.”

Naruto opened his mouth to protest the idea but the words were lost. He could only stare at Sakura with her head bowed and her face hidden behind her hair, still hiding from the world. She tried not to think about how Sasuke swore he would still be here when she got back. That she battled the Akatsuki just so she could come back to him. She felt Naruto's body sag under her hand.

“That punk…He must have planned this from the get-go,” Anko signed. She would be healed, she'd fight again. But she couldn't rightly say she was happy this way.

“That bastard!” Naruto turned away from them, attempted to suppress his body's tremors in vain, “Why does he always try to do everything alone? We could have saved him!”

Sakura's breath hitched and sputtered as she tried to keep herself composed.

“It ain't `cause he didn't believe in you guys,” Anko replied softly, “I imagine he didn't believe he was worth saving. All the forgiveness in the world could've made Sasuke forgive himself.”

Naruto covered his mouth, certain he actually would throw up this time. How could he even be so arrogant as to call Sasuke his brother? He didn't understand the guy at all. Naruto couldn't understand how Sasuke could hate himself so much, not when Sasuke had been the victim all along.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. They were a team. Sasuke was supposed to get better, get pardoned, and the three would go on countless adventures together. No…make that four. Kakashi would be with them, too. It was going to be so perfect.

So perfect…

“Here,” Anko pulled something out of her pocket, “Your bit of…closure, I guess.”

Sakura's head shot up, tears that just wouldn't fall clinging to her eyelashes. She stared warily at the paper in Anko's hand. No, not just paper, a letter.

“This—For us—He—,” too many thoughts fought for recognition as she cautiously took the letter. She willed her hands to be still as she opened it, holding it so that Naruto could read with her.

“By the river, within the Nagano Shrine, under the seventh tatami mat…”

“Sorry,” Naruto murmured, distracted, “We gotta go.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. And naturally, I know nothing about anything.”

I will keep your secrets. In honor of my younger self, who still wishes she had someone who had done the same.

* * *

Temari was cool as ever on the outside, a ball of nerves within.

Despite her faith in her brothers, and in herself, those bastards in the Akatsuki were drawing far too close for comfort. She was no fool. No great battle was ever overcome without a plan. She'd be damned if she just sat around and waited for them to make a move against Gaara. It was time to take the initiative and formulate the best method of tearing that group apart.

It was just her luck that three young Leaf shinobi just killed an Akatsuki member.

Rumor had it that Sakura landed the killing blow, but she was off somewhere with Naruto. It was safe to say they were preoccupied with that missing Uchiha kid. Naruto, being the idiot that he was, didn't seem to care that his own life was in danger. He just wanted to find his (traitor?) friend.

There was Neji, a person she didn't know terribly well. He undoubtedly might have some keen insight, but she supposed that was a conversation that could wait. Especially when the last member of that fateful party was tied far more closely to the matters at hand. At least she knew for a fact how good of a tactician Shikamaru actually was.

And knowing him, she thought grimly, he had to be gunning for another shot at the Akatsuki by now.

She's been by his house in passing on occasion, but has never really visited before. Business or otherwise. But she arrived at his home to find his father seated on the porch, a shougi board before him.

She opened her mouth to ask for Shikamaru's whereabouts, but Shikaku beat her to it.

“Do you play?” he gestured to the half-played game.

“…I'm a fair hand at it, I suppose,” she answered uneasily. He motioned for her to sit across from him and she complied with as much composure as she could manage.

They didn't speak much. There was only the clack of tiles against the board, the wind chime ringing in the breeze, the rustle of trees.

Temari paused to calculate her next move. It figured Shikamaru's father would be a strong opponent at such things. She hesitated for another moment before committing to the attack.

Shikaku leaned back, evidently surprised by her decision.

“Hmm…`Climbing Silver,' eh?”

“Sometimes sacrifices are necessary, in order to protect the King from enemies with more power,” she answered blandly, as if quoting from a manual.

Shikaku, being the strong ninja he was, knew to read between her words for the real meaning. He made his next move.

“Which begs the question,” click, “Who do you suppose is the real King?”

“That's obvious,” Temari stared off into the distance; she could make out the Hokage monument from here, “The next generation. Those who will rise up to bear the burden of their village on their shoulders.”

“You're a rather wise young lady—Oh! Checkmate,” she scowled at the board now that she'd lost, “You're not strong enough to protect the King just yet. Keep at it!”

She was muttering curses under her breath as she rose to smooth the wrinkled out of her clothes.

“Though I must admit,” Shikaku looked decidedly impressed, “Shikamaru's certainly met his match in you.”

Temari managed a polite, tight smile in return.

Finally she slipped inside, up the stairs, to his room. She didn't knock and wasn't surprised to find it to be a complete mess. Though she couldn't decide whether it was laziness or apathy that left it in such a state.

She didn't contemplate it very long after she spotted Shikamaru asleep on his futon, still in funeral black. Instinct overrode any concept of ration or tact as she marched right over to his side.

“Hey!” she snapped, “Get up, already!”

He didn't stir. Not even so much as a muscle twitched. She fumed over the idea of a ninja sleeping so deeply. And here she thought all Anbu woke up at the sound of a door opening.

“C'mon, you lazy asshole! Now is not the time to waste your time sleeping,” no response, “Wake up!”

As he lay motionless, a bit of anxiety began to settle in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right here. She crouched down and gave his shoulder a good shake.

“Shikamaru,” she knew she was being loud. She knew he should have woken up. “Hey! Shikamaru!”

He was clammy to the touch. A fever, perhaps?

You fucking idiot! Don't you look after yourself at all?

“Goddamn it, Shikamaru,” she shook harder, “Wake. Up!”

A spent pill bottle rolled away from his lax hand. Her eyes went wide, unbelieving, as she fell on her backside. She tried to steady her breathing, tried to keep herself from reacting to her body's growing sense of panic.

“What did you do?” she whispered, clambering back to her knees, reached out to shake him again, “What did you do to yourself!”

His eyelids fluttered briefly, a groggy sound, before he went under again. It's only now that Temari channeled her emotions into what she knew best. Anger replaced the fear and she hauled him to his feet. His body was slack in her arms and it was cumbersome to haul his taller body down the hall. To the bathroom. Into the shower stall.

She dumped him on the ground, his back propped against the side, as she turned on ice cold water at full blast. Finally his body showed some real movement as it spasmed from the shock. He weakly raised an arm to shield himself from the torrent, a purely instinctive reaction, and slumped in on himself. Temari just stared down at him with narrowed eyes, arms crossed. She just let him sit there shivering, until his body slid down and unconsciousness seemed to grip him once more.

“Oh no, you don't,” she snarled. She hoisted him up by the front of his shirt to make him sit up, before slapping him soundly across the face.

“Wake up!” she screamed and smacked him again, “Don't you dare try to run away!”

His fingers feebly encircled her wrist, trying futilely to make her relent her hold. Instead, she tightened her grip. And finally, finally, he looked at her through bleary eyes.

“Late,” he rasped, almost too softly to hear over the rushing water, “I was to late to save someone I cared about…Again…”

Her eyes softened ever so slightly. Her hold did not.

“Ironic, isn't it?” a brittle excuse for a laugh, “That this happened while I was trying to save Sasuke. And I still couldn't even do that.”

“No. You haven't,” Temari's small bit of sympathy drained away, “You were too busy lying around in a drug haze feeling sorry for yourself.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue. But his eyes were too unfocused to appear threatening, his brain too muddled to string together much of anything.

“What did you think you would gain from this?” she snarled, “Do you think Chouji would be happy to see you like this? Or your teacher?”

“Don't. Don't talk like you know what I'm going through,” he snapped back, “Why are you even here?”

“Unlike you, I still plan on doing my job. Evidently it was a mistake to think you'd be of any use.”

“None of this is even your business. There's no reason for you to get involved—”

“Not my business?!” she slammed him hard against the tile, “Did you manage to kill every last brain cell in that skull of yours? The Akatsuki are after Gaara!”

Shikamaru grew very quiet as they both shivered beneath the freezing water. There was only the sound of the running jet, her ragged breathing. Temari wouldn't even look at him now, shoulders shaking undoubtedly from rage.

“You,” her voice was low, dangerous, “Sakura. That Hyuuga. You guys managed to kill one of those guys. And I stupidly made the assumption I could count on you. That my brother could count on you.”

“It doesn't make any sense,” he murmured, drawing her eyes to him again, “We were up in those mountains meeting with this woman who knew how to cure Sasuke…If the Akatsuki are after people with dem—people like Gaara, what the hell were they doing up there?”

“Genius, my ass,” she spat, “Isn't it obvious?”

All she got was a blank stare in return.

“That punk of an Uchiha killed his brother. An Akatsuki member. Did you honestly think they'd just let him get better?”

Shikamaru was certain he'd never felt like such a fool in all his life. How could he not have noticed this all before…

“And it's awfully convenient,” she continued, venom in her voice, “That a guy that's supposedly bedridden just got up and disappeared during the same timeframe as both Akatsuki attacks.”

“I don't friggin' believe it,” Shikamaru leaned his head back against the wall. He was getting one hell of a migraine. “He didn't leave. He was abducted.”

“Need I remind you who his good friend happens to be?”

His head snapped up.

“…Naruto!”

“Don't you get it? Uchiha, Naruto, my brother, your teacher's death, the ambush in the mountains…They're all connected!”

All he could do now was hide his face behind his hands, overwhelmed by sobs. He hoped to god the shower was loud enough to drown out his sounds. He didn't want to be like this in front of her again.

“So that's it?” she sneered, “You're just gonna sit there and cry about it? I was better off leaving you on the floor to rot.”

“Maybe you should have,” his voice grew faint, “You've got it all figured out so it's not like you need me for anything.”

“Oh, get over yourself already. We've got a lot of work left.”

“And what the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Finish your damn mission, you idiot!” she grew exasperated, “Uchiha still needs saving. And I know you're not about to let your teacher's killer walk free, now are you?”

“But if Asuma couldn't even beat this guy—”

“Your team just killed one of `em. I'd say the odds are in our favor.”

Shikamaru finally looked at Temari, really looked. She was soaking wet like a lost cat in the rain, yet still managed to appear intimidating as she loomed over him.

“You're serious,” he seemed in awe of her, “About taking the Akatsuki head-on.”

“I won't let them get to Gaara. My family is everything to me.”

“Of all the people you could ask, why are you putting your brother's life in my hands?”

“Even though you're a moron and a crybaby most of the time, I know a real genius when I see one,” she had such a strong, determined look on her face, “That mind of yours is gonna save a lot of lives.”

How, he wondered, did such an extraordinary person wind up so lonely?

It was then Temari's turn to be surprised as Shikamaru suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist. She was caught completely off-guard, off-balance, and had no choice but to cling back. The two held each other and let the water pour down, forcing them to draw closer in search of warmth.

“I'm not Ino,” she said hotly, her words lacking the bite she hoped for.

“True,” a weak laugh, “She stopped yelling at me a long time ago.”

“That's a shame,” Temari focused her attention at an unparticular spot on the wall.

“After…the Mission,” he swallowed thickly, hiding his face against her neck, “I was all she really had. Guess she thought if she pushed too hard, she'd lose me, too.”

“Even though you've been poisoning yourself?”

His arms grew even tighter around her, fingernails digging into her back. Just as she thought…those pills weren't a new habit.

“I didn't expect things to turn out this way,” he admitted. Temari wondered if he was going to start crying again.

“C'mon,” she turned the faucet off, “There's a lot of people in need of saving.”

She rose to her feet and gave him a rather pointed look. All he could focus on was water dripping from her hair, the way her clothes stuck tightly to her skin. He flushed red and looked away out of sheer embarrassment.

“…yeah.”

She sighed and stuck her hand out, not making eye contact with him. Awkwardly, he reached out for her and let her pull him up.

* * *

The sun was setting over the Nagano River, coloring it as flowing blood, as Naruto and Sakura ran through the tall grass. Naruto came up short, pausing to sniff out the air.

“There's blood here.”

Sakura frowned with worry as she glanced at the crimson river.

The inside of the Nagano Shrine held a musty, disused scent and made the pair inexplicably nervous. The counted the mats softly as they crossed each one until they reached the seventh. Sakura bent down to move it, expecting to need her strength, but it slid away with ease to reveal a staircase.

Oh Sasuke-kun…What was your family trying to hide?

They descended the cold stone steps in silence, in darkness. Only their hands running along the wall as their guides. They were forced to cover their eyes when they reached the bottom, lit with torches. These torches were set at an altar: the Fire Shrine. And in plain view on this altar were two scrolls. With shaky breath, they nodded at one another and each chose a scroll to open.

“A map?” Naruto stared down in confusion. He didn't recognize the area one bit. He didn't get a chance to study it any further after Sakura's loud gasp stole his attention. Tears glistened in the firelight, her hands shook violently.

“Sasuke-kun…”

Naruto glanced over at her scroll and was positively dumbfounded.

“This—This is—”

Sakura nodded, as she kept crying and grinning all at once.

“I can't believe I didn't put it all together before,” she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, “It must have been so dangerous for him to obtain this information.”

“And it's exactly why he disappeared! He was in trouble all this time and he never said a goddamn thing!” Naruto was caught between an odd mixture of severe anxiety and gratitude. In his hand was the Holy Grail of information: a detailed list of the Akatsuki members. And the other scroll was a map leading directly to them in Three River Country.

“That crazy son of a bitch,” Naruto choked back a sob, “I'm totally kicking his ass after we save him.”

* * *

“Commit this to memory.”

“What good will this be? Being the way I am now…”

“Surrendering already?”

“No!” then quieter, “No. But realistically—”

“You're not dead yet, so don't act like it.”

He didn't respond this time. There was no point in arguing, no matter how he felt about the situation at hand.

“Don't think about how to slay the beast. Concentrate on how to clip its claws.”

Think of how to kill at least one of them.

A small smile followed. Yes, he thought, perhaps my luck will hold out. Just long enough to face one and still…

Well, at least kill one. No sense in getting greedy now. He should at least be grateful for any small bit of time he had left.

To be continued…