Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

People who are Important: Book One	By : Morales89 Category: Naruto > General Views: 1256 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Tv tokyo. This is a purely fanwritten work, with which I make no money, and write only for the pleasure of myself and my readers.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Chapter 20

Shia stood in front of the crowd of her Clan watching as they lowered her grandmother's casket into the ground of the Clan Cemetery. For so many years it'd been just her and her grandparents. Now…they were both gone. She said a final goodbye silently, and then stepped forward to make her speech.
"Akito Shizuka was a loving friend, grandmother, mother, and an amazing medic-nin. Her accomplishments in the field of neuro-surgery will never be forgotten, and as the new Head of the Akito Clan, I fully intend to continue her research. Baasan was my friend, my grandmother, and my teacher all wrapped in one person. It's hard to believe that she's gone now. I hope that she will be remembered as the amazing person she was. I hope to one day be as great as she was. Thank you for sharing your condolences and prayers with us on this morbid day. That is all," the young brunette said, bowing and stepping down.
People walked by either nodding or quietly voicing their best wishes as they passed. All her friends were present, save Naruto, because the end of his two and a half years with Jiraiya-sama was still a few months away. Shia stood strong. Of course…she'd cried…she'd cried all the way home in the carriage. She'd cried so much that Temari actually forced her to stop. The blond sand Kunoichi was afraid she'd dehydrate herself. Now, however, in front of her clan she had to stay strong. For them, for the children in the clan who sat crying over the elder's demise. She had to be a leader now. She had to keep it together so that when they looked at her…it would give them strength.
"Shia-sama, we wish to meet with you after supper in regards to your new position," one of the council members said to her.
She nodded silently, and they left her. She stood still in front of her grandmother's grave as they started filling the hole. The sound of dirt hitting the wooden casket was the only sound in the cemetery other than the dull hum of various sobbing that was drifting away with the crowd. The scent of the newly disturbed, slightly moist soil pierced her nose. Her brain seemed to slow down the shovel so that she could see each grain fall ungracefully onto the shining ebony casket.
She knew what the council wanted. They'd found her a husband…but…she didn't want to think about that now. She didn't want their rich snobby man who would bring with him wonderful connections in their union. She wanted only one. Her thoughts drifted back to her last night in Suna. She'd gone to Gaara at Kazekage Tower to say her farewells. What she would give to be with him tonight instead of meeting a husband she didn't want.
(Flashback)
He crushed his mouth to hers possessively, pouring all of the confusing emotions he felt into the kiss. Tearing at her clothes, he lifted her up to sit on his desk and spread her long, slender legs. She shivered as he caressed the sensitive skin of her inner thighs with calloused fingers. His tongue mapped out the moist cavern of her mouth diligently as he grabbed her buttocks and smashed their body's together, grinding deliciously into her groin.
"Gaara.." she moaned, tossing her head back and weaving her small hands into his scarlet locks.
The Kazekage attached his mouth to the sensitive spot on her neck and bit down, tearing a shuddering groan from the girl against him. Shia had began to undulate her hips against him, teasing the head of his clothed member with her wet, pantied opening. His hand slid down to rub her through her underwear, his ears reveling in the little mewls of ecstasy that escaped her pretty lips. This was the last night he'd see her for a long time. This was the last night she would be fully his until he made up his mind. He was almost positive he loved her, but he was not ready to say it yet.
Something held him back. His heart was screaming yes, but his mind, and Shukaku, were telling him 'not yet'. Well Shuaku had blatantly screamed NO in his mind over and over. Somehow he felt that if he were to tell her now, something would happen. Every time he'd ever been happy in the past, something always ruined it. When he started to love people, they shunned him, and he didn't want her to be the same. He felt a little guilty for not trusting her. His family trusted her, his best friend trusted her…he just couldn't. His ability to trust had been so badly scarred after Yashamaru, he wasn't sure it'd ever be okay. So, he couldn't tell her just yet, but he wanted to show her at least. He wanted to give her a lasting memory of him, as a reason to fight her council.
Gaara pulled off those lacy little underwear, pushing a strong finger inside of her, and rubbing his thumb against that swollen bundle of nerves that caused her to see stars. She was impressed at what a fast learner her lover was. It was as if he'd memorized every sweet spot on her body, and formed a plan of attack on how to make her head swim. Another finger entered her, catching the slow rhythm of the first as they were thrust within her. With his other hand he'd began to disrobe her. He wanted to see every inch of her soft, sweet smelling skin.
"Gaara-kun…what about..?" she started, but just arched up and moaned loudly when he bit down on a nipple.
"Don't worry about it….the door's locked suck… and I'm expecting no onenibble…" he managed.
The redhead continued his slow worship of her body. Silently laving every inch of skin with his hot tongue, and showering kisses over her firm abdomen. His hands moved up to cup the two soft globes of her breasts in his palms. He kneaded them softly before dragging his nails over her stomach, pausing briefly to toy with her belly button, and submerging, now three fingers into her warmth. Again she arched into him, keening loudly while lifting her legs to rest on his shoulders. Gaara nipped a path across her right thigh while trailing his free fingers over the left, loving the way she trembled.
"Gaara…nn..gasp," she tried to beg, and despite the fact that it wasn't very decipherable, he got the message. For a moment he stared at her wet opening…'I wonder if…' (GOD this is hot!) Shukaku exclaimed in his head, Gaara forced him back yet again. The demon, try as he might, couldn't gain control and resigned himself to pout in a dark corner of the redhead's mind. Gaara looked up at Shia with curious eyes.
"Shia…" she looked down at him lustily, "could I…use my…um.." he stumbled, a little embarrassed about asking such a question. Good thing he was already flushed from their activities. She seemed to understand though.
"Nnng…yes! Please!" she cried.
Experimentally he ran his tongue along the folds of her sex. Her legs spread wider, and he placed his hands on her hips in order to keep her still. Gaara wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking hard, then tweaking it with his tongue. She started to writhe under his firm grasp. The Kazekage let his tongue penetrate her, finding the taste of her rather pleasant, and sucking on her little jewel sharply. Shia's head smacked loudly against the desk as she threw her head back violently.
"FUCK!" she screamed, confusing him a little bit. He'd never heard her use such foul language. He paused, and looked up at her, unsure of what to do. Had he done something wrong?
It took Shia a few moments to realize he'd stopped his oral attack on her lower regions. After a few deep breaths she opened her eyes to stare into lusty, confused, and slightly worried teal orbs. Gaara stood, leaning over her to capture her lips in a tender, apologetic kiss.
"Are you okay?" he asked, and she just stared at him confused for a few seconds.
"Gaara-kun, why wouldn't I be okay?" she said through her panting. His jade eyes averted to the floor.
"Y..you swore…I thought I.." he trailed.
Suddenly she understood. She sat up abruptly, wrapping her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. She kissed him hard, coaxing his tongue into her mouth to begin a tender dance. She could taste herself in his mouth, but somehow mixed with his own exotic flavor, it was just fine. Slowly she trailed her lips over his jaw line, pulse…hollow.
"No…I'm okay..kiss you did everything right," she murmured against the artery of his neck. He let out a long breath. 'So swearing isn't necessarily bad,' he noted in relief. (You're an idiot) Shukaku murmured before being shoved away forcefully by the redhead's mind. Shukaku, Shia, and sex did not mix well. He forced the demon down far into his mind.
"Gaara-kun…I love you," she said, leaning her forehead against his suddenly bare chest. 'When did she get my clothes off,' he thought, wrapping his arms securely around her body and holding her.
They stayed that way for a while. She was happy in his arms. She felt safe, and loved, even if he wasn't ready to say it yet. She hadn't expected him to understand right way. He'd spent such a long time thinking that to feel alive he had to kill. Thinking that nobody could ever or would ever love him. Not even his family. He'd been alone since he came into the world, having only his untrustworthy uncle's explanation of love to go on. No…she didn't expect him to know whether he was in love with her or not. Nor did she expect him to be able to say so if he was. His body…the way he held her, the way he touched her, and kissed her…all that let her know exactly what he was feeling.
He lifted her to the desk once again, and positioned himself in the cradle of her parted thighs. His weeping length brushed her opening in an agonizingly delicious way. Shia felt him slide into her slowly, kissing her face tenderly and starting up a slow, gentle rhythm. When he drew out, she expected him to move a little faster, thrust a little harder. However, that never came. With only his head still submerged, he pushed in slowly again. Inch by inch he entered her, allowing his hard member to caress every nerve ending inside of her body. She shivered at the intimate, but utterly amazing feeling of being filled so deliberately. The look on his face was pure bliss. Shia liked when his guard was down. She liked when emotion came to his all too handsome face. There it was, in the throes of passion. They made love tenderly for what seemed like hours…when it was over, Gaara sat them both in his chair, and held her until she slept.
(end flashback)
"Shia-chan…the girls and I are having a get together later to celebrate Shizuka-baasan's life. It wouldn't be complete without you there," Sakura's voice said.
Shia looked at her pink haired friend. She felt herself nod, and with a worried look from Sakura's green eyes the pinkette turned away. The Akito Head needed some time alone at the grave of her grandmother. She fell to her knees, letting the tears fall, and chanting goodbye in her mind over and over. She felt the soggy soil under her stocking clad legs. Now that the others had gone, she allowed herself to grieve openly.
For a while, she cried silently. When there were no more tears left to shed….she got up, wiping her eyes, and walked in the direction of the Akito complex. She left only a desert rose in her wake…the rose Gaara had snuck into her things before she left. So many people in her life were gone. If only the gods were satisfied with what they'd already taken from her.
(Two months Later)
Shia was hanging out with Sakura and Naruto, who'd just returned from his training with Jiraya. They were at…you guessed it…the ramen shop of course. Naruto talked animatedly about his travels and training. Both girls listened silently as they ate. He'd been through some tough training, but both of them could tell he'd benefited from it greatly. Shia smiled gently at her blond friend. He seemed to have changed a lot, and was undoubtedly stronger than before. She slurped her noodles as neatly as one can slurp noodles, as Naruto continued on.
"He actually hasn't changed at all inside. He's still a perverted little prankster," Sakura whispered to Shia. Said brunette choked on her noodles a little as she stifled a giggle. Her stomach did an uncomfortable, 'you're going to vomit', flip, but she ignored it.
"What did you expect? He trained with Jiraya-sama," she replied quietly. Sakura laughed.
"Oi! What's so funny over there? Here I am telling you about my amazing adventures and you two aren't even listening!" Naruto accused loudly while pouting.
"Gomen Naruto-kun!" Shia said giggling, the blond just pouted and continued talking with his mouth full.
The taste of nausea entered her mouth as she continued to eat. She forced it down however, anxiety had been causing her to eat and sleep less lately. The lack of healthy behavior was taking its toll on her now. However, this was a perfect chance to get some much needed food. She ignored her stomach, and instead turned her attention on her pink haired friend.
Sakura seemed to be a lot better. Whatever had happened in the last couple of months had definitely helped the pinkette a lot. 'Perhaps her shishou had a word with her,' Shia thought. The Akito Head was happy to see that her friend had become so strong in more than one way. Though she knew Sakura would never give up on Sasuke, it was obvious the Hokage's apprentice had found a better way to deal with her feelings. Raw determination seemed to be the emotion taking over for depression. It was definitely a good change.
Suddenly the table Shia was sitting at became obscured in her vision, and the shop started to spin. She clutched her head, eyes rolling back…almost falling to the ground. Two strong arms caught her before she hit. For a few seconds she felt like her legs were made of jelly. She was light headed and felt as if her eyes were crossed. When her vision finally cleared, she saw a pair of worried, sky blue eyes looking down at her.
"Ne…Shia-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto asked. Sakura was immediately beside her.
"What happened?" the medic said. Shia just shook her head dismissively while forcing herself to stand.
"I just got a little dizzy that's all," she said, smiling weakly at them. Sakura's green eyes narrowed skeptically.
"Have you not been sleeping?" the rosette asked. Shia nodded slightly.
"I've been pretty stressed out. The Council found me a husband, and I refused him. They haven't let me rest since," she explained, and both sets of eyes widened.
"I…I thought you were willing to have an arranged marriage for the sake of your clan," Sakura said, throwing her words back at her. Shia chuckled, images of fiery red hair and teal eyes flooding her mind.
"I changed my mind," she uttered simply. Sakura looked at her in confusion.
"What caused that?" Naruto asked. Shia smiled a dazed looking smile, one Sakura knew all too well.
"I don't want to give up on love Naruto-kun," she answered, he looked confused for a second, but just decided to ignore it. If she wanted him to know she would have given him a straight answer.
"Oi Sakura-chan, we gotta go meet Kakashi-sensei for our test," the blond said, Sakura sent one more suspicious look back at her friend before nodding and running off with her teammate. Shia made her way towards the Hyuuga Estate. Tea time with Hinata should be fun.
Kazekage Tower: Some Hours Later
Gaara sat at his desk amongst a flood of paperwork all needing his signature. Being Kazekage had its rewards, however, things like this 'paperwork' stuff just infuriated him. 'Whoever invented paperwork should burn in hell,' he decided quietly. The Council had also been harping on him about getting a wife. They thought it would help him control Shukaku better, but really, it just made him angry.
The real reason behind the idea of this arranged marriage was to offer him as a kind of peace keeper between Sunakgakure and one of the countries they weren't so close with. If he married some daimyo's daughter, the chances of an attack from said country would be minimal. It made no sense to him. An arranged marriage to one nation's heiress just meant the other nations would either feel offended or like they were being plotted against. Besides, no one could help him suppress Shukaku but himself. No woman should have to bear that burden. He sighed, thinking of Shia. 'The guy who made up arranged marriages should burn to,' he thought.
He turned to look out the window of his office. The sun was setting over the desert, painting the sky in lovely golds, oranges, and scarlets. It was then, while he was admiring the beauty of his home, that he saw something odd. It looked to be a rather large bird. 'We don't have birds like that in Sunagakure' he thought to himself.
He decided he'd go check things out. It could be nothing, so there was no sense in getting everyone all worked up about it just yet. The redhead pulled off his Kage robes, and headed out the door in his fighting clothing. The paperwork would just have to wait for now. There weren't birds like that in Sunagakure, he'd never seen a bird like that in any other village he'd ever visited. It could be a sign, and he was going to figure it out.
Hyuuga Estate: Main House
"So how has your training been going Hinata-chan?" Shia asked. The raven haired girl smiled.
"Neji-niisan has been training with me, and more recently my own father. I even hit him a couple of times. H..he….he said th..that I was improving," Hinata answered.
"Wow! That's great!" Shia exclaimed, knowing that perhaps tied only with Naruto's acceptance, she wanted her father to accept her.
"Y..yea…Hokage-sama has been sending m..my team out on a lot of missions l…lately," she added. Shia took a sip of her tea, and felt her stomach lurch in discomfort.
"Th..that's good. It'll give you some more experience," she said uncomfortably. Of course, Hinata picked up on it right away.
"A…are you alright?" the Hyuuga Heiress asked. Shia nodded.
"I'm fine. Anxiety has my insides churning lately," she said.
"Why is that?" the other girl asked. Shia sighed.
"I refused the husband they chose for me," she answered quietly. Hinata gasped.
"Wh..what was w..wrong with him?" she asked.
"Nothing really. He's the son of a daimyo in fire country. He was a perfect gentleman, and I'm sure he'd make a good husband, I just…well…I" Shia stumbled, but Hinata could tell.
"You're in love," she said quietly, and Shia's dark blue eyes shot up to lock with her own lilac ones. Hinata had always been a perceptive girl.
"H..how?" the medic asked astounded. The shy girl chuckled softly.
"Have y..you forgotten that I've been hiding m..my love for N..Naruto-kun for years?" Hinata asked, and Shia smiled.
"You can't tell anyone," she said, and Hinata nodded.
"O..of course not. Who is it?" she asked. Shia hesitated for a moment.
"Alright…but you can't say anything to anyone!" she said. The raven smiled and nodded again.
"It's….Gaara-kun," she almost whispered, and those opal eyes widened. Shia blushed. The nausea from earlier came back with a vengeance, but Shia fought it adamantly.
"Gaara-san?" she repeated in shock.
"H..hai," Shia said, her stomach dancing wildly within her. It tightened painfully.
Shia ran, muttering an 'excuse me' as she rushed to the bathroom. She leaned over the toilet and released everything. She coughed and sputtered as she continued to throw up. 'This isn't good,' she thought as Hinata rushed in with a frantic expression. The Hyuuga knelt next to her, Byakugan activated, looking over her body.
"Shia-chan, come on. You should lay down," Hinata said, cleaning up the other girls face with a towel and helping her to a futon.
"Hinata-chan…I need your help," the brunette said quietly, looking scared. Hinata nodded gravely looking the girls' body over with her Byakugan. Anxiety had done much more terrible things to Shia's body than she thought.
"We should take you to Tsunade-sama," the shy girl said, but the medic shook her head fiercely.
"No! Don't bother her. It's nothing, I just need to start eating better…I just need some rest," she said, smiling weakly. The Hyuuga Heiress frowned.
"Hai, you rest, I'll make something to eat," she said, rising with and walking to the door with the grace of an aristocrat. 'Oh Shia-chan, what have you done?' the raven haired girl thought as she slid the screen door shut.
Sunagakure
Kankurou stood on top of Kazekage tower watching his brother fight an anonymous Akatsuki member. This couldn't be good. These were the same people who were after Uzumaki Naruto, and though he wasn't completely sure why, Naruto and Gaara were too much alike for the puppet master not to think the blond missing-nin was after his brother. He watched as his redheaded little brother fought in the sky, wielding Shukaku's strength like some kind of weapon. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Baki.
"We have to prepare for the worst. Gaara is using his ultimate defense sand to fight, so we have to assume the enemy is highly skilled. The villagers could be in danger if the worst should happen," Baki said, referring to the sand incarnation that was trapped within their leader. Kankurou glanced around at the village folk. He thought back to the conversation he'd had on the cliff-side just before Gaara had left for training.
"Iie, Gaara will not hurt the villagers…no matter what," the brunette said confidently, watching as the villagers cheered their leader on. 'We need you Gaara, we all need you. You're the Kazekage,' he thought watching his brother hopefully.
Gaara was getting tired. Bending Shukaku to his will took a lot of strength, and a lot of chakra. The enemy was too skilled and he hadn't the proper time to come up with a battle strategy. All he could do right now was protect himself and his village, while chasing the blond with sand. In reality, the redhead hadn't enough battle experience, in which he actually had to fight, to be prepared for someone of this skill while protecting an entire village. One on one, easily he could defeat the Akatsuki bomb specialist. Now, however, the lives of his villagers were in danger, and he had to keep an eye out for them as well as himself.
'I'm running low on chakra, even with Shukaku's help. I've got to finish this soon,' he thought. His eyes widened as a huge clay figure hovered over his village.
"This is my specialty…yeah," the nameless blond said, lowering the giant bomb over the village.
Gaara's eyes widened, and he felt himself panic slightly. That explosion could easily destroy half the village. He watched it lower over the village. He had only enough chakra for one thing. He could.. A...do nothing about this bomb, and defeat the Akatsuki member with some casualties, allowing himself to avoid abduction. Or.. B…he could do something, and lose the last bit of strength he had left to fight, leaving him vulnerable. He looked down at the hundreds of villagers watching him. Women, children, all of them stared up at him expectantly. He knew what he had to do. Using almost all of the rest of his chakra he called forth a giant sand shield to protect the village just as the bomb went off.
His blond opponent looked surprised, but quickly changed his expression to an amused smirk. He said something condescending about using your strength to protect others, but of course a man whose objective is to use the jinchuuriki as tools wouldn't understand. Suddenly a clay bird flew in front of his face. 'Kuso! I let my guard down!' he thought, relieved when the sand shot up to protect him. 'That was close,' he thought. Gaara wasn't safe yet, however…something was digging through his sand shield. He stared in disbelief as clay ants burrowed inside, then….BOOM!
"GAARA!" Kankurou screamed.
The Kazekage felt his ultimate defense slipping, he could no longer hold it up. He had but a tiny amount of chakra left which he was currently using to pull the giant sand shield away from the village. He could just let it fall, but he would allow no casualties, save maybe himself.
"As expected of the Kazekage," he heard the Akatsuki say as he fell from the sky. Something caught him, then wrapped tightly around him.
"GAARA!" his brother's voice yelled, but that was the last thing he heard as darkness washed over him.
Konohagakure
Temari sat in the small Konohan restaurant with her guide quietly. She looked rather upset, and uncomfortable tonight. Shikamaru just couldn't get his big, genius brain to figure out why. Her beautiful face was contorted in worry…he suddenly wished he understood women more. Since he didn't, he just stared at her.
She'd gotten awfully pretty over the last two years. Though her hair was in the same four pony tailed short blond state it always had been, her face had matured greatly. All the baby fat was gone from her cheeks, and her quite striking facial structure stood out nicely against her honey toned skin. She had high cheekbones, intelligent deep green eyes, and a straight, pointed nose. Her face narrowed into a soft, but defined, and not at all masculine jaw line.
Her pretty green eyes stood out underneath the thick black lashes, and usually sparkled with some form of content when they were together. At eighteen, he wondered why she was still single. She had to have every guy in Sunagakure throwing themselves to their knees to be with her. Then he remembered…'Gaara…I guess having the Kazekage for a brother has its issues,' he thought quietly.
"Nara, why are you staring at me?" she bit out, harsher than she'd meant to. He was about to come back with something rude when he saw the dazed, slightly sad look in her pretty green eyes. Shikamaru really doesn't give himself enough credit when it comes to understanding women.
"I was just wondering why you're so out of it is all," he said yawning so it didn't sound too weird coming from his mouth. You see, guys have this ridiculous rule that when they care about a girl, they can't show that they do. It's just not manly. (a/n: lol you girls know what I'm talking about. :))
"Since when do you care?" she asked, seeing straight through him. Those deep green eyes turned on him. He almost blushed, but prized himself on being so lazy for so long that his body naturally didn't do anything it didn't have to.
"And here I'd thought we were friends," he said as an explanation. She smirked.
"You're right I guess. Is it not too troublesome for you to listen?" she asked mockingly, he frowned, almost looking like a pout. 'Cute,' she thought, then mentally slapped herself for thinking that. 'We've been spending too much time together,' she reasoned.
"I guess I could spare a few minutes if something's really bothering you," he stated, lacing his fingers behind his head in the way he always did. He leaned back on the chair, and stared at her expectantly. The blond woman knew he was listening despite his avid attempt to look like he wasn't.
"Well…it's nothing to do with you or Konoha. I've had a rather good time here for the past few months. You've been a decent guide, albeit you were lazy and annoying, but decent nonetheless," she started. He growled, and she knew he was listening.
"It's just…I can't shake the feeling something terrible is going to happen. I miss my village, and my brothers. Well, not Kankurou so much as Gaara. I guess I'm just homesick and paranoid," she said with that cute little smile of hers. He sighed. 'Being the oldest sibling must be troublesome. Especially considering who her younger brothers are,' he thought.
"Well, I guess it's about time I get you back to your apartment," he said, rising and dropping some money on the table.
She nodded, standing up to follow him out of the restaurant. He fell into step next to her, gauging her mood as best as he could. In all honesty, he really hated to see her so worried. It didn't suit her at all. It was a quiet night in Konoha. The shops were all starting to close up, and a lot of the villagers were already at home eating dinner and getting ready for bed. He glanced at the woman next to him.
Recently he'd been more and more intrigued by not only her intelligence, which he'd been encountering since the Chuunin exams two and a half years ago. He was suddenly more interested in the way she looked. Gorgeous was a word he didn't associate with women who weren't Ino his best friend, Kurenai, or the Hokage for that matter. Ino and Kurenai were that sexy kind of gorgeous that made men drool, but that wasn't really his type. He thought of the other girls in the village.
Sakura had more of a cute prettiness to her that had followed her into her teens. The Hokage was just incredibly gorgeous, but strong and ill tempered. Hinata had an elegant beauty, with a very aristocratic look to it, which was only natural since she was a Hyuuga. Temari, however, had that wild, untamed beauty. Exotic and spicy; she was like the wind she controlled…unpredictable. Though somewhat tomboyish, the blond Sabaku was really stunning. 'No wonder that Gaara's so protective. I find her to be the most bothersome person I know, and even I can't stop staring,' he thought.
"Nara? Honestly, you're starting to creep me out," Temari said, breaking him out of his thoughts. This time he did blush, but turned his face to the side so she wouldn't see it.
"Gomen ne, I guess I'm a little out of it too," he said, staring at the ground.
An awkward silence descended on them. Shikamaru shuffled his feet uncomfortably while Temari tried to find something to say. She was at a loss of what to do. It was strange. Things were never awkward between them. They'd been working with each other since he'd become a Chuunin. He was always assigned to her when she was in town, because the Hokage felt they worked well together. So why was it so awkward now? She dismissed it as sleep deprivation.
"I think some sleep would do us both good. I'll see you tomorrow then Nara," she said, he looked up at her, giving her a small smile.
"Alright, the ass crack of dawn as usual," he said, turning away as she laughed, and fumbled with her keys.
"Aa, tomorrow then," she said, he nodded, and waited for her to get into the apartment. She smiled at him before closing the door. Sighing, Shikamaru walked off in the direction of his house. 'What is this woman doing to me?' he thought.
Temari leaned against her door, willing her heart to calm down. Her heart was racing. Her hand grasped the cloth of her shirt directly covering that side of her chest. Since when did Nara get reactions like this from her? It was a little disconcerting. She wasn't ready for feelings like this. It was part of the reason she didn't have a boyfriend yet. She'd always been the tomboyish ninja girl who had a silly hair style, and was off limits to the male race due to her role as the Kazekage's eldest child.
She'd spent her younger years playing with Kankurou and their mother while their father led Wind Country. Then, when Gaara was born, her mother was suddenly gone. She was three years old, and told that her baby brother had killed their mother in cold blood. That was the story that their father had told them. However…when she'd seen Gaara for the first time, she couldn't believe it to be so. He was the cutest baby she'd ever seen. She wanted to hold him, play with him, love him…but it was forbidden. The redheaded infant was kept in seclusion for the first years of his life until he was four. She'd spent the years between six and twelve wishing her baby brother would love her. When she was old enough to understand she'd taken on a motherly role for Kankurou...especially after Yasahamaru died.
Never had she had time for anyone other than her family. When they'd all become genin, her job, along with Kankurou, was to keep Gaara under control as best as they could. Now, with Gaara away in Suna running the country, and Kankurou away on missions all the time as one of the best Jounin Suna had to offer, she had more time to herself. More time to think…to feel things other than pain and fear. Gaara was calmer, and almost happy….Kankurou was still annoying, but without that air of fear over him. Without those old barriers, she almost felt naked. Now, her heart was free to feel, and it had chosen a very interesting object of affection.
Hyuuga Estate
Hinata stared down at her friend's sleeping form. Things were much worse than she'd thought. The girls had been worried about Shia for some time now. The weight of the Clan had descended upon their friend unbearably. Now, the girl was sick with anxiety, and there was nothing they could do about it. She slid the door closed and turned to face Neji, and Tenten.
"Is she alright?" the weapons mistress asked.
"Not at all. I think we should take her to see Tsunade-sama tomorrow," Hinata said gravely. Neji narrowed his eyes.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked. His cousin shook her head.
"I can't tell you. I promised," she said. He sighed.
"You know she won't go," Tenten pointed out. The Hyuuga Heiress nodded.
"That's it, we're going to talk to Tsunade-sama tomorrow," she said. The elder nodded, and they all parted ways.
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People who are Important: Book One