Art Is Murder

50 Shinobi – Prompt 34. Puppeteer

Summary: She’d never seen anything like it. And she couldn’t explain why it moved her as much as it did.

His middle finger dipped ever-so-slightly and pointer finger raised somewhat. The wooden thing launched forward at the enemy. Tenten watched, drunkenly entranced, as it attacked, pulling weapons from nowhere coated with more poison than she’d ever laid eyes on. One by one, the enemy dropped to the floor. The greenery mess blurred with blue chakra strings, dark crimson blood, and heavy screams. Everything seemed magical…Well, magical in a perverse sort of way.

As the last one fell to the ground, his cry dying in his mouth, Tenten had to work hard to stifle the overpowering urge bubbling within her to clap.

The puppeteer wheeled on her. “What were you dong?” he hissed furiously.

“I…” Tenten struggled to respond, but couldn’t quite find the voice to speak. Her heart was pounding and her breath seemed caught in her throat. There was definitely something perversely wrong with her.

In obvious irritation, the puppeteer turned his back to her and went about returning the puppets back inside his summoning scrolls.

He had a right to be angry, she knew. He’d had to handle the enemy all on his own just because all she could do was stand there and gawk as he wielded his puppets. “I’m sorry.” Tenten uttered quickly and quietly.

Sorry was not a word she was fond of using, but knew when she had to use it.

He turned his head to stare at her coldly.

Although, even though she rarely used it, some people still could not be placated with the word. “I just…” Tenten bit her lip, “This is gonna sound stupid, but I’ve never seen anything like that. It was artistic.”

He scoffed. “That wasn’t artistic. That was just murder.”

He was right, she supposed; it was nothing but the usual everyday murder. Still…She looked wistfully at the puppets, almost wishing they would come back to life.

Just then he laughed. A low deep laugh that seemed to begin from deep inside his gut. “You’re serious.”

Tenten blushed. “Oh, forget it.” She snapped, thoroughly annoyed. “I don’t know why I opened my big mouth anyway.”

As Kankurou of the sand sealed away his last puppet, he seemed to contemplate her seriously. His dark eyes appeared to look right at her. Not at her body or at her face, but right at her very core. It was more than a little unsettling. She surmised it would’ve been more unsettling if he looked like he had a few minutes ago, but now his customary hood had fallen and his purple paint was smeared, mixed with blood spatter and dirt. There was definitely no trace of the elegant puppet wielder she’d been previously entranced by.

“If you like, when we get back to Suna, I’ll show you real art.” He said calmly, almost as if in passing.

“You shouldn’t invite me to things you will later regret. I have a habit of taking up invitations offered only for courtesy’s sake.” She informed him matter-of-factly. She’d had way too many experiences where she seemingly showed up unwanted. Saying things to be nice was an art that eluded her. She couldn’t and wouldn’t do it, nor could she figure out when it was being used by others. A flaw in her social dynamics, she figured.

He chuckled again – lighter this time. “In my family, we never do anything to be nice. Everything we say is exactly what we mean. It’s too frustrating to be polite with people you don’t care for. It’s just not worth it. Hell, it’s just to frustrating to even be polite to people you do care for.”

Tenten smiled. Oh, she was liking him better already. “Alright.”

xXxXx

His definition of art proved interesting enough.

His view on art proved to be a puppet show itself. Sans murder and blood.

The puppeteers moved their life-size dolls with great skill, while the puppeteers themselves blended into the background. The puppets looked almost human and the story was certainly enticing. She found herself thoroughly enraptured by the bunraku theatre.

“Well?” Kankurou asked her when it was over.

Tenten drew her hands up behind her head and stared up at the starry night sky. The frost in the air bit at her cheeks sending shivers through her body. “Well,” she mused, “it was really interesting, very cool, the puppets well built, the story expertly portrayed, the puppet movements fluid…It was definitely art.”

He smiled at her in obvious skepticism, “But?”

She remembered the way Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshōuo moved. The way his fingers seemed to barely move, but really moved quite a lot. The way the enemies fell and the swirl of colors that fell across the landscape.

The blood.

The death.

The screams.

The horror.

“But,” she continued, “It’s got nothing on your act.” She grinned at the puppeteer.

“You’re nuts.” He laughed. “Completely insane.”

“Oh, yeah. Definitely.” She conceded.

When I Was a Little Girl

When I was a little girl, momma said never to marry. When I was a little girl, I said ‘Momma, you don’t have to worry. There’s no way I’m ever gonna marry.’

But now its years down the line, momma aint here anymore, and the sunshine aint kind.

Toying with a idea, toying with a dream, as the sand scrapes the outside of the building. Some days she just wants to scream.

When I was a little girl, I’d hear my momma cry. When I was a little girl, I saw tears run down her eyes, and heard her whisper every night ‘God, I wish I could die’

Papa never was kind. Papa never tired. All she ever got from him was scars and endless whys.

Now its years down the line, and taking a chance still doesn’t seem wise.

She thinks it’s just a silly dream, there’s nothing happy to be achieved. She thinks it’s just a silly dream. But that’s just so she doesn’t have to feel her heart ripped apart clean.

When I was a little girl, I thought my momma loved my papa’s eyes. I thought my papa loved my mama’s smile. When I was a little girl, love seemed worth the while. Until I saw the fake smiles.

Now its years down the line, and truth still seems like a fairy tale in her eyes.

She’s a woman now, with decisions to be made. Momma is dead. Papa is dead. Her brothers’ aren’t wonders but they need her around. She doesn’t want them to think her love for them fades.

When I was a little girl, I saw my momma die. I saw her lie on the hospital bed and reach her time. When I was a little girl, I held my youngest brother in my arms before anyone else. It was enough to make me cry.

Things didn’t turn out well. For him. For her. For anyone. For them, things never turned out well. All they ever got, was pure hell.

Now its years down the line, and things have changed, but the responsibility still remains.

She’s got things to do. Priorities, people, and shoes to fill. It weighs on her soul and breaks her in two. Some days herself is the one she’s gotta kill. She’s gotta be strong, and she can’t ever be wrong. She’s got things to do. Too bad she has desires too.

When I was a little girl, momma made me swear to protect my family. When I was a little girl, I swore I would. Eternally.

Papa always swore and papa always schemed; papa drove a wedge between her by keeping things unseen. Eternally faded and all that was left was yet another dream.

She clenches her fists, because she won’t do that again. She won’t forget them – never again. There’s time to make things right, even if her life is lost in the mists.

When I was a little girl, I had lots of dreams. Mostly princes and horses, and castles colored cream. When I was a little girl, I learned dreams are never true. I learned to be scared of men too.

Now it’s years down the line, and things haven’t changed.

She crushes her hopes once again in her heart, its about time she stopped lending it out. It only ever got broken apart.

When I was a little girl, I trusted too much. When I was a little girl I gave everything my own personal touch.

Now it’s years down the line, and only one thing remains true.

Time only shatters you.

Crack in the Window

Temari was not by any means a sociable person, and as a woman who didn’t care much for social events, she distinctly hated parties of any kind.

She hated that she had to dress up for them. She hated that she had to ‘mingle’ at them. And she most definitely hated that she was expected to dance in public at them. It’s not that she was a bad dancer, she just felt that doing something like that in public was putting out a very private very personal action for everyone to gawk at. Besides, why would you bother doing something so private with a stranger? She might as well have sex with a stranger in public.

Temari blanched at the mere thought.

Of course, her father and brother Kankurou disagreed with her whole-heartedly. Temari followed after her brother into the accursed room inwardly calling her father every swear word she’d ever learned. And she knew quite a few.

Kankurou immediately departed her side without a word making a beeline towards a thin blond thing on the dance floor.

Deeply aggravated, Temari took one look at the room, hoping that there was perhaps someone she knew.

No such luck.

The music was pounding, resonating through the room loudly and the conversation of the party-goers overlapped into one loud buzz. Temari crossed her arms over her chest and let out an aggravated sigh.

Her father had forced her to attend, going as far as to literally shove her out the door. Temari leant against eh wall watching the people grind on the dance floor. She grimaced. A deep sense of awkwardness filled her and Temari wanted nothing more than to leave.

Unfortunately, Kankurou had driven.

There were a few problems with that.

1. Kankurou had the keys.
2. Even though she knew how to hotwire a car, Kankurou drove a stick. She only knew how to drive an automatic.
3. It was too far to walk home.
4. She was horrible with directions, she’d probably get lost

She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

This was going to be a loong night.

-

Thirty minutes later, Temari was even more aggravated then she’d originally been. Guys kept coming over to her and asking her to dance. (It was about five now if she had counted correctly). Temari did not dance in public. She told them so, but the boys just gave cheeky, self-righteous grins and continued to bother her. As if a few badly phrased words would change her mind. Temari would’ve punched them, but she was already in serious trouble for fighting in school. Her father might disown her if she started a riot at a party.

So, rather, she chose to ignore that desire and insult them instead.

It’s not as if she looked the least bit special anyway, she was sure that she just looked bitchy.

Temari pushed herself off the wall and slipped through the door. The cold night air hit her quickly, awakening her. She idly kicked a smooth pebble at her foot. It skittered across the pavement bouncing off the gravel. She growled as her hair flicked in her face and once more Temari found herself wishing she was somewhere else. The resonating pounding of the music seemed to leak through the walls and follow her outside. She massaged her temples; she just hated this type of music. Temari kicked another pebble forcefully and watched as the smooth rock flew through the air straight at a car window. The pebble crakced through the glass and feel inside the vehicle.

“Oh, crap.” Temari breathed.

A heavy sigh sounded out behind her. “Troublesome, woman; that was my car.”

Heat rushed to her face. The man behind her was pretty tall, had thin eyebrows, a defined chin, piercing yet oddly lazy eyes, and dark brown hair falling down around his shoulders.

He had pretty long hair for a boy.

(But then, there had been that one guy with hair almost down to his ass, so maybe long hair on males a popular trend in this village.)

“It’s not my fault your windows are junk.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Who told you to kick a rock at my window?”

“It was a pebble.” She defended. “And if your window would break because of that, then you deserved it.”

The brunette rolled his eyes at her.

Temari scowled. Wasn’t he even going to demand she pay for it? She had broken it after all. Not that she would agree to pay for the damn thing, it was his fault for having such a shoddy car. But she was irritated enough to want a decent arguement.

Instead, the boy just fished some keys out of his pocket and headed to his car.

“Aren’t you even going to give me some crap on how I should pay for it?”

“Too troublesome.” He made his way to the driver’s side and opened the door, then slid in.

“Hell,” She called out, more interested than anything else, “aren’t you even going to pick up the broken glass shards that fell on the passenger side?”

“Too troublesome.”

Temari scrambled up and headed to his car. She leant against the passenger side of the car, her arms on the hood of the car, eyes peering through the hole she’d made in the window. “You’re leaving just like that?”

“I’m trying.” He looked pointedly at her. “What? Is there something else you’d like to break before I go?”

Temari scowled. “If I broke the other window it would match. Although maybe I should crack your head instead.” This guy was getting cheeky.

“Woman, as if you could.”

She bristled. “Is that a challenge?”

He stared at her impassively before closing his open door.

Oh, it was most definitely a challenge. Temari bent down and picked up a smooth pebble from the gravel. Aiming carefully she threw the pebble forcefully through the hole she’d just made right at the other window. Sure enough, the pebble went straight through, making a matching hole.

The boy looked silently at the second crack for a minute, then turned his gaze on her. HIs eyes were shocked, but there was most definitely a smile in them as well.

The lanky man watched her carefully. He leaned over the seat and unlocked the passenger door. “You can come if you want.”

Temari blinked.

That was not the reaction she was expecting.

Hell she’d just broken his other window and he invited her to come with him? What was he: nuts?

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“You hate this party. You can come if you want.”

She frowned. “Where exactly are you going?”

He shrugged, “Wherever you want to go; I had no specific place in mind.”

Temari once more placed her hands on the hood and outstretched them. She looked down between her hands through the window at the peculiar man. “I don’t even know you.”

“Shikamaru.”

“I just broke both your windows.”

“I know. They are my windows, after all.”

“And you’re inviting me to-to-to do stuff?”

He smiled, “You’re interesting.” He paused. “Besides, I’ve never seen a girl turn down Sasuke for anything before.”

Temari frowned. “Which idiot was Sasuke?”

“Dark hair. Dark eyes. Broody.”

“Oh!” That one had been good-looking, but also damnably annoying. The better looking ones always tended to be. “Which one is his car?”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but pointed at a sleek new looking blue car.

Temari hesitated. “Does he have an alarm?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

Good. She bent down and collected a handful of pebbles. Not bothering to aim at anything in specific, she just threw the lot of them at the shiny car. Temari felt deeply satisfied as his window gained five new pretty holes.

When she looked back at Shikamaru, she saw him smiling.

“What?” She defended, wrenching open the door to his car. Temari brushed aside the sharp glass shards from the leather seat onto the gravel below. “The moron pissed me off. You don’t piss me off in a palce I don’t want to be at.”

“Duly noted.”

“I’m Temari by the way.”

Shikamaru started the car. “You sound like you hate all kinds of parties.”

“I do.”

“Then why are you here?”

“The collective influence of my father and one of my brothers.”

“Most women like dancing.”

“Yes, well unlike most women, I don’t want to squirm and wiggle where everyone can see me. That’s a private thing.” She explained indignantly.

“You’re odd.”

Why, thank you.” Temari pushed the buttons on his radio. The fizzy noise was starting to annoy her. “What’s up with your radio?”

Shikamaru pulled out of the parking lot. “It doesn’t work.”

Temari growled. “See, your crap sucks.”

“Good to know.”

“This isn’t a date by the way.” Temari clarified.

“Okay,” Shikamaru said with a smile.

Temari scowled. “Why are you smiling?”

“Woman, you just broke my windows: one on accident and one because I said you wouldn’t. Plus, you broke Sasuke’s windows. You insulted me, refused to apologize, and look like nothing but trouble. Why would I even consider dating someone as scary as you?”

Temari pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and stretched it out. Without even bothering to ask permission she slipped it inside the radio box and started fiddling with the mechanisms inside.

“Woman, what’re you doing?” Shikamaru asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

She pressed the bobby pin firmly into the familiar spot and kept pushing until she hear the customary clicking noise. Temari grinned happily as music suddenly sounded out perfectly clear. “Fixing your stereo.” Temari fiddled with the knobs to find a good station.

Shikamaru looked at her in confusion. “How did you do that?”

“I have a knack with fixing electronics. Breaking them too.” She explained. Temari smiled contentedly as she found her favorite station. “Oh, and you’d want to date me because I’m fucking fantastic.” She grinned widely at him, “I’m irresistible.”

Shikamaru stared at her blankly almost as if he really believed her. “I knew coming to this party would be a mistake.” She hear him grumble under his breath.

“Let’s get ice cream.” Temari decided happily.

He shrugged. “Alright, but since this isn’t a date, you’re paying for your own.”

Temari snickered. “If you play your cards right maybe I’ll let you take me out on a real date.”

“Oh, joy.” He muttered sarcastically. Or maybe not-so sarcastically, Temari wasn’t all that sure.

Yeah, Temari hated parties; apparently though, some interesting people did occasionally happen to attend.

Luck is Never on My Side

Summary: There were some mornings when she woke up, that she just hated herself.

A/N: This story was inspired by a very annoying day I had about three months ago. I spent all night doing a stupid lab write-up for Chemistry and shoved the info in my bag. Upon getting to school i realized I’d neglected to stuff the most important part in my bag. There’s three lost hours of sleep completely wasted. After spilling out this story, I’d managed to erase the negative feelings and managed to cram the info out by the end of the day. My teacher allowed me to turn it in by after school that day, and I managed it, thought I considerably owe my best friend a lot for being able to finish it.

Light filtered in from the expanse window and struck the table. Birds sand from somewhere outside and the chatter inside the room seemed to melt together. All the voices within ran into one another so that the noise seemed to be just a loud unintelligible whisper. It sounded just like a lullaby to her ears. Temari struggled to keep her eyes open. Beside her, Nara Shikamaru was staring at the ceiling in disinterest. Temari couldn’t say for sure if she thought he was listening or not; Shikamaru, interestingly enough, paid attention even when it seemed like he was not. Tsunade was resting her chin on her palm, eyes glazed over. Temari was sure the Hokage was only paying half attention.

Meanwhile, the elders were arguing ceaselessly over some topic that really had no merit: the next Hokage. Everyone in Konoha, shinobi and civilian alike, knew who the next Hokage would be. Even the Suna inhabitants knew. Arguing about it was just a pointless waste of time.

And sleep.

Temari did her best to stifle the loud yawn that slipped from her lips. It didn’t work very well. She slouched down in her chair as the pointed eyes of the elder council turned to glare at her critically. Even when she was at her best, the council looked at her as if she were a traitorous bug. Sure, she understood why they looked at her that way, but it was very annoying. Especially since she was always working her ass off for them. Shikamaru smirked at her obvious discomfort. Temari gritted her teeth in frustration. “Hypocrite.” She hissed at him. His eyes glittered. Underneath the table Temari balled her hand into a fist. He was making fun of her! How dare he?! He was always dozing off during meetings, and unlike her current situation, he never had a feasible reason.

Tsunade straightened. “Well, we should discuss the more pressing issue.”

The council members looked stonily at the current Hokage.

Temari silently thanked the higher deity in charge for the deflection in hostility. Foreign ambassador really wasn’t worth the money she was paid.

“Temari-san?” Tsunade prodded.

Temari straightened and reached for the folder she’d placed on her desk. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could rest her weary body on a bed. She pulled the papers our of her folder and flicked through them sluggishly, trying to find the correct one.

Her heart sped up as her fingers grazed over the sheets without finding the most important sheet. Her fingers rested on the very last sheet.

No…

“Temari-san?”

Temari shut her eyes tight and counted slowly to ten. With a heavy decisively annoyed feeling in her gut she opened her eyes and replied tersly through gritted teeth. “I don’t believe I have the calculations necessary.”

One of the elders gawked at her in a mixture of astonishment and disguts, “You didn’t do–”

“Of course I did it!” She snapped in annoyance. Temari ground her teeth. “I just…don’t have it with me.”

Shikamaru snickered silently.

Without a second thought Temari acted out on her anger and kicked the lazy man swiftly under the table. “Let me just drop by my hotel and I’ll bring the paper back.” She was honestly surprised she could talk as intelligibly as she could with her teeth ground together as strongly as they were.

“I’ll accompany her.” Shikamaru volunteered lazily.

“No, you–” Temari began, but was cut off by an elder.

“Just go get it.” The elder snapped.

Temari felt her control over her demeanor slipping. “Very well.” Temari pushed herself away from the table and walked out of the room, desperately trying to convince herself not to damaage any property (or people) on her way out.

Things would be fine. The paper was on the table, she’d get it, present it, and voila, no hours wasted.

Shikamaru smirked at her again as she made her way swiftly through the village.

“Wipe that expression off your face before I ground you into dust, Nara.”

He shrugged, “I just find it humorous that the responsible one forgot–”

“I did not forget. I just…don’t have it.” She finished rather lamely. She just had to have deemed herself the ‘responsible one’, didn’t she? Ugh, he was going to annoy her about this even forever.

“Did you even do it?” He pressed again, a teasing smile on his lips.

She growled, “Of course I did. Why do you think I’m so tired?”

“Partying.” She stopped in her tracks and turned on him, ready to knock him out. He held up his hands in front of him in self defense. “Hey! Joking! Calm down, will you? It’s not so bad. You did it. You just pick it up, bring it back, dilemma solved.”

“Shut up.” Temari turned away from him and continued on her trek back to the hotel. Some days that boy just did not know when to shut up.

He rolled his eyes at her. “You’re crankier than usual.”

“What did I say?!”

“Alright, alright, woman!” He grumbled. The lazy shinobi drew his hands up behind his hand, dark eyes watching the clouds as he walked.

Sometimes, she really hated Shikamaru.

He was lazier than a damn cloud and regardless, everything always went well for him. He might do something ten minutes before it was needed and he pulled it off with great splendor. He never had to stay up at ungodly hours to finish something. He could just do it in two minutes.

Ooh, yes, sometimes she hated him.

Though that hatred was just because at those times, she wished she could be him.

Still in the same grumpy mood, she reached the hotel and yanked open the door with way more force than unnecessary. She marched up the stairs bitterly, Shikamaru following after her languidly. She opened the door to her room, making sure to slam the door in the lazy shadow ninja’s face behind her, and crossed over to the table where she’d been working on the papers.

It was one giant heaping mess.

Temari pushed papers aside and thumbed through the sheets looking desperately for the right one.

“Uh…Temari?” Shikamaru interrupted uncertainly.

“What?” She snapped angrily, not happy considering she cold not locate the necessary information. Shikamaru held a shredded piece of paper up for her to see. “This wouldn’t happen to be it would it?”

Temari’s anger tripled. “What did you do to it?!”

“Not me.” He defended. “Your dog.”

“I don’t have a dog!” She screamed at him.

“Fine, your neighbor’s dog. Whatever. Furry little thing with blue eyes.”

Temari stared at him for a few second before kicking the wall. “I hate this day!” She slumped to the floor arms crossed and eyes squeezed shut. “I hate, hate, hate today!”

Shikamaru crouched before her. “Temari?”

“Go away, Nara,” She grumbled, feeling tears behind her eyes. She didn’t want to cry over something this ridiculously stupid, but she was just beyond frustrated.

“You can–”

“Just shut up and go away!”

He sighed in annoyance. “Fine, let’s spar.”

Her eyes flicked open in shock. “What?”

“You need to release your irritation. You obviously don’t want to talk it out right now, so let’s spar.”

He hadn’t agreed to spar with her ever and she had asked continually. Why was he…What…Why now? “Why?”

He blinked. “Why, what?”

“Why would you spar–”

“Because you’re obviously frustrated and this will help.”

“But why for me?” She understood why he might suggest something so out of character for Ino or Chouji, they were his best friends; but she…she was just that bossy, loud, Suna girl who was always pestering him. Why would he bother doing something so decidedly troublesome for her?

He looked slightly uncomfortable. “You’re important to me.”

Temari blushed a bit. Before she could think through her actions, she found her arms were wrapped around the indolent man.

She was hugging him.

She jumped back immediatly upon the realization of her actions. She awkwardly rubbd her shoulder. “Umm…Wont the council…”

“I can take care of it.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry.” He smiled slightly at her. “And after the spar, I can help you redo the numbers.”

She bit her lip and smiled. “You’re not so bad.” She brushed her hair out her eyes. “You know, for a lazy crybaby anyway.”

He rolled his eyes.

Some days, she hated herself.

Some days, she hated her luck.

Some days, she hated the world.

And some days, she hated fate.

But then fate reminded her even thought it liked messing her up, it always gave her someone to pull her through the troule.

Thank goodness for friends.

They were there even when you didn’t know they were.

(Even though sometimes, you hated them just a little bit too.)