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xXxXx
“Breathe.” Shikamaru whispered into her ear as he held her tighter. Her body shook in his arms. Never before had he thought of her as fragile until now.
Swallowing breaths and shaking fingers. Temari clutched at his clothing her fingers digging into the
cloth. With her eyes squeezed shut and heart in her throat she couldn’t think. All she knew was that she was tired.
She was dead tired.
“Breathe.” He repeated again. “Just breathe.”
Temari fingers clutched him tighter. She wasn’t even sure if she remembered how to breathe.
xXxXx
It was all blood.
Blood stained her hands.
Blood stained her soul.
What was she supposed to do with all the blood?
Without a word, Lee took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. “Tenten, it will be fine.”
Fine.
Fine.
How can…How can anything be fine?
“Tenten.” Lee’s eyes search her. “Say something.”
Behind him Neji watches her in apprehension too. He’s worried. Tenten looks at her hands. Is she in such a state that even Neji can look worried? Is she so…
What’s with all the blood?!
Arms wrap around her.
Words are murmured to her.
Someone squeezes her hand.
It will be fine.
Can it? Can it be fine?
xXxXx
Kankurou stares at her.
How could she understand? How could a stupid girl like her ever understand? “Go away.” He tells her. Like he’s told her countless times before.
This time, instead of heading his command she kneels before him. Her pale fingers wrap around his hands, her head bowed, dark brown bangs covering her brown eyes. “I’m here. You matter. I’m here.”
“You don’t know anything.”
She squeezes his hands. “Then tell me.”
Her eyes connect with his.
Tell me.
Blood and sacrifice is matted around his heart. Around his soul. He doesn’t know what’s right anymore. He doesn’t know…He doesn’t know anything but duty anymore.
“Tell me.” She whispers. “Help me understand.”
He knows she isn’t a saint. But he doesn’t want her to carry his troubles on top of her own. “Go away.” He whispers again.
Shinobi are such fragile things. They break so easily.
She nods. “But you know, regardless of how many times you tell me to go away,” She smiles lightly, “I’ll always be here.”
xXxXx
She cranes her head at him. “I think, it’s not so bad.”
He’s aware that he’s shaking. “You think.”
“I think.” She confirms.
The world turns on it’s axis and runs and walks and talks as if he is of no consequence. As if…What does it all matter?
50 Shinobi Prompt 04 — Inner Demons
Sometimes she’s afraid she’s just a big scaredy-cat.
When she’s actually doing her thing, in the midst of a heavy battle, the thought doesn’t even occur to her. It never crosses her mind to runaway or even to scream. That is only due to the fact that her limbs and twirling, her body twisting, chest heaving, and eyes soaking up every detail that she can’t spare running a second thought. Sometimes she’s glad she’s never been a good multi-tasker.
But when she fails, when her body is overcome with such terrible weakness and frailty that she can’t fight back she she feels the fear overwhelm her. There is no physical reaction that can be seen, but the fear is drowning her and if she could run, she would.
She’s a fearful creature by nature.
Most people think she’s brave. They see her push and shove and fight until there’s no breath in her. Neji and Lee have seen her at such weakness that she can’t move. They think she’s stupid and incredibly brave for fighthing so long and so hard.
What they don’t realize – what the world can’t quite see – is that she’s just too scared to run away.
“What are you so afraid of?” She says quietly, honestly, curiously. Her green eyes are more beautiful today than he can ever remember them being. Her skin is softer than it’s ever looked. Her smile is warmer than her usual smiles.
“Everything.”
She leans forward, her scent floating off her body and flooding his senses. He’s incredibly aware that the way they’re positioned is very compromising, incredibly aware that if he kissed her right now not only would she not protest, she kiss back; incredibly aware that there’s never been a moment when he’s lost his footing quite like this; incredibly aware that if he doesn’t act now she will turn her back to him and live her life; incredibly aware that he wouldn’t like his life if he let her walk away.
“Nara,” she murmurs to him, “that’s exactly why you should give it a shot. Dance in the rain. Talk to the lions. Live a little.”
“All things that could potentially kill me.”
“You would die happy.”
She’s been driving him mad since he had to become her guide. Her scent, her laugh, her wicked grin, her bossy attitude, her damned violence – it’s all been driving him mad. “You’re insane.”
She laughs. “Possibly.” Her lips curve into a delicious smile. “I rather like the world that way.” She extends her hand to him, her tan fingers shining in the moonlight, “Care to see for yourself?”
