Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [3]

☾ 10 ☽

Tsukiko leaned on the railing of the Hokage Office's balcony, watching the morning break over the village. Kakashi was still working on his paperwork and Tsukiko had the moment to relax a bit before she had to return to work. With Shikamaru going away today, she knew that she would have to foot the amount of work she had given to him as well. She sighed, looking down at the streets.

A group of boys, about ten years old, were running off to the direction of the academy, laughing in sunny voices from the bottoms of their stomachs. Behind them, a man in his thirties with a grim look on his face hurried along to somewhere, most likely to his own workplace.

In front of an early-opening deli tucked in a corner of the road, a number of women who appeared to be housewives were chatting animatedly amongst each other.

From here, Tsukiko missed the time when she would rush herself to her academy. She didn't have very many laughs at the time but today, she found herself smiling to make up for it as she watched the children. And she could see herself in the man as he rushed to his work. That was her life right now, too, and she wondered if she would become one of those women someday.

It was a funny thought because Tsukiko was not sold on being a housewife, she felt like she would continue to work even after marriage. There was just so much that she wanted to do, and see, and experience. Still, she would appreciate being Gaara's wife.

Among all these people as they went about their day in the peaceful early morning, her blue eyes narrowed upon the figure of Shikamaru who was walking toward her direction.

Shikamaru was on the main road that led from the main gate, the entrance to the village, all the way to the Hokage Office. The road ended square at the Office, behind which was the monument with the faces of the Hokage carved into it.

But today, Tsukiko knew that he would not be joining her and Kakashi.

Normally when Konoha-Nin were despatched on missions outside the village, they would take those main gates. But for ANBU members, who were frequently assigned top-secret missions, they used the back gates, in a corner of the monument behind the Hokage Office, so that they could leave without being spotted by the people of the village.

Thus, Shikamaru was headed toward those back gates. His current mission was a secret from the villagers. Tsukiko, Kakashi and a few top-level people were the only ones who knew about it, besides Shikamaru himself, and Ro and Soku, who he was taking with him.

It was going to be tough for Tsukiko to keep up appearances while Shikamaru was gone given that they were always working together. She still didn't like where this was going yet she could not do anything herself. Shikamaru was right. The pure white engagement ring on her finger could not be drenched in any blood – whether by her actions or her decisions.

While Shikamaru was gone, the Hokage would tell the villagers he had gone out on some alliance business. And he would want Tsukiko to do the same. Shikamaru would leave without anyone knowing, and he would return the same way. That was the idea.

Neither of them met any eyes, and as Tsukiko glanced over to the gate where Shikamaru was going to leave through, she noticed a blond man standing there. Her own dorky cousin, Naruto.

"Oh, no, he's going to catch Shikamaru," Tsukiko muttered, and he really did. "What the heck is he even doing by those gates at this time in the morning?"

"Looks like you'll have to do something about this, Usahime," Usajii commented and she sighed.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, noticing Shikamaru and racing over to him with a childish smile on his lips. "It's Shikamaru! Where are you going in such a hurry, huh?"