It's Not Forever *Shikamaru/OC/Gaara* (Book 1) COMPLETE

Chapter 11

Gaara's sand wraps around me and we end up in their house's training hall. I take a few steps back away from him and we face each other before bowing. When I straighten, I see his sand coming after me. I jump out of the way and throw myself backward into a series of handsprings to avoid the oncoming sand. I pull out my drumsticks and send a pulse wave toward the sand, scattering it momentarily. I start to rapidly fire wave after wave to drive the sand backward while I move closer. The sand creeps around and latches onto my ankle, flipping me upside down into the air. I send a sound blast his way and it disrupts the sand enough to drop me. I land on my feet and find the sand coming at me again, leading back into the cat and mouse game. His sand lashes out at me and knocks the sticks out of my hands. They land across the room with a clatter and I curse, trying to judge the distance I'd have to travel in order to retrieve them. The sand catches me around the waist and throws me forward before letting go. I curl up into a ball and land, tossing a kunai at his back. The sand arcs up around him, dropping the knives. I run at him and manage to land on him but he doesn't budge. He grabs me and flips me over his shoulders and onto the ground. His sand pins me down and he smirks.

"I win." He mutters.
"Not quite."
I do the hand signs for the needle melody, but he blocks it before it can trap him.
"I still win."
"Fight without the sand and I could take you down easily."
"I doubt that."
"Try me."
The sand releases me and returns to the gourd. He walks over to the nearest wall and puts the gourd against him. I get up and find my drumsticks.
"If I can't have sand, you can't have drumsticks."
I shrug and put them next to his gourd.
When I reach the middle of the mats again, we bow and I wait for him to attack. He stands there calmly, waiting, so I decide to strike first. I run at the redhead and throw a punch, but he side steps it and hits me in the back. I smack the mat before rolling up and sweeping his legs out from underneath him. I smirk as he hits the mat in return. He grabs my ankle and pulls me back down on to the mat.
"Cheater!" I call out.
"All's fair." He retorts.
I get up and kick out at him as he stands. It hits him in the chest and he staggers backward. Our fight continues in a series of strikes and counters. Our movements gain speed until we're merely blurs around the room. I rush at him and manage to tackle him backward onto the mats, pinning him underneath me.
"I win!" I cheer.
"Not quite."
He flips us over with ease, pinning me to the mat. I scowl and try to flip us back over, but it doesn't work. A smirk graces my face as I remember a trick. I have a jutsu I can perform mentally. I do the signs in my head and send out a pulse of soundwaves that send him flying off of me. I flip backwards and land on my feet.
"Cheater." He says mockingly.
"All's fair." I retort.
We meet each other in the middle and resume our fight. I can tell that neither of us are using anything close to our full potential, but we're both sweating. I swing at him and he catches my fist, flinging me aside. I move my body to land perfectly and try again. Our strikes start to sync together, fist matching fist, kick matching kick. A wave of dizziness hits me and I stumble momentarily, allowing him to land a hit to my chest, knocking me back. I shake my head and dodge a barrage of punches that slowly back me against the wall. He smirks until I duck underneath him and knock him off his feet. We're both breathing heavily as we wrestle across the floor to try to pin the other down long enough to be victorious. I'm underneath him when I focus my strength into my legs to use them to push him up to his feet. I follow a second later and attack again, backing him to the wall. I lean in close and whisper in his ear,
"I win."
"What is going on in here!?" We turn in unison to find Temari leaning against the door frame, an amused expression on her face.
"I kicked him butt Tema-chan!" I cheer.
"That is not what it looked like. You two were rolling around together, getting all close and flirty! So cute!"
"Yes, because that is what you do when you're madly in love, you start beating the crap out of each other." I say with a raised brow.
"People love in different ways." She replies with a smirk. "Have you two kissed yet?"
"No."
"So you haven't yet, so you're planning on it?"
"That came out wrong and you know it!" I call back to her.
"If it's not true, why are the two of you so close together still?"
I look back at Gaara and find my face only inches from his chest. I blush and step back, choosing instead to walk over to the side of the room to reclaim my drumsticks. On the way I find my headphones on the floor in the middle of the room and put them around my neck. Gaara picks up his gourd and smirks at me before wandering out.
Temari walks over and hands me a water bottle. She waits patiently while I drink half of it in one breath before slumping down against the wall. She joins me and gives me an odd look. I return the look along with several funny faces until she stops. She sighs and tells me that she's still amazed with how much I've changed him within just two weeks.
"I haven't done anything special, I just treated him the way I should've been treated before." I say with a shrug.
"Thank you for that. He was raised in a harsh environment, hated by Suna because of Shukaku. As sad as it is to admit, when I was a kid I was afraid of him and treated him badly. I'm still slightly afraid of him, but it's because of Shukaku's control over him sometimes."
"I'd never judge him for that. He had no control over Shukaku being sealed inside of him. Naruto has the nine-tails within him and he was treated similarly. We're not very close, but I've never treated him badly. I just want people to be happy even if I can't be." I say, fiddling with the bottle.
"What do you mean? You're always happy when I see you." She asks, looking confused.
"It makes everyone happy to see me this way. It's hard being alone every day, knowing your families are alive and well but you can't see them. I keep everything bottled away and smile and act so carefree because it keeps people happy and keeps my thoughts at bay. I fight it off as much as possible so I don't lose myself in the bad." I explain quietly.
"Families? What happened to them?"
"I-I really don't want to talk about it right now, maybe another day. Only two others know about it, not even Ino knows..."
"It's not good to bottle things up Kaida, but I'm not going to push. If you ever want to talk, Gaara and I are here. If we're not around, you can always send a letter and you're welcome to visit. You have Ino and Shikamaru at home as well, I think they'll always be there for you."
"Thank you Temari, you're awesome."
"I know." She grins. "Lunch is in an hour. Also, I think he likes you!" She says the last part in a singsong voice.
I roll my eyes. "What makes you think that?"
"I've seen how he looks at you. It's like he's happy but doesn't know how to show it. I'm just glad someone's around to make him happy. He l-i-k-e-s you!"
"Go away Temari, you're turning into Ino."
She sticks her tongue out at me before walking out. I sigh and lose myself in thought.
Gaara and I spar for several days after our first round, making our victories tied at four wins each. Mine would've been eight wins, but I swear he cheats. Temari has kept quiet about what I'd said in the training hall but she still teases me relentlessly about Gaara supposedly liking me. I don't see it. I roll over in my bed and give a defeated sigh. I've tried to fall asleep all night, but sleep won't come. When it does, however briefly, it's clouded with night terrors that leave me breathless. I burrow down into the blankets and close my eyes to try again. It takes a while, but I finally drift off to sleep.
A man is walking toward me in Suna, his hair black as coal. I can't see his face though, it's shrouded in shadow despite the blaring sunlight. He chuckles lowly, causing a chill to run down my spine. Though I can't see his eyes, I can feel his gaze staring through me. I shudder and back away from him. My back connects with something solid and a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. The man in front of me stops a few steps away and I can see his wide smile.
"Hello Kamiko, it's been a long time."
"My name isn't Kamiko, you're mistaken..." I mutter.
"I'm not mistaken dear child, you were my most prized possession. Your name was changed later on when you left me. I'd been wondering where you were. It was only a matter of time until I'd find you again."
"W-what do you want from me?" I stutter, flinching as his finger traces under my chin.
"It's time for you to return home, we have much to do."
"Who are you?"
"I am your owner, to make it simple."
"I don't have an owner and I'm not going anywhere with you!" I bite, regaining my courage momentarily.
His hand latches onto my chin and forces my head up to meet his gaze, "You don't have an option, you are mine."
He releases me a moment later and motions to the person holding me. The man, judging by his arms, tosses me over his shoulder and starts to walk off with the dark haired man. I struggle against him to get away, but I suddenly can't move. The man holding me chuckles as I start to scream at him to let me go. He pauses and throws me roughly onto the ground.
"Shut up." He growls.
"Let me go you creep!"
"I said shut up!"
I shout at him again to let me go and he towers over me before pulling a kunai from his pouch and plunges it into my chest, missing my heart. ƃ',lwx