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

Chapter 23

A/N: My story will be ending soon. I didn't even realize at first. Also I'm just now realizing that there may be random symbols and such at the ends of the chapters, I have no idea where they came from, so ignore them please. :3

    "Gaara...?" I whisper, my mind running a mile a minute.
He looks different, his outfit has changed too. But what's he doing in here?
"You're the Kazekage..." I mutter, finally piecing it together.
"Why are you here?" He asks, obviously struggling to find words as well.
"They sent me to get the scroll... I was just following orders so they don't kill me."
The sand holding me down releases me and I slowly get to my feet, afraid to move too suddenly. He was just in attack mode and I'm sure Shukaku would love to have a blood bath right about now. As I look at him, studying the familiar features along with the subtle changes he's made since I'd properly seen him last. That morning in the woods was too brief to get a decent look at him before Itachi stole me away again. I notice him doing the same, his eyes lingering on my exposed torso and the bright red scars that were left from the sacrifice.
"I died, atleast for a little while... I was sacrificed to Jashin but survived. They think I may be immortal. Wicked, huh?" I explain.
"Where are the others?" He asks suddenly, his gaze lifting to mine.
"My brother and his partner are just outside the village camping for the night. They're waiting an hour for my return or they're coming in after me. I don't want a battle brought into your village over this."
"You're staying here." He states definitively.
"Gaara I-"
"Temari." He simply says, confusing me instantly.
I raise an eyebrow but the door opening behind him clears it up.
"What is it- Oh my..."
The blonde stops talking as she catches sight of me standing across from them. Before I can open my mouth, she rushes past Gaara and wraps her arms around me. I hug her back before convincing her to let go. I hug Gaara as well, giving into the emotions I'd been suppressing since I first saw him. He lightly hugs me back before lightly pushes me toward Temari.
"Keep her here. I have something to take care of." He mutters.
"Wait, no. I have an idea that will solve everything. Just trust me, please?"
"How will we know you'll come back?"
"That's a dumb question, Temari." I mutter, shooting her a look that I gave Ino constantly.
"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. Just please come back, we don't want to lose you again."
"I will, no matter what."
I grab the scroll from the floor and grab a blank one, wrongly copying down the contents onto the blank one and depositing it in my bag. I salute the two of them before jumping out the window and rolling to cushion my fall. I slip into the shadows and head out of the village. I glance down and notice one of the sand bracelets on my wrist again and smirk.
When I reach the campsite, Itachi is pacing irritably while Kisame watches boredly. I clear my throat to gather their attention before pulling the scroll from my bag. I toss it to Kisame who looks it over, skimming the first few words before putting it in a pouch. He tells me that I did a good job and not to leave him alone with Itachi like that again. Apparently from the moment I left, Itachi had started pacing and ranting about me. Itachi wraps me in a hug, causing me to shove him away from me. I hadn't forgiven him for what happened in the past or for getting me into this mess, we hadn't even talked since he told me why he killed everyone.
"You were gone for a while, what happened?"
"I got stopped by the guards inside, no big deal."
I sit down between the two and watch the fire while they talk about when we're leaving. I wait a few minutes before inconspicuously turning one of my hands toward Itachi, then shoot out a small pulse, just enough to knock him out for a while. I catch him as he slumps over and lay him carefully on the ground. Kisame turns to us, confused, but I shush him.
"I wanted him to sleep so he wouldn't hear any of this, no harm done."
"Hear what, Little One?" He asks suspiciously.
"You're the closest to a friend I've had with the Akatsuki and the closest to a father figure I've had in many years, so I trust you to an extent. I've grown tired of the Akatsuki and its ways. I'm only thirteen, I'd rather not waste my life away in a cave with a bunch of criminals so I can get experimented on by Pein and Tobi."
He cuts me off at the Tobi part and asks about it.
"Yeah, Tobi has split personalities or he's pretending, he's a creep. Anyway, I'm leaving the Akatsuki tonight, with or without your blessing, I can knock you out the same as with Itachi. You have the choice of telling them that I was killed in an attack or that I ran away, I don't care, but it's happening. I'm not staying anywhere in particular. I'd like to see the world, learn new things, maybe find where I came from and I'd like to do it on my own terms. I may see you in passing someday, I may not, but I'd rather live my life running from Pein than rotting away under his control."
He stares at me for a minute and I turn away under his gaze. I honestly don't want to see hatred in his eyes or betrayal. He really did become a father figure to me and strangely I don't want to hurt him.
"I understand, Little One. You are really young and would be wasting your life if you even lived very long. Hidan killed you within the ten minutes I wasn't around. Itachi is going to be pissed that you left, but he'll deal with it. I can't guarantee they'll just let you disappear, so just keep an eye out from time to time. I'll try to check in on you from time to time if I can track you down. I'll miss you Little One. Now, go home to your Shikamaru, I know you miss the brat."
I look up at him with my eyebrow raised, I'd never once mentioned Shikamaru to him.
"You talk in your sleep. You love the little loser."
"That I do. I'll miss you Sharkie. Stay safe."
I hug him and he returns it before patting the top of my head. I gather the rest of my belongings before saluting him and going back into the village.
When I get close to the office again, this time a bunch of sand greets me and lifts me up into the window. Temari and Gaara are waiting, obviously running low on patience for my return. They both stare at me waiting for me to tell them what happened. I grin and tell them that I'm free. I recap what happened, leaving out the final bit about Shikamaru. Temari stops me at the part of my death and I sigh and explain it to her before being able to finish. Afterward, they make me recap what had happened during my stay, including my venture into the woods where I'd seen Gaara. Temari ended up crying for some reason, reminding me painfully of Ino, while Gaara's expression stayed stoic despite the sand whipping around his feet angrily.
"I'm alright guys, I promise. I need to go though. I have to go to Konoha before I leave."
"Wait, you're actually leaving again? You just got back."
"I have to. The first places they'll look are here and Konoha, besides, I really do want to travel and find out where I came from. I'll be back after my disappearance has died down. I'll visit from time to time it's just not safe to stay right now." I explain. She thinks it over and nods, realizing that I'm right.
I hug them both and tell them goodbye before congratulating Gaara on his appointment as Kazekage. I reassure them both again that I'll visit when I can, then leave through the front door this time and head out of the village.
I move carefully near the campsite, not knowing if Itachi is awake yet or not, but as I get closer, I find him still slumped over. I walk over to Kisame again and hand him a kunai from my bag that I'd slowly carved my name into during my down time.
"It's not much, but it's something for you to keep if you want. Think of it as a parting gift." I say with a small smile.
He takes it and looks it over before sliding it into a pouch. "Thank you Little One. I imagine he'll wake up soon, you should leave while you can."
I nod and hug him again before disguising my chakra and taking off toward Konoha. I'm free and I'm going home.