Alchemy

3,2) RAGING ZEPHYR

An extra chapter

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Shikamaru:

I froze as I detected her presence behind me not because of the sound of her footsteps but because I heard her breath hitch as she realised I was leaving.

I knew it would troublesome to do things this way. I should have left straight away without saying anything.
But in truth it would be better this way in the long run. Better for her. Not for me.

In my mind that was all that mattered.
Her happiness, her future not mine.

I've always complained about everything in life. Everything has always been too troublesome, too difficult. I've always been the type to throw the towel in way to soon. I've never been indefatigable or motivated to achieve anything in my life.

Everything I've done up until I met her was always done in an indolent manner.

Of the many anecdotes and fond memories of my childhood; one stood out so clearly, I could feel the icy autumn breeze brush against my skin as if it were just yesterday Chouji and I sat gazing at the sky from one of the roof tops of the castle of the Land of Light. It was my favourite activity back then. We would stare at the heptagon shaped sky in awe at how something so immensely infinite could exist.

All my life I've wished to be nothing but a cloud drifting in the sky, with no duties nor obligations, but if I was a cloud then she was a gentle zephyr nudging me to race through the sky's immense waters and seize every opportunity and become a storm.

Temari was always intuitive. Not in the sense that she was intellectually intelligent. But in the sense that she knew how to read people and situations clearly. She could detect exactly how you were feeling no matter how great a façade you set up.

I willed my mind to be blank as faced her. If she read my emotions. If she knew that in the ocean she was a siren compelling all my thoughts to pivot around her she might never let me go.
Her jade eyes finer colour than any gem a commoner like me could ever come across.

"Are you not going to say anything?" she asked.

"There are times when there is simply nothing to say. Though I doubt that you know that," I smiled trying my utmost best to lighten the mood.

"This isn't the time for jokes," she sighed, "I thought that an explanation as to where you're going or least a 'goodbye' would suffice in a situation like this."

"I'm leaving on a mission for the Land of Light," I said.

She looked confused for a moment but simply asked, "When will you be returning"

"Are you not in any curious as to what the mission details? After all the Land of Light doesn't even exist anymore."

"I don't care. The only thing that matters to me is when you'll be returning," she said stepping closer and closer until she was but a hair's breadth away.

"Your brother has released me from my duty. I won't be returning to the Land of Wind," I lied driving an invisible wedge between us as she stepped back.

Her normally indifferent face betraying the tempest of emotions that had erupted inside of her.

Gods, I hated this. I hated that I had to do this. I hated that I had asked Gaara to let me end it like this.

But in the end a wounded heart was a lot easier to heal than a heart that would always long for someone else. She would find her fairy tale prince and have her "happy ever after"

After all there were no fairy tales where the princess ended up with the poor, good for nothing lazy ass.

"Why? What about all these years. Why do you keep walking away? Was it all a lie then?" she shouted her voice echoing the sound of my own thundering heartbeat.

If I said yes, it would surely make her heart heal faster. Temari was the sort of girl who wouldn't devote any more time towards someone who had hurt her heart intentionally. She would hate me and she would move on.

But I couldn't bear to lie anymore. I couldn't bring myself to say the words....

For the first time in 6 years I choose to be selfish.

"Of course, I loved you! I still love you but sometimes love isn't enough... You deserve better than a man with no homeland, no titles and nothing to offer you. The Land of Wind has been struggling since the death of your father. Put your people before your heart. The land of wind could do with an alliance from the land of Sun. Be happy, Temari..." I said walking away each step feeling like a kilometre.

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Temari:

My legs threatened to collapse beneath me, but years of trained will, held me upright. Even if my heart had been eroded into a thousand grains of sand leaving an empty void which screamed inside me.

As hearing the questions which echoed inside my head, Gaara and Kankuro came rushing down the hallway.

"Tema, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Kankuro said his face revealing a rare collaboration of fear, melancholia and regret.

Gaara's expression betraying nothing but cold rage.

"W-what did he mean when..." the words were struck in my throat.

"The Land of Wind's advisors went behind my back and organised a betrothal with the land of Sun's King. For his nephew and current heir, Neji Hyuga. There's no loophole but we will try," my youngest brother said.
The earth finally gave way as my knees shuddered onto the wooden floor.
I knew from the guilt in their eyes that there was more to the story, especially when it came to the way Shikamaru had acted just now. His eyes had said one thing and his lips another.

And I was going find out.

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