Shikamaru x Temari Distance (AU)

Part 10 Jinchuriki. Chapter 1

"Jinchuriki" – Power of human sacrifice.

Part 10 Jinchuriki. Chapter 1

- Now this is something that I've never said to anyone before, and the reason you'll find as quite obvious. I never expected myself to be in this situation as I had always thought of this as something that'll follow us to our grave. And for the most part, it will. It has to. The reason I'm telling you this story is one, it might just be vital for Konoha's police department to find my brother, but another, as important reason for you to remember is that... I trust you. And that makes this a whole lot easier to convey. I hope this will help your father to connect some dots, and thus bringing the necessity to start the search for Gaara.

- Okay. – he sits down. – I'm listening.

- Gaara is the youngest sibling for a reason. Our mother... you see was not a normal lady. After Kankuro's birth, she was selected by our father to be the next jinchuriki. Yes, by her own husband. But it was important to tame the beast in a trusted vessel because there's always a chance that he or she will master its power and decide to use their potential to harm the village.

- What does it mean to be a jinchuriki, exactly?

- I don't know exactly, but the night Gaara was born, there was a huge tornado, and every glass object turned into sand. The tornado could've been a coincidence, but the glass thing is definitely questionable.

- Okay. What is the beast, then?

- We just call it a beast but it's closer to a soul. It's something that needs to be passed on from human to human, otherwise they say it'll return to nature, and cause... absolute chaos. My father said that would be the end of humanity. So that's why he decided to pass it on to the strongest person he knew. But what he didn't know was that... she was pregnant. It wasn't supposed to be a big deal. He anticipated it to be a problem, for sure, but not as severe. He wanted to play it safe and let her have a miscarriage, but she deliberately refused. My father was a strict man but he had a soft side for mom, and he couldn't force her, ever. She was an amazing person but during those few months, she turned even more affectionate despite the constant pain she was in. Her appearance changed. Her eyes turned blood red and she could control all sorts of things that no human should be capable of. She laughed more than ever, and she insisted on tucking me and Kankuro in every night, and she always made sure dad was there too. She spent every day, every hour with us, the ones she loved the most. Of course I didn't think much of it at the time, I could barely think at all, but now... it's just all very clear. She knew. She knew that those were the last days even though she told dad otherwise. And when the inevitable day came, she gladly exchanged her life for her son's. The son that she never even got to see. But there was a problem that she had not anticipated. It was thought that when a jinchuriki gives birth, the soul transfers to the child. And up until this point, we had treated the beast as a whole, like an object people transfer to one another. But it turned out to be much more complex than that. After Gaara was born, he did show signs of bearing the beast, like whenever he cried, things tended to break. But he wasn't the only one.

- What do you mean?

- When he was only a child, his strength of a jinchuriki wasn't as quite as expected. Everyone thought that when he grew a little older, it'll be more apparent, but he still remained the same.

- You mean that he was too weak to be a jinchuriki.

- Yes. And soon after... he was in a car crash.

- But I thought...

- You're right, that didn't kill him. Even though everyone else that was in the car with him had almost instantly died, he managed to get out alive with a few injuries. No doctor could explain it. His theory was that the power spread. The beast didn't just transfer to Gaara, well some of it did, but the rest flew away. Dad suspects that it had returned to nature, but because a large portion of it is in Gaara, it's not strong enough.

- It didn't. it's spread to other humans.

- How do you know that?

- The Akatsuki. They're not just a group of criminals, they are capable of inhuman things. Have you heard of Itachi Uchiha?

- Sasuke's brother? The one who killed his family and ran off?

- Yes. They say that he was always too strong and wise for his age. But he wasn't always that way. Something happened. When Sasuke was just a little baby, Itachi woke his parents up saying his eyes hurt. He couldn't open them. They went to the doctor and when he opened his eyes, they were red.

- So you think that... some of the beast's power went into him as well?

- Yes.

- But how...

- I think it was random. The beast randomly selected many vessels for it to hide in, and while in some people it was very mild, like it made your father physically tougher, in some others, like Itachi, it made them a lot stronger. And maybe a little mentally ill. That amount of power for a six year old is sure to have some consequences. Thank you for sharing this. I realize this is something that you've been trying to suppress. – he said grabbing her hand. Only then she realized that they had been almost freezing.

- I will do everything to find and protect your brother. I promise.

The warmth of his hand and his words made her stiffened shoulders drop.

- So much pressure on yourself... – she muttered, her hands locking tight around his torso, hugging him as tight as her strength could allow her. She was so thankful but yet confused. This boy she was hugging seemed like someone she had once dreamt about, too good to be true. She hugged him even tighter just to make sure that he wasn't gonna turn into some puff of smoke in her grasp, and leave her alone for forever.

- Thank you.

Shikamaru found himself having trouble breathing. But what is a few moments without air when she was so close?

- Y-You're welcome. – he barely managed to get the words out cause of the lack of oxygen in his lungs.

A/n how do you like the new chapter? do you think the story's going smoothly?

as always, loveu guys, and vote if you liked the chapter, and please, give me feedback. 

(unedited)