Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that appear in Naruto.
Dedication: I hereby dedicate this entire story (though some chapters may be dedicated to reviewers who send me more than just "Good story:D –even though these review are accepted too!) to my good friend, I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi! She indirectly mentioned that the plot idea was good, so I decided to give her a little surprise! This is your story, E! If you want anything specific in it, tell me, and you'll get it! Well, as long as it doesn't interfere with my planning! XDWarning: Rated T for hints of abuse and coarse language.
Chapter one: Cloud Watchers and Interesting Escorts
One thing that made cloud-watching so fun was the fact that they could observe everything. Any passerby would think that the cloud-watcher would only stare at the sky, but to those who'd focus, they'd see that watchers do more than cloud watch.
They people watch too.
'Interesting,' was the only word in Nara Shikamaru's mind as his half-lidded eyes followed the new arrival in Konoha.
It was a typical afternoon of an average day. The eighteen year old shinobi had gotten up, helped around the house after being ordered around by his mother, then had crumbled under a tree to nap after lunch. Nap, and watch clouds. And people too, of course.
The current object of his stare was the Kazekage's sister, also the main liaison between Suna and Konoha. It spoke highly of Sabaku no Gaara that he'd send his lone sister as a correspondent, plus the woman obviously enjoyed the job. She had knotted quite a few friendships over the years, both with males and females, and had broken a rather large number of hearts.
Which is why the shadow user had kept his delicately hidden.
What was so interesting about Sabaku no Temari, for the moment, was how she was entering the village. A confident look was plastered on her face, almost bordering on vanity, as she made her way towards the Hokage's tower.
The most interesting thing though, was the person trailing behind her.
The man was tall and lean, with a hard, masculine face. He had short black hair, held up straight with a large amount of gel. His dark eyes were focused right on the woman in front of him as they walked, unwavering. He had a rather large, menacing-looking katana strapped to his side, almost mimicking Temari's fan in length.
The pair soon stepped out of sight through the maze of streets and people. Since there was nothing interesting to watch anymore, Shikamaru allowed his eyes to shut close. After such observations, his brain would naturally start spinning into a frantic blur of questioning, as he'd try to piece out exactly who this stranger is. This would soon lead to sleep, anyways.
"Are we almost there?"
To anyone, this would be the most obnoxious question one could ask. Yet when it came from such an imposing man, it was anything but annoying. The words held meaning and were spoken as importantly as is he was asking for the location of a hidden treasure.
Temari looked at the man walking behind her. "Almost. We should arrive at the Hokage's office in less than five minutes." A small smile fitted itself onto her lips. "I know, it was a long trip."
"Your brother warned me," the tall male replied stoically. "I am not complaining."
"I know," she smiled noncommittally as possible. Silence then followed their little exchange, before she broke it with a question. "Are you sure you can't walk besides me, Ryota?"
The man shook his head, though it went unnoticed since the kunoichi was in front of him and was facing forward. "I've mentioned this before, Temari. I cannot look out for you if I stand besides you. Your back would then be unguarded."
The sand kunoichi sighed, her exhale devoid of annoyance. "But Ryota," she started, "this is Konoha! It's not like if I'll get mugged in the next thirty seconds or something!"
Just as she said so, an unpleasant loud scream resonated through the street as a blonde girl suddenly rushed towards Temari, all while shouting, "Tem! Oh my gosh! I had no idea you were coming back to Konoha this soon!"
Just as the girl was about to grab her in a hug, Ryota stepped forward. With smoothness that would've made a Hyuuga jealous, he managed to grab the girl in a powerful arm lock, his katana unsheathed and placed directly on her neck.
Freezing, the girl looked up questioningly at Temari, before starting to screech at the man to let him go.
"Ryota!" Temari groaned with a shake of her head. "Release her. She's harmless."
Slowly and with reluctance, he allowed the thin girl to bounce away from him. As she did so, she burst into obvious anger at being treated so unfairly. "Who the hell are you to take me, Temari's good friend, and threaten to kill me?"
Temari looked at Ryota with a shrug. "Meet Yamanaka Ino, Konoha's biggest gossip threat. You just ruined your reputation here, congratulations."
"Yes he did!" Ino snapped, running a hand on her throat. "Who the hell are you? Her bodyguard?"
The man didn't even flinch at her angry tone and spoke calmly. "My name is Ryota."
"Who cares?" Ino seethed. "You still tried to kill me!"
Temari raised a hand to her aching head. This day was turning out to be so bothersome. Deciding instantly that it would be better to break the two apart, she reached over and touched Ino's shoulder to get her attention. "We're late for an appointment, Ino. We'll catch up later, alright?"
"Yeah, sure," the Leaf kunoichi shrugged as she turned to leave. "Just don't bring Mr. Freak-Out when you do, alright?"
Ryota ignored the comment and nodded at Temari to go on. Suppressing the urge to reprimand the older boy who trailed behind her, the Kazekage's sister moved forward all while monitoring her feelings. Yes, she was angry at his outburst. Yes, she disapproved entirely of his methods to protect her. But he was…
"Here we are!"
Their arrival broke her train of thought as she ushered him inside. Since there were no secretaries, she simply marched right to Tsunade's office, the walk having been printed in her mind for years now.
As she was about to raise her first to knock, the door was thrown open by the Hokage's assistant, who was currently holding onto a pink pig with pearls around its neck. As soon as they saw each other, both women smiled simultaneously.
"Good afternoon, Temari!" she chirped as the pig oinked.
The Sand kunoichi forced a smile. "Hi Shizune. Is Tsunade-sama in there?"
Nodding, the black-haired assistant allowed her and Ryota to pass before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Meanwhile, Temari approached the Hokage with long, confident steps, and bowed deeply in greeting.
"Thank you for coming so fast, Temari-san," Tsunade said with a slow drawl. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot, probably from drinking a little too much the evening before.
Temari straightened from her bow and produced documents from the bag she had been carrying. "No problem, Hokage-sama. Matters like these are always prioritized by my brother, as you know."
As the light blonde woman reached for the files, she shot the man behind Temari a slightly suspicious look, that definitely didn't go unnoticed by the pair. The Sand kunoichi looked sternly at her escort, which made him step forward.
"It is my pleasure to present to you Saito Ryota, Hokage-sama." Temari smiled as she introduced him.
Ryota bowed deeply in front of the older blonde woman out of respect for a few seconds, before straightening to his full height. His eyes never lost its coldness as he remained as silent as the grave.
"Well-met," the woman answered with a nod. "May I require that he steps out, though? These are secret matters, Temari-san, even for a private guard."
Temari felt her eye twitch slightly as Ryota darkened visibly. Stepping forward so that his looming height might feel intimidating to the sitting female, he kept his head erect and glared down at her as he said, "My father is one of the Kazekage's best advisors. He has also appointed me as a secondary liaison, so these matters do touch me." His eyes then narrowed. "Plus I am not Temari's bodyguard, but her betrothed."
Seeing Tsunade's eyebrows shooting up to almost her hairline, Temari chose to speak up. "We're dating. We've been together for almost a month now."
Silence adorned the room for a few seconds, before Tsunade murmured simply, "I see."
Shaking herself out of her seeming stupor, she looked down at the documents and sighed lightly. "I'll check these out later today, alright? How about if we discuss this tomorrow? I'm sure that you're both also exhausted." She then hesitated. "Shall I call for a second room to be arranged at the hotel?"
Temari was about to speak up and accept, but Ryota cut her off. "No, one room will be fine. Thank you, Hokage-sama." He then bowed and rudely turned around, giving Temari a glare to order her to follow. Shrugging lightly, she also respectfully bowed at Tsunade before following her boyfriend out of the room.
Leaning back into her chair, Tsunade watched the two go with a curious look spread in her eyes. Obviously, said curiosity had nothing to do with the super secretive documents she had sitting on her desk. Slowly, she reached down for the last drawer in her desk and pulled it open. Reaching down, she tugged the false bottom off to reveal her stash of sake bottles.
Taking one out and opening it, she sipped its contents as she made her way to the window. Peering outside, she could see the couple leaving, with Temari in front and Ryota following, menacingly glaring at anyone who paid attention to them.
Tsunade leaned against the window frame, unsure about how she felt at the moment. But there was definitely one thing that was sure, which she spoke out loud. "This is very interesting. The things that will arise from this will probably be very interesting too." Taking a large gulp, she smirked lightly as she turned from the window. "Either interesting or very troublesome…"
A/N: First chapter done! Wootness! I though I'd have some problems, but it turned out better than I thought! Once I had started, things just began to flow out smoothly.
Now! How to break out of writer's block! XD Woe me, readers! Hehe… Review! It might help! XD
Take care!