Eyes Upon the Moon

Temari watched the familiar form of Shikamaru walk through the door. Shikamaru had always been a homebody, doing missions as close to home as possible. Temari didn't understand why he was in Stonebluff or what he expected to happen. The dark skinned ninja with him seemed local. They wore Konoha headgear but could have passed for Sand any day. They had the tan skin, the dark hair, common in people who lived outside the Windy Tombs.

She had been listening to their conversation. She had learned some very interesting things about the trio. Shikamaru seemed very familiar with the female. There was some relation between 'Vee' and the girl, they were cousins or brothers. It was Shikamaru and his sudden kiss-she felt an empty clawing inside her chest. She filed it away for a darker, safer hour. She didn't need to revisit Shikamaru.

They were on a mission and they were looking for someone. Who? Temari was about to find out.

Shikamaru and Vihaan were staying at the Ancient Cave Lodge, second floor, third window from the end. Temari could hear them through the walls, whispering about the girl, about where she could be. They called her Jacket, careful to keep their voices even. No one would think they were doing more than talking about someone they found attractive. Temari didn't know if they were using code names, but she found the whole thing strange.

The two 'siblings' were called Vihaan Takeda and Netra Baba. They sounded Right Desert if her ears were still as good as before. She knew the names but had not encountered the families. What their abilities were, it wasn't obvious. She had returned to her hotel room to find Kankuro, but he wasn't around. He had gone off somewhere, without leaving a note. Not that a note would have helped, but a clue would have been nice. Her brother rarely gave her any insight into his life or what his part of this mission was.

She listened for an hour but left when the girl arrived. Netra was holding a bag of food in her hands and seemed annoyed. Disappearing from the building, Temari headed across the city. She needed to speak with Kankuro.

It took her almost until morning to find Kankuro. She was surprised to find him sitting on a bench in the park. He was missing his traditional cat hat, his face clean of the paint. He was passing, but the awkwardness of seeing his bare skin was almost a physical feeling. They had both changed since Gaara passed. They were different people now.

"Shikamaru is here," Temari said, sitting beside him.

He looked up at her, his mouth in a firm line. "I know."

"They are looking for a girl. To kill or take, I am not sure," Temari said.

"I know."

Temari sighed. "Do you know the Baba clan?"

Kankura jerked, before catching himself. "Baba clan?"

"There is a girl with him, Netra... Baba," Temari said. "She is with a boy..."

"Vihaan Takada," Kankura finished. He looked at Temari with a grim look on his face. "That's our target."

"Why?" Temari asked. "I can't. Not with Shikamaru around."

"We aren't killing him." Kankuro put a hand on Temari's shoulder. She felt his charka rise up into his hands. "He is looking for someone we want. He has something we need."

"What could he possibly have?" Temari asked.

"An ability we need," Kankuro said. "He is the only one who can kill..."

"Do I want to know?" Temari asked.

"You know her," Kankuro said. "In fact, you probably wished she was dead long before this happened."

"I'm listening," Temari said softly.

"Kondo," Kankuro said.

Temari grimaced. "This is going to suck."