In the cold of space you find the heat of suns
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Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
91
Views:
3,771
Reviews:
636
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Category:
Naruto › Yaoi - Male/Male › Naruto/Sasuke
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
91
Views:
3,771
Reviews:
636
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
3
Disclaimer:
This story has some of Masashi Kishimoto's characters from Naruto in a universe of my own devising. I do not own Naruto. I do not make any money from these writings.
Points of view
I am very grateful for the reviews. They help me keep going. This is one of ‘vignette’ chapters. I hope you enjoy it.
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
Spacer crews travel the Far Borders and the Fringe of occupied space, trading. Spacing is an ancient and honourable profession carved out by millenniums. Most spacers start out as fourteen-year-old boys seeking a future. Few survive a decade spacing.
63. Points of view
Shikamaru was busy.
Later that day they would jump into the system where the Silver Leaf and the Gourd were waiting. Hopefully, Temari would have the credit they required, Tsunade would have secured the contracts for the gates and Gaara would have information about the current situation in Kaze.
His campaign against the Snuffers was gaining momentum. The new viruses for corrupting files in the data streams were satisfyingly selective. His database of Snuffers was growing; every few days another crew would pass the threshold of irrefutable evidence and he would publish their identity. Six crew had already been eliminated.
He had taken down Gato, the worm on Wave II who had been giving Inari’s grandfather trouble. Communicating some choice information to the correct recipient had been enough. Gato was gone, along with most of his men. Tazuna-san was now known to be a friend of Uchiha; Shikamaru doubted he would have problems with men like Gato in the future.
Then there was Neji. No matter what, Shikamaru made time for Neji. They had run out of places to try fucking; Izumo had banned them from the engine rooms and Neji would not contemplate any of the really dangerous places, like Naruto’s nursery, the elite fighters’ communal bath or Asuma and Kurenai’s bedroom. Shikamaru had been forced to move to plan B, which meant recreating his room every few days. Luckily he had Haku to help him. The latest theme had been a nomad’s tent but yesterday they had changed it. He and Neji had agreed to meet and play a scene before the midday meal.
His strategy was working. Neji happily accepted blowjobs from his Shika. Shikamaru could touch Neji anywhere other than his hole. Next on Shikamaru’s list was Neji sucking him and Shikamaru being allowed to move; so far it only worked if Shikamaru was completely still, which he found extremely difficult. Shikamaru was hopeful that the new scenario had potential.
He pulled his mind away from Neji and considered whether they were on schedule to use the first of the three dates. The most difficult part of the plan was getting the gates and their installation crews to the precise places at the correct times. For that they required ships.
With Izumo and Kotetsu in the crew, ships were no longer a limiting factor. The pair had rebuilt Kisame’s ship and had helped Shino adapt its systems to the sharkman’s abilities. They concurred with Shikamaru’s plan to buy small ships and adapt them to be manned by pairs or trios of the elite fighters. They had even found time to supervise the cats and Sumaru stripping down and rebuilding the Snow Willow.
The only problem for Shikamaru was Kotetsu’s desire to know how the improver worked. Shikamaru sympathised but they had promised not to pry and, even more crucially, the outer case of the improver was heavily trapped. Shikamaru did not want Kotetsu blowing himself up. Even if he did not take the rest of them with him, it would leave Izumo bereft and the baby without one of her parents.
For the first time, Shikamaru appreciated the apprehension Kakashi must have felt every time he had told Shikamaru to leave something alone. It was a novel sensation.
Naruto finished looking at Haru and moved onto Hoshi. Sasuke preferred to project the images but Naruto’s eyes could cope with the direct, unenhanced feed. He talked to his daughter in a mixture of chirrups, words and yips. He ran his hand over the gestator, mimicking a mother caressing her abdomen.
Monitors picked up Naruto’s heartbeat when he was in the nursery, so that it could be amplified and played to the babies. When he left the room the sounds were replaced by a recording. He hoped the babies never realised that he left them; he wanted them to be certain that they were loved.
After the meeting about Kaze they would jump to the system where the scientist’s ship should be waiting. At first Naruto had been determined not to see the scientist but then Sasuke-teme had asked him if he wanted to look and feel like an old man before his babies were adults. Naruto had imagined his children being ashamed of him because he was obviously old and weak. Yes, he had admitted, he would take age retard treatments if they were available; that way he could make the most of his limited lifespan. Rin thought this scientist could help so Naruto would, reluctantly, meet him.
Naruto shook himself. He would see Gaara before the scientist. He was looking forward to seeing Gaara. They would have to be careful because Temari would be about, but Naruto hoped that Gaara would be able to wear the controller for some of the time. With luck, Shikamaru could come up with a reason for Gaara to stay when the Silver Leaf left.
Sasuke reread Shikamaru’s analysis of their current situation. Thanks to Izumo and Kotetsu, they were ahead of schedule. Everything now hung on whether Temari had the credit and whether Tsunade had managed to negotiate a deal for the gates. If they had the gates, they could move forward and use the first of Shikamaru’s three dates.
He sat back in his chair and considered. He was impressed by Inari. The lad was everything his application video had promised and more. Sasuke was even pleased that Kakashi was so interested in him. A few standards ago he would have been deeply jealous, as he had been when Kakashi-sensei had started training Naruto as a fighter. He smiled at the memory.
He checked the time. He could find Naruto well before the midmeal.
Naruto was, of course, in the nursery. He was viewing Hikaru and had activated the projector when he heard Sasuke coming. Sasuke looked at the tiny creature who was his son and was filled with pride. He leaned over Naruto, who was glued to the viewer, and kissed his neck. Naruto flexed to make the kiss easier and purred.
They both wanted to fuck. Being together with the babies often had that effect on them. They both knew there was not the time: Sasuke fucking Naruto was too likely to produce fluffy-soft-Naruto and Naruto fucking Sasuke risked them being stuck together when they were meant to be in the meeting. They would have to settle for a cuddle.
The thought of fluffy-soft-Naruto was particularly tempting. Sasuke went to book the bathroom for after the evening meal.
Ibiki was looking forward to seeing his old crew but he knew that Kakashi was going to give him a hard time; Jiraiya still teased him mercilessly. He straightened his spine. Sometimes a man had to do what a man had to do and this time it had been to put aside his machismo and become queen.
The crew had been dysfunctional. He had realised that when he first spaced with them but it had taken Iruka to challenge for Tayuya for him to decide something had to be done. Now it worked. Tsunade’s drinking was back under control, Jiraiya did duties, Suzume was relieved to be free of a role she could not do and their timekeeping was perfect.
They had even recruited another cat, a lass called Moegi, who was happy and making good progress. It had been a very busy two divs and, despite his trepidation of others’ reactions, Ibiki was very proud of what he had achieved. It was worth being ribbed by Kakashi.
And if he told himself that often enough he might come to believe it.
Gaara woke. It was so wonderful to wake. He stretched. His fingertips went to the controller. Today he should take it off, so that Temari did not realise he had broken their agreement. There were two problems with that. One, he did not want to take it off and, two, he was no longer sure if he could control himself; he had become accustomed to allowing himself to feel.
It was only Temari. There was no real danger in Temari knowing. Kankuro and his men were not coming to this meeting. Temari would not tell Kankuro. Temari might even choose to forgive him.
He sent a message to the Silver Leaf.
Neji was impressed. Shikamaru and Haku had managed to create a convincing shop. It helped that the bed and the rest of the furniture were long gone; except for his belongings in the lockers Shika had cleared the room to make scene-setting easier. There was a counter and rails bearing clothes. In one corner there was a changing area which was separated from the rest of the room by curtains. Neji had a quick look inside. There were mirrored walls and a chair. He flushed, immediately imagining what Shikamaru had in mind.
Neji caught sight of himself in one of the mirrors. Haku had dressed him in a men’s grey kimono with a black belt, which was very suitable for a shop assistant. However, Neji’s hair was up in a ponytail and he was wearing earrings with tiny bells. His face was subtly painted to make it look more feminine. His lips looked plump and pink. He had a badge that said, ‘My name is Neji. How may I assist you?’.
He took up his place behind the counter. A bell rang. Neji jumped. Of course a bell rang when the door opened; it was meant to be a shop.
Shika’s eyes lit up when he saw him. Haku’s instincts were, as always, infallible.
Anko had watched Shikamaru and Haku work their butts off transforming Shikamaru’s room for what had to be the twelfth time. She had offered to help and had been given the job of watching for Neji. If he appeared they would dive into the room and shut the door; Neji always moved slowly and made much noise on transformation days, so there was little doubt that Anko would realise he was on his way and give them plenty of warning.
Like the weird side of Sasuke and Naruto’s relationship and Haku’s cross dressing, Shikamaru’s obsessions with fucking in public places and with scene playing never came up in conversation. In the end Anko could not resist asking Shino about it, despite knowing that there was history between him and Shikamaru. Shino had, very calmly, explained that Neji had been frigid when he had joined the crew and that this was part of Shikamaru’s campaign to make their relationship work. He even confided in her why Neji was like that, which had made her want to throw up. He described everything Shikamaru had tried; building the database, celibacy, submission, fucking in inappropriate places and now playing scenes. He told her that Neji was reliving the horror of his past through therapy in the hope that he could respond.
He also explained the ring that Shikamaru wore on the chain about his neck. It had made her want to cry.
Later she had wondered why Shino had told her so much. Once she worked out the reason she had been ashamed. He had been rebuking her for being so impatient, for wanting to squeeze every drop out of their relationship immediately and for not being willing to let it grow slowly so that it would be truly sound.
Neji had looked particularly fetching once Haku had dressed him as a shop assistant. Anko had offered a small prayer to no particular deity that the scene would go well and was pleased when the two of them had appeared at the midday meal holding hands. They were obviously freshly from the shower; Shikamaru had his hair down because it still too wet to put up. They looked adorable together. Anko’s hand found Shino’s under the table. He looked at her with what she had learned to read as surprise; usually she would play footsie or grope him. She smiled and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back. It was nice.
Tayuya scowled. Everyone in their crew room was obsessed with sex. Even Iruka-sensei melted into a puddle of goo when Kakashi touched him. As for Konohamaru, his life revolved about his prick. If he wasn’t putting it into Haku he was getting Inari to play with it; not that Inari seemed to mind. Today Shikamaru and Neji wouldn’t stop staring into each other’s eyes during the midmeal. Shikamaru had his hair down, which he never did, and Tayuya couldn’t help noticing how pretty he was, which was annoying.
She kicked Sumaru under the table. He scowled at her. She kicked again. He kicked back. She waited until Iruka-sensei was looking the other way and flicked a bean at him. It was a perfect hit, bouncing off his cheek. He retaliated and Iruka-sensei caught him. He was sent to his room. She smirked at him as he left the table. Then Iruka-sensei asked her if she had anything to tell him, so she ended up in her room as well.
At least it was her room, not the punishment room, so she had her flute.
Temari was suspicious as soon as she heard Gaara’s message. It was not that he wanted a private meeting, that was to be expected, it was something in the tone of his voice. Maybe that was it; there was tone in his voice.
Spacing on the Silver Leaf had been much better than in the past because Ibiki had made everyone behave. She wondered if Ibiki could have coped with Tayuya but doubted it. Tayuya was better off with Iruka-san. Moegi might have less potential but she was much more amenable. Her presence made spacing more pleasant, which could never be said of Tayuya.
Their trip had been successful. The bank had been more than willing to lend her credit with a planet as security and once she had petacredits to spend the gaters had been pleased to deal; buying six gates made her their best client. Tsunade had concentrated on securing swift delivery and the services of the installation crews rather than reducing the cost. Temari tried not to think how many systems would deprived of their gate upgrade, but they could make the first of Shikamaru’s dates with time to spare.
She went to meet Gaara as soon as they docked. As she had half expected, he was wearing one of Shikamaru’s modified controllers. He was apologetic. They exchanged news. There were tiny flashes of a Gaara she hadn’t seen since he was a little boy, before the consequences of him losing control had become lethal. Temari quizzed him on the controller. When she was satisfied that it was effective, she stepped into his personal space and hugged him.
He lost control, as she had known he would, but there was barely time for him to snarl before he lost consciousness. She slung him over her shoulder, took him into his ship and put him into his chair. She kissed his forehead. Then she went to find Shikamaru.
Shikamaru was on his way to the meeting room. He was with Neji, Sasuke and Naruto. They rounded a corner and he spotted Temari, alone, walking with purpose towards him. They stopped. He and Naruto exchanged glances. Shikamaru was sure that Temari had found out about Gaara’s controller. He steeled himself for an attack.
She stopped about four paces from him. Then, to his astonishment, she knelt, leaned forward and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“I thank you, Shikamaru-san,” she told him. “For returning my brother to me.”
Apologies if the characters have grown differently in their new environment.
Spacer crews travel the Far Borders and the Fringe of occupied space, trading. Spacing is an ancient and honourable profession carved out by millenniums. Most spacers start out as fourteen-year-old boys seeking a future. Few survive a decade spacing.
63. Points of view
Shikamaru was busy.
Later that day they would jump into the system where the Silver Leaf and the Gourd were waiting. Hopefully, Temari would have the credit they required, Tsunade would have secured the contracts for the gates and Gaara would have information about the current situation in Kaze.
His campaign against the Snuffers was gaining momentum. The new viruses for corrupting files in the data streams were satisfyingly selective. His database of Snuffers was growing; every few days another crew would pass the threshold of irrefutable evidence and he would publish their identity. Six crew had already been eliminated.
He had taken down Gato, the worm on Wave II who had been giving Inari’s grandfather trouble. Communicating some choice information to the correct recipient had been enough. Gato was gone, along with most of his men. Tazuna-san was now known to be a friend of Uchiha; Shikamaru doubted he would have problems with men like Gato in the future.
Then there was Neji. No matter what, Shikamaru made time for Neji. They had run out of places to try fucking; Izumo had banned them from the engine rooms and Neji would not contemplate any of the really dangerous places, like Naruto’s nursery, the elite fighters’ communal bath or Asuma and Kurenai’s bedroom. Shikamaru had been forced to move to plan B, which meant recreating his room every few days. Luckily he had Haku to help him. The latest theme had been a nomad’s tent but yesterday they had changed it. He and Neji had agreed to meet and play a scene before the midday meal.
His strategy was working. Neji happily accepted blowjobs from his Shika. Shikamaru could touch Neji anywhere other than his hole. Next on Shikamaru’s list was Neji sucking him and Shikamaru being allowed to move; so far it only worked if Shikamaru was completely still, which he found extremely difficult. Shikamaru was hopeful that the new scenario had potential.
He pulled his mind away from Neji and considered whether they were on schedule to use the first of the three dates. The most difficult part of the plan was getting the gates and their installation crews to the precise places at the correct times. For that they required ships.
With Izumo and Kotetsu in the crew, ships were no longer a limiting factor. The pair had rebuilt Kisame’s ship and had helped Shino adapt its systems to the sharkman’s abilities. They concurred with Shikamaru’s plan to buy small ships and adapt them to be manned by pairs or trios of the elite fighters. They had even found time to supervise the cats and Sumaru stripping down and rebuilding the Snow Willow.
The only problem for Shikamaru was Kotetsu’s desire to know how the improver worked. Shikamaru sympathised but they had promised not to pry and, even more crucially, the outer case of the improver was heavily trapped. Shikamaru did not want Kotetsu blowing himself up. Even if he did not take the rest of them with him, it would leave Izumo bereft and the baby without one of her parents.
For the first time, Shikamaru appreciated the apprehension Kakashi must have felt every time he had told Shikamaru to leave something alone. It was a novel sensation.
Naruto finished looking at Haru and moved onto Hoshi. Sasuke preferred to project the images but Naruto’s eyes could cope with the direct, unenhanced feed. He talked to his daughter in a mixture of chirrups, words and yips. He ran his hand over the gestator, mimicking a mother caressing her abdomen.
Monitors picked up Naruto’s heartbeat when he was in the nursery, so that it could be amplified and played to the babies. When he left the room the sounds were replaced by a recording. He hoped the babies never realised that he left them; he wanted them to be certain that they were loved.
After the meeting about Kaze they would jump to the system where the scientist’s ship should be waiting. At first Naruto had been determined not to see the scientist but then Sasuke-teme had asked him if he wanted to look and feel like an old man before his babies were adults. Naruto had imagined his children being ashamed of him because he was obviously old and weak. Yes, he had admitted, he would take age retard treatments if they were available; that way he could make the most of his limited lifespan. Rin thought this scientist could help so Naruto would, reluctantly, meet him.
Naruto shook himself. He would see Gaara before the scientist. He was looking forward to seeing Gaara. They would have to be careful because Temari would be about, but Naruto hoped that Gaara would be able to wear the controller for some of the time. With luck, Shikamaru could come up with a reason for Gaara to stay when the Silver Leaf left.
Sasuke reread Shikamaru’s analysis of their current situation. Thanks to Izumo and Kotetsu, they were ahead of schedule. Everything now hung on whether Temari had the credit and whether Tsunade had managed to negotiate a deal for the gates. If they had the gates, they could move forward and use the first of Shikamaru’s three dates.
He sat back in his chair and considered. He was impressed by Inari. The lad was everything his application video had promised and more. Sasuke was even pleased that Kakashi was so interested in him. A few standards ago he would have been deeply jealous, as he had been when Kakashi-sensei had started training Naruto as a fighter. He smiled at the memory.
He checked the time. He could find Naruto well before the midmeal.
Naruto was, of course, in the nursery. He was viewing Hikaru and had activated the projector when he heard Sasuke coming. Sasuke looked at the tiny creature who was his son and was filled with pride. He leaned over Naruto, who was glued to the viewer, and kissed his neck. Naruto flexed to make the kiss easier and purred.
They both wanted to fuck. Being together with the babies often had that effect on them. They both knew there was not the time: Sasuke fucking Naruto was too likely to produce fluffy-soft-Naruto and Naruto fucking Sasuke risked them being stuck together when they were meant to be in the meeting. They would have to settle for a cuddle.
The thought of fluffy-soft-Naruto was particularly tempting. Sasuke went to book the bathroom for after the evening meal.
Ibiki was looking forward to seeing his old crew but he knew that Kakashi was going to give him a hard time; Jiraiya still teased him mercilessly. He straightened his spine. Sometimes a man had to do what a man had to do and this time it had been to put aside his machismo and become queen.
The crew had been dysfunctional. He had realised that when he first spaced with them but it had taken Iruka to challenge for Tayuya for him to decide something had to be done. Now it worked. Tsunade’s drinking was back under control, Jiraiya did duties, Suzume was relieved to be free of a role she could not do and their timekeeping was perfect.
They had even recruited another cat, a lass called Moegi, who was happy and making good progress. It had been a very busy two divs and, despite his trepidation of others’ reactions, Ibiki was very proud of what he had achieved. It was worth being ribbed by Kakashi.
And if he told himself that often enough he might come to believe it.
Gaara woke. It was so wonderful to wake. He stretched. His fingertips went to the controller. Today he should take it off, so that Temari did not realise he had broken their agreement. There were two problems with that. One, he did not want to take it off and, two, he was no longer sure if he could control himself; he had become accustomed to allowing himself to feel.
It was only Temari. There was no real danger in Temari knowing. Kankuro and his men were not coming to this meeting. Temari would not tell Kankuro. Temari might even choose to forgive him.
He sent a message to the Silver Leaf.
Neji was impressed. Shikamaru and Haku had managed to create a convincing shop. It helped that the bed and the rest of the furniture were long gone; except for his belongings in the lockers Shika had cleared the room to make scene-setting easier. There was a counter and rails bearing clothes. In one corner there was a changing area which was separated from the rest of the room by curtains. Neji had a quick look inside. There were mirrored walls and a chair. He flushed, immediately imagining what Shikamaru had in mind.
Neji caught sight of himself in one of the mirrors. Haku had dressed him in a men’s grey kimono with a black belt, which was very suitable for a shop assistant. However, Neji’s hair was up in a ponytail and he was wearing earrings with tiny bells. His face was subtly painted to make it look more feminine. His lips looked plump and pink. He had a badge that said, ‘My name is Neji. How may I assist you?’.
He took up his place behind the counter. A bell rang. Neji jumped. Of course a bell rang when the door opened; it was meant to be a shop.
Shika’s eyes lit up when he saw him. Haku’s instincts were, as always, infallible.
Anko had watched Shikamaru and Haku work their butts off transforming Shikamaru’s room for what had to be the twelfth time. She had offered to help and had been given the job of watching for Neji. If he appeared they would dive into the room and shut the door; Neji always moved slowly and made much noise on transformation days, so there was little doubt that Anko would realise he was on his way and give them plenty of warning.
Like the weird side of Sasuke and Naruto’s relationship and Haku’s cross dressing, Shikamaru’s obsessions with fucking in public places and with scene playing never came up in conversation. In the end Anko could not resist asking Shino about it, despite knowing that there was history between him and Shikamaru. Shino had, very calmly, explained that Neji had been frigid when he had joined the crew and that this was part of Shikamaru’s campaign to make their relationship work. He even confided in her why Neji was like that, which had made her want to throw up. He described everything Shikamaru had tried; building the database, celibacy, submission, fucking in inappropriate places and now playing scenes. He told her that Neji was reliving the horror of his past through therapy in the hope that he could respond.
He also explained the ring that Shikamaru wore on the chain about his neck. It had made her want to cry.
Later she had wondered why Shino had told her so much. Once she worked out the reason she had been ashamed. He had been rebuking her for being so impatient, for wanting to squeeze every drop out of their relationship immediately and for not being willing to let it grow slowly so that it would be truly sound.
Neji had looked particularly fetching once Haku had dressed him as a shop assistant. Anko had offered a small prayer to no particular deity that the scene would go well and was pleased when the two of them had appeared at the midday meal holding hands. They were obviously freshly from the shower; Shikamaru had his hair down because it still too wet to put up. They looked adorable together. Anko’s hand found Shino’s under the table. He looked at her with what she had learned to read as surprise; usually she would play footsie or grope him. She smiled and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back. It was nice.
Tayuya scowled. Everyone in their crew room was obsessed with sex. Even Iruka-sensei melted into a puddle of goo when Kakashi touched him. As for Konohamaru, his life revolved about his prick. If he wasn’t putting it into Haku he was getting Inari to play with it; not that Inari seemed to mind. Today Shikamaru and Neji wouldn’t stop staring into each other’s eyes during the midmeal. Shikamaru had his hair down, which he never did, and Tayuya couldn’t help noticing how pretty he was, which was annoying.
She kicked Sumaru under the table. He scowled at her. She kicked again. He kicked back. She waited until Iruka-sensei was looking the other way and flicked a bean at him. It was a perfect hit, bouncing off his cheek. He retaliated and Iruka-sensei caught him. He was sent to his room. She smirked at him as he left the table. Then Iruka-sensei asked her if she had anything to tell him, so she ended up in her room as well.
At least it was her room, not the punishment room, so she had her flute.
Temari was suspicious as soon as she heard Gaara’s message. It was not that he wanted a private meeting, that was to be expected, it was something in the tone of his voice. Maybe that was it; there was tone in his voice.
Spacing on the Silver Leaf had been much better than in the past because Ibiki had made everyone behave. She wondered if Ibiki could have coped with Tayuya but doubted it. Tayuya was better off with Iruka-san. Moegi might have less potential but she was much more amenable. Her presence made spacing more pleasant, which could never be said of Tayuya.
Their trip had been successful. The bank had been more than willing to lend her credit with a planet as security and once she had petacredits to spend the gaters had been pleased to deal; buying six gates made her their best client. Tsunade had concentrated on securing swift delivery and the services of the installation crews rather than reducing the cost. Temari tried not to think how many systems would deprived of their gate upgrade, but they could make the first of Shikamaru’s dates with time to spare.
She went to meet Gaara as soon as they docked. As she had half expected, he was wearing one of Shikamaru’s modified controllers. He was apologetic. They exchanged news. There were tiny flashes of a Gaara she hadn’t seen since he was a little boy, before the consequences of him losing control had become lethal. Temari quizzed him on the controller. When she was satisfied that it was effective, she stepped into his personal space and hugged him.
He lost control, as she had known he would, but there was barely time for him to snarl before he lost consciousness. She slung him over her shoulder, took him into his ship and put him into his chair. She kissed his forehead. Then she went to find Shikamaru.
Shikamaru was on his way to the meeting room. He was with Neji, Sasuke and Naruto. They rounded a corner and he spotted Temari, alone, walking with purpose towards him. They stopped. He and Naruto exchanged glances. Shikamaru was sure that Temari had found out about Gaara’s controller. He steeled himself for an attack.
She stopped about four paces from him. Then, to his astonishment, she knelt, leaned forward and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“I thank you, Shikamaru-san,” she told him. “For returning my brother to me.”