Chapter 15
“Lord Rasa, the Hokage said you wanted to speak with me?” Neji said while his head bowed to the Kazekage in front of him.
“Neji Hyuga…..a Hyuga. Such a powerful clan” Rasa said in his low voice while he walked slowly towards him “You’re the one who sent the message about my daughter?”
“Yes” he gulped
“I like your honesty young man. I like that you reported it to me immediately. How was she?”
“She’s……doing great Lord Kazekage. Your daughter is skillful in battle, she won most of her sparing, and she---” before he continues, Rasa interrupted him.
“I know my daughter!” his voice becomes louder while he glared at Neji intently which made his knees shake a little “She’s strong, equipped, determined….and stubborn”
“In—Indeed. I agree with you Lord Rasa”
“I wanted to know about her condition, inside the camp? Sure, there were a lot of young men who glared at her like prey, ready to attack or do anything other than harm, was it?”
“No---No, uhmm. I commanded the other leaders to keep an eye on the princess. She’s protected”
“Very well. Can I request something from you Hyuga? A task perhaps?”
“Of course, Lord Kazekage. I’ll do what you command” he said while his eyes avoid the Kazekage
“Can you retrieve the princess for me? I want her to be in Suna in five days”
Neji lifted his head and looked at him. Sure, it was easy for him to retrieve his daughter on Kika island but there's a force inside him that made his fear arise. Maybe the way Rasa stared at him, speak at him, or even his presence inside the room? But one thing Neji was sure, he was terrified.
“Do you understand….Hyuga?”
He nodded “I understand Lord Kazekage. I’ll retrieve the princess immediately after reaching Kika island. Forgive me my Lord but I need to go now, the ship will be leaving in a few minutes”
“Alright, you may go now” Rasa turn around and walked toward his desk. Neji bowed at him before leaving but when he reached the door, Rasa spoke.
“Oh..and Hyuga. Can you make sure that my daughter is as good and pure when you returned her to my village? Just like how she was when she left Suna?...... The thing is...Hyuga, I don’t trust your men, honestly. Having my daughter surrounded by people like you is an insult to me”
Neji stared at the wooden floor of Rasa’s room while he moistens his now dried lips.
“And tell her that she should prepare herself when she sees me” Rasa said
His head becomes hazy after he heard his last command. Rasa’s voice and stares were in pure rages, like an evil he feared at night.
“I---I understand Lord Kazekage. I’ll bring back the princess in perfect condition” Neji responded and immediately left his room to catch the next ship going to Kika island.
Seven months, that’s how long the Akatsuki were staying on Ouza Island. Only three of them survived, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. Unbeknownst to the samurai armed forces, only Konan and Yahiko exist. Nagato always remained hidden as he was the master controller of the group, they never thought that there was another Akatsuki member.
They left with only 500 soldiers that currently protecting the island and they act as their defense in case the samurais attacked them.
Yahiko stared at the endless sea from the top of the mountain island. Behind him was a cave where they were staying and where Nagato was hiding. Konan walked towards him and holds his hand.
“We’re going to own everything, everything that we see, right Konan?” he said
“Yes” she smiled while staring at him
“The world is cruel…….if you’re weak and will not going to fight. Death will crawl up to you and snatch your soul” his voice becomes low
“Shhh, we’re going to survive. We will be going to achieve our peace” she holds his hands and grips them firmly
“When? All our life we’ve been fighting just to survive just for those villages to keep their peace. How about us? When are were going to achieve our peace? To finally have soil on our feet, food in our mouths, clothes for our skin, and not to roam around the sea like a beggar begging for crap of lands”
“Soon” she whispered “Do you trust me?....Yahiko? Soon we were going to have our peace”
There’s a moment of silence after she said that. He stared at Konan’s eyes where his peace resides, it’s her that keeps him sane during the war. He nodded at her as a sign of agreement and they both walked inside the cave.
Nagato was sitting on a mineral boulder while waiting for the two, they were about to discuss their strategy for the upcoming war. A news broke to them about the samurai armed forces having the plan to attack their island, thanks to Hidan they were able to get the samurai who confessed everything about the Kages' plan. Hidan then left their location to attack the Demon island, a deception to scatter the armed forces and to minimize their number.
Hidan was able to wipe out all the samurais under Commander Orochimaru and Commander Hiashi's lead, he died in that war as well as the two commanders……in their belief but unknown to them, the other commander survived.
Winter has come and snow was now covering the grassland of the island. It’ll be hard for them to fight in this condition but they need to be prepared.
The three of them grew up together and witnessed the harsh world they lived in. Their families were nomads on land and they were always thrown to the sea where they barely survived. Pirates, as everyone labeled them. Every time they step on the land, they always been captured and prisoned by the people living in there. So, they fought and then starts to steal their properties, vegetables, fresh water, clothes, and anything a man needs to survive.
The people on the land also have their weapons like katana, kitchen knife, arrows, and everything that could kill a person but they haven’t so they starts stealing them and killing all the people who owned them.
From then on, their families can now defend themselves but the people on the land depict them as the demon of the sea. Now, all the villages wanted to kill them because of their inhumane action. It's one of their consequences just for them to get a taste of fresh water and food, not the usual wastewater and rotten food they opted to eat just to survive.
They tried to become morally justified before they starts killing people, asking them for spare food from their table but their actions towards them were not the same as their morality. Their hunger, frustration, and anger pushed them to their limit.
“Five fleets of pirates from Kisame will arrive next week in here” Nagato lowly said while the darkness of the cave covered his entire body.
“Kisame? I thought they were fighting Commander Guy and Kakashi in summoning island?” Yahiko curiously asked while he lit the candle on their table.
“He sacrificed himself just to provide us his fleet. He was now in the hands of the two commanders”
Konan released a heavy sigh after hearing Kisame’s fate “No..No way…He cannot die. Nagato he---”
“He's already dead, Konan. So, prepare yourselves for our next war! The samurais will arrive on this island the same week his fleet will arrive”
At the Kika island, Temari opened her eyes while smelling the jasmine and musk scent of his futon, just like exactly what she smelled the first time she stayed in his room. Her lips formed into a smile, she felt like she was in a cloud and just had a glimpse of heaven when the thought of being with Shikamaru invaded her mind.
All the things they did in his room will be her favorite part and she never regrets any of it.
Her hand pulled the blanket in their bed trying to cover her naked chest, she was about to stand up to look for her kimono when suddenly Shikamaru entered their room with food in his hand. He placed it on the table beside his futon where Temari was laying and kissed her lips.
“I brought you breakfast” he whispered
Temari smiled at him while she grabbed his kimono, Shikamaru sit down beside her and starts kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder while the blanket start to fall down, exposing her chest. His hands start to glide down to her back for support, feeling her soft skin while caressing her lips. He broke the kiss and whispered.
“What are we going to do after the war?” he asked. Day and night, he wanted to find the answer on how to make her as his wife, to marry her but he knows it will be a challenge to convince and please her father and brothers.
“After the war?....” she said in her low voice “I haven’t thought about that and I don’t want to think about it” Temari doesn’t want to know what will happen after the war and doesn’t have any plan for that. There’s always a possibility of death and thinking about him being dead after the war was pure agony for her. She only lives for the present, where both of them exist in their best phases in life.
“Uhmmm---well, do you want to see my village? I can tour you around if you will stay there. I’ll prepare our mansion for you” he offered while pulling the blanket to cover her, afraid that she might catch a cold.
She smiled after seeing his pleading eyes and the thought of traveling to another village felt like an adventure to her, not her usual locked-up prison palace cell moment of her in Suna.
“Just promise me that you’ll survive after the war. Don’t make me visit your village just to see your grave! I’m going to kill you” she warned
“And promise me as well that you’ll be going to survive too, you know. You’re the only reason I want to survive this war. I only have you, Temari” he grabbed her hands and starts kissing them “and hey! How is it possible for you to kill me if I’m in my grave? Seriously woman?”
They both laughed at the silly conversation they had. It was these kinds of moments that made their life easier during the war and wished they could stay like this forever. They kissed again while laughing under their breaths when suddenly a knock was heard on their door.
Shikamaru forgot to lock his door and someone immediately opened it, uninvited. They were both in shock when they saw who stands in front of the door.
“Is that?----Is that Rasa’s daughter?” Neji said while breathing heavily. His eyes were now in bloodshot after seeing Shikamaru kissing the princess without wearing anything.
