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Yura crumpled, sliding smoothly off of Shikamaru’s kunai onto the moonlit sand. Shikamaru reached out to stabilize himself against the wall, but his leg suddenly gave out on him. Temari caught him, as he knew she would, and she guided him to a seated position, propped against the armory wall. They took a moment to take each other in, trying to catalogue the other's injuries as the adrenaline drained away. Shikamaru was relieved to see that she was much less wounded than him and Yura. She had a few lacerations on her arms, a gash on her leg, and one puncture wound, all bleeding sluggishly. Injuries she received from covering his position.
Temari straightened, glancing around warily. They hadn’t exactly been quiet during the fight to keep the Suna Council traitor from tipping off Sasori. "You can't walk," she stated.
Shikamaru shook his head. “You should go.” Whether to hide or to catch up to Kankuro, it would be better for her to leave him behind.
Temari pursed red lips. “They’ll execute you when they find you here,” she reminded him.
Just Shikamaru, not her. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to die, but he was glad that Temari's status as a Lady of Suna protected her from the same fate. If she were to stay, she would only be detained, not executed.
Shikamaru thought back to Suna’s favored methods of execution. He shifted slightly, fingers itching to move into their customary position. “Publicly?”
Black Antling sprang from the ground, enclosing Shikamaru inside. Temari pounded fruitlessly on its metal body. "Shikamaru!"
"Enough of that, Lady Temari." Lord Tojuro approached with a full complement of guards. “Don't get yourself into more trouble.”
“Don’t fight,” Shikamaru weakly implored her from inside the puppet. “I’ll be reunited with my brother soon.” Temari caught his meaning and fought to keep the air of a panicked Lady. Stupid self-sacrificing Konoha nincompoop, she internally fumed.
“Yes, don’t embarrass yourself further." The senior council member sneered. “Guards, restrain her.” Maizuru, Captain of the Guard in Kankuro’s absence, motioned at two of his men, and they grabbed her by the arms, pulling her away from Shikamaru’s current prison.
"Wait, Lord Tojuro, please!" Temari pleaded, every cloying word tasting like ash inside her mouth. "This isn't what it looks like!"
"Oh, so you didn't conspire with an envoy from Konoha to murder a Council member?" Lord Tojuro tutted. "My mistake, my lady."
"Yura was a traitor to Suna!" Temari argued, despite knowing it would fall on deaf ears. "Please don't execute him!"
"But he did assassinate Lord Yura?"
Temari forced herself to hang her head in a mockery of defeat. "Yes, he did," she admitted.
"Then as you yourself have pointed out,” Lord Tojuro pointed out, satisfaction dripping from every word. “Tradition dictates that foreign assassins must be publicly executed." The council member turned to Maizuru and ordered, “Set it up for tomorrow at noon and take that mongrel to the dungeon. Lock the lady in her room.”
Temari twisted her head to watch as the guards dragged Shikamaru away, holding herself tense until he was out of sight. This better work, she thought.
The sun glared high overhead. Civilians and ninja alike gathered on the tiered walls outside the village. Temari fingered her handcuffs as she watched the guards drag Shikamaru out of the village gate. After a final push, they retreated, leaving him to limp further into the desert.
The wind slowly picked up, sand obscuring him from view as it gained in intensity. Temari clenched her fists in front of her, trying to maintain her outward appearance of calm. Please let him be okay, she chanted helplessly.
Lord Tojuro nodded to Maizuru, and the Captain rang the gong, though it was barely audible over the roar of the sandstorm. Temari raised her cuffed hands to shield her eyes from the abrasive particles. Maizuru rang the gong again.
Suddenly, the entire desert went still. The roar of the storm suddenly ceased, leaving only the echo of the second gong ringing across the desert. The dust cleared, revealing three figures in the far distance. Gaara began striding confidently towards the village gates. Kankuro followed behind, seemingly unharmed. Shikamaru limped slightly behind them. Temari nearly collapsed in relief. The gambit had paid off!
Temari had barely been able to sleep, worrying over a thousand what-ifs. What if Shikamaru’s injuries kill him before noon? What if Kankuro’s Suna-Konoha team doesn’t make it in time to rescue Gaara? What if they lose to Sasori, even with the element of surprise that they had killed Yura to keep?
Temari studied their movements closely, trying to pick out any injuries on the three of them. Gaara seemed entirely unharmed, Kankuro only tired, and Shikamaru with no more injuries than he had had the last time she saw him. The whispers around her grew louder in volume, the closer they approached. They finally dissolved into cheers when the villagers realized their Kazekage had returned to them.
Gaara stopped just a few feet away from the wall. He held up a hand to quiet the crowd.
Lord Tojuro took the opportunity to exclaim, “Gaara! Where have you been?”
“Yura betrayed Suna and handed me over to Sasori of the Red Sand, in league with the Akatsuki.” Gaara's steady voice projected across the calm desert. You could hear a reed crack. “We are henceforth cutting all ties with the Akatsuki.”
Gaara motioned, and Kankuro stepped forward to lay Sasori's corpse on the sand.
“Lord Tojuro, as Kazekage, I call you to account for your actions!" Gaara proclaimed. Temari smiled as she watched Lord Tojuro’s face turn redder than a heatstroke. "You have not been acting in Suna’s best interests. Striking deals with organizations like the Akatsuki and now picking fights with Konoha?"
“How dare you, boy!” Lord Tojuro yelled, spittle flying everywhere. “Everything I do is in Suna’s best interest! I was killing for Suna long before your father was even born! You are not fit to be Kazekage!”
“On the contrary, you, Lord Tojuro, are not fit to be an elder on the Suna Council,” Gaara calmly responded. “I hereby strip you of your title and responsibilities. Please remand yourself to custody immediately.”
Lord Tojuro was so mad he was shaking. Temari stepped up beside him, cheekily announcing, “Here, I have some handcuffs.”