[OP: "The Truth is a Cave" --The Oh Hellos]

Ino was on the ground before she even knew what had broken the window.

She'd both moved and Sai had moved and pushed her down.

Glass rained one over them or was already on the floor--Ino felt some on her hand, but she didn't think it cut her.

"What--?" she started to ask.

To her surprise, Sai covered her mouth at once.

But Sai was well trained for surprise attacks and this had all the earmarks of one.

They both froze.

They heard glass break again half a second later. Then again, and again. Half the windows in the building must have been broken.

But then they heard glass breaking from farther away, as if the other buildings in the compound were being attacked in the same way.

Ino could tell there were people outside the window. Their mental energy was discernible, but she knew she hadn't sensed it before.

The only way must have been underground, or they had come out of a tunnel using Earth Jutsu, because earth and rock could block electromagnetic signatures the best.

She wasn't as precise as Karin, so she didn't know who it was, but of course who else could it be but the Stone shinobi?

Were they going to kill them? Was this an ambush?

They must be hopelessly outnumbered right now. No way they could take the whole force of Stone Village!

Ino was not one to panic at bad odds, at last not audibly, but she did freeze up.

However, Sai did not give her much chance to do this, he immediately started to creep away from the open window and was tugging her so that she could move also.

It was hard to do this while staying low, and being this close to each other, but neither of them tried to move farther out.

They did crawl out of the moonlight cast by the window and into the shadows of the hall.

Ino's heart was pounding so fast she thought the attackers would hear it.

Before she could try to focus enough to connect with Sai mentally, they were interrupted by Wally appearing in the hallway.

He had his running shoes on so he didn't step on the glass, but he didn't crack it.

He ran past them at first, but then turned back and stopped.

"Ino? Sai?" he said. "That's you right? It's too dark."

"It's us," Ino said in a hushed voice this time. "Get down, Mr. West."

"It's fine, I can dodge," Wally said. "But they aren't hurling any more rocks here."

It was true.

"It seems almost like a warning shot, I heard it go off all up and down the property," Wally said. "I'm helping everyone out of the rooms nearest to those windows, but no one's coming in the place, yet. You two need to get away from here, into one of the more center areas...there's not really one here, but in the center building there's that room that's like a sitting room."

Sai nodded. "You can take us there after than we can--but should I-"

"Don't do anything yet," Wally said. "Just wait. Shine will probably have a better idea about this, and Gaara will not want us to rush anything."

Without another word, he whisked them both into the central building so fast that Ino nearly choked on the air.

In this room they found half of the team already waiting. The boys mostly. Shine was also there, with Karin, who had her hands over her ears. But she was sniffing the air, so she hadn't entirely gone to pieces. [That's a weird way to know that, when you look at it.]

"I'll get the other girls," Wally said. Vanishing again.

"Karin what do you sense?" Suigetsu was impatient. "Who's out there?

"I told you, it's Stone Village!" Karin snapped.

"Who else would it be?" Dabi said. "But anyone we know?"

"Some of them do seem familiar," Karin said. "but not that familiar. As if I only met them once...are they going to kill us?" she was shaking.

Shine patted her hair. "They will not kill you while we're here. I can take us out of here if necessary, I don't sense any magic or anything that would stop me. Try not to panic... are the rest of you all right?"

"Fine," Kankuro said. "I mean, physically." He looked mad.

"This is an outrage," Gaara was angry also, and again it was frightening. "We already were going to leave, what is the sense of this? I haven't seen such stupidity in a long time."

"And he lives in Sand Village," Dabi said.

"That remark is not helpful," Gaara said to him sharply. 

"Yeah Sand Village is a dream compared to this," Kankuro said. "I'm never going to complain about our stubborn politics against. At least they don't throw rocks at us."

"Sure, just the assassination attempts every month," Dabi said.

"Well, this isn't much different than that, but at least the assassins were honest about it," Kankuro grumbled.

"Oh to live in a world where that's a normal thing today," Dabi said drolly.

"Is it not where you used to live?" Shine said, just as drolly. "Can you please try not to make things worse, Touya?"

Even her saying this put Dabi out.

Shoto was leaning on the wall nervously. "I hope Momo and Camie are all right," he said.

"And the other girls," Sai added.

"Yes," Shoto said.

He did care about the other girls, but he was quite unabashedly one to prefer people he knew better, and it showed.

Ino was worried about Camie being closer to the assault, because though she was on the other side of the building, they could still hear things breaking.

"Wait...did they surround us?" she asked.

"Yes," Shine's eyes were glimmering. "On all sides. They're all around both parallel walls of the buildings."

Ino shivered.

"Even I have to say," Shikamaru said. "This is exceeding all my expectations of their behavior, and that is saying something, since usually people's actions do not surprise me this much."

"Glad to know you're enjoying it," Bakugo said.

"I'm not," Shikamaru said.

"I was being freaking sarcastic," Bakugo grumbled.

"But are we in any danger?" Shoto asked.

"They'd be mad to come in here and give us a reason to say this was self defense," Shine said in the kind of tone that they knew meant danger from her.

But they were glad it was on their side at the moment.

"Can we go out there and kick their a--es?" Bakugo asked.

"Katsuki, you know the answer to that," Shine said.

"But they're asking for it, and this is an attack, technically it's already self defense," Bakugo argued.

"How about the answer of 'you'd be crazy to go out there alone and give them a moving target'?" Shine retorted. "And if you try, I'll tie you down."

When she made threats like that to the free-spirited Bakugo, you knew it was bad. Normally, Shine took the diplomatic approach with him.

So Bakugo didn't dare fight it and he was quiet.

"Those bullies," Naruto made a fist. "I'm starting to hate them."

Wally reappeared now with Sasuke, who of course was in the girls building like Sai had been, and Amie and Momo.

"The Hyuga girls are waiting," he panted. "But I didn't find Temari in her room. Momo says she rushed out and didn't come back in, but it happened so fast she didn't see where she went.

"Temari wouldn't be stupid enough to go out there, would she?" Shikamaru asked.

"She was kind of mad earlier," Kankuro said. "Temari's a reasonable person for the most part, but you know when she gets really angry, she does tend to lose it."

"I'm worried that she will unleash havoc on them," Gaara said. "And while I would almost like to join her at this point, they would be sure to retaliate. I had better go get her."

"Oh no you don't," Shine said. "You're not in the state of mind to do anything."

"Shine-sensei, I am the kazekage," Gaara began to get upset more. "And I can decide if I will do something."

Shine fixed him with a dreadful look. "And while, normally, that's something I would accept, not this time. I am your teacher still, and this time I'm pulling rank. Try to disobey me, and you will find out exactly why I am still your teacher."

That threat surprised Gaara greatly. Shine had never, even once, threatened to use force on him save perhaps when he'd been possessed by the Shikaku and she'd really had no choice then.

He was no coward, but he didn't think it would be wise to test her.

Sasuke was very surprised also, and since this was enough to make him forget his own problems for the time, he almost started to enjoy it in a morbid way. Excitement was perhaps the only emotion danger elicited from him anymore, though it was a dull excitement. But at least it was interesting.

"Yeah, no one go out there," Wally said. "I'll have to get Temari."

"Get the other girls first, honey," Shine said. "She might be still in the building, just hiding."

"Okay," Wally disappeared again.

"Shine, I have an idea of where Temari might have gone," Shikamaru said. "I I know he she's gone out there to blast them to kingdom come. I could stop her more discreetly, and Wally-san doesn't climb the wall."

"Granted," Shine said. "But he might run up it."

"It would be safer for one of us to try that," Shikamaru said. "You know I'll keep my head."

Shine's eyes gleamed. "I can see her already--and you're right, she's up there. I could bring her down myself, but that light would be sure to draw them...and after what happened earlier, they might just attack us more if I do anything like 'magic'...Okay, but stay hidden."

"I'm not anxious to fight them," Shikamaru said.

He went for the window and out of it with the ease ninja have.

"Dang, you guys are slick," Camie commented. "Also I'm freaking out!" She sounded a little wobbly. 

Bakugo took her hand and she just leaned into his shoulder instead.

Bakugo actually awkwardly patted her back --He wasn't used to just giving comforting embraces, but it was the kind of time when on one would make fun of him for it.

Wally dropped the Hyugas off after that, and Tenten also. She was calm enough, and Hinata was surprisingly solid, but Hanabi had her breaking point.

She was in tears. Though she was quiet about it, so at least she wasn't fully losing control.

She seemed even younger when she was crying, and many of them felt a surge of anger at the attackers. They were doing this so unnecessary and for what? To scare children? To scare people who had never done them any harm? It was so low, it was so petty, it was...just wrong.

"Don't cry," Hinata tried to soothe her sister. "It'll...be over soon, I'm sure."

Hanabi was not comforted.

"I should pummel those b----ds for making her cry," Naruto said.

"Naruto," Shine said in the same tone as before.

"I won't, I won't," he grumbled. "I know you're just going to stop me...'sides after earlier I might just make it worse."

"Sakura is not here," Sasuke suddenly noticed.

That he of all people noticed it first was surprising.

"Tsunade and her might have been talking," Shine said, "I'm not sure he even went to bed. Tsunade's room."

"I forgot to check there," Wally slapped his forehead. "Dang it, I completely forgot that we had other people here now."

He disappeared.

"Guess he still is kind of spazzy at times," Dabi said.

Shine gave him a warning look.

She was so tense that others began to notice it. Shine, the one who never lost her cool.

She must worry that the attackers would not be content with the window and would soon come inside after them...and even if they had the advantage over them, this was still the Stone's home turf. They would be sure to have a trick up their sleeves.

Wally appeared with Tsunade and Sakura now. Tsunade had had half a mind to go out and beat up the people herself, but had ruled it out as the wisest choice. And she had reined Sakura in for once.

Sakura was likely too shaken up to want to fight anyway.

"Why are they doing this?" she asked.

"To rub salt in the wound," Tsunade said firmly. "But the idea of doing it while I'm here, as well as Gaara...are they mad?"

"I almost think they're not all Stone Shinobi," Karin mused, tilting her head. "But... that doesn't make any sense."

Ino moved toward the wall. "Maybe if I used my jutsu, I could find out why they're doing this? That's what it's for."

"Ino, I don't think that will be necessary," Shine said. "We can guess."

"I can do it quick," Ino said. She peered out the shattered window in this room...it was smaller but she could see some people tho tit.

Then she made the handshape.

"Sis, there's broken glass over there!" Camie called.

She and Sai rushed forward in time to catch Ino's body before he fell.

"Why would she do something so stupid?" Sakura griped. "They could catch her doing it."

"Maybe she just wants to help," Momo said, leaning next to Shoto. "This is horrible--but I'm almost starting to get used to it. That's almost worse, isn't it?"

"It is," Shoto knew from experience.

***

Outside, Ino entered the mind of one of the Stone shinobi.

She didn't harm him, but through his eyes, she saw the shattered windows and the people around the opening.

They looked sinister in that lighting, and with their faces mostly covered.

She looked back at the compound and then she thought the broken windows formed almost a pattern. Not every single window had been broken, and she could pick out a kind of shape made by the ones with holes.

行

行, it meant Go. [Also part of the phrase 'to carry out'].

It wasn't perfectly made by the windows, but it was close enough, she was sure it was that word.

Go, go....go!

The message was so simple and clear that it was...kind of juvenile In a way that really made it more frightening.

"They're doing as we told them," one of the other Stone said to her, not knowing she was in control. "But I really don't know about using bandits."

"You know what they said, it's better this way," said another Shinobi. "Back up now, before someone in there sees us, I'm sure I saw one of them look out that window a second ago."

"Which one?" said the first.

"I don't know, the blonde one maybe?"

"There's more than one of those."

"The one with the long hair," said the second Stone. "But why?"

"Why? That one is a Yamananka. she could be spying on us right now!" The first was a little too clever. "In fact, Kota, what's got your tongue?"

Ino wasn't sure what to say.

"Nothing," she said aloud. "You're right, we should move back."

"You seem a little off," the first one was suspicious. "Maybe you are here, huh? What's my name?"

Ino knew to just release the jutsu at that point.

As she raised her hands, they jumped at her savagely and she shrieked and closed her eyes as she released it.

For a second she wasn't sure if it worked since she felt hands grabbing her and she swung blindly.

But she just hit Sai in the face and nearly caught Camie on the shoulder.

"Girl chill!" Camie cried. "Ain't no one trying to hurt you."

Ino blinked. "Oh...oh sorry! I thought they had me for a second."

"Probably not with that swing," Sai was rubbing his face.

"I thought you were the Stone!" Ino said. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"I mean it was impressive," Camie said, "for someone who was just unconscious a second ago you were pretty fast. You nearly got me."

"I did get you," Ino put a hand to Sai's face. "You're bleeding."

"I think that was from the window, actually," Sai hadn't noticed at the time where the glass had nicked him when it broke. He also had sliced his hand on the glass when he dropped to the ground.

"I've got it," Ino's hand lit up.

[Ino healing Sai art done by Julianna Gardner.]

"Shouldn't you move before you do that?" Tenten called.

"Did you at least learn anything useful out there, Flower girl?" Bakugo asked impatiently.

Ino look up. "Oh...uh, yes. I learned that the bandits are out there."

"What?!" everyone else said.

"Well, that's what one of them said," Ino said. "I don't know why. Something about it being better that way."

"Better that way..." Gaara said.

"The same ones we put away earlier?" Suigetsu said. "Wow, how ungrateful."

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" he said. "I knew it was ironic when I said it. But have a sense of humor."

Shine thought about it. "The only thing I can think of is that perhaps this way they can blame them for any repercussions from this. If it was bandits, then the village is not responsible for them. Yet another loophole that falls apart if you looked at it too closely but the other Villages wouldn't probe the matter."

"This so dumb," Wally said.

He rushed to the window.

"We get it" He yelled. "You want us to go! if you'd quit throwing rocks at the house and leave us alone, we might actually be able to leave! Why don't you cowards own up to it?"

Silence met this outburst.

"The window outside," Ino remembered suddenly. "They spelled something, 'Go'".

"You mean the kanji?" Momo asked.

"Yes, it was crude, but you could see it if you looked at the right angle," Ino nodded. 

"Are they for real?" Bakugo said.

"Yeah, they could at least have done something more creative," Dabi snorted. "What are we? A joke to them?"

"Does this bother you at all?" Karin asked them, put out.

"Oh sure," Bakugo said. "But after having my camp set on fire and attacked with noxious gas, this isn't really on the same level."

"It is a little less intense than that," Shoto said. "I'm surprised you shinobi are taking it harder, aren't you used to this? Pain destroyed your Village."

"That only happened to Leaf," Sakura said. "The rest of them aren't used to this on this kind of scale...and this is still different. We're in enemy territory right now."

"I say we just portal out of her now," Kankuro said. "Shine, come-on, this is the time to use it."

"If I must, but we don't have our stuff," Shine pointed out. "They might go away."

"I think they are actually," Wally said. "Maybe I scared them off."

"Well, you did just yell at them like they were kids on your lawn, while they were stoning our hours," Camie said. "That would freak me out a little if I were them...you good, now, Sai-fi?

"I think I'm fine," Sai said.

Ino realized she still had his hand up and put it down, sheepishly. "I forgot I was doing that..."

"Ugh, how can she flirt at a time like this," Tenten muttered, but Ino didn't hear her, thankfully.

"I suppose you'll let this go also," Sasuke said to Shine, darkly. "how many more things must they do before you actually do something about it."

"And what would you suggest I do?" Shine showed a rare moment of irritation with Sasuke that was not just her putting him in his place. 

"If you showed them your true power, they wouldn't dare to do this," Sasuke said.

"Maybe we should just call down fire from heaven on them," Shine said. "Maybe we should ask the earth to open up and swallow them."

"That might not be effective on earth shinobi," Sai observed.

Shine didn't pay him any mind.

"Maybe we should toss them into the depths of the sea," she added, indigently.

"That all sounds good," Sasuke dared to say snarkily.

No one else would have had the gall right now. Even Dabi wasn't sure he should poke the bear.

But Sasuke cared not at all what Shine did to him at the moment. He was too worked up by the day's events.

Maybe Shine knew it too, because she didn't waste her time threatening him or rebuking him for what he said.

In fact, strangely, she laughed. It was a dry, wry laugh but it wasn't bitter.

That bothered Sasuke more than her anger would have.

"What's so funny?" he said, darkly. 

"You don't know what you're asking, " Shine said, almost calmly now. "But I do...well it's happened before. And you're not the first disciple to ask for this...Perhaps we should call you the Son of Thunder now. The chidori thing would make it work."

"It kind of would," Camie felt better now that Shine was laughing. 

"What does she mean?" Shoto said.

"James and John of Zebedee," Momo replied. "They asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven on someone who mocked him. They were called the sons of thunder by him also." [Unlike the Chosen series suggested, this was not because they asked for fire from heaven, they already had that nickname. I don't like that the series made it out like it was an insult when the disciples used it.]

"Camie remembered that and I didn't?" Shoto said.

"Sure, it reminded me of Bakugo," Camie said.

That tracked actually.

"You talk about this when we should be leaving," Sakura said impatiently. "I do want to stay here another minute."

"Well, young lady, I'm sorry, but you will have to stay here another minute'" Shine was suddenly bad to her usual businesslike self now. "Where is Temari and Shikamaru? If it we're not a couple and ioat iaon o I would be s they e up to something, but I can't see that happening."

"They're outside," Karin said. "But they don't seem to be moving...Maybe they got in trouble. But the Stone are running now..."

"Then I'd better go get them," Wally said.

***

Temari had been all set to fight of the stone...and she'd had some success, since some of them had climbed onto the roof to perhaps do more damage.

Temari blasted them off of it, easily enough. But some of the ninjas below her had seen her and had made hand signs.

The roof under her had become softer and then then hard spines had shot out of it and shoved her to the ground outside.

Just in time for Shikamaru to miss being able to catch her.

Cursing to himself, he jumped down after her as the attackers moved to press their advantage.

"Do we kill her?" he heard one ask.

"No one said nothing about killing," said another.

"They did say not to either, if they came out where we could get them."

Shikamaru had trouble using his shadows in faint light, but thankfully there was enough moonlight to manage it this time. He managed to catch them both before they could do anything else. Then he began to walk them away from Temari, while moving closer to her himself.

She was stuck in the trouble, literally, by the soft earth that was sucking her down.

"I hate earth style!" She said, though Gaara's was basically earth style so those were bold words.

[Question: Why isn't Kankuro's puppeting considered a form of woodstyle jutsu?]

Shikamaru was just close enough to start to say something to reproach her for coming out here at all when someone else hit him with a shurinken in the side of the neck.

He was likely not cut deep enough to be serious, but he lost his focus.

The two shinobi sprang onto the wall to get out of his reach. Then the earth rose up and swallowed him and Temari at the same time, encasing them in a large globe like shape.

Perhaps the jutsu caster lacked the precision to make it small enough to crush them, earth formation were hard to do, especially tight shapes. In any case, there was still room to breathe.

"What were you thinking coming out here?!" Shikamaru said, though it was now pointless to say it.

"I'm tired of this!" Temari sounded like she was on her last nerve. "Time and again we've swallowed our pride and been the bigger person! And what do we get in return? They think we're weak! Maybe if I showed them just how powerful I really am--"

"And then what?" Shikamaru interrupt her. "What will that solve? It'll just make you feel better for a moment and then you'll be back to the same problem as before...this isn't going to bring peace."

Temari hit the side of the rock shell since she was still stuck. But she seemed more frustrated in the sad way now. "I don't know what else to do..." she said in a lower voice.

"I don't think you have to do something here," Shikarmaru lit his lighter.

"What are you doing? You'll burn up the air in here," Temari said.

"I don't have another light , all right? I was going to try to free you," Shikamaru said. "Then maybe we can get out of here, if they don't crush us first."

"Then give me that," Temari held out her hand.

"Promise you won't chuck it at me first."

"Wasting time."

"Fine," Shikamaru handed it to her. "But don't lose it."

"This was your sensei's" Temari remembered that someone had said that before.

Shikamaru paused slightly while bending down. "Yeah."

"I won't lose it." Temari said, almost matter of factly.

Shikamaru tried to get her feet out of the earth. "This stuff is like putty...strange , usually earth users harden their jutsu immediately after they make it. Why is it like quicksand?"

"Maybe they never learned that trick and just went with this," Temari said dryly. "And also that hurt."

"Well, it's got suction like quicksand!" Shikamaru protested. "Can't you wiggle out at all?"

"Oh I haven't tried that in the last few minutes!"

"I need more momentum," Shikamaru said. "This is going to hurt, and don't drop that thing all right?"

"What are you going to--" Temari didn't finish that before Shikamaru stood up more and pulled on her much harder than before.

Since he had a lot more momentum, it was enough to to break the hold of the w
quicksand.

That was the good part, the bad part was that he almost dislocated her leg doing that and then she fell sideways because she had no time to find a foothold.

If she'd landed on the quicksand the problem would have just been worse, but instead she hit him.

"Ow," Shikamaru said. "That was only moderate success..."

Temari was silent and Shikamaru realized that her eyes were watering from how painful that had been. Maybe if she spoken she would've just screamed.

"It was tougher than I thought..." he said by way of apology. "Should we even try to do the other foot?"

Temari looked like she wanted to punch him really badly, but then she used her foot and yanked herself up hard.

She got her other foot out with less effort, but then she collapsed, since her other leg was throbbing like crazy.

And of course she landed on him instead of the wall.

"Ouch again," Shikamaru said.

Temari finally found her voice. "If you knew how much that hurt, what you just did, you'd feel pathetic for complaining about that... I should beat you up for that...if we get out of this bubble..."

She was a little short of breath...

"Put that out." Shikamaru snapped the  lighter shut.

He wasn't sure if he was short of breath because the air was going or because Temari had landed on his lungs.

"Can you get off me?" he said.

"Hey, I don't know where the quicksand is now that you put the light out," Temari hissed, irritated. "You want to end up in the same position as before?--I mean, figuratively."

She didn't need to say that last part.

"Well, I don't want your elbow in my ribs either," Shikamaru said.

She shifted her weight.

"The stomach is not better!"

"What do you want me to do?" Temari shot back, sounding embarrassed now...and no wonder.

"Just hold still," Shikamaru said. "Do you have a jutsu to get us out of here?"

"The funny thing about using Wind Style--if there's not enough air to kick up a large wind, it's basically impossible to do." Temari was very salty.

"Well, Shadow Possession is out when its pitch dark in here!" Shikamaru pointed out.

"So both of us can't do anything?" Temari had known that already, but hearing it out loud made it worse. "Then tell me you had some backup."

"Reasonably, the others will notice we're here soon or later. I guess the only thing to do is wait and try not to use up the air..."

"So no talking?" Temari said.

"That's easy for me," Shikamaru grumbled. "But for you..."

Temari went silent so completely that he was pretty sure she was offended...or she was tired... which was a bad sign--she was never tired.

[World building theory: Temari could have so much energy because she uses air so much. More oxygen means more energy. Be cool if that was a feature of using Wind Style.]

It felt like a long time in such a tight space with less and less air. They couldn't hear enough to know if there was anything going on outside.

But the ball of earth never got any smaller, as if the woman had forgotten about them or had fled the scene.

Some guys might not have minded being stuck in this particular position with a girl, but Shikamaru wasn't really enjoying it when he thought they could be suffocating.

After what felt like ages, but was likely only 5 or 6 minutes, he asked, "Are you still conscious?"

"Hmm." Temari sounded kind of subdued.

"Are you dizzy?" Shikamaru began to be more alarmed.

"Hard to know that when I'm not moving..." Temari was still quiet. "And you're talking... If this was a game, I'd have just won."

"Please tell me you were being quiet to prove a point and not because you felt lightheaded," Shikamaru replied tightly.

"Your concern is touching, but I don't really know if--" Temari coughed suddenly. "There must be dust in the air..." She started to sit up, which dug her elbow into his stomach again. 

But she could also have been breathless because of the carbon dioxide. Shikamaru remembered the Island of Poison Mist only too well. He had paid attention to the girls' theories about the air there.

"I wouldn't sit up if I were you--" he said, and he suddenly felt dizzy also.

But, granted, he was less excitable that Temari was to begin with--and because she'd been breathing harder from the effort to begin with and then from pain--so he didn't think he was passing out. He remembered that Shine had said to tilt your head back to get more air.

"Lean back and try to relax your head," he suggested, trying to speak quietly.

"I feel tired..." Temari sounded kind of disoriented, which was also something she never did.

Then she just collapsed on top of him like a stone.

Shikamaru didn't complain that it had hurt because he knew she'd just passed out.

Freaking out wouldn't help his chances, but he was pretty sure if they didn't get out in a few seconds or minutes at most, it was going to be too late!

He thought of prayers but didn't have the breath to say them.

But thankfully, right at this moment, the earth shell vibrated around them and then broke open.

Cold air rushed in too, but it was the best feeling in the world right then.

"There you are." Wally was standing there, though his face was hard to see with moon behind him. "I thought you must be in this thing. The bad guys ran for it finally... You okay?"

Shikamaru's head hurt now that he was inhaling air again, but he didn't care.

"I'm fine." he was cross sounding. "But Temari just fainted."

"How long were you in there?" Wally plucked Temari up off the dirt with such ease that Shikamaru had to admire just how strong this guy was.

"Minutes...I'm not sure how many, maybe 10..." Shikamaru guessed.

"She's probably okay. She's still breathing," Wally said. "Just give her a few minutes." He put her down on the flatter ground. "I'll get Peaches. She can get some oxygen if we need it."

He vanished.

Shikamaru didn't like how still Temari was. It just didn't fit her at all.

"Well, after all that we've been through, a little trap like that wouldn't be the end of her," he said aloud, as if to himself. "How ridiculous would that be."

But then, he knew well that often it's the smallest things that are the ones that take people out. You just don't see them coming.