Even after the war was over, there were small troubles here and there. With Shikamaru practicing to be the Hokage's advisor under Kakashi, and Temari trying to organise the next Chunin exams while assisting Gaara, those troubles seemed to be the lea...
The second day of our travel was a bit slower than the first, and we ended up having to stay the second night in the Hidden Rain as well. We could have crossed past the border, but we didn't know how fast we could find a hotel, it was just a better option to camp out on this side of the border till the next day.
We stayed in the inn closest to the border, wanting to enter the Land of Wind first thing the next day, after breakfast of course. The innkeeper showed us our rooms, and we got settled for the night. Temari insisted on staying in the same room as me, and to save rooms and money one of the genin teams was also to use the same room. However, we were one duvet short, so I let Temari have it, and I decided to just wrap myself in a blanket over my shinobi clothes.
I put my bag on one side of the room and sat beside it, leaning my back against the wall. I took out my journal with my notes of the Hidden Rain, which shinobi were currently in the land, and what missions they were on. When you're the Hokage's assistant, you get to know this kind of stuff, and it was useful to know who you can find as emergency re-enforcements.
Temari took out some food from her pack and gave it to the genin team, and talked with them about their village. They asked her a lot of questions about the Hidden Sand, wanting to get as much information about the second exam as possible.
About half an hour after we switched off the lamps and decided to sleep, I felt Temari quivering beside me. I sat up from the ground and looked at her, seeing her shiver, even under the warm duvet.
Is she cold? I took off my blanket and wrapped it around her, but it still didn't seem to help since she kept shaking. I sighed, pulling her closer to me and trying to think of ways to make her stop shivering. I felt bad for invading her space while she was asleep, but I was worried about her and wanted her to have a proper sleep.
She didn't stop shaking, and her face showed a painful expression. Then I was sure she wasn't shivering because of the cold, she was having a nightmare. I sighed again, not knowing what else to do but wake her up, so I tapped her arm. She jolted awake immediately, and I pulled back, startled by her immediate reaction.
Temari breathed heavily, before collecting herself and trying to look proper. "Don't do that," I scolded, referring to her trying to hide her fear.
Temari looked at me and then opened her arms, not saying a word. I muttered, but spread my arms and let her hug me. She pulled herself closer to me but still sat stiffly. I heard her sniff, and then my shoulder getting slightly damp.
"Temari...' I whispered. She tilted her head, and though I couldn't see her eyes, I could see the tears that fell down her cheeks.
"What's wrong," I asked, slowly rocking her body with mine to calm her down.
"It's horrible, this place is horrible," she said, so lowly I couldn't have heard her if I wasn't holding her.
I nodded. Time passed, and I felt her body relax. She stopped shivering, and fell asleep in our embrace. Her rapid breathing slowly synced with mine, a more steady and relaxed one.
Once I confirmed that she was in a comfortable sleep, I smiled and closed my eyes as well. I felt her arm wrap around my lower back, and I held her head steady as I shifted my position.
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