I've always viewed every aspect of this existence intrinsically as a strategic game, shogi or chess, it didn't matter; the same rules still applied. You're fighting to protect the king, but the king is not you, or anyone else for the matter. The king is elusive, he cannot be seen nor heard, he is imperceptible. However, the king represents more than just a physical form manifested through the five senses; the king is an idea, a notion. The king is your objective, not your object. Each other piece is set out to protect this idea or thing, to annihilate its opposing side or the things that go against its very concept.
When simplifying one's existence as a strategic game, one can classify each piece, or in this case, person by their stance in the game through the detection of their true intentions and the observation of their disposition. What is their social standing? What are their capabilities? When you finally understand how to analyze and label these players, you can finally initiate your move. You have your pawns- those who are insignificant and are at the bottom of your interests. You can use them for moving forward, but only for a short amount of time because you never establish a true connection with them. You have your generals, those who have some value to you and can allow you to move forward in your cause. And then there are the pieces that move down the spectrum, slowly losing their value each rank they fall.
People are pieces, the closer they are to you, the higher the rank. Amongst the jumble and chaos of all the players that make up your board in its entirety, you must realize that, just like the Western game of chess, your best ally is the queen. Regardless of gender, that person is the one who you can utilize at their highest form in order to help you achieve your goal.
That being said, it all matters on what position you choose to be on. Will you be the white pieces (the one who makes the first move) or will you be the black pieces (the one who must counterattack and are thus, at a slight disadvantage)? The choice is yours, kill or be killed. That's how every mission, every execution and every act implemented by yourself to the ones around you will come to play. Ergo, you must always think ahead and strategize at least one hundred different scenarios before you even make your every move. If not, your execution will be flawed and will have a higher percentage of failure. Often times the proverbial game of life is disputed by many, but the notion in itself holds a profound truth.
When you think about it, the concept of shogi or chess can be applied as an analogy for missions and can also be applied as a method that draws eerily similar scenarios in one's daily life. You are the player and the ones you've built a strong rapport with are your pieces. You use them for companionship, favors, love and other meaningless and or meaningful applications. However, before attempting to apply such a method upon one's own life, one must have a grasp on just exactly what the objective is.
The objective is life itself.
A human's innate function is to survive, and this is the objective. Sure, you can justify the meaning of life as some other facet to the intricate jewel of such an intangible existence; but in the grand scheme of all things, the fact is as clear as the geometrically-perfect lattice of a diamond, you are living on the basic instinct of survival. Darwinism never strayed far from the truth.
As in terms of the game of life, I myself had thankfully obtained all the necessary players that one should accumulate throughout their years of building camaraderie between others and extending themselves out in this world. I had all my pawns, my generals, my lances, my knights, my rook and even a bishop. To my own dismay, I had all but one. I was missing the most significant person in my game of life.
The queen on my board was yet to be attained.
I hadn't thought I'd ever find that perfect ally who would be compatible with me. Until then, my queen was unbeknownst to me. It would seem there was no one who fit the ideal concept of what the queen should be. Sure, some would come close to the mold, but could never really compliment my own lackadaisical style of survival. I'm inherently lazy, and some just couldn't get it.
That is, until I met her.
It wasn't on purpose, no, it was far from that. It was a chance encounter through a new training regime implemented by the hokage and initially, had been the worst thing ever for me. I didn't want to have to work with the overzealous "Green Beasts of Konoha" or the other two who seemed to straddle along with them. Upon given this information, I nearly quit my pursuit of becoming a Jounin altogether. Like hell was I going to put myself through all that trouble, Kami forbid I actually attempt to keep up with those green-cladded fountains of youth. I'd never look at a cloud again if it meant I didn't have to refine my taijutsu skills with two bowl-headed, thick browed, leotard-wearing grown ass men preaching about the beauty of the power of youth; but to my disdain, Tsunade-sama insisted upon this.
"Your ninjutsu skills are above par and your mental capacity is beyond even that. Because of this, I am giving you a chance to rank up to be a Jounin and so forth. We can use you to be one of the best weapons of intelligence in all of Fire country. Unfortunately, you are lacking in a few areas, such as your Taijutsu skills. I want to groom you into the perfect strategist for ANBU, so you'll have to be adept in all areas of the field -which is why I decided to assign team ten to integrate with Team Guy, but in all actuality, I assigned you in particular," She said. I mean, why did the woman pick me anyways? My old man being involved with all things pertaining to Konoha should have sufficed enough, right?
Unfortunately, I was dumb enough to acquiesce to this plan.
"Hone your taijutsu skills, and we'll see from there," were her parting words to me. As if she couldn't be cryptic enough.
So, yeah here I was, having to start my first day training with the taijutsu specialists and their other two teammates, who I never seemed to remember. I really didn't care either way.
I found it a bit daunting having to walk out of Team Ten's usual training facilities with Asuma-sensei as he led me to the training grounds that Team Guy would often occupy. Upon entering the forsaken grounds, I was greeted by a black-haired devil in a green leotard. He shouted at me with a blinding smile as his body was contorted into an exorcist-like crawl. I think it resembled a crab? Or some other crustacean of the sort, I really didn't dwell on it; either way, it creeped me the hell out. Not to mention how loud of a voice he possessed. Although grating, his voice seemed to ooze off genuine candor, so I guess it wasn't too bad. Nonetheless, it was rather annoying.
"HELLO NEW COMRADE! I AM HONORED TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN
COMBAT WITH YOU IN A MIGHTY MEETING OF FISTS TO FORGE BONDS OF COMRADESHIP!" were his first words. By the looks of it, I knew that this guy would be the most troublesome.
Some boy called Neji appeared from behind him, an apathetic look was scrawled across his face and from the looks of it, he looked like a Hyuuga. It was quintessential of them to have pale, almost white pupils and alabaster skin with the addition of black hair. This one however, was more of a silent, brooding character compared to his thick-browed counterpart. Better for me, I rather not try to exert energy by engaging in civil conversation.
He addressed me with a nod, but nothing more.
"It seems our youthful blossom will not be attending our training session on time my young student," Guy-sensei says as he turns to me.
I shrugged in response. I just wanted to get things over with.
And just before we headed towards the fields, a girl with brunette hair tied into twin buns clinging onto a bunch of scrolls as if for dear life ran up towards us. More like sprinted, or bolted? I couldn't really tell. All I saw was a blur of colors whizzing past the green blades of grass and towards us. I've never seen someone run so fast -although I heard that this girl and her speed wasn't even up to par with the boy called Rock Lee -the same guy who was probably the one who crab walked towards me only moments ago.
"I'm sorry I'm late!" She said, without even panting. Geez, were all these people bionic or something?
"No worries my youthful blossom Tenten! We were barely just beginning," Guy-sensei replied all the more exuberantly with a thumbs-up.
By now, Asuma-sensei had fled the area and appeared to be nowhere near the vicinity. I didn't even feel his chakra signature at all. He must've bolted when he got the chance. I would have done the same too.
We were resting now, well, I was resting. The girl in the team who I now knew went by the name of Tenten decided to sit near me as I told her I was going to take a nap. Apparently, Guy-sensei and Lee would only train together. You would think they'd at least have the decency to train the rookie of the team, but I guess not. Once we entered the field Guy-sensei simply waved me off with the Hyuuga and the bun-haired Kunoichi before running off to the other side of the field with Lee. I was pissed at first. How the hell was I going to refine my hand-to-hand combat skills if I wasn't going to train with those two? I finally found the resolve to drop the issue later, realizing how much I truly didn't want totrain with them in the first place. If Guy-sensei wanted me to train with these two, so be it, like I cared.
When all was said and done, however, I realized how wrong I was. It would seem that the Hyuuga and the girl did have the capabilities to keep me up on my feet. I hadn't trained so hard since… since forever.
I was tired, I was sweaty and I just needed a good nap; so I went to the edge of the fields to take one. Not before I realized that the girl trailed right behind me.
"Where are you going?" was all she said with an inquisitive look.
"I'm gonna take a nap," I drawled through one half-lidded eye. I was in the midst of falling asleep, and the least I could do was find the energy to open one eye in acknowledgement towards the annoying girl.
"Why? Don't tell me you're seriously tired."
I turned my head to give her a deadpan gaze. "I'm tired."
She responded with a befuddled look, as if she couldn't comprehend what I had just said. After deep contemplation on her part (I watched inquisitively as she placed her index finger in her chin and scrunched her face up, looking up towards the sky as she stared into complete nothingness), she shrugged after that and continued to follow me. I tried not to mind her at first. However, it was getting rather annoying to have someone stray behind me and I finally mustered the energy to speak a few words thinking that maybe, just maybe the persistent kunoichi would leave me alone.
"Why're you following me? Shouldn't you be off with your training partner Neji or something?"
"No," she simply stated, still trailing behind. Seriously? This girl did not get the point. I wanted to be alone. Yet I still couldn't find it in myself to get rid of her thinking it'd be too much of an effort for me to shoo her away anyway.
But who said I couldn't humor her?
"So, why are you following me?" I asked, trying to discern her motives. It was habitual of me to do so with anyone who decided to keep their cards on me.
"You piqued my interest."
"How so?" I yawned as I settled myself on the foot of a tree that I found to be the perfect spot to take a nice, long nap. But in all seriousness, what did she find so interesting in a guy wanting to take a nap?
"I've never seen someone get that tired after only doing some practice drills…"
I shouldn't have been offended, but surprisingly, I actually was. I knew I was lazy and everyone I knew never ceased to remind me of this, but somehow, hearing it from her kind of hit a cord in my dignity.
"That's why I decided to follow you! You're different from any Shinobi I've ever met," she continued with a chime to her voice. I noted how easily her emotions fluctuated from the inflection of her voice. One moment she'd be speaking in a serious tone and the next she'd be smiling and speaking in a tone that held a very blatant mirth.
I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment, either way, I opted on not caring.
"Whatever, suit yourself. I'm going to sleep," I yawned once more as I shifted on my side in an attempt to find a more comfortable position in that damnably uncomfortable crook of a tree.
She didn't answer me, but I could feel her eyes at the back of my neck. I was really hoping that she wasn't going to watch me all day.
It was midday before I realized I had fallen into a rather deep slumber. When I awake, she is no longer there. Thank Kami for that because although, I hadn't mentioned it before, this one had a really pretty face and pretty faces make me nervous.
Although to my dismay, she decided to appear amongst the scatter of foliage opposite of my sleeping grounds.
"Guy-sensei was looking for you. I didn't think you wanted to be bothered, so I told him that you left to go home after practicing with Neji and I," she said to me, as she offered a welcoming hand out towards me. I was a bit wary at the gesture, but decided to grab ahold of it anyway.
It seemed that she understood me a little and my much needed rest without disturbances, I commended her for that.
"Thanks," was all I said as she helped me up to my feet with the proffered hand she held out only moments ago.
"No problem, but you do owe me one. If you can't tell by now, Guy-sensei can be a very… Well, let's just say he's got a strong resolve. It was kind of a pain to even convince him to stop from pursuing you," she added with the hint of a knowing smile at her sensei's overzealous antics.
"Alright, what do you want?" I responded thinking she'd have me do something menial and tedious like sharpening her weapons or even worse, having me buy some weapons for her from Konoha's renowned blacksmith's shop. With only hours of getting to know her, I realized how fond she was with anything double-edged, metal and sharp. But I did vaguely remember her from the Chuunin exams, she lost to Temari by unfortunately trying to use this love for weapons as an advantage to the Suna-nin with a wind affinity. Nonetheless, she was adept at using weapons, no, above par at using weapons and this was a fact.
As I shoved my hands into my pockets and trudged towards the training ground exits to further continue to ponder the many possibilities Tenten would force me to go through with, I peered up towards the source of my reeling mind and saw that rather than trail behind like before, she decided to maintain a steady pace right next to me.
"I'm rather hungry, so the least you can do is pay for a meal," she said. This girl doesn't beat around the bush, but I silently thanked Kami-sama since she didn't have me do something stupid or against my own liking. Eating was something I rather enjoyed, as did most people (unlike a certain blonde-haired Kunoichi I knew who sought to diet til' there was no tomorrow).
"Where to?" I asked as I quirked my brow searching through my pockets for my wallet. I silently prayed to Kami-sama once more that she didn't have an affinity for expensive meals and all the more expensive restaurants with a Westernized ambiance and an uptight crowd. If so, I was willing to make a run for it for while I still had the chance.
"How about Ichiraku? I'm craving some ramen right now," she replied with a smile before brushing past me. Thank. Kami. I did not have to go through anything too troublesome.
"Thanks for the meal, Shikamaru," she said as we sat down upon the many stalls that lined Ichiraku's Ramen stand. This was a place I'd often frequent with Naruto mostly. Ino would never come here on her own will, she was far too squeamish about eating calorie-laden ramen and Chouji preferred barbeque over noodles. Still, he would come here sometimes, Chouji loved all foods, but he too had some preferences over most things.
"No problem," I replied as I perused through the menu. In the span of a good two minutes, I made my decision of getting the dish that Ichiraku was renowned for. I peered up to see Teuchi-san ambling towards us with a smile and pen and paper on hand.
"Are you two ready to order?" he asked as he flipped through the notepad.
"Yeah, I'll get one order of Shio ramen (1), hold the menma (2) please. And…" I said before gesturing towards Tenten to order.
"Oh, make that two orders, but keep the menma (2) in for me and hold the fish cakes. I love bamboo, but I'm not a big fan of seafood," Tenten chimed in as she set her menu down for Teuchi-san to recollect.
He nodded with a smile before walking back into the kitchen.
When he was nowhere in sight, she turned towards me and began to stare intently at me, probably in an attempt at trying to gauge some sort of reaction, a smirk played on her visage reminding me again just how pretty she really was. It was making me really, really uncomfortable. And she sure as hell was indeed winning in her attempts to elicit some sort of reaction from me, that much was certain.
"You know you're not that bad of a hand-to-hand fighter, I'll give you that," she remarked idly as she propped her elbow on the table in boredom. Well, that was random, welcomed, but random.
"Thanks?"I found myself saying, unsure of what she was trying to get at. That was a really half-assed compliment, if you could call it one.
"I'd say in a few months, you'll probably be on par with me, perhaps even Neji if you gave it a little more effort. Although, you're a bit lacking when it comes to trajectory."
"I'm pretty sure I hit the mark. I saw it myself," I drawled, trying to mask the indignation in my voice.
"Nope! You missed the middle of one of your targets by a half a centimeter. I checked after I left you to take your nap," she said with another smile, grating on my already infuriated nerves. How the hell? How anal could this girl be? I hit the target nonetheless, It's not like I'm trying to refine my trajectory skills or anything.
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it does! Hitting your targets is imperative in battle! How can you call yourself a true Shinobi, Shikamaru?" she exclaimed in mock exasperation, emphasizing this by laying a hand across her chest in "disbelief."
"I know that, but it's none like I completely missed it altogether," I hissed, though I hadn't intended to sound so vexed. I was trying to conceal the infuriation, dammit.
"Nonetheless, I think we should continue on improving both your taijutsu and weapon handling skills," she continued, unperturbed by my curt response. She even had the audacity to pat me "reassuringly" on the back. She patted me on the back for Kami's sake! All the while smiling a saccharinely sweet smile as if she were oblivious to the obvious insults she had just been throwing at me this whole time.
I wanted to swat the intruding hand out the way, but the amount of effort I needed to exert for such an action was far too daunting. Thus, I opted on leaving it at just that. With little effort, my gaze returned back to her and the cool shield of indifference I usually held returned once again. I regarded her with half-lidded eyes and a lethargic gaze that I've come so often to use whenever I was dealing with something or someone that was too troublesome for their own good.
"Fine."
"But I'm a little curious, how come a guy like you was specifically chosen by Tsunade to rank up so easily? You're not banging her are you?" she questioned inquisitively with a innocently sweet tone – so sweet, I could practically see the honey dripping off her every word.
Okay, now I was offended. Did she seriously doubt my abilities? She had officially made it on my shit-list.I decided then and there, that I should play a little game of "Let's Gauge Your Reactions to Whatever Jab I Make at You." If she was going to judge me based on my demeanor, I should have the right to exploit her for her faults then too.
"No. Although I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you," I replied curtly, still having that "game" in mind, whilst snapping my chopsticks in half to dig into my ramen. She smiled at her own bowl as she muttered a nearly incoherent," Itadakimasu" (3) before digging into it.
For now I'll just egg her on and bide my time, it would seem I'd be playing on the offensive as of now.
"You know, I'm not doubting you Shikamaru. After all, I've heard that you're the smartest guy in all of Konoha. It was simply a joke, is all," she said quickly trying to maintain that innocently-sweet façade. Interesting, yet another insult later with a compliment, what was her game? She's been throwing these insults here and there with the "sweetest" of implications and covering it up with compliments throughout our whole encounter. If I hadn't known better, this girl could possibly be a sociopath. Possibly.
"And what makes you think that?"
"Let's just say, your reputation precedes you."
I decided to quit humoring her and finish eating my soup, it would have been too much effort to do so anyway. She looked like she understood my need for silence, and continued to finish her own meal.
Maintaining silence would also give me time to mull her words over, what did she mean, by my "reputation"? Surely, I was a relatively unknown guy in Konoha. Maybe not amongst the Shinobi of the village, but to the village in its entirety to the very least. At least that was the pretense I was trying to maintain. I always went by the motto of living each day quietly. That meant to stick to being a wallflower, and hide your abilities from others. That way you can always be two steps ahead of them. If they underestimate you and have little knowledge of your objective, the more susceptible they are to losing.
"I didn't know you kept some cards on me," I finally said with a smirk as I continued to slurp down my noodles still trying to analyze her intentions. Just as I foresaw, she flushed in embarrassment and began to fidget with her chopsticks. Oddly enough, it was kind of endearing.
"I-It's not like I follow you around or anything if that's what you're thinking," she quickly replied before hiding her face with her hand.
I respond with a quirked brow, actually putting effort into forming a smile on my face. These next few months would be interesting that much I knew.
I was exhausted.
Having to have to weave, duck, dodge and aim precisely at the same time all the while throwing a few blows myself was the source of this exhaustion. My muscles were still getting used to the rigorous training sessions that Tenten, Neji, and occasionally Lee would put me through and muscle memory aside, the strain was becoming unbearable. Tenten however, seemed to only be breaking a small sweat. I cursed my own shortcomings for this, but you know, not everyone is bionic like each and every member of Team Guy. Otherwise, we'd all be traipsing around the village walking around on our hands in a speed barely registered by the naked eye. And thank Kami we didn't.
"Aww, that's just too bad Shika! You barely hit the target this time!" she taunted as her eyes gestured towards the targets I was supposed to hit whilst she continued to spar with me, trying to get a few blows.
I felt a smirk appear on my visage as I continued to deliberately miss my targets. As I threw another shuriken gone "awry," she quickly turned to scan the target if I had hit it dead-on, momentarily, causing herself to leave a vulnerable spot on her side. Simultaneously as she did so, I managed to bring my leg up and kick her on her side with enough chakra gathered in said kick. It sent her flying in the air, only for her to gracefully somersault back into a fighting stance.
"You're learning," she said with a smirk as she charged back at me to aim more blows. Suddenly, her whole figure disappeared in mid-air. Literally, she was gone from my sight for a good five seconds. That is until I felt the presence of someone lurking behind me. But all too soon for me to register, Tenten hits me with another blow.
"But, I'm learning too," she whispered as I went wide-eyed before pummeling me to the ground with a chakra-concentrated punch. She disappeared again only to reappear in front of me to land another blow. She was fast, so fast that one could compare her as an almost female-version of Lee. No wonder she was able to acquire the title of being the "Fastest Kunoichi of Our Generation." The girl was like a lightning bolt.
Finding the strength in my all too tired limbs, I blocked her kick with an arm-lock. She moved with a grace unparalleled, something I've never seen any Kunoichi use in my time as she ducked, dodged and weaved through every blow I aimed at her with a sinewy grace to rival that of flowing water. Every move was precise, every punch, every kick met its mark. And unfortunately, said mark was either my face or my upper torso.
With a little momentum gained from pushing myself off the dirt floor, I was able to front flip and grab ahold of her shoulders to flip her and throw her to the ground – a move I learned from studying Lee whenever he'd fight with Guy-sensei. It took a lot of concentration on my part, to be able to detect their inhumane speed, but I was able to observe their every move whenever I'd sleep or feign sleep near the crook of a tree that was always conveniently centered right across their usual training area.
"Hey that's one of-"she began as she stood up to wipe the sweat dripping from her temples, before I interjected.
"Lee's moves? Yeah, I saw it during one of his and Guy-sensei's spars. A pretty simple trick aside from the flips, but effective nonetheless. Don't you think?" I finished as I held my hand up, indicating that I was done for the day.
She understood this and nodded her head, being tired herself from the looks of it.
"Yeah, pretty damn effective I'll give you that," she replied as she dropped her stance and trudged towards the grassy areas of the training grounds, to probably sit in and rest no doubt. I ambled along whilst picking up the barrage of weapons laid scattered on the ground, watching as she continued to stand and with a long stretch from her back, accompanied with the sound of her bones popping, she finally sat down to rest.
"You're getting really good at this Shikamaru. You'll be in ANBU in no time," she remarked idly through short pants of breath as I too, sat myself down next to her.
I grunted in response, a reply she had become accustomed to. I never really was one for talking, and fortunately, she understood this.
"Too bad Neji wasn't here to spar with us, what with that mission of reconnaissance in Rain country…" she spoke once more, almost thoughtfully as she tilted her head up towards the sky.
"I don't really care anyway," I muttered. I didn't really like Neji all too much anyway. Well, not as a training partner that is. He was too cold, arrogant and too calculating – almost as calculative as me.
As a friend, however, he was an okay guy. I'd hang out with him, Naruto, Kiba and Chouji from time to time and play a little shogi or drink some sake at the bar with them and from what I've come to understand about him, was that he may be a little bit of a self-righteous and uptight snob, but when it came down to it all, he was a pretty good guy. I had barely, if any complaints at all about him. Well, I never really had any complaints towards anyone really since I didn't like putting a lot of effort to go out of my way to nitpick on one's shortcomings.
"You know, it's funny how you're so nonchalant and you never care about anything Shikamaru. You're so carefree and laidback, it's really refreshing from all the colorful personalities I've dealt with in the past. You know, with Guy-sensei and Lee with their exuberance and Neji with his fixed notion on having everything being preordained and all that. I admire your normality."
I didn't respond to her comment, because I had no idea how to. Usually when it came to trivial matters such as this, I'd be able to formulate a coherent thought and a hundred more right off the bat, but for reasons beyond my own comprehension, I just couldn't. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this "compliment" came from her. I knew she was a pretty intelligent kunoichi and observed through our many after-training talk sessions that she drew most of her conclusions from logic and inductive reasoning. She had a pretty strategic thought process, something I gauged from a collective of her own reactions to the many off-handed comments and questions I would throw at her – far from the mindset she held during the chuunin exams, the same mindset that nearly got her killed by Temari's hand.
"Hn," was all I could muster, hopefully she got the implications behind this grunt. To the learned mind, a grunt spoke volumes. It meant that the one uttering this gesture understood your words or simply didn't know how to respond.
"Well, I'm beat and a little hungry too. You wouldn't mind accompanying me for some lunch, would you? That is, if you weren't intending to take quick nap" she said with a grin as she lazily stretched from her perch, a feat that rivaled that of my own lethargic movements. It seems she was catching on to some of my tendencies.
"Not really," I said with a yawn, nowadays, I found myself rarely taking naps after my training sessions with Team Guy. I suppose it was due to the strenuous training that left my limbs restless for some locomotion, the energy boost was a bit of a blessing. I now understood why Tenten was able to recover within minutes of having trained so hard in the beginning.
"Awesome!" she exclaimed as she helped me up to my feet. "The usual?"
"Yeah."
I followed behind her at a slow pace as we trekked onto the direction of Ichiraku's, ramen at the moment, sounded really good right now.
Months had passed since I started my training regime with Team Guy, and I found myself becoming closer and closer to the female kunoichi of said team. Surprisingly, we had a lot in common. Contrary to prior beliefs, Tenten actually liked sleeping just as much as I did. She just didn't show it very much, but when you begin to hang around someone for so long, you tend to pick up on some of their tendencies. She even liked playing Shogi, something she said she had learned from an old man that lived in her apartment complex. He must've been a pretty formidable opponent because I found myself nearly losing to her in some instances. And that was rare for anyone other than my old man. Scratch that, it never occurred with anyone other than my old man.
We were at my house when she nearly beat me at a round of shogi, right in front of my pops too! He was standing in the doorway of the sliding door idly watching the both of us play, I figured he was interested that a person, no less a girl, was in our house and even had the honor of playing shogi with me. He watched the whole time with a damnable smirk playing on his features and he even laughed his ass off when he realized she almost beat me at my own game.
"You're pretty good at shogi Miss. No one has nearly beat my son at shogi ever, sans me of course," he said as he walked towards us and set himself on the tatami (4) floors to observe all the moves that had been made during our game.
"A-Arrigato (5)," she replied sheepishly as her face flushed to a red hue, it was pretty cute.
"I commend you for that. That in itself is a feat so rare. What's your name, girl?"
"Tenten, sir," she replied in a serious, almost saluting tone, as if she were a subordinate and he her superior. Well, yeah, technically he was her superior being a jounin commander and all. His presence exuded a certain feeling that demanded respect. She also probably knew of his status since it did in fact precede him, apparently my old man was a renowned strategist, almost hokage material just as the village elders had said.
"Alright cadet, you don't suppose it'd be a bother for you to join us for dinner?" he said with a chuckle at the mock address of calling her a subordinate.
"N-No, sir," she stuttered as she got to her feet, prompting me to get up as well.
"No need to be so formal Tenten-chan. Shikaku would be just fine. For now, why don't you two help me tend to the deer while my wife makes us dinner," he remarked with a wry smile as he lead us out to the Nara grounds.
We followed him out towards the forestry and I helped my father gather a few herbs that the deer would eat often. Tenten followed behind us throwing curious glances every so often.
"Naturally, the deer are able to scrounge up their own food and often eat on their own accord, but my son and I find it relaxing to tend to them once in a while. This also helps us build a strong relationship between the deer, so we all live in symbiosis," my father said over his shoulder as he fed a few of the fawn that had just been born last week.
He handed her a handful of wildflowers that we had picked near the front of the compound. She took the flowers gingerly in her own hands and approached a doe resting near the fawn, very, very slowly might I add. I watched amusedly as she warily stuck her hand out towards the deer and slightly flinched when it reached out towards her and began to munch on the proffered flowers happily. A gradual smile began to form on her face as she continued to feed the doe, soon two more deer approached her and she began to feed them too with little hesitation.
"It would seem the deer have taken a fast liking to you Tenten-chan," my father remarked with a quirked brow.
"Yeah, they don't even do that to Chouji or Ino," I added as I continued to feed the other deer that were in front of me.
"Hmm…That's funny," she replied without looking up from her ministrations, she began to pet the doe that she was feeding and it surprisingly nuzzled her hand in return.
As we continued to tend to the deer, I could see the sun gradually setting beneath the hills of the compound. It was almost time to turn in.
"So, I heard you've been training my son in Taijustsu. How does he fair as of now?" my father questioned in an attempt to strike up conversation and most likely analyze her himself.
"He's actually improving by a significant margin from whence he started. His movements are becoming faster, more precise even. I've even got him training in targeted areas, so as to improve his trajectory skills," she replied happily, an imperceptible spark ignited within her amber orbs. Something I've picked up from watching her talk about all things having to do with training – she truly was a member of Team Guy that much was certain.
"Ahh, I forgot. I've heard a great deal of you when it came to weapons Tenten-chan. A few colleagues of mine have talked about your proficiency."
"Really? I didn't know I had a reputation amongst the shinobi," she said sheepishly.
"Mhm," was all he said as he signaled for us to stop, since the sun was nearly setting.
"I think we're done for the day. Let's head inside, my wife has probably already finished with dinner by now."
In the dinner table, my mother did nothing but eye Tenten with a wary smile and eye me with pointed and knowing gazes. She was always the type to meddle into my life whenever it came to bringing company home. However the meddling seemed have turned up a notch, probably due to the fact that I've never brought a girl home before other than Ino and I've known Ino my whole life, so it really wasn't that much of a big deal. She probably thought that Tenten was one of those kinds of girls; you know, the one's that one supposively "brings home to mother," but Tenten was NOT that kind of girl. Sure, she was pretty, actually really pretty for a fact, but I held no romantic inclinations towards the kunoichi. Well, I was pretty sure I didn't.
"You're cooking is wonderful, Yoshino-san," Tenten said genuinely as my mother offered her another plate of gyoza (5).
"Thank you, dear. Not often do I get to cook for other people other than my son and husband, so it's nice to hear someone actually likes my food. I never know what those two are thinking," she said with a polite smile and then a pointed glare towards my father and I.
"Oh what a shame, maybe I should come here more often then, huh Yoshino-san?"
My mother laughed in turn and my father merely smirked, I on the other hand, tried to ignore that comment. I only brought Tenten in for a game of shogi, and here my parents got her roped into tending the deer and eating dinner with us, possibly coming to eat dinner with us again! I prayed to Kami that her comment held no significant meaning. Although I've been nothing but cool, calm and collected from the exterior this whole time with the whole tending the deer and dinner events, I was actually a nervous-wreck within. The only people I've ever had at home and talking to my parents were Ino, Chouji and Naruto. All three were close friends of mine, but Tenten was just a friend and we weren't that very close. Thankfully, she was able to meld with the family, in regards to striking up stimulating conversation with ease. She even garnered a few laughs from my usually stoic father. So it wasn't all too bad, just nerve-wrecking as hell…
The rest of the night went on like this, with Tenten easily striking up good conversation with my parents and by the end of the night, she had already made promises to my mother to come back. And I was unfortunately, roped in by the troublesome woman to invite her again.
And when she was leaving, she did the most unthinkable. She embraced me. For a good five seconds even, leaving me in a bumbling, idiotic mess. I was embarrassed and all thoughts had left my mind, being replaced with a jumble of clashing emotions that I could not comprehend for the life of me.
"Thanks, Shika for dinner and all that. I had fun, and it's nice to get a home-cooked meal once in a while, you know?" she said before disappearing into the shadows of the night, leaving me dumbfounded at the strange events that all lead to the mind-jumbling hug that just occurred on my front steps. I was in deep shit.
Often times when you become closer to someone, you tend to catch on to the many facets that make them inherently them. You pick up on every nuance, on every aspect that sums them up in their entirety and see them in their essence. You look past the outer shell, look past the skin and even look past the many nerves that lay beneath the surface. You begin to notice every quirk, every annoying tendency and every habitual action they make. However, when you have an IQ of over 200 and a constantly analyzing mind that works nonstop on every little scenario you are placed to deal with, you tend to look past the usual boundaries of what one notices when in contact with someone for so long. What I observe is on a whole different level of what the average human mind deduces – a whole different spectrum even. I saw more than this. In essence, I had the ability to practically see someone within, in all their jumble of nerves, thoughts and movements. No trick of the light, no sharingan or byakugan that allowed me to see this. There was no bloodline factors that came into play upon this feat, this was merely a manifestation of the vast knowledge that was contained within this lumpy, grey matter I called a brain.
In a short amount of time, I could practically know someone like the back of my hand if I put enough effort into it and Kami-sama knows I do not like to exert much effort. So in short, I was able to gauge one's inner self and understand them to the point of knowing them more than themselves. It was somewhat of an odd feat to own, but this was a good aspect of a formidable Shinobi and which is why I deduced the true reasoning as to why Tsunade-sama sought to have me as a strategist on ANBU. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I felt as if this feat allowed me to become the embodiment of a well-learned and intuitive shinobi.
This feat in particular was rarely used, unless I deemed it necessary enough to do so. I already did enough observation with everyone who so happened to come in contact with me, but only to a small extent whereas, I was able to learn someone just as any normal person would have after coming in contact with another for so long in the matter of a few encounters. Rarely would you find me putting effort into learning someone in their true essence. It takes a large collective of analysis and observation to understand the many facets that encompass the human mind. And when you do so happen to gather this information, it would take an intelligent and all the more strategic mind to find a way to use this to your advantage. Thus is the reason why many people did not have this attribute. Unfortunately, Kami decided to bless me with this attribute and also bless me with a reeling subconscious – which is why I so happened to use this feat upon a certain someone who I believed did not deserve the effort to do this.
Oddly enough, I found myself subconsciously doing this with the sole female member of Team Guy. I hadn't realized this until I found myself in the Weapon's store, dragged in by the twin-bunned kunoichi herself to peruse for new weapons. Only to find myself picking out weapons that I knew she would like and finishing her every sentence in the small lectures she would give me with these weapons. It doesn't seem like much, taking into consideration that many people could do this and also taking in consideration that Tenten loved all things sharp; but, Tenten was a bit particular when it came to her weapons and uneasy to impress, REALLY uneasy to impress.
This time, however, I found myself impressing her with each choice I made already knowing just exactly what she wanted with no indication given by her on the matter whatsoever. I only made these suggestions in idle chatter, so as to humor her in her rambles as we passed down each aisle. She gave me a wide-eyed look in response. By then I had realized that I had done it.
And yet, I still couldn't understand the reasoning behind my subconscious in doing so. Why did I pay so much attention to her? What in Kami's name made me observe her so intently ultimately leading me to make the connection and learning her like the back of my hand. It irked me to no end not having a feasible answer to it all.
"Wow Shika! How did you know I needed twin wakizashi swords (7) for my upcoming mission? I didn't even give any indications on just exactly what I came here to get," she exclaimed, doe-eyed with nearly stars gleaming within her amber orbs.
"Intuition, I guess…" I said dismissively as I brushed past her and began to feign interest in the next best thing that caught my attention. Maybe this reasoning alone would be enough to quell her burgeoning suspicion. Maybe.
New & Improved Quintuple Shuriken with a Stainless-Steel Plating shone in big, colorful words, as I began to stare intently at the large sign depicting an image of an outlandish shuriken. It was a dumb invention on the manufacturers' part, but still "interesting" nonetheless.
"You must be one helluva intuitive guy to know exactly what I had in mind that would come to utilization during my mission, huh?" Tenten muttered, almost suspiciously as she crossed her arms and bore holes into the side of my face that was currently looking at the awesome new shurikens that came at a value of five for twenty yen.
"Yep, pretty intuitive…" I muttered.
Already it's been five months since I finally ended my seven-month training with Team Guy, and the results left me feeling as if my movements were more nimble. My moves were more precise, my speed was on par with Tenten's and I even surpassed Neji in combat. It disgruntled the rapport we made for a bit, but we made up with a couple bottles of sake and a rather embarrassing game of seeing who could streak the longest throughout Konoha before getting caught by the Shinobi scouts with Naruto, Chouji and Kiba and haven't looked past then. Since then, I'd say I'm probably even in the best shape of my life, my arms were leaner and my torso had become more toned and defined. No wonder all of team Guy was pretty ripped, even Tenten. Unlike Ino's thin and feminine frame, Tenten had a leaner, more elegant build; she was rather thin albeit more toned than the average girl, but you never could really see it under the unconventionally baggy clothing she often wore.
I had finally secured a spot as a strategist in ANBU, I even had the ability to rank into a captain along with a set of skilled shinobi that made up my team. We all had been put under ANBU's strategic faction, and were ranked up as one of the best teams in said faction. I had a pretty effective team when it came to getting the job done; each member of this three-person team complimented myself and the other in a perfect equilibrium of intelligence, weapon tactics and stealth.
It was a pretty damn formidable team and I had the help of Team Guy to thank. Without refining my skills in taijutsu and trajectory, I wouldn't be able to pursue my goals of becoming a Jounin and automatically getting accepted to ANBU.
I still kept in touch.
Well, it was hard not to, since I had the sole kunoichi of Team Guy as the brains behind the tactical weaponry aspect in my team. Surprisingly enough, upon joining ANBU, Tenten was assigned to my team. Go figure. We were really close by then, really, really close. Sometimes I questioned the boundaries of the relationship that we had. It was too close for comfort. She'd frequent my house often, living up to the promise she had made my mother, and would play shogi with me or even lay in the fields of the Nara grounds to watch clouds with me. It was all just platonic and friendly, nothing else to it.
That is, until the boundaries finally caved in.
It was a rather hot summer day in Konoha, and Tenten and I decided to spar near the river banks in the bottom of the waterfall situated under the hokage monument on that particular day. And when all was said and done and we were resting upon the familiar tree we often laid near after the many training sessions we'd have here, Tenten took it upon herself to remove her shirt and lay in her bindings much to my chagrin.
When I told her it was kind of a bother, she simply dismissed me and told me how she was "not going to bask in this damned heat after sparring in these restraining clothes in one hundred and five degree weather you baka! (8)"
After that, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
And as we rested we continued to do the usual after training so strenuously, cloud-watching. It was sort of a preferred pastime of mine that I somehow got her enamored with. She didn't understand the whole concept of cloud-watching initially, but after nearly a myriad of suggestions, she finally acquiesced and lay down to watch my beloved puffs of condensed water that floated throughout the vast, blue horizon. And then she realized how much of a stimulating effect the observation of the sky had on one's understanding of their own existence. It was a profound effect.
"The sky looks nice right now," she commented idly as she folded her hands behind her head, yet another tendency she picked up from me.
"Perfect time to go cloud watching," I replied matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, I like cloud-watching with you Shika. You're probably the only person I actually do this with."
"Hn," was all I could muster seeing is how fixated I was on the clouds, imagining how nice it would be to live such a care-free existence up in the sky with no particular reason in life, no responsibilities that tied you down. This was a longstanding notion I held since my genin days and I'd be damned if I ever lost sight of that idea. I may have grown up far from being the lackadaisical baka (8) I was before, but old habits die hard.
"But to be honest, I really don't like cloud-watching. I just like lying next to you. You're so laid back, it's refreshing from having to spend the majority of my days with Lee or Neji."
That caught me by surprise, I had actually thought that she genuinely loved cloud-watching. I mean, the sparkle in her eyes that I detected every time we watched together made it seem rather genuine. And I could've sworn I detected a small semblance of… longing, perhaps? For the first time in a long time, it was I who was on the defensive in the proverbial shogi board of life itself.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" I questioned warily.
After all these months of being around her, I've noticed how this kunoichi had me perpetually on my toes – what with her fluctuating emotions and the hidden implications that accompanied each of her words. Being with her was like carefully trying to weave my way through broken glass.
"You're really something Shika…"
It was strange. The inflection in her voice oozed off an atypical candor, far from the hidden meanings she often held within her usual comments. She seemed confused, as if she didn't know what to say leaving a certain vulnerability that finally revealed something genuine.
"I'm not sure if you're saying this in a good way or not…" I conceded truthfully, I knew her like the back of my hand, but for some odd reason my mind was failing to shed light on the true reasons of her confusion.
"It's just that I really like spending time with you Shika, it's relaxing. I like playing shogi with you, I like tending the deer with you, and I even like being in your team and having missions with you. It's weird, I know. But I find that I can let loose with you and hold no reservations, you know?"
Her confession left me dumbfounded, of all things, did she seriously like me? Are you kidding me?
"You what?"
She kept quiet for a while and gazed offhandedly towards the sky, with a deep sigh she frowned. "Nothing. Nothing at all.
Relief washed over me like a wave of nirvana, its consoling waters soothed my already reeling mind. Like hell was I ready to deal with this. Kami knows I'd keel over if a pretty, talented and all the more intelligent girl like her attempted to pursue a guy like me. But somehow I knew that her dismissal held so much more meaning for what it was worth. Something in the back of my mind had told me the true meaning that was held within her confession, but my nervousness found a way to inhibit these thoughts from appearing within the depths of my thoughts. After all, I wasn't dense and I did see through Tenten like one would see through a transparent piece of film. Her every thought shone clearly to me like the light of day. But I couldn't come to terms with what she felt, I just didn't think I'd be able to handle it, not here, not now. A slight fluttering appeared within the depths of my stomach and it sent chills down my spine at the repressed revelation.
I gazed towards her to see her glassy-eyed expression, before I fully caught her she quickly stretched up from her post and began to unravel her hair, an action I had never seen her do in all these months of being around. I felt kind of squeamish; this act in itself was too intimate. I felt like I didn't deserve to see her in all her long-haired and natural glory. When a waterfall of brunette tresses cascaded down her back, I felt that same flutter gain by ten-fold and it made me guilty and really, really uncomfortable. This was a feeling I haven't felt in a long time in her presence, it would seem that I had grown accustomed to her after being in contact with her for so long.
"I'm gonna take a dip for a bit, it's really hot," she said in exasperation, still not looking me in the eye. I watched as she dived gracefully head first into the pit of the waterfall banks.
I decided to take it upon myself to finally succumb to a much needed nap in an attempt to steer my thoughts away from her chiseled form and the ghost of tears that formed in the corner of her eyes. This girl would be the death of me.
When she emerged in all her dripping wet and tanned glory, I couldn't tell if that was drops of water on her face or tears. It really hurt to see her like this, but for my own selfish reasons, I still failed to acknowledge her cryptic confession that she most likely poured her heart into. I was a lazy jerk, and I knew it.
"I'll see you later Shika," she said quietly as she gathered her clothes and put them back on. Before I could even stand up, however, she was gone from my sight.
When I saw her on my doorstep after weeks of avoiding me and canceling missions, I was a bit stunned to say the least. I would have reached out to her first, if not for my hectic schedule as an ANBU captain that was missing a vital part of his team.
She wore a solemn gaze and I knew right then and there that it was time to come to acknowledge what had been hidden underneath the underneath for so long.
"I've been kind of mulling it over since you said it… But, would it be wrong for a girl like me to like you or something? Am I unappealing or something?" She asked quietly with her gaze aimed intently on me, burning accusing holes right through me.
"No…It's just, I wouldn't have- Well, it's not like you're not a pretty… Well, yeah you are a pretty girl and all. N-No, you're beautiful, really," I found myself stuttering out like an idiot. Never in my life have I ever been tongue tied. I swear she always had me running circles, and that's exactly what I really didn't want to do. But for her, maybe I could make a few exceptions.
"Do you love me Shika?"
"No…It's-It's not-"
"Do you at least like me?" she queried self-consciously. I can almost hear the small twinge of dejection that laced her words and it damn near makes me wince. Geez, if she only knew how completely wrong she was, I did…love her.
"Y-Yes. I do, I really do like you…"I found myself saying almost like a child, I seriously wanted to slap myself, what the hell was wrong with me? I wasn't a lost adolescent coming to terms with an infatuation. I was a grown ass man for Kami's sake!
"…" She uttered no words, only gazed at me with a burning and almost desperate look that spoke volumes of how she felt.
I steeled myself and grabbed ahold of the sides of her arms. Realizing that what I was about to say would bite me in the ass later on (possibly), but I had to get this off my chest. These last few months, this whole damn year had been confusing and straining my mind to complete mush as of late, and I figured there'd be no other way to alleviate my constant distress. Never in my life had I ever felt the barrage of emotions jumbled within my mind until now, and it was all thanks to a certain bun-haired kunoichi who somehow constantly wormed her way to my thoughts and found herself in the front of my doorstep.
"Look Tenten, I don't just like you, okay? My feelings extend further beyond that. I'm sorry if I've been so quiet and perplexing to you, but I'm a pretty simple guy, and things like this don't really happen to me. And-And I don't think a guy like me could handle you. In all honesty, the effort I'd have to exert would be way too much for me to handle. I like you, I really do. So please, don't think I don't, but it's more than just that" I say all in one breath.
"Then say it," she said with an elegantly arched brow. She was trying to prompt it from me, I knew it. For once it was I who was playing on the defensive side of the board, I felt at such a disadvantage especially with the holes she was attempting to bore into me with her pointed glare – a glare that oddly resembled that of my mother's trademark glower.
"I…" I couldn't find the words to say, every word I wanted to say at the moment eluded me, much to my dismay.
So without a coherent thought in mind, I acted upon pure impulse and grabbed ahold of her face to press my lips into hers. A million different emotions bombard the crevices of my brain; all the scenarios I had been formulating in my mind had actually gone kaput and were replaced with one solid objective. Kiss her with all you've got.
And when we parted, gasping for oxygen and panting heavily, it all became so clear to me.
"Did that say enough?" I panted through half-lidded eyes as I held her face.
An ear-to-ear grin began to form upon her face and she began to chuckle under her breath. "That'll suffice…for now."
As I stare at her with half-lidded eyes, I can see her hair tousled and her face looking even more beautiful than I'd ever imagined. Looking in her eyes, I could see the possible future. And I smiled so wide that day that I nearly strained my facial muscles. It was troublesome, but for her I'd get over it. After all the endless searching for one who had fit the ideal mould, after all the careful deliberation , after all the long waiting, I had found my queen.
(1) Shio ramen - A variation of the popular Japanese noodle dish with a light broth often topped with Chashu (or roasted pork belly), spring onions, menma (2), nori (dried seaweed) and funny enough Naruto (or fish cakes) haha.
(2) Menma - Fermented bamboo shoots that is also a popular ramen topping.
(3) Itadakimasu - (translation) "I humbly receive...", or "Thanks for the food."
(4) Tatami - Bamboo matting of traditional-style Japanese homes
(5) Arrigato - (translation) "Thank you."
(6) Gyoza - fried dumpling or potsticker
(7) Twin Wakizashi swords - "Wakizashi" is a type of traditional Japanese sword, similar to the katana, but much shorter in length which allows the user to maneuver the sword faster than the katana. With the added "twin" one can determine that this is a set of two swords.
(8) Baka - (translation) idiot
Author's Note: I finally fixed the original story after having read it and being utterly dissatisfied with the original outcome, it was sloppy and I apologize to all those who had read it. I worked pretty hard at editing out all my mistakes, so I hope you guys like it and aren't too discouraged by the length of the oneshot! It'd be awesome if you'd review, I really do enjoy/need feedback!