SNAKE

Prologue:

It's hard to champion the darkness without darkness creeping in…

Nara Shikamaru gazed off into the setting sun. The brilliant mix of pale pink, orange and blood red reflected off the water. It was the kind of beauty only nature could give off. He closed his eyes and felt the soft wind on his face. It was calm. Soothing.

"Oy! Shikamaru-kun!"

An intrusion in paradise. I know who that is. He thought bitterly. He turned around, annoyed.

"What?" He asked irritably, glancing at the sunny-haired, pony tailed girl. Her hands were on her hips, a small scowl on her face.

"Are you going to sit there all day long, daydreaming about who-knows-what?" Ino asked. "Come on! Asuma-sensei said training's done. It's time to go."

"You go ahead." He said, turning away from her. "I don't feel like meeting Chouji in the restaurant today."

After a few seconds, he heard her sigh. Then she gave a small chuckle. "Typical."

"What?" He whipped around again. She looked at him, head slightly cocked, one eyebrow raised.

"Either you're too lazy to go there or you really just want to stay out here and relax." She chuckled again. "Either way, you don't want to budge." She walked away. "Typical." He heard her say again. "Oh, well, see yah!"

He watched her run off. Then he laced his arms behind his head and leaned back on the grass. The sun was slowly sinking until it was but a small, blurred line on the horizon.

That's what they all think. He thought. I'm lazy. The world's biggest loser. He smirked. What the hell did he care?

Let them think what they want to think. I don't care.

Darkness settled in.

Or do I?

Chapter 1: Master of Shadows

Shikamaru watched blankly as the food slowly disappeared into Chouji's mouth. He had been friends with him for so long, his eating habits no longer grossed him out.

Ino was a different story.

"Honestly, Chouji!" She said, shaking her head. "Doesn't the fact that were out in public affect you at all? People are staring at you!"

He stopped eating and looked around. Sure enough, some people in the other tables were looking at him. He shrugged and resumed shoveling the food in.

"Don't bother," Shikamaru said. "It's hard to convince him to slow down, especially when he's eating."

She looked at him. Then she smiled and, lacing her hands together, rested her chin on them.

"Glad to see you decided to come." She said.

He shrugged. "Nothing else to do anyway."

"Uh-huh. So," she picked up her glass of water. "Care to train with me again tomorrow?"

He shook his head. "No way." He held up three fingers. "One: You're too whiny, two: You complain. A lot. And three: you're too wimpy. Hardly what I'd call the perfect training partner."

"Why you-!" Ino stood up from her seat and jumped on him.

Asuma shook his head. "And Ino was the one who was worried that we were in public." He said, watching Ino and Shikamaru wrestle it out on the floor.

Kakashi walked in. He stopped just a few feet shy of the rumble. He looked at them, then up at Asuma. "New training program?"

"I wish." He said, gesturing to the empty space next to him. Kakashi walked over and sat down.

"Knew I'd find you here." Kakashi said.

Asuma nodded. "So, is there something you want to talk about?"

"The main matches." Kakashi said in undertone. "Shikamaru's going to be in it, right?"

"Damn it, woman!" Shikamaru yelled. "Get off me!" With humongous effort, he managed to push her off. He stood up. "I'm outta here!"

He walked out the door, ignoring Ino's yells of, "Come back here, coward!" And "I'm not through with you!"

Outside the restaurant, he stopped by the window beside their table, listening to Kakashi and Asuma's conversation.

"Yeah, he'll be in it." He heard Asuma-sensei say. "Why?"

"I don't know…" Kakashi said. There was a short pause, then; "How do you think he'll do?"

Asuma chuckled. "Knowing him, he won't want to do it."

Shikamaru frowned and leaned closer.

"Why do you say that?"

"He'll say it's so troublesome. And he's also pissed off at the fact that he has to battle two opponents. He's not used to exerting so much effort."

"What if he does agree to fight? I mean, after all, he won't have much choice."

"Heh. I think he'll win, but he'll probably forfeit before he can be declared winner."

Shikamaru clenched his fist. He sounded so confident in there, like he had Shikamaru all figured out.

"Why would he do that?"

"That's the way he is." A short pause. "I like him. His got the potential to be a great ninja, but he lacks the determination."

"He's just too lazy."

I don't need to hear any more of this. He thought bitterly. He walked away.

Silently, Ino watched him leave. She knew he had heard what they said, and by the look on his face, he didn't like it one bit.

I guess he's just getting sick of hearing what they're always saying about him. She thought. A loser. Lazy. Pathetic.

Slowly, the darkness of the night consumed him, until he was nothing more than a part of the darkness in the horizon.

"Hey."

Shikamaru looked up. Naruto was walking towards him. He stopped.

"What are you doing out so late?" Naruto asked. They started to walk together. Shikamaru shrugged.

"I-nothing. Just the usual. I could ask you the same question, though." He said, glancing sideways at him.

"I was out training." Naruto replied, lacing his arms behind his back. "The main matches are coming up, you know."

"Don't remind me." Shikamaru groaned. "You're lucky. You just have one battle. Me, I've got two. This is so troublesome."

"Heh." Naruto grinned and swatted him at the back. "Tough luck, pal. At least one of them is a girl. That ought to be easy."

"Don't think like that." he replied, rubbing the spot where Naruto had hit him. It was quite sore. "I happen to know a lot of females here can kick ass. One way or another."

"Yeah, well…"

The conversation slowly diminished. Naruto seemed extremely interested in the heavens above.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Mm?"

"Just a question;" he said, still scanning the heavens. "What is it about the sky that interests you so much?"

"Wha-?"

"I mean; I always see you looking up at the clouds. It's like your head is in permanent "up" position."

"I don't know. I guess it's because I need an excuse not to talk."

"Jeez, be serious for once."

"Look who's talking."

Shikamaru looked up the clouds. It was a pretty cloudy night, heavy and humid. A sure sign that it was gonna rain.

Come to think of it…what did interest him so much up there?

Maybe because it's so much like me. he thought, deep in thought. It so complex and offers so much questions, it makes you want to find out more about it.

But you can't get close enough to it. It's so far.

So far away.

A/N: Copyright alert! Thanks to VFSNAKE for the idea for this fanfic title. Check out her stories, they are AWESOME!

Review please! Suggestions and comments are very much welcome. After all, we learn from failure, not from success.

Arigato, minna-san!