Impatience

by Original Blue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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M is for Misgivings, or lack thereof.

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He was taking some time off from missions, she heard. Three days had gone by and not a single word had passed between them in anger or otherwise. Moegi had stopped showing up for team meetings at Ichiraku and instead applied for solo missions at the assignment office.

She decided to take a few days off to restock her weapons supply and look for a new apartment; too often she found some familiar article of clothing in the house she shared with her team, and it made her angry and sad all over again. She told Udon she was moving out, thankful she didn't have to deal with Konohamaru early in the morning.

At around seven, after a quick shower, when her hair was still sopping around her shoulders, she began sharpening her kunai and shuriken. She was just getting started on the few senbon she kept for emergencies when Konohamaru walked into the kitchen, looking wonderfully mussed after a few hours of training.

In her surprise she snapped one needle and dipped the next one in poison, trying desperately to keep a lid on her temper. Imagining all the ways she could disembowel him without having to look him in the eye, she distracted herself with the sharp tools. She made no attempts at conversation, and he walked into his room in silence.

...

Best friends

(closer than blood)

who can't say anything

(but want to say so much)

and don't know what to say

(though the air is thick with silence)

when the tension will not snap

(when there's no reason, no excuse)

and pauses will remain pregnant

because of stupid, arrogant, selfish friends

and silent, merciless, prideful lovers.

...

The bridge at night was a good place for them to meet, especially since Konohamaru's face was still bruised black and green from Moegi's well placed slap; the doctor said the light sensitivity in his left eye would fade with the bruising.

Udon did a handstand on the railing to pass the time. "So what are you and Mo fighting about? It's obviously the reason she's moving out."

"I messed up, Udon. I messed up really bad. Mo told me she loved me, and I... I treated it like a joke. She won't even look at me anymore. I don't know how to make it right again." He hung his head over the railing, staring at the swirling water. "I hate it when she's mad at me," he whispered.

Udon sounded wry. "You could start by apologizing."

The remark was met with a snort. "That's great. What'll I tell her: 'I'm sorry that I'm not in love with you, but I hope we can still be best friends'? I don't have a death wish." He picked a sliver of wood out of the railing and flicked it into the river.

"Tell her you're sorry you're causing her pain. You didn't choose who you fell in love with."

"But then I think she'll only ever see Hanabi as a threat... I want them to be friends."

Udon sighed almost imperceptibly. "You picked a hard path. Either way, you have to talk to her at some point. She and I are leaving for our next mission to Lightning in two weeks; it's supposed to last a month." He made a face. "This could get worse if you let it sit. I don't want to get the cold–shoulder–by–association for four weeks."

"I just hope she doesn't drag me into a dark alley and murder me before then," Konohamaru muttered.

That earned him a smirk. "Come on, Maru. Do you really think she'd do that?"

"...when I walked by her this morning she started dipping her senbon in poison powder."

"Okay, I see your point."

...

"Oi, Shika–sensei." He flopped down on the roof beside his mentor.

"What do you want, Konohamaru? I'm busy. And you only ever call me Sensei when you want something." Shikamaru smothered a yawn with his hand.

Konohamaru snorted. "You're too lazy for a tactician. They're just clouds, and I need your help with something."

"If your problem is work related, go bother someone else. It's my day off, and I intend to enjoy it."

"I need help with Moegi." He flexed a fist nervously. "She won't even talk to me."

That got a sigh from the elder shinobi. "You two have been arguing again."

Konohamaru fidgeted. "She told me that she's in love with me, right out of the blue."

"Konohamaru, I hate to break this to you, but it wasn't exactly out of the blue."

"What do you mean?"

"She's probably loved you for years and never said anything."

"Stop joking around, Sensei; this is serious! I need to know what to do so that she won't skin me the next time I'm in a room alone with her!"

"Since you won't listen to me, I'll just say this: I'm not sure what you should do other than try to talk it out with her."

Konohamaru stared. "...does everyone want me to die young?"

"Konohamaru, you need to hear this: don't take her for granted." Shikamaru finally sat up, rubbing his eyes against the sunlight's glare. "If you don't work this out now, you might lose her friendship forever."

That earned the ANBU captain a doubtful look. "I think you're full of it. You obviously know a better way out of this, and you're trying to stall."

"Perceptive as ever, I see. I do know a better way out. But a relationship can't be one–sided, and a relationship is the only other way out. Don't make the same mistake Asuma almost made. Don't wait until it's too late to tell someone you love them. Don't reject love because it doesn't take the form you expected."

"Are you speaking from personal experience?"

"Ask any of the Konoha Eleven; I almost lost Temari once, when I was twenty–one. She confessed to me, but I was hung up over Shiho."

"You mean Akimichi–sensei?"

"Yep. She was a code breaker for the Hokage, and I was too impressed with her intelligence to notice that she had the hots for Choji."

"But you and Temari are together now."

"And I couldn't be happier. If Shiho and I had gotten married or something, we'd both be miserable or unfaithful at this point." He smiled wryly. "God, the mistakes we almost made..."

If anything, Konohamaru was even more confused by his teacher's advice. "So you're saying I should get over Hanabi because she's probably in love with my best friend?"

Shika sighed. "You're troublesome. I'm saying if you don't stop bothering me and figure out how to apologize to Moegi right now, I'll tell Kurenai where your Icha Icha Paradise collection is."

Shikamaru was not one for idle threats, and his student knew it. "Gotta run, Sensei!"

Shika stood and stretched, finally alone again on the roof. "Thank Kami I don't have kids yet..."

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M is for Misgivings, or lack thereof.

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Author's Note:

Did anyone catch that last reference? Temari's gonna have his baby! [More information about Shikatema in my story 'Motivation.'] I know that Shika can't wait for the responsibility and hard work that goes with being a father... =D