Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters beside my OC.

Enjoy Chapter 3! Review please it would be much appreciated.

You Can't Stop me From Being on my Own

Chapter 3

It was after school when I saw Shikamaru again. I was away from school and had some how managed to avoid Sakura and the rest of them. I was near my house and I was heading off to the store to go buy something to eat when I saw him. He was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk when I came by. I thought he wouldn't notice me so I kept on walking, but he actually did see me as I passed by.

"Akio?" He asked uncertain if it was really me. He had half turned around and was facing me. He looked confused as to why I was there. I didn't really answer him, but just gave him a nod and kept on walking. I didn't really think that he would follow me when I had just left him, but that wasn't the case either. He had gotten up from where he was sitting and followed after me like a sick dog.

I knew he was following when I heard steps behind me so I couldn't help, but turn around to see who it was. And there he was standing there behind me. I gave him a confused look. "Why are you following me?" I asked him. He just looked at me like I was stupid and that I should know the answer already. "Well? I mean why would anyone want to be following me in the first place besides to hurt me?" Again he looked at me stupidly and I got fed up so I started to walk off again. He didn't speak until we had reached the store which was about 6 blocks away from my house.

"I just wanted to know where the store was. I figured that you might be coming this way since it seems as though everyone hates you. So that means that you won't be meeting up with anyone." He said as he walked past me and went off to the drink section. I went ahead and bought some vegetables and some other stuff for dinner. He was finished looking for what he needed before I was finished so I expected him to already be gone when I had finished paying. But he didn't leave at all. He was actually waiting outside for me. I gave him this confused look when I saw him still standing there outside when I had come out of the store.

"Let me guess you don't know the way back home either?" I asked him as we walked on back. He shook his head and looked away from me. I could have sworn I had just seen him blush. He couldn't possibly have a crush on me. Could he? I mean that's just simply impossible! I'm one of the most hated people in the school and there are way more better looking girls than me in that school. So I must have been seeing things.

We walked in silence the rest of the way home. I didn't feel like asking or even knowing for sure if he had actually blushed because of me. I just kept looking around making sure no one from our school would see us. And if anyone had seen us I would have already been confronted and Shikamaru would be bothered with at school. But mostly I was on the look out for Sasuke and his group. I knew that Sasuke and a few others lived near me and I wanted to make sure that none of them saw Shikamaru with me. Now if they would have I don't know what they would do with Shikamaru. And that's the answer I was afraid of the most. If he kept on walking this close to me I'm sure it would send the wrong message to Sasuke's group.

In about 10 or 20 minutes we were back to where we had started. Shikamaru had stopped in front of a house and was starring at it. He seemed to be deciding if he should go in and leave me on my own or to follow me home. He looked down at the road and had this sad look on his face and looked up at me. I felt my face getting hot when I saw how sad and confused he looked. Then he looked away and said a quite good bye to me. I just stood there watching him as he went into the house and all I could hear as he opened the door was yelling and music. Then it was all gone once he slammed the door shut. I wondered if that was what he had to live with. It was much worse than my home was. But at least he has parents that he can look up to.

I gave a sigh and continued my walk home. I knew that Temari would wonder what was taking me so long. Since it usually only took me about 15 minutes to get back home and I was about 10 minutes over. I went into the house and took off my shoes. "I'm back!" I yelled as I took my jacket off. There was no answer. I could have sworn someone was still home or at least Temari for that matter. Nii-San and Gaara would be out for awhile. I forgot where they went to, but I knew they wouldn't have been home when I came back. And Temari said she would be home the rest of the day. She didn't have any classes today or work either. So where was she?

I put the bags on the kitchen counter than searched the house for Onee-Chan. I looked in her room, but it was locked. So I knocked on her door and still no answer. I sighed and walked to the back door of the house. In the backyard there was a porch that you could sit at and just rest for awhile. No one was there either. "Where the hell did she go? She could have a least left a note for me so I know where she went to." I said to myself as I walked back into the house. And there on the kitchen table was a piece of paper. I gave a sigh and tiredly walked over to the table. On the piece of paper that had been waiting for me it explained to me where Temari went to and when she would be back. "It was here the whole time! I should have checked the kitchen in the first place!" I said to myself angrily.

I put all the groceries in their rightful place and headed outside for a bit. It was little windy from before, but I didn't care. I started to head down towards Shikamaru's house, but stopped myself. I quickly turned around and headed back home. I went back inside and turned on the TV. I sat there on the couch watching a stupid show the rest of the time. While I waited for everyone to return home I couldn't help but think of what Shikamaru might be doing now. But I also tried to get those thoughts out of my head, because that was one thing that I would never think about since everyone hated me to death. Actually most would want me dead.

In all of my thinking and boredom I had fallen asleep on the couch. So when Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara came home they all had to try and wake me up. I'm a heavy sleeper so it took them awhile to wake me. After I think 10 minutes I finally woke up and Temari started on dinner. After dinner I headed to the room I shared with Gaara. I put on the radio and started to drift off back to sleep.