Author's Note #1: As usual I would love to say domo arigato to the following reviewers (as of 8/27) for chapter 2:
Dr. J. – hahaha, you're so right about how a pink Cessna is very Ino-like. And of course Shika is great (he's the best!!!). There'll be a whole lot more of him since he is the protagonist here. Thanks very, very, very, very much for reviewing.
NinjaMuffinRochelle – awwww, I'm sorry that Ino-chan had to be killed, but I promise you that there is a reason on why it had to happen. As always, thanks so, so, so, so very much for keeping up with my story with your reviews. You're my #1 fan so far on this story )
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Author's Note #2: Here comes another chapter in the exciting adventure of our beloved Shikamaru Nara. With all of you reading and reviewing, the inspiration has been kept alive within me to march on with the fic.
Author's Note #3: As always, all thoughts and dreams are represented by italicized text unless otherwise noted (such as song lyrics, titles, signs, announcements, conversations from the TV and phone, etc.).
Author's Note #4: Again, this chapter WAS NOT beta'd… so bad grammar and conventions up ahead!!! I really try my best to correct it though...
Tagline: His driver's license. His credit cards. His bank accounts. His identity. DELETED
ENJOY CHAPTER 3 EVERYONE!!!
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Shikamaru was lugging his packed suitcase for his long-awaited vacation all the way from the house to his car parked on the side of the street. After putting it into the trunk, the brunet strolled back to the steps of the porch where he was awaiting the arrival of Ino.
Hmm, it's already 7AM and she said that she would be here by then… maybe she is the late kinda person… how troublesome can that be… I'll just wait here for another fifteen minutes or so.
Shikamaru went back inside the house to grab a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and his iPod. He went back outside to the front yard to wait for the potential rendezvous. While the deer lover was lazily munching away at his cereal and listening to Yellowcard in the earbuds, his dark chocolate eyes sighted his neighbor across the street, taking out the trash. She looked to be about the same age as the Nara. She sported long, pink hair that had a red band on top. Her stature stood at a slender 5'9". Although the two are neighbors, they both have never spoke a word to each other as Shikamaru always stayed inside the house.
As the woman across the street finished putting away all of her trash, her green toned eyes caught a glimpse of the dark chocolate eyes across the street. For a brief period of time, the two never stopped staring at each other. Only the occasional blinks were the highlight of the moment. As the iPod-listening, cereal-eating Nara was continuing to gawk at his neighbor, he couldn't help but to dig deep into his thoughts.
Hmph, I wonder why she's even staring at me… hell, I haven't ever spoken to her ever… I could try and maybe say "Hello"… but then it'll be too troublesome if I start making friends now… at this sort of random moment… while I'm trying to wait for someone else to arrive.
Before Shikamaru decided on how to handle the situation, the pink haired woman looked away from the brunet and returned inside her home. Well… that was certainly… random… what a drag… Shikamaru proceeded to look at his watch. It's 7:45AM… I guess she "stood me up" in a sort of way… oh well; at least I avoided the troublesome rendezvous. With that though passing by, the brunet finished up the last of his cereal and walked back inside his home. After cleaning the cereal bowl, Shikamaru went to his office and put his silver cased MacBook Pro laptop into the carrying case. Hmm, maybe I should call my supervisor and tell him that I'm leaving. The brunet clicked on the speakerphone and pressed speed dial key #1 to call his office.
"Hokage Software," the operator answered.
"Hi, Neji Hyuuga please," the future vacationer requested.
"Yes, one moment please," the phone rang once before a man's voice answered.
"Neji Hyuuga here."
"Hey Neji, it's Shikamaru," the brunet replied as he was ruffling through his laptop bag.
"Shikamaru, I though you'd be long gone," the supervisor responded in a very dumbfounded tone.
"Well that's why I called. I was just getting ready to leave," Shikamaru spoke while looking for the CD Ino gave him.
"Well it's good that you're still going, but when you get back we need to talk… now uh, we're really desperately short of your genius up here," Neji replied.
Shikamaru couldn't resist but to scoff and chuckle at his supervisor's remark, releasing a smirk while responding to Neji's notion. "Oh puh-lllllleeeaaaaasssseeeee, I am far from being a genius Neji. Especially in a room with a bunch of people looking over my shoulder. Listen, the reason I called was-"
"Just think about it, will you," Neji interrupted Shikamaru's drabbling, "The head honchos up here aren't gonna let me pick someone new to replace Ino. Not with all of the security breeches we've have here in the past."
The brunet furrowed his brow and widened his eyes as he tried to take in on what the supervisor had just said. What does he mean "replace" Ino? What happened? "Okay, uh… replace Ino… wait, you're kidding right?"
"Oh god, I'm sorry… I thought that you'd heard," Neji's voice all of sudden became grim and serious.
"Wait… what happened?" the lazy beta tester's facial expression suddenly became serious while his tone showed a sense of concern.
The two became silent for a few seconds before Neji responded to Shikamaru's question. "Shikamaru, Ino is dead… Her plane crashed last night outside of Los Angeles"
The brunet froze in place after realizing on what his supervisor had just said. He became overwhelmed with the thought that a friend he was going to meet for the first time had died on the way to the rendezvous. Shikamaru fought off tears, as it would be too troublesome for him to cope with. He gathered the strength to continue to speak. "But… but… but I just talked to her yesterday… and she was coming down here to see me…"
"Yeah… it puts things in perspective, doesn't it...?" Neji stumbled upon his words as he tried to figure out on what to say next. "Listen… let's talk when you get back… and, uh… please, please, please try to have a good vacation."
Shikamaru sighed before giving his goodbyes. "Okay… I'll talk to you soon Neji…" the brunet clicked off the phone as Neji hung up as well. I… seriously… can't… believe… that… I… won't… get… the… chance… to meet her... Even though I thought it would be troublesome… I was actually looking forward to meeting with her. The brunet sadly gazed at the CD that the now late Ino Yamanaka had given him. After an inordinate amount of time passed, Shikamaru made sure that everything was locked and secure around the house. He took his laptop case and headed out the front door, locking it in the process. The lazy deer lover then stepped into his beloved Honda Accord, turned on the engine, and headed off to L.A.X. (Los Angeles International Airport).
After fighting off the troublesome traffic on Lincoln Blvd, Shikamaru finally arrived at L.A.X. He proceeded to park his car in Lot H-4 in the long-term parking area. He then waved towards the oncoming shuttle bus that would take him to the airport. As the shuttle stopped next to the brunet, he grabbed his suitcase and laptop case before proceeding to secure his car. As Shikamaru boarded the bus, the drover briefly spoke to him.
"There no need to rush sir. There's nothing that'll be departing or arriving anytime soon."
What does he mean by that? The beta tester thought for a bit before taking a seat and letting the shuttle take him to Terminal Six where his Aeroméxico flight will depart from.
Shikamaru finally got off the shuttle after going through the usual heavy traffic in the L.A.X. compounds. As he stepped into the terminal, he noticed that the environment was a bit more chaotic then it would normally be.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please," Shikamaru gazed upwards as he heard a woman's voice making an announcement over the different loudspeakers of the terminal, "We are sorry to announce that there is a computer malfunction and that all flights have been temporarily cancelled. As soon as we have more information, we will advise you immediately. Thank you very much for your patience and cooperation!"
As soon as the announcement was over, Shikamaru assessed the environment that he would be swallowed in. The numerous different flight screens on the walls were flashing random background colors and displaying random plane flights with statuses such as missing, delayed, hijacked, on time, canceled, and arrived. There were patrons everywhere either asking each other on what the hell was going on, questioning and screaming at flight attendants and airport employees, and just a look of utter confusion on the many passengers in the terminal. What a pain indeed… looks like I won't be going on my vacation anytime soon… With that notion passing through the brunet, he decided to just go to some random fast food joint and drink Pepsi until all of errors are fixed. The deer lover walked amid the chaos to the nearest fast food place inside the terminal.
As Shikamaru took a seat at an empty table, a waiter walked over to the resting customer.
"Good morning sir… looks like your stuck here in this crazy mess, eh?"
The brunet managed to release a small laugh inside the aura of craziness. "Hahaha, it's very troublesome indeed."
The waiter smiled back. "You can say that again… well what would you like today sir?"
"Um, just a large Pepsi with no ice please," Shikamaru lethargically replied.
"Right away sir," the waiter acknowledged as he went to go fetch the brunet's order.
While waiting for his drink, Shikamaru grabbed a copy of the Los Angeles Times and began to read it. He noticed the headline on the front page was "HATAKE COMMITS SUICIDE: Was infected with AIDS Virus" with a recent portrait of the late Secretary of Defense, Kakashi Hatake. As the lazy beta tester read the news under the headline, his drink arrived.
"Here you go sir," the waiter said as he put the drink on the table before leaving.
"Thanks very much," Shikamaru grabbed the drink and started to consume the Pepsi as he read more of the L.A. Times.
The front page, California, Opinion, and Calendar sections later, the brunet's large drink was finished.
"Would you like another refill sir?" the waiter inquired as he heard the slurping sounds coming from the deer lover.
They haven't said anything about the computer malfunction… so I might as well since the troublesome problem has yet to be fixed. "Sure," Shikamaru handed over the large empty plastic cup to the waiter. As his second refill was being retrieved, the brunet pulled out his iPod and started to listen to Fergie while laying his head down to the side on the table.
When the refill arrived, Shikamaru began to drink the Pepsi once again while listening to his music. As he was drinking, he looked at the various patrons surrounding him. Some were still asking on what's happening with the computer malfunction, others were just conversing with each other to pass time by, while some were sleeping on chairs and benches and the floor. Within a matter of moments, Shikamaru finished his second large refill of Pepsi.
"Another refill sir?" the waiter appeared in front of the brunet, seemingly out of nowhere. Shikamaru jolted a bit, but then sighed, as it was the same waiter he's seen twice already.
I guess it wouldn't be too troublesome to have one more as there seemingly hasn't been any progress made here… What a drag! "Sure… why not…" the Nara gave the waiter the once again empty plastic cup. Once the third refill arrived, Shikamaru began consuming it once again while watching the television screen that was on his left. Just like what he read in the paper, the news talked about the recent suicide death of the Secretary of Defense, Kakashi Hatake, and all that he has accomplished when he served as secretary. They've also mentioned on how he was also an opponent of the creation of the Ninja Guard program from Itachi Microsystems.
"Are you okay?" the same waiter asked the future vacationer.
"Oh yeah… it's just… well all these people and all…" the brunet responded to the question while gazing up at the waiter.
"No, I meant… are you okay with your soda?" the waiter chuckled.
What a pain… doesn't even wanna know my own personal welfare… how troublesome indeed. "Oh no… that's okay… it's already my third refill. If I have another, I'll probably be able to fly myself to Mexico and all," Shikamaru laughed at his own remark. Heh, since when did I become funny? I've always thought that I'm too lazy to be funny.
"Well sir, it looks like you won't have to. Enjoy your flight!" the waiter remarked as an announcement suddenly sounded through the loudspeakers.
"Ladies and gentleman, your attention please. The computer malfunction has been repaired. Please consult the screens to check when your flight will be leaving. We apologize for the inconvenience. Los Angeles International Airport thanks you for being patient and cooperative."
Further proof of the repair were in the nature of the flight screens. After constantly flashing random colors and odd information, they were restored to their original statuses, displaying the correct blue background and flight information.
"Finally," Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh as going on vacation was possible now. The slender brunet gathered his things as he strolled over to the screen to check when his flight would depart.
Aeroméxico Flight 600. Cancún. Gate 10. Departs at 1:30PM
Shikamaru checked the clock above the screens. It was 1:00PM.
"Well, I better head over there now so I can get through security and enjoy my vacation!" Shikamaru relinquished a grin as he joyously strolled off to the security checkpoint and eventually to the departing gate and airplane where his weeklong trip to Mexico awaits him.
"So… is that him… at that table right there?" the mysterious figure dressed in a black leather jacket and stonewashed jeans pointed at the brunet with the spiky ponytail down below in the food court.
"Yup… that's him all right… the dude that accessed the system," the other mysterious figure dressed in a blue zipped hoodie and a black shirt with white cargo shorts replied in a low voice.
The two alchemistic men were on the second floor of the terminal, spying on a certain brunet who was sitting down at a table, drinking three refills of Pepsi. One of them stood at a stature of about 5'11". He had a slight build of muscle, very pale yet delicate skin, smoke toned eyes, and sported raven like, jet-black hair. The other companion stood at about 5'10". He had smooth sun-tanned skin, a slight build of muscle as well, strange reddish upside down triangle tattoos under his eyes that ran down his cheeks, charcoal toned eyes, and sported very messy yet spiky brunet locks of hair. Whenever he smiled, his canines shined and looked extremely sharp; sharp enough to tear a hole in one's flesh.
When they spotted the brunet below leaving to check the screens and eventually to the departure gate, they spoke to each other once more.
"You know what to do… right?" the spiky brunet in the leather jacket spoke.
"Yes… I do…" the raven-haired man started at the eye of the tattoo-faced brunet next to him, "… you know what to do as well… right?"
"I'm pretty sure I know…" the leather jacket man replied. After the last words were spoken, the pale but muscular boy began to walk off into the direction of where the brunet from the food court was heading. The tattooed brunet looked on as his companion walked towards to the departing gate leaving for Cancún. He delved deeper into his thoughts as he continued to stare into the direction of his comrade.
My flight to San Francisco isn't until a few hours later… until then, I just hope that he doesn't fuck up the whole mission... his arrogance and all... With that thought passing through, the tattooed brunet smiled in an evil manner, revealing his shiny yet sharp canines, and walked off towards the opposite direction of his companion.
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YAY, Done with Chapter 3!!!
Sorry it seems a bit shorter this time, but I think the next chapter will be longer since our super awesome Shika will be in Cancún, Mexico.
So… did you figure out who the two mysterious stalkers of Shikamaru are??? If you didn't, you will eventually, hehehehe.
Again, sorry for the crappy grammar and conventions... I'm doing my best here, hehehe...
THANKS FOR READING CHAPTER THREE!!! AS ALWAYS, IF YOU WANT MORE STORY, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!
Ja neh!!!