The End of the World
Shikamaru sat at the small kitchen table in his apartment, the light of the sun illuminating through the dense clouds outside and into the room, giving it a slight white tint. There he rested, leaned back against his chair and idly thumbing through yesterday's newspaper as he sipped his black coffee from the same aged mug which he had been using for years. It was approaching mid-day now, as the sun had told him by the shadows which its shrouded light cast through the windows and over his furniture. The shirker's early-morning class had ended an hour or so ago, and he had decided to come home and collect himself in the serenity of his home before leaving to visit Itachi.
The day proved to be cold and ominous. The heavy, lead-gray clouds seemed to be pressing down from the heavens shrouding the landscape below as the sun fought to brighten the earth from behind them. Once again bringing the mug to his lips, Shikamaru tasted the bitterness of the unadulterated coffee as his mind drifted from the words on the page in front of him. Shortly afterward, his sense of duty compelled him to get up from the chair, throw the rest of the coffee down his throat and grab his coat and keys as he journeyed out into the inhospitable atmosphere outside. The time had come for him to do what he had resolved to do the night before.
Itachi needed all the support in the world right now, and Shikamaru intended to be there to offer it. He only wished that Naruto had changed his mind and was coming with him, but he remained adamant in shutting himself away from the idea.
Maybe it really was too soon for him he thought to himself as he walked across the parking lot to his black Audi, a light dusting of powdery light snow covering it. Shikamaru removed a gloved hand from his pea coat pocket to reveal an electronic keypad which he snapped in the direction of the car, pressing the unlock button to see his hazards flash twice.
Naruto needs to face this though. Just avoiding his problems never does him any good, and I have a feeling that he knows it.
The shirker sat down in the driver's seat, falling into its firm black leather as he reached a hand out to start the engine from the button on the dashboard. The sedan came to life instantly with a light shudder, and Shikamaru felt cold air shoot from the vents toward his legs, freezing them for a short while before eventually switching to warm, heating the car. Putting it in gear, he pulled out of the parking space slowly before exiting the complex and driving across town.
A little while later, he reached his destination, elegantly inserting himself into the parallel parking space on the street. Getting out of his vehicle, Shikamaru shut the door and crossed over the road toward the opposite sidewalk as he clicked the lock button on his keypad, not looking back as he heard the car chime, signaling that it was locked. He made his way up the short flight of gray granite steps that led up to Itachi's town house, his gloved finger reaching out and depressing the glowing doorbell button when he reached the front door.
A few moments later after patiently waiting for a bit, Shikamaru was rewarded with the sound of the latch clicking back, the door slowly swinging open. In the doorway to his home, Itachi stood before the shirker with red-rimmed eyes, an unshaven face, and unparalleled exhaustion.
"May I enter?" Shikamaru asked lightly, looking at Itachi's tired expression.
"Yes, I'm sorry," Itachi quickly murmured after being woken from his absent daze as he turned to walk back inside, leading the way. "Please, come in Shikamaru."
The boy walked inside before Itachi took his coat, hanging it in the entrance closet. After doing so, the Uchiha turned back to his brother's friend, swiveling his head away from the shirker and tilting it sideways as he found himself casting his eyes downward.
Observing him in silence for a moment, Shikamaru stepped over to him and put his arms around him, embracing him heartily. "I'm sorry, Itachi," he said.
"Th-thank you, Shikamaru," Itachi stammered, wiping his face as he pulled back from the long hug. "I wasn't expecting you; I'm glad you came. Really, thank you."
"I'll be here whenever you need me," Shikamaru nodded, answering softly.
"Would you join me for some tea?" Itachi asked, a hollow and weary smile appearing on his face. "It should be nearly done steeping now."
He led Shikamaru down the hall and into the kitchen at the back of the town house. Itachi's home was elegantly designed, complete with black marble counters, stainless steel appliances, and custom, dark wood cabinetry. On the countertop next to the stove, a porcelain Le Cruset teapot sat with a thin trail of steam coming from the spout.
Shikamaru sat down at the dining table that was made from the same dark wood as the cabinets and was inlaid in the center with a pattern of tiles. Itachi placed two teacups on the table, one at the head and one at the adjacent place setting before he brought over the tea pot, pouring some into each cup.
"I know it's not easy, Itachi," Shikamaru began as he watched the hot liquid stream into the delicate cup in front of where he sat. "If there is anything I can do—"
"Just you being here helps," Itachi said instantly in response to his words. Shikamaru paused for another moment as he watched Itachi finish pouring their teas and finally sit down to join him, taking a cautious sip of the hot liquid.
"If it will help, I'll go with you to the apartment," Shikamaru suggested after another short while.
"No, I went last night," Itachi said. "You must understand. I appreciate your offer, Shikamaru, but I needed to go alone. At least that first time."
"You were okay then?"
"No, not really," Itachi's voice broke for a slight second before be regained control of himself. "It was all there…everything…just as he had left it."
Shikamaru gazed across the table, his brow furrowing in deepest sympathy. He hated the feeling of helplessness that occupied his mind at that moment.
"I was in his room, and I…I found his journal; it was underneath his pillow," Itachi continued as Shikamaru brought his stoic gaze up from the unmoving water in his teacup. "Whether it was right or wrong, I couldn't stop myself from reading it, Shikamaru."
"Itachi…"
"It was…bad. I could feel him…his hurt, his guilt…everything, as I read every word. It was unbearable."
"Itachi, don't…"
"No." his voice suddenly became strong, clear, and resolute as Shikamaru eased off a bit to give him some space to calm down.
"There's something you need to know," Itachi said lowly as he looked to meet Shikamaru's eyes. "Then I must ask something of you."
At the same time, across town at the Cosmo-Demonic Coal-Burning University of North America, Naruto sat forlornly inside Errol Hall, in his Psychology 101 class next to his childhood friend, Hinata. Every so often she would glance over at the blonde during the presentation, concern etched upon her face.
The lecture had felt like it had been dragging on for years instead of the actual seventy-five minutes of the class period. There now was only a few minutes remaining, and Naruto continued to absently look over to the clock for what must have been the hundredth time. He came into school this morning with the full intention of attempting to focus on his classes, but right now, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was still out-of-sorts from the stress of the previous day's events, and he hadn't slept well again. The blonde sighed and looked back toward the instructor, who was finishing up with closing remarks before he formally dismissed the class.
At the conclusion of the professor's speech, Naruto robotically stood up, grabbing his backpack from its resting place next to the desk where he had been sitting at. Without thinking, the blonde slowly made for the door, starting to leave the room.
"Hey," Hinata called after him, her gray eyes flashing with concern for her friend. "Leaving without saying goodbye?"
Naruto stopped in his tracks, turning around tiredly embarrassed.
"I-I'm sorry," he said. "It's just…my mind is someplace else."
"I know," she whispered, offering a comforting smile as she reached out, placing her hand on his forearm. "You did hear the instructor say we have a test next week, right? Why don't we plan to study this weekend?"
"Wait, what?" Naruto looked at her blankly, honestly unable to recall the professor saying anything even remotely like that. "Thanks…I guess I just really am someplace else today."
Hinata looked upon him for another moment, observing his tired face, his dreary complexion, his dull eyes.
"Naruto, would you come to lunch with me?" Hinata suggested in a comforting, friendly manner.
"I don't know, Hinata…" He said as he looked back down at the table in front of him.
He felt her hand slightly squeeze on his arm at that, and he shifted his gaze back to meet her's.
"Please," she said softly. "I would love if you came with me. How long has it been?"
"Okay, Hinata. I'll go," he relented after thinking for a moment. He really did have no idea how long it had been since the last time he and Hinata hung out. I guess the thought of it slipped his mind; understanding due to the events of recent months.
"Let's go to Chen Lee's," she said, a smile brightening her face. "It's close to campus and it's so good."
"All right," the blonde admitted, looking back to Hinata. He'd been there a few times before. "That does sound pretty good."
The two friends then exited through the side door of the building and began walking across campus, instinctively taking the route that would have them going through a string of buildings in order to avoid going out in the cold as much as humanly possible. Soon, they came to the edge of the campus, which was bordered by one of the town's main thoroughfares. They stopped at the light, waiting for the crosswalk signal to change.
"It's the point of no return," Naruto said, looking down to Hinata, who stood next to him as they waited. "No more buildings to go through for the next two blocks. You going to be ok?"
"We'll make it," Hinata said with a smile as the signal changed. The two of them darted across the road, beginning to walk briskly down the sidewalk after they crossed.
Chen Lee's Garden was the full name of the restaurant that Hinata and Naruto were going to for lunch. It was a tiny place tucked away snuggly at one end of a strip mall, and inside, there were only about ten booths in the entire restaurant. The place was run by a very short Oriental lady named Ming Lee, and she wore a large number of jade bangles on both her arms which rattled when she moved. To top it all off, it was the only Chinese restaurant in town that still made their own egg rolls instead of buying them frozen.
Hinata lead the way as the two went to the counter at the back and placed their orders with Ming before paying her the charge.
"OK, go find table and I bring out when is ready," she said waving them away with the pad of paper she would use to write down orders on.
Hinata lead her friend over to a booth by the window and took her coat off, laying it down on the bench seat. She then sat down and looked across the table toward Naruto, who still looked hopelessly distracted by something.
"Naruto," she began. "Are you all right? I'm so worried about you."
"I'm all right," the blonde said, his head shooting up to look at her. "I just need to sort things out."
Hinata took hold of Naruto's cold hands in her own, resting them in the middle of the table without a word. Naruto's eyes fell to their hands, and he closed them half-way as he pondered to himself for a moment.
"Yesterday was so hard, Hinata. It took so much out of me," Naruto said lowly, never bringing his eyes back to meet those of his friend. "He should still be here with us…"
"I know," she answered, gently thumbing the top of Naruto's hand in circles. "None of us choose when, Naruto."
Naruto looked back at her for a moment, then turned to look out the window, his hands slowly sliding out from underneath Hinata's. His eyes followed a trailing wisp of snow that the wind had whipped up outside. "I could have done something, Hinata."
"None of us could have done more than we did," she replied. "None of us wanted this to happen…but it did…"
Naruto's face twitched lightly for a split second as he listened to what Hinata had to say.
"Everyone comes into our lives for a purpose, Naruto" she continued as he glanced at her from his position of looking out the window. "We don't know how long they'll be there, so we just need to enjoy every minute that we have with them…while they're here."
Naruto lightly bit his thumb as his eyes gradually became crestfallen as he looked upon the snow on the ground outside, deep in thought.
"The best part about living your life, though," Hinata went on, "Is that every day, someone new can show up when you least expect it."
Naruto continued looking out the window as he heard Hinata speak to him. He was frankly tired of everyone telling him that everything was gonna be ok and that he couldn't have done more. They all meant well, the blonde knew that. So he just held his tongue and let them talk. He also knew though, that he was to blame for this. Nothing anyone could say would ever change that.
Ming came out and brought their food to the table shortly after their conversation, reminding them to enjoy before she departed the table, making her way back toward the counter.
"Well then, shall we?" Hinata said, watching Naruto pause before he turned back toward the table to eat.
Shikamaru couldn't shake the stunned look on his face and the revelation that struck his soul as he exited Itachi's townhouse with haste, clutching the black leather journal securely to his chest with both arms as he breathed, paying no mind to the exhalations which became visible in the cold. He crossed the street to his car, unlocking it before throwing the driver-side door open. Journal under his arm, he got inside the car behind the wheel, snapping the door shut behind him. He breathed inside the cold interior of the sedan, still clutching the fateful item to his chest. He removed his glove and ran his hand over his face, pausing to rest his forehead on his hand a minute.
He hadn't yet fully come to terms with what he had just been told, and then had actually read in Sasuke's unmistakable handwriting.
"Please," Itachi had said plaintively. "Will you give it to him? When the time is right?"
Shikamaru had accepted the burden offered to him stoically, knowing that it was the right thing to do. For both his fallen friend, and for his friend who still stood.
He took another deep breath, letting it out slowly as he attempted to focus his mind. He started the engine of the car, pulled out from the parking space, and drove off into the gray afternoon, Sasuke's journal resting on the passenger seat next to him.
Naruto pulled the rickety door to the bar open, stepping inside. Nighttime was rapidly descending over the small town, and he was eager to be back inside, out of the biting chill that the wind threw at him. As he made his way passed the tables and toward the counter at the back once again, he found himself for some reason slightly more at ease than he had the rest of the day. He glanced around at the tables, seeing the usual faces, and surprisingly, a couple new ones as well. He quietly took his seat at the bar, waiting for his usual two shots to be delivered to him. It wasn't long until he recognized the Skeeter Davis song playing on the radio.
Why do the birds…go on singing…
Why do the stars glow above…
Don't they know…it's the end of the world…
It ended when I lost…your love.
He listened in silence with half lidded eyes, and after several minutes which he hadn't even realized had gone by, he heard a voice call to him: "Did you just come in because our stools are comfy?"
Puzzled and tired, he looked up toward the source of the voice to see a young man drying a few glasses at the other end of the bar. By the looks of him, he was probably about his own age, with brown messy hair which fell partially over his eyes which held the same color. He had two odd fang-shaped tattoos, one on each cheek. He smiled when he saw the blonde look up at him, amused at his weary confusion.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked.
"I work here," the young man replied simply. "Who are you? You go to school over at CDCBU? You look like a college kid. I ought to card you."
Naruto scowled now, becoming annoyed at the conniving grin that began to spread across the guy's face.
"Where's the old man?" he asked, referring to the regular bartender who had been there every other time he had come in and who knew what he wanted without asking.
"Doesn't work here anymore," came the reply. Naruto was lost, but he didn't care at this point. He just kept squinted eye contact with this kid for a little longer, mouth slightly agape and lightly shaking his head before he looked back down to his arms which rested on the bar.
"I want two shots of Glenlivet 12," Naruto said flatly.
"ID?"
The blonde's head shot back up at him incredulously.
"You're seriously gonna check my age."
"It's the law," the young man shrugged.
Naruto stared back at him defiantly for a moment, slightly showing teeth behind parted lips before reaching down to yank his wallet from his pocket, removing his ID from it. Deliberately slowly, he placed the edge of the card down on the bar, keeping begrudged eye contact with the brunette for a short moment before he finally snapped the other end of his ID onto the surface of the bar. The young man promptly picked it up and took his time examining it, looking between the ID and back to its owner several times as if skeptical of its authenticity.
"Naruto…Uzumaki, huh?" he said slowly handing the ID back to its owner, who proceeded to put it back into his wallet.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Kiba. Oh, and…by the address listed on there, I'd venture to say that I was right and that you do go to school here. What's your major? And how's your semester going?"
"As much as you may enjoy reading people, a good bartender doesn't ask a lot of questions," the blonde said sarcastically. "Also, I haven't been served yet."
Kiba shrugged his shoulders and smiled, tapping the counter with his hand before slowly walking back down the bar. The blonde watched him as he took two shot glasses from a rack behind the counter, and then grabbed the bottle of Glenlivet 12. He slowly walked back to his customer and set the two empty shot glasses in front of Naruto, taking his time pouring out the two shots. He pushed them forward toward him.
"I'm a lousy bartender," he said and walked back, replacing the bottle on the back counter of the bar, and then turning around, leaning his back against it to rest.
Naruto looked at him for a moment, shook his head slightly, then picked up one of the shots and threw it back, feeling the tingle in his throat of the fiery liquid. He then picked up the second one and consumed it in the same manner. After, he held up his hand with the first to fingers outstretched, his usual signal for another round.
Kiba appeared before him a moment later and refilled the shot glasses, and moved them back toward the blonde. In response, Naruto swallowed them in quick succession.
"What are you trying to get away from?" Kiba asked him observing his behavior. "You've had four shots in the span of five minutes."
Naruto looked at him and didn't answer, so Kiba placed the bottle on the bar, back far enough to where the blonde knew he wasn't meant to touch it, and then went down to the other end. He returned a minute later and put a glass of water before Naruto.
"I don't want that," Naruto said blankly.
"Just space it out a little," Kiba said. "Trust me, you'll thank me in the morning."
Kiba then took the whiskey bottle and placed it on the back counter once more. He then took his place leaning up against the back bar again. A minute later, Kiba was interrupted by a young couple who just walked in and began talking to him.
Naruto sighed, wishing he had gotten two more shots. He idly picked up the water glass and took a sip, watching the way the ice moved about in the liquid. He sat the glass down, feeling the four shots taking the desired effect over his senses. After a while, Kiba came back to him.
"How are you doing Naruto?" he asked.
"Better than before, I guess," the blonde answered, gaining a somewhat surprised look from Kiba, indicated by his slightly cocked eyebrows. Then Naruto thought a moment.
"Hey, Kiba! Heh, maybe I'm not doing so well," Naruto laughed in his drunken stupor. "In fact, this has probably been the worst week of my life!"
Kiba looked at him, listening as his brows began to furrow, unbeknownst to Naruto.
"Sooooo…my best friend killed himself, his funeral was yesterday, and the best part? There's not a damn thing I can do to change any of it!" Naruto said, his eyes widening at parts to put some flare into his speech, as if he felt the need to make it sound exciting to Kiba.
"That is pretty rough," Kiba said. "Now I understand why you're here. I'm really sorry about your friend."
Naruto tipped his glass of water to Kiba in acknowledgement before going to take another sip. The Kiba pondered to himself for a moment.
You know, in my experience bartending, I heard a story once. This guy was pretty much in the same boat as you."
"I'm sure that it's different, Kiba. Believe me."
"Well you see, one day, he realized that his friend wouldn't have wanted him to waste his life, just… waiting…waiting and hanging onto the false hope that someday, he would somehow just…come back from the dead," Kiba explained as Naruto found himself captivated by the water in front of him as he listened, the ice floating still in the liquid inside.
"Such miracles don't happen," Kiba said as Naruto felt his eyes twitch slightly at the words. "And I'm sure, that if your best friend were able to, he wouldn't wanna know that you were just sitting in a bar alone, now would he? I'm sure he'd want you to continue living each day to the fullest."
"We can't live for the dead, after all," Kiba finished.
Naruto sat in thought for a good few minutes before replying.
"I don't know what he would have thought," Naruto whispered at the counter, looking down. "I just left him alone at the end…I betrayed him at the end."
"He's forgiven you, Naruto. I know it," Kiba said. "But don't listen to me; you need to pick yourself up and be the best person you can be, for the sake of his memory. Oh, and…drinking isn't going to help you pass your classes either."
"Classes have been tough to go to lately. I feel like everyone's looking at me, like I have the god damned scarlet letter burnt into my face. I know none of them know anything about this, but that feeling...it's still there."
"Don't worry," Kiba said, with a smile as Naruto looked back up at him. "I hear that goes away too, eventually. Now, you get two more shots, then you're done for tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, fine," Naruto waved his hand in defeat.
Kiba took away the two shot glasses that Naruto had used for his previous four shots and brought back two more clean ones, which he set before the blonde. He then poured out the two shots and again moved the glasses toward Naruto.
"Thanks," Naruto said as he swallowed the first, tasting something oddly different. "Hey, what is that?"
"It's Glenlivet 18," Kiba said.
"What's that gonna cost me?"
"Those two are on the house."
"Oh, wow, thanks…" Naruto said. "Hey, I'm sorry I was rude when I first came in. I kinda can't help it these days."
"Yeah, it's cool," Kiba said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling again. "Once you're done, drink that water and then head on home. And be careful."
"Thanks," Naruto replied, watching as Kiba went back and took a loaded tray of glasses out from under the bar, taking them to the back room to put them in the dishwasher.
By the time he returned, Naruto was gone. He walked up to where he was sitting, and his eyes widened slightly when he found a ten dollar tip sitting under the glass separate from his payment. He lightly smiled as he took the payments and began washing the shot glasses, leaning against the back counter.
The blonde walked up the outside stairs to his apartment which was warmly lit up from the inside, offering a sense of home in the dark, snowy night. Inserting the key in the lock, he opened the door to a house which felt oddly…warmer. He stepped inside the dimly lit home, feeling the friendliness of the room as he looked out the window near the door at the snow which fell quietly and peacefully to the ground. He wasted no time in getting out of the clothes he had worn that day, climbing into his soft, welcoming bed. He lay awake, awaiting sleep to overtake him once again.
Hm. Kiba, huh? He thought to himself as he stared at the shadows the trees made in the moonlight shine on his furniture through the window. I wonder when I became such an open book.
Naruto's eyes slowly closed, and soon, he found himself lying as if among the clouds, breathing in peacefully the warm air of his home, safe and sound as he drifted off to sleep.
