Three more…Shikamaru had luckily evaded the enemy long enough to set these traps, but the bad news was he'd hardly seen the ninja at all, the excepting being a few hints that he was nearby – disturbances and subtle footprints among the branches as well as faint sounds of movement not too far away. Silently extending yet another string along the trees, Shikamaru scanned the area with his eyes in the meantime. Just two more.
But the abruptness of the following sound threw him off guard. Another explosion - similar to those when he was with Kitsune - struck the ground far off to his right. There must've been his enemy. Shikamaru tensed considerably - he wasn't finished yet, but it seemed luck wasn't on his side at this point. Scanning the area in that direction from where he stood, he hardly expected the next explosion. It was closer, but it was to his left this time. Maybe he didn't know where the enemy was. Quickly laying the trap's string down and wrapping it about a twig settled on the ground, the jounin waited.
"Wild rabbit chase, hm?" Much closer than the explosion behind him stepped out Deidara, a young male ninja with long golden hair swept over his left eye. His only seen apparel was a robe symbolizing the Akatsuki which nearly covered all but his head, feet, and hands. "I have grown tired of your game, kid. I suppose you've been delaying to save your partner…Hm, did she abandon you?"
Exhaling, an only nearly-prepared Shikamaru proceeded with his plan. "My companion's long gone by now. It's a drag, but it seems I was left to delay you."
"Delay me?" Deidara seemed to be keeping his cool, but his right eyebrow lifted quizzically.
"Yeah, till Anbu Black Ops get here," Shikamaru stated casually.
"So you think you're capable enough to take care of me on your own, hm?" he seemed amused now.
"Won't be for long," at that, Shikamaru darted in his enemy's direction.
With a chuckle, Deidara leapt up into the sky, kneeling upon the branch of a tree - to which Shikamaru hurled several kunai knives in his direction. Maneuvering about them easily, Deidara snagged the last kunai from the air and, dropping something in it within the same smooth motion - Shikamaru observed - threw it back down at his opponent.
"Shoot!" Shikamaru had to assume the worst, beginning to dive for cover, but it was too late.
~.~.~.~
The orange and crimson explosion was a delight to Deidara, the flashes dancing in his sky blue eyes. And when the smoke cleared - it didn't take long as Deidara had only sent a small portion of his clay - all that was left was the kunai he'd thrown and…a log! "A shadow clone…maybe I shouldn't have underestimated the kid…hm."
Now it was his turn to hear an explosion. - behind him! Eyebrows furrowing, the Akatsuki whirled around, but found nothing unusual. A paper bomb had gone off - it had certainly not been one of his clay bombs. Then three objects came soaring through the smoke! Deidara barely somersaulted beneath them, landing on his feet again with his back to the dissolving smoke. Another blast struck the moment he'd regained his footing - this time in front of him.
What kind of trick is this? Deidara's narrowed eyes scanned the scene thoughtfully. Wind racing to his left made him whirl around just in time to watch the kunai strike the ground at his feet. Just a moment after, air shifted behind him and he barely ducked underneath the line of shuriken, ramming the bark of a tree just before his eyes.
~.~.~.~
"Looks like I didn't have to delay very long," Shikamaru called from his hiding place, cupping a hand to the side of his mouth to enhance his voice's power.
A few moments passed of Deidara looking about his surroundings cautiously, Shikamaru began planning his next move, his wrapped fingers perspiring against each other and the string's they gripped. Just then Deidara looked straight at him - even in the shadows. Now Shikamaru felt had to set off another paper bomb – the one practically under Deidara's feet. He lifted his fingers to quickly perform the jutsu. But what he hadn't expected was the attack that came from behind.
A sharp, excruciating ache pierced his flesh just before the jutsu was accomplished. At first it chilled his skin, stiffened his muscles. Then, as the pain began to spread, he felt the violent burning - the desperation to do anything to get rid of the searing pain. Moments of this lasted, getting harder and harder to endure it. Shikamaru felt his body finally collapse, landing on his knees and practically twisting his legs in the awkward angle. But one missed the branch he'd been standing on. His leg slipped off the edge and he began to drop rapidly, straight toward the ground. The air rushed against his frozen limbs for about half a second, it seemed. Then something solid, cold and lifeless, gripped his body - wrapping all about his torso right in the middle of the fall.
"Your timing never ceases to amaze me, Sasori my man," Deidara stated with a chuckle, upside down from Shikamaru's point of view and striding in his direction nonetheless.
Shikamaru felt blood rushing to his head, lying backwards in mid-air, held only by the crushing claw of some unseen enemy, and his ribs felt as though they would crumble within the grasp of his metal bonds. Panting for breath, though it frosted his lungs as though he were breathing within an ice cavern, Shikamaru spent his last moments wondering if this was death. He didn't mind so much, staring it in the face – after all, everyone had to meet it at some time. But then the thought hit him…a concern worthy of much more time than he had. What if this 'Sasori' had discovered Kitsune as well? Would she be joining him in…wherever a man went after death? Had he failed to save her?
The emotion was unexpected, when he had this painful throbbing in his stomach – though it wasn't caused by the poison. He couldn't bear the thought of Kitsune dying - dying because he'd failed her. The horrifying surroundings of his cruelly delighted enemies, the ruins of their struggle, the blackened and shattered trees were the last sight he beheld, but all he could hope for was that his partner was safe – surely his hopeless luck would grant him that much. Just don't let her get caught – don't let me have failed her. With that final thought, Shikamaru's eyes closed in surrender.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Kitsune? Oh, Kitsune," the familiar husky voice of Kitsune's teacher relaxed nearly all tension within her body. As two strong arms soon embraced her, Kitsune felt the desire to sob in Asuma's shoulder.
"H-How did you find me?"
"Hey, I'd recognize Shikamaru's work anywhere – he left some clues leading me right to you," Asuma exhaled, finally releasing her, the relief in his eyes reassuring her worries for the moment. "Where is that rascal anyway?" Asuma chuckled, glancing about the dark cave.
It was then her smile faded. "Wh-don't you know?"
Asuma's eyebrows furrowed gradually. "No, I thought he was with you or…do you know where he is?" The tension suddenly returned, harsher and angrier than before.
"H-he…told me to stay behind…to let you know about the Akatsuki…" tears were brimming on her eyelids as the memories rushed back into a realization of what Shikamaru had really been planning. He'd sacrificed himself, delayed the enemy and fallen to him, to ensure that she wasn't found…and now he was gone. Just as when they were young genin…he had protected her…and at his own cost.
"Asuma. We found this in the clearing." Towa stepped before the mouth of the cave, holding in his hands a torn jounin's vest smudged with dried blood and dirt - Shikamaru's vest. "I think they took him."
