PS: I deeply apologize for not updating the story for such a long time. Apparently I got stuck in the third chapter. I sincerely thank you all for your patience and support. I'll try to update the story more frequently as possible... thanks again and do review~
Also, sorry for any grammar mistake or typo cos i wanted to get this uploaded asap as I wouldn't be at home for the next couple days... I'll revise them later.
Title: Shikamaru Shippuden - A Twist in Time
Chapter 3- The next move
" Watch out … just two more steps then its checkmate."
" You don't have to worry about me, just mind your own pieces…"
Day break, the early sun had just merely broken through the horizons. Its morning rays swept through the Nara compound, awaking the sleepy village. Yet, before the sun could reach one particular Nara house, two early birds were already up, sitting seriously at the outer deck, engaging in a game of shougi.
In midst of the cool wind, breezed in a few fluffy clouds floating freely in the summer blue sky. And as the morning rays ran through the garden and reached the wooden deck; sparks of summer's green and blue reflected the simplest beauty of a Nara morning.
Between the sounds of birds chipping and the bugs buzzing, sounded light but clear strokes of moving pieces on the wooden board. A few neighbors who passed by paused to take a quick peep; just curious to know who the players were. What seemed to be were two brothers with almost identical looks despite the age gap playing against each other; but for those who knew the house's owner, Nara Shikaku, would have known that he had an only son. Well, perhaps it's a game between father and son instead; yet, for those who knew Shikaku in person, would have known that the Jounin commander was on a mission to inspect the fortification on the outskirts of the village, in preparation for the big upcoming event in Konoha- the Chunin exam's finale. So who's that person playing with Shikaku's son?
Of course, having in mind that the Nara compound is by far one of the safest parts in Konoha; known to be protected by their forest's sacred beasts, thus not letting any stranger to cross by without being unnoticed, no one really put this curiosity into deep thought.
"Hey… it's your turn… are you still playing?"
Said the younger player.
"…"
"Hey, if you're not in the mood to play, why don't we call it a day? I mean it's meaningless when your opponent is playing half-heartedly."
Said the younger player in a more irritated tone, both arms folded; his eyes staring at his opponent, who seemed to be rather distracted by the scenery in the garden. By looking at the board, it's obvious that the younger player's was at the upper hand. Most of his general pieces had been promote, and were already on the verge to take down the enemy's king, while pieces of his opponents' were still lingering in what seemed to be neither attacking nor defending positions. The elder player, on the other hand, continued to carry his calmness. Reluctant to lay off his eyes from the scene, the elder player took a slight glimpse at the board; then after a small pause, his placed a pawn piece in front of his opponent's dragon piece.
" I told you not to worry... now watch and learn. "
The elder player said with a slight grin.
"You know that I don't fall for such a simple bate."
"It's not a bate, and you know it."
Noticing the elder player's cheerful tone, the alerted younger player bent forward to take a closer look at the game board.
"I really don't see where you are going with this…"
As the younger player looked closer the board situation, he sensed something tingling behind his brain. Thus, he held his finger-tips together and formed his thinking mode.
… He is trying to lure me into taking his pawn…
…while his silver general is right beside to eat mine
…But he knows I don't fall for that trick…
So, what is he up to?
…
He is making me follow his orders…
Either retreating or taking on his pawn will give him the spot he wants….
That position…
The arrangements…
That spot….
…
…
As the younger player reanalyzed his and his opponent's pieces' display, there he noticed that his opponents pieces, though oddly arranged, seemed to be obtrusively guarding something…
It's a crossroad for…
…
…
An entry…
My weak spot…
And I didn't even noticed?! When did he...
At an instant, the tables were turned around. The young player realized that all this while, every move his opponent made was planned out; he was paving way for a fatalistic strike. Strucked by the elder players true motive, the younger player couldn't help but feel both shocked and excited at the same time.
It's been a while since the younger player had this mixed feelings. Apart from starring at clouds just to kill time; Shikamaru never had a real hobby… until he met shougi. Ever since his sensei, Asuma, introduced the game to him, the young boy sort of took interest in it; mostly because the game required least physical effort, and second, as a matter of fact, his home also accommodated a set of shougi, somewhere lingering in his dad's closet. It would be a waste not using it, and by the way, it could be another opportunity to spend time with his old man…when he is at home.
…
Oyaji…
…
Right…
So that was when I had such a hard time with this game…
Though the term "competitiveness" was pretty much blur in his vocabulary, Shikamaru still preferred being at the upper hand in most situations as it was less troublesome to handle. Thus, Shikamaru would rather come up with 200 formulas and choose the most creative way to surprise Asuma in a match than to crank his brain up to think of the one and only solution to get out of his father's sticky trap. Now as the young player slightly tilted his head to meet the eyes of his opponent, looking through those dull yet clear pint-sized eyes, was as if looking through a mirror seeing himself. Yet the window of the soul showed more than just a reflection, behind lingered the shadow of his father, the man whose footsteps he knew he would have to follow someday… whether out of will or obligation. Still, as he literally viewed his futuristic figure, seeing how much he could have grown, and how much he could have caught up to his role model, his future seemed to be more than what he expected.
…
I wonder how much trouble I'll have to go through in order to become something like him?...
…
Well, complaining about the future won't help either…
I'd better think of the next step…
At least this will leave me one trouble less…
After minutes of silent concentration, the younger relaxed from his thinking mode. In a spark, the younger player moved his Knight at an angle. As he placed his piece on the board, his fingers slightly hesitate to let go. Yet, letting out a small breath, the younger player calmly retraced his faintly trembling hands back onto his lap; a slight drop of sweat could be seen on his forehead.
This time, the elder player was observing.
So, he decided to give up his Dragon piece…
All of a sudden, a bright ray of the morning sun flashed before his eyes. The elder raised his hand and lightly scrubbed his sore eyes. As the golden sun left his sight, leaving a familiar warm sting in his eyes; the elder player couldn't help but chuckle.
" Sacrifice is an inevitable part of missions…"
So it has to be it… huh?
But I have to admit, he is learning more than I did back then…
" So, you don't plan on giving up, do you?"
The elder player spoke.
" I can't. If there is one thing more troublesome than to give up, it is to regret. Anyway, if I don't try to solve this situation here, the same problem will come back to me again and again until I have the answer… That'll be even more troublesome."
Replied the younger player as he continued to focus on the board.
The elder player gave a grin.
"True. Problems are lifes' homework, they'll keep pestering you until you've got them done."
As he said, the elder player moved his Bishop pieces up and promoted it to a Horse.
Now the Horse is in range to aim for the opponent's King…
"And here's another life's homework for you. Any regrets?"
The younger player, again, shocked by the elders' move, involuntarily bit his lips. He then took in a deep breath and calmly let out.
"To be honest, I should have left you back in the forest instead…"
"So… what's you next move, Nara nii-san?"
The young Shikamaru asked as he placed a cup of hot tea before the elder Nara.
Speaking of last night, what should have ended in some serious blood boiled combat between two shadow users in the Nara forest turned out no less than some random night talk, a nice sleep over, and an early game of Shougi in the morning. You can say that the Nara style of confrontation just does not fit the criteria of a good Shounin story plot, but anyway, both Nara's knew better that physical combat wouldn't get them any more progress than some serious discussion. After coming clear about the elder Nara's identity, both Nara's agreed that they should come up with a suitable title to call each other to avoid further embarrassment. Thus, the elder would continue to call the younger one by name, while the younger would refer the elder one as "Nara nii-san".
Now that the Shougi match was mentioned, well, results weren't that important, but what was really worth mentioning was that the game extended 20 more rounds then expected, as recalled by the elder Shikamaru. He was indeed amazed by how his opponent pulled his way through the last part of the game, and almost, as repeated, almost put him on the verge of defeat. He remembered the last time he had such a close call would be during his match with Onoki san, the Tsuchikage from the Village of the Stone. "An old man with a cranky attitude and a poor back" would be Shikamaru's way to describe him, yet one ought not to underestimate this old man's train of thought. Despite being advance in age, this little man could think twice as fast as a cunning fox.
Well…
if the younger me could pull out such a trick now…
I wonder what he would be able to do by the time he reaches my age…
Shikamaru slowly tugs the hot cup of tea and carefully took a few sips.
It seems that this world is not as familiar as what I expected…
But still…
He lightly let out a breath of hot air.
I not yet the one making hot tea…
That was the terms for losing the match.
The elder Nara then looked up and saw his younger image sitting next to him, with the pot of hot tea ready, waiting patiently for his response.
"Honestly speaking, I don't exactly have a plan yet. Though my original plan was to return back to my time zone with the least interference, I turned out having not a clue how to go back, and ended having contact with my teacher, my team, and even, you…"
The elder then paused and gave out a sigh.
"Though having said, there's one thing that I noticed…"
"And that would be?..."
The younger Shikamaru asked. There, the elder one put his tea down, folded his arms, with a serious mode, he spoke.
"Remember that dinner we had last night? Well, it shouldn't have happened the way I remembered… What I mean is, putting my intrusion aside, Donsu shouldn't have appeared at the scene either. In memory, we simply had the usual toast and celebration, Choji's order cleared Asuma's wallet clean and through, then it was goodbye and goodnight. So why would Donsu show up then? Would it have to do with my existence? But how do one to explain the relationship? I didn't even meet him on the way… And his improvised gaunlet, it's more than what a genin should attain… It just doesn't make sense…"
"Wow… wait a moment. Are you saying that history is re-writing itself!?"
Exclaimed the younger Nara.
"… Not exactly… If that was true, it should imply that my memory would have changed too. But the truth is that my memory remained the same while witnessing everything happening up to this moment. Moreover, more memories are being created according to my chronological experience, hence my personal timeline still remains unaltered… the only explanation I could come up with is that both our world are in alternate realities."
" An alternate reality?"
Asked the younger Nara.
" Well, there was something I found in the library. It's a theory that suggests the world being like a mirror of many angles. As the light rays shines upon the world, they take on the world's image, and deflect towards different directions. There, each deflection takes on its own course without interfering one another. You and I are the reflections living in the different light of the world..."
"That means that though you and I are the same person, we are still separated as individuals. That would explain why both of us could exist in the same dimension without being cancelled out… I suppose."
Young Shikamaru cut in showing sort of excited about the fresh idea.
" That's what I thought, which leads to my final conclusion, that I didn't go back to my past, but somehow accidentally fell into a dimensional crack that lead me into another alternative world, one which its timeline runs 10 years slower than mine."
"So if you can find that dimensional crack, you would be able to go back, wouldn't you, Nara nii-san?"
"That's the tricky part. So far, I couldn't find any information about this hole I fell into, nor could I trace its existence. What's more is… that all we've been talking about…"
" It's just a theory… and a hypothetical one to be exact… so… it also means that you're stuck."
Minutes of silence passed by as the two Naras sat and drank sips of tea, while being carried into deep thought. Then, young Shikamaru spoke up.
"… Well, since you have nowhere to go, consider this place your home… though this sort a IS in some sense… We'll just have to come up with a way to explain that to our parents… though I wonder how would they accept… by the way, where the heck is mum anyway? Dad's on a mission, but mum has been seen nowhere since morning…"
" Well, if I am right. Mum left early today. I heard footsteps leaving the house while I was sleeping on the floor this morning; well, she should be back any minute now. As a matter of fact, if I remembered correctly, during this time and hour, I should have been sleeping like a dead pig until…"
"SHIKAMARU!"
Someone came back, yelling at the entrance with the top of her voice.
"…That…"
"SHIKAMARU! ARE YOU LISTENING?! I WANT YOU TO GET UP RIGHT NOW!"
As the figure approached closer to the living room, so did her voice magnified.
Finally, the door to the living room opened.
"Are you up yet?! Go brush and get ready. I need you to help me deliver lunch to your father's…"
The figure paused as she look upon two humans sitting at the outer deck, both awkwardly starring at her. To her surprised, she thought she saw her husband sitting with his boy. She was about to give her husband a piece of her mind for not notifying her of his return, and having her to go through all the trouble to tender the deers and most of all… to prepare his lunch box. However, as she recognised the scars missing on her husband's face, hence noticing the man in front of her, though resembling significantly like her husband, seemed younger by the looks. Thus she refrained her personal temperament and instead gave a queer look.
" Shikamaru, who is he?"
Alert at the strange animosity, young Shikamaru jumped out and explained.
" Right mum, this is… Nara…"
"Nara san, mam… Sorry not to introduce myself first."
The elder Nara budged in. Surprised by the elder Nara's respond, the younger Shikamaru gave an eye towards the elder Nara…
"Hey, aren't you gonna tell mum your…"
"Look, I've got this…"
The elder Shikamaru eyed back.
"Everyone here is named Nara…who are you exactly?"
Yoshino spoke bluntly. She wasn't the type of woman you could fool around with.
Shikamaru cleared his throat and continued.
" I belong to a special force in the Nara clan served under Jounin Commander Nara Shikaku. Our duties require our names to be classified, hence I am not able provide you further information beyond my surname."
" I've never heard about this from my husband."
Half doubtful, half agitated, both Shikamarus could sense Yoshino's perplex emotions. Still the elder continued.
" Well, I am also not allowed to budge into other's privacy. I'll leave it for you two couples to figure that up…"
"Hey… this is going to get dad in big trouble when he gets back…"
Signaled the younger Shikamaru as he frowned his brows in concern for his old man.
"…Don't worry , he can handle it."
Whispered the elder Shikamaru as he cleared his throat. Before Yoshino could notice the two's soft conversation, Shikamaru continued.
"Anyway, the reason why I am here is because I need to send a message to the Jounin Commander. But I am again not allowed to leave my post while the commander is out of my range. Hence I came here, hoping to find a suitable candidate that would do the job for me."
The elder Shikamaru then lifted his vision and turned towards the younger him. Receiving the elder's message, young shikamaru couldn't help but mummured…
… Great, now you're dragging me into this mess as well…
"Well, your son's going to send his father's meal to him anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone?"
Shikamaru said in a slight cheeky tone.
Then, he took out a piece of paper and pen from his pocket, scribbled something on it, then placed it under the tea cup to hold it in place.
" Here's the message. Well, my duty ends here, it's up to you to decide whether the message is to be delivered to the Commander. Hope nothing goes wrong in the Chunin exam's finale; I am looking forward to seeing your sons performance too. Well, till then…"
In a glimpse of an eye, the elder Nara vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the tea cup and paper in place.
Yoshino bent down and picked up the paper. On the paper was written:
"From north to west swing winds and sounds,
But the leaves have no dance to offer."
As Yoshino lifted her eyes from the paper, she spoke.
"Shikamaru, go get ready immediately, you have a message to bring to your father."
"Urrg, do I have a choice?"
Shikamaru mumbled.
"Don't make me repeat myself again."
This time, in a more scarier tone.
"…Yes, mam."
The sun was halfway reaching the top of the sky, the morning dew were pretty much dried by this time of hour. Feeling the stale hot air rising from the ground, now was definitely not a good time to travel.
Still, orders were meant to be followed.
With one hand carrying mom's love gift, another holding a small pouch, Shikamaru reluctantly set out on his journey to the outskirts of the village to find his old man.
"Man, could this day get any more troublesome…"
Groaned the slackly shinobi as he sluggishly walked out of the house. As he stepped out of the shade, immediately, he could feel the intense hot air as if trying to suffocate him. The sun was no kinder to be seen totally naked in the sky; its strong light blazed upon the poor shinobi, depleting even the slightest motivation of whats left in the indolent fellow.
Of course, after weighing the odds, Shikamaru concluded that he would be in a trouble-less state to have the lunch box safely delivered than to quit the job and end up with a starving dad and a very very angry woman at home. Thus, the young genin continued on his long steaming journey.
After all, a shinobi is someone who endures.
As he came to the end of the Nara compound, Shikamaru decided that he would make a detour through the Nara forest. It would be a longer way, but at least he would be able to enjoy the cooling shades, better than passing through those boiling bare streets. As the genin walked through the forest, his mind began to wander off by itself.
I have to admit…
despite all the trouble,
this morning was quite an interesting day
I mean, meeting up with the other me…
The chances are one in a million isn't it?
All the talk about jumping through time and entering an alternative time zone…
Just saying…
…but
As crazy as it seemed, he really is another me; I can't deny that…
But if I am going to be someone like him in the future…
That wouldn't be bad at all…
As Shikamaru went deep in thought, his turned towards the small pouch holding in his hand.
While getting ready, Shikamaru noticed the pouch at the corner of his room. He thought it was his, but as he opened the pack, he knew that it belong the elder "him". He took the pouch with him, as he thought it would be better to bring it along than to leave it at home with a sensitive mum.
It was said that a woman's purse could tell a million things about her. Well, same for man. As for Shikamaru, despite having one glimpse in the bag, he knew that the future him didn't change much. However, there was one thing, or to be more exact, a pair of blades that caught his eye.
" So, you have my pouch."
A voice came from behind among the trees.
"I know you wouldn't head far off…"
Shikamaru turned back to greet the owner, this time, he saw himself, exactly as if looking through a mirror. As the "reflection" noticed the surprised look of his other self, he couldn't help but giggle.
"You should you have seen this coming, shouldn't you?"
"Henge no jutsu…"
Said the younger Nara.
"Well, to my surprise, it seems like transforming into the younger version of me is less chakra consuming than taking on other forms."
"So, what are you up to now?"
"You asked me about my next move. Well, I can't go back now, but this is still Konoha, and Konoha my home, so I should to do something about it…"
" So what's gonna happen in the future?"
Asked the young Nara.
"…
Do you really want to know?"
Shikamaru asked his younger self in a solemn tone.
The younger one took a few seconds to ponder. Then he let out and carefree sigh and simply shooked his head.
"Nah, seems too troublesome for me. By the way, I'll leave these to you."
He then threw both the lunch box and the pouch to his other self. Upon receiving the stuff, the other Nara first gave a queer look but then let out a small grin.
" So you do know my next move."
"Not a clue. But if you want to get to Oyaji, this is the best way to get through the guards. Anyway, I'll be heading off to find a nice spot to enjoy the rest of my summer. Hope you enjoy your trip."
Once finished said, the laid back genin turned and headed for another direction, slowly and lazily disappearing into the shadows of the forest. A nice summer breeze swept through, springing up wonderful sounds of leaves dancing and bugs resounding in the forest.
Summer…ehh?
Shikamaru recalled the innocent easygoing look of his younger self…
Those times…
My summer…
When did mine ended?
tbc-