Shikamaru didn't mean to fall asleep but a combination of nights with little to no sleep and the swaying of the ship didn't help in the end, what did him in was the rhythmic sound of the waves splashing against the side of the boat.
Shikamaru was unsure of where he was, it was very dark and he could barely see. As his eyes slowly began to adjust to the light level he realized that he was standing in the middle of a forest. He was just about to try and make his way out when from behind him he heard something that made his hair stand on end.
A bone chilling laugh. Not just any laugh, it was his laugh. He heard the sounds of someone tearing though the forest, coming closer and closer. Shikamaru darted though the closest break in the treeline and began to run as fast as he could. He was not willing to use his chakra to increase his speed because if he ran out before he got away he would be worn out and defenseless and this person was not someone you wanted to face tired with no chakra.
He tried to push himself to run faster, branches scraped against him, not enough to break the skin but enough to leave long, thin welts running in all different directions across his arms. The sounds of his pursuer became louder, indicating that he was catching up.
"I'm going to catch you!" The man said, following it up with another fit of laughter.
Shikamaru woke with a start, breathing heavily. He was still in his bunk on the boat, peering over the edge he saw that Ken'ichi was still asleep in the lower of the two beds. He lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Despite having slept for a good five or so hours he didn't feel rested at all, he hoped that their journey at sea wouldn't last too long, his will to remain awake was no match for the hypnotic sounds of the ocean. The next two days passed at a excruciatingly slow pace, the day was spent staying out of the crew's way and watching the ocean, where as Shikamaru spent the night trying not to fall asleep, a task at which he failed. Each night he had the same nightmare, being chased and waking just as he was about to be caught. Two nights of it was pushing him to the limit, the upcoming boat travel to the land of water would last at least five and he didn't know if he could survive it.
They made it to the peninsula where they would be meeting up with the Kiri-nin. Though the weather had been nice, it had been very windy making the seas rough. Because of that the captain had steered the boat almost due south, so they were still almost half a days journey from the rendezvous point. Shikamaru and Ken'ichi thanked the captain and set off to the eastern most point of the peninsula.
"I'm glad to finally be off that boat." Ken'ichi said. "I was starting to feel a little closed in."
"Unfortunately we'll be on another boat in a few days and we'll probably be out to sea for at least a week, assuming that the weather cooperates." Shikamaru said. He was also happy to be off the boat, every night he had the same dream it had become increasingly worse, each time waking him panting and drenched in sweat.
"Well, at least that will be our last boat trip for a while." Ken'ichi said.
Shikamaru hummed in agreement, they slowly made their way towards the rendezvous point. Shikamaru watched as the sun traveled along its daily arc, lazily climbing in the sky as clouds drifted past it. He wished again that he could be like the clouds, to have been spared from all the pain and guilt. Focusing on a point on the horizon he sighed forcing all the sadness to the back of his mind.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Ken'ichi asked.
Shikamaru looked over at him, he seemed so happy-go-lucky and it was annoying. "I'm just tired of traveling is all."
"Yes I know the feeling but just a few more days and we'll be on last leg of our journey to the Land of Water." Ken'ichi said.
Yes but this isn't a journey I want to be on, I'd rather be back in the Leaf doing missions and watching clouds and on top of that the 'last leg' is almost a week at sea, not accounting for weather. Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment and reined in his emotions. This was no place to have a mental break down, that could wait until after the mission.
Crossing over a hill Shikamaru and Ken'ichi stopped just outside a forest, the smell of sea salt was carried towards them on the wind and they could hear the faint sound of waves hitting the shore.
"Well it seems we've hit the last obstacle before we reach the ocean." Ken'ichi said.
"Yeah." Shikamaru mumbled, he was barely listening, instead using a good deal of his brain to fight off the terror he felt at the thought of even stepping into the woods, most of what was left was trying to figure out a way to not have to pass through the forest at all, leaving a very tiny portion for coherent speech.
Coming up with no decent solution he swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before he stepping into the forest. So far so good. Shikamaru made his way deeper into the woods when he started to hyperventilate. Placing his hand on a tree for balance, he tried to steady his breathing as images of both dream and reality flashed in front of him. Feeling a hand on his back Shikamaru finally managed to regain control.
"Shikamaru, are you all right?" Ken'ichi asked.
Shikamaru looked around in a daze. "I didn't sleep very well on the boat, I guess I'm just more tired then I thought."
"We can rest here if you'd like, I'm sure it won't be a problem."
It took Shikamaru every ounce of his self-control to keep the terror off of his face. "No, let's get to the rendezvous point first. I'll be fine."
Skepticism flickered across Ken'ichi's for less then a second. "Alright then, let's get going."
They made their way through the small bit of forest, it took them no longer then fifteen minutes but Shikamaru became more tense with every second that passed. Finally they exited the forest, coming to stand on the edge of a small beach. Shikamaru felt like he was about to either explode or collapse, the tension that had built up in his chest from the thoughts that had been plaguing him since they'd entered the forest was overwhelming.
"How about you sit down and rest while I build a fire." Ken'ichi said.
"Alright." Shikamaru did his best to sit down rather than fall down. He scanned the area before him, the treeline gave way to small shrubs and bushes before the ground changed from dirt to sand. It was low tide, so there were patches of dried seaweed just beyond the reach of the water, the sand peaked and dipped creating tiny hills and valleys. The ground became more rocks than sand closer towards the ocean, the waves pushing and pulling at them with each pulse.
Ken'ichi came back with kindling in his arms and set about making a fire. "How about you try to get some sleep? I'm sure nothing will happen in the span of a few hours."
Shikamaru's mind raced trying to come up with an excuse to avoid sleeping. "If the Kiri-nin are showing up today then they should be here reasonably soon, if not it's only a few hours until night so I can get some rest then."
Ken'ichi looked at him worriedly. "If you say so."
Hello there I'm Writing- oh hey it you guys. It's been so long since I've been able to write I kinda forgot that you guys were here. Sorry. But, if you spend to much time looking behind yourself you'll fall down.
I have a couple of reasons why I haven't been around but I'm sure you don't want to hear them. I have a rough outline for chapter eight so it should be up before New Years (Or maybe Christmas!).
Also I updated to the 21st century, so now I have twitter, my name will be on my profile.
Until next time! ~Writing Impasse