Gentle-Fist Massage V: Life of Shinobi
Part 3: "Getting Along"
Sai wasn't the one concerned; everyone else was. The scroll had been from Tsunade, ordering Shikamaru to take the next three weeks off and not to leave the house without the ex-Anbu with him. She "advised" that he not drink heavily and mentioned that she had told his "escort" to watch him when handling sharp objects.
The Hokage then explained that it was necessary he have someone around him during "his difficult time," seeing as Shikamaru's track record "proved he couldn't handle this kind of anguish."
Shikamaru had thrown the scroll across the room. 'That was a completely different situation!' his mind screamed, feeling quite insulted. He had glared at the pale skinned ninja for a long time, eventually sighing in defeat when he realized the other wasn't going away. He muttered about there being food in the fridge and that he could sleep on the couch, since the spare bedroom hadn't been put together yet.
Sai had been kind, throwing out his awkward smiles and settling in for a long stay, apparently. The scroll hadn't mentioned how long he'd be staying with the Nara.
A few days passed, and Shikamaru hadn't moved very far from his bed. He would wake up enough to take a shower, but immediately afterwards would snuggle back under the covers. Eating was too much of a bother; the kitchen was downstairs and he couldn't cook anyway. Sai had tried taking him food, but the Nara just turned his nose up to it; he wasn't very hungry to begin with.
"Did you know that sleeping too much is a sign of depression?" the ex-Anbu noted one day, sitting at the desk with a few piles of books placed on its surface.
Shikamaru lifted his head to glare at the irritation disturbing his rest.
Sai gazed back at him, lips curled upward. "That's what it says in this book I'm reading," he explained, holding up a newer looking novel with a cream cover. "It's actually quite fascinating, this feeling called 'depression.' From what I understand, this isn't the first time you've felt it, correct?"
The shadow wielder groaned, turning over to give the other ninja his back. "If you keep disturbing me, I'll put a depression in your skull."
"But that would require you to remove yourself from the bed, lazy ass."
Shikamaru was going to kill him. It was that simple. Maybe if he slit the other ninja's throat that would prove to everyone else that he didn't need looking after. All he needed was a sharp object… oh right. Sai had hidden anything sharp inside the house. Fuck. Well, strangulation would just have to do, he supposed.
The bed shifted as extra weight was placed behind him. He turned his head to see Sai sitting there, gazing at him with a small smile.
"No matter how much you sleep," the pale ninja said, "Neji will not appear next to you when you wake up."
If looks could kill, Sai would have turned to ashes on the spot. How dare him! That was not the reason Shikamaru was lying around in bed; he was just tired! Of course he didn't hope and pray that when his eyes opened he would find his love lying peacefully next to him. He just… aw, fuck it.
"Go away," the Nara spat, kicking the ex-Anbu from his bed.
Sai tumbled to the floor, but in a graceful way, like he was expecting to be pushed off. He calmly stood, dark eyes looking down at the broken ninja on the bed. His face was now as expressionless as ever, causing a tremor to run down the shadow wielder's spine. "I can't go away," he stated evenly. "I will not leave until you are over this loss; according to the mission I was given."
A low growl rumbled deep within his throat; that's why there hadn't been a date to when the other was leaving on the scroll. There was nothing definite about this situation. He slowly sat up, meeting the artist's gaze. "I see you're still an emotionless bastard."
The smile that crossed the other's face appeared to be amused. "I am still learning, Shikamaru. There are far too many emotions and it's difficult to follow up on them. Yours is something new, though. I haven't dealt with depression before."
The Nara sighed heavily, placing his face into his hands. This ninja was going to drive him to insanity, he just knew it. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
A loud growl filled the room and Shikamaru's cheeks darkened, covering his stomach with a hand as Sai's smile grew. "Let's get you something to eat," he suggested, gently grabbing one of the shadow wielder's wrists and pulling him from the bed.
Shikamaru opened his lips, but anything that was going to be said quickly faded. For a fleeting moment, he saw long, dark hair flowing beautifully down a strong back, the grip familiar and loving in its tightness.
'Neji….'
He swallowed the lump in his throat and allowed himself to be pulled down the stairs and into the kitchen. Sitting at the table, he permitted Sai to go about making some kind of meal, the Nara not really knowing nor caring what time it was.
The ex-Anbu quickly made up something that had chicken, but once again Shikamaru didn't really care what it was. As he started eating, the front door opened and he looked to see his mother walking through the living room. She was carrying a few bags and placed them on the counter, immediately sitting beside her son once her hands were free.
"How are you doing, Shikamaru?" she softly asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugged. "Fine I guess," he replied, taking another bite of his food.
Yoshino looked him over carefully, with a mother's scrutinizing eye. Shikamaru should have known he was in for it the moment she walked through the door. "You look a little pale. Have you lost weight?!" Her wide orbs looked at his bare torso, where his ribs were just barely starting to protrude through his flesh. "When did you last eat?!" she demanded.
"He hasn't eaten anything since the funeral," Sai supplied, grinning at the shadow wielder's glare.
"What?! Shikamaru, is that true?!"
Shikamaru sighed, putting down his chop sticks. "I haven't been really hungry lately, all right? Not that big of a deal, mom."
"The hell it's not!" Her fiery eyes shot to the ex-Anbu ninja. "You'd better start doing your job, Sai! We didn't send you here to sit around and watch our only child slowly kill himself!"
Sai didn't even flinch at the tone in her voice. "I was observing his behavior, ma'am. I wouldn't have let him go passed today without eating anything."
"Observing his behavior? What for?"
"To see how at risk he is for suicide attempts."
Shikamaru flinched at the words, his mother's eyes looking him over with a sadness gleaming in them.
"I wouldn't worry, though," the artist continued, "I doubt he has the energy to do such a thing. This is the first time he's been out of bed since the funeral as well."
"Shut up, Sai!" Shikamaru groaned.
Yoshino's shocked orbs darted from Sai's smiling face to her son's glaring one. "Shikamaru!" She started a whole tirade of health problems that are associated with lying in bed for extended periods of time, even insisting on checking him for bed sores.
"Mom! Back off!" the Nara male shouted as his mother tried to look over his body.
Yoshino stood straight, placing her hands on her hips, glaring at Shikamaru. "I will not, Shikamaru! What do you expect me to do, stand around and do nothing?! You are the only son I've got; I don't want to lose you."
His scowl softened when his mother wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you, Shikamaru," she whispered.
He sighed. "I love you, too."
Yoshino released him and stood, walking up to the bags she'd deposited on the counter. "I got you some food," she said, pulling out several items from the bags. "Most of it isn't as nutritious as I'd like it to be, but I don't want you to try actually cooking anything, understood? I don't want to have to deal with a fire out here; things are so dry in the forest."
The counter quickly filled up with instant ramen cups and chips and bread and sliced meat for sandwiches. Nothing that would actually have to be cooked, insuring that the Nara wouldn't go anywhere near the stove.
"I can cook, mostly," Sai stated, helping Yoshino put the items away.
"Mostly?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He smiled. "Yes, well the easier stuff, anyway. At least I know how to use the oven!"
Shikamaru decided to ignore the last comment and instead sipped on his tea to be sure he didn't make a crude remark.
His mother chuckled. "I wouldn't ask you to cook for my son. We hired you to watch him, not be his nanny."
The younger Nara shook his head. He couldn't really get why his parents hired someone to look after him. It would have made much more sense if one of them had simply camped out with him, but he figured Tsunade had something to do with that. From the looks of it, the Hokage had chosen the ninja watching over him not Shikaku and Yoshino. Of course, had they been able to put in a say, Shikamaru decided that his folks probably would have chosen someone like Chouji or Naruto, perhaps even Asuma. They certainly wouldn't have even considered the ninja who got the job. 'Tsunade must have her reasons,' he concluded, finishing off his tea.
"Well, I've got to go now," Yoshino announced, standing beside her son. "Your father will be home soon, would you like me to send him over for a visit?"
Shikamaru almost snorted. "Geez, mom, it's not like I'm in prison. You guys can come over any time."
She glared at him. "I'm not sure I care for your tone, young man! Just because you aren't living in the same building doesn't mean that you're allowed to lose your manners! I also expect you to be on your best behavior for Sai; this can't be an easy job for him." She kissed her son on the cheek and walked to the door, shouting a good bye before exiting.
"I like your mother," the artist said, taking the seat she had been occupying. "She seems like a very nice woman."
Shikamaru scowled. "Whatever, Sai," he mumbled, getting up to retrieve the packed-up shougi board for when his father arrived. 'This is going to be a long three weeks….'
