*This chapter is dedicated to two dear people: Never Believe the Believable and madwarringinvenice. You guys are the best! Well, I don't actually have much to say today…other than, this chapter picks up RIGHT where chapter 9 left off. Yeah, well, please do enjoy yourselves!
WARNING: Any medical knowledge that Kaiser attempts to portray is actually butchered information that she received from high school level Anatomy, high school level Psychology, and the Discovery Channel.
I sincerely apologize to any med students out there who spend this time laughing their asses off.
Chapter 10: Present—Concerning Shikamaru
Sakura turned to the group, beckoning everyone but Shikamaru over. Lee picked up Neji, whose closed eyes belied his consciousness, and Hinata, Sai, and Naruto inched closer.
"Was anyone with Shikamaru-kun when he fought?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked in her best professional tone.
"Just Neji," responded Naruto, "but he was unconscious for half the fight." Sakura bit her lip.
"They were the team that…fought Sasuke-kun, right?" Naruto nodded solemnly.
"I think that the only way to know what's wrong with Shikamaru-kun and Neji-san for that matter, is to find out exactly what happened. But Shikamaru-kun has been acting strangely, and he's the only person who knows everything."
"Sakura-san," called Lee hesitantly. "Shikamaru-kun is…I am not sure what he is. When Gaara-kun and I found him, Shikamaru-kun was curled up in the fetal position, crying his eyes out. Gaara-kun somehow got through to him, and Shikamaru-kun has been clinging to him ever since. I am not sure what the true cause of his behavior is, but Gaara-kun seemed to think that Sasuke-kun's genjutsu could have played a role." Sakura nodded, hanging on Lee's every word.
"Yes…I agree with Gaara-sama on that. Genjutsu is known to cause problems with the neural pathways and the constriction of the keirakukei, either of which could easily be the source of Shikamaru-kun's change in behavior."
"I sense a 'but' coming," muttered Naruto.
"But," continued Sakura, "there is also a less-hopeful possibility. It could be that having to…to…to kill…him…was…too much for Shikamaru-kun…and his only coping mechanism was withdrawal from reality."
"W-what does th-that mean for Sh-Shikamaru-kun?" questioned Hinata seriously.
"There is no easy cure for any kind of mental illness, let alone trauma-induced psychosis. If Shikamaru-kun's experiencing a mental breakdown of some kind, it could take years and years of therapy to help him, and even then he may never be the same again." Naruto grimaced.
"What about if it's the genjutsu though?" he asked. Sakura's expression softened.
"I'm not experienced enough to do this well, so Shishou or Shizune-sempai will have to do it, but an experienced hand can easily reverse the damage done to the neural pathways and keirakukei. Shikamaru-kun will most likely have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks under observation, and he wouldn't be able to perform his shinobi duties for at least a month after release (since relapse is highly probable in these cases), but overall, he would make a full recovery."
"Let us pray for that scenario then," murmured Lee.
"How do we know which case he is?" Sai inquired. Sakura sighed.
"It's a simple test. I would more or less stimulate his nerves using chakra until I found the problem area: if his psychosis has a physical cause, he would retain his sanity for a few minutes, if not, there would be no change-"
"Great! Let's do that then," exclaimed Naruto.
"I wasn't finished yet, baka! This procedure can cause more problems than it's worth. If it is in fact physical, then after the few minutes in the clear, Shikamaru-kun's keirakukei in the region will probably collapse even further, causing him to be worse off than he is now." The group was conflicted. Did the benefits outweigh the risks?
"I think we should do it," argued Naruto after a few moments of contemplation. All turned to Naruto, unsure of what could possibly make the blonde so decisive. "Think about it," he continued. "If we do it then Baa-chan won't have to, which'll save her some crucial time for healing Neji and Gaara. Also, if Shikamaru is physically psychotic…or whatever, we could use those few minutes to ask about Sasuke, which could help us figure out what to do next." There was a silent consensus among the group.
"All right," conceded Sakura. "But Naruto, if we have to carry Shikamaru-kun back because something went wrong, you're doing it." Naruto reluctantly agreed to the pink-haired girl's conditions.
The group slowly approached Shikamaru.
The Nara was still rocking the half-asleep Gaara gently, back and forth, back and forth. Upon seeing the group, Shikamaru appeared to feel threatened. He backed away from them, holding the redhead closer. "Stay away," he managed shakily.
Sakura, at the front of the group, held out her hands in a calming manner. "Shikamaru-kun," she soothed, "it's okay. We just want to help." The aforementioned shook his head.
"No! You're lying!" He backed himself against the cliff wall. He was literally backed into a corner. Auburn eyes widening, Shikamaru forced chakra into his shadow. It split into a half-dozen smaller shadows, each penetrating the air menacingly.
Still, the Nara flinched. He was pushing himself to the limit by activating his jutsu. He clutched onto Gaara for support. The redhead stirred. "Shika…maru…kun?" he called softly. His mint green eyes took in the situation at hand. He looked from Shikamaru to the others and back again. The Kazekage attempted to stand only to have his legs give out on him. Shikamaru caught him before he could fall. He held onto the redhead for dear life, his shadows extending further, moving sporadically, like an enraged animal.
Gaara managed to cup the Nara's cheek in his hand. "Sh-Shikamaru-kun…it's okay. Whatever they're going to do…i-it's for the best…" Shikamaru seemed to relax, though he still seemed wary. Gaara managed to switch their positions so that Shikamaru was lying in the Kazekage's arms. He comfortingly ran a hand through Shikamaru's hair. The Nara calmed down enough to let his shadow recede. "That's it," he murmured. "You'll be just fine. You can trust them." He gave Sakura a curt nod.
"What needs healing?" he asked loud enough for Shikamaru to hear, knowing that it would comfort the other to know what was happening.
"I'm running a test to see if his psychosis was caused by the genjutsu." Again, Gaara nodded.
Sakura approached the Nara, her hands lit brightly with green chakra. Shikamaru backed away a bit, burying his face in Gaara's shoulder.
"Shh," the redhead soothed, "it's okay. Haruno-san's just trying to help." Shikamaru whimpered as the chakra-lit hand grazed over his forehead. Then, chakra oozed into his head, causing him to tense at the odd sensation. "You're doing just fine, Shikamaru-kun," murmured Gaara. He rubbed circles on the Nara's back, smiling as the other finally seemed to relax.
After a few minutes, Sakura began to get worried. She had checked almost all of the major neural pathways to no avail. This wasn't looking good for Shikamaru. She probed deeper into the Nara's mind.
And then…
Shikamaru cried out, practically jumping out of Gaara's arms. He backed against a nearby boulder, breathing heavily, eyes wide and body shaking. "Oh shit," he hissed out. "Never, under any circumstances, do that again, Sakura. My God…it was like getting a rasengan to the face…" He flinched as a sudden wave of pain hit him. "Ugh…make that two rasengans."
It would seem that the cause of Shikamaru's psychosis was physical after all.
"Sh-shika…maru-kun?" called Gaara weakly, surprised at the Nara's sudden change in demeanor. Shikamaru blinked, turning towards the redhead. His eyes softened.
"Hey," he called gently, making his way over to the redhead. "How's the eye? Is it hurting at all? Can you hear any voices? Seeing any hallucinations? I'm betting Kabuto didn't infect you with Orochimaru's cells just for kicks." Gaara just continued to stare, completely taken aback. "You okay?" asked the Nara. "Feeling sick?" He placed a hand on his forehead as if checking for fever, but said nothing.
Then, Gaara beamed. He smiled like never before, unable to contain his relief at the Nara's complete one-eighty.
Shikamaru chuckled. "You need to smile like that more often," he teased. "Anyone ever tell you you're adorable?" Gaara flushed a deep red, which made Shikamaru feel oddly satisfied.
"Oi, Shika," called Naruto. "I'm the only person allowed to tease Gaara-chan! Got that?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"He has a way of ruining all my fun," he murmured, just loud enough for Gaara to hear.
"Enough you two," shouted Sakura. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Shikamaru, I'm assuming you remember most of what happened."
"It's a little fuzzy in places, but I can more or less tell you everything from when Kabuto came to now." Sakura grew a bit more serious.
"You only have a few minutes before your keirakukei collapses in on itself, so do think you could give us an idea of what happened out there in the canyon before you run out of time?" Shikamaru nodded.
The Nara began to speak. He told them of how Kabuto had appeared and Gaara stayed to fight, of how Lee grew afraid and went back for the redhead, of how he, Neji, and Sasuke met up in the canyon and began to fight. He told them of being trapped in several genjutsu: the first was physical pain, the next was a strange sort of sensory chaos which threw him for a loop, and the third was a product of Sasuke's most advanced Sharingan in which he was forced to kill Asuma, over and over again, in so many different ways. Then, everyone he loved, he began to kill: his mother, his father, Temari, Ino, Choji, Naruto, Neji, Lee. He had attempted to break out of this genjutsu by pouring chakra into his head. But this had done more damage than good to his keirakukei and neural pathways. He had broken out of the genjutsu, but at a price: any stimulation to his brain would cause terrible consequences.
He had come to on the ground; Neji and Sasuke were fighting at an incredibly high level, but it was obvious that Neji was wearing down. His body was failing him, and he did not have long before his pain would overwhelm his will. Shikamaru managed to sit up, but it would seem that he was not needed; for, at that moment, Neji had cornered Sasuke. He was so close! One jyuuken strike to the heart would be all it would take, but then, Neji hesitated. He murmured, "Sasuke, I don't want to kill you. This is your last chance. Come back to Konoha. Naruto and Sakura are here. They can help you; they want to help you." Then, Sasuke struck Neji with a Chidori through the stomach. Neji cried out, coughing up blood. He stumbled, falling against Sasuke who merely threw Neji's limp body against the canyon wall.
Then Shikamaru lost it. He had no idea what happened in those next few minutes. He could remember screaming and crying. Shouting, "YOU SON OF A BITCH! HE GAVE YOU MERCY! HE GAVE YOU A CHANCE! AND YOU KILLED HIM!" The next few minutes were a haze of red and anger and death. By the time Shikamaru could remember who he was again, Sasuke was dead, his throat slit brutally. Shikamaru had vomited on the ground nearby. He looked from Sasuke to Neji and back again. He was surrounded by death and decay. Everything was his fault. Everyone was probably dead. Naruto, Gaara, Lee, Neji, Sasuke, Sakura, Temari, the list went on and on. Ino and Choji. But it ended with Asuma. It always ended with Asuma. It was his fault. Always his fault. Everything Shikamaru touched died.
He curled into the fetal position and lost his mind.
"…And that's all I can remember," the Nara finished softly. Everyone was wide-eyed and horrified. Sakura was crying. Naruto looked like he was about to. How could they not? Sasuke had been a traitor until the end. And Neji, poor Neji was run through with a Chidori, as if his own illness was not enough. Lee looked as though he was about to throw up.
By this point, Shikamaru was still sitting against the boulder, Gaara by his side. The redhead looked into his auburn eyes with pure empathy and melancholy. Shikamaru gave him a sad smile. "Hey, Sakura," he called softly. She wiped a few tears from her eyes.
"Yes?" she replied, voice hoarse from crying.
"How long do I have before I go crazy again?" Sakura grimaced at his phrasing but answered nonetheless.
"About thirty seconds." Shikamaru sighed.
"Mendokuse. I could use more time, but it'll do." He turned to Gaara, and pulled the redhead into the deepest most bruising and passionate kiss he could muster. The Kazekage's mind went blank as he melted into the kiss, the warmth, Shikamaru's smell and taste. It was so perfect, so wonderful. Shikamaru could turn him into nothing but a puddle of goo with a simple touch of his lips. Then, the Nara pulled back, though Gaara was now in his lap and so out of it that he was completely at Shikamaru's mercy (too bad he only had about ten seconds left). He leaned down and murmured in the redhead's ear, "Just so you know it's not just the crazy talking. I meant it when I said you're mine." Gaara let out a soft, longing sigh.
Life was good.
Then the moment shattered.
Suddenly, Shikamaru began to shake, his eyes wide, and his mouth forming unintelligible words. His grip on Gaara tightened a hundred-fold.
And he collapsed.