Chapter 11: Kukkī:
A/N
Yo! This chapter took me a long time to write and I'm not sure why, but I hope whoever reads it finds it enjoyable!
Phoenixx Rising very much for the comment on my story again! It means a lot to me that you would take the time to comment, so thank you3 I'm so glad you like Shikamaru so far. I haven't written that much of him yet, so I'm really glad he came across well. Yes! Shikamaru's mum is the bomb! I love her too, I don't feel like all the moms in Naruto get enough rep! Kushina is an awesome character that I feel should get love! I love Naruto and Sasuke'a friendship too, so don't worry, I promise to have it in this story. I want Sasuke to be able to branch out to more than just his team members though. I want him to learn to make connections on his own. So he feels like he has actually chosen a friend rather than being put on their genin team and only because of that, gets to know them. I'm one hundred percent for a Naruto Sasuke friendship though, and they will have some definite bonding moments in later chapters:)
Thank you again for your comment, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!
"Ugh, if you only make a move every ten minutes we're never going to finish this game….. How troublesome." Shikamaru groaned from where he lay in the grass. He was reclined with his hands behind his head.
Sasuke scowled at the lazy boy, but looked back to the shogi board. He was trying to plan his strategy for the small battle playing out in the game. He had never played before, but he still wanted to prove that he could pick up the rules easily enough. Sasuke sat on point with his back infinitely straight, much like a real soldier ready for battle.
That morning had gone pretty well in Sasuke's opinion. The two teens had gotten to the academy mere minutes before class started. No one had any time to talk or ask questions. Sasuke was quite keen on avoiding people asking why he and Shikamaru had come running up to the school out of breath and almost late. He worried what Shikamaru would say if he was asked by one of his friends, but no one had time to yet. He didn't know if he could trust Shikamaru with his secret, but at this point he didn't have a choice. Sasuke just had to hope Shikamaru wouldn't tell anyone he lived in the Hell Hole, and that he had been attacked by ANBU the day before, although he wasn't positive Shikamaru knew that part of the story. Sasuke wasn't too keen on leaving his fate up to someone other than himself, so he was very wary at first.
Ino, who was usually quite nosey of Shikamaru's life didn't even have time to pester the boy. They were both sure they would meet her wrath at lunch though.
Iruka had ordered the class to pair up into groups and 'bond,' whatever that was supposed to mean. Sasuke thought this whole ordeal was stupid, but he was lucky because Shikamaru felt the same way. Iruka Sensei had told every group to go to a secluded area and learn about each other. Sasuke had asked Shikamaru where he wanted to go because Sasuke didn't like making decisions that weren't life or death related. It always seemed like he made the wrong one. Social situation protocol always seemed to be foreign to the clueless raven.
Shikamaru had chosen the outdoors of course. To be specific he chose right outside the academy under the dying cherry blossom. Sasuke had been quite pleased with the choice because this was exactly where he would have chosen. He couldn't tell if Shikamaru chose that because he wanted Sasuke to be relaxed, or if he genuinely wanted to go outside. People's motives, especially those that had information on him, were very important to him. He hated how paranoid he was but he couldn't help it.
Sasuke didn't even think it was allowed to go outside, but it didn't seem like Shikamaru could care less. He followed Shikamaru outside reluctantly. Once they had sat down Sasuke felt a wave peacefulness sweep him up like the ocean. He couldn't help the contented sigh that escaped his lips when the breeze broke and hit them with a cool wind. It was perfect in Sasuke's opinion. He could barely feel anyone's aura. The wind just kept sweeping the negative emotions of others away. He hadn't realized his eyes had slipped closed until a cherry blossom petal had fallen on his face. He immediately shook it off.
After that small moment of peace Sasuke had been unable to completely relax again the rest of the morning. When he had opened his eyes he saw Shikamaru there, just a foot from him. He hadn't forgotten about him, but it worried him how relaxed he could become in his presence. Shikamaru had his eyes surprisingly open, but his head was tilted toward the sky. He looked deep in thought. Sasuke took this chance to search his aura. He hadn't gotten to the day before because he was so freaked out about him coming in the middle of the night and not to mention tired. Sasuke had tried to read his aura that morning before they had left for the academy, but Sasuke had been hit with a wave of anger and irritation. It wasn't the normal Shikamaru that he was used to feeling. His was often calm and cool, rather than heated as it was that morning. It was a cold kind of anger too, the kind that revolves around hate. Sasuke had been surprised when he felt it. He a shiver ran up his spine just thinking about it. Now all Sasuke could think about was why he was angry. He hoped he hadn't offended the boy in some way.
It seemed Shikamaru knew something and that made Sasuke extremely wary of the lazy boy. He didn't know if Shikamaru would turn and demand something of him in return for keeping quiet. He was almost positive the night before had been some kind of trick to get Sasuke to open up so he could back stab him. It was completely irrational and Sasuke knew it, but he couldn't let his guards down, he had just met the boy. He didn't like how he felt so comfortable around Shikamaru already. He wondered if Shikamaru knew he did. The lazy boy was just easy to get along with, yet he could hold a knowledgeable conversation too. The complexity of his mind but his kind nature simply drew Sasuke in. he couldn't explain it, but no matter how much Sasuke should believe that Shikamaru just wanted something from him, he couldn't bring himself to be cold to the boy. Sasuke guessed that was just another thing that was messed up about himself. Even when he had the chance to protect himself he was still gullible and naive enough to think that this could be the one. That this time would be different. He knew that people only hung around him as long as they had to or as long as they needed something from him, afterward he would be useless and they would leave him alone again. It was the natural order of things though. He often wondered if Kakashi only stayed around because he wanted someone to pass his teaching on to. He figured this even more lately because ever sense the chunnin exams and his training with him he hadn't been as close. He knew he was being a baby, Kakashi probably just realized that Sasuke was the reason the third was dead, and found out that Sasuke was going to push him away. It still hurt that he was willing to abandon him without a fight though. Sasuke still tried to hold onto the hope that Kakahsi still did care for him, and would forgive him, he knew he would have to say good bye to him one day, but he didn't know if he was ready to let go of him just yet. Sasuke had been abandoned enough times to be prepared for it. He never tried to stop it of course, he always hoped that the next time someone might want to keep him in their life, but he wasn't going to let Kakashi after he spewed so many speeches about friendship to leave him without at least a proper goodbye.
Sasuke mentally smacked himself, he wasn't supposed to let people into his life no matter if they wanted to or not.
Sasuke was a conflicted person. He was young and didn't know what to do. On the one hand he was lonely and longed for someone to care for him, but on the other, if he did end up finding someone who miraculously liked him, they were in an everlasting danger of being hurt. It was a lose, lose situation and Sasuke didn't know which was right. Was it selfish to let people in, for them to ultimately have the possibility of death, or was he being stupid and letting fear get the best of him. He knew part of the reason he didn't want to let anyone in, was selfishly because he was afraid to get hurt , he just wasn't ready to admit that yet. It was much easier to say that he had been left so many times that he was incapable of trust. All Sasuke knew, was that he needed to be strong. He needed to show his brother, wherever he was, that he wasn't broken, just damaged. It felt good to pretend he was okay, that he was fixable even though he never believed it.
He didn't know if there was a right way to be strong because it felt like he was doing things all wrong and was still barely holding onto life by a thread.
While Sasuke was having all these deep and questioning thoughts, Shikamaru had decided it was a great idea to interrupt him and ask if he wanted to play a game.
That was how Sasuke had made it into the humiliating situation of having to be taught how to play Shogi. It was actually a pretty complex game, and there are many different pieces. Sasuke couldn't remember the names of them, but he found that he actually liked the game a lot. He also found that as long as he was playing and planning his next move, his mind never wondered and he couldn't really feel anyone's aura. It was a nice discovery that he was very happy about. He had lost shogi four times to Shikamaru already, and they were in the middle of their fifth game now.
Sasuke noted that Shikamaru was a very good teacher. He was patient and didn't mind repeating the same facts over and over to him. He could tell Shikamaru wasn't playing his hardest which pissed him off and pleased him. It meant that Shikamaru wanted Sasuke to have good time, but also that he didn't think Sasuke was any good at the game. Sasuke put on a devious grin and made his next move. He was going to make Shikamaru play like he meant it if it killed him.
Sasuke watched closely as Shikamaru's eyes shifted to the board. Sasuke focused in on his aura, which he hadn't purposefully done for fun in a long time. Shikamaru had a slightly excited feeling flowing through him, but also a lick of anticipation. Along with that was genuine contentment. Sasuke smiled despite himself. It felt so good to have such positive emotions flowing around him, especially when he was aprt of the reason why. He hadn't hung around Naruto or Sakura for a couple of days and his mood was taking the blow for it. As long as a good aura was around him he found himself feeling a lot lighter than normal. Like a humongous weight had left his shoulders. It actually physically hurt him to be around negative emotions. It was like being bathed in acid when he was next to angry people and almost like drowning when they were sad or down on themselves.
Sasuke smirked and crossed his arms as Shikamaru, for the first time that day, put his hands together in front of him in his thinking position, and actually strategized his next moves. Sasuke was very satisfied that he had broken his good guy façade. Shikamaru was now determined to beat Sasuke.
Once Shikamaru made his move and killed one of Sasuke's pawns, it left his piece in direct killing range for Sasuke. After that moment, the game was set in motion. They took turns quickly, both caught in planning their next move. Soon almost every piece was gone. Sasuke was confident he could win. He was basing his battle strategy for the game on a very risky bank. His plan was to ambush Shikamaru's pieces, but he had to cause a distraction for Shikamaru so he wouldn't notice. He was going to leave an opening to one of his most important pieces and let it die. That would put Shikamaru in a place where he was unable to fight back and Sasuke would win. The problem with this plan, is that if Shikamaru realizes the plan, he could kill the piece that was banking on killing him and force it onto his side. If that happened, then Sasuke was screwed and he would basically lose the game.
Sasuke masked his face as to not give away his plan, and set the battle strategy in motion. Shikamaru sat silently and Sasuke could practically see the cogs turning inside his head. He watched unblinkingly as Shikamaru attempted to formulate a plan.
He bent forward over the board as he scanned for the best possible move. Sasuke inwardly smiled, it was fun getting to play a game with someone who could really challenge his strategy but not in an angry, I hate you, kind of way. Sasuke had made sure that his pieces were sat up so it looked as if he wasn't planning anything. The lazy boy would have to remember that Sasuke got his piece across the board, which was like 30 minutes ago, and could now move and jump over other pawns.
Shikamaru's hand raised and Sasuke held his breath, but Shikamaru merely scratched his eyebrow and went back to thinking. Sasuke was okay with that, as long as he could be in the lazy ninja's presence he was content. It turned out Shikamaru was pretty easy going but also someone that could speak deeply about what he was passionate about. It seemed from what he could tell, he liked his sensei a lot. If the way he told stories about beating him in shogi was anything to go by, anyway. He also seemed very fond of Ino who seemed unbelievably annoying in Sasuke's opinion. When Sasuke had verbally worded that, Shikamaru had agreed full heartedly, but said that she was endearing in her own way. He had brushed Sauske's comment off and said, "You would have to know her." Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little at that, he knew that feeling all too well. It was the same way he felt about Sakura. It was hard to understand, but she was a part of his team.
Sasuke noticed that he hadn't said anything about his widely known best friend, Choji. He couldn't tell if Shikamaru just didn't think it had come up in conversation because it was only small snippets of information as he explained to Sasuke as he played, or if something was wrong with Choji and his relationship. Sasuke dismissed it because as he reminded himself, he hadn't decided if he was going to let this boy into his group of people that was allowed to get close to him. Even more so, what the hell was he thinking?! I'm going soft!
Shikamaru made a grunt like sound that caught Sasuke's attention. Shikamaru moved his piece, but it wasn't what Sasuke hoped nor feared for. He moved a completely different piece than what he expected. Two minutes later Sasuke was glaring at a triumphantly grinning Shikamaru.
"Good game." Sasuke groaned in defeat.
Shikamaru took on a more somber look, "It was. I've got to say, for a first timer, you did pretty amazing."
Sasuke glared, "I don't need your sympathy." He growled out.
"I know, but it was one of the most fun games of shogi I've ever played." Shikamaru said truthfully. Sasuke couldn't catch an ounce of dishonesty in his voice.
Sasuke lifted his head and shook Shikamaru's hand in sign of a good game. They suddenly heard the gong for lunch ring loudly through the entire academy. They both smiled knowingly at each other. They hadn't done anything for their project and neither felt the slightest bit guilty. If Shikamaru was willing to skip out on all the awkward questions, and the harsh task of pulling answers out of the raven, Sasuke was all for it. He was sure they would end up with an F on the test, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. He was too happy after playing Shogi to be bothered with it. It had been a long time since he last played a child's game. It was much more fun than he remembered it being, although the last board game he had played was…..He couldn't quite remember. He usually just trained with Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi, they never really made time to play child's games. Before he was part of team seven he didn't really have anyone to play with so he couldn't remember a time he did. Hefelt a little foolish after playing the game because everyone else had been working, but Shikamaru seemed happy, so Sasuke found that he didn't mind it.
They both stood, but before Shikamaru could walk away, Sasuke stopped him.
"I have to get something straight. I'm not going to play a back and forth game with you. What is it you want?" Sasuke said in a calm but dark voice. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, especially before he could get attached. He wasn't going to let someone fuck with his emotions for fun.
Shikamaru looked at Sasuke in confusion. He was searching his face to see if it would guide him, but he found nothing but an emotionless scowl. This bothered Shikamaru more than he was willing to admit because this was the exact stereotypical person that everyone told him Sasuke was.
Sasuke waited and read Shikamaru's aura. Sasuke couldn't get an understanding on Shikamaru's emotions because everyone was filing out of their classroom and gathering in one place. Everyone had a different feeling and it was all flushing into Sasuke quickly. Sasuke felt his lungs constrict.
Shikamaru took on a look of concern immediately. "Hey are you alright?" He dismissed Sasuke's last question.
"I'm fine. Now tell me what you want." Sasuke gritted out through clinched teeth. He was trying his best to rid the look of struggle from his features.
"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, But your acting weird" he said in complete and utter confusion.
Sasuke growled, and shifted from foot to foot. After a minute he finely spoke. "Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about you keeping my home life a secret. What do gain from this?" He growled out.
Shikamaru stared with disbelief. He couldn't quite grasp what Sasuke was saying. Did he really think that I would want something from him in return for keeping his secrets. Heck, I didn't even know they were really secrets!
Shikamaru recovered quickly. He wanted to make this clear to Sasuke. He didn't want Sasuke thinking that he was going to use or backstab him. He took a deep breath.
"Uchiha," he glared hard at Sasuke. He noticed that he wasn't looking at him, but at the ground instead. He spoke again but a little gentler, "Sasuke look at me." The raven's eyes lifted and met Shikamaru's dark black eyes. The use of his first name must have snapped him out of his daze. Shikamaru was momentarily frozen when he looked into his eyes. Sasuke's eyes were a burning black that rivaled his own onyx orbs. Shikamaru didn't often believe in fuddy duddy things like prophesies and seeing into someone, but he could literally see Sasuke's soul. His eyes held everything that Sasuke couldn't say. Shikamaru could practically see what he was thinking. The burning eyes held a pain and burden that no one Sasuke's age should know, but also a kind of strength beyond the lazy boy's imagination. Shikamaru couldn't get over how beautiful Sasuke's eyes were. They glowed in comparison to the rest of the boy's stoic nature.
Shikamru re-grasped his thoughts and spoke clearly, "Sasuke…" he clinched his fists. He didn't know how to make this boy believe him and didn't want to feed him any lies either. He chose his words carefully, but made sure they sounded nonchalant as to not scare Sasuke away.
"Your life is no one's business but your own, how am I to go spreading information I can't even grasp clearly." That was obviously the wrong thing to say because Sasuke was gone within seconds.
Shikamaru watched Sasuke walk, almost run away from him and into the school. He picked up his bag and made his way after the raven. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Sasuke didn't know what he was doing. He just knew he couldn't stand there any longer. Shikamaru had pretty much stated that he needed to get more information on Sasuke before he could grasp it clearly! In Sasuke's fragile mind, Shikamaru's words had meant nothing other than that he was hoping to get closer to Sasuke before he spewed it to the whole world. His brain just couldn't understand Shikamaru and his motives. He could cover up everyone else's kindness with something in return. It was much easier than believing they really cared. Kakashi was getting someone to teach his skills to before death, Sakura was finding a lover to give her attention, and Naruto was searching for a rival to make his stronger, but Shikamaru was gaining nothing from this! It hurt him more than he thought it would. It had to be because he wanted Sasuke's secrets! Sasuke wasn't ready to believe anything else. Sasuke was trying to be angry but a small nagging in the back of his mind kept him from going back to the pony tailed ninja and attacking him. He had been reading his aura while they spoke and he could practically see the sadness, understanding, and the simple enjoyment Shikamaru was emanating. Sasuke didn't understand, but he knew he needed some time to figure things out.
He walked through the cafeteria, trying to block out everyone else's emotions so he could actually figure out what he was feeling. Another burden of being super sensitive to emotions and auras was that he often couldn't figure out what he was feeling rather than what others had just placed upon him.
He grabbed an apple on his way. He passed a fruit bowl sitting on a table, and grabbed it then. He rubbed the fruit off on his shirt and took a bite as he turned around. He headed straight back out the cafeteria doors and out into the academy courtyard. He was glancing every which way for a glance of Shiakmaru, but was grateful when he didn't see him anywhere. He strode through the school grounds until he was behind the building. On the wall of the building was gutter at the top. The wall was higher than what he remembered it was, but Sasuke dismissed it. Sasuke had to put chakra in his feet before he jumped up and could grab the gutter. He pulled himself above the gutter and shimmied himself the rest of the way until he was atop the academy building. He had been up here many times before. Whenever things became too stressful for him during his days in the academy, he would climb up here to take a breather and refresh his brain. The view was always beautiful. Today was especially so, and Sasuke was glad he could come up here and be alone. It felt really nostalgic to be here again, sitting on the roof of the academy left to his thoughts. It had felt like a long time since he was here. He thought he had left these stressful days behind, but apparently he hadn't.
He walked over to the other side of the building to get a better view of the trees. He balanced himself with his arms out, like he used to when he was a kid. It was kind of fun, but also calmed him too.
He stopped abruptly. Sasuke saw a small figure sitting alone on the edge of the building top. Upon closer look, Sasuke realized it was a girl sitting with her knees up to her chest and her head resting on them.
She was sitting in his spot, exactly where he usually chose to sit. He momentarily thought about irritatingly telling her that she was in his spot, but then stopped for her frightful position. He quietly walked closer. Once he was a couple feet away he could recognize her by just her back of head. It was Hinata Huga, and she had come to the roof for some peace and quiet too.
Sasuke shocked for a moment but then, he oddly felt a compelling need to talk and comfort her. He didn't know why she was upset, but she obviously didn't deserve to be. From what Sasuke could tell, Hinata was a kind and gentle ninja who never turned to violence unless she had to. He didn't know what he should say, but he decided it best to just start with hello.
Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, the young girl spoke. It was soft and quiet but it wasn't timid like she usually sounded.
"I know your there." It was a simple statement, but Sasuke didn't know what to say back to that. How did she know! He quietly walked forward. He silently slid down next to her and sat in a similar position.
He looked at her and attempted to block out her suffocating aura. It was brighter and more dominate than any he had ever felt before. Damn it, I couldn't read it because it was too foggy and overpowering before, now it's too bright and suffocating! He took a calming breath, he didn't want to leave because then his senses would win, and he wouldn't get any stronger with his sensing abilities. He needed to get his mind off his feelings, he had been self-pitying himself all day, and he wouldn't stand for anymore.
"Tell me something?" He asked not unkindly, but naturally.
She looked at him for the first time, and their eyes met. Her eyes were crinkled in thought but her face slowly broke into a stunning smile. It was small and no teeth shown, but it was happy.
"Mmm….Well, the trees are dying and the sky is blue. The grass is green, and I'm a little hungry. Oh also, there is an ant hill on the ground over there." She pointed to a small clearing not too far from the academy.
Sasuke chuckled lightly, "How can you see that?" he asked incredulously.
She shrugged, "Byakugan, it enhances my sight, and lets me see things from far away no matter how small." She explained thoughtfully.
Sasuke nodded in understanding. A couple minutes passed in silence where Hinata pulled on the tips of her hair and Sasuke fidgeted with his hands.
"Do you want to hear a secret?" she asked softly. It was random, so it took Sasuke a minute to fully register the question. He decided his best response and worded it in a whisper. It was like they were almost afraid to break the peace the afternoon had created.
"Only if you want to tell me."
She nodded, and took a second to breathe. "I'mhidingfromIno." She said it quickly and shut her eyes tightly as if it was a sin.
Sasuke smirked and looked at her questioningly, "Pardon?"
She took a deep breath and looked away, "I'm hiding from Ino."
Sasuke turned his head towards Hinata with wide eyes. She looked back with one eye closed. A moment passed between them and the silence was broken by two sets of giggles.
Sasuke spoke through his laughs, "Guess what?" He asked with the kind of amusement where there really isn't anything funny about the situation.
She shrugged as she continued to giggle. They were growing louder by the second.
"I'm hiding from Shikamaru right now!" another session of laughter followed after this statement. They both were out of breath by the time their amusement faded and their laughter subsided.
They both looked out over the academy grounds. The view was beautiful, and the breeze was crisp. It was a wonderful afternoon temperature wise. Every time the wind blew, petals fell from the trees. There were a couple of red and gold trees up the path to the school too. They were just starting to change color in favor of fall, but they were still quite pretty.
Hinata sighed, "We're pretty messed up aren't we?" She said it like a statement and not a question and Sasuke didn't feel inclined to answer.
"Why are you hiding from Ino?" he asked before he could think twice about it.
She looked at him and wrapped her arms tighter around her knees. She huffed in a breath, "I-ino is freaking me out with all the q-questions and a-attention she's giving me. I don't know what to do with it. P-please don't tell her you found me!" she said sounding somewhat frightened.
Sasuke nodded his head crossed his heart with his finger. He looked as if he was making the biggest promise of his life. Hinata balled up her fist and punched him in the shoulder. Sasuke was happy to see a little of her fire back in her.
She smiled at him, "Why are you hiding from Shikamaru?" Her eyes were wide and she looked very much like a friendly doe. Sasuke mentally laughed at the look on Neji's face if he told him he thought his younger cousin looked like a deer.
Sasuke didn't really want to explain anything at all to her, and briefly considered lying. She had told him the truth even if it was hard for her, and he felt he owned that much to the small girl. He felt safe enough to tell her, but not to give the full story. On the contrary he didn't feel like she would judge him if he told her, but he didn't want to seem completely insane on the first real conversation they had.
"I was kind overwhelmed I guess. I should count myself lucky though, compared to how Ino seems, Shikamaru sounds like a walk in the park." He shrugged one shoulder.
"Don't say that, I'm sure you had it hard too." She said sympathetically but not condescendingly.
He rubbed his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know it's just I didn't know, I wasn't sure….well, you see I-"
"I understand." She stopped him before he could stutter further. She looked out into the distance. She looked lost in thought but she came back after a few brief seconds.
"You know, I hate when people finish my sentences, I never feel like I say what I want. I just did that to you. Would I be any better than them when dealing with someone like me?" she asked with a sad kind of confusion. "Would you like to finish your sentence?"
He looked at her with knitted eyebrows. He didn't know what to say. "I think you would be better." It wasn't a lie. He didn't elaborate further, so the two fell into silence.
The gong for the end of lunch rang but neither of them flinched.
After a beat, Hinata stood.
Sasuke looked back at her as she began to walk away. She turned abruptly though and looked into Sasuke's eyes. "I-I think..." she took a deep breath and closed and opened her eyes to calm herself.
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody, is to just try and trust them." Hinata looked satisfied with herself and quickly climbed down from the roof. Sasuke sat flabberghasted. He had wanted to say something inspiring back to the young but wise girl, but nothing came to mind. He wondered how she knew what he was thinking. The words he couldn't form, she seemed to understand. He wanted to know what he could do to know how to trust Shikamaru. What was the mark that meant that Shikamaru would be true and stay to his word? She gave him exactly what he needed to hear. He stood up and stretched his back. He needed to go back to class and talk to Shikamaru. There wasn't a way he could guarantee that it would be safe to trust Shikamaru, but Sasuke finally understood. If he wanted something good, it would be come at cost. He couldn't expect Shikamaru to trust him, if he didn't return the favor. He climbed down the ladder feeling heavier but also lighter than he did before.
He felt like he was walking toward certain doom, but he hoped it was all in his head. Oh, how wrong he was.
Sasuke is very in tune with the emotions of others. It wasn't only because of his sensing abilities but also his natural observance and curiosity. Sasuke found the feeling of hate to be the most overwhelming of all emotions and the hardest to deal with. He hadn't found how to hold back his abilities yet, so Sasuke used meditation to control himself. He wished that his gift had an 'off' switch, so he would be able to choose when he wanted to use it. His head constantly felt full and he was overwhelmed with every nameable emotion. Another reason he liked to spend time alone was because it was relief to his head from such heavy emotions. He quickly found that he enjoyed being around people with lighter emotions or those that could control themselves better. It was a constant headache to be around Naruto but just as bad to be in the presence of Neji. It was a hard contrast to find, but Kakashi had calming one, and apparently so did Shikamaru. This fact brought Sasuke to his most recent predicament.
Sasuke trudged back to his classroom. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to Shikamaru, but he hoped he could figure it out by the time he got there. By the time Sasuke had arrived at the large wooden door leading to his class, he had been through every possible scenario and outcome in his head. Sasuke decided he didn't really like any of them, so he would just wing what he was going to say. He thought back to the time when Kakashi gave him that advice. He told the team that when fighting, don't think. Your instincts will take over. Sasuke hoped that this was sort of the same thing. Kakashi said that your inner animal instinct will take over and protect you. Sasuke remembered Kakashi's advice and he saw the deeper meaning in his words. Don't think in the heat of battle, you may have to do something that you wish you wouldn't have, but you have to. From then on, Sasuke would shut himself out in battle. He already had experience doing so from when he had to try and block out his enemies emotions. It wasn't too hard for him, but that didn't mean it wasn't hard for Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke didn't feel particularly bad when he had to punch someone hard to jiggle their brains or lie to their face to guarantee his safety. On the contrary they had to be bad people, but he didn't feel guilty about it. Sakura and Naruto both hated to hurt people no matter if they were being hurt in the process. He was sometimes a little jealous of their kind and forgiving natures. Naruto thought that everyone deserved a second….third….fourth….and maybe even fifth chance. Naruto was a living and breathing miracle though. He was pure down to the bone and possibly even beyond that. He found that Naruto could quite literally like anyone. That's probably why he has so many friends and you have none. Sasuke scowled at his annoying inner voice.
Before Sasuke entered the classroom he touched the wood of the door with his hand. He wanted to get a good read on everyone's feelings and auras before he entered. He couldn't help feeling that something was going to happen. He couldn't explain it. Sasuke had even at the distance when he on the roof earlier, kept a piece of his mind on the classroom. He liked to make sure everything was okay even when he wasn't there. As Sasuke had moved closer to the classroom the weird feelings became stronger. Now that he was against the door he could feel everything. Sometimes when he touched something or was grounded to in area, he could feel auras better. The best was when he could physically touch the person he was reading though.
The young Uchiha stood beside the door and let all the different auras wash over him. He figured almost everyone was in the classroom besides him. He couldn't be sure, but from how stimulated he felt, he figured there was quite a few of them in there. He thought it would be good practice for him if he pin pointed an emotion and studied it. He searched the room mentally. He grasped one aura in particular. It would be easy to pick Naruto's from the rest because the uchiha knew him and saw his aura's color. He grazed over it with his mind and felt excitement, slight confusion, and shock….what was that, a hint of jealously? His aura was almost as bright as usual too. It wasn't surprising to the raven, it was usually how Naruto felt, minus the jealously. Sasuke wondered why Naruto's aura was a little darker, almost accusing. It felt like he was wary somehow….
Sasuke moved to Sakura and felt some very strange emotions coming off her usually comforting and warm lavender aura.
He attempted to take the classroom as a whole. Overall everyone felt apprehensive, excited, wary, curious, and shocked. Sasuke knew he was doomed, he must have been feeling left over emotions from everyone else. That was why he felt like something was going to happen. The question now, was why the class felt this way?
Sasuke irrationally hoped that it could be just because they had started the lesson without him and they were using the new gear or something. Yeah and Naruto's finally learned how to be quiet. As if.
He took a deep breath, the only way he was going to find out is if he went in. He felt really stupid for a good thirty seconds where he couldn't force his own body to move. He didn't want to meet the rookie nine ever again. Maybe he would run to the beach. Now that sounds fun…He felt as if they all knew what had transpired between him and Shikamaru; like he was completely see-through.
He steeled his features; he wasn't going to let some kids intimidate him. All he had to do was imagine Itachi watching him and all his bravery would come back. He faced Itachi when he was seven he could take on a room full of teens! He would never let Itachi have the satisfaction of watching him crumble in fear again, especially with as something as pathetic as this.
He put his hand up to the door and twisted the handle. The worst part was that he couldn't explain why he was afraid.
He walked through the open door way and planned on just making it to his seat and avoiding all eye contact, he would face Shikamaru later. His 'careful' planning was destroyed when he stopped abruptly at the door way. The clatter of the door shutting filled the silent room. Everyone was standing randomly throughout the classroom but every eye was on him. Sasuke could barely breath the tension was so thick. Sasuke wanted to lock eyes with someone so he could calm himself. Sasuke wanted to scream it was like the world was against him! The only person he kept locking eyes with was Shikamaru and his stupid relaxed attitude. Shikamaru didn't look away from Sasuke, but the raven quickly fixed that problem by whipping his head at a different place. He knew he probably looked crazy, but heck he was an Uchiha. Everyone already thought he was nuts!
Sasuke stood still and felt a strong urge to laugh at everyone's shocked faced. A relief came over him when he realized that a little of what he was feeling was because of everyone else's anxiety. He felt a little braver than before, and decided he could do this. Scratch that, he changed his mind instantly when he saw the person standing next to Naruto. Naruto was glaring hard at the person, but then it looked as if he had made up his mind.Naruto was never good in tense situations….
"SASUKE! FINALLY!" Naruto loudly yelled across the classroom. He quieted slightly when Sasuke held his hands to his ears. "Sorry bastard, this weirdo says you guys are best friends and hang out all the time! Is that true?" he asked plainly. Ugh dobe, as blunt as ever….
Sasuke squinted his eyes in slight confusion. He couldn't be referring to the boy standing next to him. Sasuke knew for a fact that this guy was not his best friend. What!? I don't even have a best friend!
Sasuke averted his eyes to the boy. He had familiar bright white hair; it was flattened more than the normal unkempt look he had though. His green eyes were astonishingly florescent and they held a cat like quality to them.
Sasuke could have possibly confused him with someone else if it wasn't for his light pink apron with his family's restaurant logo on it. Ichiogo's Shokudo
Sasuke actually couldn't remember the boy's name. He was starting to believe that he possibly had a dyslexic problem with names. He had freaking seen the boy, what, four days ago and couldn't remember his name?
This kid has got guts though, waltzing into ninja territory dressed like that.
Kiba decided to unsurprisingly join the conversation. "That's impossible Naruto," he said with a stupid voice. Sasuke thought about throwing a kunai at him but refrained from the satisfying thoughts.
"Like he would be friends with a civilian freak like this kid?" Sasuke glanced over at the white haired boy. He figured the guy might be shaking in fear for he was surrounded by ninja, or in the least, sad that he was just bluntly called a 'freak,' but to Sasuke's astonishment he was staring straight into Kiba's eyes with a hard expression. He didn't look afraid at all.
"I have a name you know!" the boy said loudly so that everyone in the class was looking at him. He crossed his arms irritated.
Iruka stepped down from the stage and walked towards the boys. "I'm sorry. That was inconsiderate of us. We, as ninja should be more thoughtful. Would you mind sharing your name with us?"
The boy smiled brightly at Iruka. The strange thing was that it didn't even look forced nor fake. It was a genuine grin as if he totally forgave everyone for insulting him because he was a civilian.
"I'm Jo Ichiojo. Nice to meet everyone!" he waved even though it wasn't necessary. Sasuke immediately took note of his name and stored it in his memory. Iruka seemed like the only one who felt like talking so he happily spoke.
"Okay, it's very nice to meet you too. I do have to ask, who invited or escorted you onto the academy grounds? You do know the rules don't you?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, everyone knew the rules. Civilian weren't allowed in the training grounds, death forest, or ninja academies of any kind. It was too dangerous and ninja thought they were superior so they had special places civilians couldn't go. The only way they were allowed on the academy premises was if you were invited specifically by a ninja or you were escorted by a ninja. Sasuke thought the rules were stupid. Sasuke wondered who Jo, as he now knew him as, found to let him in the academy. The answer became very obvious as Sasuke opened his mouth to ask.
"I escorted him Iruka Sensei! Please don't be cross with Sasuke's friend Jo." Sasuke clinched his fist at being called Jo's friend again, but didn't say anything because he was too surprised by who had said it.
Lee had tumbled over to Jo's side; his two walking sticks almost making him fall over in the process. He stood like a soldier defending a comrade. The room only grew tenser as Neji glided into the conversation with ease.
"Lee. You mean to tell us, that you didn't even know this child and you agreed to take him into the building? How stupid can you be? He could have been trying to assassinate someone?" Neji seethed through his teeth.
Iruka broke the conversation off. "Now Nejj, you are right about what you said, but we don't call our comrades stupid." He said as if talking to a precious child. He was soft but firm. Sasuke growled under his breath, if Lee would have called Neji stupid, Lee would have gotten in a lot of trouble.
Jo scowled that leering smile again. "Ya shouldn't insult your friends. Ya never know when they will turn on ya. And anyway, I wouldn't hurt a fly. I came here with no 'tension to hurt nobody." He didn't truly pronounce all of the words in what he said, but everyone understood the meaning.
Iruka regained his smile. "And I wasn't accusing anybody of doing so." he said curtly. "Lee, you must be more careful."
He then turned toward Sasuke. The raven took a step back. Iruka beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. Sasuke, not one to be out done, put his head up and confidently strode a couple yards into the room.
He caught sight of the sensei all gathered a little ways from the corner of the room. Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy were all whispering to Kakashi frantically, but he was ignoring them completely. Sasuke barely glanced at Kakashi, but he could feel his eyes on him as he moved. He had an accusing look in his single squinted eye. Sasuke ground his teeth together and forged on.
All eyes in the classroom were once again upon him. Sasuke didn't squirm, he just continued to remind himself that he hadn't done anything wrong. If Shikamaru had kept his promise to not tell anyone about the Hell Hole and the ANBU attack, they shouldn't have any problems with him.
Iruka looked Sasuke right in the eye, "Jo Ichioji says you guys are friends. Is this true Mr. Uchiha?" That was a low blow, calling me by my last name.
Sasuke scowled. He raised his brow mockingly at Iruka. He didn't feel like being nice to the man. Before he could get himself in some deep shit, Jo ruined his perfect comeback.
Jo wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulder and tugged him close. Sasuke cringed at the contact but no one seemed to notice how uncomfortable he was. Since no one seemed to look like they were going to save him from this crazy boy, he took matters into his own hands. He swung his leg backward and tripped Jo from behind. He quickly stepped away from the crumbled Jo, and looked at Iruka. "We are not friends, merely acquaintances, if that." his eyes darkened.
"Ah, that's ol' Sas for Ya, Always being so tough and untouchable." Jo smiled as he stood up. Sasuke didn't like to admit it, but the boy's positive yet ever so observant personality freaked him out little. Sasuke rolled his shoulders in discomfort. He didn't like being talked about like he wasn't there. Sasuke felt kind of bad for Jo from what he said. Technically he did know the white haired boy pretty well. He had been around him enough to actually see the color of his aura. That's more than what he can say for all of rookie nine, excluding his team of course. Jo's aura was very unique. It made Sasuke feel kind of uncomfortable to think about. The boy exuded a sweetness but also a deeper passion. He had serenity about him, but a darker undertone. Somehow the boy had an extremely open aura but it was also filled with mystery. Sasuke couldn't quite figure him out. The color of his aura was light pink, just like the apron he wore.
Iruka smiled at Jo kindly and turned his eyesight again to Sasuke. "Well, okay mister Mocho. You do know him though?" he asked for clarification. Sasuke twitched inwardly and blushed lightly at the nickname. Kiba was snickering behind Iruka and so were some of the girls in the room. Even Naruto looked like he wanted to laugh a little but remained silent because he was loyal to Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged it off. It could have been worse. He did scowl when he was forced to answer Iruka's question though. He knew that Iruka just wanted him tell him that Jo was harmless and wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Yes I do." He decided to have some fun he put on a grin that made an unexplainable joy flash through his eyes and looked at Jo. Jo jumped happily and leered around the classroom. "Jo and I, we enjoy some of the same activities." Sasuke said lowly. The classroom shut up instantly. They were looking at Jo with apprehension. Iruka's friendly smile disappeared but he nodded his head. He swallowed thickly before he spoke. "Um….well.…very well then."
"Mister Ichiojo, May I ask why you are in the ninja academy." His voice no longer held the kindness it did a couple minutes ago. Sasuke glared at him unashamedly.
"Yeah I can tell you." Sasuke was quite curious now, he really was wondering why Jo had come to the ninja academy. Jo got that look on his face that said he was about to tell an elaborate story. Sasuke seated himself by leaning on his right leg with head turned to the side curiously as he listened. "I knew Sas was back in the academy these dayz and thought it would be fun to bring his class some of the food we make at my restaurant….Well, me aunt's restaurant anyway. I was hoping to make it here before lunch but I couldn't get in, obviously." Sasuke cut him off here with a confused glance.
"Wait, were you planning to just wait outside of the academy, hoping that I would come by and let you in?" he asked with a scrunched face. Jo nodded and continued speaking, "Anyways, I waited and waited but no Sas ever came, so I decided to try and get some other ninja to let me in. I asked long haired Doofus over there, but he didn't even stop to let me explain myself." He said pointing at Neji. Neji blushed like a tomato. Good to know where Hinata gets it.
Neji spluttered for words but Jo waved him off. "That really didn't matter because Lee found me and let me in." He grinned at Lee, and Lee happily smiled back.
"It took me so long to get in that you guys finished eating." He frowned, "But that's okay because I also brought some cookies so you guys can have those! Here!" he completely regained his happy aura. Sasuke face palmed. He brought a room full of ninja cookies! What is he thinking?
Silence filled the classroom, as everyone looked somewhat afraid to taste the new comer's food first. Sasuke took pity on the boy and out stretched his hand. He didn't really ever eat dessert so he knew it looked weird. Sasuke didn't speak because he didn't trust his voice at the moment.
Jo happily placed a cookie in his hand. It looked somewhat burnt and smelled freakishly funny but Sasuke still accepted it and turned around. He saw Kakashi staring at him with a look Sasuke couldn't place. The raven didn't like it, but turned from his gaze.
Kakashi strode over to where Sasuke stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to be having a private conversation about this later. Do you understand?" It really wasn't a question but Sasuke nodded anyway. Kakashi said it with such authority in his voice that Sasuke was afraid to refuse.
Sasuke turned back forward and was rewarded with a horrifying sight. Iruka and most of his classmates in close proximity to him were staring opened mouth. Sasuke crushed his eyes shut. They had most definitely heard Kakashi and seen Sasuke act so weak. Sasuke hastily bit into the cookie while glaring at Everyone in sight. Not many people could withstand the Uchiha stare, so most of the students avoided him completely.
The cookie was disgusting. Sasuke nibbled on it nervously. It was quite spicy but he didn't say anything. Sasuke took to standing in the corner of the room and people watching. He was trying to learn to take everyone's auras in with waves rather than some kind of painful hurricane. He had his back against the wall leaning with his foot up. One arm was wrapped around his torso in a protective position.
Sasuke listened closely into conversation flowing around the room. Sasuke's mouth quirked upward the littlest bit at the sight of Neji and Hinata sitting not too far from where he was standing. Neji had his legs crossed sitting up straight. He was obviously reluctant to taste the cookies Jo had brought. Jo had proceeded to pass around the cookies once Sasuke had tasted them and deemed them safe. Hinata was clearly trying to persuade Neji to taste the cookies. She was nibbling on it herself with a gentle smile towards her cousin.
"Come on b-big brother Neji, I promise, I-its s-safe." She whispered softly to him. Neji grunted and crossed his arms like a child, but took it reluctantly. Sasuke didn't keep watching long enough to see Neji's face turn white and then red from the heat the cookie withheld. He also didn't get to see the giggle that left Hinata's lips when Neji watched his cousin eat the spicy cookie incredulously.
The raven turned his gaze to the loud racket coming from the center of the room.Of course the noise is coming from the dobe…
Sasuke watched in amused silence. Kiba was being a self-righteous bastard as per usual. Sasuke wondered how Naruto found that personality enjoyable to be around. Kiba was holding the cookie out to Akamaru to inspect and sniff to see if it was poisoned. Naruto, being the attention hogger he was, took the cookie from Kiba. Sasuke was positive he took it because Sakura, Ino and Tenten, were standing not too far off, watching them with interest.
Naruto grinned and yelled unnecessarily loud, "I'm not afraid to taste the cookie, unlike Kiba the chicken! BOK! BOK! BOK!" he then took a huge bite of the cookie before Kiba could do anything about it. Shino and Choji had gravitated to the scene to watch to. Naruto's eyes widened instantly and his face slowly turned Habanero red, which was what Sasuke assumed were in the cookies. Kiba threw his head back laughing so hard that he almost fell out of his chair.
Naruto proceeded to get even redder, but not because it was spicy, it was of embarrassment. He shoved the cookie in Kiba's face with a challenging eyebrow raised.
Sasuke stopped watching the strange exchange of the two full of themselves boys, and averted his gaze to the girls. He was meaning to tell Sakura and Naruto about the package and letter he had received a few days prior, but since his morning had been so messed up, he forgot to bring it. Sasuke made a mental note to remind himself tomorrow to bring it.
Sasuke watched Lee interact animatedly to Jo, telling him some kind of story. Jo was smiling and nodding at Lee, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere. His eyes were glued in a different direction. Sasuke could feel Jo's heart beating. He wondered why, this had never happened to Sasuke before. He kept watching and tried to figure out what Jo was looking at. He decided he would go over ask. He pushed off the wall with one leg and swaggily walked over to Jo and Lee.
"Oh Hi Sasuke-san!" Lee greeted happily.
Sasuke nodded his head as hello and turned to Jo.
"Why would you bring spicy cookies to us?" he asked straight to the point. Sasuke was never good at social cues and normalcy in conversation. All he knew was he wanted a bit of information and he was going to ask for it.
Jo grinned sheepishly. "Well, my aunt and I were making cinnamon cookies, and I put cumin in instead by accident. I thought maybe it would taste better if I just made a completely spicy cookie, so I put a couple peppers and onions in it." Jo kept on babbling for a couple more minutes before he got to the part Sasuke was wondering about.
"Anyway, I burnt them and my aunt didn't want to sell them at the restaurant so I thought who would like some weird tasting cookies? Well, Sasuke of course, I remembered how your always so hungry when ya come in, yet you buy the cheapest meal! I thought you would be happy with something else to eat, I didn't really know if the academy provides lunch and all…" he trailed off. Sasuke's eyes had widened to tennis balls. He was blushing so bad that he thought his head might catch fire. Lee was standing right their listening to the whole conversation. Sasuke tentatively glanced at him, but Lee was looking in a different direction as if he hadn't been listening to what Jo said at all. Sasuke was thankful for Lee's kindness and reminded himself to be nicer to the bushy browed boy. Sasuke glared at Jo, but he was smiling at Sasuke in the most innocent way. It reminded him of something he couldn't put his finger on and the raven was compelled to forgive him immediately. Sasuke rubbed his temples. "Thanks for the cookies, Jo." He felt a little warmed that Jo had thought of him, but annoyed that he so blatantly stated it out loud. Sasuke gave a quick look around to see if anyone was looking. He only glanced the smallest look from Ino, but her eyes were hard and she didn't look surprised or pitiful, so Sasuke thought he was pretty sure no one heard.
Jo smirked and hollered over to the girls. Sasuke looked at him confused, Jo was usually loud and exuberant but he had never seen the boy wear the confident yet charming smile he wore. He sauntered over to the girls with an obviously perfectly practices lazy walk. He gave them a lazy smile, "What is all this nerdy stuff you're talking about?" he asked good naturedly.
Sakura narrowed her eyes, it was clear that she had been speaking. Sasuke was afraid that she might blow up at the maybe insult but she confidently smiled. "I was talking about the political rights of civilian and ninja. It's all rather interesting if you take the time to look into it." She smiled kindly back like she had won the lottery and turned back to her two girlfriends.
Jo wasn't deterred. He poked her in the back, "I never said I didn't like when people are all book wormy, especially when their as sweet and cute as you." He grinned when she turned back around a blush on her face. She shook her head in disbelief. Ino was grinning manically behind her. Tenten was glaring at Jo and Jo shifted the first time seeming uncomfortable. Ino took Sakura by the arm and giggled like there was no tomorrow. They had a short conversation but Jo couldn't hear it. He waited nervously to what Sakura was going to say back to him. His kept his smile and good nature up though. Sakura turned around, more like was forced around by Ino and bit her lip. "Uh…Well that is very sweet of you to say, but I have hard time believing that you actually know what I'm like." She said while beginning to break the skin on her lip. Ino looked horrified by what she said. Jo chuckled lightly and Sakura smiled nervously.
"Mmm….Your probably right. I'd love if you let me try and figure you out though. You seem like a wonderful person to get to know." He smiled that charming smile again and his eyes shone brightly.
Sakura pulled her hair in front of her forehead self-consciously. Jo tilted his head to the side, "You shouldn't cover your face like that. It hides your eyes." with that he turned around and left a blushing Sakura in his wake.
Sasuke and Lee were both gaping by the time Jo swaggered back to them happily.
"A win for the Jo-mister!"
Fifteen minutes later Iruka took center stage again. Sasuke glared, he didn't want to think about the sensei or Iruka at all for the rest of the day…Maybe for the rest of his life….
Iruka ordered Jo to leave the academy because the students had to re-start their classes. Jo grinned confidently around the room and bowed before he left.
As he walked out the door he called out to Sasuke who wasn't far off. Sasuke turned his head in his direction, "Bye Sas, will I see ya again this week?" he asked curiously. Sasuke didn't know why, but he nodded his head and Jo was gone. Sasuke walked back to his seat, dreading the speech about friendship and unity Iruka was about to give.
Shikamru rolled his eyes from where he sat four rows up from the stage. Iruka was going to give some weird speech and then send the team's away to go 'bond'. Shikamru shivered involuntarily at the thought of using so much effort for something so meaningless. Shikamaru didn't know what to think of Sasuke today. He was so cool and fun to be around this morning and then he just changed. Shikamaru thought it was weird, but tried to picture himself in Sasuke's shoes. Shikamaru frowned at the thought of having lost his whole family. He snuck a glance at Sasuke as he said goodbye to Jo. Shikamaru didn't really know what to think of Jo. He was cool for the most part, but something was off about him. He couldn't decide what it was though. Shikamaru watched as Sasuke effortlessly scowled at everyone around him. Shikamaru felt horrible that Sasuke was so upset all the time.
Sasuke stopped on his way up to his usual seat. He looked deep in thought. Shikamaru sucked in a breath when he didn't stop where his seat row was and continued up. Shikamaru stole another glance at Sasuke as he slid into the seat right next to him. Shikamaru looked straight at Sasuke for a whole minute, finally realizing that Sasuke wasn't going to look back at him, he faced forward. Shikamaru let his eyes turn towards Sasuke, so it didn't look like he was watching him he remained face forward.
Sasuke was glancing nervously at Shikamaru and then back to Iruka. Shikamaru turned his eyes back forward and a small smile past him lips.
Sasuke had made an effort and that was all that mattered. He didn't talk to Shikamaru, or apologize for his outburst, heck he didn't even slug his arm around the lazy boy like any normal kid would, but he did the best that he could. Shikamaru was satisfied with their ever so small evolution forward. Sasuke showed that he didn't hate Shikamaru and the lazy boy was glad that Sasuke was giving him an outstretched hand. Shikamaru was going to take that hand for everything it was worth….
Thank you for reading:)
I hope it was interesting and enjoyable. I wanted to begin a friendship between Shikamaru and Sasuke, I hope it didn't seem cliché, but I can't be sure. I appreciate everyone who reads my story! The next chapter should hold more friendship bonding and maybe even some more story for one of the female characters!