New record anybody? I couldn't help myself, but I got so many wonderful responses, reviews that told me exactly what I needed to hear to be able to produce this chapter. I had fun writing Hinata, and I hope this chapter is all you expected it to be. For more info, read the end of the chapter. Until then, enjoy!
Also, this chapter is dedicated to ScarecrowKakashi, who had a request that made me glad… because it was already part of the plan! You'll see why, my dear!
Warning; Subtle mindfuck, vague racism.
Chapter 11; Alternate appearances
Sometimes
I feel that I should go and play with the thunder
Somehow
I just don't wanna stay and wait for a wonder
It was nice to be in Konoha again. His mother always left him alone to relax a little when he returned from a long term mission. She had been uncharacteristically silent these days, but with the promise to talk later, she gave him a bento, like she used to do when it was just the two of them and sent him off.
The story he'd told his mom, and his friends for that matter, was that he needed some alone time to progress things and left for the far east corner of the Nara wood. He'd implied there had been a lot of gore and bloodshed, and each party had agreed to give him his time alone. He'd promised he'd be back before dinner, and when they had nothing left to say to each other, Shikamaru departed.
He didn't leave for the meadows, although he promised himself he'd visit the sacred hills soon. Instead he slipped into the sewers, made his way to the underground ruins and walked until he reached the room he had claimed as his own. There he stored the bento and his clothing. It affected him slightly to let his mother's hard work go to waste, especially since she hadn't bothered to make one in forever, but the feeling was a passing one. When he was dressed in the proper attire, he preformed a hench and a fake copy of his mask was secured into place.
Then, he departed and made his way to the north-eastern part of town. This part of the city was without a doubt reserved for the upper class; the city was littered with remnants of the Genroku period, and wealth was everywhere. While the lower classed ninja and civilians had suffered and coped with the aftermath of the luxurious lifestyle of the people of that time, the elite still bathed in it's remains.
Nevertheless, this part of Konoha was beautiful, yet exclusive. He made his way through the wonders of architecture, passed a few ancient temples and walked past the impressive entrance of both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha clan. It was the latter clan that officially still owned the tearoom he entered. Izuna, one of Sasuke's distant ancestors, had been the brother of the more famous Uchiha Madara. And though his life's tale was rather tragic, he had seemed to have penchant for tea, so after his death his brother had named various teahouses after his beloved little brother.
It was strange to be meeting the Hyuuga heir in a place that was so inevitably associated with the Uchiha name; it was no secret that the two clans hadn't exactly gotten along during their heyday.
Nevertheless, Shikamaru met his dark-haired companion at two o'clock sharp at Izuna's teahouse. She was sitting there, serenely, as she bowed politely to acknowledge his arrival. Though the typical teahouse was smaller, this one seemed to combine multiple secluded tearooms into on room. There were separating doors, to ensure privacy, but the fact that they weren't higher then a meter gave the room an open feeling. It was obvious that while the outside of this shop seemed to have come right out of the late 17th century, the inside had been changed quite a lot over the ages.
Shikamaru sat down on a cushioned tatami mat, that felt way to comfortable to fit in the strict ideal of soberness of the Edo period, and met Hinata's eyes for the first time.
"I'm glad you could come, Raiu-san." She said politely, filling a cup of tea for the both of them without even once showing her wrists. When she had hung the cattle back above the sunken hearth and had offered him his cup, he uttered a thanks, for both the tea and the welcome.
Then, she spoke. "I hope it was easy to find this place, Raiu-san."
Shikamaru nodded. "I had no trouble. Thank you for the invitation." He answered, rolling his eyes behind his mask. Nobles and their pleasantries that prevented them from getting straight to the point.
Hinata giggled softly, and continued speaking, more solemnly than she looked. "I am eternally thankful for your secrecy. Consider this tea as a token of my gratitude."
Shikamaru looked down at his tea, holding it politely. He wasn't really fazed with the fact that Hinata seemed somewhat uncomfortable with his refusal to drink the tea, but he had accepted the cup so considered that he had lived up to the expectation. No costoms or traditions were going to make him remove his mask to drink, and the Hyuuga princess might as well know that from the start. He followed her rules, but in the end he was here not for the sake of her gratitude; he was here for the information.
After a few silent moments, Hinata set her cup down and folded her hands in her lap, het eyes downcast. "I am terribly sorry to burden you with my problems." She said, as if to excuse her behavior.
Shikamaru waved it off. "It is no problem, Hyuuga-san. I would be glad to be off any help."
Hinata nodded, still not meeting his eyes. Then, she sighed. "It started all so innocently, you know?" She said, tucking a few hairs behind her ear. "It was my first job as an ambassador, and… I don't know, it just clicked between us. He wasn't as frightening as I thought he was. And then, everything just went so natural, like it was our fate to be together." She muttered the last part.
Shikamaru refrained from sighing. The Hyuuga's and their twisted view of faith. Outwardly, he tried to open up his body language, as if to invite her to speak more.
"And I kept asking myself, 'why do I do this?', but no matter how many times I tried to quit, how many times I have found myself standing in front of the Hokage's door with every intention to confess everything and beg her to give me a different job, but I couldn't." She confessed, her voice soft. He knew it was hard for her to confess this, but he made no move to comfort her.
"I fell for him, over and over. I tried not to, but I couldn't help myself." Hinata concluded.
Shikamaru allowed the girl to regain her composure, which she did in no-time. She wasn't trained to be a commoner, after all. Then, he said; "You must know the possible outcome of your situation. Not just for the two of you, but for both your families and villages." His words weren't sugar coated, but after being deceived by this woman, Shikamaru didn't feel the need to.
"I know it cross-village relationships are frowned upon. And I am well aware that me, the Hyuuga heir, marrying the Kazekage would be out of the question. But despite knowing all that, I can't help it." She said in defense, raising her chin to meet his eyes for the first time as if daring him to challenge her words. "I love him."
Shikamaru deliberately raised his eyebrow. "I never questioned your feelings." He said, not fazed by the Hyuuga's expressiveness. "However, I can't help but question your love for your clan and village."
"I do love them!" She said, harsher than she intended to. A few other occupants of the teahouse looked their way, taking in the sight of an defensive heir and a passive ANBU. Hinata sank down in her seat and her cheeks started to adopt a darker shade of red. "I mean, I do, truly, respect my home and upbringing."
"Then why, I wonder, would you endanger each of those things you claim to 'love' with this relationship of yours." Shikamaru questioned without hiding the irony in words.
From his place, he could see Hinata wring her hands in her lap, as she stumbled to find the right words. "I- I- I'm- No… It- It's complicated." She stuttered out.
"I'm sure it is." The ANBU said with fake comfort. He was enjoying this a little bit too much.
Hinata's gaze narrowed and she pursed her lips. "As I said." She brought out with a hint of hesitation lacing her tone. "It is a complicated affair. A common soldier like you would not understand." She ended harshly.
"Now, now, let's not get personal here." He snorted, dismissively. "I do not question your loyalty, rather your intentions."
"I am sorry." She apologized, calming down considerably. "Would you like to have some more tea?"
Shikamaru would have laughed at her sudden retreat into traditions, but didn't in order to keep the conversation going. Instead, he ignored her question, and posed one of his own. "What I am interested in, my lady, is what you intend to do. This is a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode in your face, so to speak. You can't live a double life like this, or both lives will become a façade. "
Hinata's graceful moves faltered slightly before she hung the cattle back at it's original place, and straightened her posture notably with some effort. "I intend to choose." She said solemnly, her mouth twisting grimly. "Soon."
"Okay." Was all Shikamaru replied, because really, there wasn't that much more to say. If Hinata was surprised by his lack of response or attack, she didn't show it. Instead, she took a few more sips from her own tea, and proceeded to pour her heart out to a faceless stranger.
Shikamaru noted that in all the anecdotes she told, she never once mentioned something that could be of political consequence for either Konoha or Suna, while each was laced with the undertone of loyalty issues. Shikamaru listened politely, not once tasting his tea or asking her to elaborate, despite his own curiosity. He heard her out, but all the while there was one question in the back of his mind.
By the time Shikamaru's tea had turned cold, the sky had turned darker and it was almost time to leave in order to return home before dinner, Shikamaru posed the one question that had been haunting him at the back of his mind during the entire conversation. "Before we depart, I still have one question left."
Hinata, whom had calmed and brightened up considerably during her tales, simply nodded. "Of course, Raiu-san."
Shikamaru leaned foreward ever so slightly. "Why did you bring me here?"
Hinata looked genuinely surprised at his question. "Had I not told you? To express my gratitude, of course."
Maybe, if Shikamaru hadn't been slightly paranoia or hadn't noticed the subtle clenching of Hinata's fist, he would have believed those convincingly innocence. "I do not question intentions, Hyuuga-san. But why this place?"
Hinata blinked. "My mother used to bring me here, and I like the atmosphere of this place."
"Is that so?" Now that was a lie if Shikamaru ever heard one. "Because it would just seem, I don't know, strange for the proud wife of the Hyuuga head to purposely make her entrance in an establishment that whose name was so utterly intertwined with their rival."
Hinata gulped, her eyes going wide. "Maybe that's just me." He said too-sweetly, mocking her. "After all, my common birth prevents me from seeing such complicated matters correctly, right?" He delivered nearly cruelly, enjoying the way Hinata's posture changed from relaxed to that of a trapped animal. He didn't like being deceived.
Hinata started to fumble with the zipper of her coat, her eyes downcast guiltily. "I am sorry for my words. I did not mean them." She apologized meekly.
"I'm sure it has merely been instilled upon you during you childhood."He said, waving away her words. "But I would like to know why you would pick such an open place instead of something more private for something so intimate as your secret."
"I'm sorry." She apologized, but Shikamaru was done with her pretty words and innocent looks. He urged her to continue. She did, whispering. "It's just, I have to be so careful not to be seen, so in order to keep the secret, I had to be seen. I'm so sorry, for abusing you and your trust like this." Then, she buried her face in her hands, and Shikamaru was not sure whether it was out of embarrassment or shame.
Shikamaru tossed her words around in his head while Hinata continued to fidget and stammer out apologies. "They suspect you are having an affair, correct?"
Hinata stopped talking, looked up and nodded, almost sadly.
"So, you picked this place because it was too strange for the Hyuuga heir to go to a place like this, that people were bound to talk." He had found it strange that she had been so insistent on meeting him, and had been rather suspicious upon entering the shop. Once again, his gut feeling had been true. "And then there was me, a man they hadn't seen before, talking to you. This could be interpreted as anything. But you didn't want to make it seem lie we were anything, but something special. That is why you spoke up later, you purposely wanted to make it seem like we were having a fight."
Hinata nodded. "Yes, rumors work so well when they work against you." She supplied, and Shikamaru figured that considering her upbringing, she would know.
"I see now. All this was not to clear your heart, but to make people think that the supposed affair is over." He concluded
"I am so sorry for using you." Hinata supplied once more, while her body slumped foreward somewhat. The tea had been long forgotten. "I hope you will be able to forgive me, someday."
"I don't like to be toyed with, Hyuuga-san." Shikamaru hissed, forcing the heir to look up and meet him in the eye. Then, he let go of his annoyance, and said considerably more softer. "But even I have to admit that this was a game well played."
In Hinata's defense, she hadn't used him just for the sake of toying with somebody."Will you still keep my secret, Raiu-san?" She asked, but in reality Shikamaru could see she was close to begging.
"Now, now, I gave my word, didn't I? I may not be the most considerate of persons, but I do know the importance of secrecy." He said, tapping the side of his mask to emphases his point.
"Right." Hinata said, releasing a sigh in relief.
Shikamaru took a short look around the tearoom, sighed and put his coat back on."Now, I will act my part properly and leave this store in an angry fashion. However, do not forget;" He paused his actions, to make sure that the heir would get the point. "Don't try that again, because that time, I won't play along." He really, really didn't like to be deceived.
Instead of meeting a scared nod, he met sincere gratitude in those blank eyes. "Thank you, Raiu-san, for everything." Her gratitude and relief was so overwhelming, that it made Shikamaru feel a little bit uncomfortable.
"Right." He said awkwardly, then he slammed his fist down on the table, drawing all attention to himself, and said purposely harder then necessary; "I will be taking my leave then! Good day, Hinata!" And left the teahouse promptly, leaving a lot of gossip in his wake. He slammed the door for good measure, making sure to draw even the eyes of the people on the street towards himself, and then promptly vanished into thin air.
On a far east meadow, Shikamaru promptly awoke from his slumber.
"What is it?" Chouji asked startled by his friends sudden awakening.
"Oh, nothing." Shikamaru said. In reality, the information his shadow clone had given him rather startled him. He'd thought he'd underestimated the Hyuuga before. He would not make that mistake again.
He chuckled darkly; Neither would she.
They had spend a great day outside in the sun, and Shikamaru was very willing to blame his tan on this day of sun bathing. Keeping up that hench all the time was way too troublesome, and his teachers lotion merely softened the ache of a sunburn, which he didn't have. It had been a good idea to make a clone and invite Chouji to make the hike with him, not only for his state of mind and their friendship, but also because he'd realize that his and Raiu's public schedule were starting too match enough for people to connect the dots. Now, he'd had an excuse and a day off. Being lazy did pay off, sometimes. He looked back up at his friend, who was staring at him like he was crazy.
"What" Shikamaru said, laughingly.
Chouji rolled his eyes. "I don't think I even want to know what goes on in your head."
Shikamaru figured he had showed some of his contemplations on his face. He laughed it off, painting a smile on his face. "Don't break yours over it then. Instead, pass me some chips."
Chouji did as he was asked, but still looked at him with some wariness. Shikamaru didn't let it bother him, instead he took one last look at the sky and munched down some chips. Days like these were golden, and made him thankful for not being born into the nobility. He had been sneaking around for over three years, and the worst he got were outbursts from his father and strange looks from his friends once in a while. He blended into the mass. Yes, being normal wasn't always rewarding, but it sure came in handy, sometimes.
He got up and offered Chouji a hand. "Time to go, Chou. I promised I'd be home before dinner, and you know how my mother gets when things don't go her way."
"She's just lonely." Chouji said while he too got up, ever the Good Samaritan.
Shikamaru shrugged, not looking up from gathering their stuff. "She's the only one to blame for that."
"Still, she is your mother." Chouji argued.
Shikamaru halted his actions and gave Chouji a pointed stare. "But I'm not her keeper."
Chouji let it slide, and helped his friend pack their stuff. The road back was rather uneventful. Shikamaru enjoyed the way the setting sun made the sky turn various shades of red, and Chouji seemed to savor his presence, almost afraid that Shikamaru would disappear if he said something wrong.
By the time they reached the village again, the sun had almost disappeared under the horizon, but it wasn't dark yet. That was why, when they passed an infamous ramen stand, team 7 recognized the two of them, and came out to meet him.
"Hey Shikamaru, Chouji, look what we found!" Naruto yelled at them, despite the fact that they were rather close to each other.
Shikamaru made no attempt to speed up his pace, but continued to walk over to them at the pace of snail. Chouji trailed besides him, looking rather suspicious. (With good reason, Shikamaru figured. That team defined insanity)
"We found a Sasuke lookalike!" Sakura proclaimed rather fondly, pulling said man from his chair of the ramen stand.
In a world full of ninja's who could do clone techniques, you'd think it would be nothing special to see two people who looked a lot alike. Especially for Naruto, who cloned himself at least once an hour, for the past three years.
But still, he was standing there, an almost complete double of Uchiha Sasuke. Next to Sasuke stood a young man, same height, same coal eyes, same raven hair. Only the original's hair was longer and his face wore an expression that told Shikamaru that he was obviously not amused.
The other one was smiling on the other hand, and Shikamaru knew that smile all to well.
"You!" He said a little bit angrier than he would've wanted, and way more expressive than his friends knew him. His distaste for the other boy was obvious.
Sai on the other hand stopped smiling as well, and just took in Shikamaru's appearance for a second before saying: "So the kitten is here as well."
Shikamaru almost growled at the name. It referred at his old mask, and their earlier encounter. Root and Regular ANBU never got along very well, but they were exceptions: they got along so horrible that even Sai showed emotion during their encounters. Real emotion, usually on the negative spectrum, not like the smile he was wearing now. "Nice to see your face once in a while" he said, hinting at Shikamaru's hidden occupation.
However, at seeing Sai, he felt a sudden spark of rivalry. Even if it was just to wipe that fake smile of his face so he could look triumphantly at the confused state of mind that clearly showed on his face when that smile faded away. "I would say the same if you weren't hiding it behind that mask."
Mission make Sai stop smiling: successful . As soon as he said those words, the smile faltered. Shikamaru knew that he wanted to make a lot of references to his own mask, but also knew that unconscious fear for the seal on his tongue kept him from making any comment about ANBU in general at the moment. So instead they had a short staring competition, and they both lost interest. They couldn't do or say anything in public anyway, so why bother even looking at someone you don't like?
"You know Sai?" Sasuke asked rather surprised, pulling him and probably Sai as well out of their own little world. He had forgotten why he had come here in the first place.
"Yes," Shikamaru said, willing an annoyed, passive reaction back on his face. "We did a few… missions… together."
Which was true, in some sense of the word.
Sai just smiled fakely at that statement, and the others took that as a confirmation.
"Then," Naruto said, almost contemplatively, "Do you also know our new teamleader?" He motioned his hand towards a man, who was still sitting on a barstool with his back towards them, his face hidden by the small draperies.
"New, what happened to-" the words died in his mouth as the figure turned around, and turned out be none other then his teacher. "Kakashi." He finished lamely, trying to sound as natural as possible and not letting his shock at seeing the man be noticeable.
"How nice to meet you." Tenzou said overly friendly. "My name is Yamato, and I will be leading squad 7 in Hatake-san's absence.
He held out his hand, and Shikamaru shook in it in dazed stupor. Outwardly, they were shaking hands. However, as their eyes met, Tenzou told him a lot of things, but mostly not to freak.
Shikamaru steeled his composure and watched still slightly put off Chouji shook Tenzou's hand amiably and introduced the both of them.
"So, we're going on an Akatsuki hunt!" Sakura suddenly proclaimed when all the pleasantries were done, shaking Shikamaru out o his daze.
"Sakura, you are not supposed to enclose mission details in public." Sai berated, his smile never faltering.
Sakura waved his reservations away. "Oh relax, we're in Konoha, what's going to happen? Besides, we're all friends, right?" She said, looking rather happy to call people her friends. A little bit too happy, it seemed.
"That is no valid reason for trust. On the contrary, actually." Sai said belittling.
Shikamaru sneered. "No, because lacking personal initiative is definitely preferable."
"Over blind trust and bonds, of course." Sai said rather seriously, which surprised most of their group. Tenzou sighed.
"Oh you two, stop joking." Naruto said, probably not realizing Sai was perfectly serious.
Shikamaru would have probably argued some more with Sai if Tenzou wouldn't have interfered. "Yes, how about each of you go home and rest? It is already getting late and I won't tolerate any tardiness like my sempai."
Sasuke groaned and Sakura and Naruto cheered, while Sai just stood there and smiled, looking slightly forlorn, which suited Shikamaru just fine.
"Yeah, let's go Chouji. After all, I promised I'd be home in time." He said, turning to his friend, who seemed to be glad to get away for some reason. Must be the thought of dinner, Shikamaru figured, and paid it no more thought. "Bye guys, see you around, I guess."
Before he could turn around and leave, Tenzou insisted on 'saying goodbye properly' by shaking their hands. Then, each of them departed, with a few kind words and a few less kind looks towards less favored people.
Shikamaru then proceeded to walk Chouji home.
"That Sai guy is strange, don't you think?" Chouji commented at one point.
Shikamaru shrugged, more irritated then he let on. "You tell me."
"Just how do you know him?" Chouji questioned. "I mean, I've never seen him around."
"Some mission, a few years back. When I was 14, I believe. He was a member of my squad." Shikamaru explained rather dully.
Chouji glanced at him sideways, rather curiously. "Did he mess things up?"
"No he didn't. He's not a bad shinobi." Shikamaru shook his head and sighed. "He's just not a good person."
"Aren't we all?" His friend uttered out, sounding rather sincere.
Shikamaru stopped and faced his friend. "You're still upset about what happened during your last mission." It was not as much of a question as much as it was a statement.
Chouji met his eyes, the guilt still lingering there. "Yeah."
Shikamaru sighed. "Didn't I tell you to push the guilt under the rug and go on. See what it's doing to you?"
"I tried!" Chouji said, raising his hands in defense. "I mean, I'm trying."
Tenzou would have told him to try harder, Asuma would have told him to try again and his father would have told him not to try in the first place. But Shikamaru said; "Be patient, over time, you will succeed. I know you will. Just don't forget that at the end of the day you are still alive, and never forget that you feel this because you are a good person."
He touched his friend's shoulder briefly for comfort, then broke the contact and turned around, motioning his friend to follow him, which Chouji did. Together they walked back to Chouji's house. "That is what makes Sai strange, Chouji, and a bad person to boot it." Shikamaru said as an after thought. "He doesn't care about what he does or who it effects, as long as he accomplishes his goal at the end of the day. The fact that you can still feel remorse and mercy, is a good sign."
"Then why does it suck feeling this way?" Chouji asked, some laughter back in his voice.
"To remind you." Shikamaru answered. Chouji brightened notably, but he himself felt rather bad. 'A mission is a mission' was what ANBU had taught him. In reality, he wasn't that much different from Sai. Root was ANBU too, only they went a little bit further. While ANBU had a life on the side, ROOT ANBU skipped that part and became the mask that was supposed to protect them. Shikamaru felt conflicted, and didn't loose that feeling as he said good night to his friend, promising to contact soon.
Then, Shikamaru set off. It seemed that he would have to disappoint his mother one more time, he thought as he read the note his teacher had slipped him during their handshake.
'Bridge – Twilight – bring gear'
Shikamaru sighed, and created a clone and send him home instead. It was a poor substitute for his family, but there was no such thing as refusal when it came to Tenzou. Then, he made his way out of the dimly lit streets. There were numerous bridges in Konoha, not to mention the land of Fire. But his teacher had only mentioned yesterday that he wanted to test the new training grounds, so Shikamaru figured that he would have to meet his sensei on the bridge closest to that place.
Luckily he still had some of his ANBU gear sealed away in his tattoo from when he created the shadow clone, and as soon as he was out of the city walls, he found a tree to hide and changed his outfit, creating a mask to finish it. Then, he worked his way along the narrow trail that led him to training ground 34, leaves sliding across his bare forearms like wet tongues.
And indeed, there was a small, wooden bridge that seemed rather new, and waiting there was none other than his ANBU teacher. The single lantern the man was carrying created shadows that made the cat mask look like it was possessed by the Nekomata herself.
"Took your sweet time, student of mine." Tenzou sing-songed when they met face-to-face. "What do you think of my handiwork?" He motioned to the bridge they were standing on.
"It could use a paintjob." Shikamaru said honestly, and Tenzou looked slightly taken aback, though Shikamaru figured that the man faked that as well. "But since when do you work without the mask?"
Tenzou sighed, tapping the side of his own mask. "I'm substituting and babysitting. Apparently someone suggested to the Hokage that we should hunt for Akatsuki in small groups, and now team seven is unstoppable."
Shikamaru would have raised his eyebrow if he hadn't been wearing a mask or if the bridge wasn't so sparsely lit. "And that is your problem, how?"
"Kakashi has obligations elsewhere." Tenzou shrugged, explaining rather annoyed. "And then Danzou send his dog along, so the Hokage send her cat to even the score."
Then, all conversation stopped as they felt someone approach, and Tenzou removed his mask. Shikamaru wanted to do the same, but something about the situation told him not to. Someone was walking towards them, and he had no doubt about the man's identity.
Shikamaru wanted to say something, but his teacher raised his hand to silence him. They shared a look, and then Shikamaru stepped back in the shadows, securing his cloak and his mask were perfectly in place. After all, you never knew exactly how good the legendary copy cat was at picking up hints.
Kakashi took his sweet time to come closer to them, not in the least bothered that they had been waiting for him. "Nice meeting you here, Tenzou. Long time no see?"
Shikamaru was not in the least surprised that the two knew each other.
"Kakashi, thank you for coming on such a short notice." His teacher said, acknowledging Kakashi's presence. "I hope I didn't mess with any of your plans?"
"Oh, my genin team doesn't mind waiting for me. A few more days than usual won't kill them." Kakashi said, his only visible eye curved up in a smile. Shikamaru sweat dropped. "Besides, it's nice to see you again sometimes between your busy schedule, Tenzou. Still sticking with ANBU I see?"
Tenzou nodded curtly, not commenting. "Anyway, I'm still on duty, and that's why I called you here."
Kakashi nodded and then gestured towards Shikamaru, "And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
Shikamaru kept quiet, and Kakashi didn't seem to expect an answer.
Tenzou gave him a wry smirk, "Patience Kakashi, wasn't that what you taught me? You will find out soon." He said teasingly and started to walk away, motioning both of them to follow him "He is the favor you owe me. Now follow me."
Kakashi didn't blink, nor hurried to catch up with his former colleague. "Oh joy." He murmured lazily, and flipped his book open once again. Shikamaru watched the display in mild interest, not exactly looking forward to his punishment.
Sadly, he already had a faint idea of what the shocking discovery he and Kakashi were about to make.
Shikamaru crossed his arms behind his head and looked at the sky, trailing behind his sensei. The weather was cloudy and he dearly hoped that it would rain. He liked rain but he loved storms. Storms made him feel alive, made the clouds dance in the sky and lit it up with the lightning.
I know, short chapter. I intended to go further, but then I suddenly typed up the such an nice ending that I was like; why not? So next chapter you will get to see more. Can anybody guess what Kakashi and Tenzou are up to? Probably, after all, the hints are just extremely obvious. I bet that at least half of my reviewers will get it right. If I'm wrong, I'll give you an omake, okay? Deal. Hinata and the teahouse. Yeah, did you like it? She rather deceptive, isn't she? Well, I certainly enjoyed writing that conversation. Also, the teahouse I sketched is my own imaginative one; it's a mix of a traditional Japanese teahouse, and a western tearoom. I love the culture clash. Oh, and Sai. You'll hear more from him, that's for sure.
Also; hypocrite, thy name is Shikamaru. Really, I snickered while writing some of his sentences. You probably won't. I'm weird, okay, but I come up with this shit so I get to be weird. Yay!
Question
Now, if you are going to review, aside from your own input, I ask you to answer one question; what do you think of my Tenzou? I know I took a lot of liberties in this stories, but as I explained to one of my reviewers. I'm trying to give him a character; stern, strict teacher, laid back friend. He doesn't really get much character development in the series, but it he is portrayed as a laid back team person, who said himself that he 'isn't like Kakashi' as a teacher, which I translate into a strict teacher. There; the foundation of his character in Its. But what do you think? Do you like him, in this story?
Next chapter
Kakashi will wish he never owed Tenzou that favor, while said man wants to shoot his former colleague's team. Shikamaru get's busy, time flies and another unexpected visitor will make their entrance.
I love writing these things, they say so much while saying nothing at all!
Also;
Thank you for the summaries! Though I would like to receive a few more so I can create a poll, so if you think; "Hey, I can write two sentences!" Then go back to the last chapter for the instructions and send your summary to me.