Everything had been going so well. Shikamaru and I had been spending so much time together, and part of me really believed that it wasn't just because he was supposed t be protecting me from every potential threat that could come my way. Too bad protecting my heart had been conveniently left off of his list of duties.

… Yeah, I know. That sounds terribly cliché. But sadly, I, like any other soon to be nineteen year old female, am prone to being emotional at times. I'm human. So sue me. But I digress. Back to my current plight. Shikamaru, in the detached, methodic manner that only he is capable of using, told me that "we can't do this anymore."

That was it. He dropped the bombshell and walked away, leaving me to deal with the aftershock.

Needless to say, I was a wreck. It's not like we had actually been dating, but that didn't make it hurt any less. The time we had spent together (and the occasional bit of kissing!) after he saved me had brought us so much closer together. At least, I thought it had.

Obviously, Shikamaru hadn't felt quite the same.

He could've at least given me some stupid reason. That would have at least given me something to work with. But no, he just left it at that one sentence, which has done nothing but torment me since then. All I can think about is what could have caused him to break things off like that.

It's only been a little over a day, but I feel like I haven't slept for a month. I probably looked like a zombie as I trudged slowly through downtown Konoha. My hair was pulled back and messy, my clothes were rumpled and I'm pretty sure my eyes were tinged red. Sadly, I had been forced to leave my shut-in of a room to replenish my now empty supply of comfort food, i.e., beef ramen. The seven bowls I had already eaten paired with my lack of movement lately were anything but healthy, but at this point, I didn't care.

The littlest things reminded me of him, and it was just making things more painful to have to live next door to him and know that I wouldn't see him. I just wish there was something to take my mind off of him.

And then, suddenly, it hit me. Literally.

"I'm really terribly sorry! Here, let me help you up!" A strong hand tugged me to my feet and remained at my elbow, making sure that I stayed steady after my tumble. "I really should learn to watch where I'm going," he continued, "but sometimes I just get so caught up in what I'm reading…"

Gosh, he has such pretty blue eyes. And such wavy blonde hair. My goodness, talk about well-built bodies! I mean, I know some of the guys at school are attractive, but he is just so gorgeo-

Why is he staring at me like that? Ohmygoodness I look like a complete and total bum! He probably thinks I'm some gross girl who doesn't shower and hides in the basement all day! What am I going to say? Say? His lips are moving! Has he been talking this entire time?

"-not speak English?" He was looking at me with a rather odd mixture of sympathy and confusion written across his face.

"You speak English?" Wow, Ritz, brilliant. As if the blank stare hadn't been bad enough…

"Quite well, actually," he replied, still chuckling a bit. "And judging from your accent, I would have to guess that you're from America."

"That's pretty impressive," I chided, trying valiantly to hide not only my previous embarrassment but also my growing blush as well.

He shrugged the compliment off. "Why don't you let me carry your things for you, to make up for knocking you over," he asked, picking my bags up before I even gave him an answer.

"You're probably going to think this is absurd," he suddenly said, "but I can't help but feel that I've seen you before. Do you by any chance play the violin?"

I tripped over thin air and would have fallen flat on my face if he hadn't caught me. Talk about quick reflexes.

"I'm sorry, I know that must have sounded silly. It was foolish of me to think that just because you looked like her…"

"Look like who?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"Well," he looked slightly embarrassed now, "it's just that you remind me forcibly of Arista Burana, that American violinist."

I stopped walking to prevent myself from tripping again. "Actually, I prefer being called Ritz," I said, trying to laugh off my discomfiture.

Now it was his turn to do a double-take. "You're really her? This is incredible! I'm a huge fan of yours!"

"You're a fan? Of me?" I must have looked utterly bewildered, standing on the pavement with a dumbfounded look on my face as I pointed to myself.

He chuckled at the perplexed look on my face. "You may not have realized it, but you're turning into quite the local celebrity, especially after that article in the Tokyo Times. After the praise in that article, most music circles are buzzing with anticipation about your concert this winter."

I paused to think for a second. I didn't think that my concert was being publicized yet, but maybe I had just missed the press release. It's not like I made a habit of reading the daily papers.

"Is this your house?"

His voice snapped me out of my reflection and, sure enough, we were right in front of my house. The question of how he had known it was my house flitted out of my mind when he gingerly kissed my hand and said that he hoped we would get to meet again. Before my flustered mind could conjure up a response he was gone.

A week later, my mystery man, who introduced himself as Kenji, treated me to lunch at the local ramen shop, a logical choice given how much ramen I had been carrying when we first met. It wouldn't have been my first choice of locations, given how many of my classmates tended to frequent the place, but with any luck they would all be off doing ninja things far, far away.

Luck seemed to be with me as Kenji and I sat down in a corner with our steaming bowls of ramen uninterrupted. The minor victory was short-lived, however, as a boisterous interruption presented itself.

"Hey, Ritz! I haven't seen you here in awhile!" Naruto exclaimed, appearing suddenly at the end of our booth. "But hey, who's this guy? Isn't Shikamaru with you? Come to think of it, I haven't seen you and Shikamaru together at all la-"

"That's enough, Naruto!" I snapped, my temper flashing in irritation. "I'm sorry," I apologized a moment later, seeing the offended look on his face. "I just really don't want to talk about it right now, alright?"

"Sure, Ritz. I'll just leave you to your lunch," he mumbled, walking away looking every part the sad puppy dog.

"Was that a friend of yours?" Kenji asked, drawing my attention back to present.

"He's a classmate of mine. Nice kid, but not exactly the most observant or tactful."

Kenji fiddled with his chopsticks for a few moments before continuing. "You seemed pretty upset at the mention of that Shikamaru guy..." His voice trailed off as if he were waiting for me to steer the conversation from there.

"He was a...friend of mine," I murmured, staring dejectedly into my bowl, "but we don't really spend time together anymore and I don't know why." I stabbed at my noodles in frustration. I hadn't really talked to anyone else about what had happened, so finally getting at least a bit of it off my chest felt mildly therapeutic.

"Well, if you ask me, any guy who doesn't want to be with you is crazy. You're a real catch, Ritz. Brains and beauty all rolled into one."

Now normally, something like that wouldn't have affected me. But after my unexplained emotional distancing from Shikamaru, the attention was more than welcome. Besides, where was the harm in having a bit of fun?

"I just don't like the idea of you running around with some guy you barely know."

"And I don't like the idea of you interfering in my personal life!"

"I'm supposed to be protecting you. It's my job to interfere if it threatens your safety."

"I wasn't aware that casually seeing someone was a cause for concern."

"Arista, he knew exactly who you were and where you lived. Pair that with the fact that he knew you would be playing a concert this winter, which has not been publicized yet I might add, and the odds don't stack up in his favor. Have you ever stopped and noticed that while you provide him with detailed information, all he ever gives you are vague answers?"

My fiery reply died in my throat. "Have you been spying on me, Shikamaru?"

"I was doing my job," he countered, "which unfortunately includes following you on all your little escapades. I don't think you understand how painful it is to watch you fall for someone who only wants to use you!" His voice actually quivered with a hint of emotion with that last outburst, but the fact that he may have been hurting never registered as I charged relentlessly on.

"If you were 'just doing your job,'" I air quoted, "then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. If you were 'just doing your job,' you would stay hidden in the shadows, spy on me and never say a word to me about it. Just where do you get off disappearing from my life only to reappear and tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing? The only reason you're saying something now is because you can't stand the fact that I'm focusing my attention on Kenji. Why don't you do us both a favor and go back to being a good little ninja and go back to not caring about me beyond your job!"

I could tell it was a mistake as soon as I saw the hurt look flash in his chocolaty eyes. Before I could open my mouth again, however, he was gone.