It feels great to update again. Thank you so much to all the supporters of this story! Don't give up on it! There's more to come! ~Lastoftheamericandreamers
A few days later..
The sound of a bear calling out to something in the distance disturbs the water as I bend over it, and my reflection gets lost in all the ripples before it subsides, then warps back into the image of my face. Below the surface, a handful of tiny, translucent colored fish no longer and wider than my index finger all swim about in a mellowed frenzy. It reminds me a lot of the large Koi-fish pond the Hokage has in his garden. Every year he adds a different fish, and when the sunlight hits the water just right when a fish is just scraping the surface, it reflects off it's scales and shimmers.
"Whatcha smiling about?" Akino asks as he plops down next to me, and I look over at him.
"Just enjoying being out here, ya know? It's like another home."
Akino leans forward a bit, and without turning around I know he's reading the inscription on the duck's headstone. I really expect him to start asking me about it right away, and I go over the best reason I have for why the grave itself is even there in the first place. I think the reason I felt so attached to the duck is because a part of my hope for something better to happen was transferred into it. And after years of watching the duck sit in the same spot in the mud while the rest of his family came and went without him..I was able to see the day he was finally able to get into the water. The duck may be dead now, but my hope isn't.
But instead of asking about it, Akino just looks away from it and out into the wall of trees in front of us on the other side of the lake.
"You ready for this kid?" he asks, and my eyes find the cluster of fish below again.
"Well, after all that rigorous training and constant practice..I'm still not completely sure about myself just yet. And I don't know why."
"Don't worry too much about it, Amedoru. Personally, the boys and I think you'll do just fine. Come on, we should get going." Akino says after a beat before getting up and walking away.
The familiar tug telling me to stay that I get when I start following after him tempts me to look over my shoulder at the beautiful scenery behind me, and for a second I have to stop and actually force myself to..because if I didn't, it'd just be like saying I would never be coming back here again.
Akino and Pakuun trot along with me on our way towards the arena, flanking me on both sides. The streets are empty and silent, and it's because of this that the sound of a shutter banging against the side of a house from the wind is louder than what it really is. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead, and I reach up a finger almost nervously before dabbing at a drop of moisture with the tip of a finger, like I can't believe it's there. I block out noise from the outside, and turn to the inside.
thump
thump
thump
my heart beats a steady rhythm..but then it starts getting faster, pumping away to the beating flow of adrenaline that starts running through my veins.
thump, thump
thump,thump
thump,thump
Then it hits me. Aside from the hounds walking next to me..I'm all alone in this part of the village. What if Orochimaru is here..hiding in the shadows?. Just waiting for the right moment to attack..I risk a look over my shoulder. Could he be hiding in the shade behind those trees? Maybe looking down at the three of us from a window?
A low hum reverberates off my ribs from somewhere deep inside me, so much like a growl..but not quite. And instead of making afraid of it, it actually comforts me. It's message is loud and clear: Don't be afraid. You've been alone all this time already, and nothings happened.
"Uh, Pakuun? You sure we headed out early enough?" I ask as I crane my neck over my shoulder, eyeing all the visible signs of life. Some clothes hanging on a clothesline, the smell of something slow cooking in an oven.. "Because it doesn't look like there's anyone here."
Pakuun doesn't even turn his head to look around him, he just keeps moving forward. "Relax, kid. Unlike your brother, we're early. Everyone else is probably just there to fight over seats."
Hm, could be true, I think to myself as I shove my hands into my pockets. Pakuun, Akino, and I pass by a fairly large apartment complex, and it takes me a moment before it hits me-this is where Naruto lives. My feet veer off course, and it's then that both Pakuun and Akino's heads turn with puzzled expressions. Akino calls out to me as he waves a paw.
"The path's this way!"
Now...which level is Naruto on? I think to myself as I grasp my chin with my thumb and index finger. Then I just cup my hands over my mouth.
"NARUTO, YOU UP THERE?"
...there..there..
"What are the odds of that?" I ask to myself. The whole echoing thing kinds gives me the shivers..but then I remember..
Naruto's either with Jaraiyah on his way back here, or he's already at the arena. A small sigh escapes my lips. I haven't seen Naruto in weeks. I admit that I miss his loud, hyperactive, yet strong and caring self just as much as I miss my brother, and even Sasuke. For a minute I start wondering if Naruto looks any different..but that's crazy. It's been weeks, not years. If anything, I'm sure Naruto's just the same as ever..though I have no doubt he's learned something amazing from that new sensei of his. I start chuckling to myself as I shake my head before turning around and heading towards the arena again. And from the corner of my eye I catch Akino giving Pakuun a curious look from over the tops of his sunglasses.
The closer we get to the stadium, the louder the sounds of a massive crowd gathering together gets. My fingers squeeze together, though they are hidden inside my pockets. I catch a whiff of Ramen all of a sudden, and when I stop and tilt my head upwards a little, I notice out from the corner of my eye how some pebbles scattered on the ground start leaping into the air before resettling, shifting all over the place. What the?
"WATCH OUT!" A voice yells. A familiar voice. I ignore the warning..which is probably a bad idea, and turn around with a giant smile on my face.
"Naruto! Man, I'm so glad to see y-"
he reaches me faster than the words could come out of my mouth, and just like before when we went to visit Sasuke in the hospital, Naruto grabs my wrist as he rushes past me. His eyes are wide, and sweat's dripping off his forehead.
"Run for your life! It's a Stam-PEDE!" Naruto says, almost with shock taking over in his voice.
I've been down this road with Naruto before..and when you're in a position like mine right now, the best thing to do is to just go along with whatever it is, follow Naruto, and hold on for dear life. Although, it's a bit of a struggle to turn my head around to see what the heck he's talking about,and when I do it's a wonder I don't trip myself up. I have to do a double take..because just like Naruto said, there's a whooole bunch of furry, hacked-off looking wildebeests charging towards us. And the entire front line all have their heads down and horns pointed straight at us.
"Not good, not good." I mutter frantically as I continue following Naruto's lead. I can't believe I didn't sense that! What a minute.. Akino and Pakuun! I whip my head around again and look down, and to my relief they're both still flanking either one of my sides..though now their ears are flopping and their tongues are trailing behind them as they sprint.
The arena comes into sight, but the herd's still chasing us. "Wanna tell me how you got into this?" I yell over all the noise, and Naruto just shakes his head.
"Can't explain right now!"
He makes a sharp turn, and I spot a thin, shady alleyway in between two houses.
"In here!" I say as I yank Naruto into it with my other hand, plastering us both to the side of the cool brick wall. A few seconds later, the herd stampede by us. I guess they couldn't get a good look at us having their heads down like that. Naruto and I look at each other after we stick our heads around the side of the building..and before I know it, the both of us are laughing loud and hearty. And I'm not even sure why. "I'm glad your back." I say as I wipe a tear out my eye before patting Naruto's back a few times, and he smiles at me.
"Yeah, me too."
And just for this moment, I forget about the all the people in the arena, and all the matches that are going to happen inside it. And even though it's just Naruto and I alone in this empty alley..I can't help but feel like the village is..full again, in a way.
Naruto and I bust through the opening leading inside the arena..and several pairs of heads all twist back to stare at us. One of them's Shikamaru, and despite our distance I can see half of his mouth curve upwards, and I know exactly what he's thinking. Normally, this is the kind of stunt Kakashi would pull. The thought of it makes my own mouth curve into a smile.
"Uh oh" Naruto says before he gulps a little, but then he shakes his head a little and strides towards the group out in front of us. I re-shove my hands in my pockets and follow after him.
"So we're all here now?" I ask Shikamaru as I come to a stop next to him, but not before bumping my shoulder against his, another one of our special rituals, so to speak. I look at Shikamaru and notice the vague looking shadows under his eyes. Just how hard has he been training? I wonder to myself, and a flare of worry sparks inside me.
"The gang's aaall here." Shikamaru drawls. "Well, except for Sasuke."
For a second I'm taken a back, and when I lean behind Shikamaru to look out at everyone else, they pay me no mind...except from Gaara, whose eyes catch mine for no longer than a heartbeat before we both look away at the same time.
"This isn't like Kakashi..I mean, he's always been known to make a late entrance, but when it comes to stuff like this.." I begin, and as I trail off I start thinking the worst. Could something have happened during their training together? Did Sasuke finally snap again? Either my heavy breathing becomes audible enough for Shikamaru to hear, or he just knows what's going through my head like he usually does, because he speaks to me in a comforting, logical voice.
"I'm sure Sasuke and your brother are gunna show up here any minute. Delays happen, ya know? ..and besides, even if something happened between them..let's just say I put all the money I have on Kakashi."
The both of us start snickering, and a few people on either side of us shoot us quick looks.
"Oh," Shikamaru says again, "And Dosu, he's missing too. And according to the papers, I'm supposed to be fighting him."
My fists automatically clench tighter as my muscles coil. I still haven't forgotten what went down in the forest. What are the odds of Shikamaru having to fight Dosu? I guess it's just the way of the world..though in my opinion, it works in some pretty messed up ways.
"Alright you two, cut it out. Quit your fidgeting and stand up straight. Present yourself proudly to the spectators." One of the Jounin instructors says. I've seen him talk to Kakashi a few times, but I can't remember his name.
I snap my head up then, and when I do I realize how low I was actually keeping it. And I think I know why. It's because the whole entire village, plus the visitors from other villages, are all watching us, shouting and screaming down words that get all caught up with each other so that they're incomprehensible. It's deafening, and awesome, and terrifying all at the same time.
And I wince when my fingers begin picking at each other in a raw, fleshy fury.
The Jounin glances back over his shoulder at all of us..and it's only coincidence that his sun-lit brown eyes catch mines. "Because you're the heroes of this final match."
The roar from the crowd continues until the Hokage's resonant, warm voice hushes it. " Welcome, all.." he greets.
When he's finished, the Jounin turns around fully to face all of us. "One more thing before we get started", he says as he reaches into his jacket, pulling out a copy of the bracket. "Look this over."
I take a step closer, and rake my eyes over it from side to side, not bothering to start with where my name shows up. It doesn't look like anything about my match with Shino's changed.
"Uh, question? Question!" Naruto says as he throws an arm up.
"What is it?" the Jounin asks.
"Well, I was just a, wondering if um..what'll happen to Sasuke? I mean, if he doesn't show up." Naruto asks as he looks back over his shoulder, and I can tell by the look on his face that he's just waiting for Sasuke to walk right through those entrance gates.
"If an opponent is not in the arena by the time their match is called..he forfeits the match."
This time, I'm in sync with Naruto as we both look back towards the gates again. C'mon, Sasuke...
"All right, listen up. The terrain's different this time around but the rules are the same as before. That is, that there are no rules. The match continues till one candidate acknowledges defeat, or dies. That being said, If I determine that a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time. And no arguments permitted, understood?" the Jounin says, and I give a nod. "These are the opponents for the first match..Naruto Uzumaki..and Neji Hyuuga. Those two stay. The rest of you can go to the waiting area.
The rest of us start heading towards the side doors, but before I go, I walk in front of Naruto with a warriors expression set in stone, his eyes trained on Neji.
"Naruto"
"Yeah?"
"Go get 'im, champ." I say with a side glance at Neji.
Naruto gives a quick chuckle under his breath, and though his mouth quirks up and a gleam flashes in his eyes, they never leave Neji's face. "You got it."
He's ready..no, he's more than ready, I think to myself as I turn and start walking away. After what Neji did to Hinata..well, he'd better be ready to pay. Because Naruto Uzumaki's comin' for him.
Shikamaru and I both stand in front of a railing keeping everyone in their seats, and when I look behind me to try and search for Sakura, I can't find her. If she's here, I wonder if she stopped by to pick up Lee or something. Guilt comes over me. I haven't been to visit Lee recently, with all the training I've been doing. I'm still not sure whether or not he's fully conscious yet.
"Hey, can you tune in on what Naruto's saying to Neji?" Shikamaru asks me before gesturing down to the two with his head. Looks like the instructors are pretty eager to get this match started.
"Yeah, hang on." I say just as Naruto raises up a clenched fist and stretches it out in front of him...just like he did after Hinata was carried away.
"Hinata..I vow to win.."
When I look more closely at Naruto, I notice he's shaking from head to feet, with that same stony, smoldering look in his eyes. Like he's just waiting for the right moment to tear Neji to pieces right where he stands. "...only what I told you the last time" Naruto starts in a biting voice "I vow to win!"
I relay Naruto's words back to Shikamaru as Neji gets into his fighting stance.
"I've never seen Naruto look like this before. Like he's..he's.."
"Going to keep his vow" I reply back. And after a giant gust of wind blows over us all, Naruto's match is declared to officially begin. Shikamaru turns his head to me, and surprisingly, I can hear him way over the roar and applause of the crowd.
"Are you nervous for him at all?" he asks, speaking of Naruto. I think for a second for shaking my head.
"I was at first, but seeing him like this.."
"Yeah, I know. Naruto's gunna be just fine." Shikamaru says as he crosses his arms and leans sideways up against the railing.
For the longest time Neji and Naruto just stare each other down, but I think that Neji's inching forwards ever so slightly, not enough to draw Naruto's attention down to his feet. But then Naruto whips out several kunai and throws them all at Neji's face before taking off in a sprint towards him with an angry growl. I can't help but smile to myself a little. I know who Naruto got that particular move from..
I try and follow as much of Naruto's movement with my eyes as I can. Even though Neji is pretty much blocking one hundred percent of Naruto's attacks..the same pretty much goes for Naruto. He's so much more agile..and faster..and he's throwing punches and kicks at Neji with a force and anger thats both similar, yet so different from anything I've ever seen from him. Whatever Jaraiyah did during Naruto's training..well, it worked. But still,I have a feeling most of this is coming from Naruto's own will than coming all through his training. Neji gets right up in Naruto's face as he brings his hands in front of him for another attack.
"It's that blasted Byakugan!" I say out loud as I grab the railing with both hands. Shikamaru spins around fully and presses up against the railing. One of Neji's hands shoots out for Naruto's abdomen.
"Watch out! He's aiming for your chakra points!" I call down as flashbacks from Hinata's fight with Neji flashed through my head. How whenever one blocked the other, it made a sound like a muted clap. How both their fighting moves mirrored each other in a way. And how when Neji finally managed to land one on Hinata, her blood would spurt out of her mouth and scatter all over the floor..
"Shikamaru, did he get him?" I ask as Naruto rolls across the ground.
"Yeah, on the arm I think." Shikamaru says, and we both watch Naruto pop back up onto his feet..but now he's got a hand clasped over his shoulder.
Naruto gives a quick roll of his shoulders before standing up straight and bringing both arms down to his sides. He says something to Neji with that look in his eyes he gets whenever he's just getting started, and brings his hands up into his Shadow Clone Jutsu sign.
"Neji must have missed or something" Shikamaru says, and I nod.
"Someone in the stands probably just lost some money."
"And I'll bet you right now that those clones are making it so hard for Neji to find the real Naruto. They all must have the same amount of chakra flow." Shikamaru jokes back.
The clones start going at Neji in pairs, but when they have him all centered in their circle, they all get into the formation for Naruto's "super secret special jutsu". One of the clones throws his leg up, and at first it looks like it was able to catch Neji just under the chin..but Neji only flips backwards before he's even touched. Darn it, that was pretty close, too..
The clones try again, but Neji just picks them off until there's only two Naruto's left. And when Neji walks over to the one on the ground before picking it up by the back of it's orange jumpsuit, my fingers tighten around the railing.
"What's Neji saying now?" Shikamaru asks me, and I close my eyes and tune in my hearing. Neji's speaking in a quiet voice only to Naruto, and when I'm finally able to hear what he's saying-about how ridiculous and impossible Naruto's dream is-I snap my eyes open.
"Let's just say that destiny right now is gunna get Naruto's fist in Neji's face."
Naruto bares his teeth and summons even more shadow clones,but when they all rush towards Neji, he only laughs before rushing in a straight line, maneuvering in between them all. He knows which one's the real Naruto!
"No!" I shout, but it's too late. Neji's already got Naruto right on his chest..and from the looks of it, it's either directly on, or dangerously close to his heart. Shikamaru makes a noise beside me. Naruto's body starts twitching, and he closes his eyes as a spray of blood flies out of his mouth before leaning forwards into Neji some as his clones start poofing away. A whine rises up out of my throat. There's no way this can be over so soon..I mean, sure, Neji's some kind of genius, but Naruto's come a long way. He's gotta have some kind of trick up his sleeve!
After a beat of silence, Naruto's body starts shaking..and it turns out it's because he's..he's..
"There it is" I say with relief, and Shikamaru looks at me questioningly. I turn my head towards him with a big smile. " Naruto's laughing. He's got something planned. This isn't over yet."
Shikamaru shakes his head in amazement " Even when the kid's almost down to his last legs, he's still got that smile on his face. I swear, I just may never understand him. At least, not the way you do, Amedoru."
Still smiling, I look back down at Naruto just in time to see him poof away while two other clones pop up in Neji's blind spot, completely taking him by surprise.
"ALL RIGHT NARUTO!" I shout as I bang on the railing.
"Oh no" Shikamaru mutters as Neji starts spinning on his heel rapidly, suspending both clones in mid-air as they try to attack them before they're repelled away. My smile falls. That doesn't look like an ordinary jutsu. Could it be a Kekkai-Genkai?
Naruto gets back on his feet pretty shakily, and it looks like he's wincing. Neji says something more to him as he gets into an offensive stance..one I don't recognize. And before Naruto has time to react, Neji's already on him, though this time he's striking with both fists...over and over and over. All I can do is stare with my mouth hanging open as Neji's hands become a blur, striking with so much force it makes Naruto's body twist and flail. On the final strike, Neji sends Naruto flying backwards with pain written all over his face. Blood streams out of the corner of his mouth. Naruto finally crashes to the ground, landing with a loud thud as the dirt flies around his body upon impact. Just how many chakra points did Neji close off?
"Naruto!" I shout down, my voice going a bit ragged towards the end. After a moment Naruto rolls over so he's on his elbows and knees, and with some struggle, he lifts up his head. Despite the pain evident on his face, and the blood still leaking from his mouth, that look of determination from before is still there. Suddenly Naruto's eyes widen, as he stares at something only he can see..and with a flick of his eyes,they meet mine. I nod my head at Naruto, and as he picks himself up off the ground, Shikamaru rests a hand atop mine and gives it a squeeze. "That's it.." I say softly once Naruto's standing upright again, and with a half smile, he wipes his arm across his mouth.
After that, Neji and Naruto talk for a very long time..though from the looks of it, Neji's doing most of the talking while Naruto listens, his face going into several different expressions during the course of it. Like Neji's telling a story or something. When Neji takes off his headband, though, my had snaps back. That mark on his forehead..what on earth could it be? Some kind of seal? Shikamaru turns his head towards me, but when he opens his mouth to ask me what they're saying, I just shake my head.
"Whatever Neji's telling Naruto..I don't think it's meant for us to hear, right now at least."
And besides, I don't need to listen in anyways..because I think I can actually feel all the waves of hate and inner pain that are slowly seeping out of Neji. But then he gets done saying whatever it is he had to say, because after re-tying his headband on, he rushes for Naruto again and hits him square in the chest, making him fall back again. And this time, it doesn't look like Naruto's moving.. but of course, as always, he's back on his feet again. He hunches down as he starts yelling..and before I know it, my own body hunches over as that internal ringing starts up again after being dormant for weeks.
"Hey, what is it? What's wrong?" Shikamaru asks as he puts a hand on my shoulder and bends down so we're at face level. I grit my teeth and lift my head to see red flames coming in little wisps and licks spiraling around Naruto. Something in my stomach begins burning a little. That red stuff around Naruto..his chakra..like back in the forest with Orochimaru. He did something to Naruto.
"I-I don't know. But Naruto.." I begin as the flames cover Naruto head to foot..but this time, I notice something that makes me start standing up straight again, and though Shikamaru's hand leaves my shoulder, he takes turns glancing back and forth from me to Naruto. And the thing I noticed? It's that this time, Naruto's using his other Chakra, but he's not changing. A pair of red eyes flash through my mind. It's like he has better control of it this time. "Look at him. He's so much faster than he was before" I say to Shikamaru as my breathing evens out again. "He and Neji are evenly matched now."
"It looks like Neji's got the shorter end of the stick, though." Shikamaru observes.
Naruto takes off yelling at Neji so hard and fast dirt crumbles and flies away with each foot fall, and when he collides with Neji a giant explosion happens. I don't even try to shield myself from the debris. When the smoke clears, all that's left are two giant, individual, steaming craters. No Naruto..and no Neji.
"Oh.." I start
"My.." Shikamaru says, but neither one of us can finish. I replay what just happened over in my head, but it doesn't come out clear. Naruto and Neji's kunai clashed together..but was Neji also trying to use that one repelling jutsu of his again?
A hand bursts out of one of the craters, startling me.
"Is that him? Is it Naruto?" Shikamaru mutters from next to me, and slowly I shake my head. That arm doesn't have a bright orange jumpsuit sleeve covering it..
Slowly, Neji climbs out of the crater, coughing and breathing a bit heavily, and my hands tighten around the railing as my mouth hangs open again. Shikamaru makes an unbelieving, disappointed noise.
"W-where is he?" I ask aloud as I crane my head from side to side, trying to find Naruto. Shikamaru tugs on the sleeve of my shirt ,and when I look over at him he points down at Naruto's crater. And when I follow it, I'm finally able to see Naruto, curled up in his steaming crater hole like he's asleep. Or worse.. an afterthought comes, and I angrily vanquish it away. Naruto can bounce back from pretty much anything, I think to myself as flashbacks from all of our missions together so far race by.
A loud crunching sound makes my ears prick, and it's like watching a replay of my underwater attack on Zabuza in a different setting. Naruto leaps from underground with his fist raised, and he rocks Neji so hard underneath his chin his feet leave the ground. Neji lies twitching on the ground spread eagle, and Naruto walks over towards him slowly. The Naruto still lying in the crater poofs away, making me smile.
"Hey, Shikamaru?"
"Yeah?"
"..that was the meanest left hook I've ever seen."
Shikamaru chuckles under his breath. "Same here."
Naruto's voice catches my attention all of a sudden. "..for the record, I failed the examination three times, because there was always this jutsu that tripped me up every time I tried it. I just couldn't master it. My clones were pathetic. But then," Naruto says as he turns his head, catching my eyes and giving me a small smile before focusing on Neji again " ..but then one day when I was practicing, a friend told me to keep at it, because it just takes time..so don't come crying to me about destiny stuff.."
A soft, content noise hums in my throat as the proctor raises his arm.
"The winner..is Naruto Uzumaki." he says, and Shikamaru's lip curve up into a half smirk as he nods his head. I throw an arm up and with a giant smile on my face as I shout Naruto's name along with the others in the crowd. And as Naruto runs around the arena rejoicing, grinning and blowing kisses, I think to myself that this is what it should always be like for Naruto, with everyone cheering him on.
"I still can't believe Naruto beat Neji..I mean, I thought he was just like me, one of the dorky, uncool guys." Shikamaru says all of a sudden. "And now everyone's saying he's gunna make something of himself..I doubt I'll be able to beat him now. This is really bad, I've never felt so depressed. What a drag. " Shikamaru sighs and hangs his head, and for a moment all I do is just stare at him. I had no idea he'd been watching Naruto so closely..heck, I didn't even know he was comparing himself to him. It's so unlike Shikamaru..
"It is amazing" I say before turning towards Shikamaru fully "And you wanna know something?"
"Hm?" Shikamaru asks as he takes his hands down from his face and looks at me.
"Naruto's living proof that anything can be possible for anyone, even someone as dorky as you" I joke before bumping my shoulder up against Shikamaru's, and he straightens up as he cocks an eyebrow and smirks.
"Hey now, if I'm dorky, then that makes you the uncool one. "
As the both of us chuckle, Naruto walks in between us with a grin on his face and his arms over his head, and the first thing I do is wrap my arm around his neck before pulling him down and rubbing my knuckles into his hair as Naruto laughs and flails.
"I'm so proud of you" I say, releasing him, and Naruto makes a giddy, chuckling noise as he rubs the top of his hand.
"Gee, thanks Amedoru."
Shikamaru puts a hand on Naruto's shoulder all of a sudden, and it's so unexpected Naruto looks down at it in shock all of a sudden.
"I have to say, Naruto, that was really something down there. I mean, you practically wiped the floor with Neji!" Shikamaru says with a true smile on his face. A smile of friendship. Naruto smiles back at him, and the two start talking to each other. It makes the inside of my chest feel warm as I smile. But my smile starts fading as I begin listening in to the people around me. At first I thought they were still shouting because of Naruto's match, but Now I see it's a different story.
-"Hey, what happened to the next match?!"
-"I'm not gunna wait all day for this!"
-"Bring on the Uchiha!"
These people just can't get enough out of watching us suffer, I think to myself with some bitterness as I notice Shikamaru and Naruto start looking around. Naruto looks worried.
"Man, this next match is Sasuke's. What does he think he's doing? Forfeiting or something?" Shikamaru says as he leans into the railing and eyes the entrance gates. Naruto follows his lead.
"Yeah, just where is Sasuke?" He asks.
"This is unlike him..do you think something's wrong?" I finally voice my concern, and for a brief second I watch as both Naruto's and Shikamaru's eyes drop downwards before lifting again. They don't want to say it,but they're thinking the same thing.
"A wise man never courts danger when making a decision" a semi-creepy voice sounds, and when I look over Shikamaru and Naruto I'm surprised to see it's Shino. The one I'm supposed to be fighting. I talk about him like he's a complete stranger to me, I think to myself. Sure, I never really hung out with Shino a lot, but we have talked here and there.
"What are you talking about? Sasuke's gunna be here any minute!" Naruto says with a smile before resting his head on crossed arms. I stare out at the entrance gates with rising anxiety. Come on Sasuke..Kakashi..just where could you be? Did something really happen?
I catch Kankuro walk over towards Temari and Gaara, and he see's me. We make eye contact, and he nods his head while I raise up a hand and give a small wave. I force myself to push aside my feelings about all those things he did to me during my match for the moment,because in truth..a part of me would probably have done the same thing if I thought I really had to. Temari glances at Kankuro, then at me before turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. Gaara remains in a stony posture with a blank face staring forwards. The Jounin below looks up at all of us, and starts saying something, but the noise of the crowd drowns him out at first.
"Listen everyone. One of the competitors from this next match is not here, so we're going to postpone this match briefly and simply jump ahead to the battle that would have followed this one."
Naruto sighs from beside me, and I bite my bottom lip. It's good the match is getting put on hold, for Sasuke's sake..but that still doesn't help us figure out why he's taking so long to get here.
"Oh, and before I forget..the line-up bracket has undergone a slight alteration, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. And so, for the next match, we need..Shikamaru Nara, and Amedoru Hatake."
A hush falls over the crowd so fast its unbelievable, and there are even a few loud gasps that come from a multitude of people. My hands go completely slack on the railing to the point where they just slide off on their own, and I can feel my mouth drop open and my eyes shrink. I turn my head stiffly to the side slowly, and the first person I see is Naruto, who has surprise all over his face, along with some helplessness. And I know who that helpless feeling is for-me. Naruto takes a step back so Shikamaru comes into view fully, and he grits his teeth together before baring them as a sweat drop falls down the side of his face. And then, stiffly and slowly, he turns his head to look at me. A breeze ruffles through my hair, and it reminds me of how silent things are right now. But inside, I think I just might be drowning in a relentless sea.