It took Shikamaru a moment to conjure up words.
"Sorry… He's really drunk." He pushed Kiba forward and pointed towards the door signaling for Naruto to take control so Shikamaru could deal with who they thought was a disgruntled waitress.
Shikamaru formed a hazy plan, wishing he hadn't had those last two drinks and hoping he could pull this off in his drunken state.
The brunette stared at him angrily, but her eyes had subsided back to green. Her anger must have prevented her from keeping her disguise jutsu in check. She swiftly turned back around and started to scrub at the table again, brushing off Shikamaru's apology.
'She's already found someone or something to mask her scent and she's laying low in the meantime.' Kiba's words bounced around his drunken brain. He remembered the potent smell of food and booze and the heavy traffic of people coming in and out all night. And then he remembered her smoking outside before he had come in. He needed to get her outside somehow, get her away from the civilian workers.
"Hey, the least I can do is offer you a smoke." He said pulling a pack of green cigarettes from his pocket.
Shikamaru gave the girl a sheepish grin as she turned around leaving the wash cloth on the table and passing by him to the swinging doors of the kitchen. He took that as a yes and followed after her counting the staff that were still there as he went, and calculating the risk of attacking her.
A heavy set chef yelled to the girl, complaining about going out for the third time that night, the girl ignored him and pushed at the heavy metal door that lead to the alley on the side of the building.
Instead of going out to the store front, where Shikamaru had seen her before, the brunette leaned against the wall of the neighboring brick building, underneath an old rusted fire exit that hung down from the apartments above. Shikamaru hesitated a little before pulling two cigarettes from the pack. Did she know he was on to her? Was she forming a plan for escape?
He put the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it and inhaling deeply, the cool menthol helped him feel sober and alert again.
He passed a cigarette to her and she placed it between he lips, moving closer to him. He leaned in to light the cigarette with the end of his. He was close enough now, time to make a move. She used one hand to block the wind from the burning ends, so he knew she couldn't pull off any jutsus. Shikamaru stared down at her as the glow from the flame illuminating her smiling lips and eyes which were a light misty blue. Almost out of a reflexive fear he brought the kunai he had been hiding in his hand tight to her throat.
"Reveal yourself." Shikamaru growled low and intimidating.
He watched as her hair faded from dark brown to light blonde root to tip, her features shift until he recognized her, her height lessened slightly, and her curves returned.
She grinned in an almost satisfied way pulling the cigarette from her mouth and letting a long cloud of smoke drift above them. Shikamaru furrowed his brow in a confused anger at her apparent joy. Mist's eyes shifted downwards from his gaze and he followed it. In the small space between their bodies she too held a kunai, hers pointed at Shikamaru's stomach. She watched happily as his eyes returned back to hers, but she hadn't won yet.
He watched with pleasure as the color in her eyes swirled to a dark stormy blue. The shadows he had formed as they walked through the kitchen quickly pulled her arms back against the wall over her head and the cigarette fell from her mouth, her face twisted into rage and her muscles shook in resistance as her torso pushed forward into him. She held back a breathy whimper as she nearly pulled her shoulders out of place trying to lunge for him. The kunai dropped from her hand, the harsh sound of metal on pavement echoed though the small alley. Shikamaru felt a heavy drop of rain hit his cheek and he tilted his head up. The sky was filling with midnight black clouds, which made matters worse.
Shikamaru took a final drag and dropped his cigarette to the ground, letting the rain kill the small ember. He looked back down at Mist. His drunken mind hadn't thought this far ahead.
He hadn't changed after work so he was still wearing his green vest. He began searching his pockets and soon conjured a thin black cloak. Shikamaru flung it around Mist's shoulders then reached back to pull the hood low over hear face. He could still see drops of rain accumulate at her chin and fall to the cobblestone, but she was unrecognizable.
His hands formed signs slowly and his shadows shifted to the ground between the two. Her arms fell to her side quickly, the black cloak settling around her in a flurry. He turned towards the opening of the alley way, Mist mirroring his actions unwillingly.
He had decided he would have to take her back to the complex. He would have to turn her back in. It was for the safety of the village. It was his duty to be obedient. He could figure this all out after he did that.
They walked silently through the night streets Shikamaru could feel the cold rain slide down his neck soaking his undershirt. He had one hand in his pants pocket and the other in his vest around the hilt of a kunai, tracing circles around the cold metal. The streets were empty but he listened as the rain fell, colliding with different materials at different angles and heights creating chaotic noise. He felt more sober now, his senses overwhelmed, but his mind found solace in it.
Every step they took he could feel Mist resist him. The rain continuing to poor down on them, heavier now as their shoulders grazed one another and their feet moved in tandem.
There weren't many people out now. It was late and the few civilians they did see quickened their pace in the rain.
"Shika."
20, maybe 30 yards behind them, Ino's voice called out to him.
He didn't turn, he only hesitated for one step. And hastened his pace.
He heard Ino speak to the people she was with, maybe Sakura or one of the other girls accompanying each other home, he was too far away now to hear what was said. Then Shikamaru heard footsteps padding quickly on the rain-soaked streets.
'No, no. troublesome Ino. No.' Shikamaru thought and all he could do was pick up even more speed. His eyes glanced to Mist and he saw her chin raise, she was smiling. The wind blew at the black hood and Shikamaru lowered his head, Mist's going with it.
"Shikamaru!" Ino's voice became angry.
"Fuck." Shikamaru said between gritted teeth.
They continued on, even faster until a gust of rain blew back the hood and they both stopped suddenly. Shikamaru heard the wet footsteps stop too, then start up again, slowly circling Mist and Shikamaru, until Ino was standing in front of them both.
Her eyes were wide and she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short as they all heard a soft high pitched sound and a sudden splash. A kunai landed between the three with a paperbomb tied to the handle swinging limp with rain water.
"Run you dumbass." Mist screamed.
They all turned and fled, but not quickly enough. The blast sent them all flying. Shikamaru's connection to Mist was compromised, but not fully broken. He stumbled up, a ringing in his ears. Mist lagged but swayed to her feet as well. The fiery explosion combined with the rain had filled the small street with a heavy fog.
Shikamaru could see a dark shape raise off the ground to his left.
"Ino!" Shikamaru screamed out instinctively. He cursed himself internally knowing whoever had thrown the bomb could now predict their location in the fog.
He reached out and grabbed at Ino's arm leading her deeper into the fog to the corner opposite from where he had shouted for her. As soon as he saw a tall dark square shadow through the fog he knew he had reached an alley way and pulled them down it.
Shikamaru watched as Ino caught her breath leaning against the alley wall, she looked back and forth between him and Mist, trying to puzzle together what might be happening.
Shikamaru had no better inclination to who had thrown the bomb, but he knew somehow that they had to run. He turned to break into a sprint down the alley, but stopped as he felt Mist pull so intensely from his jutsu that it broke his concentration.
"I'm no good to you like this." she whispered through gritted teeth.
Shikamaru didn't reply right away. He looked at Mist her hair sticking haphazardly to her cheeks, heavy drops of rain slowly washing away the dirt that had splattered on her face from the blast, her blue eyes wide and pleading with him. The look she gave was so uncharacteristic it shocked him for a second.
"I'm staying with you. I'm not leaving. Trust me."
Shikamaru shook his head as if he was trying to shake off the thought of what he was about to do. He could sense Ino's look of disapproval as his shouldered tensed and his hands formed signs.
Mist's body eased as she was released from his hold. She immediately ran and Shikamaru instantly regretted his actions.
He looked wide eyed at Ino who gave him an inappropriately timed 'I told you so look', until both their heads swiveled down the dark alley.
Mist had stopped and stood at the end of the alley with an irritated look on her face, she quickly turned on her heels and began to run again, only after she saw that the two were following her.