Carefully Laid Plans
By Landlady of the Universe
Summary: Even the best plans go awry.
Genre: ANGST and more angst, and some angst. Did I mention angst?
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Naruto and co. belong to Kishimoto-sensei, not me.
A/N: I was apparently in the mood for some angst, and I have thoroughly fallen in love with Shikamaru. He's actually rather a lot like me, except smarter.
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"All I ever wanted was a normal ninja life. I was going to marry a woman neither beautiful nor a hag, have two kids, first a girl, then a boy, and retire once my son got a good job to play shogi and go until I died before my wife.
"As a tactician, I know better than most that even the most carefully laid plans inevitably go awry the instant they are implemented. Your enemy will never cooperate with your strategy. In battle, it's up to the soldiers to take the fundamentals of your brilliant plan and do what they can on the field.
"I'm not sure what to do when it's your life that's not working out."
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Shikamaru watched them die. For once, he would have gladly done something – anything – without the hint of complaint. If only he could. But it was useless; his chakra was spent, his left leg broken so he couldn't even stand, not that he had the energy anyway. In spite of his careful thinking, their enemy had been just too strong for them. His friends, his teammates were dying before his eyes.
And it was. All. His. Damn. Fault.
He should have known, should have suspected that this was something they couldn't deal with. They should have run when they had had the chance, but no, he had to come up with another brilliant plan to get them all killed. Fuck! What was the use of all his smarts if all it served was to put them in line for slaughter?
What was the use?
What was the point?
This was not a part of the plan, dammit.
None of it ever was. Ever. Chouji's death had not been part of the plan. Ino's illness that left her unable to perform as a ninja, several years later, had not been a part of the plan. Asuma…
Shikamaru choked on his thoughts, vaugely recognizing his rapidly blurring vision as the onset of tears. Pathetic, but he couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. He had never cried for them, and soon he would no longer have the chance.
Silent tears blocked out his vision, roaring in his ears to mute the sound of his teammate's screams.
Fuck the plan. Shikamaru didn't care anymore.
Didn't he know better than anyone that plans never worked out?
