A/N: Well, you can all thank my ten hour shift at work for this next
chapter getting put up so soon. And I'm sorry, but it's also a fairly short
one. I dislike putting scene changes in the same chapter, so that hopefully
explains the length of most of the chapters in this story.
Also, I would like to clarify a few more things. When I am writing about the two Shikamarus from Ino's point of view, I always use the nickname "Shika" to describe the one that Ino THINKS is the real one. The longer name, Shikamaru, tends to refer to the one that Ino feels is the imposter. I would also like to add that in case people didn't pick up on it, the real Shikamaru (regardless of what Ino thinks she knows) was never at Ino's house. The one that was injured (and presumed dead) was Naruto, who heals quickly. The one who was copying the shadow jutsus was Sasuke. I hope that helped clear some things up.
Enjoy the read, and review if you like.
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
...............................................................................
They arrived at Shikamaru's apartment only a few minutes later, waiting in a tense knot as Lee knocked, then pounded on the door. Ino had cleaned herself as quickly and efficiently as possible, rubbing off the worst of the bloodstains with a towel before donning Sakura's clothes. As if to mock her efforts, her blonde hair retained its reddish-brown sheen and flakes of dried blood still spotted her skin. She looked terrible, felt terrible, and as they stood there, clustered around Shikamaru's door, she was all too aware of the trembles that began to once again shake her body in a strange mixture of apprehension and fear and anger. What if the other Shikamaru, the one who had attacked her, was here instead of the real Shika? Uncertainly, she edged closer to Sakura, ready to suggest that they come back in the morning when the shadows weren't as deep.
The words died on her lips as Shikamaru finally opened the door and peered out at them lazily, yawning as he did so. "Ino?"
Ino couldn't help herself; the night's recent horrors were all too recent. Before she knew what she was doing she leapt away from him, brandishing the kunai that Sakura had lent her in a trembling hand. "Who are you? What did you do to him?" Her voice sounded unnaturally high, even to her own ears. She could see her hand shaking terribly, could not bring the tremors under her control no matter how hard she tried.
She registered their confusion, all three of them, heard Sakura ask her not- so-gently what on earth she thought she was doing, but her eyes saw only Shikamaru's face. Was it him? Could he possibly be here, alive and uninjured? She knew what she had seen though, and the thought that she was going crazy was not one she was willing to consider as long as she could still feel that gentle crackle of bloody flakes on her skin.
Frowning, Lee took a step towards her, moving slowly in an effort to keep her as calm as possible. "Ino-san, what's wrong? You should be happy he's answering the door after what you told us."
She could see how hard he was trying to remain gentle and as harmless as possible, and his efforts helped as he inched closer and closer to her until he was gently patting her shoulder in an awkward attempt at comfort. Had she been feeling more like herself, Ino would have giggled at Sakura's nods of approval at Lee's actions. Gradually, finding strength in the quiet and the close proximity of friends that she knew she could depend on, she forced herself to lower the kunai, to relax.
"Why wouldn't I answer the door?" Shikamaru asked after a few minutes, effectively breaking the silence. With surprise, he noted the way that Ino's eyes immediately hardened and slid away from his when he spoke. No ninja in the village could possibly miss the way she immediately resumed shaking as if terrified or the rust-colored patches that painted her body and dyed her hair.
"Ino claims that someone who looked like you and used your shadow jutsus attacked her tonight," Sakura explained quietly when it became obvious that Ino had no intention of answering despite Lee's continued efforts at calming her. Casting a sidelong glance at her trembling friend, Sakura sighed and continued, "She thought that you were dead. There were two people who looked like you, but one seemed to be trying to save her."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, yawning again as he tore his eyes away from inspecting Ino for serious injury to look at Sakura. "I've been relaxing here all evening. I watched the clouds until dusk and then went to sleep. Besides, there is only one of me and there were supposedly two of them."
"I'm just relaying what Ino told me," Sakura said gently, glancing from Shikamaru to Ino and back. "I think that the hokage needs to know about this, regardless. If you don't know what happened then there were two people involved. And if what Ino described is accurate, one of those two people ought to be dead." The way that Sakura was looking at him, Shika didn't need to be a genius to know that he was going to be paying Tsunade a visit right now whether he wanted to or not.
"How troublesome," he muttered, tacitly agreeing to the trip as he finally left his doorway.
"Wait." All three of them looked at Lee in surprise. "You said that only one of them was using Shikamaru's shadow jtusus?" When Ino nodded in confirmation, Lee frowned. "There are only a few people outside of the Nara clan who could possibly use those jutsus. And there is only one person in this village who could have survived that wound that Ino described."
They all knew who he was talking about immediately, knew that he was very likely correct in his assumptions, and it made the need to meet with the hokage all the more urgent. As they leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the predawn night, though, Shikamaru could not help but notice that Ino always made sure that Sakura and Lee were between himself and her.
He had to wonder what exactly had happened during the night. He had a general idea, but he also knew something more: if Sasuke and Naruto were really behind this incident, then things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better. This was exactly the kind of development that the hokage and her trusted comrades had feared for the past ten years.
Also, I would like to clarify a few more things. When I am writing about the two Shikamarus from Ino's point of view, I always use the nickname "Shika" to describe the one that Ino THINKS is the real one. The longer name, Shikamaru, tends to refer to the one that Ino feels is the imposter. I would also like to add that in case people didn't pick up on it, the real Shikamaru (regardless of what Ino thinks she knows) was never at Ino's house. The one that was injured (and presumed dead) was Naruto, who heals quickly. The one who was copying the shadow jutsus was Sasuke. I hope that helped clear some things up.
Enjoy the read, and review if you like.
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you could have all guessed, Naruto's not mine, nor are any of the characters found therein.
...............................................................................
They arrived at Shikamaru's apartment only a few minutes later, waiting in a tense knot as Lee knocked, then pounded on the door. Ino had cleaned herself as quickly and efficiently as possible, rubbing off the worst of the bloodstains with a towel before donning Sakura's clothes. As if to mock her efforts, her blonde hair retained its reddish-brown sheen and flakes of dried blood still spotted her skin. She looked terrible, felt terrible, and as they stood there, clustered around Shikamaru's door, she was all too aware of the trembles that began to once again shake her body in a strange mixture of apprehension and fear and anger. What if the other Shikamaru, the one who had attacked her, was here instead of the real Shika? Uncertainly, she edged closer to Sakura, ready to suggest that they come back in the morning when the shadows weren't as deep.
The words died on her lips as Shikamaru finally opened the door and peered out at them lazily, yawning as he did so. "Ino?"
Ino couldn't help herself; the night's recent horrors were all too recent. Before she knew what she was doing she leapt away from him, brandishing the kunai that Sakura had lent her in a trembling hand. "Who are you? What did you do to him?" Her voice sounded unnaturally high, even to her own ears. She could see her hand shaking terribly, could not bring the tremors under her control no matter how hard she tried.
She registered their confusion, all three of them, heard Sakura ask her not- so-gently what on earth she thought she was doing, but her eyes saw only Shikamaru's face. Was it him? Could he possibly be here, alive and uninjured? She knew what she had seen though, and the thought that she was going crazy was not one she was willing to consider as long as she could still feel that gentle crackle of bloody flakes on her skin.
Frowning, Lee took a step towards her, moving slowly in an effort to keep her as calm as possible. "Ino-san, what's wrong? You should be happy he's answering the door after what you told us."
She could see how hard he was trying to remain gentle and as harmless as possible, and his efforts helped as he inched closer and closer to her until he was gently patting her shoulder in an awkward attempt at comfort. Had she been feeling more like herself, Ino would have giggled at Sakura's nods of approval at Lee's actions. Gradually, finding strength in the quiet and the close proximity of friends that she knew she could depend on, she forced herself to lower the kunai, to relax.
"Why wouldn't I answer the door?" Shikamaru asked after a few minutes, effectively breaking the silence. With surprise, he noted the way that Ino's eyes immediately hardened and slid away from his when he spoke. No ninja in the village could possibly miss the way she immediately resumed shaking as if terrified or the rust-colored patches that painted her body and dyed her hair.
"Ino claims that someone who looked like you and used your shadow jutsus attacked her tonight," Sakura explained quietly when it became obvious that Ino had no intention of answering despite Lee's continued efforts at calming her. Casting a sidelong glance at her trembling friend, Sakura sighed and continued, "She thought that you were dead. There were two people who looked like you, but one seemed to be trying to save her."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, yawning again as he tore his eyes away from inspecting Ino for serious injury to look at Sakura. "I've been relaxing here all evening. I watched the clouds until dusk and then went to sleep. Besides, there is only one of me and there were supposedly two of them."
"I'm just relaying what Ino told me," Sakura said gently, glancing from Shikamaru to Ino and back. "I think that the hokage needs to know about this, regardless. If you don't know what happened then there were two people involved. And if what Ino described is accurate, one of those two people ought to be dead." The way that Sakura was looking at him, Shika didn't need to be a genius to know that he was going to be paying Tsunade a visit right now whether he wanted to or not.
"How troublesome," he muttered, tacitly agreeing to the trip as he finally left his doorway.
"Wait." All three of them looked at Lee in surprise. "You said that only one of them was using Shikamaru's shadow jtusus?" When Ino nodded in confirmation, Lee frowned. "There are only a few people outside of the Nara clan who could possibly use those jutsus. And there is only one person in this village who could have survived that wound that Ino described."
They all knew who he was talking about immediately, knew that he was very likely correct in his assumptions, and it made the need to meet with the hokage all the more urgent. As they leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the predawn night, though, Shikamaru could not help but notice that Ino always made sure that Sakura and Lee were between himself and her.
He had to wonder what exactly had happened during the night. He had a general idea, but he also knew something more: if Sasuke and Naruto were really behind this incident, then things were going to get a whole lot worse before they got better. This was exactly the kind of development that the hokage and her trusted comrades had feared for the past ten years.