Shikamaru awoke abruptly, gasping for air. Gagging, he spit out a blood clot, trying to breathe past the blood in his nose. His left eye was too swollen to open, and he couldn't find the strength to turn his head. All he could see was the dirt and grass at the base of the tree roots he was flung across. Dappled sunlight fell across his still form, and he choked as he tried to swallow. His breathing was shallow, and he could feel so many broken bones and torn muscles that his brain shut down when he tried to take an inventory of what was damaged. Genda had told him that he wouldn't kill him, but Shikamaru felt so battered that he knew he wouldn't live much longer. Something inside him had burst; he could feel the heat and swelling as his abdomen pressed against the dirt.
His heartbeat slowed a bit, at least enough that he could finally hear the wind over the internal processes of his body. His blood had been pounding in his ears for a while. The grass waved gently in the breeze from what he could see with his one good eye, and once again he choked on his own blood. Damn it, he wouldn't live long at all if he couldn't draw a breath.
Trembling, he managed to reach one arm out in front of him and dig his fingers into the grass, slowly pulling himself forward. The grass beneath him was warm with his own blood, and as he pulled he could feel muscle fibers snapping, pain shooting up his spine. Collapsing into the grass, he gasped for air, spitting blood. He wished he could see the sky. If he could just see the sky he would feel better. If he lived long enough, maybe he'd see the stars again.
A lump rose in his throat. He wanted to see the stars, and he wanted to see them with Ino. He wanted to hear her talk about the meanings of flowers, or what she encountered when she entered someone else's mind. Damn it, he had just found her, why did he have to be taken away? "Ino," he croaked. "Sorry."
He must have blacked out, for when he woke up again, it was night. No shadows were cast, however. That meant clouds. It also meant he was still alive. Genda was out there somewhere, watching, he knew it. Perhaps Hinata and the others were still alive as well? He clenched his teeth, sick at the thought his friends might be lying somewhere, injured or worse, all because he couldn't some up with something in time. He had doomed them all, rushing in like he had. He had a plan, but he hadn't counted on such a freakish power. He should have, of course, since Genda was an Akatsuki member, and the fact that he was strong enough to work alone should have tipped him off, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
The world around him blurred, and he realized his body didn't hurt so much. A moment later he couldn't move most of it, only blink his good eye and sometimes draw a breath. His mind felt sluggish, and he realized he was tired, so tired. He wanted to close his eyes and rest. "Ino," he murmured, and slipped away once more.
Was it the third day? The grass around him was crusted with blood. He was cold. Genda probably was slowing his bodily processes to keep him alive longer. Only the cold was keeping him living, he realized. Were the others still alive, kept in semi-stasis by the Mist-nin? "I know you're there, Genda," he muttered, but his words were unintelligible, even to himself. He hurt, he hurt so badly. Would it never end? It was too much trouble to live anymore. Consciousness was fleeting….
When he awoke again it was just after dawn, just like the days before. He was beyond hunger and thirst, simply a breathing lump of flesh, waiting to be released. Images of his friends danced before his eyes. He remembered walking past Naruto and Hinata on a park bench, heads pressed together as they whispered to one another, cheeks pink and holding hands. Naruto had turned his head and stolen a kiss from Hinata, who had giggled and covered her mouth with her free hand. It had been nighttime, with fireflies.
He had met with TenTen and Neji in the cafeteria once, joining them for lunch as they talked spiritedly about techniques, their eyes sparkling as they engaged one another in quick, sharp conversation. The words were biting, in his opinion, but the couple didn't seem to notice. In fact, they barely even noticed him when he left.
He had run across Lee and Sakura on the street a few months back, Lee buying Sakura ice cream at a roadside stand. She had a dollop of ice cream on her nose, and Lee had tenderly reached out and wiped it off. Sakura had traced his cheek and grinned up at him, which made Lee blush like a schoolgirl. He had mumbled something beneath his breath, which made Sakura laugh, her shining face matching the sparkling sound. They looked so happy.
Asuma had been happy, too. Shikamaru could remember joining his former teacher and Kurenai in the park one day. Of course, Shikamaru had fallen asleep during Asuma's shogi match with Kurenai, and had nearly rolled into Asuma's foul pile of sunflower seed shells upon wakening.
Finally, there was Chouji. The bliss on his friend's face as he held his wife and son was like nothing Shikamaru had ever seen. Since he was so close to death, Shikamaru was able to admit to himself that he was envious. The way Naomi looked at Chouji was incredible. Shikamaru wanted someone to look at him that way, except that it was too much trouble to try to convince a woman to do so. Was there a woman out there that didn't need convincing?
His thoughts strayed to Ino, always Ino. It seemed like his musing began and ended with her, even as his life slowly seeped out into the grass. He could remember her eyes traveling over him as they looked at the stars on a hillside when they were only thirteen, and the way she had gazed up at him before their first kiss. Her eyes, whether they be crying, enraged, joyful, or sad, were always the most beautiful things he had seen. He wished once more he could see the sky. He wanted to be reminded of Ino's eyes when he died.
A tear leaked out of his good eye, and he realized that a lot of the things he had wanted would never come to pass. No wife, no children, no nothing. Just his name carved on a stone, because he wasn't good enough. He just hoped Ino wouldn't cry. She was too beautiful, too smart to waste herself on him. He had promised her he would see her again. It bothered him to have lied to her. "I'm so sorry, Ino," he croaked, and his body shuddered in a painful sob.
"Sorry for what?" a soft voice said, and his consciousness suddenly became focused. He tried to turn his head and failed, his muscles screaming at him to be still. "Oh, you're so cold!"
"No, run," he murmured, the tears coming faster. Was he dreaming, or was she really there next to him? If she was there, she was in terrible danger. He couldn't lose the most precious thing to him, he just couldn't. "Run!"
He groaned as strong arms picked him up, cradling him like a child. The large body was warm and muscular, the hands capable as they held him. "Not without you," a deep voice said, and he looked up into the face of his best friend.
"Please," Shikamaru sobbed, unable to move a muscle. "Danger."
"We know," Ino replied, her face appearing above him. She dabbed at his face with a wet cloth. "We couldn't just leave you here."
"He's here, somewhere," Shikamaru wheezed.
Chouji lifted his head, scanning the area around him. "I don't see him. Maybe he's watching one of the others."
Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat as he felt Ino's hand slip into his. "We knew something was wrong when none of you came back. It's been four days since you were supposed to come home. We don't have authorization to be here, so we need to get back now."
"Ino," he sighed, but it was too painful to talk, too painful to warn them. His head was swimming as it was. Spots appeared in front of his eyes from blood loss, and his cracked, swollen lips moved silently.
Ino squeezed his hand, eyes brimming with tears as she looked down into his face. "Please don't die, Shikamaru," she murmured. "I couldn't take it."
"He won't die," Chouji said. "He has us to live for."
"Run," Shikamaru hissed. He could feel a chill in the air; Genda was close.
Ino pressed the back of his bloodstained hand to her cheek, squeezing her eyes tightly. "Something's coming," Chouji whispered.
"Whatever you do, protect him," she replied, voice low, and was gone from Shikamaru's vision. He heard the sound of a kunai being drawn from a pouch, and then only silence met his ears. Chouji held Shikamaru more tightly and moved behind the tree. Shikamaru wanted to scream at Chouji to go help her, but he couldn't form another word. His throat was ruined from screaming and breathing damp, hot air during his torture. Every cell of his body cried out in protest at being moved, the blackness still hovering at the edges of his vision. He couldn't die, he had to make sure his friends lived through it.
"Water," he croaked, baring his teeth as best he could when Chouji produced a canteen. Shikamaru drank gratefully, but he knew that time was of the essence. "No, uses water. In blood, in air."
Chouji stared down at him, narrow eyes examining him as the large man's mental processes worked away. "Genda, right? Uses water?"
Shikamaru nodded. "Run."
"And he managed to take you out with just that?"
"Can change," he grated.
"Shit," Chouji muttered. "Stay here." He gently set Shikamaru down, resting his tortured back against the bark. His best friend moved soundlessly between the trees, an amazing feat for someone his size. Shikamaru panted against the tree, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to master his pain. Moments later the noise of battle erupted, the sounds of trees being uprooted echoing through the forest. He heard Ino's battle cry, then a male scream. It seemed Ino had managed to land a blow. Suddenly he heard laughter, Genda's laughter. The sound of Genda's voice made him shudder; it was that laughter he had heard during the days he was being beaten.
"Come on, Chouji!" Genda's voice said. He couldn't believe it- Ino had managed to switch bodies with the enemy. She must have honed her skills since the last time he saw her use it. Of course, the last time he saw her use it was on him, and he wasn't expecting it at the time…
"Right!" Chouji answered, and there was a sickening squelch.
"Good," Ino's voice said.
"Damn you," Genda replied, and Shikamaru could guess what had happened. Gathering his remaining strength, he flopped to the side. Tree roots partially obscured his vision, but he could see Chouji's mammoth form among the trees, Ino tiny beside him. "I'm going to end this now."
"No!" screamed Shikamaru, but the word came out as a feeble moan. He sobbed and tried to claw his way forward with his less-injured arm, tearing at the dirt with his fingernails. Ino's body shuddered and fell, the movement so sudden and painful that he felt as if he had been slapped. Tears welled up in his eyes, leaking out of the corner of the one that was swollen shut. Chouji growled and immediately tripled in size, picking Ino up and tucking her under his arm. He was putting off massive amounts of heat, and Shikamaru could see that Ino's lips were blue. Chouji batted a startled Genda away, the Mist-nin's body thudding against a tree trunk, and the Leaf-nin began barreling right toward Shikamaru.
"Come on," Chouji boomed, scooping up Shikamaru as if he was a fish. He could do nothing but watch Ino's head bob in synch with Chouji's footsteps as he charged through the forest. "You guys will be fine, I promise. It's my turn to save you, and I won't fail."
"Damn straight you won't," Ino mumbled, lifting her head. Some of her color had come back. "Thank goodness you can burn the pounds just as easily as you put them on."
Shikamaru glanced up at Chouji's smile, only to feel horrified as his friend's expression turned to one of pain. A bolt of ice sailed over their heads as another embedded itself in the back of Chouji's neck. The gigantic man snarled, but didn't look back. Shikamaru's innards lurched as a hail of icy spikes rained down on his friend, but Chouji sheltered them with his massive body and not a single one touched them. "Be careful!" Ino cried, trying to work a hand seal, but her limbs were shaking still from the ice in her blood and she couldn't get her fingers to work. Shikamaru realized he was in the same boat; even if he actually had chakra to spare, his hands were so pulverized that he couldn't form any seals.
"It's fine!" Chouji insisted, but blood was soaking the fabric of his uniform. A moment later he cried out, toppling toward the earth, the ground shaking as he hit with incredible force. As he fell he twisted his body, carefully avoiding crushing his normal-sized friends. Genda jumped onto his stomach, placing a hand against him and smirking, and Shikamaru hissed as he felt the heat Genda was generating with the water in Chouji's skin.
"How's that, fatty?" Genda sneered.
"Not good enough," Chouji grunted, dropping Ino onto his chest and once more batting Genda away. Genda, however, simply executed a flip and bounded off of a nearby tree trunk. Holding up his hands, he showed them that he had turned his forearms into blades of ice.
"I knew setting bait would be enough to draw you Leaf-nin cowards out. You always travel in groups. Pitiful. I just didn't know that the crybaby here would be the first one you came for. At least the other three didn't scream when I tortured them. Now where's the fox-boy? He's the one I want."
Chouji tried to get up, only to be pinned to the earth as Genda's ice-blade arm grew in length and pierced his forearm. Shikmaru felt panic overtake him- Chouji would bleed to death in no time at his current size. "You can do it, Chouji!" Ino cried. "Ino-Shika-Cho, now and always!"
Shikamaru wanted to smile at her. She looked like hell, and yet her eyes were still sparkling and full of fire. Wobbling, she stood up and reached for a kunai. "Hurry, Ino," Chouji rumbled, fumbling for the ice spike with his free hand as Genda jumped out of the way.
"Sure thing," Ino replied, winking at Shikamaru. "I'm going to want some quality time after this," shetold him, and leapt forward.
He hadn't thought Ino could move so quickly, but suddenly she was behind Genda. The Akatsuki shinobi merely shook his head and whipped a hand around, touching Ino's upper arm and burning the skin. Shikamaru could smell scalded flesh from where he was nestled against Chouji, but he could do nothing about it. Ino, however, did not cry out, only clenched her jaw and moved in again. Genda dodged once more, stopping her movement with two well-placed ice spikes through her sandaled feet. Ino collapsed, sweat running down the sides of her face, and began throwing shuriken. As Genda leapt to the side, Chouji ripped the ice free of his arm and hurled it at the enemy, knocking him aside. As Genda lay on the ground, shaking his head, Chouji stood and made to stomp on the prone ninja. Shikamaru approved of the attack; if you can't beat them, squish them. Genda, however, seemed to have other plans, and drove another spike up into the sole of Chouji's foot. Chouji toppled once more, narrowly missing where Shikamaru had landed in a heap, and clutched at his foot, eyes blazing.
"Your best is never enough to defeat someone like me," Genda sighed, examining his fingertips and completely ignoring the various places he was cut. "Now, if only my target would show up. I thought for sure he would, since I nearly killed so many of his comrades. I guess you weren't important enough, shadow-user. You only attracted this trash."
"Then how about this?" a new voice said, and Naruto appeared out of nowhere, blue eyes blazing. Shikamaru's eye opened wide as Uzumaki moved, the speed rivaling Lee's. Genda gasped and tried to counter, but before anyone could draw another breath, they were gone. A swatch of felled trees marked the path of their battle. Shikamaru wished he could see it; he wanted to see Genda's ass beaten into the ground after what the shinobi had done to his team.
"You all look like hell," a cold voice said, and Shikamaru laboriously turned his head to see Neji standing there, supporting TenTen. Neji also had wounds down one side of his body; blood was dripping off of the ends of his fingers and saturated the fabric covering his left shoulder. TenTen was nearly unconscious, leaning against her husband, and Neji's grip on her was tight and full of anxiety.
"You don't look so hot, either," Ino snapped.
A look of dismay crossed Neji's face. "I don't suppose any of us do," he mumbled, pressing his cheek against TenTen's head. The kunoichi half-smiled as her eyes tried to roll back into her head. "After all, we almost lost loved ones."
"Damn straight," Ino growled.
"Ino-pig!" Sakura cried, shuffling into view. Her leg was in a splint and she was dragging a makeshift litter with Lee's unconscious body in it.
"Forehead!" Ino sobbed, and tottered over to her friend. The two women embraced, grinning at one another. "You picked up your worthless boyfriend!"
"And you picked up yours!" Sakura grinned.
"Hey," Shikamaru moaned. "I'm not Ino's-"
"Shut up," Ino barked, glaring at him. "Where would they be without us?" The two women laughed, the sound chilling Shikamaru's bones.
"Hinata?" he croaked.
Sakura's face turned grave, and she glanced at Neji. The young man turned his face away, his eyes sad. Ino put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Is she okay?"
"She's alive," Sakura muttered. "I wasn't strong enough to carry her here. I used up most of my chakra making sure she would live through the next few hours. That Akatsuki bastard really did a number on her."
"He knew she was important to Naruto," Neji grated, and TenTen squeezed his uninjured shoulder.
Sakura's face hardened. "Naruto's enraged. Tsunade-sama said to bring Genda back alive, but I wouldn't blame Naruto if there was an accident."
Ino nodded her head as she bandaged her wounds. "I'm sorry. Do you think Lee will be all right?"
"I think so," Sakura sighed. "I pray so. I don't know what I would do without his fearless smile. Sometimes it makes me feel like his hope is the only safe thing in this world we live in."
Everyone bowed their heads, and Sakura hobbled over to Chouji, taking a look at his wounds. She bound his foot, then wandered over to Shikamaru. Shaking her head, she bandaged up what she could, keeping him from the brink of death. "I'm sorry. You'll have to wait."
Shikamaru did his best to nod and found himself in Ino's arms. "Thank goodness you're okay," she murmured against his neck. He wanted to pull away so he wouldn't get blood on her flawless skin, but he was too sore to move and she felt too good.
"This is okay?" he mumbled. "How troublesome."
She released him slightly and looked into his face, her blue eyes sparkling as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Shikamaru, I couldn't agree with you more," she said with a smile, and for a moment he felt like her embrace was the only medicine he would ever need.