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Chapter 2: Stars are Troublesome

Fall in love with someone. Shikamaru would've rather rolled up and died by being eaten inside out by bugs, but he couldn't even find Shino for that. The park was close to deserted, which suited him fine as he lay on the bench staring up at the black velvet sky. Some where nearby he knew Choji and Ino were just starting their date, awkwardly, hopefully. Maybe the date would be so awkward and uncomfortable that neither would date each other again. Or even more hopefully, Ino would tell Choji that he was fat and he would be so mad at her that he'd never talk to her again, let alone date her. Troublesome, dates seemed like torture, Shikamaru muttered in his mind as he picked out the glittering lightning bugs somewhat stationary in their dark blue canvas.

Dating was horrific, as his dad had told him; women were demanding. They wanted you to pay attention to them, to entertain them, to talk about what they wanted to talk about, to compliment them, to pay for them, and to completely ignore every other aspect of your life as you sit with them in some weird restaurant where everyone can see you, which means everyone can watch you stick your foot in your mouth. And for what did men go through this hell for? Some swapping of spit and other bodily fluids that wasn't even guaranteed. Shikamaru gladly passed on such troublesome endeavors. Besides, he had perfected an equation in his head that proved girls evil. If only other people were as smart.

"How troublesome…" he sighed as he blinked lazily under the stars. Astrology was rather bothersome as well. According to the planets and stars at the moment, fate had it in for single people. It was supposed to be a week of creating new relationships and renewing old, and it was already working on Choji and Ino, and almost everyone else in Konoha. No, Shikamaru decided to defy the stars. He refused to fall in love, and into all the uncomfortable work and tiring trifles it held, not to mention the potential embarrassment.

"Hey, are you going to move or what?"

Shikamaru looked over to the face above him and sat straight up with fright. It was pale with darkly outlined hungry green eyes and bright red hair and a venomous glare. Then he noticed something a bit less menacing. It was Gaara, so despite his former homicidal attitudes, he couldn't kill Shikamaru. "What do you want?"

"To sit down. It's a bench, isn't it?" Gaara stated with a snort. He looked tired but in a mean way, which hadn't seemed possible until Shikamaru had noticed it in the demon-holder's countenance. "Go find another bench, I'm busy," Shikamaru sighed and lay back down on the bench, once again staring his eyes to the sky.

A demanding grunt came from Gaara. "Get up or I'll make you get up."

"There are ten other benches in this park, Gaara, go use them!" Now Shikamaru was getting annoyed with the stupid red-head. Anyone with two eyes could see the other benches around; it was a public park after all. Why did Gaara want to bother him so much? How troublesome.

Gaara planted his face three inches away from Shikamaru, a cold glare still on his tired face, and for some uneasy reason there was a smell of blood in the air. The smell added to Gaara's already terrifying tendencies. "Every other bench in this stupid park is taken by stupid people sucking each others lips off. Sit up and shut up, Shikamaru, I want to sit down."

"Well excuse me your royal bastard highness. I didn't know you were entitled to this damn bench." Shikamaru threw himself up and to the far side of the bench, far away from Gaara. The desert-lander sat down, sliding his gourd of sand onto the ground beside the bench. Following Gaara were red foot prints, from which the smell was coming, and Shikamaru finally noticed how Gaara's feet were bleeding. They were coated in it, making the sandals squish with every step Gaara took, who acted as though he didn't notice it, or the pain that came from all the cuts. Softly and with great care, Shikamaru decided to delicately enter into the explanation of the mangled feet. "What the hell did you do to your feet?"

Another glare issued from Gaara's face. "I accidentally nailed my feet to the floor in training, alright? Just shut up."

"How the hell do you 'accidentally' nail your own feet to the floor? Are you stupid? You just destroyed your feet! What were you doing!"

"I said shut up, Shikamaru!"

Something shaking in Gaara's voice stopped Shikamaru's next pressing question; namely, what was it that had gone through his feet? While both ninja's moved silently into their own thoughts, Shikamaru returned to his stars and thoughts of Choji and Ino. He was soon interrupted again as the stench of blood increased. Gaara had removed his sandals and was looking at his feet. There were holes all the way through them. It looked like a kunai had gone through each one. Shikamaru nearly turned green at the sight.

"Do you have to do this here?"

"Well I can't walk to the hospital or anywhere else, now can I?"

"Why did you come here?"

"Because I thought there was going to be somewhere I could sit! I wasn't expecting an ANBU inquisition."

No one ever expects an ANBU inquisition Shikamaru thought, but decided to blurt out, "Well congratulations on killing yourself by nailing kunai through your feet; you're a real genius."

Gaara said nothing. A shuriken to the head or a few punches or some sand in the face was expected, and at least a snide remark and a death threat was usually how it went, but there was just silence. Uneasy silence. It was more unnerving than a death threat for Shikamaru, who looked over to the Genin from the desert. Bright green eyes stared at the tattered feet, and looked in the least bit glossy. …was Gaara about to cry?

Shikamaru shivered. It could just be a trap, to get him to put his guard down so that Gaara could really attack, but the way he was looking at his feet, and the blood leaving them, Shikamaru doubted it. Troublesome. There must've been a lot of pain in Gaara's feet to make him stop trying to kill people every chance he got. What was even more troublesome was the tiniest of guilt that Shikamaru felt inside that had been induced from the years and years of guilt-trips his mother had subjected him to. In a situation like this, what was he going to do? Walk away? Not do anything? Or even help the homicidal freak? Shikamaru's eyes returned to the stars… ah, so that was the answer.

Troublesome.

Getting up, Shikamaru felt Gaara look at him but shook off the uneasy feeling he received. "What are you doing?" the desert Genin hissed. Shikamaru ignored it, grumbling to himself, and before either knew it, he had Gaara in his arms and the large, heavy gourd of sand on his back, walking out of the park. Immediately, Gaara started screaming and flailing. "What are you doing! Put me down, I demand it! I'll kill you if you don't put me down right now! SHIKAMARU YOU STUPID-"

"Stop it or I'll drop you! Geez, you're so troublesome," Shikamaru interrupted, tightening his grasp on the difficult red head. He wondered which was harder to carry, the gourd or its owner. "I'm going to fix your feet, so stop being so noisy or I'll just forget about it."

Gaara spat out, "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help."

"You're so troublesome… Gaara, for once, shut your mouth and accept some help. It doesn't mean your weak, it just means that I'm going to bandage your feet."

There was a strained silence in which Shikamaru wondered why good deeds were so bothersome. Stupid Choji on his date – if he weren't on the date with Ino, then Shikamaru wouldn't be stuck carrying a freak with holes in his feet and death on the mind. Gaara spoke again, not very menacingly, but not forgiving. "So, where are you taking me?"

"The only place I can do first aid, my apartment."

"...This doesn't mean that I won't kill you, Shikamaru."

"Just shut up Gaara. Tch, so troublesome."

PLEASE REVIEW! I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER! I do not know how long this fic is going to be, but it will be long enough not to be too brief, and short enough not to be annoying, I'm shooting for maybe 5-10 chapters. Just FYI. You all rock.