Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I mean, I don't own any of its characters, like. But hell, the boys are kinda cute I wish I own them all.
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Chapter V: Snatching the Spotlight
Aburame Shino watches as Inuzuka Kiba sinks into the anonymity of the buzzing crowd that's now filling each square inch of the 2nd floor corridor. English class has just ended; lunch time has just started. Again, Kiba has slipped past Shino without even looking at him. He just walked by him, straight-faced, probably on his way to look for Hinata with whom he'll be sitting to lunch. Shino breathes deeply and as he does so, his mind unfolds, welcoming the possibility of not being able to secure his closeness to Kiba again.
Slowly, with a heavy heart, he bushwhacks his way to the cafeteria where he is greeted by an uproarious visual disorder. Chairs are tumbled down the floor. School books are lying about, forlorn and almost shredded to pieces. Shikamaru's right arm is tightly locked around Naruto's head; Naruto, bent on the level with Shikamaru's waist and struggling to get free, is letting out muffled curses. Shino grabs a seat across the pretend-wrestlers.
'What's this?' Shino asks Sakura who has been shaking her head in frustration at the scene.
'Payback. Naruto caused Shikamaru to be nominated for this year's SC president. Shikamaru hates him for it.' Sakura replies, her voice drowning in Naruto's vociferous profanities.
Hardly believing that he's a witness to this nearly homicidal sight, Shino stares at the two and concludes that Shikamaru doesn't just hate Naruto for it; he wants to murder him for it.
'I promised to get you for this. I'm not about to break that promise.' Shikamaru is saying through gritted teeth. Beads of perspiration begin leaking down his temples and thick veins begin appearing on his arm. 'If I win, I'll kill you.'
'You're already killing me, you bastard.' Naruto quips, suffering immensely. 'Let go, Shikamaru. I can't breathe!'
'What's that you're saying, Little Mr. Culprit?'
'I said I can't breathe. You're suffocating me to death!' Naruto gasps as he desperately flaps his free hand in the air.
Shikamaru loosens up, finally granting mercy. Naruto bounces a foot away. When he regains his balance, he starts massaging his sore neck.
'What's wrong with you?' Naruto shrieks with all his injured lungs can manage.
'Don't ask me what's wrong with me. I'm not a doctor. Hmph.'
'Yeah, but you're going to be president. Hahahaha!'
'Hey baka, you'd better go find ways to get my name off the list. Else you'd be sorry.' Shikamaru threatens.
'Else you'd be sorry.' Naruto mimics him, pouting out his lower lip. Then with full energy, he spits in his signature voice, 'I can't do that, teme. You have too many supporters now. I can't just upset them.'
'What, you want to die?'
'Well let me see you do it.' Naruto teases again. Before Shikamaru can charge forth, a pair of meaty hands grapples him and suppresses him to steadiness. Chouji and Ino have come to join the bustle.
'I'm not letting you off the hook that easy, if that's---'
'Hai, Shikamaru; I can't believe cutting classes is not the only violation you're capable of. You're also good at engaging in rumbles inside the campus.' Ino says. 'Really, it's impossible why you last in this school.'
'Right you are, Ino. He almost choked the soul out of me. It's criminal.' Naruto complains as he briskly pushes himself down a chair. His face has turned into a red balloon.
'Quit jabbering. You were asking for it,' Shikamaru snaps. Chouji releases him from his clutch which sends him leaning backwards in a haphazard fashion. 'Kuso—'
'Yamero, Shikamaru.' Ino glares at him. 'Naruto only wants to help you. In fact, he's been a great help in your campaign. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't convince the whole junior batch to cast their votes for you.'
'I don't like their votes.' Shikamaru replies. His hatred for Ino has skyrocketed now and he knows it well, too well. But knowing that it'd be troublesome to argue further he stays silent.
'Don't say that.' Ino tells him. 'Right now students are looking up to you. You're actually their model. So if I were in those shoes, I'd start acting responsibly. You're now a genuine poster boy, you know that.'
What! The question dies in Shikamaru's throat. Student model? Poster boy? What is the world coming into? He stands aghast for a spell or two. Then, as if a trickle of rain, it dawns on him. So that's why people have been shaking his hands lately. That's why people have begun smiling courteously at him. That's why they've started greeting him a good afternoon each time he passes them by. That's why…
'What crap have you been deceiving the public with?' He snarls at Ino, mad as a hornet.
Ino grins and turns to Chouji. 'Explain, Chouji.'
'Shikamaru, we've been telling them that you have the right attitude; relaxed, cool, fearless and smart. We thought of the kind of behavior a leader must have, behavior that caters to the youth, what appeals to them. Therefore Ino, Naruto and I decided that you have what it takes to be president.' Chouji says excitedly.
'Wow, isn't that mighty lame.' Shikamaru mumbles; sarcasm tops off his words like a decoration. Only someone who's devoid of the five senses can see him as someone who deserves the presidential title; and besides, he can get in more trouble if his campaign turns out to be a big pile of lies. Which is what it simply is. What if people unravel the truth, which is, he's no more than a lazy bum? And then maybe, Ino and Chouji would know what he has been saying over and over again. But then, he'd be damned.
'I think what Chouji is saying is that the students won't be bored with you, because most of them are just like you. You can sympathize with them easily. The past presidents were stiff, strict people who have no sense of fun or freedom. They were too focused on orderliness and general organization and academic goals. They set the stakes too high, I guess, and students seemed to think that they were being neglected, not because they weren't watched but because they were being watched too much. Now with someone like you as president, they've begun to think that you'd make a change. For the better. They believe you can actually give the school the make-over it needs.' The voice belongs to Shino. Heads turn to him. There's no other word for the expression they emit; awe.
'Well said!' Ino beams. 'I expected no less from the smartest dude in the batch. As for you, Shikamaru, I hope you understood what Shino just said.'
'And what if I can't meet those sky-high expectations? You know I can't and won't anyway.' Shikamaru retorts.
'That's why you should try. Unless you stop judging yourself so harshly you'll get nowhere.' Sakura says, entering the conversation at last. 'There's no harm in trying. If you win, good for you. If you don't, you can go back to being the slacker that you dream to be. At any rate, every one of us has done what he could to secure your triumph in this race. All you have to do is open your eyes. We're here for you.' Sakura smiles.
'She's right, Shikamaru. We can almost taste your victory.' Chouji cheers and to Shikamaru's dismay, laughter immediately rips from his fatty windpipe.
'You too?'
'Of course.'
'Oh brother,' Shikamaru mutters weakly after a state of nonplussed incredulity. He makes a motion to collapse. Chouji pulls out a chair for him to land on.
Shikamaru stays still. Never in his life has he dreamt of taking on a responsibility or any of the kind. He's, quite simply, your average homebody. A regular slacker, that is. He taps his forehead, thinking that winning the election will be the end of him. But on the other hand, being the loser has its down side too. There's still the pride factor although it's so thin it seems almost not there. Sheesh, what a nasty deadlock, he tells himself. There are two parts of him now; one wanting to lose in a landslide, the other not wanting to. Only he's not sure which part is bigger. He whips around the sorry lot he calls his friends. Damn, their smiles get the message through him loud and clear; they trust him. They think he has what it takes to be the school's leader. How delusional.
'Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a bunch of bad actors.' Shikamaru scoffs off and crosses his arms on his chest. 'I get it. The contrivance. All of you are up to this, aren't you? How charitable.'
'Us?' Naruto puts on an innocent face, pointing at his chest. 'Count Kiba and Hinata in. Without them, the basketball team and the swimming team wouldn't put their votes on you. Everyone's doing something extra special for you.'
'Thanks.' Shikamaru sneers. 'That's really helpful.'
Relenting, he inhales deeply. But considering their efforts, they really are a great help. I can't believe I'm this drawn to these stupid circumstances, Shikamaru muses. He scowls, quite limp from the little brawl he just had with Naruto. His mere actions tell how fed up he is with all this as the urge to get a sleep ever tugs at him. There is a loud thud before the group realizes that Shikamaru has fainted.
'Lame ass.' Naruto giggles.
--
'Uh, Kiba,' Hinata gives it a start in her coy little voice. In the clamped area of the school's cafeteria Kiba and Hinata have decided to roost themselves far from prying eyes, there in the sanctuary of the room's corner.
'What, Hinata?' Kiba asks. He has just finished gulping down his orange juice and is now wiping his mouth with his handkerchief. Two tiny fangs protrude from his upper jaw; he almost looks like a canine with them showing.
'It's about,' Hinata falters. Her courage fails her again, like it always does. She clasps her hands together and engages herself in the forced habit of aligning her forefingers.
'What is it?'
'It's about Shino.' Hinata says and averts her eyes from the table. 'Did you two have a fight?'
Alarmed, Kiba says nothing. He doesn't know what to say. A squabble doesn't actually describe what happened between him and Shino. It's more like a gradual estrangement. Something mutual. At one point they just stopped hanging around each other and even stopped taking anything beyond casual exchanges, which are usually necessitated by the basketball team. There's a large amount of impersonality in the past conversations he and Shino have had, needless to say. And Kiba knows why. Shino's presence distracts him. Sometimes thinking of Shino grates on him, sometimes he feels that he has to think of Shino one way or another. But above all this, he can't face him anymore. He knows facing him will be his most difficult trial.
'Hinata, I'm so sorry.' Kiba says. 'I should've said a long time ago that Shino and I have stopped talking. I can't explain why, not yet at least. But I'm hoping that you understand.' Kiba casts his eyes down. He really is sorry for causing Hinata trouble. He knows Hinata treasures the days when the three of them would sit together in lunch or in the library. She has grown to enjoy the afternoons when they'd walk home together, the three of them, and now that all of those are gone he can't help feeling sorry for her. He feels that it's partly his fault why Hinata's being deprived of that happiness. 'I'm really sorry. I know it sounds selfish but please understand.' He repeats.
Kiba doesn't need to entreat her more; Hinata understands. She and her cousin Neji from the senior year have a bitterly similar relationship. Only she's never had a real talk with Neji. Right from the start, something hostile seems to well up inside Neji and whatever that something is, it always seems to be directed to Hinata, homing at her. He hates her, she knows that much, and she doesn't know why. But even so, most probably, Neji doesn't know why too.
'It's okay, Kiba. I understand.' She tells him, her large white eyes flashing. Kiba gives her grateful nod and smiles.
'You know, Hinata, I'm not stopping you from going with Shino. I know you'd like to, especially now that he sits to lunch with Naruto. Maybe you can join them on their table sometimes.'
Hinata turns crimson as she always does when Kiba says something about Naruto or anything that alludes to her feelings for the guy. Kiba has always been the one who's open about it; while Shino was the discreet one and yet, his subtle way of saying it sometimes made Hinata blush too. Sighing heavily, Hinata realizes how much she misses those days. She has always felt protected from anything when Kiba and Shino were with her, and she hasn't been feeling like that as of late. These past few days, in fact, she's been feeling precariously susceptible.
'But Kiba…'
'Don't worry about me. I can manage alone.' He winks at her and straightens up to depart. Hinata follows him with her eyes as he moves to the exit whereupon a group of girls starts tailing behind him, giggling. He's right; he's never really alone. But if those girls were to be his company, he'd better consider reconciliation.
The bell rings. Several feet can be heard scrambling from the seats. Hinata stands up. She is freely traipsing her way to the door when something bumps into her. She looks at her side; a pair of slanting shut eyes, a wide puerile smile and a mane of single-hued yellow hair greet her. Those ever so familiar irregular features.
'Hinata!' Naruto is waving at her, his full-on stamina taking over him.
'Naruto…I…' Hinata starts trembling. Then, because she's conscious that neither Kiba nor Shino is beside her, and because Naruto is her ultimate weakness, she falls.
'Eh? First Shikamaru; now you. Why do people keep on fainting today?' Naruto frowns.
TBC