Chapter 13: Drops
Disclaimer: Not my characters
A.N.: Sorry for the long wait again, but here's a nice long chapter. Please read & review!
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Before the rains came, everything was still. The air seemed heavy and flat. The sunsets became an even more brilliant red. The animals walked around jumpy, their hair standing up in small bristles. The blankets crackled with static electricity.
Shikamaru saw all this. Neji did not, would not have even noticed it if Shikamaru had not pointed it out.
Shikamaru was the first; he said he could tell from the animals. But soon enough the whole village was preparing for the rains. The huge water tanks were readied, and in front of every house barrels, tubs, and even large pots were set out to catch every drop. There was a rush on the markets as people stocked up on supplies they would need. Asuma and the other senseis would be working the students extra hard, as they would have the rain days off, Shikamaru told Neji.
Hearing that, Neji could not believe his ears. How weak and lazy was this ridiculous village, that they would stop training completely because of a little rain?
Shikamaru only smirked when he said it, as if he knew something Neji didn't. Or maybe he was just pleased to be missing out on the extra work. Neji had no idea how he had even gotten through shinobi training.
As it was, Neji practically had to force him to go to the training areas each day, even though there was no rain at all yet. Once there, he had to admit, Shikamaru did work hard – for a while. After an hour or two, however, he seemed to get bored. Then he would begin making noises about Neji overdoing it and the doctor's orders. Neji knew he was overdoing it a little – maybe more than a little. He ached all over after a workout and sometimes felt on the verge of passing out. But he could feel himself gaining more and more stamina every day. And he would never be able to win any tournaments and pay the Naras back if he spent his days lounging around as Nara Shikamaru would evidently prefer to do.
Today he had pushed it to two and a half hours, and would have gone for three if not for an influx of young genin teams using the rooms. Neji disliked the stares he got from the woefully uneducated South Country people who had never seen a Hyuuga before, so he grudgingly gave in and followed Shikamaru outside. The heat felt thick as syrup on their skin as they crossed the courtyard. From somewhere overhead came the distant raucous cries of birds.
Shikamaru stopped and pointed. "See that?" Neji looked up to see the tiny black dashes of a flock against the sky. "The rain will be here in a couple of days," Shikamaru said.
So what? Neji thought. He knew they didn't get much rain in the desert, but really, it was only water falling from the sky, not the second coming of Buddha.
"Hey! Shikamaru!" They both turned to look. Across the courtyard, Kotetsu was yelling and motioning them to come over. Standing next to him was a slim girl with flyaway brown hair and thick glasses. She blushed at the sight of Shikamaru and waved vigorously. "Shiho needs your help on a code they're cracking," Kotetsu said as they walked up.
Shikamaru introduced Neji to Shiho, their cryptographer. She gave him an interested glance before turning back to Shikamaru. "We intercepted a message drop late yesterday, a bit of code and a part of a map," she reported. "Possibly from the Akatsuki. It looks like they're heading here."
"To Suna?" Shikamaru said. Behind him, Kotetsu's expression was grave.
"Not just Suna," Shiho said, somewhat breathlessly. "The Nara lands in particular."
Shikamaru looked surprised, then shot a thoughtful look at Neji. Turning businesslike, he said, "Let's go inside and take a look at this. You too, Neji."
"Are you a cryptographer, too?" Shiho asked Neji diffidently, as they followed Shikamaru. Neji shook his head, which she didn't see because she was staring at Shikamaru's arms as he pushed the door open. They walked into a cluttered office with maps covering the walls and a large table in the center.
"So," Shikamaru said, clearing off the table, "what've we got?"
"Here's what we have so far," Shiho said, spreading a tattered scroll out on the table and placing the translated copy next to it. Shikamaru and Neji studied the translation.
'(Something)... peaceful
Before the first (blunder?)
Regain the moon...(something)'
Beside the coded words on the scroll was a crudely drawn map. Shikamaru studied it.
"Why do they think this is Akatsuki?"
"There were rumors of Akatsuki sightings in a couple of villages to the east about a week ago."
Shikamaru was looking intently at the code. "This word is thunder…no, wait – thunderclap. Before the first thunderclap."
"Before the rains come!" Shiho exclaimed.
"Okay, that means we have to move fast, then."
"This first word…" Shiho said, moving closer to Shikamaru to point at the scroll, "…I'm thinking…devout?"
"I think that's right. And this last one is eye, I think."
"It's a poem," Neji said. Shikamaru picked up a pen and quickly wrote out the final version.
"Devout and peaceful
Before the first thunderclap
Regain the moon's eye"
"Devout and peaceful," Shikamaru mused. "Not exactly words you'd associate with Akatsuki…sounds more like a monk or something."
"Or someone disguised as a monk," Neji said.
Shikamaru shot him a keen look, his eyes lighting up. "Right." Neji felt a small glow of gratification. Shikamaru studied the map, tracing a line on it with his finger. "Shiho, there's a temple up here, isn't there?"
She nodded. "We should put some teams of guards on that road. But what are they after, that's the question. What is the moon's eye?" A thought seemed to strike him. "Neji. Is there any chance this came from your clan?"
Neji's mind raced. He certainly might be safer if they thought his clan was trying to rescue him. He was pretty sure that wasn't the case, though. It was not the Hyuuga way to disguise themselves and sneak around. If one of their clan members was captured, they would come in directly, first negotiating, and then using force if they had to. Not to mention that he was only a Branch House Hyuuga, and they had probably disowned him for his actions anyway. Still, no one here knew that.
But – from what he knew of Akatsuki, they did favor the stealth approach. And he pretty much owed his life to the Naras. If he did not speak up, he could be putting them in danger.
"No," he said finally. "This doesn't sound like my clan. It sounds like Akatsuki."
Shikamaru swore under his breath. "I was afraid of that." He shot a quick apologetic glance at Shiho. "Excuse my lang –"
"No problem!" Shiho assured him, blushing again.
"Akatsuki's attacked us before, a couple of years ago," Shikamaru said, frowning down at the map. "We fought them off that time with the help of Orochimaru and his forces. That's why Suna maintains civil relations with Otogakure, even though everyone loathes them."
"Shikamaru broke his leg saving my life in that attack," Shiho said, gazing at Shikamaru in adoring admiration.
Shikamaru shrugged it off. "Even a lazy bum like me will fight once in a while." He rolled up the scroll and map and handed them to Shiho. "Okay, we know what we have to do. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to catch one of them, find out what all this is about."
They walked Shiho outside, where she thanked Shikamaru profusely before hurrying away. Neji couldn't help but wonder – that girl had been practically throwing herself at Shikamaru, while he had seemed totally oblivious. For all his insistence on the subject – did Shikamaru really like girls?
And what was the Akatsuki coming here for? Did it have anything to do with him? The questions filled his mind as he sat on the bench outside the door while Shikamaru made them some tea.
###
In the kitchen, questions filled Shikamaru's mind as he made a pot of green tea. What did the Akatsuki want? And why were they specifically targeting his clan's lands? Was it just a strategic route, or was there something here they wanted? And what was the moon's eye? Was it an object? A place? A top-secret plan or strategy of some kind?
Or was it a person?
Was it Neji? Neji with his moon-colored eyes?
Were they hunting Neji? Or was he an Akatsuki spy?
He considered this last question. Neji was the heir to one of the most prestigious clans in the North. Unless he was lying about that. No, he was clearly a Hyuuga, and clearly well-educated and well-bred. Why would he leave his clan to join a criminal organization? It didn't make sense – but then, that other guy, the Red-Eyes one that Neji and Kakashi were so gaga about – he had done it. Maybe Neji had had some kind of falling-out with his family; after all, it was always said that North Country clans did not have much family loyalty.
But then – what about the kidnapping by Orochimaru? Had that just been Neji's bad luck? Or had he deliberately allowed himself to be captured? That made more sense than Orochimaru kidnapping someone like Neji. But if there was something Neji was after on these lands, why not just try to invade on his own power?
The unwelcome answer came to Shikamaru almost immediately: Because he knew our clans would offer sanctuary to a refugee from slavery.
But then…why the seppuku attempt? That had been genuine; of that he was almost certain. That cut had not been a mere flesh wound for show. Neji had almost died. And he could not forget the feeling of despair and desolation that had swept over him in those moments before he found Neji, moments when he somehow experienced Neji's emotions.
He had also experienced the physical sensations, he recalled – the excruciating pain from the Pet Mark. Had Neji believed he was being tortured? Had he decided to end his life honorably rather than possibly divulge information?
Shikamaru rubbed his temples. His head was aching and he had a sick, hollow feeling inside. He didn't want to think this way. Had he been such a bad judge of character; had he been played for a fool?
But…if Neji really was trying to gain their trust by pretending to seek sanctuary, why not act humble and pitiful? Why be such a raging asshole, issuing death threats and insulting everyone and everything in sight? Perhaps he was just not a good enough actor. But then, would they have chosen him for this mission in the first place?
And the question remained of what they could be trying to gain. The Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi clans were strong, of course, but they were generally peaceful, and there were other clans far more powerful. They made medicines, and poisoning antidotes, but Lady Tsunade and Chiyo-sama were infinitely more skilled at using those. He could think of several far worthier targets. The Kazekage and Lord Jiraiya, for starters. Or the young future Kazekage, Gaara. Or Sasori-san, ex-Akatsuki and master of making puppets with poison darts and other concealed weapons.
No, Neji being secretly Akatsuki was possible, but doubtful. He drew a deep breath, feeling suddenly lighter.
But then, if Neji was not a spy…was he a target? And if so, why? Was Akatsuki trying to recruit him? Or were they hunting him for some other reason? Ransom from his clan, perhaps?
Another unwelcome thought struck him. Maybe it was not Akatsuki, but Orochimaru who was hunting Neji. Of course Orochimaru had no rights to Neji and could not legally sell him as a Pet, but perhaps they intended to try to sell him on the black market. Or they had some other, even more horrible, purpose in mind.
Regain the moon's eye, the message had said. Not just gain…REgain. They had had Neji in their clutches once; maybe they wanted him back.
The teapot whistled insistently, pulling him out of his thoughts. He poured tea and got a bag of snacks. Michiko came in, mewing and twining herself around his legs. He gave her a bit of dried fish as a treat, because the rains were coming and she didn't like the rain. None of the animals did. The horses would be more jumpy now as well. He wondered at Neji's seeming indifference. Maybe they did not have a rainy season in the North Country. Although, from what he had said, it sounded like they trained every day there, no matter what the weather. Shikamaru got a little chuckle out of picturing that – a team of Hyuugas, out doing those spins in the rain, drenched and muddy and miffed.
###
"We should definitely train every day, no matter what the weather's like," Neji said at dinner. Shikamaru threw him a disgruntled look.
"Get a workout in, eh?" Nara Shikaku said approvingly. "You might be a good influence on my lazy son. He usually spends the rain days just playing shogi."
"Training on the days off is troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled. "Anyway, you usually spend them drinking with –"
Shikaku cleared his throat loudly. "You can get to the training areas anytime," he said to Neji. "Just go the back way, through the kitchens and storage areas."
Neji blinked in confusion. "Why can't we just walk across the courtyard?"
The two Naras looked at him as if he had suggested sprouting wings and flying there. "Well, you could," Nara Shikaku said. "But you'd get pretty wet."
"Plus," Shikamaru said with a little smirk, "if you're modest, you might not like it too much."
His father looked like he was stifling a grin. Neji found the whole thing utterly baffling. Were they really afraid of getting wet? These people made Hinata look like Uchiha Itachi!
There was a light rap on the side door, and Kotetsu and Izumo came in, bowing and apologizing. Neji could tell from their expressions that it was something big; probably something to do with the message that had been intercepted. Nara Yoshino shot them a sharp look, but Shikaku and Shikamaru rose immediately and followed them out.
"We'll be right back," Shikamaru said. He might have been speaking to his mother, but his eyes were on Neji. Neji sat still, feeling tense and frustrated. So he was no longer privy to information about the possible Akatsuki attack. He wondered if they thought he had anything to do with it.
"How do you like the pork?" Yoshino asked. Her mouth was still set in a hard line; either she was upset about the Akatsuki threat or she just did not like being disturbed during dinner. "It's not too spicy, I hope."
"Pork?" Neji glanced down at his plate. He would not have recognized the meat there as pork, and it was fairly spicy, though not excessively so. Remembering his manners, he said quickly, "It is delicious, some of the finest I have ever eaten. I am –"
"It's wild boar," Yoshino told him, sounding distracted. "Eating domestic pigs is forbidden in Suna, because of Tonton, the Kazekage's pet pig." Neji recalled the woman with the pig he had seen at the banquet, whom he now knew had been Shizune, the doctor and assistant to the Kazekage. Again the thought came to him that they valued animals more highly than people in the South.
They ate in silence, waiting, until they heard Shikaku and Shikamaru coming back in. Yoshino turned, interrogating them with her eyes.
"Shikamaru's idea about them coming in disguised as monks was right," Shikaku said.
"Neji's idea, really," Shikamaru put in. Despite the concern he felt about the Akatsuki, Neji couldn't help but get a bit of satisfaction from that.
"A couple of them were trying to come in by the monastery road. Our guards ambushed them and there was a battle. Unfortunately, they got away, and two of our guys are injured."
"Sucks that they got away," Shikamaru said, earning a glare from his mother.
"Yeah, I'd have liked to see what Inoichi and Ibiki could get out of them," his father agreed.
"Just be thankful they didn't get into the village!" Yoshino said, her voice rising. "That was a terrible time."
"They'll be back," Shikaku said grimly.
"Well, not for a few months, though," Shikamaru said. "They won't try to come during the rains, or the sandstorm season…the mountain roads are too treacherous and they won't want to risk getting trapped."
Shikaku turned to Neji, regarding him thoughtfully. "Is there any chance they're looking for you?"
Although Neji had considered this idea, he felt unsettled both by its possibility, and the sudden scrutiny of all three Naras. "They could be," he said slowly, "but I have no idea why."
"Maybe they want to recruit you," Shikamaru said. "If they somehow got wind of Orochimaru's story that you left your clan of your own accord."
Neji's heart pounded. How much did Shikamaru know; how much had he guessed? If the Naras knew the truth, would they have any reason not to hand him over to the Akatsuki if Shikamaru's scenario were true? Why would they value his life over the lives of their own Suna shinobi?
"I am not interested in joining the Akatsuki," he said, trying without much success to keep his voice calm and even. "They've attacked our Northern villages many times as well. They are our enemies as much as yours."
"Maybe it's Gaara they're after," Shikamaru said, shooting a quick glance at Neji. "He's an insomniac…he's always sitting up on roofs staring at the moon."
"That would probably make more sense," Shikaku said. "Attacking the next Kazekage…it would demoralize the Sabaku and weaken Suna."
"Well," Yoshino said briskly, "whatever they want, we can't just mope around in fear. As you said, they won't try again until the weather settles, and in the meantime we have lots to do. Shikamaru, go out and check the stables, make sure they're all ready for the rains."
Shikamaru rose, gesturing to Neji to follow him. They checked the stables, which were hung with heavy tarps to keep out the rain as well as the sounds of the storm, because Shikamaru said it made the horses nervous. A stableboy was camped out there, dozing in the corner as Shikamaru petted his horse and talked to it.
"He'll stay here during the rainy days to keep an eye on the horses," Shikamaru said. "That used to be my job when I was younger."
"You'd probably be good at it," Neji said. Shikamaru gave him a curious look, as if he was surprised at the comment. Neji leaned in the doorway, waiting.
"We should check the old stables as well," Shikamaru said as they walked out. "You never know what you might find there."
"Very funny."
"Look," Shikamaru said suddenly. Neji's eyes followed his pointing arm, out to where the land was flat and open. As he watched, the clouds suddenly seemed to glow a dull purple. A moment later a huge sheet of lightning filled the sky. There was no sound at all. It was as if the lightning had simply reached down and touched the ground. Neji found himself holding his breath, waiting for the thunder that did not come.
"How far away is that?" he asked.
Shikamaru shrugged. "It'll probably be here tomorrow morning sometime."
Later that evening they began to hear the thunder, deep, long, low rumbles that built in intensity and frequency as the hours went on, until it sounded like they were standing inside one of the giant o-daiko drums used at festivals. Between and under the thunder, a high-pitched, rushing hum echoed off the stones and canyons.
Neji shivered. "What's that sound?"
"Wind," Shikamaru said, as if pointing out the obvious. It sounded like someone screaming to Neji. He felt jumpy and uneasy, and couldn't help resenting Shikamaru who was calm to the point of sleepiness.
A few minutes later, as the wind picked up, Neji heard an eerie keening noise that rose and fell, seemingly coming from the hall right outside the room.
"What the hell is that?"
"Oh, forgot to tell you…our house is haunted."
"What?"
Shikamaru grinned. "Take it easy, Shiruki…it's just our cat. She doesn't like the storms." Raising his voice, he called, "Michi! Hey, it's alright…c'mere…" After a few minutes of coaxing, the cat crept in, her fur puffed out and her eyes wide. Shikamaru patted the bed next to him and she hopped up and made herself comfy on his lap. "It's okay, girl," Shikamaru crooned, scratching her behind the ears.
Neji turned away. He felt strange, almost jealous of the little cat, which didn't make any sense. He certainly didn't want to be sitting on Shikamaru's lap. It was just this damn storm getting on his nerves. The news of Akatsuki invading, possibly coming to get him, didn't help either.
The next morning when he awoke, the sky was so dark that at first he thought it was still the middle of the night. He tried meditating, but found it difficult to focus his mind, even though the wind had died down somewhat. He went downstairs and brewed some tea and snuck an apricot dumpling. He wished it would just go ahead and rain or whatever it was going to do.
By mid-morning, when Shikamaru awoke, there was still barely enough light to get around by. Neji tried asking why it was so dark, but Shikamaru just grunted and stumbled downstairs to make them some breakfast. He seemed half-asleep as they ate, resting his cheek on one hand. Before too long the wind began to pick up again. Neji could see the outlines of the few scrubby trees outside bowed in the wind, and clouds of sand and dust whipping around.
"Is this the sandstorm you were talking about?"
That woke Shikamaru up. "This? This is just what happens when the rain's about to start."
In the next instant the sky turned almost black, and then the first drops came, hitting the windows and the roof so hard that for a moment Neji thought someone had flung a handful of rocks against it. Within a few seconds it had become a solid, torrential wall of water, impossible to see through. It felt like being at the bottom of the sea. He started to say that to Shikamaru, but Shikamaru had put his head down on the table and gone back to sleep. Neji considered shaking him awake so that Shikamaru could direct him through the back way to the training rooms, but he decided to wait; the complaining that would ensue was not worth it. He sat sipping his tea, watching the rain. He understood now why they wouldn't walk across the courtyard in this, but he still didn't really understand the fuss. It was just rain – a hard rain, to be sure – but not the end of the world.
After a couple of hours, Neji had had enough and prodded Shikamaru into going to the training rooms. They made their way out the back door of the kitchen, down a long hall of storage rooms and through a bigger kitchen and then a large laundry room. There were several people working there, all of whom stared at Neji with the same slightly spooked fascination as the genin teams. Neji kept his head up and moved fast, trying to ignore them.
"This is kind of cool," Shikamaru said, lighting a lamp as they walked through the deserted training areas. "I've never been in here during the rains." Neji did not bother to answer.
They managed to get almost three hours of training in, although Shikamaru spent much of the last hour napping on a mat. When they returned to the house, sweaty and exhausted, Neji decided to have a bath before lunch. He got a towel and a change of clothes and started into the bathroom.
"Oh no, wait, not there," Shikamaru said. Neji looked at him questioningly. He had been using Shikamaru's personal bathroom for the past couple of weeks and Shikamaru had not objected. Shikamaru beckoned him over to the window overlooking the courtyard. Neji peered down. Through the obscuring curtain of rain, he could make out several tannish forms scattered around the edges of the courtyard. They looked to be…people?
"In the desert, we don't waste any water," Shikamaru said. Neji understood now what they had meant about being modest. People were just getting naked and scrubbing up out there, as if the courtyard was some kind of giant bath.
Seeing Neji's expression, Shikamaru said, "No one can really see you, and they won't care if they do. It's only men; the women bathe over there behind that screen. Or if you're shy, you can use the balcony." He showed Neji where the wall rose a little higher on one end of the balcony. Neji had never noticed before, but the floor was dotted with small drainage holes as well.
When Shikamaru had gone downstairs, Neji stood still, hesitating. Logically, he knew no one could see him up on the balcony, but he still felt exposed. But he needed a bath, and he could not justify wasting the Naras' stored water for a ridiculous fear. Finally, he turned the lights off, undressed and cautiously stepped out onto the balcony. The water was not cold, but the sensation was very hard to get used to, and he rushed through it as quickly as he could. He was fully dressed again by the time Shikamaru returned, clad in a cotton yukata robe and toweling off his hair.
He expected that the rain would let up after awhile, but it continued to pour down, hour after hour, day into night. He could hear it falling as he lay down to sleep, and it was still coming down just as hard the next day, sheets of it pouring off the rounded roof and turning the room to a dim fishbowl.
"How long is it going to rain like this?" he asked on the third day, disbelieving.
"Until it stops," Shikamaru said, as if he were speaking to a child. "It's bai-u, the rainy season. Not the rainy hour."
Neji frowned, flushing slightly. "I've never seen rain like this."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What other kind of rain is there? What, does nectar fall from the skies in your North Country villages?"
No, nectar did not fall from the skies. But there were many different kinds of rain. There was the soft, gentle spring rain, and the warm, lazy summer rain that spattered the ground in fat drops. There was the fine, misty rain, and the steady rain that required you to get an umbrella. There was the hard icy rain of winter. And of course there was snow, which surely never fell out here in the desert.
There were even deluges like this, but they never lasted very long. Ten or fifteen minutes of heavy rain would fall, and then the sun was out again, the world scrubbed clean and sparkling. It never went on like this, day after day, the whole village black with it, the water rushing through the streets like a river.
Neji had never thought about it before; the many different kinds of rain there were in Konoha. He had never taken notice of it at all, except as it affected his training schedule.
###
Shikamaru watched the water streaming down past his window. He didn't normally mind the rainy season; in fact, it was usually a welcome break from training. But now he was stuck inside with this pain-in-the-ass Hyuuga, who was no doubt about to start bitching about the weather – as if there were anything Shikamaru could do about it.
But Neji remained silent, gazing out the window at the falling rain. Watching him, Shikamaru felt some of his annoyance abate. It wasn't the Hyuuga's fault he had been brought here and misused so terribly by Orochimaru, that he was missing his green land with the square colorful buildings and the many types of rain.
"It usually lasts about a week to ten days, sometimes more," he said, relenting.
Neji turned to look at him. After a moment, he said, "So if you can't go outside, what do you do?"
Shikamaru grinned. "Do you know how to play shogi?"
"I don't spend my time playing games. I am a shinobi…"
Shikamaru let him rant for a few seconds, before he said, "Actually, games like shogi and go were originally used by generals as a way of planning military strategy. So you could say that since I'm a strategist, I'm actually always training."
Neji gave him a Look, but he came and settled on the window seat with his arms crossed, watching Shikamaru lay out the pieces. They spent the first half hour with Shikamaru just explaining all the pieces, what they were and how they moved.
"Why can this one just jump over the others?"
"That's a knight." While they were playing shogi one day, Asuma-sensei had compared Shikamaru's battle style to the way a knight could move. It wasn't the strongest piece, but it could get around a situation in a different way. "It's very useful, you'll see. Now, let me explain about Drops."
"Drops?" Neji said, glancing at the windowpane.
"When a player captures an opponent's piece, he holds onto it. Then, at a turn when it would be useful, he can drop it in, and now it becomes part of his force."
"So your piece would now be playing for me?"
"Or vice versa," Shikamaru told him. "That comes from military strategy too. When enemy soldiers were captured, very often they would go over to the other side. Rather than being killed, they preferred to switch loyalty."
"They must not have been men of honor, then."
"Maybe they were men of practicality," Shikamaru said. "Or maybe they discovered the other side wasn't as bad as they had thought."
"Maybe," Neji said. He was looking at Shikamaru intently. Up close, Shikamaru was always mesmerized by Neji's amazing eyes. Maybe they really could hypnotize people – but no, that was the other clan, wasn't it?
"Let's play," he said, trying to focus his mind on the orderly patterns of the shogi board.
###
Their days developed a pattern, set to the rhythm of the rain. In the mornings Neji would arise and meditate. Then he would make tea. Sometime later when Shikamaru got up, he would make breakfast for the two of them and then they would go to the training rooms for a few hours. After training Shikamaru would head outside and Neji would go onto the balcony to shower. Then they would heat up whatever they could find for lunch, or, if there were no good leftovers, Shikamaru might give Neji a cooking lesson. In the afternoons they played shogi.
At first Shikamaru would only coach Neji through the moves, explaining strategy as they went along. Neji could not believe how many moves Shikamaru seemed effortlessly able to hold in his head. Once Neji had a grasp of the game, they played, with Shikamaru removing half his pieces as a handicap.
On the seventh day, Neji played Shikamaru to a draw, and Shikamaru added back a piece. It was their third game of the day, and Shikamaru looked as pleased as Neji secretly felt.
"I'll beat you soon," Neji said. He got up and stretched. Shikamaru stretched too, but he did so while lying across his bed.
"Is that a challenge? You know I'm one of the best, right?"
"When this rain stops, I'll challenge you to a real battle, with swords," Neji retorted. "Then we'll see 'one of the best'."
"Training swords, I hope. I don't want to lose any vital body parts."
"So you are anticipating losing already?"
"You wish," Shikamaru said, with a cocky grin. Neji could not suppress a small smile. To cover it up, he went to the window and stared out at the rain.
"Hey," Shikamaru said idly, "the Red-Eyes – are their eyes really red?"
Neji blinked. "The Uchiha clan? Sort of a dark red…"
"Why do people from your country have all these strange eye colors?"
"Why do people from your country have all these strange hair colors?" Neji shot back. "And what's with all the tattoos and the cat ears and the earrings?"
Shikamaru touched the small gold studs he wore. "These were a gift from my sensei, when we became a genin team."
"Men in my country don't wear jewelry," Neji said. "Or get tattooed."
"Only the girls get tattooed?"
"No, no one does."
"I think you should get a tattoo before you leave," Shikamaru said. He rolled over, laughing, and let his head hang over the side of the bed so that he was looking at Neji upside-down. "I think you should get a hot pepper, right on your chest. Have them –" He gestured with one hand and his shirt rode up, revealing his tanned, muscular belly and chest. Neji felt a sudden heat; he wanted to put his hands on Shikamaru, touch him, taste him –
NO!
Feeling panicked and furious, he stumbled backward, almost tripping over the desk chair. He could not allow himself to feel that way, not ever again.
"How long is this goddamn rain going to last?" he burst out. He could feel his heart pounding. The room felt too small, too close, too airless, with just the two of them in it. "And why are we just lolling around playing games? I need to be training! We can't – I'm not – I'm going to –"
Shikamaru was staring at him, looking dumbfounded. Neji turned on his heel and hurried from the room, racing down the stairs and through the labyrinthine route of corridors, kitchens, washing, ignoring the startled looks of shinobi and various staff, finally emerging into the hall of training rooms. He was both relieved and disappointed to find an empty room. Part of him would have relished a spar, a chance to inflict some pain on someone, anyone from this cursed country, a chance to feel as he had once felt – ruthless, invincible…. But partly he was glad of the empty room, the chance to pull himself together and focus.
He realized he was shaking. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, he started his training routine. But he could not lose himself in it as he usually did. All his nerves were on edge, jangling through his veins and making it impossible to concentrate. He knew he was off, his moves jagged and stumbling when they should be swift and sure. He leaned against the wall, breathing hard, hating his treacherous body and heart. And over and over again it played in his mind: Shikamaru looking at him upside-down with those laughing eyes, his shirt riding up…
###
Shikamaru lay on his bed, stunned, for a long while after Neji stormed off. Again and again he played the scene back in his mind, trying to figure out what had happened. They had been getting along well, he thought; he had actually been enjoying the Hyuuga's company. And then Neji had just suddenly gone psycho.
What had set him off? The ungodly suggestion of a tattoo? Hadn't Neji known Shikamaru was joking when he said that? Maybe it was the hot pepper. Neji had a noted aversion to those. Or maybe it was rain-madness; that happened sometimes, the long days inside making people crazy. Especially someone who wasn't used to this kind of rain, as he had repeatedly said.
Well, who knew, really? The Hyuuga was a mysterious creature, for sure. Shikamaru decided his best bet would be to just lay low, play it cool, and try to avoid Neji as much as possible. Of course that was easier said than done when the two of them were closed up in a house together.
###
Neji worked out until he was exhausted and spent, barely able to move off the mat. And still he could not achieve that singleminded clarity with which he usually approached training. Finally he gave it up. He could not stay in the training rooms forever. His best course of action would be to redouble his meditation, focus on training, and try to avoid Shikamaru as much as possible.
He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he forgot about taking the back way, and instead stepped out into the pouring rain. He almost ducked back inside, but then some impulse made him keep going, directly into the deluge. The water was ankle-high on the ground, rushing past his feet. To his left were the giant collection barrels that had been set out; on the left he could make out the blurry outlines of a group of bathers several yards away. His clothes were soaked to the skin within seconds. He kept going, until he reached the very center of the courtyard. Here he was alone; no one walked out this far just to bathe. He tipped his head back and looked up at the heavens, seeing nothing but the unending, inexorable rain. He closed his eyes, feeling it run in rivulets over his face and down his neck. He felt as if his breath was being sucked away, as if he were being swallowed by the rain. Here he could just disappear, his skin, bones, thoughts all replaced by the torrential, uncaring downpour.
But a few moments later he came back to himself. Why was he standing here getting sopping wet? He was a warrior, a prodigy; he had skills, brains, self-control. His clothes were waterlogged, clammy and uncomfortable. He broke into a sprint, racing for the house through the rain. He almost slipped a couple of times, but quickly regained his balance.
He arrived at the house, winded and dripping but otherwise feeling somewhat better. The Nara house was well-prepared for the rains. On one side of the front porch he could see a basket with soap, shampoo, brushes, and other things for bathing, another one of clean towels, and a third holding cloth laundry bags, presumably for the wet clothing of those, like himself, who got caught in the deluge. Several clean yukatas were hanging up on a row of hooks. On the other side there was various rain gear and heavy umbrellas for those unlucky enough to have to venture out for anything but a bath. Praying that none of the Naras would come along, Neji hurriedly stripped down to his underwear and dried off, pulled on a yukata, and stuffed his soaked clothes into a bag.
He wondered what Shikamaru would say at his soaked state. He was both relieved and a little disappointed to find that Shikamaru was not in the room. As he dressed and dried his hair, he could hear voices below, Shikamaru and his parents. Alert and on edge, he moved closer to the door to hear. Were they talking about him, or the Akatsuki attack? But the conversation sounded casual and mundane – how much rainwater had been collected, how the horses were faring, some puddles Yoshino had discovered on the floor. Just a regular family scene, but not something that Neji was accustomed to. He had never had much use for such scenes in his own clan. Sometimes his uncle and Hinata had tried, but Neji had always been keenly aware that he was Branch House, not one of them and without parents of his own. Below, he could hear Shikamaru and his father joking around about something. If his own father were alive, would they talk like that? As much as he scorned the family life, there was a part of him that yearned for it.
He could go downstairs, he knew. But he did not, not until later when Shikamaru came up, saying, "Oh, you're here. Dinner's ready." He was politely formal at dinner, and Shikamaru seemed cautious as well, no doubt afraid Neji would bite his head off again if he said anything more than, "Pass the rice."
On the next day, the ninth day of rain, when Neji woke up, he noticed immediately that something was different. There was light. A pale, watery light, but light nonetheless. Going to the window, he saw that the rain was beginning to let up. It was still falling steadily, but he could now make out the trees and mountains beyond.
###
By the time Shikamaru awoke, it was light enough to see the landscape and the courtyard clearly. He was glad to see the rains were ending, as it meant the end of his confinement with the rain-mad Hyuuga. Neji had seemed on his best behavior since his outburst; maybe now that they could go outside he would calm down again.
They trained all morning, which Shikamaru didn't mind too much. Regular training would be starting up again soon, and he needed to be in shape for that. By mutual consent they didn't talk much or play any games.
Late that afternoon, as they were sitting in their respective corners of the room reading, Shikamaru half-dozing, a spray of pellets hit Shikamaru's window.
Neji looked up, startled. "What was that? Is it raining hard again?"
Shikamaru went to the window. Below stood Ino, waving up at him. The rain was only falling lightly now, and she wore a cape casually over her shoulders and hair. "I'll be right down," he called to her. Ino looked surprised; generally he would stay where he was and let her yell her message. Today, though, he was happy to escape his room. He bounded downstairs, not bothering to put on shoes or a rain cape. "Hey," he greeted her. "What's up?"
"Asuma-sensei said be ready to start training again tomorrow."
"Okay," Shikamaru said without complaint, earning another raised eyebrow from Ino. "Neji's going to train with us." He pushed his wet hair back from his face; he had forgotten to tie it up after washing.
Ino's mouth was open to ask questions, but then she stopped, staring in puzzlement at…
…his left hand, where he had not thought to put a glove on to cover the Pet Mark. Crap.
Ino reached to touch it. "What's that? You got a tattoo? What is it supposed to be?"
"Uhh…"
She took hold of his hand and looked at it, frowning. "Wait…I've seen a tattoo like this before. Kakashi-sensei has one…and Sai has the same thing on his forehead…" For a moment she looked completely baffled, then he watched the slow realization dawn on her face.
"Ino, it's not –"
"Why do you have a copy of…a Pet Mark?" She was still looking confused, waiting for him to say it was some kind of a joke.
There was no point in denying it. "It's not a copy. But -"
"So you're…Neji is your…" She couldn't seem to bring herself to even say the word. She was looking at him like he was a stranger. She took a step backward.
"Ino, wait!" He grabbed her arm. "It's not like that."
Ino looked like she was struggling to understand. Then her eyes lit up as she hit upon an explanation that made sense to her. "Are you…in love with him?"
Shikamaru had to laugh at that. "Oh, hell no. Half the time I can't even stand him."
Her eyes flashed. "Then how could you…keep another person as a…?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Please, just listen…" He told her the whole story, from the beginning. The only parts he left out were what Kidoumaru had done to Neji, and Neji's seppuku attempt, because he didn't think Neji would want anyone to know about those things. He said only that Neji had killed Kidoumaru while trying to escape, and that he had been ill from his injuries and a bad reaction to the Pet Mark.
"So, there it is. He's living in my house until I come of age and set him free."
"But that's not for another year!"
"Yeah." Shikamaru rubbed his head. "Troublesome, but…what can you do?"
"Wow," Ino breathed. "And you gave up all your money and your trip to see the world!" Her excited expression told him exactly what she was thinking: Just wait until everyone hears about THIS!
"Don't tell anyone, okay?"
Ino looked crushed for a moment, but then nodded in understanding. "Not even Chouji?"
"You can tell Chouji. But nobody else, please. Your dads already know, my dad told them."
Ino's eyebrows shot up. "So your parents are okay with this?"
Shikamaru recalled the terrible fights, his father's leaving, his mother's tears. "Aah…I wouldn't exactly say that. They're not too happy about it. But I guess they already thought I was a slacker who wouldn't amount to much, so it's not like –"
"I don't think you're a slacker," Ino said indignantly, although she had called him that on numerous occasions. "I think – what you did– it's so – " For once in her life, Ino seemed at a loss for words. In the next instant, she flung her arms around Shikamaru's neck. "—so – heroic!"
"Nah…I just…"
Ino didn't budge. "And you still like girls, right?"
"Yep."
"Good!" And then, unexpectedly, she was kissing him. And because she smelled like flowers, and he was so relieved that she didn't hate him, and she felt good in his arms, he kissed her back.
For just a second. Then Ino pulled back, blushing madly, and went splashing away hurriedly through the rain. Shikamaru stood still, bemused, running a finger over his lips. Kissing Ino had been…pleasant. But she was his best friend from when they were babies; she was practically a sister to him. He wasn't sure how he felt.
###
From the window, Neji could see Shikamaru standing with the blonde girl below, his annoying teammate. Shikamaru had looked delighted to see her; he had positively sprinted down the stairs. But now she had grabbed his hand and was staring at the Pet Mark, looking horrified and angry. Neji could see that Shikamaru was upset. Now he had taken her arm and was talking to her, probably explaining. Neji wondered uneasily what he was saying.
Whatever he was saying must have worked, because she wasn't pulling away anymore. She was listening, then peppering him with questions, it looked like. Then, suddenly, she grabbed Shikamaru around the neck. And in the next minute, she was kissing him. Shikamaru looked startled for a moment, then he closed his eyes, slid his arms around her, and kissed her back.
Neji turned away from the window. So Shikamaru definitely liked girls. There it was; he had seen the proof with his own eyes. He had nothing to fear from Shikamaru on that front.
He didn't know how he felt. He should have been relieved and satisfied, and he was, of course. But why did he also feel this…letdown, this…loneliness?
Slow footsteps sounded a few minutes later, and Shikamaru came in looking dazed.
"I think I just had my first kiss."
Neji stood very still. "Did you like it?"
Shikamaru shot him an odd look. "Yeah, sure. But it's weird, you know? She's my teammate…and one of my oldest friends." He flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. After a minute he turned his head to look at Neji. "You've probably kissed tons of girls, a cool guy like you. Did you ever have a situation like this?"
Neji had never kissed anyone, male or female. He could not in a million years imagine kissing Tenten – who would probably laugh or punch him if he did. He went to the window and looked out. He knew he should say something like, Of course I haven't kissed my teammates. We are there to train, not fool around. But he couldn't seem to find the words.
Instead he said only, "The rain has stopped."
###
A.N.: Thanks for reading, everybody! Please leave a review!
By the way, if you are a chess player, you may be wondering about the Drop rule – this only happens in shogi, not regular chess.