CHAPTER 17: The Mission
A.N.: Thanks to all my awesome readers and reviewers! I appreciate your feedback, and your patience! To those who pointed out that what happened to Chouji was dealt with too quickly, I think you were absolutely right. I so rarely have a full day to write that I was rushing to get the chapter done, and I think I did rush through the last few scenes. So it has been rewritten and expanded – hope it's better!
I know it's been a long time between posts; I've just been super crazy busy. But I promise I will not abandon the story! I have it all planned out in my head – it's just finding time to write it that's sometimes hard. Well, this is a nice long chapter with plenty of action, so hopefully that makes up for the long wait!
Oh, and guess what – got my first flame. So I guess I have arrived as a yaoi writer! I was shocked at first, but now I'm mostly just…perplexed. What makes a person seek out a story they know will offend them, only to tell the author (anonymously, of course) that she's a terrible person and going to hell? Get a life, is all I can say. By the way, I'm not talking about criticism – I'm always happy to get constructive criticism, and it's very helpful to me as a writer. So please feel free to criticize or question the story all you want. I'm just talking about pointless hate from someone who in all probability hasn't even read it.
Anyway…on with the story!
###
"I should be going with you."
"Believe me, I wish you were."
It was the day after Shikamaru's birthday, and he was getting ready to lead his first mission. Neji was watching, not bothering to conceal his envy and frustration at having to stay behind.
"You know what the Kazekage said," Shikamaru reminded him. "Six weeks before you can leave the compound on your own. Six months before you can leave the village."
"In an emergency like this, surely they can make an exception."
"I asked. They said no."
The briefing had been early that morning, and afterwards, he had taken the opportunity to seek out Lord Jiraiya, thinking he might be more amenable to bending the rules than the Kazekage. Jiraiya's office, smaller than the Kazekage's, was cluttered and filled with strange artifacts from his extensive travels. He pushed a stack of luridly-covered books aside to sit on the edge of his desk, regarding Shikamaru with his arms folded. "Yes?"
"I want to request that Hyuuga Neji be added to my team."
"That's the kid you took as a Pet?"
Shikamaru nodded. "He's a good fighter, and smart and he's…tenacious."
"I'm sure he's an excellent fighter," Jiraiya said, tossing his heavy white tail of hair back over one shoulder. "But you've known him – what, a month or so?"
"Yes, but I trust him."
Jiraiya gave a knowing smirk. "Sure, he's your Pet, why wouldn't you trust him? You wouldn't be the first to think with your –"
"He's my friend," Shikamaru corrected, feeling his cheeks get hot.
"Okay," Jiraiya said, looking at him thoughtfully. "Let me tell you a story, kid. When I was a young man, I wanted to see the world, so I left home and I traveled, all over the place. In the North I met another young guy. He was unhappy with things in his village and had gone out to seek his fortune. We got to be friends, and traveled about together, honing our skills and getting into all kinds of trouble. He liked boys and I liked girls, so we never fought over anyone. We were inseparable. It was a great time…"
"Uh-huh…?" Shikamaru wasn't sure what Jiraiya's nostalgic memories had to do with the mission.
"Or mostly great. He was always kind of disgruntled about the way he was treated in his village, felt unappreciated, even though he was probably the best fighter I've ever seen. Eventually we parted ways. He went back to his village, and I kept wandering for awhile. Then came the war, and we lost touch. I came back to Suna, married Lady Tsunade, and settled down to the fine life of an author. Ah, research…" Jiraiya appeared lost in reverie for a moment.
"What happened to your friend?" Shikamaru prompted impatiently.
Jiraiya snapped back to attention. "After the war, I guess he still didn't get what he wanted. He left his village and joined the Akatsuki for a while. Then he left them, came to the South…and founded Otogakure."
"Orochimaru was your friend?"
"That's right. We were best buds for years and still I couldn't see what was in his heart – those seeds of discontent that made him turn on everyone and become what he is today." Jiraiya looked down. He was silent a moment.
"But Neji's not –" Shikamaru stopped. He was remembering Neji's bitterness when talking about his family; his oblique hints that all was not as he had first said. Those seeds of discontent…
"Maybe he's not. Maybe he is. The point is, you don't know, kid. You can't know, in so short a time. There are reasons we have these rules in place. Too many unknown variables. Maybe he wants revenge on the South, for the kidnapping, or even something that happened back in the war. Maybe he wants to join the Akatsuki. Maybe he'll make a break for it and try to go back to his village, leaving you in the lurch."
"And maybe he'll fight by my side."
"May be. In six months time you can test out that theory."
Shikamaru made one last try. "Lord Jiraiya, are you a shogi player?"
"Not really. I know the game."
"Then you're familiar with the Drop principle – a piece from one side is captured, and switches sides? Often that piece becomes one of your strongest."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Asuma-sensei was right about you, kid. He said you could think on your feet quicker than anyone he'd ever seen. If you were Sabaku you could be Kazekage for sure."
"Too troublesome."
"Still, the answer's no. Wait the six months, and then you can take him wherever you want."
And that had been that. Now he finished packing and lifted his pack onto his back. He had brought an extra weapons pouch, and this he held out to Neji.
"Here, take this. Just in case."
Neji took it, still looking deeply dissatisfied.
"Wish me luck."
After a moment Neji said quietly, "Good luck."
His team was assembled at the West Gate. He inspected everyone's gear, then went over the mission as the Kazekage had presented it to him.
"We're supposed to gather information. Just see where they are, what they're doing, and whatever we can find out. Nobody should try to be a hero; leave that to the more experienced teams."
His team was in high spirits as they started out, full of nervous energy. But as the day wore on they settled down to business. So they went, single-file, Kiba in the front with his dog, because he was the best tracker; Naruto next, because he was a good fighter and could think quickly on his feet in battle; Chouji, the biggest and physically strongest, after them as backup; and bringing up the rear, Shikamaru, so he could keep an eye on everyone and come up with strategies.
He scanned the landscape over and over, taking mental note of any landmarks, anything that could be used in a battle, anything that might seem unusual. He didn't want to leave any loose ends.
###
Neji was at loose ends. He went to the training areas, but the others, and the senseis, were all out on missions. Most of the time he had the space to himself, unless some genin team was using it.
He didn't mind training on his own, of course, but he wanted to be on the mission. No matter how much he worked out, he was still filled with restless resentment. Why was he always shunted to the sidelines – first pushed aside in favor of Hinata, and now forced to wait while Shikamaru carried out the mission. He was a better fighter than either of them!
Calm down, his rational mind told him. Be realistic. You're not necessarily a better fighter than Shikamaru. He beat you when you sparred, after all. And you can't go on the mission because you're an outsider, from a possibly hostile country.
Shikaku and most of the men had gone on the mission. Yoshino was with the Kazekage, working on medicines. She had left a note for him in the kitchen telling him to help himself to whatever he wanted. In the evening when he came in, there was rice in the rice cooker and a covered dish of a rather frightening-looking stew.
He didn't sleep well, although the room was much quieter now with most of the men gone. When the grayish light of dawn filled the room, he decided he might as well get up and meditate. That was what he would do while Shikamaru was on the mission, he resolved, meditate and train. He thought of his teammate Lee, so often passed over in favor of others with flashier skills. It had only made him work all the harder. That was what Neji would do now.
He had been sitting cross-legged on the balcony for about half an hour, trying unsuccessfully to focus and empty his mind, when a figure below caught his eye. The man was wearing plain, drab clothing; he might have been a cleaner or a delivery person or a messenger of some kind. But there was something surreptitious in the way he was moving, and the path he was taking – skulking along the side instead of walking straight across the courtyard like a normal person would – raised Neji's suspicions. He raised his head to get a better look.
Instantly the figure froze, as if he had also spotted Neji. It was all Neji needed. Wasting no time, he leaped to his feet and raced down the stairs. It had looked like the man was headed for the inside training areas. Neji decided that the quickest way would be to go through the back. He dashed through the kitchen and laundry areas, taking a second to scan each one with his sharp eyes. But he saw nothing suspicious, only familiar workers looking disgruntled or startled at his abrupt appearance.
He slowed down when he reached the corridor leading to the training rooms. Slipping silently up to the door, he slid it open. The man was there, at the end of the hallway, peering cautiously into one of the rooms. His head jerked around at the tiny sound of the door sliding open, and he saw Neji. Neji tensed, assuming his battle stance, but the intruder did not try to attack. Instead, he bolted, fleeing out the far door into the courtyard. Neji gave chase, but the stranger was surprisingly fast, and had already almost reached the gate when Neji burst out into the courtyard.
He needed to slow the stranger down. Moving quickly, he pulled a kunai knife from the weapons pouch Shikamaru had given him and flung it at the running man. The intruder jolted to a halt; Neji thought for a second he had scored a hit, but then realized he had only impaled the man's clothing, pinning him to the gate. As Neji dashed toward him, the intruder cast a frantic glance over his shoulder, and lunged through the gate, ripping free. Neji followed in fierce pursuit. The man was fast, but Neji was gaining on him. The intruder ducked around a corner, with Neji on his heels. A rider on horseback was coming down this street at a fast trot. Neji instinctively moved to the side, but the stranger instead ran straight at the horse, vaulting up onto its back in a single motion. The rider wheeled around and took off at a gallop, churning up clouds of dust.
Neji raced after them, but he knew it was futile. He would not be able to catch up to the horse, and he was not familiar enough with the land to know if there was a shortcut he could take to circle around and ambush them. At last, winded and frustrated, he gave up and trudged slowly back, feeling an unaccustomed and unwelcome sense of failure.
His knife was still stuck in the gate, a scrap of fabric impaled on it. If only he had had better aim, he might have hit the intruder in the leg and disabled him. But outside of the sword, he was not that expert at using weapons. He was a hand-to-hand combat specialist. If Tenten were here, he thought, she would not have missed.
He reflected with chagrin that he had always secretly thought he didn't really need his teammates, that he would do just as well on his own. He could not have been more wrong, he now saw. It was when he decided to go off on his own that his troubles had started. If Lee and Tenten had been with him, they would never have allowed him to fall for Orochimaru's lies, and none of this would have happened in the first place.
But then I wouldn't have met Shikamaru.
Feeling unsettled by these thoughts, he shook them off and turned his attention to retrieving the knife and the torn bit of clothing from the intruder. Any piece of evidence, no matter how small, might give important information. As the knife pulled free, he saw that it was better than he had hoped: a small shred of parchment, caught between the layers of fabric, fluttered to the ground. Evidently he had snagged a pocket or pouch.
Picking it up, he saw writing on it, a couple of fragments.
' – ra clan suddenly taken a Pet? Wh –' a rip where the knife had gone in '–are they trying to protec—'
He turned it over in his hand, feeling a chill. This had not been random, and the two men had not been common thieves.
Why has the Nara clan suddenly taken a Pet? What or who are they trying to protect?
It was his presence that had drawn them here. The fact that he was here, and as a Pet, was sufficiently extraordinary to attract the attention of the Akatsuki.
His heart was pounding as he walked back to the house, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. In the kitchen, he put the teapot on, and stood by the window as it brewed. Should he show the Naras the scrap of parchment? To do so might jeopardize his staying here. They might decide it was not worth the risk.
But not to tell them might put them in more danger, and that was the last thing he wanted. The Naras had already given him so much. And in return he had brought dishonor, and now, the Akatsuki down on their house.
Maybe he should leave. But where would he go?
"Up training so early?"
Neji started and turned around. Nara Yoshino came bustling through the door of the kitchen, a basket of eggs in her hand.
"I was awake, Nara-san, and I saw an intruder by the training areas. I went after him, but there was another one waiting with a horse, and he got away."
Yoshino regarded him with a piercing stare. He wondered if she thought he was making it up. Slowly, he extended his hand with the small fragments of cloth and parchment.
"I threw a knife at him. It snagged his pocket. He managed to get away, but I recovered this."
Yoshino took the fragments and examined them closely, turning them over in her hand. "Thank you, Neji." In a distracted voice, she added, "Please, help yourself to breakfast if you are hungry. I need to show this to the Kazekage." Abruptly, she started for the door.
Neji bowed his head. "Nara-san."
Yoshino turned.
"I'm sorry I put you in danger by being here –"
Yoshino's dark eyes flashed. "You didn't put in us in danger. The Akatsuki put us in danger. And if they think this house is weak with Shikaku and most of the men gone, they're in for a big surprise."
"I –"
"If it hadn't been for you, they might have gotten into the house. I'm glad you're here."
Neji bowed deeply. "I am honored to be here."
Yoshino did not say anything more, only gave a quick nod before hurrying out. But that evening when he came in, having spent the day patrolling the grounds in case the intruders came back, he found a bento box waiting with his name on it. He opened it, wondering. Inside he found simply prepared fish, rice and vegetables – no hot peppers or strong curry sauces – and two preserved-apricot dumplings.
His throat constricted tightly, unexpected emotion hitting him. This was what it must be like to have a mother, he imagined. He ate the food slowly, wondering if the Akatsuki would try again and what they had been after. It was disturbing, but at least it wasn't boring anymore.
###
"This is soooo boring."
They had gone for a day and a half through flat, monotonous landscape without seeing any sign of another human. Naruto and Kiba were griping. They wanted to see some action.
"Why'd they stick us here, like a baby genin team?"
Chouji, on the other hand, seemed terrified at the thought that they might actually be facing Akatsuki. He had been stuffing chips into his mouth nonstop until Shikamaru warned him about the rustling and crackling from the chip wrappers. Now he just silently trundled along with a worried frown on his face.
Shikamaru was somewhere in between. On the one hand, he hoped they found something useful. He liked being able to use his mind, and it would be good to contribute to helping the village defeat the Akatsuki threat. This was his first time leading a mission, however, so he would just as soon have it go smoothly, even if that meant less excitement.
Suddenly Akamaru gave a soft growl. He had picked up a scent. Everyone instantly became quite excited. Silently, tensely, they raced along the rocky path, following the trail, until they hit a fork in the road.
Akamaru ran down one way, sniffing the ground, then back the other way. Whining in agitation, he went back and forth between the two paths.
Shikamaru shot Kiba a pointed look, eyebrow raised. Well? Which way do we go?
"He says it's both," Kiba said, as if his dog could talk. "Looks like they split up here." His eyes gleamed. "We should do the same. Two of us take this way, and two go the other way."
Shikamaru hesitated. Chouji moved closer to him. "Okay, Kiba, Chouji…you two go that way. If you encounter the Akatsuki, don't try to battle them. Just keep out of sight and collect as much information as you can – how many, what they look like, what they say. That's our mission. Naruto and I will go this way."
"I'd rather stay with you, Shikamaru," Chouji said in a low voice.
"No problem!" Naruto said, practically bouncing up and down in his eagerness to chase the Akatsuki. "I'll go with Kiba."
Shikamaru didn't think this was the best idea. Naruto and Kiba were both hotheads. Chouji might have balanced one of them out. But he didn't want them mocking Chouji because he was nervous. He nodded at Naruto and Kiba, who took off like shots.
He and Chouji continued along at a more cautious pace. The trails they were on were rough and old, and there was no sign of Akatsuki or anyone else having passed this way. Shikamaru started to doubt himself. Was this a wild goose chase? Should they have all stayed together? He wondered if they should stop, double back, and try to find the others.
He thought of asking Chouji's opinion, but Chouji would have just said, "I trust you Shikamaru, you know best." Once again he wished he could have brought Neji. He would have felt much better if Neji was with the other two, and Neji wouldn't have hesitated to say so if he thought Shikamaru's strategies were wrong. Chouji was a great and loyal friend, but he didn't have Neji's quick mind.
At the foot of a cliff the path leveled out into a broad, rocky plain, bounded by hills sparsely covered in low, scruffy trees. And then, there they were, the distinctive red and black Akatsuki cloaks dark against the ocher hillsides. Two of them, standing there as if they knew they were being followed and were waiting for them.
One was big, bigger than Chouji even. The other was smaller, slender, with longer hair – might even be a girl, though he couldn't tell from where he stood. They looked calm, almost bored, and not at all surprised to see Shikamaru and Chouji.
"Go find the others," the big guy said to the smaller one. "I'll deal with these two." It was clear from his tone he didn't think they would be much trouble at all.
The others – were there more Akatsuki? Or did he mean the other members of Shikamaru's team? Either way, the consequences could be bad.
"Come on," he told Chouji, keeping his voice low and trying to indicate with his eyes that they were going to follow the smaller one. But as soon as they moved, the big one moved, too, stepping to block their path with a small, mean smile, as the other one sped away.
"We'll have to separate," Shikamaru whispered. "Can you take this one?"
Chouji looked uncertain and overwhelmed, but he obediently moved to the left as Shikamaru drove to the right. The big man shifted, looking from one to the other. Shikamaru dropped back a little, trying to look as hapless as possible.
"Don't attack him, Chouji," he called. "Let's see what they want first."
As he had hoped, this drew the big man's attention to Chouji. He could see the path up through the rocks where the other one had gone; he just needed to angle a little closer. But it was clear he would need more of a distraction.
While the big man was looking at Chouji, he caught Chouji's eye and, as unobtrusively as possible, pointed to himself and then up at the path. Chouji looked petrified but thankfully, didn't give anything away.
Shikamaru started to inch toward the path. Chouji looked at him beseechingly, his eyes terrified. Shikamaru could tell he was afraid of fighting the big Akatsuki alone, but what choice did he have? Holding Chouji's gaze, he tapped his weapons pouch. Distract him.
Chouji pulled a kunai from his weapons pouch, as well as another weapon, a large and rugged-looking mace – a heavy stick with a spiked iron ball attached – that had been in the Akimichi family arsenal for generations. Casting another desperate look Shikamaru's way, he flung the kunai determinedly at the big man and assumed the fighting stance.
Shikamaru took off. The look in Chouji's eyes still tore at him, and he pushed it determinedly away and tried to focus. Which way would they have gone? Moving stealthily along, he froze as he heard a voice somewhere below.
Flattening himself to the ground, he peered out, trying to gauge where it had come from. Below and to his right was a broad, rocky shelf. Standing there was the one he had followed, with two – no, three – others. They were talking, making no effort to keep their voices down. None of them seemed alarmed or nervous at the news that he and Chouji were on their trail; on the contrary, it sounded like they were even joking around.
So – either they had been expected, and he was walking into an ambush, or they considered Suna shinobi so little a threat as to be laughable. Either way, they were expecting him. He would not be able to simply lay low and spy on them.
He pressed his fingertips together, thinking what to do. He definitely could not fight four at once. His best bet would be to split them up; ideally, get them to turn on each other. Around him was a grove of scrubby, twisted pines, eking out a living in the hard, rocky soil. He bent a small branch down experimentally and watched it spring back. An idea took form.
Working as quietly as possible, he cut several branches from the tree and bound them together into a large, vaguely man-shaped bundle. The tallest branch arched out away from him. This would be his catapult. He would drive a kunai into the dirt and fasten the tree limb to that.
But when he tried it, he found the ground too full of stones to be able to drive the knife in deeply. He would just have to do it by hand. With difficulty, he wrestled the thick branch down to the ground, where it arched tautly. It took both hands to hold it down with the bundle in place. He counted to himself…one…two…
The bundle started to slip. Instinctively, he reached to grab it, forgetting he needed both hands to hold the tree. With terrific force, the branch tore itself from his hand and flew upward, launching the bundle and sending an explosive jolt of pain through Shikamaru's arm. It landed just behind one of them; he gave a startled shout. Two of the others immediately flung kunais at it and, as he had hoped, one of them sliced the yelling man.
"Hey, what the hell? Watch out!"
The original one he had been chasing, however, turned determinedly in his direction, searching for the source of the bundle-man. Ducking down, Shikamaru seized a throwing star and flung it at that one, then sent another one into the midst of the melee. He heard a yelp of pain and knew that at least one had hit their mark. Then he took off, racing up along the path, trying to keep to the shadows as much as he could.
He could hear them coming after him; disorganized – but they wouldn't be for long. Here the path forked, and he could see another, taller tree about a quarter mile along the narrower path. It gave him an idea. Moving quickly, he constructed a trip wire and buried it under sand. He shimmied up the tree, tied the trip wire in place, and climbed to a high branch. He used his bedroll and vest to construct a shape that might be mistaken for a person at a distance, and placed it in the crook of the branch, so that it looked as if he were crouching there. Then he found a hiding place a little further along.
His hand was throbbing, and he used the time to take a look at it. His right index finger was swollen and looked a little bent; he was pretty sure it was broken. No time to set it. He would just have to work around it as best he could.
It did not take them long to come down the path. Just two; he surmised the other two must have gone the other way. From his hiding place, he heard a sudden yell, followed by cursing.
"You stupid asshole!"
"Just fucking get me down, willya?"
Shikamaru moved out to where he had a clear shot at them, and hurled a couple of kunais in quick succession. But his injured finger was throwing his aim off, and neither one was seriously hit. And now another one was coming up the side of the hill, fast…
Shikamaru took off, running, dodging, hiding, occasionally stopping to fling a throwing star back at his pursuers. The problem was, he thought, that there were four of them. If it had been only one, or even two, his traps might have worked. But as soon as he had caught one, the other had cut him loose. It had bought Shikamaru a bit of time, but that was about it. And he was growing exhausted from the running and climbing; he wouldn't be able to go on much longer. And what was happening to his teammates – were they being overpowered too?
Feeling completely spent, he leaned against a rock. His weapon pouch was empty; he had only his sword, and with a broken finger, he wouldn't be able to wield it with any kind of force. He could see them coming, moving casually, not bothering to conceal themselves. But – he had a faint glimmer of hope – he could see only three. Had he disabled the fourth?
He heard a noise and turned quickly. His heart plummeted at what he saw. The biggest one was coming up on him from behind, a predatory smirk on his face. He was surrounded. It was only a matter of time now.
The big Akatsuki stood over him. Shikamaru tensed, readying himself.
"You're just a little snot-nosed kid," the Akatsuki said, contempt in his voice. "Hardly even worth my time."
Shikamaru could see another figure coming up the hill as well, although the big Akatsuki was blocking most of his view. This was it, he supposed. He had nothing left, no weapons, no plans, no hope.
THWACK!
The big Akatsuki's head jerked sharply to the side, and his face went dead white. Then his knees buckled, and he toppled forward, directly onto Shikamaru. Stunned and dumbfounded, Shikamaru struggled to get free.
What had just happened?
###
Although there were a few shinobi left to patrol the area, Neji took it upon himself to do a thorough patrol each day as well. He was walking back from the stables, when he felt a strange, intense tingling on his forehead, right where he had received the Pet Mark. He lifted the headband and touched tentative fingers to the Mark, tensing all over in apprehension. What was happening?
It had felt that way the day he received the Mark, before it escalated into agonizing pain. But this time the headache did not start. Instead, after a few seconds, the tingling abated, and he was overcome by a feeling of exhaustion, hopelessness and desperation, as well as a sharp, throbbing pain in his right index finger, as if he had broken a bone. He shook his hand and rubbed it. At the touch, instantly it felt normal again. The other sensations were ebbing too, leaving only the impression of someone feeling overwhelmed and overpowered. But he was not –
Shikamaru.
As soon as it came into his mind, he felt a cold certainty that he was right. Shikamaru was in trouble.
He was not supposed to leave the grounds, he knew, much less the village. But Yoshino had not seemed to mind that he had left to chase after the intruder. If it was a case of her son being in danger, he felt sure she would understand.
He knew Shikamaru's team had gone out the West Gate, and he managed to find his way through the streets with only a couple of minor wrong turns. But as he raced toward the gate, the two guards there saw him. Immediately they moved to block his way, spears and shields raised.
"Who are you?" the bigger one demanded.
"And what were you doing in the village?" his partner added.
"I am a guest of the Nara family. Nara Shikamaru is in trouble, and I need to help him."
The two guards exchanged a look. "Shikaku's son," one of them told the other in a low voice.
"Where is he?"
"On a mission, and I –"
"How do you know he's in trouble?"
"And how'd you come to be affiliated with the Naras? You sure don't look like anyone in those clans."
"I told you," Neji said, trying to restrain himself, "I am a guest. We're wasting time. This is urgen –"
"A guest from where?"
"Konoha in the North Country. Please, let me –"
"North Country?" The guards looked even more suspicious.
He was getting nowhere, and Shikamaru could be fighting for his life. Taking a deep breath, Neji reached up and undid his headband, exposing the hated Pet Mark. "I am Nara Shikamaru's Pet, and he needs me."
Wordlessly, they inspected the Mark. "That's the Nara symbol," the smaller one said. They stepped back, looking more at ease. "Why aren't you with him on the mission?"
"I –" He could not tell them he wasn't allowed to leave the village yet. "I – stayed behind to guard the house. I need to go to him, now! He needs help!"
###
"You looked like you needed some help."
Shikamaru stared at the girl standing next to him. She had dark almond eyes and four spiky puffs of blonde hair. At her side she held a massive tessen, a war fan, made to resemble an ordinary fan but equipped with iron spokes and extremely deadly. She had used it to dispatch all four Akatsuki with a force and speed Shikamaru had never seen before.
"Yeah…uh…thanks. How did you…?"
"Most of these were low-level," she said, "just hired thugs. Only one was in Akatsuki."
The one with the cloak; the one he had followed, Shikamaru thought. And the other one; the one he had left Chouji alone to fight.
"This one is dead," she said, gesturing at the large body on the ground. "We can track the rest down." The corners of her mouth curved into a dangerous smile. She was beautiful, and scary as hell.
He knew who she was, of course. Sabaku Temari, older sister of the future Kazekage. She was a couple of years ahead of him, and evidently, miles ahead in battle technique.
"My brothers are here too…they stopped to help out your two friends."
"Two friends – ? I had three others on my team."
"They only saw two. One was seriously injured; the other was fighting and losing, like you." She jerked a thumb at the winding pathways where the Akatsuki had fled. "Let's go, they're getting away."
"I need to find out what happened to my teammate."
She bent over the dead man, swiftly and efficiently going through his pockets and stuffing everything she found into her pack. "I'm sure someone else will –"
"I'm the team leader. I'm responsible for him." He turned to head back.
"Wait," Sabaku Temari said.
"I can't –"
"I'll help you find him. I have a horse."
###
"Okay, I'll help you find him. Do you have a horse?"
The new guard was called Genma, higher-ranking and more laid-back than the gate guards. He wore his headband tied like a bandanna and held a senbon in one corner of his mouth.
Neji had spent the past half hour waiting for him, growing increasingly impatient and furious. But Genma was the one who knew the route Shikamaru's team had taken; he was the liaison to the Kazekage's office.
"I didn't think the Naras kept Pets," Genma said, inspecting the Mark dispassionately.
"We are wasting time," Neji said sharply.
"What makes you so sure that team's in trouble?" one of the gate guards demanded of Neji.
"Pets know these things sometimes," Genma said. He shrugged. "I've seen it before."
Neji gritted his teeth. They were talking about him as if he were an animal, or some kind of freak of nature. But he couldn't let that matter; all that mattered was getting help to Shikamaru.
"But also," Genma said, "we did get a report that a medic was needed in that general area. So I think it's worth checking out. "
They took Genma's horse, as Neji had none. "I know the surveillance teams went on foot, so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves," Genma said, "but this is faster."
Neji hadn't even thought about getting a horse. All Konoha missions were done on foot, unless it was so far they had to take a boat, or a cart. He felt strange to be seated behind Genma like this, but he appreciated the fact that Genma was calm and not very talkative.
They had been traveling for almost an hour when they heard the sound of another rider. Genma wheeled about, then drew to a halt as he apparently recognized the other Sand rider.
"Looking for news of two teams," Genma greeted the new rider, who wore a medic's insignia along with the Suna headband. "Sabaku, and Nara."
"Sabaku are back safely. Nara…it's bad."
###
It was bad.
Shikamaru listened numbly as Shizune gave him the report on his team. Kiba, a deep wound, but expected to live. Naruto, unconscious with multiple injuries, but expected to live.
Chouji, in critical condition, and possibly not expected to live.
Again and again he played that moment in his mind…Chouji's eyes, imploring him to stay and help him out. And he had just left…for what purpose? So the Akatsuki hired guns could play with him until he had to be rescued by a girl.
Not just any girl, of course. Sabaku Temari was incredible. But still…
They were supposed to be a team. You didn't just abandon your teammate like that.
If Chouji died…
He squeezed his eyes shut, and prayed, a thing he did not normally do.
A medic bandaged his broken finger. At first he had told them not to bother; it seemed such a stupid, small injury, when everyone else was in serious or critical condition. Why shouldn't he suffer with the pain? He deserved it for his terrible leadership.
"You have to get it looked at sooner or later, and you're here," the medic said briskly. "This will only take a few minutes, but it will be longer if I have to argue with you."
Chouji was in surgery now; he had some internal injuries…they were trying to stop the bleeding... There was nothing to do but wait. He walked downstairs to see how Naruto and Kiba were doing. They were both sleeping. Kiba's room was full of dogs, and his sister, a veterinarian, was there tending to Akamaru. Kakashi-sensei was with Naruto. He could feel their eyes on him; could guess their thoughts.
How did you let your team get hurt like this, while you got off with just a scratch? What kind of leader are you?
He returned to sit outside the operating room. Temari was waiting there. She had asked for news of her brothers and found out they had returned safely and then she had stayed, which surprised him.
"Any news?"
She shook her head no.
"They're all…they're all badly hurt," he said. His voice cracked on the words, which was a little embarrassing. He didn't like to show emotions like that. He sat down, staring at the floor. His finger throbbed dully and he focused on that, to take his mind off everything else.
"Men are strange," Temari said. "This much sensitivity…"
He didn't know what to say to that.
"Didn't you receive emotion training?" she asked.
"Yeah, but training and actual combat are very different. I shouldn't have been the leader of this team. I made every mistake there is. I should never have let them split up, should never have left Chouji to fight on his own. Everything that went wrong out there was my fault." He cleared his throat. "I'm good at strategy on paper. But in an actual mission, you don't know what to expect. I wasn't strong enough. I can see now…I'm not cut out to be a shinobi."
Temari frowned. "Are you afraid of getting injured yourself?"
"No…it's not…" He might lose his best friend. But, he reflected, she had lost her father in the war. He didn't feel like arguing with her. Wordlessly, he got up and walked to the end of the corridor, where his father stood leaning against the wall.
"You're being talked down to by a girl, and running away?"
Shikamaru shrugged, scowling. "I didn't want to have a troublesome argument, because I'm not a girl."
"You're not a man, either. If you quit, you're simply a coward."
He could feel Temari's eyes on them. He wondered briefly what she was thinking.
"Even if you quit being a shinobi," Shikaku said, "missions will still go on. And your teammates will just go out with someone else."
"Asuma-sensei can take them out."
"Asuma might be on an S-rank, like he is now. Or he might have a new genin team to train. Do you think Naruto, or Kiba, would be a better leader? Do you think people won't still die if you're at home hiding under your bed?"
It was harsh, but no more than he deserved. He stared at the floor in silence.
"But if you're their leader, maybe you can do something to stop it. If you use this experience, and learn from it, maybe next time you won't have the same problems. If you really value your teammates, you'll make yourself a better man for their sake."
Did any of that matter, if Chouji died? How could he think about the future, when his best friend was fighting for his life? Shikamaru turned away and started to walk back to the benches.
"That's what it means to be a companion," his father shouted after him angrily, "you coward!"
Temari was watching him, her eyes troubled. Irrationally, he wished Neji were here.
###
Neji wasted no time getting to the hospital. There, he found Shikamaru sitting on a bench waiting for Chouji to come out of surgery. A strange blonde girl was waiting with him.
At the sight of Neji, the girl jumped to her feet, leveling a wicked-looking fan-shaped weapon at his chest. "Hold it right there, White-Eyes!"
Shikamaru got up too, looking dazed and alarmed. "Neji! What's the matter…is everything all right at home?" To the girl, he said, "It's okay…I know him."
"You know a White-Eyes?" the girl said dubiously, lowering her weapon only a little.
Neji ignored her, concentrating on Shikamaru. "Everything is fine. I came because…I heard…"
Shikamaru stepped closer, lowering his voice. "But you're not supposed to be –"
"I don't care. How are you?"
Shikamaru gave a tiny shrug, then, as the blonde girl continued to regard them with suspicion, motioned with his head toward the door. They walked outside to stand on the balcony.
"Everyone on my team…got badly injured," Shikamaru said hoarsely, "except me. Chouji…Chouji is…" He swallowed hard. "I failed, Neji."
Neji felt at a loss, seeing Shikamaru in so much pain and not knowing what to say. "These things happen," he said quietly. "It's part of being a shinobi."
"I don't know if…if I want to be a shinobi any longer. I wasn't a good leader." He looked down. "My dad says that's taking the coward's way out."
"You can't beat yourself up. Akatsuki's notorious everywhere. They're powerful and ruthless. You did your best."
"No…no, I didn't." Shikamaru's voice cracked. "I just…left him there, Neji."
Neji frowned in confusion. "No, you didn't. He's here at the hos—"
"No, I mean, in the battle…there were two of them. I left him to fight one and went after the other one. He didn't want me to, he –" Shikamaru broke off, looking visibly upset.
"Shikamaru. Nobody wants to be the weakest member of a team. Letting him fight on his own was a sign of respect. You were telling him you believed he could do it."
"I didn't tell him, though. Everything was happening fast and I didn't – I just left him there."
"He knows."
Shikamaru met Neji's eyes for the first time.
"When he thinks of this, he'll remember that you had faith in him, not that you had to let one get away because you didn't."
Shikamaru looked away unhappily, worry tightening his face. Neji could read clearly what he was thinking.
If he lives.
"I'm not made to be a leader, Neji. Someone like you – you're made for that."
"I thought so, once," Neji said. "But I've never led a mission."
Shikamaru looked surprised.
"And I understand some things better now," Neji said. "Combat, leadership…the real thing is different from what you imagine." He thought of his desperate battle against Kidoumaru; his failed attempt to catch the intruder. "It's much more difficult, and terrible. Things happen that you have no control over, that you can't foresee."
Shikamaru nodded heavily. "That's why someone else –"
"Shikamaru." The tone of his voice got Shikamaru's attention. "If we were going out on a mission tomorrow, I would trust you completely as my leader."
Shikamaru stared at him for a long moment, taking that in. Then he said quietly, "Thanks."
They went back into the waiting room. Shikamaru took his seat on the bench across from the girl, and Neji sat down next to him. As the minutes ticked slowly by with no news, Shikamaru stared at the floor, twisting his hands and jiggling his foot nervously.
"There's no use in fidgeting, you know," the girl said.
Shikamaru glanced up at her briefly.
"Sacrifice is part of missions."
Even though Neji had said something very similar, he now had to clench his fist to keep from going over there and Gentle Fisting her in the head.
"Even if you lose someone, you still have to go on," she said, fixing Neji with a hard glare as if he personally had killed her family member. Neji glared back.
Shikamaru gave a heavy sigh. He got up and walked a short distance away, to stand leaning on the wall. Neji watched him, feeling outraged once again at the unfairness that had brought them to this. If he had been on that mission, Shikamaru would not have had to worry about him.
He tried to put himself in Shikamaru's place. But even though he was the strongest on his team, he couldn't imagine his teammates wanting him to stay with them to help them fight. Lee and Tenten would have hated the implication that they could not fight their own battles.
Nobody wants to be the weakest member of a team.
Hinata came into his mind. She was definitely the weakest member of her team. He had a memory of seeing her sitting under a tree with her face in her hands, crying because once again she had failed in some way. For the first time, he thought about how she must have felt, berated by her father, a constant drag on her teammates…
And scorned and almost killed by him.
He could have helped her; he could have been kind to her, as Shikamaru was with Chouji, encouraged her, taught her. He had been so caught up in his own darkness of resentment and ambition that he had never given even a second's thought to how it was for her.
Too late now, he thought.
Nii-san, she had called him. Brother. Their fathers were identical twins, and they had been raised together, like brother and sister. But he had never accepted that; had always thought he was better than she was.
He looked over at Shikamaru, who was staring at the floor, his shoulders slumped. He had been a terrible brother. But he could still try to be a good friend.
###
He had been a terrible friend.
If Chouji died, it would be his fault. He had been so intent on the mission, he had sacrificed his best friend. Not to mention his other two friends and teammates, who were also seriously injured.
And what did he have? A broken finger.
The irony of it was that he had not even succeeded in the mission. They had not gained any information, not taken any prisoners. They had killed a couple of low-level thugs, and managed to wound a couple of Akatsuki, but it would not be enough to stop them, he knew.
He heard voices in the corridor, and then the two people he most dreaded seeing came around the corner: Ino and Chouji's dad.
Ino had tears in her eyes; she threw her arms around his neck as soon as she saw him. He could see Neji and Temari frowning, no doubt disgusted by this un-shinobi-like display of emotion.
"How is he, Shikamaru, what are they saying?"
"Nothing yet," he told her. Chouji's father came over, his face full of worry, and clapped a huge hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, before walking down the hall to stand with Shikaku.
He waited for them to blame him, to ask why he had run off and left Chouji, but they did not. He wanted to prostrate himself, tell them what he had done, that it was his fault Chouji was in there. But that would only add to their pain. He thought about his father's words.
If you really value your teammates, you'll make yourself a better man for their sake.
If Chouji only lived, he vowed silently, that was what he would do.
The door to the operating room opened, and Shizune stepped out. She looked exhausted, her hair damp with sweat. Everything inside Shikamaru turned to ice.
###
"The operation was successful," Shizune said. "Akimichi Chouji is going to make it."
Neji had been watching Shikamaru, and had seen the absolute terror in his eyes when Shizune came out. At the good news, Shikamaru's whole body seemed to sag. He put out a hand and leaned on the wall, then walked slowly outside. He didn't make a sound, but Neji could see his shoulders heaving, and knew he was crying.
He had seen people cry before – Lee and Gai were always breaking into overwrought tears, and Hinata was often sniveling about something. In all those cases he had reacted with distaste and some contempt. But he had never seen someone as stoic and rational as Shikamaru cry. It made something ache inside him; it pulled him toward Shikamaru.
###
"The operation was successful. Akamichi Chouji is going to make it."
Shikamaru heard the words and felt a rush of relief so great he thought he might pass out. Emotion flooded through him, and he walked outside, not wanting to cry in front of everyone. Standing by the wall, he struggled to get himself under control.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and he cringed, then breathed easier as he saw it was Neji. He wondered if Neji would be disgusted, or uncomfortable. But if that was the case he would have left, and he was not doing that.
He remembered Neji's words, Neji's eyes as he said he would trust Shikamaru as his leader. Neji wasn't a liar; he didn't say things just to make people feel good. Then Neji's hand, light as a bird, settled on his shoulder. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around Neji's and held on.
###
A.N. Thanks for reading, everyone! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Thanks!