.21

"Surely there must be limits to which one may sink." ~Fate/Zero

…

It was early, the sun had barely been in the sky ten minutes, that's how early was. Shikamaru rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he walked towards the gate. Asuma and the others we're already there, Ino and Choji seemed to be at the same level as awake as him this was going to be fun. He groaned. "You're late Shikamaru." Ino chastised in her usual tone as he grew closer.

"It's alright Ino, we're actually waiting for one more person." Asuma told her, to his own surprise. Shikamaru raised his brow. Who where they waiting for?

Just before he was going to voice his question the air around them shifted and in a low burst of chakra, that could only come from hairishin use, did she appear. Right behind him, but that wasn't what surprised him, no he was used to that by now. They lived in a village full of ninja that shit happened all the time. The fact that she had three foxes surrounding her also wasn't what surprised him. It was how she looked.

Suddenly what Ino was talking about two weeks ago comes flooding back in. This was not the red headed girl he remembered from the beginning of the year. The girl standing before them reminded him of a ghost.

"Apologies." Asuma nodded his head in acceptance. He knew that she had just gotten back from another mission only hours ago.

"Have you been briefed?" He asks instead, distracting his own team from her appearance. Because he knows that's what there all looking at right now and getting them back on track. Asuma was aware how bad she appeared, but if their Hokage was still allowing her to run missions there really wasn't much he could do.

The look he received was almost funny. "We'll brief on the way then." Shikamaru watched their exchange with interest. Something about the way both of them were acting was odd, as if they were both in on some secret that they weren't privy too.

This was going to be a drag. The Nara heir just knew it.

'mew' Shikamaru looked down then, a medium sized fox sitting patiently at his feet. That's when he finally noticed the size difference between all three of them. The smallest of the three was sitting on her shoulder, almost like a bird, just watching them and then the largest fox was standing alert at her feet.

"Ugh?" He so eloquently questioned looking down at the creature. She actually snickered at him then.

"You're not getting picked up." Shikamaru then realized the snickering wasn't for him. It was meant for the fox, who at the moment its master spoke turned to look back at her with the most betrayed expression. But nevertheless the fox stood and walked slowly back over to her.

"I see you finally got it signed." Asuma spoke, she merely smirked at him in response.

"Something like that. I can unsummon them if you think they'll be an issue." He shook his head.

"Nah, they'll be fine. Anyway it's best we probably head out now." He made a motion for everyone to follow him. Team 10 almost immediately behind him and then she took the rear.

..

The destination is a three day journey so they stopped to make camp in the evening of the first day. I take the first watch, even though I know that I'm more than likely at my limit. But at this point I need some time to myself and I know I won't actually be sleeping. That wasn't something I'd done in months.

'mew' I rub La's head as she nudges my hand like a needy puppy. Trying to put my mind at ease.

I miss the simplicities of my life, the one I lived before this. People did not notice me then, and I did not notice them. But ever since that mission its life the feeling has only gotten worse. I never wanted that, I didn't need there pity.

Asuma settles next to me on the log I had claimed as my watch post. We were still relatively close to the village and still in the Land of Fire borders that I hadn't felt the need to keep watch from a higher spot. Also, the girls would let me know if there was any approaching danger if I somehow did not sense it first. He holds out a cigarette, I take the rolled tobacco between my fingers just staring down into it for a moment watching as he lights it with a snap.

I use to smoke, in my previous life that is, at least I think I had. It's all sort of fuzzy now. But I have for a fact smoked a few times in this life. There was a certain calming effect from the tobacco smell that occasionally would ease some of my anxieties.

"Thanks." I mummer while bringing it to my lips.

"It'll kill you." He warns, and I know he's not talking about the smoking. I watch as he lights a cigarette for himself.

We sit in silence until the other three are asleep, it's only when he's certain that they won't over hear does he begin speaking again. At least that's what I assume is why he waits so long.

"I didn't really see it." I glance over at him, his words startle me a little.

"See what?" I cannot help but to be curious.

"The resemblance to your parents." For a brief moment I'm stumped. It always amazes me, just how many people new whose kids we were and still let us be threated the way we were. I have to remind myself that Asuma literally wasn't in the village during most of that time in order to keep from saying something I will most likely regret.

"You know." I can't keep the slight bitterness from my tone as I speak. Don't know if I really even tried too.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." He sounds sincere, I hate to believe him. But I do. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say to that either.

"Shikamaru has next watch, try to get some sleep when it's time." Asuma stands, he pats my shoulder before walking away.

I'm left on my own then. I use this time to go over my mission parameters. To figure out what exactly was going to be expected of me here. Seal work, possibly, or if it was something else. I needed to figure this out before we got to our destination, because I also had a different mission ongoing as well that I had to see too.

I let the cigarette light flicker out, the hours trickle by slowly. If it had just been me, or even just Asuma we wouldn't be making this stop. But the other three are still only chunin and they're not expected to go nonstop like a jonin would be.

It's because of the same reason that I've been able to run so many mission in the last couple of weeks. I'm not expected to take multiple breaks, and I can cut missions time in half. But doing that, living like that it wasn't advised. It was exhausting, physically and mentally.

I am tired.

..

She's leaning against the log by the time Shikamaru walks over to start his watch. Her head is leaned back and her eyes focused on the stars, she looks more at ease now than before. He shove's his hands into the vest's pockets while walking over. Slowly she looks away from the sky and through him. Shikamaru knows the difference.

Uzumaki Mitomi had never looked at him like that. No in that moment she looked straight through him as if he wasn't even there. She stood carefully the three foxes standing with her. He watched as she walked away without ever saying word.

He shook his head watching as she walked away. No matter how hard he tried he could fathom how in the world she'd been cleared to run missions. If her actions any indicator at least, there was no way she was even stable enough for it. She couldn't be. It just wasn't possible.

It just didn't make sense.

And how Asuma was acting, like they were keeping some secret. It was all just too weird.

He would get to the bottom of this. No matter what.

A curious Nara was a dangerous thing. Shikamaru would get his answers.

He had to.

Because what it seemed like they were doing to her, it just wasn't fair. To any of them.

XOXOX

OH MY! I finally finished this chapter you guys, I've been working on it for so so long. Please let me know what you think and I'm so sorry for how long this wait was!

I hope you all have a great day!

If you were wondering that name of the three foxes are respectively from largest to smallest Kei(key), La, and Raa(rah).

Thank you for reading! :D

Sincerely, La'Rae