Chapter 3

Last Visits

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Ino rubbed her arms, shivering slightly as she did so.

"Man, it's cold." She shifted her weight on the branch she was currently sitting on. The cold wind blew through her hair, making her bang cover her eyes. She carefully straightened it out and put it behind her ear as she continued to watch below her. It was nearly two in the afternoon and they had reached the outskirts of Konoha. Due to their slow progress, they both decided it would be best to only go halfway towards Suna, since it would be better to enter the village during the day. They would set up some sort of camp in the area between the two villages where they would surely be hidden amongst all of the leaves. However, before that, Shikamaru said he needed to stop somewhere.

Dropping her gaze to the ground, she spotted said ninja. He had just exited an apartment complex, a sleeping and pillow in one hand and a pack in the other. As they were coming here, she asked if it was his apartment, but he never answered her question.

His back against the wall, the black-haired shinobi looked around him. Seeing no one, he quickly jumped towards the trees where his companion was and handed her the pillow to hold.

"Here, we have that for tonight." As he spoke, he also pulled out a folded up tent to show her from the small bag. "We've also got this, some water and a bit of food." Once he was done, he replaced the tent back into the bag.

While he talked, the kunoichi stared at the lone sleeping bag in his arm. "You only brought one?!" She had learned from the last time to keep her voice down, but the volume still made him wince a bit.

"It was the only one." He stated.

"It's obviously too small for the both of us, so one of us will just have to sleep outside the sleeping bag, and it won't be me."

Shikamaru frowned. She did have a point; it was small. But that didn't mean that he had to freeze his ass off in the middle of the night while she got the cozy sleeping bag. He leaned against the trunk of the tree and put his hands together so only the fingers were touching. Closing his eyes, he began to think, remaining in his ever so famous thinking pose. After a moment or two, he came up with two ideas, both of which he didn't look forward to. Putting down his hands, he looked at her, hoping she would treat this matter as an adult. "Well, there's the option of us two sleeping together if-"

"What?"

Ino could feel her face becoming red, which she tried to hide by turning around from him, even though he saw it anyway. "What kind of an idea is that? I thought you were supposed to be a genius!" Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down. She didn't want any jounin to know where they were.

Shikamaru grumbled the word troublesome before letting out an annoyed sigh. It seemed like every little thing peeved her. Rubbing off the genius comment, he continued on with the other option. "Like I was saying before you interrupted me… we could do that, or unzip the side of the sleeping bag and use it as a blanket. It won't be as warm but at least we'll be able to sleep more comfortably."

She turned around to look at him, as if he had done something horribly wrong. "Those are your two brilliant plans?"

"It's not easy…" he grumbled, looking annoyed.

Giving a sigh she crossed her arms. "Well, if that's the only thing that the genius Nara can do-"

"You didn't even come up with anything!"

"That's because I'm not that genius."

"It doesn't take a genius to think up an idea."

"Well, my ideas would obviously not compare to your brilliant ones, so why should I even bother?"

"Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru let out a small sigh, deciding it would be best to change the subject. Glancing at the sky, he noticed that they should get moving. He looked back towards her; a serious expression again settled on is face.

"Let's go. There's one more place we need to go to before we set up camp." A deep frown formed on his face as he spoke. It looked so unnatural on him. Even though she had yet to see him smile, he never really frowned. He just had a kind of dulled or bored expression all the same. Neither happy nor sad.

As she looked at him, she felt her throat become dry. Even though he provided no detail for her, she suddenly felt nervous and had a bad feeling of where they were heading. If the thought of it could make a wanted criminal frown, she really didn't want to go there. But she was in no position to complain. Tentatively, she asked, "Where are we going?"

Almost as if he didn't hear her, he jumped down from the tree and landed with a thud. He waited until he heard her land behind her that he began walking through the think cluster of trees, remaining quiet. Silence flowed between them and she didn't think asking again would be such a good idea. After a good few minutes of walking, he finally answered.

"The graveyard."

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By the time they had reached the graveyard, it had begun to rain. It wasn't as hard as last night, more like a drizzle. The small rain drops were cascading down the many gray rocks, all different shades, which were aligned along the long field. Many were lined up in a neat order, like all graveyards should, but around those were many other rocks, uneven and scattered around. Ever since war broke out, it became impossibly to bury every single ninja. Instead, people just came to pay their own respects by putting in lone rocks in their name.

Ino brought her thin jacket tighter around her body. She silently cursed at herself for not bringing anything warmer when she left. Drops of rain landed on her hair, which was matted down from the down pour. Quickly, she flicked her hood on and began walking faster, only a few steps behind Shikamaru. Why did they have to go to the graveyard? She had only gone twice in her life; once when he grandmother died and a second time when the Sandaime died in battle. Those were the only two times she went, and she wasn't planning to go again any time soon. The two began walking on a small dirt path, now muddy from the rain, between the stones. As she walked, the kunoichi looked to her side, silently reading the names written on the gravestones.

Inuzuka Tsume

Mokushi Sendo

Umino Iruka

Shivering, she turned away, her mind concentrating on the last name. Tears threatened to drop from her beautiful sky blue eyes. Iruka-sensei… The name was embedded into her mind, her academy teacher. Unlike the older ninja, her academy teacher was the only teacher she ever learned under. Classes at the academy were officially canceled only a mere few days after their graduation. Swallowing, she fought back the tears and continued on.

Shikamaru took an abrupt turn to a row of uneven stones. Turning his beady eyes towards the stones, he began to skim the names; looking for the one he was here to pay respects to. Once his eyes landed upon the name, he stopped. He felt Ino walk into him, probably not noticing that he stopped. "Why did we…?" Her voice stopped abruptly when she turned towards the gravestone, slowly reading the text carved into it.

R.I.P

Akimichi Chouji

May 1 September 22

Great ninja, Loyal friend

The words were messy and off center. She guessed that someone must've carved the words into a stone with a kunai or shuriken. Tears began to burn her eyes once again. She tried to look away, but her gaze was fixed on the stone. She read it again, as if to see if it was real or not. Maybe it was just a dream, a horrible nightmare. Someone would just come and pinch her and she'd wake up. But no one ever did.

"When did…" She stopped half way through her question. Tears were beginning to drop now, slowly blending in with the falling rain.

"About two years ago," His voice was firm, not showing any signs of sadness, or any other emotions for that matter.

At first, she didn't respond. She reread the stone again, her eyes skimming the messily written words. It took a moment for her to remember her former class mate, but it soon all came back. Slowly, she ripped her gaze from the stone and turned towards the grass right by it. Her legs gave out and she collapsed in front of the stone, kneeling on her knees. The tears fell freely now, hitting the ground just as hard as the rain. She was shaking now, and not just because of the cold. Wrapping her arms around herself, she continued to cry, not really caring that her jacket was soaking and she was getting even wetter.

Shikamaru shifted his beady gaze towards her crying form, then back up at the stone. He didn't feel the urge to cry; all his tears left him when it first happened. Taking in a breath, he watched as the rain rolled down her now pale skin, falling on the grass next to her. If they stayed out in the rain any longer, than one of them would certainly catch a cold. He sighed, not knowing what to do. Silently, he closed his eyes and began to mutter a few words. He bowed his head slightly, opening his eyes to look at the stone once more. It's been nearly a year and a half… He narrowed his eyes. Muttering a few last prayers for his deceased friend, he looked towards the blonde kunoichi, wondering if she'd be done soon.

"Ino." She looked up at the sound of her name, her eyes red and puffy. Getting up slowly, she looked over at him, slightly embarrassed at how she must've looked. A small frown formed on his lips. He wasn't surprised that she didn't know about this before. Most of the genin lost touch after the academy ended, and deaths weren't always spread around quickly. Sighing, he turned back towards the gravestone to pay his last respects to his dear friend. Skimming over the messily written words, he could remember the day he made the gravestone like it was yesterday.

Flashback

The young Shikamaru ran as fast as he could through the trees. His body was covered in a mix of blood and rain, and he was shaking terribly. His eyes were tightly shut, which caused him to crash headfirst into a large tree trunk. Falling backwards on the mud, he didn't move for a moment. His back was resting on the ground, eyes still closed. He let the rain slowly caress his face, the thunder echoing in his ears.

This wasn't happening. No, not to him. There was no way it could've happened. The scene was still replaying in his head, as if he was trying to believe it was just a dream. Maybe it was just a horrible nightmare and he would wake up soon. But no, as much as he tried to deny it, he knew it really happen. Bring his injured hands to his face; the young boy quickly rubbed the tears that were forming in his eyes away. Crying wouldn't help; it would only make it worse. He had to be strong like a true ninja would be.

Slowly, the boy rose to his feet; eyes now open. He could feel the adrenalin still pumping in his body. As he regained his balance, he could feel warm liquid slowly dripping down his arm. Bringing up his left arm, he saw a long line of blood making a growing puddle below him. On his shoulder was a large gash, reopened from the fall. He placed his right hand over it in hopes to subdue the pain and stop the bleeding. Ignoring the constant pain shooting through his body, he continued on.

Soon, his destination came into view. The gates, as usual, were closed. The only time they opened where during ceremonies or if someone paid the grave keeper. However, he, being a kid, knew a different way to get in. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the young shinobi grabbed onto the rock walls keeping him from the graveyard. Using all the force he had left, he pulled himself up along the rough wall. The rain dripping down made everything more slippery, but he didn't care. Hands gripping the top of the wall tightly, he pulled himself over with the little strength he had left. Luckily, the wall wasn't too tall, so it didn't take long for him to climb all the way up. Once he was on top of the wall, he carefully yet quickly jumped down into the graveyard.

Area was bleak and quiet; there wasn't anybody in sight. Gulping, he continued anyway. He always hated graveyards. They always gave off a haunting feeling and they always looked so depressing. And the harsh rain falling form the sky certainly didn't help. Ever since the war started, bodies have been coming into the graveyard like crazy. So many that the grave keeper couldn't keep track of them. He just allowed people to come in for a fee.

It didn't take long for him to find a suitable rock for a gravestone. Maybe it would've been smarter to come back later and wait until his wounds heal. Or at least until they stopped bleeding. But he didn't care. No, he needed to do it that day. The day it happened. Putting his bloody hands on the moist rock, he pulled on it until it was near the other already marked stones. It didn't take long for him to stick the large rock into the ground.

His shaking hands dug into his kunai pocket, quickly pulling out on of the small blades. He rested the point of it on the rock and pushed down hard, beginning to carve the name in a messy handwriting. After he finished writing up the name and date, he stared at the rock for a moment. A mix of tears, blood and rain were causing the dirt below him to be muddy, but he didn't care. Finally, he wrote the last four words on the gravestone, the only ones he could think at the time. Because it was true.

Chouji was a great ninja and probably Shikamaru's most loyal friend he would ever have.

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The two hadn't said anything to each other since they left the graveyard. They had managed to go more than halfway towards Suna before that decided to call it a night. Traveling when it was light out seemed like a smarter plan than during the dark. They set up their tent and sleeping bag under a few trees that were scarcely scattered around the area.

"Don't go to sleep yet."

Shikamaru was slightly startled by her words. Turning his head, he noticed she hadn't entered the sleeping bag yet. By the look on her face, she wouldn't let him go to sleep until she said what she had to say. Pulling himself out of the sleeping bag, he sat across form her, hoping he would be able to get some sleep soon. A moment of silence passed between the two before she spoke again.

"What's your favorite color?"

He was caught off guard by that question, and rather annoyed that she kept him awake for something like that. "What?"

"Your favorite color." Ino stated again, as if it was a completely normal question to ask.

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Well, if we're going to travel with each other, we should get to know each other a bit."

Grumbling, he considered just going to sleep, but she would one way or the other keep him up. So, he figured, the sooner he answered her questions the better. "Light blue."

"Mine's purple," she replied, glad that she got an answer out of him. There was another uncomfortable silence before she asked another question.

"What do you like to do during your free time?"

"Watch clouds," he answered almost without thinking. "What about you?"

This time she smiled since he seemed rather interested now. "Lots of things. Picking flowers, going shopping, hanging out with friends…" she trailed off, trying to think of her other hobbies. "Oh! And I can't forget hanging out with Sasuke-kun!" At the sound of his name, he couldn't help but twitch with annoyance.

"How could I forget." He muttered under his breath, but she seemed to hear him anyway.

"What do you mean?" Now that she was thinking about her academy days, she couldn't help but feel she knew him from somewhere. He seemed very familiar.

"You never stopped obsessing about him in class."

"You mean you were in my class?" She sounded rather surprised, and she was. Ino wasn't the type of girl who remembered everyone in her class for three years. Only the important people like Sasuke. And she couldn't forget Naruto, the loudest loudmouth in her class.

He looked rather surprised at she didn't recognize him, and maybe the slightest bit offended too. But it didn't bother him much. He nodded at her question and watched her try to remember him, which apparently didn't take long.

"Yeah, now I remember you!" She couldn't help but give a nervous chuckle. How could she forget one of her classmates? Then again, he barely said anything during class and she was never good with memorizing things. "Nara… yeah, you were the really smart kid."

Sighing a bit, he gave a small nod. "I guess you could say that."

"Why didn't you bring it up before? I mean, you knew me, right?"

"I dunno…" he gave it a moments thought before answering. "I guess remembering me would lead to remember other people…"

"The only other person worth remembering is Sasuke-kun." He couldn't help but sigh at the sound of his name. After all these years and she was still after him?

"Yes, him."

A long, awkward silence ensued as the two continued to sit in the tent. Shikamaru, starting to get tired, begin to crawl in the sleeping bag once again. Just when she was getting uncomfortable with the silence, Ino was reminded of their uncomfortable sleeping situation, which only made her more uncomfortable. Once he was ready to fall asleep, he turned towards her, wondering if she was getting in.

"You going to bed?"

It took her a moment to get out of her thought and back to the real world, where she nodded and began to get into the sleeping bag as well. With both of them in there, it was pretty cramp, but that was to be expected. With her back towards his back, she laid her head the pillow and stared at the tent wall.

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Where do you think Sasuke-kun is?"

He was silent at first, trying to think of an answer. What would he know about the Uchiha? "I don't think we have to worry about that now, Ino."

She gave a silent nod before closing her eyes. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach, like it was trying to warn her about something. But maybe he was right and they didn't have to worry about Sasuke. Maybe they didn't have to worry about anything right now.

Or at least, she hoped.