A smug smile soon crept onto the Uzumaki's face, his sapphire eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I accept!" At those words, his companion's spirits were crushed by the cruel hand called arrogance. "So, what is Shogi?"
A harsh laugh escaped the Nara's chapped lips; the outcome foreseen from the very moment that the challenge had been set. His pale hand extended towards the board lying between the two, in which he snatched up one of the many hexagonal-shaped pieces. He held it with his index and middle fingers, gently brushing its gleaming surface. "It's a game of strategy."
The younger boy's eyebrows furrowed slightly in slight confusion, obviously unaware that such a thing existed at the moment. "Really? So it's not strength? Or j-"
"-No, strategy." Shikamaru repeated once again, words slightly stretched out as an attempt to get the thought past Naruto's thick head.
The boy's cheeks grew flustered; panic etched onto his once triumphant face. "I didn't know that! Maybe Hinata or Kiba sh-"
"-You accepted. Take responsibility."
"But, I've never even played before!"
With a shrug, the Nara showed his obvious lack of pity for his guest. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before." Slowly, the Kitsune nodded. This was their only chance to gain knowledge on the NightCrawler, so there really was no choice of backing out. Besides, Naruto didn't want his rash actions to cause the trio to lose their only reliable source for information.
The next few minutes passed painfully in an attempt to teach the young Uzumaki the rules and game play of this Japanese game. Each piece was the same, ivory colour: the Uzumaki could easily process. Though, it had also added more confusion into the lesson-how could you tell which piece belonged to you if they all appeared to be the same? As well, the thought of placing a captured piece onto the board was another thing that was not easy for the blond to grasp. "If you use an enemy as your own pawn, wouldn't they betray and kill you or something?" That was the question that escaped Naruto's lips at that moment, and Shikamaru tried to reason with the boy on how the game was truly not real life.
At long last, as the Nara's patience had been stretched thin, he had agreed for the entire trio to work together; though Naruto was the one that had to make the final decision. Finally, the game was on.
To any who would have viewed this match, it would have appeared boring, and dull. Pointless even. But, for our dear Naruto, he couldn't help but fill the air with unnecessary tension and unease. One piece moved, and then another. The pattern continued; the pawns dancing across the board seeming to follow no distinct order.
Yawning, Kiba couldn't help but curl up on the floor. The game getting the best of him, sending his thoughts to a dream-like world. Akamaru curled up next to his master, head resting in the crook of the boy's neck. On the other hand, Hinata watched in silent awe as Shikamaru had managed to dodge any attempts the opposing force had to capture a piece; with much ease might I add. Quietly, she muttered a few suggestions to her boyfriend every here and there, all of which he disregarded without a second thought. This process continued even as pieces began to fall and become property of the opposing force. Even as the challengers knew that their chances of winning were close to nothing, their attempts continued-though in slight more desperation.
An inaudible sigh escaped the Uzumaki's lips, a slight hint of annoyance trailing out along with it. Absent-mindedly, the boy ran a hand through his spiked hair; something that may have been a sign hinting towards his loss of concentration. The boy's motivation was slowly dropping to below zero seeing as the game was dragging on much too long for his taste. "Kiba, get your ugly mug over here."
Growl forming in the back of the Inuzuka's throat, he slowly rose glaring daggers at the Uzumaki. Refusing to follow the directions given to him, Kiba simply sat and continued to glower. Out of exhaustion or hate; it was awfully difficult to tell at the moment. "Like you're one to talk, teme..." Stroking the dog's sleek fur, Kiba began to silently converse with Akamaru.
"That good for nothing little-" Without a clue of how to continue, Naruto followed his gut-moving his remaining silver general farther away from the king. Gently shaking his head, Shikamaru revealed that his opponent had in fact made a horrid decision. In turn, the Nara dropped down a captured lance-something that had sent Akamaru into a wild fit of yapping. Naruto spun around to view the scene, both confused and annoyed. "Shut that thing up! It's hard enough to think without it shouting!"
Ignoring the complaint, Kiba raised an eyebrow-not quite understanding his companion's sudden outburst. Some way or another, though, the Inuzuka had managed to calm the pup for long enough to understand the point he was trying to share. "N-ni fu..?" Whereas the word made no sense to him what-so-ever, it seemed to have sparked something within Shikamaru.
Akamaru wasted no time; he rushed to a standing position, leaping up into Naruto's lap as lack for a better view of the board. The blond didn't seem to mind much, though-seeing as he had a dislike to the owner and not overly much for the canine. As difficult as it was for him to, the dog attempted to gesture frantically towards the piece that had just been placed. In his own doggy language, he continued to yap about 'ni fu'. Finally, Hinata clued in, looking at the Nara with her violet eyes wide.
"What does that phrase have to do with this game?" Nodding triumphantly, Akamaru took his leave to curl up in a small corner of the room now that his point was finally shared. All three genin were now watching Shikamaru intently, waiting for an answer that may change their losing streak.
"It's an illegal move that every player tends make." With a sigh, the Nara pretty much admitted defeat as he explained the situation. He stifled a slight yawn, continuing in a few seconds time. "Find what I did, and I'll tell you more. Find it, and I lose." A smile crept onto Naruto's lips, his hopes soaring at the sudden luck they had gained. They just had to find what had happened...
Wasting no time, Hinata gestured towards the same piece that Akamaru had pointed out. "It would have to include something about this piece. Akamaru went crazy over it..." From a distance, you could hear the dog huff in slight annoyance-though not a soul took notice of his action. Analysing the situation, the Hyuuga took the problem into her own hands to solve. No offense to Naruto, but he most definitely wasn't the kind of person to think before acting. And Kiba...-not much was known about him anymore.
Seeing that he had dropped the piece, Hinata tapped into her memory, trying to discover how this time was different from all the others. She let her eyes fall closed; her thoughts over-taking senses at the moment. Where as she continued to ponder; her companions had given up. Naruto fell deeper into his seat, arms crossed in silent determination, where as Kiba had simply fallen to the floor once again. The Inuzuka attempted to receive the answer from his dog; but Akamaru had deemed that said way was 'unjust' and 'cheating'.
Her eyes fluttered open once again, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I...-I think I got it." That sure got everyone's attention. Now, all eyes were locked onto the female; fingers crossed for good luck. Child-ish action, yes, but they still prayed that it took effect none the less. The Hyuuga took a deep breath before being thrown into her own explanation, hoping that now more than ever she was right.
"It's because you dropped the piece into the same file as one of your other ones." To make sure that her point was shared correctly, Hinata kept to the technical terms for each part. Realising that Naruto was left in the dust, confused already, she turned to him. "It's the columns, Naru-chan." As the words clicked, the blond grinned, slowly beginning to process all that was said. The female turned back to Shikamaru, deciding to share her point in as few words as possible. "You avoided this every other time; so I'm pretty sure that this is the illegal move you were talking about."
The room grew silent, not even a trace of breathing was heard throughout. With a shrug, Shikamaru's voice sliced through it. "Job well done, Miss Hyuuga. Looks like I've lost this one." Immediately, Naruto took Hinata into his arms, his face beaming at the team's accomplishment. The blond was making his exit, showering praise upon the female, until her voice peaked up. "Uh, Naruto? I think you're forgetting something..."
It took the Uzumaki a while before he clued in on what he could possibly not remember. "Oh, right! NightCrawler!" Turning back to face Shikamaru, the blond immediately demanded for the information they were promised from the start.
Almost hesitantly, the Nara passed over a small notebook, along with a small scroll containing a map of Konohakagure. "This is all I have for you." Kiba snatched the articles from his hands, eyeing them with greed. "The book contains details on each victim's condition after death. And the map..." A small smile kissed his lips, turning away from the group, retreating farther into his home. "You'll see."
Courtly bowing, Kiba took his exit; no words exchanged. His face remained blank, thoughts seemingly left in the clouds. Silently, Naruto raced out of the room as well, chasing after his companion, wanting to keep hold of the reward himself. Boys will be boys, I guess...
The Hyuuga apologized on behalf of the actions of both males. "I'm sure that we will see you around, Shikamaru-san." Hinata still couldn't rid herself of her feeling of dread as she followed out after her companions, eventually catching up with them as all came to a stop. Hand raised, the Nara gave a silent good-bye; letting his arm fall to his side as no one longer paid much attention.
"To be bested by a canine...-how embarrassing." As the trio finally left earshot, a new voice echoed within the room. The newcomer kept to the shadows, the light only illuminating his fine, sharp eyes. So, the only way to truly reveal this person's identity was through voice recognition; something that the Nara had obviously come by. The shorter male's body tensed, his lips turned down into a scowl of disapproval. Whoever this person was, they must have belonged to the same side; good or bad? That fact could not be decided at the moment.
Without even bothering to make eye-contact with the dark figure, Shikamaru kept his gaze fixated to the open door-way. "I guess I underestimated them, just this once." An eerie silence shortly followed something that was immediately cut off with a low whistle.
"You know..." The discomfort was audible in the figure's voice, and he backed away in uncertainty. "-he'snot going to be very happy with you."
"I do know." It was a statement; one free of fear and tension.
"So you're not afraid to die? To be killed at his hand like everyone else?" Astonishment escaped the male's lips, his eyes wide with surprise. And even if he refused to admit it, the figure wasn't as shocked as he should have been-it was Nara Shikamaru after all.
Finally Shikamaru tore his gaze away from the exit, his eyes now trailing to the ceiling of the homely abode. "No." A hand was pressed to his heart, an unshed tear sparkling in his dark eyes. "At least that way I could be reunited with dear Choji..."
Crazygal: And here is chapter three. Er, four...-whatever you want to call it!
Kiba: Took you long enough... Lazy-ass.
Crazygal: It's not my fault! I had midterms, and a PAT and-
Naruto: It's one hundred percent your fault.
Crazygal: Alright, it is my fault! Happy?
Naruto/Kiba: Yes.
Crazygal: On other notes..-I'm sorry for my sad attempt at the Shogi game; I've never really played it myself... Though, I have to thank '/shoji'. It was awfully helpful on giving me an idea on how to complete this chapter!
Hinata: I-I think that you should close this up now...
Crazygal: You have a point Hinata; I have this horrible tendency to ramble an-
Naruto/Kiba/Hinata: Bye!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned in this fan fiction. I wish I did, but it's never going to happen...-the closest I'm getting is a video game or two...
On other notes; reviews are greatly appreciated! They are the one thing that get me to continue to write chapter after chapter for this story. So if you'd like to see it continue, please take a few minutes of your time to let me know what you think, how I can improve-whatever! Thanks for sticking with me!