Alone
"When….how…..you….," stuttered Shikamaru. He stood up, staring at the familiar and yet unfathomable eyes watching him amusedly.
The black-rimmed eyes brought back a long forgotten echo of fear to the chunin.
Watching him helplessly in Lee's ward beside Naruto as the Shadow Possession Technique failed to take effect.
Watching him as he murdered two men right before his match with Sasuke, like an 'appetizer' before a meal.
Gaara watched the eyes of Shikamaru interestedly. They quivered and darted around like they were looking for a way to escape. How ironic that this expression was once the most familiar to him, the last he would see on a person before he or she died.
"Calm down," he said, a smile quirking up the corners of his mouth. "I'm not going to eat you."
Shikamaru gaped, and sat down again with effort. Keeping his eyes on the Kazekage suspiciously, he asked: "When did you..." He faltered on the word 'you'.
"Become Kazekage?" Gaara smiled. "Just over a year ago. The elders recognized me as the strongest in the village, and as I was then already able to fully keep the Shukaku in check, I was an immediate candidate when the previous Kazekage died."
"But I admit, it is a little boring," he added, looking out the window. "I was used to a life where I was free to do whatever I wished. Although that may be truer now, but being cooped up in here is doing me no favors." He chuckled.
A timid knock at the door made the two shinobi look up.
"Come in," called Gaara.
The door slid open, and a servant carrying a tea tray entered.
"Would you care for some coffee, masters?" she asked politely.
"Yes, please," replied Gaara. The servant placed two mugs of coffee on the table.
"To health," said Gaara, raising the cup. "And to victory."
The faint smell of coffee…and something else wafted over to Shikamaru nose.
As Gaara raised the mug to his lips, Shikamaru grabbed his wrist.
"Don't drink that!" he whispered, glancing at the servant who was arranging the books on a bookshelf a few meters away.
"It's laced with something. I may not have Kiba's nose, but I know that there's something in there," continued Shikamaru in a whisper.
They both looked over to where the servant was standing. Apparently she heard them, for her hands were trembling violently. She reached under her obi and pulled out some weapons.
Shikamaru and Gaara leapt aside to avoid a barrage of kunai. As the servant made her way to the door, Shikamaru formed a seal.
"Kage Mane no Jutsu!"
The servant froze halfway through the door, caught by the Shadow Possession Technique.
"Would you mind?" Shikamaru asked Gaara, who nodded. A wave of sand wrapped around her wrist and ankles. As the shadow user released the jutsu, the servant lost her balance and toppled over.
"Now, who are you?"
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Ino held out the outfit Shikamaru bought for her and scrutinized it. She would care for it with all her heart, it being given to her by Shikamaru.
Shikamaru…
He was barely gone a week and she already missed him terribly.
Sighing, she listened as the first of her guests arrived. Time to be the gleeful hostess and birthday girl.
She put on the outfit and plastered a smile on her face. Striding out, she was greeted by what remained of team seven.
"Happy birthday Ino-chan!" said Naruto, thrusting a brightly wrapped box at her. "From me and Sakura-chan!"
"Thank you," replied Ino a little forcedly.
As Naruto skipped off to chat with some other guests, Sakura put her arm over Ino's shoulder, seeing her friend was uncomfortable.
"They'll be alright Ino. They will."
Ino nodded. She forced another smile as more guests arrived for her birthday party/dinner.
Two hours later
The party was officially over. But a small amount of guests stayed back to chat, and Choji also stayed to scavenge for leftovers.
While no one was looking, she slipped into her room and locked the door. It was so tiring to keep up the cheery facade.
Fingering the hem of her skirt, she decided she would sleep in it tonight. Sweet dreams may come of it.
She lay down on her bed and looked out the window. It was already midnight, and she figured most people were already asleep. A familiar song summed up her feelings.
Late at night when all the world is sleeping,
I stay up and think of you,
And I wish on a star
That somewhere you are thinking
Of me too
I just want to hold you close, but so far
All I have are dreams of you
So I wait for the day
The courage to say how much
I love you
The lyrics in her head faded away as she drifted off to sleep.
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She was standing in a beautiful garden. The wind lifted her hair gently and waved it about as she breathed in deeply the scent of grass and flowers. Looking around, she saw that she was not alone.
A young man with a spiky ponytail stood outside the garden. Recognizing him, she smiled happily and made her way towards him.
He opened his arms wide and she dashed into them, tears flowing out of the corners of her eyes. Joy overwhelmed her, and she hugged him tightly.
He caressed her hair and hooked a stray strand over her ear gently. A warm hand slid behind her back, pulling her closer and telling her how much he loved her and missed her.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, and she responded blissfully. She wanted it to be like this forever.
But it was not to last.
The young man dissipated in a cloud of smoke.
He reappeared a few meters away. He was swinging his arms wildly and blocking attacks like in the middle of a battle, fighting against invisible enemies.
Although she couldn't see his assailants, there was no doubt he was being attacked. An unseen blow knocked him onto his back, and another blow made him howl in pain.
She saw everything, but could hear nothing.
She ran towards him, but had gone no more than two steps when her hand met an invisible wall. She pushed and hammered with all her might on it but it was no use.
She stood there, watching helplessly as her love groaned and howled painfully under the relentless attack.
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Ino sat up abruptly, tears streaming down her face. She cast around wildly, looking for any trace of Shikamaru. Two seconds later, she realized she was still in bed, in her room, and what she saw just moments ago was not real.
It was just a dream.
She sank back into her pillows. A faint glimmer of sunlight announced the arrival of early dawn.
She touched her lips softly, remembering the kiss. It had felt so..right, like they were meant to be together.
Then she remembered the other part of her dream.
Shikamaru in pain, Shikamaru howling….
But she could do nothing.
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Shikamaru also sat up abruptly, having woken up from a bad dream.
He rubbed his head absently. "Why am I always dreaming about Ino?" he asked to no one in particular.
The nightmare was so vivid. Battles, injuries, Ino's fading screams.
He would never forgive himself if he failed to protect Ino.
There you go again, sighed logical Shikamaru. What is with you anyway? You never liked girls, much less loud ones.
She's always been my teammate, of course I care for her, retorted emotional Shikamaru.
I don't think you just 'care' for her. Just ask yourself. It's more than that, berated logical Shikamaru.
Who are you to say things can't change?
I never said that. But you should know girls like her are endlessly troublesome.
"Cut it out," growled Shikamaru under his breath. Then he sighed, the familiar unhappy expression from his genin days appearing.
I'm dreaming of a girl I'd never thought I'd like and arguing with myself over her. Chances are I'm going mad.
But this is not the time to dwell on it.
The 'servant' that he and Gaara caught yesterday was in fact a Lightning agent sent to poison the Kazekage. The substance in the coffee was a lethal, and luckily pungent, type of poison that could kill in minutes.
The interrogation proved to be very fruitful. She spilled the beans in return for her life.
The agent revealed all she knew of Lightning's plans, and Shikamaru was able to formulate an effective plan to overthrow the Raikage's forces. Victory, according to him, was a sure thing.
According to her, the next wave will come soon.
Tomorrow.
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A/N:
The lyrics are from a song by Selena Gomez, but I can't remember the name. The next chapter will be the last, set after the war. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please review!
Naruto does not belong to me.