Chronicles of the Lazy-ass Ninja!
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Chapter 2: A new friend, part two
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Disclaimer: me… not… Kishimoto. Not yet ¬¬
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- I know you're a genius, Shikamaru.
- Naruto, he said while sighing, everybody could be considered a genius compared to you.
- Hey!! But seriously, you're like the smartest kid in class. I think you're even smarter than Iruka-sensei.
- W-when did you figure that out?
- About a month ago. Remember the girls that gave you that dare?
Shikamaru gasped. He never thought someone would have been spying on him at that time.
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Shikamaru was really wondering why he wasn't running away right now. After all, he didn't have to play by that troublesome girl's rule. He could simply go get an adult or something. He found three reasons:
One: he didn't know what would happen if he did try to run away. Naoko was probably on his side, but she was still obeying her sister's order. She probably wouldn't like being pulled around. And if she really liked her sister, she could pretend she was the victim. Not a very wise tactic, considering the stared he received a short while ago. Then again, Naoko could help him and this would be over in less than half an hour. Shikamaru sighed. He wasn't the kind of guy to bet on anything.
Two: he really was interested by shogi. That game had "strategy" written all over it. Exactly what Shikamaru liked. He didn't get to test those skills often though: most other things involving strategy were war, studies, and other things the genius find amazingly dull. Besides, this was a challenge given by girls. To back down meant losing manly hood… according to him anyway.
Three: he was lazy. End of story.
Only one minute left, and Shikamaru had already memorized all the possible moves of all the pieces. He spent his last minute thinking of means of attack and defense. He closed his eyes and put his hands in a weird fashion.
What's he up to? Probably praying for some miracle... the poor guy she mused.
- Time's up, Shika-kun!" She announced with her, oh so annoying voice.
- Yeah. Let's get this over with Said the boy with his everlasting bored expression on his face.
- W-will you go first or second, Shikamaru-san?
- Ladies first! He let go sarcastically.
Naoko moved one of her pawns first, and so did Shikamaru. Two minutes later, Hanori could only stare in awe at the Shogi board in front of her. Not only the young genius played like he actually knew how, but he had put Naoko on the defensive. She was beginning to wonder if the boy was really a genius or if he cheated somehow. Looking at his face, one would suggest the later, and so she kept an even closer eye on him. As for Naoko, she was enjoying herself. She was a different person when she played: no trace of shyness whatsoever could be found. There aren't many kids in konoha that can play shogi on that level. Well, O.K. the only child she knew could play shogi was her sister. She thought she would have to make some mistakes in order to let him win, but it was useless. Even more surprising was that as game went on, she found herself wanting to beat him. That didn't help though; Shikamaru's play style was new, weird, and very effective.
- I thought you never played shogi before… she said with a smirk.
- I didn't even know that games like that existed, he replied,"but this is my kind of game. You're quite good at it too.
- Thanks, my father taught me… but I didn't learn right… seeing I'm having a hard time against a first time player.
- Normally, I'd agree with you… beginner's luck, probably.
- You and I both know this as nothing to do with luck.
- Che. Whatever suits you. Mate in four moves, he stated, while moving is rook.
- Nani!?
- Impossible! I don't see anything! said her sister in disbelief.
Shikamaru couldn't help but show is grin when he let that bomb. He didn't expect what happened next. The part when they looked at him in surprise, then back at the game trying to figure out if he was lying or not was kind of obvious. They really look like sisters like that he thought. The part where they looked at him again and couldn't stop staring at him was… kind of disturbing though. It was like they were hypnotized by something. Shikamaru stopped smiling.
- …What? Is there something on my face?
Both reacted awkwardly to Shikamaru's question: Naoko turned bright red and started mumbling a bunch of nonsense; Hanori turned her head around and snorted. But the boy could still see her cheeks reddening. Don't… try to understand girls. Girls are weird. Just look at your mother and Ino. He reminded himself. He sighed and waited patiently for the girl in front of him to make her move. He had to be patient indeed, because Naoko first had to stop blushing, blurb out a tons of what he guessed reminded him of excuses, and start to think straight again before she could focus on the game at hand. When she finally did, she took Shikamaru's rook with her silver general. Shikamaru's expression did not change. He placidly made his move.
- Shikamaru-san?
- …
- Huh… Shikamaru-san?
- I heard you the first time, Naoko.
- Oh! she blushed. Sorry about that. She finally made her move. I'm really sorry about… you know… all this.
- It's not your fault, he answered bluntly; It's hers. The said faulty person simply snorted and looked in another direction. Your move.
- Please don't think ill of her. We don't have many friends to play with.
Shikamaru did not answer, but gave her a look slightly different than usual. She thought of it as a "How come?" and continued.
- Well, my father, as you might have guessed, is a professional shogi player. He's very well known countrywide and he thought of making this a family tradition. He hoped for his sons to continue that tradition…
- So you're his "sons" hey? She nodded with a sad smile on her face. Man, how troublesome.
- You don't know the half of it. We spent most of our childhood indoors, trying to mesmerize shogi strategies. So you can clearly see why the few friends. Your move.
- I see… your move.
The girl smiled with a hint of sadness. In two moves, Shikamaru would lose. Whatever happened, she'd lose him. If she lost Shikamaru would be free. He'd leave, and she'd probably never hear from him again. Who would blame him? Being dragged here and playing a game against his will with rather serious consequences isn't what you would call a pleasant experience. If she won… she blushed at the thought, but she knew he would hate her for the rest of her life. That wasn't the result she was looking for either. She sighed. It was all Hanori's fault. But she was still grateful. If it wasn't for her though, she wouldn't even have met him in the first place. She was at loss, unable to decide what move to play. Finally, she decided. I'll win, and after that, I'll just break the contract. It's better that way.
- I'm sorry Shikamaru-san, but I really want to win this, she said as she moved her dragon. I promise I'll make t up to you.
- I don't like losing either, so I think I understand, but… he moved his golden general. Checkmate.
It took Naoko a while to understand the situation. She looked for a way to put her king out of danger, but there was none. Her dragon was the only piece that could've helped her, but she moved it out of the way. Did he… play thinking I'd do that? What if she didn't play like she did earlier, would it have still mattered? She looked closer at the board. There was another move the boy could have done to win.
- You…! You had two ways of winning!
- Actually, when I said "mate in four moves", I had five ways of taking your king, depending on your moves…
- No… way. said Hanori in disbelief. There's no way you could have beaten my sister on your first try.
- Well, I did. Can I have the keys now? enquired the young Nara, not without a deep expression of boredom.
Naoko's feelings changed a bit. She was as happy as she was sad, not to mention furious. She had lost to a first timer; talk about destroying your ego. Then again, he had won, so he was free to go… but then, she'd never see him again. She hoped maybe he'd forget about all that happened today and start over as friends. She was dying for a rematch, but it seemed that would never happen. Still she had an ounce of hope. At least until her sister asked her to move aside.
- W-what? W-why? She immediately reverted to her old shy self once the game was over.
- Because… I'm playing him next.
- WHAT? He couldn't believe his ears.
- Hanori nee-chan, y-you can't!
- I can and I will, I have the key, remember?
- You said you'd release me I won.
- I did… but I didn't say how many of those you had to win.
- Tch! Troublesome wench!
- Don't forget you have to agree to the contract if you lose.
Shikamaru could see that she was blunt. He also noticed that she didn't look at him in the eye and that the tiniest tint of pink could be seen on her cheeks. Did she…? Nah, couldn't be it… could it? And yet, that would explain why she would suddenly want to challenge him herself.
- So, changed your mind about me being smart?
- …Shut up.
They started to play as soon as the pieces were on their original places on the board. Shikamaru clearly saw Hanori was on another level after her first five moves. Shikamaru stopped and closed his eyes, his hands in a weird pose. Both the Izumi sisters watched with interest. One was thinking the boy was meditating; the other one guessed the brat was using some weird magic, or trying to find a way to cheat. When he opened his eyes, his moves became more fluent, and the pace was quicker until…
- You…! Admit it, you played before!
- What now? You're annoying.
- Shut up and answer me! When did you learn to play shogi? Who was your teacher?
- I learned it… about 25 minutes ago, and that, he said, pointing at the rules, was my teacher.
- Like I would believe that! There's no way you could have learned to play this good that fast.
- N-nee-san, w-what are you...?
- Look, you baka! You're telling me some new guy in the world of shogi could figure that out!?
Naoko took a closer look at the board. Hanori's side of the board was offense oriented, as usual; nothing surprising there. As for Shikamaru's board, well, from what she could tell, it was pretty defense oriented. Pretty good defense actually. The way all his pieces were placed reminded her of the shogi lessons she had with father. It vaguely looked like… "No, it couldn't be!?" The pieces weren't exactly in the same places, and some of them were switched but there was no doubt it.
- T-that's the Yagura castle.
- The ya-what castle?
- The Yagura castle, you dolt! That's only the most advanced defensive position in shogi! Nothing special really! She tried to calm herself. Any ideas on why you were able to perform such a feat without knowing of it, huh?
Her face got dangerously close to the boy.
- Great minds think alike, said the boy who was starting to become slightly annoyed?
- Don't give me that "great minds think alike" crap! You lied! You knew of shogi, admit it!
- Whatever. If you think I know the what's-his-name castle defense strategy even though I probably did it all wrong and I didn't even know its name to begin with, it's fine with me."
- H-he's right, Hanori nee-san, If you look at it closely, It's similar to the Yagura castle, but it's not it. Besides, the Yagura is an amateur level defense move.
- He's… doing it on purpose. I'm sure he his.
- Sure, he said sarcastically, I made errors on purpose so I could lose earlier and therefore sing the contract easier. But… wait a sec… I don't want to sing that stupid contract. That must really be a silly move, don't you think?
- Oh, shut it!
- Can we please continue this game? I want to go home before supper.
And so they did. Since the genius's defense wasn't quite like the Yagura castle, it was much easier to break through. Hanori took advantage of that, but it was all part of the boy's plan. He easily captured many of Hanori's pieces, broke the poor excuse for a defense line she had, and quickly ended the match.
- That's it! I officially hate you! Shouted an exasperated preteen
- Charming… Can I go now?
- Grr! Here, I hope you choke with your supper!
Silence were his last word. He took the key and left, hands behind his head. There he goes, thought Naoko. She had the urge to follow him, but she was too shy. Besides, considering what happened the last time she did, she didn't think he'd be happy to see her again. She had lost a very nice, albeit, accidental chance to have a friend. And she had her sister to blame. Sometimes she wondered what went through her head to be so mean to everyone. Were all big sisters like that?
- W-why did you have to do that, Hanori nee-san? Y-you didn't even l-like him in the first p-place.
- So? It's not like I changed my mind or anything. He's still a brat. I… hum… just wanted to beat him, that's all!
- Sure, you did. She mumbled. Why'd you try to make him sing the contract then?
- What did you say?
- M-me!? N-nothing! Said Naoko, blushing.
- Good! That's what I thought.
- He… c-could have been our f-friend…
- Yeah, like this could have ever happened! said Hanori. She turned away, leaving her sister clueless about what she thought of it.
- Anyways, I don't need friends, I need a boyfriend! So go and fetch me another boy! And this time, I want him to be older, got it?
- Yes, nee-san.
Being the obedient sister she was, Naoko left. Her head was hung low, thinking about what could've been the start of a great friendship, not to mention the awesome shogi matches she could have played. In fact, she was so self-absorbed that she didn't see the boy leaning on the wall just out of the back alley, waiting for her. She didn't hear him cough either, which only annoyed the young man. He sighed, and finally he yelled.
- Oi! Don't ignore me, baka!
- Uh!? Shi-Shikamaru-san? he didn't answer. For the answer was quite obvious. Why are you here?
- Well, you forgot to bring back to the market place. I have no idea where we are.
- Oh! S-sorry about that. She took the lead. Shikamaru simply followed.
- So… When and where we should meet next time?
- M-meet? y-you and m-me? said the blushing girl, suddenly stopping. W-why? The boy snorted, like that answer was also easy to figure out. S-shogi? she asked in disbelief.
- Of course, Shogi! What did you expect?
She completely flushed. Shikamaru decided he didn't need an answer to this question.
- B-but the way nee-san acted, I t-thought…
- Forget about it! Shikamaru clearly didn't want to think about it anymore.
- S-so… does that mean we're… she gulped friends?
- Hnm? I guess so. Hurry up! I think I'm going to be late.
- A-Ai!
Naoko couldn't happier. She quickly thought of a place her sister never past by and gave Shikamaru the directions while leading him to the market place.
- I think I'm fine here, thanks.
- O-okay" There was a moment of silence
- … What is it? Shikamaru finally asked.
- Hum… is it okay, if… I call you Shikamaru-kun?
- Uh… yeah, I guess.
- W-well then, goodbye Shikamaru-kun.
- Yeah… I'll see you around.
Shikamaru had only made a couple of steps when he heard Naoko's voice again: "E-excuse me sir… would you mind solving this puzzle for me?" He sincerely pitied the boy, as he had no idea what he was getting himself into, and went on his way. Needless to say, he was late at home that day, and was scolded by his mom.
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So, Naruto was there the whole time eh? … Wait a sec! He understood that only a month ago!? But those things happened nearly a year ago! A confused smile appeared on his lips. Oh well, it is Naruto we're talking about.
- So, you saw?
- Yeah, I was rooftop hopping when I saw you with those girls.
- And you think I'm a genius because of...
- Uh… well I heard when she yelled you made a castle in the game board.
- So…? What does this have to do with me being smart?
- I dunno. I think you have to be pretty smart to beat people at their own game.
- It wasn't their game, it was a game.
- It was a… I heard a strat… strat…
- A strategy game, Naruto.
- Right, it was a strategy game.
- Yes, it was a strategy game.
- It was a… difficult strategy game.
- Yeah, it was a difficult strategy game. Shikamaru started to be annoyed.
- It was a difficult strategy game you never played before. He said with a grin.
- Yeah, it was a… touché. I can't believe the guy got me. Naruto of all the people. So, I'm smarter than most? And…?
- That means you could graduate any time you want to, dattebayo!
- And what if I don't?
- Then I'll annoy you until you pass, dattebayo!
- Right, like you could annoy me… won't you be too busy trying to pass the genin exam yourself?
- Ahh… well…
- See? So just forget about it.
- Naruto? What are you doing here?
- Oh? Choji! There you are!
- What are you doing here?
- Well, I'm just hanging around.
- I see… want some?
Choji did something unexpected, at least to Naruto. He offered him a bag of chips. Shikamaru lazily opened an eye to observe. It probably was Choji's "initiation". It was simple: Choji gave you a bag of chips, and you reacted. Depending on that he could either befriend you or stomp over your dead body. Naruto didn't know what to think of it. He knew for a fact that he must had an eating disorder, because he ate like there was no tomorrow. So eating the entire bag of chips was definitely a bad idea. On the other hand, that was a nice move of him to offer those chips. It would be rude to refuse. And so he decided. He took the bag, ate a couple of chips then gave back the bag to Choji. It must have been the right choice, because the engrossed blond smiled, while the dark haired genius snorted, closing his eye. He didn't understand it just then, but he was acquainted.
Since then, it wasn't surprising to sometimes see three persons lying on the grass, saying nothing. One was enjoying the clouds; the other one the scene; the last one, the company.
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A/N: Comments, stuff, reviews, stuff, flames, ANYTHING!? I need to know, please.
BTW: have you found what the contract was about yet?