Okay I realise that I may have previously spelt Gaara's name wrong, I've corrected it in this chapter, but I'm too lazy to go back and change all the others.
Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Hazuki. She was curled on the floor, in a tight ball, shuddering with grief. He smoothed back her hair, giving her head a comforting kiss. He made hushing sounds as the girls breath rattled from her chest. Hours later, she lay sleeping in his arms as he remembered the previous day.
Pure rage coursed through Hazuki. She let out a terrifying growl, launching at the mist ninja who was her opponent. It was the first fight of the final exam, and the way Hazuki was acting; it was going to be a short one. She wasn't thinking about anything she was doing, just attacking. Shikamaru shook his head. Tsunade should not have let her continue.
The ninja now stood over Hazuki, sword pointing at her heart. "Quick or slow?" he asked her.
"I should be asking you that question," a heinous smile twisting onto her face, her voice held a vile tint.
Her opponent growled, making a move to plunge his sword through the girl. Before he could Hazuki had disappeared, a single leaf lay where she should have been. Confusion lined the mist ninja's face. Shikamaru's eyes scanned few trees that lined the arena. If she was hiding in them, he couldn't see her. This thought unnerved him.
The every onlooker gasped. Hazuki's form plummeted from the sky. She landed in the centre of the arena with a large crash the soil around her breaking and forming a creator.
Shikamaru laughed. She fooled us all, he thought. I should have known she wasn't so foolish.
Hazuki had disappeared again. Shikamaru's eyes scanned everywhere this time. Her opponent was doing the same. Shikamaru spotted her again. The ninja had turned his back on where she had been. She now stood behind him as he gazed up at the clear sky.
"Quick or slow?" her voice was a deadpan monotone.
She didn't wait for an answer; she just thrust her kunai into the man's back, missing any vital organs. He collapsed to the floor howling in pain. She knew she could have won at that stage, but she had been in many fights where the person had taken several kunais to the gut, and still stood up. She took her opponents sword and stabbed it into his hand and into the dirt.
"I give up," he puffed. The invigilator gave a single nod.
Hazuki was movements met Neji's. She had actually landed a few blows, but she looked exhausted. Neji jabbed his palm at her face, making only slight contact when she tipped back. The sparing had been going on for over forty five minutes. Shikamaru knew Neji was waiting to corner Hazuki, but she wasn't giving in.
Hazuki twisted her leg up, aiming a kick at Neji's face. He dropped into a crouch, swinging his leg to knock Hazuki off her feet. She was on step ahead. She jumped into the air. Curling the leg she had tried to kick Neji with up and tucking it against her stomach. She use what moment she had left to swing round and face where she had been standing. Neji was starting to stand up; the girl had moved so fast he though she had fallen to the floor. Before he could see she had not, Hazuki adjusted her weight, throwing it all into her tucked up leg. Her foot landed on the base of Neji's neck.
The boy crumpled to the floor. She had knocked him out. She looked over to the invigilator. He nodded. Hazuki shrugged and walked off, but not before picking the rather heavy Neji up and carrying him to the medical room.
Shikamaru stared down into the arena anxiously. It was the final fight and Hazuki was up against Gaara. This wasn't good. The others he had fought seemed to automatically give up, but Hazuki stood tall, staring with a hardened expression at the boy before her.
"You won't win," he said, sand swirling out of his gourd.
Hazuki's crocked smile unnerved Shikamaru; it reminded him of Gaara the first time they had met. She gave a sharp raise of her eyebrows, daring the boy. "Wonna beat?"
Gaara gave a low grumble then sent his sand forward. Hands grabbed at Hazuki as she dodged, ducking and diving around Gaara.
Hazuki dropped to the floor, spreading her hand flat against the ground in front of her. Her hands gave off a dull brown glow. Her eyes closed. Gaara sent forth a strong stream of sand at the girl. Before it could reach her, Hazuki's eyes snapped open. She stared fearlessly at the sand as it flew towards her. The sand crashed against and invisible shield. As Shikamaru watched, he saw a tree form around Hazuki, glowing brown, like chakra.
"Is that her chakra?" Shikamaru jumped as Temari spoke right into his ear.
Shikamaru shrugged. "Dunno, probably."
He was about to continue speaking but was stunned into silence. The glow around Hazuki formed into a solid tree, with her encased in it.
"Is that even normal?" Temari asked. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. "Point taken"
The tree was a tall was the arena walls, strong branches sprouted from it. Leaves fluttered down from the branches. Gaara continued to probe at the tree trunk, searching for weak spots. The branches cracked and splintered, bending down towards Gaara.
"She's controlling it!" Shikamaru practically shrieked with shock. "Aw man, she's so troublesome."
He heard Temari chuckle. They continued to watch for several minutes as Gaara struggled with Hazuki's tree. "Looks like he's got competition," Temari said, clearly remembering the match the Hazuki won with one move.
Shikamaru sighed. He almost missed Hazuki's figure and she pulled herself out of the back to the tree, out of sight of Gaara. She ran up the trunk, gathering an enormous amount of leaves as she did. Shikamaru frowned. What is she planning, he thought.
Hazuki glanced over at Shikamaru, smiling slightly at his confusion. She reached the top of the tree, and crouched down. Gaara still hadn't noticed her move. She smiled evilly again. She raised her hands; she made several quick hand signs, bit her thumb, and then forced it onto the leaves. There was a small puff of smoke. Several green kunai shoot out from the smoke as Hazuki slipped back down behind the tree, catching Shikamaru's eye and giving him a sneaky wink, she slipped back into the tree. Gaara was now fighting of branches and kunai. Finally the hale of branches and kunai stopped, and the façade of the tree fell, however, Hazuki was nowhere to be seen. Shikamaru sighed, no wonder he had never been able to find her when she hid.
Gaara spun on the spot, confusion filling his eyes. Hazuki burst from the earth beneath his feet. Before he could react, she grabbed his knees, and pulled him down through the earth. Jumping out, she forced Gaara's hands into the ground so only his shoulders appeared about the earth.
She knew it was only going to stall him, but she took the time to literally beat his face in. His sand armour cracked under the pressure. Sand shot through the ground, flying towards Hazuki. It was aimed at the centre of her chest. Shikamaru held his breathe. The sand spear ripped through Hazuki's shoulder, sending her flying backwards and pinning her to the Arena wall. She hung several feet off the floor. Her hand clutched at the spear, trying to pull it free. Her face showed no pain, but her leg flailed frantically as she tried to get free. Gaara sent a second spear flying towards the girls head. It skimmed her temple, leaving a rough pink line where is had grazed. Hazuki raised her clean hand to it. She seemed satisfied that is wasn't bleeding.
For the next three minutes, she endured an onslaught of more sand spears than she could count. One stabbed into her stomach, several ripped open her trousers and sliced open her skin. Finally the spears stopped, the last three stabbing into her free hand, through her arm and chest, and the last just missing her neck.
Gaara stood, arms folded, staring heartlessly at Hazuki. He, like everyone in the crowd, was unnerved by the girl's lack of pain. Gaara released the sand and Hazuki dropped to the floor. She crouched down, resting her head on her knee, still clutching her shoulder. She laughed at Gaara, gazing through her hair. She whispered something incoherent, and then disappeared into a bellow of smoke.
"What the fuck?" Shikamaru exclaimed. He searched the arena dumbstruck.
Temari patted his shoulder. "There," she said, pointing to the wall of the arena under the Hokage's box.
To Shikamaru's disbelief, Hazuki stood with only her shoulder bleeding. "How in the…" he paused, gawping at the girl. "Urg, I'm not even shocked anymore." Shikamaru gave a flap of his arm and dropped to the floor.
As he watched, Hazuki launched from the wall; flying towards Gaara. He sent sand at her, building up a shield, but she was moving too fast. Instead of hitting against the sand, she flew straight through it. Caught unawares, Gaara wasn't ready for Hazuki as a clone crept up behind him and doused his sand and guard in water whilst the really one stared beating him again.
She mashed her fist into his face, and clamped the opposite hand onto his shoulder. She swung over him, both feet of the ground. She tucked on of her knees down Gaara's spine and rammed the other on into his shoulder. She heard it give a satisfying pop. Gaara gasped in pain, crouching on the floor with Hazuki still on his back. He was trying to gather as much dry sand as he could back Hazuki's movement were distracting him.
She spun her knee over Gaara's head, spinning up on the leg that had rested on the boys back. She jumped off lightly, whilst bring up the other leg to her chest. Once again she shifted her weight, forcing it all down through the bent leg. Her foot connected with the base of Gaara's back. This time he howled in pain. Thankfully most of his shield had taken the force. He struggled to his feet, bringing up a load of sand as he did. He sent it at Hazuki's ankle, pulling her to the ground and keeping her there.
"No escaping this time," he murmured.
Hazuki gave and almost pleasant smile. "Don't be so sure."
She raised her right hand, holding her index and middle finger in line with her nose. With a whoosh of wind the trees in the arena were stripped of their leaves. They whipped around Hazuki, the torrent cut through the sand the bound her feet. She flipped back, raising her hands above her head. She jabbed her arms down, pointing at Gaara. The leaves swirled towards him, shooting through his sand and slicing past his armour.
Blood oozed down his face. He dropped to his knees exhausted. He waved a sign of resignation at the invigilator, then, with help from Hazuki, he left the arena.
A tall man stood before Hazuki and Shikamaru as they left the arena. Hazuki's head was held up proudly. She had gotten she had come for, she was now a Chunin, and, from what Shikamaru could make out, would be a jounin soon, with the way she was going. The man had deep green eyes and long flowing brown hair, Shikamaru guessed he was from Hazuki's clan. When Hazuki spotted him she gave a small gasp.
"No," she whispered.
Shikamaru frowned, turning and gazed at Hazuki with confused concern, "what is it?"
"He… he's the, the village," she paused. Her eye glazed over, becoming distance and downcast. After a few heart beats she took in a deep shaking breath, her eyes laden with grief. "How?" she whispered at the man.
Now Shikamaru saw the grief mirror in the man's face. "Mists mercenaries," was all he said. Through Hazuki's grief, Shikamaru saw a flame of anger light in her eyes. "You sister is wait for you," with that the man disappeared, like Hazuki did.
Shikamaru didn't need to be told what had happened, it was obvious. The fact that only her sister waited for her made it all clear. Hazuki ran off before Shikamaru could stop her, but he was able to keep her in sight as she dashed for his home.
"Why?" Hazuki sobbed, her breath shaking out of her.
Shikamaru would have replied, but he didn't know what to say, he didn't know how it felt. He just tightened his grip on the girl, holding her closer to his chest. She rolled over and sobbed into it, soaking his shirt. He made soft, comforting hushing noises, not know what else to do.
"Come back with me," she said to him for the fifth time. "You're all I have left."
"You have Hachi, and she will need you," Shikamaru said, for the fifth time.
It's not that he didn't want to go, it wouldn't be right.
"Bu…" Shikamaru shook his head, giving her forehead a comforting kiss.
"I'll go get you a drink," he said. Hazuki had been crying since they had gotten home eight hours ago, and neither had eaten anything. He came back a few minutes later with a try of food and drink. He coaxed Hazuki into eating, the she curled back up on the floor. He took the tray back to the kitchen, hoping his mother would understand.
When he came back, Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Hazuki. She was curled on the floor, in a tight ball, shuddering with grief. He smoothed back her hair, giving her head a comforting kiss. He made hushing sounds as the girls breath rattled from her chest. She fell asleep in his arms, and slowly he to fell asleep.
He woke the next morning, his arms empty, a not sticking to the floor where Hazuki had been laying. See you again soon, Shik, was all it said. Shikamaru sighed. How troublesome, he thought. Wondering if the girl had meant what she had written.
Most of the fight scene between Gaara and Hazuki was written after I watched FFVII Advent Children Complete, so forgive me if some of it is very much like some of the fight scenes in that.