New character's thoughts (Identity shown in this chapter)
Emotion Expert
"Alright, Guys. What the hell's been going on? I want answers now." Tsunade stressed the last word as Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai stood in front of her desk. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, not understanding what happened to Ino when she was admitted to the hospital earlier today.
"We're not sure, Tsunade." Asuma started, choosing his words carefully.
"What the hell do you mean you're not sure? Ino's your student! You should've been supervising her!" Tsunade shouted as she glared heatedly at Asuma.
"Tsunade, please listen." Kakashi said in a slightly alarmed tone, trying to keep the peace. "What he means is that we know what happened to Ino. We're just not sure why it happened."
"What does that mean?" Her voice was laced with anger and curiosity.
"Shikamaru attacked her." She looked at him, stunned.
"Shikamaru...Nara?" Tsunade asked, not sure if she was thinking of the same person.
"Yes."
"One of the laziest people in existence?"
"That's the one." Tsunade buried her face in her hands, not believing that Shikamaru would attack someone so violently, especially a teammate and friend.
"You said that you guys aren't sure why he did that?"
"Right," Kurenai said, adding to the conversation. "He wasn't putting up a fight against Ino and she got angry and shouted at him. He was lying on the ground and I guess...something clicked in his mind...and he started attacking her." Tsunade processed this, still trying to grasp the fact that the attacker was Shikamaru.
"We need to get him to talk before he does something drastic. This isn't like him."
"He won't tell us anything." Asuma said, remembering trying to talk to his student on the roof a few weeks ago.
"Find someone he'll talk to. We need to figure out what's going on. If he can attack a friend and fellow teammate the way he did, he won't hesitate to do that to someone else. Figure out what caused this change."
"There's another thing." Kakashi said, not sure he if should've brought it up or not.
"What?"
"When Shikamaru started attacking Ino, I tried to pull him off of her as Asuma tried to release his grip on Ino's hair."
"And?"
"He…Shikamaru put up a much bigger fight than what's normal for someone his size." Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Kurenai and I intervened," Gai added. "And Kurenai had to cut off Ino's hair to get Shikamaru off of her." He hesitated. "Then Kakashi and I pulled Shikamaru away and as Kakashi said, he was putting up a much bigger fight than what's normal for someone his size." Tsunade stood and leaned her hands against her desk.
"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi and Gai briefly looked at each other.
"Shikamaru is a little smaller than most 18 year olds, so he doesn't have a lot of muscle mass and—"
"His strategy skills are far more advanced than anyone in this village, so he's never really had to work on gaining physical strength because he knows how to overcome any challenge without relying on pure physical strength." Asuma cut in, remembering when the teams were first formed and how Shikamaru acted in terms of training. "He's always been thin."
"Very true." Tsunade agreed, nodding.
"Anyway," Kakashi continued. "Shikamaru was able to put up such a strong fight that he managed to make Gai and I lose our grip on him." Tsunade's head snapped up at them.
"What?" She asked loudly, disbelief in her voice.
"Then Neji jumped in and managed to get a hold of him." Gai added, continuing where Kakashi left off. "He managed to keep Shikamaru still for a little bit and Shikamaru said something, but we couldn't hear what he said."
"We haven't been able to ask Neji yet." Kurenai added quickly, noticing that Tsunade was about to chew them out.
"And Shikamaru was able to break free from Neji as well." Tsunade stared incredulously at Kakashi. "But Neji was able to get a hold of him again and Shikamaru eventually passed out." Tsunade sunk back down to her seat, holding her head in her hands.
"Where's Shikamaru now?"
"Neji took him back to his apartment."
"And where's Neji?" There was a moment of silence.
"Probably at the Hyuuga Compound." Tsunade looked up at Gai.
"Go find him and ask what Shikamaru said when he was fighting against him. It could be important."
xXxXx
"Neji!" Gai called, admittedly surprised to see his student mindlessly walking through the village. The Hyuuga stopped and turned to look back at him, his face remaining in its usual calm state.
"Yes?" Neji asked, already knowing what this conversation was going to be about. Gai chose his words carefully, knowing how Neji worked in terms of conversation.
"Neji, when you stopped Shikamaru from attacking Ino earlier today," He started. "He said something to you and looked furious. What was it that he said?" Neji hesitated, thinking through his response.
It wasn't what Shikamaru had said that made him concerned and confused, but it was how he said it and the blackness his eyes as he glared through him. It's been causing more emotional turmoil than he would've liked to admit, since he's never been the type of person to think through and analyze his emotions. But over time, he had come to realize that he started to feel a particular mix of emotions whenever Shikamaru was around; and at first he tried to push all of that away, but quickly realized that it doesn't work that way. Eventually, he caved and kicked himself for a while before he settled on the reality of his situation:
He had developed a crush on Shikamaru.
At first, he was surprised at himself whenever he felt his heart briefly stop and worry swell within him when he would see Shikamaru get hurt during training. He realized that he started having a great deal of difficulty of keeping his eyes off of the Nara; his sharp eyes taking in every single detail they could. But it's when he and Shikamaru make eye contact that seems to have its biggest effect on him. It was as though Shikamaru was reading him somehow, and more than that, it was like Shikamaru was hiding deep inside himself.
"Neji?" Gai's voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked.
"Shikamaru said to not touch him." He said evenly.
"There's more to it than that." Gai retorted quickly. Neji paused.
"His voice seemed somewhat deeper, but that was it." Gai quirked an eyebrow.
"Deeper?"
"A person's voice tends to become deeper whenever they're very upset." Neji said evenly. "Shikamaru was obviously very upset, so his voice got deeper." Gai remained quiet for a few moments, knowing that Neji wasn't telling him everything, although he did make a valid point.
"Alright, was he conscience when you got him back to his apartment?" Neji shook his head.
"No, I laid him on his couch and left a note explaining how he got back there." There were a few moments of silence between them, Neji keeping his face passive. Gai inwardly sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to get any more information from his student, although he knew that Neji wasn't telling him everything that happened.
"Is there anything else?" Neji asked, and Gai shook his head.
"No…nothing at all."
xXxXx
He sighed in relief as he felt snow surround his body, making him feel safe. He looked up at the light purple sky that he missed and the pink clouds. He closed his eyes blissfully, willing the stress and anxiety to leave his mind. He slowly stood and walked towards the edge of the black trees to his right. He peered in through the branches, hoping he didn't have to go in there to look for what he wanted. He liked walking through the woods, but wasn't in the mood for games right now.
"Alecto! [1]" He called, his voice echoing through the trees. He heard a rustling above him and looked up, seeing Alecto sitting on a tree branch.
Alecto more or less looked like Shikamaru in a few aspects. His eyes were black, looking at though his pupils were completely dilated over the whites of his eyes. His pale skin didn't have scars over it and his brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, the tip of it resting just above his shoulders; his bangs covered a black cursive 'A' on his forehead as they fell slightly in front of his eyes, making them look darker.
"Yes, Child?" Alecto asked, his voice having a dark, demonic tone. Shikamaru climbed up and sat on the tree branch just above him, sighing lightly.
"What happened today?" Alecto sucked his teeth.
"That blonde girl was very irritating and disrespectful."
"So you beat the shit out of her? I have to face them again, you know." Alecto paused for a few moments.
"You have allies. They won't all reject or criticise you." Shikamaru gave a sarcastic laugh, glancing down at his counterpart.
"You don't know that for sure. A lot of people got pissed off today."
"Child, let us analyze something for a moment." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, leaning his head back against the trunk of the tree.
"Analyze what?"
"That boy." Shikamaru tried to think of who Alecto meant. He felt his cheeks turn pink when he thought of Neji.
"You're going to have to be more specific."
"The one who stopped you from attacking the girl."
"Neji."
"That is the one."
"What about him?" Alecto smirked at him.
"I see the way he looks at you." Shikamaru felt his cheeks grow warmer, refusing to give Alecto the satisfaction of seeing him embarrassed. "I can feel his aura. It is powerful and intimidating. However, when you are near him, it becomes gentle. When he prevented me from attacking the girl and had me pressed against him, don't think I didn't notice your indirect reaction." Alecto winked up at him. "You were kind of jealous that you weren't in my place at that moment."
"I uh…" Shikamaru couldn't find the words he wanted to say.
Fucking hell, the bastard.
"As I have said, I see the way he looks at you. I see the look in his eyes. He seems to let his guard down very slightly whenever you are near. It is slightly, but I believe it is there." Shikamaru looked up at the purple sky, thinking about what Alecto just said. He's never understood relationships and affection, so he didn't understand the feelings he was experiencing because of Neji. He thought back to his previous interactions with Neji, remembering the feeling of his heart fluttering. He bit his lip to stop the smile that wanted to spread across his face as he thought of those pale eyes.
"Alecto?" He asked, looking down at him.
"Yes, Child?"
"When Neji prevented you from attack Ino, why did you stop? You don't exactly do 'calming down.'" Alecto chuckled.
"Oh Child, you are a genius in many things, but emotions are not your forte."
"Emotions?"
"You are not very good at understanding and processing your emotions, so you decide not to. You have been around this boy for a long enough time to 'get a feel' of what he is like, so to speak."
"I don't follow."
"Since you have been around this boy for a while, so have I. I am better at understanding and reading people more than you are, so that is what I have been doing with the boy."
"But-"
"Let me finish, Child. Trust is an important thing. However, this boy has gained my trust faster than yours."
"I trust Neji." Shikamaru said defensively, finally glancing down at Alecto again. Alecto shook his head.
"You trust him enough to watch your back on missions. You don't trust him with your heart and soul." Shikamaru was quiet for a few moments. "He is a lot like you."
"In what way?"
"He has created a barrier in order to protect himself. He is from a noble clan, correct?" Shikamaru nodded. "Members from a noble clan are expected to be like each other, so the boy may feel like he has to be like the other members of his clan: passive. But as I have said, I can feel his emotions and they are powerful, especially when they concern you." Shikamaru's face became very warm.
"I...I don't think..."
"You do not think what, Child?"
"I don't think I can actually understand affection…and stuff." His face became warmer. Alecto moved from his branch and sat in front of Shikamaru, making him look at him.
"Listen, Child. This sort of thing is very new to you, so you are not supposed to understand it at the moment. The boy probably only shows real emotion when you are around and I believe that you are not supposed to understand why at the moment." Shikamaru's blush deepened and he chuckled.
"Since when were you an expert in this sort of thing?" Alecto shrugged, smiling.
"One observes, Child. One observes."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and leapt off the branch and landed on the ground, Alecto landing next to him. Alecto knew where Shikamaru was going and followed him in silence. After a few minutes of silent walking through the woods, they emerged on the other side. Shikamaru closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as a breeze blew his hair into his eyes. He removed his hair tie and allowed it to be taken away by the wind. Him and Alecto looked at the place in front of them.
It was a meadow covered with many different colors of flowers. Shikamaru created the flowers to be made of tissue paper because he's always found the plant to be very delicate. Pink, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, purple flowers spread across the length of the meadow, seeming to go on forever. The sky was still light purple with pink clouds and he turned his gaze to the right and laid his eyes on a medium-sized cliff that had a waterfall falling from it. They walked towards the waterfall, listening to the quiet lullaby it produced, instead of the sound of splashing water. Shikamaru and Alecto sat on a boulder on the bank of the waterfall, enjoying the sound of the lullaby. Shikamaru closed his eyes with a gentle smile on his lips. Alecto looked thoughtfully at him.
Child, our relationship is more complex and difficult than the potential relationship you can have with the boy. Open yourself up to the possibility that you can be truly happy.
xXxXx
Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes, surprised to find himself lying on his couch. He sat up and looked around, making sure that he was actually in his apartment. A piece of white paper caught the corner of his eye and turned to look at it, slowly getting up and walked over to read it.
Shikamaru,
You passed out earlier today and I didn't want to leave you on the training grounds, so I brought you back to your apartment. I hope you don't mind. Feel better.
~Neji
Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat when he read Neji's name, feeling a smile pull at his lips. So Neji brought him back to his apartment. That was very nice of him. He wondered if anyone had volunteered to take him back to his apartment, or if Neji just jumped in and volunteered.
He felt a slight sting of pain and remembered that some of the stitches on his wrist had popped under Neji's grip.
Shit. If Neji got blood on his hand, I'm going to be pissed.
xXxXx
Alright Gang,
[1: "Alecto" is part of a trio of Greek Gods. It means "the anger".
As always, reviews would be greatly appreciated!
When-Rabbit-Howls