Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell
Chapter 13: Order and Chaos
"One cannot be without one another; life and death, light and dark, black and white, order and chaos. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner we'll find out just how self-destructive this world really is." – Unknown
Chapter Start
"You should wake up soon."
"…" A groan.
"Wake up~ wake up~!"
"…"
"WAKE UP, NOW!"
Shikamaru jolted upwards into a sitting position, his mind numb from the shout that left his head ringing.
There was a small shift of movement to his right; the sound of fabrics being pressed against the surface of a mattress caught his attention more than anything else.
"Hm…? Shikamaru...? You alright?" The Nara heard Hana mutter with the lax weight of someone who had just been woken up.
"What… What happened… argh!" Shikamaru asked quietly but quickly held his aching head with his hands a second later. His head was throbbing with the all too familiar feeling of the night after a really good drink.
He was hungover.
Taking a long, painful moment to realize that he was shirtless in a semi-dark room he couldn't recognize (the only forms of available light was the thin gap underneath the door across the room and the mark on his arm glowing) with Hana laying down next to him to his right and a wall to his left, his mind went into a panicked overdrive, causing him to groan in pain – which, in turn, made his head ache even further.
"You don't remember?" Hana asked, voice hushed as to not aggravate his hangover any further. He silently appreciated the gesture. "You passed out right after challenging my mom to a drinking contest." She explained.
"She's lying~! Liar, liar, liar~!" Shikamaru winced audibly when he heard the unnecessarily loud voice that belonged to what he believed to be the Kyuubi speaking to him from within. "That's right! You are smart, after all!" This time the voice sounded muffled.
He felt her shift from her position on the bed to a half-leaning one to get a better look at him. She was resting on her left thigh, legs relaxed outwards slightly coming into contact with his while she used her left elbow to prop her upwards.
"Hey, you alright?" She repeated her concern softly.
"You had quite a night last night. You should reassure her that you're fine~!"
"Shut up!" Shikamaru muttered out loud, surprising Hana. He groaned before apologizing. "N-No, not you. Sorry, but my head is killing me." As he held his head, the mark on his arm began to glow a bright white, semi-illuminating the space he and Hana were currently sharing. Shikamaru gasped slightly and tried to cover it with one of the blankets that covered him from the waist down.
"It was doing that for the past couple of hours…" Hana stated quietly, her figure now somewhat visible from the covered light that seeped through the blanket.
"She was taking care of you while you were going crazy, you know." The Kyuubi sounded off in his head.
Shikamaru turned to face her now that there was somewhat of a light near them. She looked concerned, worried even by the looks of her furrowed brow, pursed lips and wandering eyes. He couldn't see much past her neck, but he could tell that she was not wearing her usual attire and now sported a type of nightgown. A second later, he put two and two together and scanned the distance between them on the bed.
"Did… Did something… happen…between us…?" His voice shook. The Kyuubi was silent.
Hana stayed quiet for a moment. "What… What do you mean?" Was her cautious reply, unnerving him even further.
"Why am I… why are we in the same bed together? Where are we?" Shikamaru asked slowly, nervous embarrassment deep in his tone of voice.
He saw Hana shift uncomfortably on the bed. "We're in my room; I brought you here after you passed out. Naruto-kun and Shino-kun just disappeared last night and I thought your mother wouldn't appreciate welcoming her son back while he was drunk…"
"Liar~!"
Shikamaru nodded at the explanation, as unrealistic as it seemed – Naruto and Shino wouldn't have abandoned him, right? – he chose to believe in her words for now as they were infinitely better than what his assumptions were. He disregarded what the voice in his head had to say.
"Then what are we doing in the same…?" He began, but got a reply before he finished asking.
"I'm not going to sleep on the floor in my own room." She replied evenly, a defiant look in her half covered eyes. "Besides, we have the covers to separate us." The Nara looked down and saw that his lower half was covered while her lower half could be slightly seen in the poor muffled lighting.
In the midst of his previous conversation with the Inuzuka, Shikamaru failed to notice that his hangover was slowly going away until it faded away completely at that exact moment. He felt relief coming to him now that his head wasn't pounding violently anymore.
"Thanks to me! You should be grateful."
Shikamaru sighed softly. Despite being unconscious for who knows how long, the Nara still felt groggy by all the information that had rushed into his head in such a short amount of time.
His sigh must have been a telltale sign of fatigue as Hana's right hand pressed against his chest a moment after; her hand was warm against his bare chest and the gentle force behind it told Shikamaru to lie on his back once again.
"Rest." Hana advised softly, not letting Shikamaru fight against the notion. He let her gently push him until his back met the mattress once again before his head lay comfortably against one of the many pillows present afterward. "You'll feel better in the morning."
Her tone was soft, protective almost, and warm, Shikamaru noticed with astonishment. He knew the girl was capable of kindness, she was human after all, but at this moment she… She was different… She reminded him of his mother back when he was young.
Wait. His mother…?
His eyes widened slightly.
"What time is it?"
Hana, at this point, had relinquished her hand off of his chest and relaxed into the bed, her back against the mattress with her head propped up slightly with the help of a pillow. This new position made her left shoulder come into contact with his right one. She turned to face him.
"A little after midnight, maybe?"
Without missing a beat, he responded. "Well, I'm screwed." He sighed. "My mom is going to kill me." He sank into the pillow as he groaned.
He was certain she was smiling. "Maybe, but for tonight, just try to sleep, alright?"
"Sound the alarms: Molester Alert!"
He ignored the fox's quip and tried to close his eyes to appease his temporary "caretaker" but he knew sleep wouldn't find him this night.
She chuckled softly besides him a moment later. "I say that, but I can't even keep my eyes closed. How embarrassing." He shared a sigh of agreement with her that moment.
How could anyone sleep in this kind of situation, anyway?
"According to what you know, most males and females wouldn't be sleeping in this kind of situation. They would be having –"
He ignored that last part.
Knowing that they were not going to get any sleep at that moment, Shikamaru felt that it was necessary to start a conversation to pry the awkward tension off of them. Luckily for him, he had the perfect subject to discuss.
"Where's my shirt?" His question was sudden, but his tone kept the atmosphere – he was still hungover in Hana's eyes, after all. If he weren't gazing at the ceiling right then and there, he might have caught her smiling at nothing.
"It got torn to shreds couple hours ago when you were out of it."
"Not that she minds~"
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. "I've been going through clothes like crazy recently." He shifted to lie on his right side, breaking the contact between their shoulders, but now, he was facing her.
And as soon as he settled into place, he found that she was facing him as well. They made eye contact with one another for several long seconds before Shikamaru broke it off by averting his gaze. Now that his left arm was facing the ceiling, the mark was exposed and flooded the room with a faint hue of light. He thought of covering it up, but decided against it – what's the danger, right?
With this amount of light, Shikamaru was better able to distinguish Hana's features. How her eyes were focused on the mark on his arm and the small gap between her lips told him she was stunned by it; amazed by the way it glowed.
For a brief second, her eyes flickered in rapid succession as she tried to break her gaze on the mark, but found it difficult to do so. Before he had a chance to call her on it, Hana broke the silence.
"…You never did tell me what that mark was about, remember?" She muttered softly, her eyes still fixated on it.
'The bridge after the battle… that's right.' Shikamaru recalled faintly. 'I completely shot her down that time, right?'
He studied her features some more with blatant staring since he had the opportunity as she was too preoccupied at the moment to notice. The two locks of hair that framed her face were subjected to gravity's will and fell lazily to its bidding; the lock of hair above her left eye was strewn neatly across the pillow where her head rested on, while the lock of hair above her right eye traveled across her face towards the pillow, passing through the gap between her eyes before caressing the bridge of her nose until the tip slightly grazed the edge of her lips.
Shikamaru stopped himself from reaching out and fixing the right lock of hair off of her face, realizing that doing so would be a rather strange thing to do. Especially in this kind of situation, nonetheless. She looked ridiculous – okay, no, not that bad, but she looked… different. He was reminded of the day she had asked him about the mark, back in Wave on the bridge after the battle. Her defeated look and quiet nature at the moment made it seem as if her normal personality had all but never existed in the first place.
It had bothered him. Bothered him. Simply because she was showing something that he had never seen from her before.
Maybe he was crazy after all.
He noticed her cheek tattoos, the markings that showcased her status as an Inuzuka clan member, and was surprised to see that in this light, her normal red markings took on a faint purple shade, further complimenting her dark, black eyes. This was perhaps the first time Shikamaru had truly given the older girl a noted inspection-like glance, and all that did was add even more unease to this situation.
Deep in his thoughts, Shikamaru had failed to listen to what Hana had said and only caught her last two words.
"…can I?" She blinked, her eyes finally freed from the mark's glow. Her expression was innocent, while her tone was semi-pleading.
He was not aware of what she wanted or what she was asking permission for, but when she sat up from her relaxed position against the bed and held out her left hand slightly above the mark on his left arm, he had a feeling he knew what she wanted to do. With a reaction akin to that of coming into contact with sulfuric acid, Shikamaru jerked backwards in an attempt to get away from her hand but didn't get far thanks to the wall.
If she noticed his discomfort at the thought of his mark being touched, she either didn't show it or she didn't care because at that moment when he backed away, she instinctively scooted over to where he once was, completely boxing him in between her and the wall. Her left hand then hovered over his mark once again.
She asked once again, purely out of courtesy, not exactly listening to what he had to say. "Can I?" She was not looking for permission.
'No.' He had wanted to say right then and there, but he found that his mouth could not get the words across. It was a strange feeling, your body getting held back from doing something as simple as talking, I mean. In that moment of not being able to express his disdain, Shikamaru felt what fear truly meant.
"I'm curious about this kind of thing." He heard the Kyuubi speak inside his head. "Give her a treat; for my curiosity."
Shikamaru felt paralyzed.
Taking his silence as a "Go ahead", Hana slowly lowered her hand above his arm and hesitated when her palm was directly over the mark. Her index finger rubbed against her thumb in anxious hesitation before she gently placed it against the mark and felt the difference between his skin and the silk-like feel of the mark as she stroked her finger across his arm.
"It feels… nice." Hana muttered in awe as she was completely absorbed in her ministrations. Her touch was no longer shy; the slow hesitant movements were gone and were now replaced with curious, attentive and focused strokes from her middle finger and index finger working in tandem.
Shikamaru held back a groan/moan that threatened to escape from his lips as a strange sensation began to course through his entire body originating from the mark on his arm. He could faintly hear the Kyuubi make a remark but couldn't decipher it to save his life. The fear he had from before grew even bigger, but for reasons he was not yet aware of, his body refused to move – more than likely an act from the Kyuubi to better satisfy its curiosity.
As she stroked the mark, light warmth began to generate between her fingertips and his arm, interesting Hana enough to double her efforts by increasing the speed at which her fingers were going at to see if greater warmth would be reached.
Shikamaru could not describe the feeling that grew within him; it wasn't exactly pleasure that was spreading across his body from the inside, but it wasn't unpleasant either. Then again, however, having never felt pleasure – ahem, in that kind of way – or this type of feeling at all before today, the Nara had little to no say into what exactly he was currently experiencing. What he did know, however, was that his mind was beginning to go blank and quite honestly, he certainly needed it to keep his wits about him less he do something he would probably regret later on.
Probably.
"H-Hana…" Shikamaru tried to warn her, but his voice trembled and gave in as the opening that came with her name allowed a moan to escape. Hana's room might as well have been the quietest palace in the world at that moment when his voice gave out.
She suddenly stopped, allowing him to open his eyes before his gaze met with hers.
He was basically panting at this point; deep, heavy breaths escaped from his mouth as he witnessed Hana's expression of surprise slowly turn into an interested one.
She swallowed.
Shikamaru was not able to compose himself in time before Hana slowly rubbed her finger in a circle-motion around his mark; the motion caused his breath to hitch drastically. He could not describe her half-lit expression at that moment.
Hana got closer to him, her right arm moved to his back beneath him where her hand came into contact with his bare back and pulled him upwards to a sitting up position before pulling him in closer to her, where her chest met his back. At this point, Hana had gotten rid of the cumbersome covers that Shikamaru had over him and let them fall over the end of the bed before she adjusted herself and the Nara into a better position where she leaned against her bed's headboard.
And here, here is where she held him; he was facing up at the ceiling, his head comfortably rested on the nook of her neck while her right cheek rested slightly above his left one. Her left arm was wrapped around his abdomen just above the waist and her hand rested on his right side, while her right arm traveled underneath his right arm diagonally towards his left arm, passing his chest before her hand rested comfortably over the mark he wielded.
Shikamaru said nothing, but the blush against his face spoke for him. He swallowed.
"This…This is fine, right?" Hana asked slowly after a tense couple of seconds of silence. Her blush rivaled his own as she ever so slightly tightened her arm around his abdomen. She swallowed.
There was no reply, just the gentle motions of the ceiling fan rotating above them semi-filled the room with faint noise.
"…" She loosened her grip around him, back to way it was before she tightened her arm around his abdomen. "I'm sorry-"
His right hand grabbed her left arm before it receded back to her person, anchoring it to his waist. He breathed in softly, ignoring the way his heart pounded against his chest while Hana's heart could be felt pounding into his back rapidly.
It was fine.
Hana said nothing, but visibly relaxed. Her cheek pressed against his slightly before the fingers on her right hand began to stroke the mark on his left arm; small, circular patterns with no sense of direction trailed after her fingers.
While her movements were tame this time around, the sensation was the same – if not greater – than before. Shikamaru's breath began to grow heavy and more predominant; his clenched jaw relaxed until his mouth was slightly agape, eyes clutched shut.
Hana stared at his reaction with a pair of deviant eyes and began to breath in sync with him after several seconds of hearing him groan with what she assumed was pleasure. She could feel herself losing her composure, slowly losing to her carnal instincts that she had been trying to keep down since he had woken up who knows how long ago.
Her breathing became ragged and heavy as she pushed her right arm against his chest to get his body to press up against hers. Before she gave in, she caught herself and shook her head.
"…Shika…Shikamaru…" She gasped. "Do you…" He turned his head upwards at her, his eyes were empty but they questioned as to why she had stopped. The light from the mark seemed to glisten even brighter than before.
He was gone.
And at that moment, so was she.
Primal carnal desires began to take over as she tried to make him turn to face her, surprising her when he followed up with no resistance. They were both kneeling now, chest to chest, breathing heavily when Hana tenderly placed her hands around his face and slowly pulled him closer to her.
They locked eyes with one another when they were only several inches apart, one already gone while the other in the process of getting consumed by something completely different.
They leaned in to one another.
Their lips were ever so close to one another; their breaths brushed against the edges of each other's mouths.
Hana's door opened suddenly, the light from outside clashed with the light from the mark.
"Oi, why is mom passed out outside –"
The world froze for those inside the room the moment Kiba walked in. Hana's immediately snapped out of her lustful state from the sudden interruption and went back to her normal personality, hesitantly shoving Shikamaru off of her before instinctively covering her – already clothed – self with her arms.
"K-Kiba! H-Haven't you heard of knocking, you dumbass?!" Hana's reaction was genuine and appropriate and an attempt to give Shikamaru enough time to catch his bearings.
He was against the wall when Hana shoved him away, but his expression was still that of an entranced puppet. His expression was empty just like his eyes and he was still panting from earlier.
Hana looked at Shikamaru and wondered in a visible panic as to why he was not responding to the situation before she turned back to her younger brother.
"You… bastard…" Kiba growled, eyes narrowed and fangs showing.
"…UN! R…UN…! RUN!" A deafening roar pulsated inside Shikamaru's head, snapping him back to reality where his life was apparently in danger from the angriest Inuzuka he had ever seen.
"Kiba it's not what you think!" Hana's interjection was weak. "Nothing happened!" Yet.
"I'll kill you, you BASTARD!" Kiba quickly got on all fours and jumped towards Shikamaru on the bed, but was stopped when the Nara threw a pillow at him. Stopping only for half a second to slice the pillow in half during his jump, Kiba was a little more than surprised to see the spot that the Nara was previously in was now empty.
The livid Inuzuka heard running footsteps exit out the room from the door. He growled even louder than before. "I WON'T LET YOU LEAVE BASTARD-" Kiba had already primed himself to catch the poor son-of-a-bitch, but fell flat on his face when Hana caught hold of his leg mid-jump.
"Kiba calm down! Nothing happened!" Hana attempted to calm her brother, but earned a heavy kick to her stomach as he squirmed to be released from her grasp. The kick knocked her back, relinquishing the hold she had on him.
Kiba ran after Shikamaru on all fours, and despite the lead Shikamaru had received, Kiba's greater speed and stamina allowed him to close the gap between them in seconds. Shikamaru had the decency to go around Tsume's unconscious form while her son had no qualms stepping on her stomach in his mad-dash to get the Nara.
As they ran from the main household, the members of the Inuzuka clan caught eye of what would soon become a trademark legend in their clan for future generations:
The visage of a half-naked, shoeless Nara escaping from the main household, outrunning the clan's leader's son in his altered beast form, followed by the leader's daughter running after them, trying to calm her brother down.
Shikamaru ignored the cheers he was receiving from the Inuzuka around him as he ran for his life from an angered Kiba.
When the Nara managed to escape from the compound, he was not at all surprised when Kiba continued to chase after him, but the Inuzuka didn't get very far as Akamaru tripped Kiba to the ground before Hana tackled his recovering form on to the ground.
Silently thanking them, Shikamaru continued to run away into the night.
"ARRGH! NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, YOU'RE DEAD, SHIKAMARU NARA! YOU HEAR ME?! DEEEAAAD!" His voice echoed into the night behind Shikamaru.
{xxOxx}
Following Morning…
"So…"
"Shut up, Naruto."
"Shirtless?"
"Shino, please…"
"Shoeless as well…?"
"Haku, really?"
"In the middle of the night?"
"Rei-okaasan, not you too…" Shikamaru slapped his forehead before slamming it against the table in defeat.
After returning to his house in the middle night, he thought he was safe.
Then, Yoshino.
He thought wrong.
Apparently, his mother had been waiting for him to return home since sunset and when he returned without a shirt, patting heavily with the strong stench of alcohol literally bathing him, Yoshino said nothing before promptly kicking him out of the house. After that, he visited Naruto's home and asked if he could spend the night, which he did.
"I'll talk to Yoshino, Shika-kun. Don't worry too much about it." Rei smiled at him before clearing the table, placing the dirty plates on the sink for Keima to wash later.
"Thank you." His forehead was still against the table; his hands messed with his hair on the back of his head before he sighed. "That isn't what I'm worried about, though."
"Then what is?" Naruto asked.
Shikamaru paused as he thought of what happened the night before. His silence caught their attention.
"Shikamaru, you alright?"
"…yeah." He nodded, hand stroking the mark on his arm. "I'm fine." He assured them.
Shino glanced at Naruto vice versa. They looked interested but decided to drop it for now.
"You ready to head out?" Naruto asked as he, Shino, and Haku rose from their seats. Today, Haku was going to hopefully train alongside Yugao to better her skill with Zabuza's sword.
Shikamaru nodded before slowly rising up from the table to join them.
"I'll train with you tomorrow, okay, Haku-chan?" Rei asked for confirmation from Haku. The girl nodded.
After several days of living with Naruto's family, Rei and Keima had begun to spar with her as a way for her to get a feel of the heavy sword in combat. While Haku didn't expect much from the "civilian" family at first, she experienced the hardest wakeup call she had ever received in the form of a relentlessness assault against her body.
She still had bruises from their first session together.
"Thank you Rei-san." Haku responded.
"Good luck out there, you lot!" Rei waved at their fleeting forms.
{xxOxx}
"So…"
"Yugao-sensei, please…"
"Shirtless?"
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Ugh! I just had the same conversation a couple of minutes ago!" Shikamaru groaned, face buried between his hands. His teachers couldn't help but laugh. "Wait…" Shikamaru paused. "How did you guys know?"
"Word spreads fast, you know." Jiraiya responded with an amused smirk. Shikamaru groaned.
Leaving Jiraiya to tease Shikamaru by himself, Yugao turned to the rest of her students… and Haku. "You asked me to bring my sword along with me. Why?" She asked, but she had an idea for what the answer might be.
"Well, Haku is trying to master her sword skills so she could one day fight alongside us, and I was wondering…"
Yugao sighed. "Naruto…"
"I would really appreciate the help, Yugao-san." Haku responded suddenly.
In the two weeks that Yugao had been around the girl, she soon realized that Haku was not that bad – despite what she tried to do in the mission. Regardless of that, Yugao didn't feel comfortable trying to tutor Haku – or anyone, for that matter due to her injured leg. Stability and poise are near necessities in swordplay, and now that she might not have either of those anymore – what would that mean for her skill in swordsmanship?
She shuddered. Since that day that made her rely on crutches all those years ago, Yugao hadn't attempted to use her sword in fear of tarnishing the image that was imprinted in every fiber of her being: graceful, swift, precise and lethal when a sword was in her hands. She was afraid to try again and be left with nothing but disappointment.
She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, but I don't think…" She paused when she got an eyeful of Naruto's trademark "Pretty-Please-I'm-begging-You-Do-I-Need-To-Get-On-My-Knees-Because-I'm-WiIling-To-Do-That-If-You-Say-So" look.
She shook her head, slightly begrudgingly. "N-No, Naruto! That won't work on me anymore!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes before nudging his elbow against Haku's arm. "Just how we practiced, got it?" He half-whispered to the girl.
Haku looked flushed, but she nodded.
"Hm?" Yugao looked at Naruto and Haku standing still. "What are you up to-?"
Naruto fell to his knees, followed shortly by Haku. They then leaned on one another; his left shoulder rubbed against her right one before he brought his right hand towards her approaching left one and interlocked their fingers together, knuckles pointing upwards at the sky. He began to tear up from the eyes.
Haku looked to be mildly in discomfort.
Naruto looked at Haku and saw that she wasn't following suit and tightened his grip on her hand, telling her to tear up as well if they wanted this to work.
Haku shot him a pleading glance, but the blonde wasn't going to have none of that. She sighed and then threw away the remainder of her pride and did what he wished.
Both teens began to sniffle, small sudden gasps for air were added in for special effect as they looked Yugao right in the eyes.
Behold: Naruto and Haku's combination begging technique:"Pretty-Pretty-Please-I'll-Do-Anything-If-You-Say-Yes-But-Not-"Anything"-Because-Y'know-That'll-Be-Weird-And-You-Can-Get-Sent-To-Jail-For-This-Type-Of-Thing-If-You-Get-Caught-Unless-You-Don't-Mind- My-Innocence-Being-Sullied-And-Is-The-Only-Way-I-Can-Get-You-To-Say-"Yes"-Then-That's-Okay-Too-I-Know-The-Perfect-Alley-Where-We-Could-Get-Some-Privacy-And-Make-You-Say-More-Than-Just-"Yes"-If-You-Catch-My-Drift-But-Please-Reconsider-As-I'm-Still-Young-And-Inexperienced" or the "P.P.P.I.D.A.I.Y.S.Y.B.N.A.B.Y.T.B.W.A.Y.C.G.S.T.J.F.T.T.O.T.I.Y.G.C.U.Y.D.M.M.I.B.S.A.I.T.O.W.I.C.G.Y.T.S.Y.T.T.O.T.I.K.T.P.A.W.W.C.G.S.P.A.M.Y.S.M.T.J.Y.I.Y.C.M.D.B.P.R.A.I.S.Y.A.I" for short.
And yes.
That was what they named it.
Not being able to withstand such a strong technique, Yugao averted her eyes but it was too late.
She caved in immediately. "Okay, okay I'll train her, just please stop!" As she cried out, a small trickle of blood escaped from her nose for some reason.
"I told you it would work!" Naruto laughed as he playfully nudged Haku with his elbow.
Haku, eyes closed and an ashamed twitch on her right eyebrow, inhaled slowly before exhaling quickly. "…please don't talk to me for the rest of today, Naruto-kun." She deadpanned, having temporarily lost all respect she had for him while possibly losing all of her self-respect permanently from their act.
Naruto apologized for the rest or the day.
{xxOxx}
"The Kyuubi is speaking to you, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked with disbelief as Shino and Jiraiya huddled closer to the Nara. Yugao was showing Haku some simple kata to practice in the background.
"Last night was the first time I heard it; after I blacked out and woke up." Shikamaru sighed. "It's more annoying than anything else."
"Is it talking to you right now?" Jiraiya asked, his finger tapped his forehead.
He shook his head. "It hasn't said anything since last night." A shrug. "It comes and goes, I guess."
"That is peculiar." Shino began. "I have yet to hear from mine."
"Maybe his is different than ours." Naruto suggested. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing though." He joked.
Nobody laughed.
"Guess you'll have to turn to your mindscape for answers then, Naruto." Jiraiya motioned his hands to the blonde's stomach. "Go and ask it what we can do about Shikamaru's little problem." Jiraiya finished with a frown.
"Shut up."
Jiraiya, Shino and Naruto stared at the Nara in front of them; their confusion was is strong as his.
"W-What?" Shikamaru asked abruptly.
"Oi, that isn't right." Jiraiya pointed at him. Naruto and Shino looked apprehensive, but not towards Shikamaru.
"What are you guys looking at?" Shikamaru patted Jiraiya's finger away from his direction.
"How do you feel, Shika?"
The blonde only ever called him by his nickname when something was wrong, making Shikamaru nervous at the situation.
"I'm…" "…fine." He heard it this time. "What the hell…?" Before Shikamaru could wonder any further as to what he heard, he felt heavy warmth growing in his mouth, he wasn't in pain or the like, just in mild discomfort at the sensation. When he tried to voice his discomfort, however, Shikamaru found that he wasn't able to form the words, as if he lost all control of his vocals.
"Just dropping in for a moment, don't mind me Shikamaru." The second voice that came out of his mouth was foreign, dark and soft. "You three, however, should mind." Shikamaru looked to be struggling at keeping his mouth shut. The voice continued. "I don't recall ever doing anything to harbor such an aggressive reaction to my presence, let alone one that requires a council with the… original…as you four like to put it." The voice sounded insulted at the notion.
"I am simply communicating with Shikamaru, where's the danger in that?" It waited.
No reply.
"I highly recommend that you do not pull me in with what I came from. I am not that beast of which you speak of." The Kyuubi. "I am simply what I am; myself; nothing more, nothing less. I demand respect."
Shikamaru took a breath. "What do you want?" He asked with his eyes closed.
"I want them to leave me alone. I am doing nothing wrong or extreme barring this exact moment. Back off and I'll keep quiet when you put this silly idea of talking to the "original" at bay."
"How are you doing this?" Jiraiya asked, ignoring the pit growing inside his gut.
"How does anyone do anything?" While they couldn't see it, they could definitely feel the shrug that came bundled with the words. "Shikamaru let me in – no, it's more accurate if I say that I forced myself in, rather. At this moment I can see, I can hear, I can feel everything Shikamaru can – for now, at least."
Before they could ask it what it meant with that last sentence, it spoke up again.
"Back off." It repeated. "There is no correlation between myself and… that." A pause. "I will not intrude like this from here on out unless more talk about consulting the original comes around, understand? Don't forget, everything he knows, I know." Not knowing how to respond, the group stayed quiet for a moment before Jiraiya asserted his authority.
"I can't have my students' safety be in jeopardy like this; one more outburst like this and you'll be sealed off. Permanently." A bluff, one could say, as sealing away the demon completely could very well cripple his students from the inside.
"Agreed. I take my vocal leave for now, but I heed you not forget what we discussed. Ja ne."
Shikamaru shook his head after several seconds of silence. "I think it's gone."
The team let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"This is worrying." Jiraiya placed a hand on his chin and sighed.
"Indeed, but it seems it had no intent at causing harm, sensei." Shino shook his head slowly. Dealing with demons was going to be tricky. "Perhaps it would be best if we heed its warning; it would be better to stay on its good side than to anger it any further." Shino suggested.
With his hands being tied, Jiraiya sighed. "Right…" He crossed his arms. "It seems as if we have no choice but to heed its advice for now," Jiraiya grumbled, "…but in the meantime, look alive you three; you have a mission – from Gatō Company, surprisingly." He gave them an accusing stare.
"Oh, really? What kind is it?" Shikamaru ignored the stare.
One of the few key points that occurred in Wave was kept hidden from their teachers; assassinating one of the world's richest business men by accident should be kept a secret, right?
Yeah, sounds about right.
The trio agreed that they would eventually reveal the full details from the mission when the time felt right or when they needed to change the subject in the future. The only thing they could do now is play at being "wistfully unaware" at any and all topics brought upon on the subject.
"Didn't say." He shrugged. "The messenger simply instructed that you three head to Wave for further details on the mission." Jiraiya trailed off, the area around them growing quiet barring the various grunts that Haku gave as she performed what Yugao instructed. "I hope you have a good reason to be keeping information like this from me and Yugao, you three."
They shifted slightly. "We do."
Jiraiya sighed. "I trust you three, I really do, but when I don't know what's going on, it gets me worried, y'know?" They nodded. He sighed. "Anyways, you three will head out in two days, use today to restock your gear and get ready for the mission, and well, tomorrow belongs to Shikamaru, right?" He smiled.
"Is it already the last Thursday of the month?" The Nara looked surprised.
"It appears so." Jiraiya gave him a toothy grin. "Where are you taking her this time, Shikamaru? Eh~?"
Naruto chuckled as he patted his friend on the back while Shino smirked behind his scarf.
Shikamaru shrugged, his eyes rolled in unison with his shoulders. "It's her turn to decide." He half sighed. "You know I'm only doing this for the team, right?"
"Information is key." Shino spoke with wisdom.
"You brought this upon yourself, Shika. You know that, right?"
The Nara gave the equivalent of a half-hearted sigh as his response..
{xxOxx}
Leaving their training grounds, the trio made a collective mental note to fill their teachers in as to what they had gotten themselves into on a later date. In the meantime, however, they needed to restock their gear, and seeing as they had procrastinated in doing so since their last mission had ended, they had their work cut out for them.
Naruto had to restock his potions as he used a large amount of his reserve in the last mission and also had to resupply his team's teleportation tags. What this meant was that the blonde had to go gather the ingredients out in the wild – y'know, the fun part – before actually using the alchemy lab in his home to make the concoctions that his team relied on for support. Finding the ingredients was not difficult in its own right – the various plants, bugs, fungi and animals that possessed the components necessary for the potions he was looking to make were abundant near Konohagakure, after all – but it did take time to collect them.
Not that it would be a problem, what with Naruto using a small armada of clones to do his bidding of hunting down the ingredients; the process would take a little less than a handful of hours at best. This method of restocking his supplies would also be used to mass produce the teleportation tags later on during the day.
Shino's task in restocking his gear was slightly easier in terms of accessibility to the materials required – pure magnesium, aluminum, ammonium/potassium perchlorate and a wide variety of other assorted goods were all available to purchase in just about every ninja-specialized blacksmith in the village – and the ease of producing such products; his explosive tags were simple to mass produce thanks to his clones. He should be completely restocked – and then some – come morning.
Shikamaru simply needed to replace the ninja wire that was deemed FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition) after their fight with Zabuza on the bridge a few weeks back. Purchasing the wire was not all that was required, unfortunately, as he not only had to set the damn wire into his special holsters – he managed to salvage them before they turned into scrap metal – but also make sure that it would contort to his wishes. Ninja wire had an unfortunate quirk during its initial phases shortly after it is crafted; when brand new, ninja wire is taut and not very flexible – something that his techniques need not of. Making the wire contort to his design was a balancing act between having flimsy, pathetic threads and tough, durable wire – the correct method of keeping his wire taut and flexible was difficult, but well worth the effort.
Naruto stayed behind the village's gates while Shino and Shikamaru made their way into the village to purchase their supplies.
"Are you planning on making enough just for the mission or more than usual, Shino?" Shikamaru asked as they walked through the streets near the entrance/exit of the village.
"I may make more than necessary this time around." Shino shrugged. "Never hurts to make enough explosives to level a town." Shikamaru nodded slowly.
"You really want to go all out, eh?"
"I do."
"Something we should be worried about?" They stepped out of the way before they crashed into a group of kids running around.
"Ha." Shino's reply was short. "While I get… euphoric at the thought of destruction," a joke, "I can control my urges rather well."
"That's good to hear." Shino could tell Shikamaru was smiling as he spoke. "You're calling the shots this upcoming mission, so maybe you'll get a chance to do what you want."
"Is it really my turn?" Shino sounded pleasantly surprised, but frowned behind his scarf a second later. "But the decisions I make all depends on the nature of the mission."
"Maybe the mission calls for leveling a town." Shikamaru teased, but when Shino did not respond for a full minute, he got a little worried.
"…hopefully."
When the duo finally reached their destination, a quaint little shop hidden behind much larger domestic buildings, they opened the door and greeted the shop owner.
"Oh, if it isn't Shino-kun and Shikamaru-kun," the old woman who took care of the customers up front smiled at the teens, welcoming them. "Naruto-kun isn't with you today?"
"Not today." Shikamaru replied with a grin. "He sends his regards, though."
"Give mine to him when you see him then, dearie." She replied with a smile. "Now, how can this old coot help you today?" She leaned on the counter separating her from them.
Shikamaru motioned to Shino, letting him go first. The bug user nodded. "Do you happen to have concentrated magnesium, aluminum –"
She interrupted him. "Ammonium or potassium perchlorate, with the usual nitrate oxidants?"
He nodded.
"As a matter of fact, I do. How much are you looking for?"
"How much are you willing to sell?"
"Those are fighting words, dearie." She warned. "Common practice is to sell my entire product in order to gain profit, but when you say something like that I can't help but think you are willing to purchase it all in one go."
He shrugged. "I am still expecting an answer, miss."
She raised an eyebrow. "This establishment has always been "first come, first serve" so I don't exactly allow reservation of a product." She explained. "So if someone were to purchase the entirety of a certain product off of my inventory, I would have no qualms with that."
"Then, I'll be taking my usual order along with the rest of the product if you don't mind."
"You shouldn't tease your elders, Shino-kun." She grumbled.
"I am being completely serious." He replied.
"Shino-kun I am not amused-"
The counter that she leaned on was then covered in its entirety with money.
She nearly passed out.
After purchasing his massive order, Shino made several clones to help carry his inventory to their base of operations. He didn't miss the shop keeper's stunned remark:
"…Tenten-chan is going to be so disappointed…"
Shino smirked for a second before he composed himself. "First come, first serve, right?" He repeated the shop keeper's mantra, to which she replied with a hasty remark.
"True, but that saying has gotten my customers heated with one another before, Shino-kun. Don't be surprised if she goes after you. She's as dangerous as she is feisty, I'd be careful if I were you."
Shino nodded. "I am familiar with her demeanor, but more importantly, are you going to give out my name to her?" He feigned being worried.
"It might come up once or twice." She turned around and faced the multiple shelves that held her less obtrusive inventory. Once she found the correct shelf, she reached up and grabbed two large spools of ninja wire for Shikamaru.
"How is she?"
"She's hardly come by the shop as much as she used to, now only coming twice a week for a quick chat instead of the usual five times and hour long conversations. She dropped by yesterday, and you'd swear she had been running a marathon with the amount of sweat she had on her."
Shikamaru thanked her after he paid for the ninja wire.
"Ah, Might Gai's new team training sessions?"
She nodded. "Indeed."
The whole village had heard of the advanced training Gai's team was going through; Morning to midnight they trained every day since they returned from a mission everyone thought they had failed and were being punished for. That kind of extreme training every day for two weeks was worrisome, sure, but almost unethical to think about; seriously, don't they ever get tired?
"Give my regards to Tenten-san. Thank you." Shino thanked the shop keep for her time before closing the door behind him.
Shikamaru groaned and stretched outside the shop, making sure to pop his back before he addressed Shino's pensive look.
"Oi, Shino, what are you thinking about?"
"They will certainly be a bigger challenge next time around."
Shikamaru looked surprised, but nodded a second later. "Yeah, they will be." He agreed.
"Will you be accompanying me to our new base of operations?" Shino asked once they began to move away from the shop.
"Nah, I gotta go make a fool out of myself at the moment." Shikamaru shook his head.
"Yoshino-okaasan?"
"Yep."
"Good luck, Shikamaru."
"Thanks, Shino."
The two friends parted ways, maybe for the last time, they knew.
{xxOxx}
When Shikamaru reached his house twenty minutes later, he found a large backpack waiting for him at the entrance. A large note was placed atop the bag, obviously meant for him to read before he did anything else. Shikamaru picked up the note but didn't read it, nodded slowly, picked up the backpack and left, fully aware that his mother was watching from the window next to the door. Whether she was angry or crying, he didn't know, but he had a feeling it was both.
…
He was correct.
{xxOxx}
Kanoe Family Grounds…
Nightfall eventually absorbed the village, the moon casting a somber effect to those who were weary or out and about alike.
Shino was there for a majority of the day as he worked on his explosives in mute hustle, but he had finished and left, offering his home as a place for Shikamaru to stay at throughout the night before he stepped out the door. The Nara thanked him but insisted that he would stay here for the night ahead.
Shino nodded slowly and left, leaving the Nara alone in their almost refurnished base of operations. Their clones had systematically restored the building back into what they expected to be its original condition, all that was left until this place became a home was furniture to line the rooms and running water – the trio were currently waiting for the village itself to let that happen.
The backpack that his mother had left for him was filled with neatly folded clothing, his toiletries, and a picture of herself. That last one freaked him out; how long was she going to stay mad at him, anyway?
He was sitting down on the floor in the dark empty living room, legs stretched outwards, with his back leaning against the wall behind him, backpack within arm's reach. He put the picture away deep in to the backpack and closed his eyes.
When morning came around, Shikamaru stood up, stretched and yawned before he noticed his mom's picture on the floor several feet away from where he stood. That, was peculiar…Didn't the last paragraph specifically state that he buried the picture deep into the backpack?
Strange, to say the least.
Shikamaru picked the picture off of the floor, wiped any dust off of it and humbly returned it into the backpack. Rubbing his eyes, Shikamaru nearly missed the open window that he remembered closing the night before. With a frown, Shikamaru looked around the living room but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
He closed the window once more, but not before taking a look outside, noticing the time based on the sun's location.
"At least I won't be late." Shikamaru yawned before he returned to his backpack, his steps echoed against the empty room. With a grunt of effort, he picked up the bag before going into one of the four incomplete bathrooms so he could change.
He was meeting with her, after all.
After looking at the clothing his mother had packed for him, he wondered if she knew he was meeting up with someone today. There were several pieces of everyday clothing packed inside, several shirts and two pants, but amongst the enclosure of the backpack were several pieces of casual-but-obviously-just-slightly-more-than-just-"casual" clothing that caught his eye: a light grey jacket, black shirt with a strange white design in the chest area, a pair of black casual pants and black shoes – as civilian as one could get.
He shrugged away the suspicious feeling that someone was watching him strip himself from his clothing and continued to change normally. When he was done, he grabbed a copy of the mission report he had to write after the mission, folded it neatly and put it in his pocket.
He closed the door behind him.
The morning air was fresh today.
{xxOxx}
Within the village, yet far from the common hustle and bustle of its collective masses rising from their sleep for their run of the day, was a quaint little park almost now forgotten by everyone besides a handful of people and the caretakers that maintained it. Shikamaru walked casually on the trail reserved for joggers with the knowledge that he wouldn't be bothering anybody this morning.
The sky was clouded this morning, but there wasn't a chance of rain gracing their humble home – not today at least.
Hands in his jacket's pockets, Shikamaru smiled to himself at the empty park around him. The automatic lights he passed were still on since they couldn't sense that the sun was out thanks in part to the thick clouds overhead.
Her presence was felt behind him casually walking a good way away from his form, no intention to quicken her pace for him just as much as how he had no intention to slower his pace for her. His smile became fuller.
And so they walked this trail together, each step that hit the pavement underneath them both simultaneously brought them closer and farther from one another at each interval. The air was sweet to the skin, Shikamaru's face could pay testament for that as a nice gust of wind caressed it gently. Her arms crossed, not out of anger, or from the wind, but just for the sake of doing so, he was positive she was smiling. He walked past a stone bench and for a split second he thought of taking it, but decided not to. With the whole park to themselves, it would be a waste if they didn't take advantage of it.
Without turning back, he was positive that she had thought of the same thing as she followed his example and steered off the trail towards what the park had to offer.
She climbed the multicolored dome of metal bars and sat atop to enjoy the view of the clouded sky. Her beige shorts formed creases along the metal bars that she sat on, he noticed, as he sat inside the dome underneath her – he averted his gaze a second later. Long brown boots covered her feet and most of her legs, the material resting just below the bend of her knees; her legs would have been dangling through the gaps between the bars if she hadn't planted her feet evenly against two horizontal bars. From above, she leaned back, hands holding on to the bars beneath her back to hold her form in place just before a small gust of nice air met with them, causing the casual black blazer she wore to flow back with the wind, exposing the rest of her olive-green top underneath from the back. She grinned.
They stayed quiet.
The sand felt soft against their legs – his pants, her skin – as they knelt down and began to work at the sandbox, manifesting the sand in their hands before piling them up in separate bunches, his and hers. His castle was compact, sturdy, low to the ground, and was crudely detailed; ornate designs against its walls, patterns near the "entrance" and was outfitted with a crown wearing Sandman near the northern wall. He smiled.
Her castle stood at six feet tall; beautiful by any standard, human or construct, and had excessive detailed patterns, designs, small monuments on the outer edges, and tiny sand flags atop the tips of the palace she made. Her emerald eyes examined her work, pleased with what they saw. The neglected foundation in which her castle rested upon was far too stressed to support it once she was done, however. A small gust of wind came by and caused it to collapse upon itself – base first – until nothing remained. She sighed.
The swings they were on creaked without rhythm as they swung back and forth. His swings were shorter, only reaching about half the maximum length from what he could go, but nonetheless enjoyed his swings the way they were.
She reached far with her swings, going as far as the chain could allow, at the highest point she would look at the clouded sky above almost longingly before she would plummet back down to where he was for a second before momentum came in and she swung back, even farther away from the highest point she was at before.
As she swung forward again, he noticed her lightly glossed over lips. Pink hair waved with the wind as she was back above him, her smile returned at the moment.
They walked the trail together once more; this time however, they were side to side.
Shikamaru followed her as they walked, curious as to where she was going to take him this time. While they were at the park for the better part of an hour, the village wasn't bustling as much as it would usually be at this time, could be the weather, could be the day, who knows?
Upon reaching a small green building, she opened the door and waited for him to enter before she did. He walked in and discovered that it was actually a café. An empty café at that.
They waited at the entrance for a waiter or waitress to find them a table for several seconds before a young looking lass came by and addressed them.
"Good morning, Haruno-san." She bowed. "Table for two?" She gestured at Shikamaru.
A nod.
"Right this way." The waitress stated as she led them to a table near the back of the establishment. Once they were properly seated, in front of one another, she excused herself. "I'll be right with you, please excuse me."
"Thank you." Shikamaru stated politely before the waitress left. He turned around and saw her looking at him. He cleared his throat.
"Hi."
"…"
She placed her elbows on the table they were sitting at before bringing her hands closer to interlock her fingers together before she placed her chin over them. She waited.
Shikamaru looked around before scratching his cheek. "What's wrong?"
She rolled her head to the side, still being carried by her interlocked fingers. She raised her eyebrows slowly, as if to say, "You tell me."
He raised a single eyebrow. "What are you doing, Sakura-chan?"
She smiled. "Me?" Her voice surprised him, slightly. "Oh, nothing. Just waiting."
Shikamaru turned around to see if the waitress was coming back but didn't see her. "The waitress? She just left, give her some time."
She let out an amused breath. "No, not the waitress." She rolled her head to the other side.
"Then…" Shikamaru posed the same way she did. "…what are you waiting for exactly?"
She let out a very short laugh, amused by his action. "Well, for you, actually."
Shikamaru looked confused, but smiled anyway. "What do you mean by that-"
"For you to apologize, I mean." She added a moment too late. She smiled.
He furrowed his brow in thought. Had he done anything to wrong her recently? He slightly shook his head. "Apologize for what?"
She feigned a pained shudder. "My, your words hurt me." She laughed.
"What did I do?"
She visibly winced in an over exaggerated way that was obviously forced. "First time I see you in almost two months and you are almost making me cry. How rude." She smiled.
'Two months… Oh… Shit.'
His eyes widened when he realized what she meant. She closed her eyes, smile still standing.
"Imagine my surprise one month ago when I went to the park and you weren't there." She shrugged. "I waited for about an hour, and since that kind of thing hasn't happened before, I got worried and made some calls." She pouted. "You wouldn't believe how relieved I was when I was told you were off on a mission in Wave."
He waited for a moment to see if she had finished. Making sure that she had, he responded. "I thought you would have known about it." His excuse was set.
She nodded. "You know my method of information gathering takes time."
His excuse was dismantled.
"I guess I thought wrong." Shikamaru admitted.
"I'm still waiting, by the way."
"I'm sorry."
She beamed happily, giving him a full smile. "Apology accepted." She leaned back, and as soon as she touched the back of her chair, the waitress appeared next to them, startling Shikamaru.
"My apologies for taking so long, Haruno-san."
Sakura gave her a shake of the head. "No problem at all, don't worry about it."
Shikamaru agreed as well.
She bowed again. "Are you ready to order?" She asked the table of two in front of her.
Shikamaru looked conflicted. "Is there a menu, or…?"
The waitress yelped in surprise from the question, face flushed with embarrassment. "G-Gah! I-I'm sorry for that l-let me get that for you!" She was about to leave but Sakura stopped her.
"Hold on." She smiled. "I know the menu like the back of my hand, I can let him know."
Shikamaru looked surprised. The waitress still looked flushed. "I-Is that fine with you, sir?" She asked him.
"Yeah, that's fine." He nodded.
"What are you in the mood for?" Sakura asked, tilting her head slightly.
He shrugged. "Surprise me."
Sakura was slightly taken aback from the bold statement. "All righty then." She nodded. "We'll each take #67, please."
"Sure thing, Haruno-san!" The waitress nodded before departing.
"What did you order?" Shikamaru asked from his end of the table.
"You'll see in a bit." She replied before she placed her arms on the table directly in front of her, hand over hand and then leaned forward. "Now tell me, how did the mission go?"
He leaned back. "Ara, ara, why don't you tell me what you already know? Best to not waste your time, after all."
She pouted. "That's no fun." She tilted her head down, causing one of the twin braided bangs that framed her face to shift position just over her right eye.
"Humor me."
"You left early in the morning…" She traced a pattern on the tablecloth. "With Hana Inuzuka and her three canines."
He nodded, allowing her to continue.
She inhaled. "You three met up with Team Gai, didn't get along, got into a fight and won, threw a festival – apparently a great one – and fought against Zabuza Momochi and Haku, your new friend. And then there's the name of the bridge…"
Shikamaru felt his blood run cold. "…you know everything."
Sakura pouted. "I don't know everything, I just know what I know." She rebutted with a wag of her finger.
"Then what is it that you don't know?" Shikamaru leaned in, his heart begin to race.
"Two things."
"Yeah."
"How did you beat Zabuza on the bridge?"
"We hit him hard enough." He tried to play it off.
"While suffering massive gaping wounds from a full hit from Zabuza's sword?" She looked upset. "Don't lie to me."
"You know how we share our chakra network?"
"Yeah, the seals that you three have. Couple years back? I remember."
"Keep this between me and you, will you?" He became serious.
She looked curious, but conflicted. After a moment, she agreed. "I will."
He inhaled. "Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed inside him." He closed his eyes and waited.
He heard her breathe in. "You just found out?"
His eyes burst open and he saw her looking painfully neutral. "Y-You knew…?"
She nodded. "Of course I know." She shrugged. "Probably one of the worst kept secrets in the village, honestly. Then again, not everyone has the kind of resources that I do."
He shook his head and contemplated staying quiet.
"Go on; you were saying?"
The waitress came back, plates on hand. "I'm sorry for the wait; here you go!" She placed the plates on the table, surprising Shikamaru with what they were.
"Cheesecake? In the morning?" He eyed Sakura who just shrugged in return before she dug her fork into the dessert in front of her.
Not being able to fight that type of logic, he followed her example.
When they finished, Sakura took out her wallet and readied several bills, but Shikamaru beat her to it by instantly placing several bills on to the table.
The waitress looked surprised. "I-I don't think we have enough in the register to give you that amount of change; it is the morning, after all."
"Keep the rest as your tip." Shikamaru shrugged. He had money up the wazoo since Kaiza had come through with their payment once they got the Hokage to start a trade partnership between the village and Gatō Company.
"That's a 170% tip, Shikamaru." Sakura stared at the money on the table, her mouth slightly agape. "It's my turn to pay anyways, so let me-"
"Just leave it; I got enough to pay for the next hundred meetings and then some. Ready to go?"
Sakura stood stunned for a moment, before she registered what he said. She nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
They thanked their flabbergasted waitress before leaving but were stopped by a portly man before they got out the door.
"Sakura-chan! How have you been, lass?"
Sakura smiled. "Ah, Gojiro-san! I've been great! And yourself?"
Shikamaru eyed them for a moment as he leaned on the door to keep it open. This was how she worked.
Sakura laughed with the man from an inside joke that only they knew, interesting Shikamaru. It looked like gossip from his point of view, but he knew he was wrong to look at it like that. This girl, Sakura Haruno, this terrifying girl was probably the biggest information broker in the entire elemental nation under the age of seventy just from within the walls of Konohagakure. She was feared and utterly respected by those around her as she knew just about everything going on through the immense connections she's made throughout the years of making friends near the travelling traders that set up their shops in the village market every day.
What she's told him in the past meetings they've had was that her network has reached as far as the Land of Sugar in the South. How she's made contact with others like her over there is beyond him, but she truly was a powerhouse as she received news that may seem trivial to others but were deeply impactful in other areas.
She was also immensely important to his team as well, and due to that they set up this system of information exchange several years ago. He would tell her how well they were developing as a team with up-to-date technique mastery, jutsu learned, styles of fighting, etc. while she did the same in exchange. It was awkward at first, but they learned to not doubt one another or to pull any lies – they both could tell when one was being said.
When she was done extracting information from the man in front of her, she met up with him outside.
"Poor waitress is about to get fired." She shook her head in sympathy.
He frowned but said nothing as they walked.
"And you were saying?" She asked from his right. "You were talking about Naruto, right?"
He shook his head, a no. "If you already know that he's a Jinchuuriki, then the rest of the mission shouldn't surprise you." He took out the neatly folded mission report from his pocket and handed it over to her. "I spent some time updating it just for you. Can't have the Hokage knowing everything now, can we?"
She laughed. "No we don't. Thank you." She accepted it. "Follow me."
And he did.
As they walked, Shikamaru kept an eye on those around them, watching their expressions and gestures turn towards her – some friendly, some timidly, one in anger, and the others with some form of respect for the girl – and she greeted them all kindly. He didn't miss how she would take out a folded piece of noted paper and exchanged them with other's who approached her.
'She's working right now as well…'
She opened the door to a popular Korean BBQ joint that just about everyone in the village was familiar with and was immediately met with a happy greeting from the owner of the place. They exchanged words and papers before he took them to an apparently reserved table as far away from other tables as possible.
"I'm sorry for working when it's our day together." The way she apologized could have been worded better, but he didn't particularly mind.
"It's no problem. Do what you need to do." He smiled.
"Thank you." She smiled back before she placed a single elbow on the table and leaned her head against her arm. "Word around town for the past couple of weeks was that a certain trio went out and became the new owners of the Kanoe Family Grounds…"
"Oh yeah? That's strange."
"As far as I know, that place was worth several million big ones…"
"Sounds about right." He nodded his head.
"How would a trio of genin be able to afford something like that, anyways?" She smiled curiously.
"They might have found a partnership with a multi-billionaire company out there during a mission two weeks ago."
She laughed. "You're so bad at this."
"Shut it."
The food was brought to them on a (very) large silver plate before the coals in the grill in the center of the table were lit, courtesy of the owner.
"Enjoy, Sakura-chan and guest!" He said nicely before departing.
Once he was out of earshot, Shikamaru muttered a feigned hurt, "'And guest?'"
Sakura laughed. "The perks." She boasted.
They cooked the meat in pleasant silence, eating only when the other was going to. She would smile often out of nowhere, he noticed, but then again, he might have also been doing the same thing.
She swallowed the food in her mouth and motioned to him to get his attention. "I nearly forgot to tell you; I have a message for you…"
Uh-oh.
"Is it at least a positive one?"
"…From Kiba."
"So no." He sighed. "Let me hear it."
She inhaled before repeating the message she had been given in the most neutral voice he had ever heard. "Listen to me, motherfucker, you may have escaped from me the other day but just remember that I will find you. And when I find you I'm going to fucking eviscerate your goddamn skull from your shit festering body, you stupid, rotten cunt-sucking, piece of shit, good for nothing sack of human waste. Fuck. You. –With love and kisses, Kiba Inuzuka."
Part of him wanted to shrug the whole thing off, but another part of him wanted to laugh out loud by the way the messenger said the message.
"I added at that last part in, just for you." She admitted sheepishly.
"Oh darn, and here I thought Kiba meant that part." He snapped his fingers in faux disappointment.
"I wouldn't doubt it, considering your…experiences with the other Inuzuka you have met…"
He nearly choked on the meat he was eating.
"I-It's not like that!" He refused it.
She was surprised. "O-Oh, it wasn't? From what I know…" She began.
"It was not like that." He tried again.
"Then tell me what happened." She smiled.
"Why?"
"I'm your informant."
"And?"
"You tell me information and I do the same in return."
"I tell you information on my team, not on things that don't pertain to them."
She frowned. "Sounds like you're hiding something."
"Sounds like you're snooping around for more than just information." He smiled.
She paused.
"Falling in lo-"
Sakura picked up a cooked meat and shoved it into his mouth at a speed he couldn't follow.
"As if."
He swallowed abruptly and laughed.
"I have a mission tomorrow, by the way." Shikamaru stated after a while of silence.
"What a coincidence, so do I."
"Really? With who?"
"Ino and Chouji."
"Which sensei?"
She waited for a second before letting out a flat laugh.
"Sorry."
"It's fine." She shrugged.
"Where is your mission taking you?"
"I don't know yet. Where is yours taking you?"
"Wave, but from there I'm not sure."
"Good to know." She smiled.
"Yeah." He did the same.
They exited the restaurant about two hours later.
"One last stop." Her voice was distant.
He nodded.
They walked together once more, their destination unknown only to him. The sky was still heavily clouded – maybe it would rain, actually, he thought at a whim as he looked up, but when he looked back to the empty street they walked together in, he saw her looking at him with her emerald eyes, he could care less about the weather.
He smiled.
She smiled back.
"We're here." Sakura stated as they stood before probably the most high-end tea café the village had to offer. He didn't know what to think of the place and he might have been lost for a moment or two, because Sakura tugged on his wrist as if to get him to wake up from whatever stupor he was in.
"Ready to go?" She blinked once.
He wasn't sure, but it's not like he could refuse, so he instead nodded slowly. She led the way in, her hand not letting go of his wrist. When they walked in, Shikamaru was hit with what could be described as culture shock from the elegant atmosphere he was suddenly surrounded in.
Marble pillars, exquisite carpentry, jade statues, and a metric ton of artwork lined the establishment at every turn. In the background, tranquil Chinese music by the famed Liu Fang could be heard; her pipa guitar with its spiritually calming sound filled the entire building. Before he realized what was happening, he saw Sakura bow before an old man, who in turn, did the same before she tugged him along to the second floor, where an entire single room awaited them.
"Let's sit down, shall we?"
He remembered nodding.
"This place is nice, huh?" She smiled.
"Y-Yeah, very."
"And the tea is just as good as how this place looks, too." She boasted with experience.
They sat across from one another in the room that only seemed to get bigger and bigger the longer they stayed in.
Was he panicking?
Before he could talk, there was knock on the door from where they entered. It opened and in came a waiter holding what seemed to be a ceremonial tea set, carefully putting the piece down on the short table before them. With his hands free, the waiter opened his yukata and removed what appeared to be a large, fancy glass jug with one large topper atop it.
The waiter bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
"What is that?" Shikamaru asked curiously as he eyed the glass jug.
Sakura smiled and placed a hand on the topper. "Oh, this? This is to help us relax." Sakura stated with a smile before she twisted the top, revealing small holes across the topper. Shikamaru could see a gas seem to leak out of the jar, filling the room.
"Let's have a drink." Sakura filled her glass and then his.
He was nervous about the gas that filled the room, but tried to disregard it. She seemed fine, right?
They drank their tea together.
He lowered his glass, shocked to see after images of his hands doing the motions in front of him. He looked around slowly – or was he looking around at breakneck speed? He couldn't tell as it seemed to be both at the same time. The music in the background went to a screeching halt except for one infinitely continuous note being played.
Sakura smiled in front of him, her image blinking in and out of his point of view. "Oh, iS It hit-ttiNg yoU alrEaDy-y-y-y-y-Y-Y…?" Her voice clipped.
He was about to freak out as the room began to warp in on itself. After-images of the day popped in and out repeatedly. He felt a hand grab on to his, and he saw Sakura next to him, her emerald eyes the only thing that stayed consistent in the state that he was.
"YoUR'e… goING TO bE fINE JusT r-r-r-r-r-relax-x-x-x-x… Br-Br-Br-eathE in AND-D-D-D out-t-t-t-t." Sakura silently screamed into his ear as best she could.
Shikamaru did what she said and slowly the room began to phase back to as normal as it could get in this state.
"Good-d-d boy…" She praised him. "L-L-Let's drink some more tea, what do you…say?"
He nodded.
{xXoxX}
Shikamaru blinked several times and found himself staring at the night sky, thunder rolling in the clouds above.
"You finally come to?" He heard a voice ask above him.
He blinked once, twice and saw Sakura looking at him from above.
"How are you feeling?"
"What the hell just happened?!" Shikamaru bolted from his position against her lap into a sitting one and realized he was in the park from the morning, more specifically, on the bench he had thought about taking.
"You enjoyed my company all day, is all." Sakura smiled as she stayed sitting down against the stone bench.
"At the tea shop – what the hell was that…that gas?!" Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Just a little something to help us relax and enjoy the tea." She replied evenly.
He sighed before breathing in.
"Sit down." She patted the spot next to her. He took it with hesitation. "Today was nice." She stated with a small smile before taking the remaining space between them.
He shuddered, before nodding. "Yeah… it was." Despite the last incident, he couldn't complain. He's been going unconscious more times than he'd like in the past couple of days.
Thunder began to boom above them. They didn't speak for a while.
"Walk a girl home?" She offered.
"Of course." He accepted.
They walked the trail together, side by side, the day they spent together was getting more and more distant the more they walked. The streets were empty; the automated lights were on and bright as they paved their way to their destination that seemed farther away the more they walked.
When they reached the area where she lived, he heard her. "Thank you."
There was never gratitude in these meetings.
"Anytime." He replied.
There was the roar of the thunder above one more time.
When they reached her home, she walked in front of him, her emerald eyes locked on to his. She lowered her gaze before slightly turning towards the door to her house.
An invite?
She smiled, before shaking her head.
A tease…
"I'll see you next month?" He asked rhetorically.
"Sure..." She replied.
Another boom of thunder from above.
"Until then." He turned around to leave.
"…and Shikamaru?"
A drop of water landed on his nose. He turned around and faced her just as a downpour formed above, gracing their humble village.
"I fucking hate you."
They smiled.
Chapter End
Damn! A very Shika-based chapter if I ever typed one!
And what is this? An update? So soon?! My fingers ache!
If you guys could tell, I took a different approach when it came to writing scenes with the women in this chapter, namely, I didn't put in what they were thinking of the situation they were in for comedic effect. I might keep it this way as it opens up a plethora of options I can take advantage of, plus it looks cleaner too.
What did you guys think of this chapter? Were the details – I tried to go all out this chapter – I made too confusing? How about the scenes between Shikamaru and Hana/Sakura?
I enjoyed the hell out of typing the park scene, so I hope you guys enjoyed it also! Drop a review if you enjoyed it!
Oh yeah I also changed the scene break from xxOxx to {xxOxx}, fancy huh?
Review responding time!
[buterflypuss] : I feel you, I really do. The last chapter wasn't my best and it was only a mission. Truth is, that chapter was supposed to be part of this one, but I decided to split them apart. Thank you for constantly reviewing in this story, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.
[shadow gumball of death] : Talk about loyalty, damn. Thank you man for keeping a review constant with every chapter. You've been with me since just about day one, and for that, I can't thank you enough. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
[Reader] : I don't have a clue whether or not you're the same [Reader] that has been leaving all these awesome reviews, but based on the consistency of each one and their supportive messages, I have no choice but to think so. Get an account! You certainly leave probably the most encouraging reviews thanks to how in-depth they are, and I would be interested to read a story that you make. Thanks a ton man, all your suggestions are way too good to pass up on. Thank you once again.
[lilnudger82] : Thanks for the rush of reviews, my friend. It certainly boosts up my morale to keep this story up and running!
[Shinan7] : Welcome aboard! Thank you for taking an interest in this story and I hope to hear more from you in the future!
Thanks for all the beautiful people out there who took the time to read the last chapter, and I can assure you that more is coming!
Next chapter: New mission with ten times the added suspense!
Keep this story running by adding a review! One review per chapter will keep the writer's block at bay!
Thank you for reading, and as always, have a good day.
-TheRedGhillie