Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Ice Picks and Hand Grenades ❯ Several types of storm ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: Since I now own Naruto, I’m gonna put Kiba on a leash *evil grin*

A/N: Please please please tell me if I could do something better! This fic is like my baby right now, and I really don't want it to suck!

CHAPTER SIX: Several types of storm

I love the feeling of the wind brushing my face in the morning, even if it is hard on the eyes and if I stay in one position too long it feels like my cheek is frozen. There’s just something about the way it feels, like it’s embracing you and telling you everything is right in the world. It’s hard to explain, but I suppose you could say it’s a feeling of being complete. It’s a feeling that lets me know that doing absolutely nothing is the only way to be truly at peace.

Then again, maybe I’m just lazy.

But so what if I’m lazy. I’m happy this way.

I wrap my arm around Kiba protectively, feeling very pleased and accomplished when he sighs warmly and nuzzles his face deeper into the crook of my neck. To tell the truth, I hadn’t expected him to stay the entire night with me. But it feels good. I’ve never actually woken up beside someone like this before, his legs entangled with mine, his hand linked up and around my neck, that musky smell that’s only his permeating into the sheets and pillows… ‘she’ never stuck around like this.

There’s a knock on the door. I can feel Kiba stirring slightly… and I lost my train of thought.

“Shikamaru!” Ino says, still too loud, even through the closed door. “Wake up, you lazy good-for-nothing!”

I don’t reply. I mean, why? I roll farther into Kiba, who protests a little at losing his human pillow. Now on his side, he curls into me, the skin to skin contact pretty much absolute. Damn, and he fits so well against me, especially when I hook the ridge of his nose under my chin and I settle a hand on the flat, muscled plane of skin where his ass and hip meet.

“SHIKAMARU! If you’re still sleeping, gods help you I’ll punch you in the teeth so hard you’ll have to shit them out!”

Dammit. “Go away!” I turn my head long enough to spit out my sentence before burying myself in Kiba’s neck.

Click.

The doorknob starts turning… shit! I shoot upright, gathering up the sheets that were kicked down to the foot of the bed. There’s a thud, and Kiba, he’s-

Ino bursts through the door and before I can blink I feel a dull pain to my forehead… a bar of soap? How creative… ergh. And she has quite the accomplished smile pasted on her snide little face. “That’s for calling me a heartless harpy last night, Shikamaru.”

I rub the assaulted flesh briskly, furrowing my brow irritably in her general direction. “I don’t see how that disproves my point.”

Of course, she ignores the comment completely. “Anyway, put on some clothes and meet us in the lobby.” There’s a pause… “Shika-what were you doing in here last night?”

I stare back blankly. “What?”

“Your sheets, it looks like you were fucking a cat or something.” What the fuck is she talking about? I look down when she points, finally noticing the slashed up condition of the sheets below me. I’ll be damned. I didn’t even realize… you’d think I would have felt something like that. “I don’t even want to know.” She turns, waving as she and Chouji head back down the hall, barely remembering to close my door.

That was kinda close. Shit! Kiba…

My eyes dart over to the spot where Kiba had been laying only minutes ago… “Kiba?”

“Itai…”

I knew he’d freaked out when he heard the door open… apparently he’d taken a pretty violent fall to the floor. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I guess so. ‘Something’ definitely hurts, I don’t think it’s from falling, though.” He shoots me a lopsided smile and takes my offered hand to help him back onto the bed.

“Hey, I suggested stopping after the third time, you can’t blame me.”

“Sure I can.” Kiba laughs, lightly. “But you can make it up to me by letting me use your shower.”

I sigh and smile at him, teasingly. “Troublesome.”

I follow him into the bathroom when he tugs on my hand. We’ll be lucky if we end up clean at all.

o.o.o.o.oo.

“Oi! Shika-kun, over here!” Don’t know why he bothers. Moments later he’s come trotting up to me, the infernal nag close at his heels.

“’morning, Chouji, you seem awfully peppy today.” I flash him a quick smile. “Something good happen last night?” I nudge him with my elbow, complimenting it with a suggestive wink. He grins brightly. I take that as a yes. Well, that and his blinding afterglow. “Where do you guys want to go for breakfast? My treat.”

Chouji can’t turn down a free meal and I know it. He slaps me on the back, playfully. “Speakin’ of good moods, Shikamaru!”

“Yeah, speaking of good moods…” Ino’s voice comes from behind, and suddenly I feel a sharp flick to the side of my neck.Ouch, fuckin’ stings! “Ino! What the fuck?” I quickly grasp my neck.

“Oh-ho… this is classic.” I turn to face my assailant, very careful to keep the hint of anger from reaching my features. “Head-in-the-clouds Shikamaru’s got a hickey!” shit-I can’t even respond. She’s practically shouting it to the world… “Oh, look at that!” She gives my collarbone a sharp jab. “There’s another one! And another! Someone was really busy last night!” I simply turn away, knowing that saying something would only make it worse. “To be honest, it’s about time, Shikamaru… so who was it? Is it someone I know?”

“Damn, Ino. You talk too much.” I start walking toward the front door of the hotel, Chouji chuckling only a few steps behind.
“Um, guys?”

My head whips over toward the new voice. Sakura? “Oh, hey.”

She smiles, closing her eyes and shrugging innocently. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Nothing important.” I purposely add a slight snap to my voice as I nod toward Ino.

“Something wrong, Sakura-chan?” Chouji steps up to my side, oddly enough, putting his snacks in his bag.

She blushes, carefully grasping her hands behind her back. Okay, now I’m curious as to where this is going. “Well, Shika-kun, I-I… I know it’s out of the ordinary, but could I tag along with you guys… Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun had to go back early… and… well…”

Hmm… is this really Sakura? I expected more of an Ino quality in her… she seems more like Hinata right now. “Sure, no problem!” Ino throws a fierce arm around Sakura’s neck.

I release a groan. It’s not the company I’m complaining about… all I can think about is my coinpurse. I sure hope Chouji and Ino pick someplace cheap. I don’t have much money as it is between this vacation and my usual bills. Oh well. Even though I hate doing so, I suppose I could just persuade Tsunade-sama to give me a few more missions. After all, as tough as she tries to be, she’s just a grandma at heart.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

“Cheer up, won’t ya? You’re not supposed to be depressed! What happened to blissful and ecstatic Shikamaru? I liked him better.”

Damn… I want him… I…

He wraps a single slick hand around my shaft… I understand. Words are useless… he leans in to kiss me again. Everything about him is so warm… before I can even sit up straight he’s risen up to his knees, positioning himself over me.

Using his own hands as guides, Kiba pushes down firmly, the head of my erection sinking into him. I take hold of his hips, supporting his weight as best as I can.

After only a moments pause he slams down, completely sheathing me in that very warmth I long for-

“Shikamaru? You alive in there?” I blink twice and find myself face to face with two blindingly bright baby blues.
“Aa…”

Ino shifts in her seat several times before finally coming to rest. “That’s just like you! You know, you should really live out here in the real world once in a while, it’s a pretty interesting place.”

I wave my hand dismissively, setting uninterested eyes away from her glares. “Is the food here, yet?”

Ino growls, slapping her hands down on the table as she stands. I can practically see the veins popping from her forehead. “Sakura! I have to go to the bathroom, NOW!” Sakura glances back at her friend, a very innocent look on her face for a moment, as if taken by surprise. “SAKURA!”

“Geez, Ino! You can’t just order me around whenever you feel like it!” Sakura immediately rises to her feet, trailing after Ino as though attached by a string. Their nonsensical arguing continues for a short while, probably until they make it to the bathroom to do whatever it is girls do in there. They sure are loud, sometimes. It makes it kinda hard to tune them out.

I let out a hard sigh and rest my chin on the palm of my hand. “I don’t understand those two. Or any women, for that fact. They’re all fuckin’ insane.”

“Well…” When my gaze finally meets my friend I find his eyes darting around nervously, for whatever reason. “Did you ever think that maybe, if you just talked a little more they wouldn’t think you’re so weird?”

Yeah, but like I care. “How troublesome. If they don’t like me, it’s not my problem. I don’t see why it matters.” I shift my eyes in Chouji’s direction. “I shouldn’t have to change myself for them.”

“I guess you’re right, Shikamaru-kun.” Chouji sighs deeply, twisting his chopsticks absently in his hand. “After all, you were with someone last night. I’m not going to prod too much, but… what’s it like… with a guy?”

Okay. Now he has my attention. I’m not sure what he’s getting at… “Uh… what?”

“I dunno. It’s the look in your eyes, I guess… not to mention the fact you’re completely ignoring Ino-chan and Sakura-chan…” He looks nervous. I guess this whole conversation is awkward to him, no matter how curious he is. I suppose I understand. Chouji’s not into guys, after all. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I’m not gonna prod, like I said.”

“It’s all right, Chouji. I know you’re not gonna tell everyone. Besides, it didn’t mean anything to either of us. He was curious, I was willing, that’s all there is to it. We went at it, shook hands and parted ways this morning.”

“This morning?” He blinks twice. That’s right, he was with Ino this morning when she busted me in the face with that bar of soap. “You-“

“He fell off the bed.”

“He… fell off the bed?”

I wave casually at the comment. “Ino scared him shitless just ambushing us like that. It’s a lucky thing, too. I’d never hear the end of it if she found out.”

Wide eyes. Chouji simply stares at me, taking in the information and carefully processing every word. “How… was it?”

And, well… does he really want to know? We do tell each other everything, I suppose it’s just one of those things. “It was enough to snap me out of the bad mood I was in yesterday.” His eyes are simply locked on my face. There’s no judgment there. In fact, his eyes push toward me, urging me to continue. But what to say? “So, yeah. It was good.”

“What did he look like?”

A let out a breath to suppress a chuckle. “I can’t really go into detail, but I can let you know he was a very good looking guy. Masculine, but pretty at the same time. Very expressive eyes… the most perfectly toned body I’ve ever seen. And, my god his stomach… it’s hard to believe he was a virgin, but I could tell once I-ah…” Chouji’s stopped fiddling with his chopsticks. “Hah. That was a blatantly fanboyish description, no?”

“A little up until the end… So… was it just a one night stand kind of thing?”

“Shika-kun?” The water dripping from his hair looks like glass… I drape my equally wet arms around him, slowly, carefully. This can break. This is fragile… my face buries itself in the warm crevasse between his shoulder blades. He laughs lightly. “Shika-kun, you can let go, you know. I'm not gonna fall apart or anything.”

No, you wouldn't, would you? “You don’t like this?”

I can’t see his face. I want to. “It’s not that, it’s just that… I don’t want to-“

“Don’t want to what?”

He pulls away. The warmth disappears and my skin feels cold. “We’re friends, Shika-kun. Don’t take this personally, but… I don’t want this… to ruin that.”

“I know, Kiba… but right now, I need this.” I bite my tongue. “As soon as we pass through that door, that’s all… I just want you to know, I had fun. You’re a quick learner and you’ll have no problem finding a loved one out there.”

Another laugh. “Behind closed doors you’re a teddy-bear, Shikamaru. I wonder what everybody else would say if they saw this side of you? Or that kinky side I didn't know you had. I bet even the Third would be rolling in his grave. Teddy-bear-Shishi-chan. Catchy, ne?”

Gah. “Thanks. I think my cock just shrunk a good three inches.”

“Hah! That makes me bigger than you, now!” He leans back against my shoulder, sporting that ever-charming cocky grin of his.

I risk a smile. “Yeah, well, we should get going, soon, I have a breakfast date to keep with Chouji and Ino. We’ve been up here way too long, anyway.”

He sighs. “Yeah…” he starts to rise up, but instead of taking to his feet he simply spins around to face me, his head tilting downward. I don’t know what that expression means, Kiba. Don’t look at me in a way I can’t read. “Sometime… we should do this again… if we get bored or whatever.”

“Well, it might eventually be a two nighter, but yeah, I suppose you could say that. It’s healthy to have a fling or two, ne?”

“Yeah. Not that I’d know.”

But I thought… “You were with someone last night?”

“Yeah. I said I didn’t know anything about flings.” Oh…
“Well then, if it’s a serious thing, who’s the lucky girl?” I raise one eyebrow suggestively, returning my chin to it’s post on the palm of my hand.

Chouji smiles widely, grinning nearly from ear to ear. “Ino.”

“Ino? Really? Good for you! It’s about time the two of you hooked up. I’ve been expecting it forever. Since we were, I dunno, twelve?”

“I liked her back then, but-I thought she was gonna end up with you.”

You’ve gotta be kidding. That harpy? “Naw, she reminds me too much of my mother. I’d rather not bang a chick that reminds me of mom. It just seems creepy to me.”

“Anyway, speaking of banging, did you catch a name, Shika-kun?” He smiles, a genuine smile that calms my nerves a little.

Oh yes. He has a name all right. “I’m itching to tell you, but I promised I wouldn’t-“

“-because she’s embarrassed by you, huh?” Dammit. They’re back. And smeared across that snide face is a grin I wish I could just wipe off. “Then again, it probably isn’t even a girl… since you up and kissed Kiba last night.”

I shift my head so my ear settles onto my hand. “Gods, Ino. Are you STILL talking?”

Ino pauses momentarily, looking up at the ceiling as if attempting to catch a thought. “Speaking of Kiba… I heard through the grapevine that Shino’s gonna make his move today.”

I roll my eyes. “Can’t you keep out of ANYBODY’S business?”

“No, I can’t. You got a problem with that?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, that’s just too bad.” She smiles, almost taunting me to continue the argument further. I hate it when she does that. It’s so… so… troublesome.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Five minutes later, it started to rain.

It rained all through our meal. We waited longer than we should have, hoping the rain would stop. The rain isn’t going to stop. It’s only gotten worse. Chouji and Ino went off on their own, deciding that a little rain wouldn’t stop them from getting back to the hotel on time. I, however, made the mistake of trying to wait out the storm.

Now the rain looks like it would pelt your back with marbles, not to mention the wind, howling and whistling between who knows what, eradicating the silence with eerily hypnotizing music that shrouds the world between the raindrops with mist. The world seems a graveyard. A sad place where there is no rest to be had, nothing to cling to. It’s beautiful in a way. So solitary that I feel like an intruder with every step. Like… maybe I’m the only person in the world who appreciates this…

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I’m a sucker for scenery.

…Maybe I don’t hate the rain after all.

Kiba runs his fingers through my hair gently, carefully rinsing away any lingering remnants of shampoo…and… I can’t help but collapse back into him, feeling an odd sense of comfort and protection between his arms. I’m so used to holding on… being held feels so much different. So alien. It almost scares me. But he’s taller than me… it only makes sense that he should hold me when we stand.

As Kiba wraps his strong arms around my waist I just want to run away… or cry… or maybe just turn into him and accept everything… I don’t really know which.

Men aren’t supposed to feel any of these things, are they?

He whispers my name quietly, gently rubbing the tip of his nose behind my ear. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Should I say something? Do something? Just stand here…

I don’t know if I can move. I really don’t…

I don’t know if I want to…

“Shikamaru-kun…”

I feel a brief chill the instant my body moves away from the flow of the showerhead, pushed forward up against the cold hard tile surface of the wall. We stand there for a moment, neither one of us moving, myself barely breathing… his hand reaches forward, stroking against the skin of my inner thigh. This is strange to me… I don’t know what to do but to lean back into his kisses, accept the warmth he offers…

Even if I don’t understand.

I feel a mildly familiar trailing down my lower back, the very end digit of a finger running down between mounds of flesh before settling somewhere that only myself and one other person has ever dared venture.

He meets no resistance as his finger pushes through. I know better than that. I press my cheek against the tiled wall, regulate my breathing, and close my eyes. This part is okay. There’s nothing strange about this sensation, and I feel myself calming very quickly.

I don’t know how strange it must seem that this feels normal while even the simple action of being held in another’s arms scares me to the point I can hardly breathe.

“Ah… Kiba…” I speak without thought, letting everything but the sensation go numb…

And suddenly, without any warning, he pulls away.

“I… I can’t do it, Shika… I just can’t… I want to so bad… but…” I turn back towards him, momentarily oblivious of the confused look on my face. He has a defeated smile on his lips, eyes furrowed in apology. “It’s not you, I want to… it’s just… the way you look when you say my name like that… I know that if I do this I’ll end up addicted to you… and I can’t do that.”

I let my head fall back, thousands of tiny water droplets assaulting my cheeks and closed eyes. “Mm, makes sense.”

Makes perfect sense. I flick my cigarette butt out the door, watching the tiny spark disappear from existence. And so all the light in the universe is that much dimmer. “Sakura… I’m tired of watching the rain.”

Sakura turns toward me, sluggishly, moving as though awakened from a shallow sleep. Her half lidded eyes suggest the same. “Hmm? Already?”

“Let’s get back to the hotel.” I rise to my feet without hesitation, making sure to set my eyes toward Sakura indifferently. I stand motionless for a moment or two, releasing an exaggerated sigh to declare my impatience. “Sakura?”

“It looks cold.”

I sigh and put the heel of my hand on my temple. I’m not irritated or anything, but seriously, I’d rather we just go. Why do girls always insist on talking? “It is cold. It’s been raining for a while, as I’m sure you noticed. But that’s exactly why we should get back to the hotel as soon as possible.”

She smiles, almost nervously, a faint strain evident in the crease of her brow. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

I don’t freakin’ understand women. I’ve said it a hundred times, and I’m sure I’ll say it a hundred more.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Of course, the rain is unpleasant. I must have been crazy thinking like I was before, about it being nice, or beautiful or whatever. This sucks. It's cold, my clothes are wet and I feel like a drowned rat.

After walking for nearly twenty minutes, Sakura and I clamor towards a tree with a bit of dry ground beneath, hoping-just hoping that we can get away from the wind as well. It’s a long shot, I know, but anything has to be better than this.

If I haven’t caught cold by the end of this trip, gods help me I must be impervious to all harm.

“Even if it is kinda cold… the rain looks nice, doesn’t it?” Sakura glances toward me, her eyes shifting even as her body remains still. “I mean, it looks peaceful, don’t you think?”

Ignoring my mind's outcry for protest, I nod lightly. “Yeah. Peace is a fragile thing. That’s what makes it beautiful.”

I can feel her chakra warm beside me. “You say that so well.”

“Yeah, whatever.” My eyes close with a sigh and I lean back against the tree. My skin feels so cold and all the hairs on my arms are on end… but somehow, it still feels good. Not to mention how relaxing the smell of rain seems to be, mixed with its rhythmic sound that varies in pitch depending on what it hits.

This is so much different from last night, even though in ways it’s eerily alike. When we make it back to the hotel, I’ll-

What the hell is this warmth?

Shit… Sakura’s hands are on my chest, and I don't even have a moment to react before her lips are on mine. This isn’t right. In fact this is wrong. Terribly wrong! When I regain my own string of thoughts I give her a firm but nonviolent push, holding her shoulders an arms length from my body. “What are you doing?”

The pink haired nin stares back at me blankly, for a moment, big doe eyes focusing directly toward me. If she’s at a loss for words, she best find them because if that’s the case I’m not going to stick around. In fact, I might even start running-there’s this big nasty ball in my gut that’s telling me if I don’t get out of here soon I might start vomiting.

“Shi-shikamaru… why?”

“This is wrong!”

“Do I disgust you or something?” Her eyes have turned pleading. Why this? Why now?

“No, Sakura! That’s not it!”

“Please, then. Please, don’t say things like that. I’m so sick of all this and I want you to just… just stay with me for a little while. Even if you can’t do it in public, or if you just stay with me until you find someone else, please!”

She’s sobbing… oh fuck… I can’t do this.

“Look, Sakura. You don’t want someone like me, I’d be a terrible boyfriend, I can assure you of that. I’m not the kind of guy who’s gonna go dancing, or take you out to dinner, or buy you nice things for no particular reason. You know me, Sakura.”

Sakura pushes my hand away from her shoulder, not wanting to look me in the eyes. “I want to go out with you, even if it’s only once or twice! I don’t care if you call yourself lazy or whatever, because I know you’re not!”

“I am! You need to see what I’m trying to say, here! I have my reasons, and I’m not going to love you! You should be with someone who loves you, Sakura! You deserve that. Go ask out someone like Lee! Hell, he’s twice the man I am.” I pause, regrouping my senses. “He can make you happy, Sakura. He can do for you what I can’t. He can make you happy, and he can love you.”

“Why won’t you give me a chance, Shikamaru! What’s wrong with me?” her eyes clench shut. Don’t cry again, gods don’t cry.

I shut one eye and turn my head. “Sakura, I’m not going to go out with you. I’m not going to stab my friend in the back like that.”

“Y-your friend?”

I turn to look at her. Her eyes have cleared. Good. “Yeah, I told you before. I’m not trying to hurt you, I just don’t understand why you and Lee aren’t together by now. He’s loved you the whole time." I pause. Anything to clear this awful knot in my stomach... "You shouldn’t be alone Sakura… you shouldn’t be alone when, waiting for you all along… was someone who truly cherishes you. Someone who lives for you and you alone, someone who would gladly die for you…” A shock erupts through my body. It almost makes me want to smile-In some sick sadistic sort of way.

“Shikamaru…” She steps toward me, slowly, her eyes soaked in sorrow. “I’m sorry-I-I didn’t know…” Her hand comes from nowhere, softly touching my cheek. “I understand now. I never knew you felt this way... I...Shikamaru-kun, I didn't know you felt so alone.”

What does she mean by that? I don’t understand! I don’t understand a single bit of this! Sure, my chest feels tight, but it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t mean I’m alone! I have friends, family, people who care for me! I don’t understand at all!

“Don’t worry, Shikamaru-kun. I know you really do have best wishes for me. And you’re right. I should be with Lee.” She takes a deep breath and looks directly into my face with sympathetic eyes. “But… know that I have the same wish for you. You too deserve happiness, we all do. But… but it saddens me to see that in here-“ Her finger rests on the wet fabric fold in the center of my chest. “-you truly believe that happiness will never come. I didn’t see it before, but your eyes… are so empty when you look at me.”

Turning quickly, Sakura walks back into the rain, her pace quick and assured. I still don’t understand how it is… that women seem to know me better than I do.

sxkxsxkxsxkxsxkxsxk

A/N: Eheheheh…whoops, got a little out of hand with those flashbacks, not to mention the unexpected sap scene with Sakura(maybe laid it on a little too thick, ne?)… therefore making this… the longest chapter yet! (I think...)

But, I've been watching through the Naruto anime again, and the whole Sakura thing is eerily similar to her conversation with Sasuke the night he leaves the village. I didn't mean to do that, but at least that means my Sakura isn't way too OOC.

Don't forget to review so I won't suck as bad next time.

NEXT TIME:

Every gardener knows that when growing roses, smaller buds and flowers are cut away so the existing blooms will grow to be larger and more beautiful. A person who lives life, though they do not know it, does the same. But what happens when instead of cutting the bud the bloom is cut by accident? Must the gardener then cut away the bud and be left with nothing? Or must he simply wait, hoping with no guarantee that the bud will bloom to be more beautiful than the rose…