Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Ice Picks and Hand Grenades ❯ Set It Free ( Chapter 17 )

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

Disclaimer: I like cheese.

Chapter Seventeen: Set it Free

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

Handing in my mission report takes less time than usual, as whatever gods of misfortune laugh at me from their thrones. We had returned almost exactly as it hit seventeen hundred hours. About now the mission room is winding down, but a few hours from closing. And of course the one time I don't get here around rush hour...

I hand off my report to a stocky brunette chuunin I've never met before, though I know I've seen him around, and reluctantly head toward my next destination-the only barbershop I've ever been to, my mother's house.

That too is uneventful. We chat about this and that, mainly missions and the students in my classes I haven't taught in weeks, nothing really detailed. And anything personal I conveniently leave out. Not that she doesn't try to pry, being a woman and all, but I'm pretty good at only telling half the story.

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

But you know, after leaving the family prefecture, I feel somewhat less apprehensive. I guess it's a good thing, every once in a while, I mean, not having to think. Not to mention it's amazing what a good haircut can do for your outlook on a day.

Walking down the road to my apartment I happen across Ino and Chouji, who are buying groceries for the Yamanaka family's weekly get together. And probably a thing here and there extra, knowing Chouji's shopping habits.

"Hey Shikamaru, back early?" Ino beams, shifting her weight to her left leg.

"Yep." I put a hand on my hip. "Gah, I almost forgot about today..."

"Yeah, time for the family dinner. Mom gave me a list about a mile long this week."

I nod. "Your parents must be thrilled that the two of you finally got together."

This time it's Chouji who answers, chuckling warmly. "They're already looking for wedding bells."

"Parents." I say, a smile shifting to the corner of my lips.

"I know. Where you heading?"

I shrug. "Home. I've got some instant ramen and a balcony with a great view waiting for me."

"You don't want to join us for dinner?" Ino tilts her head.

"Nah, don't want to intrude. Maybe some other time."

Ino's expression suddenly takes a one-eighty. "Okay, Shika. Spit it out. You're not avoiding Kiba again, are you?"

"No. Lee. He's trying to play matchmaker on me." Chouji laughs in the background. "I made the blatant mistake of telling him I'm single and not looking."

Ino cringes visibly. "Ouch. Tough luck. He's persistent, I'll give him that, but as for-"

"There you are!" I too find myself cringing as I catch the sound of that overzealous voice.

"Oh...hi, Lee..." My head drops a little. Of course, he has to catch me in between things, the only time I can't really see him coming and take cover. Ugh... troublesome.

"I went to your apartment, but you weren't there, yet," My friends back away slowly. Traitors.

Ino waves a hand, grabbing onto Chouji's arm like she's ready to make a run for it. "Uh, sorry Shikamaru, we've, uh, gotta get this stuff back to my dad or he'll pitch a fit... ya know..."

I let out a long sigh. Yes, what good friends you are. I can't believe they wouldn't even stick around to soften the blow. Not like they'd have to go with or anything. So much for loyalty. "Lee, please, not now. I don't feel like dealing with this."

"Nonsense!" He exclaims, giving me a firm, slightly painful, slap on the back. "Now, come on! Time to get you ready for your big first date!" And let Lee give me a makeover? Oh gods...

"Eh-eh, could you stop tugging me, please?"

"Only if you stand up and walk!"

"Can we just skip the whole getting ready thing? Or just not do this at all? I don't like dating, its troublesome, gets in the way of-"

Lee stops, putting his free fist to his chest. "I made a promise and I will do whatever it takes to see it fulfilled!" Oh, this is freakin' hopeless. I roll my head once, and the gesture is returned with a sharp tug. Ya know, I bet if I tried to pry his fingers off my arm at this point it would be like pulling out of a crocodile's jaws. I let my arm go limp and sigh hopelessly as I get to my feet. I suppose the only thing left is to get it over with...

Damn it.

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

For being a blind date, Lee sure does want to go all out. Flowers, dressy clothes, and a fancy restaurant I really shouldn't be trying to fit in my budget. I mean hell, on my teaching salary, I barely make enough to cover rent. At least I have a stockpile of instant ramen at home, and the mission I just finished got me a little cash... I can probably stretch it out for two weeks or so. So what, I'll probably lose a good five pounds and be pretty cranky for a while... if I just pay for her dinner, don't get anything for myself and cut back on a few little things I can probably afford it... gah, budgeting. Pain in the ass. Why is my life so freakin' complicated? What happened to simplicity?

I shift my eyes to see Lee staring right at me with a big grin on his face. How unnerving. I rest my chin on the palm of my hand and flatten my eyes in boredom. "What?"

"They're here!"

I sigh and shift my head so I'm gazing at the wall. I feel a slight vibration in the bottoms of my feet as a chair scoots out beside me. Now I guess I get to see who I'll be rejecting/rejected by tonight. I tilt my head back, nonchalantly. Hmmm. This is a surprise. Hinata. Lee probably thought 'oh, she's cute quiet and smart'... I guess it could be worse, heh. But funny thing is that's exactly the opposite of everything I seem to be attracted to. Doesn't that figure. Try to match personalities and end up with a big strike. But how could Lee know that if I ever dated her we'd sit there in awkward silence for hours and never progress? I mean... really.

Well, I guess I'm getting it over with, so as annoying as it is, it really really could be worse... I suppose. When the waiter comes over, I throw caution to the wind you could say and actually decide to order a small bowl of soup. Which, of course is the cheapest thing on the menu. Sakura has the nerve to give me 'the look', but I simply flash her back my usual bored expression.

It's going to be a long night... I know exactly how it will end, too...

The least I can do is walk her home when Lee and Sakura disappear into the night and silence falls... again. Complete utter silence. Not that we said a word during the date, but at least then our companions did enough talking that it wasn't as blatantly obvious. We walk at a good, casual pace, the soft scraping of my feet mismatched by the light almost inaudible thudding of hers. Question is, how do I break the silence and spit out what I have to?

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?" I'm yanked from my thoughts... To tell the truth, I don't even know what Lee just said... but I'm not going to try and fake it, either. Haven't been listening for who knows how long.

"You okay?"

I smile. "Yep. Just daydreaming, nothing unusual."

Sakura flashes me 'the look' again. Man is this starting to pick at me. "Shikamaru, you're on a date, be respectful and keep your elbow off the table."

I do as instructed, but not without a groan. "You sound like my mother."

Her eye seems to twitch with my words. "Well it's not my fault you're acting like a five year old!" Yes, still a spitting image of my mother in bitch mode.

"Guys! Guys! Guys! I appreciate your youthful fire, but let's please get along! We're all friends, here!" I shrug. Wasn't trying to start anything, anyway. Not my fault Sakura is PMSing.

Food arrives only a moment later, the various dishes moved from their place on the cart to their proper position on the table.

"It's always the same thing..." Sakura says, after pausing to put her hands together and bow lightly to the waiter. "Maybe this was too soon. I mean, you two just got back and..."

"Nonsense!" Lee says as if spouting some sort of absurd proclaimation... like he usually does. "Youth never rests! And we all know there's no time like the present!"

I sigh, turning my head away. "I'm usually at home sleeping by now."

Lee's eyes go wide, which I realize is sort of redundant, but whatever. "What? It's barely past dark!"

"Yeah, well I sleep a lot. Especially after missions."

This statement is followed closely by an awkward pause of conversation before an equally awkward voice pipes up to break it. "I-it's okay. I already promised... Shino and Kiba we'd go to the-the fireworks display tonight." Hinata shuffles in her chair, like she wants to say something more but thinks better of it.

"Oh, that's right. Tonight at midnight the fall festival starts!" Sakura smiles, her face glowing ever so slightly from the excitement. "We should go. You want to, Lee?"

"I wouldn't miss it!" A fist thrust exuberantly in the air before he remembers where he is and slides back into his chair with an apologetic look brushing across his face. Not that everyone in town wouldn't be expecting it. Doubt anyone even noticed. But immediately, as if to heal the wound, Lee smiles and flashes his nice guy pose. "How about it, Shikamaru?"

Again I find myself shrugging. "Eh. I've seen fireworks before. I can miss it."

"What a party pooper." Sakura frowns with the statement, looking somewhat like a spoiled child that doesn't get her way.

"It would be too troublesome to hike all the way out to the lake, is all. I can probably see them through my bedroom window, anyway."

Lee's eyes glitter back at me in a way that is both disturbing and a little frightening. I don't wanna know. I really don't. I glance up at the clock. It's already past twenty three. Time sure does fly some days. Though I'm usually not so lucky.

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

Half an hour passes without a hitch, and everyone simply says their goodbyes... quickly and with a minimum of theatrics from the king of drama.

When we exit the door of the restaurant, Shino and Kiba... and surprisingly Neji, are there to pick up Hinata. It's kind of a relief that I won't have to walk her back to the Hyuuga mansion, or to bring up the fact that she was obviously only on this date as a favor to Sakura. Saves me one hell of a headache. But it's okay. Not like I've ever clicked with Hinata on any sort of level. I mean, we say we're friends, but I couldn't tell you the last time we had a conversation or even hung out.

I stroll home lazily, and even a few steps down the street I can already hear the distant pop of fireworks and the faint low pitched hum of a crowd cheering on the edge of earshot. So of course I head the opposite direction of the noise, through a street that is barely populated to my home. And even when I reach my apartment steps I can hear cheering from up above. Doesn't surprise me. A lot of people prefer to watch from the rooftops instead of making the trek almost across town. It's all right. I can sleep through it. Done it before, will do it again.

I don't know what it is, exactly, but fireworks just aren't as spectacular as they used to be. When I was little I never would have missed this, but as time went by I got older and lazier, finding more joy in a shogi board than any displays or festivals. You'd think living a ninja's life, constantly on the edge of death that such things would be welcome distractions-reminders that there's still life outside of battle, but I don't know. Maybe something inside me just doesn't accept that knowledge. But taking such things for granted? Nah. They've just gotten repetative is all. The way I see it, sleeping and lounging around as much as I can is the ultimate expression of living. When you lay around doing absolutely nothing, only then can you truly appreciate the fact that you exist. With no distractions, existing becomes a beautiful thing. When you live life like there's no tomorrow, hustling and bustling doing all that, you never get to really settle down and realize that you're alive.

So, well, I know I won't be ready for death when it decides to come for me, but if I live like there's no tomorrow every day... one day I'll be right.

But it's not like I wouldn't have gone had Ino or Chouji asked me to go. I guess when push comes to shove I don't like to go it alone, and I don't like to be an extra wheel.

I climb up the stairs with a lagging step, and when I reach my house I unlock the door and push it open, listlessly. Pretty tired. I reach my room at what seems a snail's pace and make my way to the bed, kicking and pulling off my clothes along the way, leaving them wherever they decide to fall. Tomorrow the actual festival starts. That's a nice thought. That means my vacation away from my classes is extended a little longer... and I've got time to sleep in.

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

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." A voice cuts in from nowhere, snapping me from sleep in the worst possible way. I blink a few times, but the sunlight doesn't seem to be hitting me in the eyes like it normally would. So when I turn toward the window, I'm not overly surprised to find a shinobi wearing the signature white and red mask of Anbu hanging upside down from my windowsill. This early? It seems like something the Hokage would do. I wave the man away and pull my pillow over my face before rolling onto my side. "I've got a message for you, from Hokage-sama." He drops lightly into the room. "You should really lock your windows at night." Ignore. "Here's your-what the?"

I pull my sheet up further. "I should have warned you. Don't come in through the window. It's trapped." I sit up slowly, lazily rubbing the sleep from my eyes before glancing toward the window. Wrapping the sheet up around my waist and walking up beside the man, I can't help but smile. "That's why you knock first."

"Just let me out." Hah. He sounds a little irritated, now. I place my hand on the wall beside the window, and slowly a purple seal starts to appear. It glows for only a moment before shattering in something akin to an electric glitter. "So that's what my son was talking about." The Anbu rubs his wrists briskly, obviously glad to have his mobility back.

"Yeah. I put shadow snaps in the windows and door in my classroom too. Less troublesome that way. So what message do you have for me?"

The Anbu whips out a scroll from who knows where, poofing out the instant my fingers wrap around it. I toss the scroll on my bed, then head to my bureau to find some clothes. Knowing Tsunade, I'm going to have to get out of the house as soon as possible. So much for those extra hours of sleep I was going to get today. I unroll the scroll with a single flick, and of course it's a mission. I'm supposed to... escort the ambassadors from Sand back home? Hah! This has got Temari's stink all over it.

Eh. So what. They probably got their pick and choose from all the off duty ninja. TenTen will probably be there, and one or two others. It's a pain, sure, but at least it's better than your typical escort mission. If we run into trouble we won't have to be protecting defenseless citizens. It sucks to try to worry about someone else's ass when you're trying to save your own. But since that's not the question and we aren't supposed to worry about supplies, per instruction, I can still go outside and relax for a few hours before I have to head for the gate.

I close the door behind me, sharply, but when I look down the stairs all I see is trouble. "Lee, please give it up. I'm not in the mood."

Lee simply grins and gives me the thumbs up. "Not to worry, my youthful friend! I was just looking for a followup on last night!" I start down the stairs, dropping all hope and leaving a sigh linger in the air. "Date number two is almost a sure fire!"

"Look, Lee. I appreciate you trying and all..."

His expression faintly drops. "You didn't like her?"

"What I'm trying to say is, well Hinata's just not my type, and I'm not really hers. And, you don't have to worry about me, I can find a date on my own. Besides, it was pretty clear she was only there as a favor to Sakura. No hard feelings, man."

Lee stops to think for a moment. "Well, I can find someone else, I'm sure of it! I'll get you another date in no time!"

Gods, does he even listen? I cross my arms. Frustrating. "Lee, I have a mission today. I don't have time for this and I'm well... kind of almost seeing somebody already."

"What!" Lee seems taken aback momentarily. "This is wonderful news! A little sudden... but" He looks down, thoughtfully thumbing his chin. "What a strange thing... did I succeed, or does this count as a failure?"

I assume that tone is 'Lee under his breath'. "Neither, I guess." I shrug.

"Well then I wish you and your mystery woman the best of luck and..." Something about the springtime of youth and everlasting something.. he runs off quickly enough that I can't quite make it all out. But okay. I get the point. But why did I go and tell Lee something like that? Me and Kiba aren't... are we? No, he said he doesn't really like guys, he just likes messing around... curious, I don't get it. Guess I never will. I lean against the railing and spill my lungs in a single sigh. Some days... I should just stay in bed.

I push myself away from the rail, even if I don't want to anymore, and start walking.

kxsxkxsxkxsxkxsxkxsxk

A/N: Progress? Maybe? No? I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

NEXT TIME:

Like a wheel time rolls on, like a warrior taking no prisoners. Where we begin and where we end, sometimes it is hard to diffrentiate, and often when we figure it out its too late. But to begin at all, that's the real beauty of it. To understand, that is the goal. We trek on, doing only as we can, and only what we will. Know no bounds. Press forward despite the enemies faced. Continue to live life on this wheel. Crush not those that lay before you.

And remember the importance of this statement. 'Collect no moss...But be careful, or you may not collect anything at all.'