Deep End (ShikamaruXOC)

18.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been out; I just knew that upon waking up I found myself in a leaf hospital bed with a nurse diddling about in the room. As soon as I made the slightest sound of being awake she had gasped and told me to stay put while she ran out of the room. Her and a few more nurses along with a doctor had come rushing into the room, it was a blur of hands and IV's and voices as they searched for anything wrong with me. After a while the doctor turned to the nurses and told them quietly to leave.

His large blue eyes looked at me kindly, "Choi? How are you feeling?"

My voice sounded almost foreign to myself, "I feel...depleted. Abnormal."

He nodded and wrote a couple notes on his clipboard, "That's pretty normal after what you've been through. Quite honestly I'm surprised you're not dead."

I shrugged slightly, the motion almost exhausting, "Why do I feel like this?"

The man stood, he was rather tall, "Choi what you did to save the leaf...almost destroyed any trace of chakra you have."

I could only stare, did this mean I would recover in a few weeks like Kakashi did years ago? No. Imaba had said my power would leave me. This meant I would recover to only be capable of tai jutsu, like Lee. The doctor said something to me, but I didn't hear him, too lost in my own thoughts. As he exited the room though, a new figure appeared.

"Choi."

"Shikamaru."

He made his way over to my bed and sat down on the edge, his face pointed towards the floor, "What were you thinking?"

"I needed to save the leaf. Everyone I care about."

His teeth grit and I could see the emotion building up within him, "You could have died."

"And it still would have saved everyone."

He turned to face me now, his eyeline becoming watery, "They wanted to use your power to destroy everything and you just let them have it!?"

I flinched at his tone, "There was something wrong with all of them, while they were here. They wouldn't have hurt me, they just needed something from me that was theirs to begin with."

Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief, "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"You don't have to," I sighed, "but I have been wondering something."

His chocolate brown eyes looked into mine pleadingly, "What is it?"

"Are you okay? I used my 'power' with you."

At this his eyes widened slightly and he seemed to visibly calm, "Yeah...better than ever actually knowing that you're okay. Choi...I'm sorry."

Attempting to sit up slightly I winced, but managed, "How could you play with my feelings like that when everyone I loved was in danger?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "What? I—oh no, Choi it wasn't like that at all."

I could feel my own eyes becoming watery, remembering the hurt of being led on by the very man I'd come to realize held my heart, "You used my vulnerability to distract me."

He effusively shook his head, "No, Choi I swear it wasn't like that. I—"

Before he could finish the door had opened to reveal Lord Sixth, "Shikamaru. May I have a moment with Choi?"

Shikamaru sighed irritably and nodded before getting up to leave the room for the Hokage and I, my tears now silently falling.

Kakashi walked over and stood beside me, looking at me with sorrowful eyes, "Choi, I understand from the doctor that you almost completely depleted your chakra. We will take excellent care of you here until we feel you can be discharged and we can rebuild your strength again. I've determined that we must never use that jutsu of yours again, and—"

It wasn't like me to interrupt, but I couldn't hold it back, "I don't have ninjutsu anymore. I never did."

His one dark eye widened, "What?"

"Also, I'll need a new name. Just my last name. Unima belongs to them."

His confusion only furthered, "Them? Choi what are you saying?"

I broke down what happened in the dream like world I was in with Imaba and everything that had transpired. Making sure to touch on the fact my power wasn't my own, it was stolen along with my last name. I told Kakashi, when I recovered I would be like Lee. Not that being like Lee was terrible, but it meant I would be different than before. I would no longer be the same ninja for quite some time. We talked about my recovery and how he would find me a new identity, but in the meantime I was just Choi and that would be fine given that it seemed the conflict had ended. As soon as he left I could see Shikamaru about to come in again, only a nurse had stopped him insisting I'd had enough visitation for the day and needed to rest. I was thankful she did, I wasn't sure how much more I could handle the hurt in my chest from being around Shikamaru. That, and I truly had grown tired despite only just waking up. I'd been out for five days and I was still exhausted.

***Time Skip because recovery time is boring***

The doctor had finally said I could be discharged from the hospital after a solid two weeks of recovery, though on doctors orders I would have to have plenty of physical therapy. I was quite alright with that given that I wanted to focus more on my physical strength now that it was all I had. Shikamaru had tried to visit me almost every day, bringing flowers and little notes from my friends who couldn't make it that day, but I pretended to be asleep almost every time. I didn't have the strength to have that conversation with him, not there. He brought different colored hydrangea's every time, it almost hurt more that he would get my favorite flowers.

Now I was out though, the fresh air felt amazing and the leaf looked just about fully restored to it's former glory.

"Choi!"

I turned my head to the source of my name being called to find a long blonde ponytail quickly coming to my side, "Ino?"

Her eyes glistened slightly as she took me in, "Oh Choi I'm so sorry I couldn't come visit you before you were released, I was so worried though! Shikamaru told me everything, so you're really unable to have ninjutsu?"

Kakashi must've told Shikamaru everything I told him; he is his advisor after all I guess. I winced at the sound of his name, "Yeah...just tai jutsu for me. All that matters is that the leaf is safe and I'm alive to see it."

She nodded effusively and walked with me as I headed back to my apartment, "You're right."

As we walked, she told me about how her and Sai had been doing as an official couple and that Naruto and Hinata had gotten engaged. It was sounding like it was going to be quite the celebration, I know Neji would have loved to be here. She didn't mention Shikamaru again, which I was thankful for, but it was almost suspicious how she avoided the topic of him. Maybe she knew the heartbreak he had put me through and was just trying to be a good friend. As we arrived to my apartment, I saw a large display of blue hydrangeas surrounding my door.

"Ino..."

She held her hands up in false surrender, "I'm not allowed to say anything I was just the person who accepted the money for them. I'll see you later Choi."

With that she quickly ran off, leaving me to whatever all this was supposed to be, I sighed having a feeling who was behind it all. Unlocking my door I walked into my apartment that looked absolutely spotless. There was a vase on my coffee table that held a singular yellow lilac and standing on the other side was a certain shadow ninja that still stirred my heart like no other. His eyes looked into mine pleadingly as he slowly stepped towards me seeing as I was frozen on the spot.

When he finally got close enough that our chests were a mere inch apart, he sighed, "Choi."

"Shikamaru."

His head dipped down and he connected his lips onto mine in a kiss that made butterflies erupt in my stomach. How could he not know he's everything I have ever wanted?