The Time I became Queen (Naruto Fanfiction/ Kakashi's Daughter) Discontinued

The Time Haji Became Smarter Than Shikamaru

It's cold...

Haji's eyes opened slightly only to be met by darkness, he stood up from his laying down position onto his feet. Looking around he noticed he was able to see himself but, like his hands and feet, those sorts of things and his breath, everything else was nothing but black, so he did what his gut told him to, walk.

He walked for what seemed like hours, without even to appear to be moving at all. There was no light, anywhere, nothing. No matter where he stepped it was as though he wasn't moving at all. He stared down at his hands as they became numb from the cold, sadness coating his eyes, than a voice came.

Not just one... but several.

Screaming of pain invaded its way to his hearing, he winced holding covering his ears to get rid of the treacherous sounds but to no avail. The memories of the kingdoms down fall came into his sight, even when he shut his eyes it was there. He screamed for it to stop but it continued for hours, replaying in his mind.

He lie on the ground of nothing on his side, his hands and arms blue, numb, frozen. Most of his body he couldn't move as the cold devoured him. Haji's eyes emotionless and dull, his breath could short and calm, the images still flashing in his mind and he just began to accept it as his fate.

Haji closed his eye waiting for it to end, he waited. Than there was a short giggle, his eyes snapped open. It was Sakura, she was laughing and asking questions than she was pushed out of the way by Ino and they began to argue. There was a sign of annoyance, the image moved from the two girls onto a boy with black hair pulled back, "Can't I get any sleep?" he asked no one in particular glance at Sakura and Ino and looked at Haji sighing once more, "Troublesome women..." he mumbled putting his head back down on his desk falling asleep.

Haji remembered this, it was his first day at the academy and some of the girls aruged over got to sit next to Haji, it was also the first time Haji got a a friend two in fact.

The vision changed, it was Choji and some other boys, they were playing ninja but the other boys picked on Choji. Haji watched silently as one of them went to hit the chubbier boy, Choji scrunched up ready to take the hit. There was skin against skin but no pain came to Choji, he opened his eyes only for them to widen in shock. Haji was falling over to the side a bruise starting to form on his right cheek. Haji caught himself, stumbling than straightening up giving a hateful glare at the group of boys. They flinched, "Lets get out of here!" one of them shouted leading them off in a different direction. Although Haji was much smaller than them they knew what he was capable of.

Haji turned around to Choji, tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes from happiness and from the previous encounter with the bullies. Haji smiled up at Choji causing him to blush in embarrassment.

"Choji!"

The boys looked over to see Shikamaru jog over slowly, "I saw those guys who pick on you leave from this way, I thought I said to stay away from them?"

"I know I'm sorry..."

Shikamaru looked down to Haji seeing his bruised cheek, "What happened?"

"He protected me," Shikamaru looked at Choji as Choji stared thoughtfully at Haji, "One of them were going to hit me and he stepped in front of me, shielding me."

Shikamaru thought for a moment than nudged his head, "Come on, we should put some ice on that."

The two boys followed him to his house.

The image fast forward a few minutes. Now the boys sat outside on the porch where a Shogi game table was set up, Haji holding an ice pack to his cheek.

"Shikamaru always wins," Choji stated as he munched on a barbecue chip, he glanced at Haji than shoved the bag toward him, "You want one?" he offered. Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly as he set up the game, Haji stared at the bag curious than reached in and grabbed a chip, eating it in two bites. Haji looked over at Choji who stared at him, he smiled just as wide as he did earlier with his eyes closed.

Shikamaru smiled as well but a lazier one, "Do you know how to play, Haji?" gaining Haji's attention he shook his head. "Alright than, this is how, first...." he explained the basics of the game, and told what the pieces were.

"Go easy on the newbie, Shikamaru," a man identical to Shikamaru, but with a few scares on his face, suggested as he stepped outside.

"Hello, Mr. Nara." Choji greeted. Merely receiving a lazy glance from Shikamaru and confused one from Haji.

"Who's your new friend?" Shikaku asked referring to Haji.

Shikamaru sighed, "This is Haji Hatake, his in our class," he explained continuing to lay out the pieces of the game, "He also saved Choji from getting hit."

Shikaku examined Haji noticing the ice pack.

"Alright lets begin."

Exactly 17 minutes later. Haji placed the last piece down winning the game of Shogi. The other three froze in shock, Shikamaru looked over the pieces mixing them up and placing them back in their place from the beginning, "Again!"

So they play another round, this time Haji winning in 9 minutes.

"Haji, to know what your IQ is, perhaps?" Shikaku asked with amazement. Haji shrugged, that Shikaku gave him an IQ test only to be astonished with the results, his score was slightly higher than Shikamarus.

The images changed again to the three young boys watching the clouds.

Than another game of Shogi, Shikamaru losing.

More cloud watching and school skipping on occasions.

More and more  happy memories played through out Haji's sight. His body no longer numb, just his hands.

He stood up wanting to go back to those happier times, he reached out to the memories with blue, numb arms. His finger grazed the images, it rippled like water and instantly his hands and arms were no long numb and his body no longer cold but warm.

The memories zoomed passed him at an alarming speed than everything went dark.

There was a strange beeping sound coming from Haji's right, he twitched his eyes opened, blinded by lights and white. He looked over at the sound to see a heart monitor. He flinched, realizing he was in a hospital, struggling, painfully, to get up he sensed others in the room as he was getting ready to take off the oxygen mask. Haji glanced over slowly.

There sat further away was a snoring Choji with a bag of chips on his chest, crumbs on the sides of his mouth and several other bags on the floor surrounding him, empty. Right next o Haji was a small table with a Shogi board game and the pieces sat up ready for a round a few pieces already moved meaning the first player had already gone and it was the next person to next. Glancing away from the game, Haji looked up to see who was on the other side of the bored. Shikamaru was leaned back in an uncomfortable looking chair arms crossed, sleeping.

Haji's eyes widened at the sight of the two in the room, than they softened.

Wincing, Haji reached over and picked up a Shogi piece and took his turn.