It's Not Forever *Shikamaru/OC/Gaara* (Book 1) COMPLETE

Chapter 3

A/N: Music will be in every chapter, some will tie into the story, others will be random, such as this one. If a song is mentioned in the chapter, it will be the chapter video. :3

   
               I look around and find only a few people left. Ino explains that most got tired or had a curfew. It's down to Ino, Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Sakura. I take a seat on the couch between Choji and Shikamaru while the others settle around on the remaining furniture. Naruto picks out a random video and puts it in the player. Ino and Sakura come back with popcorn and sodas and pass them around. Ino turns off the light and I get comfortable. I eat a couple of pieces of popcorn before giving the rest to Choji who munches away. I watch the movie with mild interest until I notice Kiba starting to fall asleep. I come over and gently nudge him awake and he decides to go home to sleep. I say goodbye to him and Akamaru before returning to my seat. I watch the movie more and watch Ino and Sakura freak out about something in the film, followed by Naruto doing the same. I look down again later to find Sasuke and Ino asleep with her head on Sasuke's shoulder. Next to them, Naruto and Sakura are both asleep with her head on his shoulder. I grab my camera and take a picture before waking them up and they all go home except Ino. I sit back down and continue watching. I wake up to a flash to find Ino taking another picture of me sleeping on Shikamaru. I stick out my tongue and she laughs before handing the camera to me. The movie ended so she turns the light on and we all seem to stretch at the same time.
"Before you all go home, I want a group picture of us for the wall!" I cheer, holding up the camera.
"You already have plenty." Shikamaru complains.
"Not one from tonight!" I pout.
"Fine."
The guys stand in front of the couch while I set a timer before setting it on the television aimed at us. I click the button and rush back and pose with my eyes closed and peace signs held up. The camera flashes and I run to see what it looks like. Choji is smiling like usual, Ino looks flirty, I look goofy, and Shikamaru looks down at me with a hint of a smile.
"I LOVE IT!" Ino squeals, giving me a look when she notices Shika's face and I shake my head. I put the camera down and hug the guys before they leave. I lock the door and check the time.
"It's 2 am. Good lord. We have to be up at 7. I'll clean up after the exams. Let's go to bed."
We turn out the lights and crawl into bed and she quickly falls asleep.
I try desperately to get myself to go to sleep, but I just lie awake staring at the ceiling until I can't take it anymore. I quietly get out of the bed and leave a note for Ino to tell her where I am if she wakes up before I come back. I grab my headphones and a jacket before leaving the apartment and locking up behind me. I make my way through the empty streets using the moon as a light source. I sense a powerful chakra nearby and look up to find someone sitting on a rooftop staring at the moon. I recognize it to be Gaara and leave him in peace. I turn away and enter the wooded area on the outskirts. The wind whistles through the trees and I breathe it in, relishing the silence and serenity. I push my way through to a large clearing with a small pond and a river leading into waterfall in the center of the area. Several rocks stick out over the falls, including a large flat one that I love to lay on to watch the sky. I carefully climb up the hill and onto the rock, facing out toward the way I'd come. I slide my headphones on and close my eyes, relaxing my mind and body fully.
Just before dawn I sense two people approaching. I recognize one immediately but not the other, they're both powerful but not as much as Gaara or Naruto. The unfamiliar one stops and I assume the person is standing at the edge of the clearing in front of me. The other continues forward, disappears, and then reappears next to me. In a single fluid motion I sweep my hand up to force a sound wave out toward the person. They step out of the way and I open my eyes before getting to my feet. As I catch sight of the person next to me, my thoughts are confirmed. A low growl emits from my throat and I instantly launch myself at the person. He doesn't move out of the way, just sticks his hand out to knock me backward. I land on the center of the rock and sweep my foot out, distracting him enough to launch myself upwards to strike him in the chest. His hand latches onto my arm as we both fall over the short fall and into the pond. I kick away from him and break the surface of the water. He breaks soon after with a smirk gracing his face. I scowl and push my hands out again. The sound wave strikes him due to inability to quickly move and it slams him back underneath the falls. I quickly swim over to the edge of the pond and get out, flicking water off of myself.
I hear the other person chuckle lowly and my eyes cut to him as the other climbs out of the pond behind me.
"What do you want?" I ask with venom coating my voice.
"Just stopping by. Of course you would still hang around here. What's bothering you this time?" I turn to face the dark haired man and scowl again.
"That is none of your concern. Get out of my village before I kill you like you deserve."
"I like her, she's spunky." I whip my head to face the other at the sound of his voice.
"Shut your mouth before I rip your face off. This conversation doesn't concern you." I turn back to the soaked man and continue. "Take your pet and get out of here. Now."
He takes a step toward me and I back away.
"Come on, is this the way you should treat your older brother?"
"You don't deserve to be called that after what you've done."
"I did what I had to do, Kaida."
"You're lying! You left us to die!" I shout, pushing my arms toward him but he dodges.
"I left you both to take care of each other." He tries to explain, but I refuse to buy it.
"Just shut up! You're lying! You abandoned us..." I break off. "Just go away I don't want to deal with this after tonight."
"What happened?" He asks, suddenly looking concerned.
I turn away and roll my eyes. "Like you'd care to know."
"I'm your brother, I want to know."
"I was assaulted... I'm leaving, I have the Chunin exams in the morning. Get out of the village, if I see you again, you're dead. Also, tell your pet to quit staring at me before I rip his eyes out."
I leave the two behind and shiver against the cold cutting through my wet clothes. With a sigh, I rake my hand across my face to wipe away stray tears and the dripping pond water. The sun is starting to rise but the cool air is still present. I feel Gaara is still sitting on the roof of the hotel but decide not to look up at him as I pass. Something tickles my wrist and I look down to find a thin ring of sand circling around it. I look up to find his gaze locked onto mine. More sand drifts down and lifts me up onto the roof next to him. I sit down next to him, watching the sun rise. I know he's wanting to know what happened, but he doesn't voice it. I choose not to explain, instead just enjoy the silence while questions of my own burn through me. I hold them back until the sun hits the seven o'clock position and tell him goodbye before going back to my apartment. When I get inside, I sigh at the mess around the house before sneaking back into the bedroom to turn off the alarm and grab clothing. I choose a black tank top, black shorts, and a white jacket. I leave the jacket behind and find a set of undergarments and white thigh highs before going into the bathroom. While bathing, I note the bruised rings around my wrists from Kankuro's assault and scowl, choosing to ignore them. I step out and dress, grabbing my headphones and forehead protector on my way out. I wake Ino and tell her to shower while I continue to get ready. She grumbles her complaints but shuffles off to the bathroom. I slide on my jacket and socks and put my protector around my right thigh. As a last second thought, I search my dresser and track down a pair of black fingerless gloves to wear. I pack up my weapons and situate my pouches and backpack on myself. I leave the room and go into the spare bedroom with my headphones to try to fix any water damage that happened. I did my best to make them invulnerable to water, but there's still a chance. My hands move around the workbench with ease to find the tools I need to take them apart and begin. Most everything remained dry except a couple of wires inside the earpieces. I dry them carefully and turn them on to see if they still work. Music flows through them and I smile before reassembling them and situating them around my neck.
When I return to the bedroom, Ino steps out of the bathroom looking more energized. While she loads her weapons into pouches, I brush out my hair and check the time. There's just enough time to eat before we have to meet up with the others. We pull our shoes on and ignore the mess before heading into to town to the nearest restaurant. We sit down and eat while she talks about what she thinks will happen today.