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

Chapter 6

    I wake up in a panic, feeling my chest heaving while tears stream down my face. Sand lightly circles me, feeling more like an embrace rather than strangling me. I slowly calm myself by bringing my knees to my chest and laying my head down on my kneecaps. When the panic subsides, I realize that Gaara is still seated next to me on the bed and avoid his gaze.
"Uh, that didn't happen..." I mutter.
"Why?" He replies.
"Why what? There's a lot of different 'whys'."
"Why did it happen?"
"I have a dark history to say the least. It comes back to haunt me when I sleep, that's all. But it didn't happen, alright?"
He's silent for a moment before asking a different question.
"What happened that morning?"
"Part of my past came back to haunt me in person."
He nods in seeming understanding until a knock comes from the door. His sand shoots out to open it revealing Temari with a bowl of ramen and a bottle of water.
"I thought you might be hungry so I brought you something. Oh, I was wondering where you were Gaara." She nods at him respectfully before bringing the food over to me.
"Thank you Temari. I hadn't had the energy to really do much so far besides sit here. Has anything happened?"
"A team or two got disqualified or died but no one else has come in yet. I don't imagine we'll see anyone until tomorrow atleast."
"Shame. My team needs to hurry. I know Shikamaru can handle it, but I'm not sure about the others."
I wave goodbye to Gaara as he walks out, I assume to give Temari and I time to talk. I notice a band of sand around my wrist again and smile. She notices and smirks.
"My brother seems to have taken a liking to you."
"Nonsense, we just understand each other that's all. He does leave these bracelets on me a lot. The night before after everyone left I'd gone for a walk and saw him on a rooftop. When I came back through he put one around my wrist before using the sand to bring me up to sit by him. He put one on me in the forest that literally pulled me to you all, and now another one. Has he done that before?" I look up at her with a mouth full of noodles. I'm glad to have mastered the art of sliding my mask in just the right way to eat without revealing my face. I totally didn't get tips from Kakashi. Really though, I did.
"No. He's never been close with anyone. Ever. He's spent more time with you and seems closer to you than anyone. You're the first to be able to touch him and not die and I have no idea why. I don't understand the bracelets either unless he's just trying to keep track of you. He's acting strange."
I take her words into consideration and mull them over. I don't really know Gaara, so I can't compare his behavior now versus before. He is a strange person but then again most everyone I know is odd in some way. I myself am a very disturbed and twisted individual, so I can't say much. He intrigues me to say the least. If only he would talk more...
"He doesn't talk much, does he?" I finally ask.
"No. Has he spoken to you?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.
"A handful of words, only about three at a time usually. The longest sentence he said was telling me he didn't sleep because Shukaku won't let him."
"I'm impressed. You got him to speak and tolerate someone's presence within two days. Next thing you know he'll show a facial expression." She rolls her eyes and laughs.
"He did barely smirk earlier, and he shrugged if that counts."
"You have a really weird effect on him. So, off the topic of Gaara, what's with you and that Shikamaru guy?"
I laugh and put the bowl on the bedside table. I'm used to questions like that because of how close we appear to be.
"Shika and I are just friends. He was my first friend after I moved into my own place. We're more like annoying siblings than anything. Ino is just obsessed with creating a love story between us."
"If you say so. I agree with Ino, maybe not a love story, but it does seem like he likes you. I saw him go after you after Kankuro's episode."
"It's what friends do. Besides, he said Ino was bothering him about It."
"Ino didn't say a word to him, she was too busy panicking and crying in the corner." She says before nudging me.
I roll my eyes. "He's a good friend."
She sticks out her tongue before standing and grabbing my bowl from the table.
"I'll leave to let you rest again. I'll come back in the morning with food or with news. I just want to thank you for not judging Gaara. I'm glad to see him interacting with someone without murdering them."
She smiles at me and I smile back before she walks out, leaving me alone again.
I sit in silence until my restlessness kicks in and I begin to drum my fingers on my kneecaps. Eventually that small movement isn't enough so I think of a tune I'd been mulling around in my head and hum along. I reach over and grab my backpack to pull out my songbook to copy down the melody before I forgot it, then flip back to a set of lyrics I'd never put to music. I just couldn't find a tune that was good enough for it. I mutter the words to myself while reading the tune and decide to test it.
"You don't want me, no
You don't need me
Like I want you, oh
Like I need you
And I want you in my life
And I need you in my life
You can't see me, no
Like I see you
I can't have you, no
Like you have me
And I want you in my life
And I need you in my life
Love
Love
Love
You can't feel me, no
Like I feel you
I can't steal you, no
Like you stole me
And I want you in my life
And I need you in my life
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la
La la la la"
I grin at the end, glad to have finally finished the song. I run through it a few more times, tweaking the music the best I can without having my guitar with me. When I return home I can work on it properly. I quickly become bored again so I decide to go wander around the tower.
Without people here besides us and the few nurses and authority figures, it's more boring than I'd expected. I pass by the training hall again and feel the urge to go inside to train, but I know what the nurse said and that Temari and Gaara would probably kill me for it. I sigh and go down to the lobby to relax by the doors. Atleast from there I can track the status board for the teams. I lay out across the large white sofa and stare up at the board on the wall. My name and Gaara's team both have passed written beside them. Toward the bottom there are two teams that say deceased next to them. My eyes travel down to Hideki's team to find his written as deceased as well. I know that only one had died, I wonder what happened since I'd left them in the woods. A yawn escapes my lips as I finally feel my body relax. My mind runs through hundreds of thoughts, not truly settling on anything in particular until it lands on Shikamaru. I wonder what the team is doing now, how annoyed he probably is at Ino for whatever it is that she's doing. I can hear him now, "Ugh, you're so troublesome. I don't know why they stuck me with you." Hm, that sounded almost real. I'm getting good at this.
"Well deal with it, you're just mad that Kaida isn't here. You miss your loveeee."
Okay, I didn't think that one, and it sounds just like Ino. I open my eyes and sit up to find my team walking in, Ino and Shikamaru helping Choji. I get up and rush over to them and follow them into the Infirmary. The nurse that looked at me before helps him into bed and shoos us out of the room. We comply and leave the room where Ino instantly tackles me in a hug.
"Kaida-chan! You're okay! I was so worried!"
"I'm fine Ino, what happened to Choji?" I manage to squeak out.
"He got hurt, it's his leg. We're not sure if he can move on to the next round." She explains, finally releasing me.
I turn to Shikamaru and hug him despite his complaints.
"You got hurt, didn't you?" He says, eyeing the bruises on my neck.
"Yeah, but I'm fine. The poison was removed before it hit my heart or brain, I just have to take it easy until the next round."
"Poison? What happened to you out there?"
"I found the rain village guy that was next to me in the first round, they had the scroll I needed. I fought him and he cut me with his sword, he had poison on it. In the end I avoided getting killed but he killed his teammate instead. I knocked him out while he was choking me and I took the scroll and got away. No big deal. What happened to you?"
"It took a while to find a scroll, its crazy out there. We finally got one but Choji got hurt. Afterward we hurried up and got here so he could get looked at. I'm so glad you're okay! I would've missed you if you died!" Ino squeals, crushing me again.
"I will die if you don't release me."
She apologizes and pulls away as the door to the infirmary opens and the nurse walks over to us. She tells us that Choji will be able to continue if he stays in bed until the next round. She tells us that she's going to keep him in the infirmary until then to monitor his healing. Her eyes cut to me a moment later to ask how I'm faring. I tell her that I'm alright, just sore and a little weak. She nods and reminds me to come by if I need anything before she retreats back into the infirmary.
"So, Shika-kun, did you miss me?"
"You think it would be quieter without you... but Ino is so much more troublesome when you're gone." He mutters, glaring at the blonde.
"Aww, is that your way of saying you missed me?"
"No."
"Liar! Santa won't bring you presents for being a liar, Shika-kun! No cloud watching for a week young man, you're grounded!" I scold.
"What are you even talking about?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no idea." He sighs and ruffles my hair. Behind him I notice Gaara walking by.
"Hey Gaara! My team made it! Where's Temari?" I ask.
"Keeping Kankuro away from you." He replies.
"Oh, right." He nods and disappears around a corner.
Ino raises an eyebrow at the sound of his voice and gives me a strange look.
"Yeah, caught me off guard the first time too. He doesn't say much, but I got him to talk to me." I shrug.
I return to our team's bedroom to shower and dress early in the morning before my teammates wake up. I couldn't sleep, as usual, so I'd decided to sit on the couch downstairs to see if anyone else would come in. I'd gotten the blood out of my outfit and dried it off so I can wear it again. I wasn't smart enough to bring more clothing, so I only have my two outfits to wear until after the next round. 3 days left. I shower and put my clothing on before pulling my hair back into a ponytail. I situate my mask on my face, something I make sure to do since the incident with Gaara, before leaving the bathroom. When I return to the room, Ino is still snoring lightly and Choji's bed remains empty. Shikamaru sits up as I shut the bathroom door and lets out a yawn. He rubs his eyes and squints in my direction. I wave at him with a small smile and he sleepily returns one. I walk over and sit down on the edge of his bed next to him.
"Good morning Shika-kun." I whisper cheerfully.
"It's early, why are you awake?"
"Why are you awake?" I retort.
"As surprising as it seems, I wake up early."
"That's probably why you're always tired." I scold with a smirk.
"Shut up woman. Why are you awake?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"If you say so."
With a sigh, thoughts that I'd been trying to push away for the past few days resurfaces again. I close my eyes and decide that I can't take it anymore.
"Shika, can I talk to you about something?"
He looks surprised and slightly more awake. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Get ready and meet me in the training hall. I'm going to get coffees for us."

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