The Return (Book 2 of It's Not Forever) COMPLETE

Chapter 11

    In the morning I say my goodbyes to Gaara who leaves with Temari to return to Suna. Afterward I change into a pair of shorts and a tank top before heading out to the field to train. What better place to work on air control than in open air? I stand in the center of the field and close my eyes. Once my mind is cleared, I lift my hands and feel the breeze stop completely. I open my eyes to find the grass sitting perfectly still while my hair is whipping around my face. I smile and clap my hands without thinking, and a powerful gust cuts through the grass, leaving a clear trail in front of me. I don't have to do jutsu, I can just control the element, just like with the sound in the beginning, though I did use jutsu at times. This is so cool! I play around with the air for a while before moving on to my other abilities, one at a time, then try to double them up at random. Fire and water make steam, earth and water make mud, air makes fire stronger, and I paired air and water and managed to make ice. An idea forms in my head and I think back to when I was around Haku and Zabuza. Haku was still too young to fully form it and utilize it, but Zabuza was teaching him about the ice mirrors. Sakura and Naruto mentioned that when they fought them, he'd used it and was highly skilled. I wonder if I could create one of my own? I close my eyes again and focus my mind on creating mirrors and lift my hands. I can feel the frigidness of the ice around me and I'm praying it works. When I open my eyes I look around in awe. Surrounding myself is a series of mirrors made of ice forming a dome around me. I step toward one and raise my hand. It passes straight through the surface and into the mirror. I continue on until my whole body is inside, then toss a kunai out. It strikes the ground with a thud and I mentally cheer. I'm able to move from inside the mirrors over to the next one or up to the ones above. When I step back out of the mirrors and use my fire to dissolve them, I find Shikamaru standing a few feet away.
"Hello Shika-kun. Sorry to invade the field, I was just working with my abilities."
He shakes his head. "It's fine. You don't need to push yourself too hard this soon though."
"Wartimes don't allow for healing. Besides I don't die permanently, I'll be alright."
"You won't be on the battlefields."
"You can't stop me Shikamaru. I am immortal, I can be a valuable asset to the war. Hell, Orochimaru made me to be a weapon. My purpose in life is to fight for the good no matter what. You and Gaara may complain about it all but I'm joining the fight whether you two like it or not." I snap.
"You're still ridiculously stubborn."
"That I am, Shika-kun."
He lays down in the field next to where I'm standing and watches as I train further with the elements, this time trying to slowly work them all together at once.
"Do my eyes change when I use the different ones?" I ask, suddenly curious.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool looking. When you use two, each eye splits in half with the colors, then when you used three all three colors are there."
"That's awesome!"
"You're exhausting." He mutters.
"You're drunk." I counter, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I don't know." I shrug. "First thing that came to mind."
"Did you drink while you were gone?" He asks, sitting up.
"Gone in Suna or gone over the years?"
"Over the years, Suna included."
I make a face and avoid his gaze. "I drank only once in Suna, that was a mess... I drank a uh, a few times over the two years, local bars mainly, a few times while I was with the Akatsuki to cope with things. Kisame found me passed out a time or two and had to guard me until I woke up so the others wouldn't mess with me. I'm not an alcoholic."
"Why did you drink in Suna?" He asks, passing over the Akatsuki part.
"Ah, a little of this, a little of that. Had a breakdown and Gaara gave me sake and I ended up drinking the bottle. I lit Kankuro on fire during my stupor and stuff. Pretty entertaining I think, I imagine it was anyway."
"And stuff? You don't remember what happened?" I can hear the disapproval in his tone.
"No I didn't remember but I was informed of what happened. Nothing really bad happened."
"But something happened?"
"I lit Kankuro on fire and kissed Gaara before passing out. That's all. What concern is it of yours if I drank or not and what I've done?"
"I worry about you."
"Everyone does. I'm going home."
I do go home to my apartment but once I sit down I feel anxious. This doesn't feel like my home anymore, my friends are still here but it's not the same. Do I even truly belong anywhere? I don't have a family to turn to and feel a connection with. I was basically created and tossed out as a reject. I'll stay here until the war is over, then I'll figure out what to do. In the meantime I won't let any of this bother me. My focus will stay on the war and helping with preparations and the battles.