Good Golly My Little Lolly (Shikamaru Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lolly's Pov

   I opened my eyes and once again I was in my hospital room. I sighed and then noticed my leaf head band that was lying on the bed side table. It then all came back to me, the fight, Masamune, everything. 

   Gasping, I tried to sit up but found that my body wasn't responding to me. I looked down as best I could and saw leather restraints were holding my heavily bandaged body down. 'How much damage did I take?' I thought.

   "So you're awake." Genma said as he came in. I looked over at him and never had I felt so happy to see him. "Genma... what happened?" I asked him. Genma sighed and rolled his senbon needle aroudn in his mouth a bit.

   "Well... for starters you nearly screwed your body up. Almost all of your bones were splintered, fractured, or broken in some way shape or form. Your chakra was dangerously low and to top it off that release mark of yours kept crystalizing you which made healing you very difficult. That's actually why you're strapped down." He explained.

"The exams?"

"You won, seemed that you weren't happy about that either." 

"That idiot! Ow..."

   Genma looked at me strangely for my outburst and I just sighed once more. Everything hurt but I couldn't pass out just yet.

"Masamune in the end purposely fell down. He threw the match so that I would pass..."

"Lolly, that isn't true-"

"You weren't there! You weren't down there in that arena watching him. You didn't see the way he looked at me!"

   I grimaced at the feeling my ribs gave off and I heard Genma snort at me. That was his usual 'I'm annoyed with your attitude snort.

"That may be but it doesn't matter now. You're a Chunnin. Geez, it seems that two weeks of being out just aren't enough to improve your mood." 

   With that Genma got up and left the room. I felt bad about snapping at Genma but I hated having anyone do that. It felt like a slap to my face to work so hard to get to the finals and then have Masamune throw it to me in the end.

   For a little bit I just lay there and stared up at the ceiling in unbearable silence. It wasn't like I could do much else either. Suddenly there was a light knock on the door. Before I could tell them to answer they came in anyways.

   My expression and mood lightened a tiny bit at the sight of Shikamaru. He came over to me and smiled, "Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly. I tried to shrug but that didn't really pan out as I winced. "Words Lolly, words." He sighed.

   I smiled lightly, "I've been better..." I croaked. Shikamaru looked at me worriedly and then sighed as he sat down in the chair by my bed. "You fought really hard back in the arena. Why would you push yourself that hard?" he asked.

"Well... I felt that if I didn't give it my all that I would regret it. I didn't want that to happen. When I finally do leave this earth I want to have no regrets. Besides, fighting by giving it my all is just my ninja way." 

"Lolly do you realized how many people would've been devistated if you had died? While you were in the hospital getting healed for your injuries your heart actually stopped for a few minutes. They nearly declared you dead before your heart suddenly began to beat again."

   I looked at Shikamaru shocked. I had no idea that I had actually died... or come close to. It was honestly news to me.

"I... I had no idea..."