Her Mask (Shikamaru x Oc)

Chapter Thirty

After Shingami exited Ibiki’s office Genma and Anko were arguing about something along the lines of who Shingami liked better making the aforementioned girl shook her head and disappear without either of them noticing.

She walked out of the building walking past all the villagers doing whatever it was they were doing and walked straight to her house opening the door after unlocking it with her keys. 

She shoved her keys onto her kunai pouch with a frown thinking about how she wouldn’t have a tento for the missions. She glared at the floor for a second thinking about if she was going to bring her old flimsy one, not bring one, or-

Her eyes snapped up and she walked over to the table opening the bag to clear her thoughts. In the bag, there were a lot of black and grey pants and shirts and a new pair of black shoes. 

She fished out a storage scroll from her pouch putting the whole bag into it not wanting to sort and fold each article of clothing. She put the scroll back in her pouch, not caring which side it was on.

She walked up the stairs and opened the door to her room closing the door behind her, leaning on the door ever so slightly.

She looked at the sword that rested above her bed but ignored her urge to touch it. She knew it was too old, too fragile, to use. 

It had too much sentimental value.

She frowned as she moved away from the door to her dresser where she opened the top drawer ignoring her neatly folded clothes pulling out a brand new set of kunai.

She looked at the package for a second before opening the top pulling out the five kunai inside, placing them inside of her pouch.

As she turned to leave she accidentally kicked a loose floorboard out of place her hands curled into fists, her knuckles turning white.

She kept a steady gaze at her door not wanting to look at the contents under the floor knowing full well what she’d put under there three years ago. She’d told herself that she wouldn’t look at them ever again but her resolve broke when her magenta eyes looked down to see half of a picture. 

All she could see was her mother’s smiling face with her arms wrapped around both of her children. Her father was hidden in the shadow of the board.

She kneeled down reaching into the floor, her fingers brushing against the pile of pictures until she felt some small beads against her fingers.

She hooked the beaded string and pulled it out of the shadows.

While the necklace had been in there for years it was still silver. The black rope-like string that held it together was a bit worse for wear but if it had lasted for as long as it had, it would be just fine.

She brushed away the dust that had accumulated on the charm so that the silver could be seen.

She traced the circular pendant seeing that it hadn’t changed at all.

She slipped it over her head and looked in the mirror.

It was like she was looking at a ghost, a ghost of who she used to be.

She looked away walking back to the floor kneeling before it, sliding the wood panel back into place pressing down to look the way it should.

She stood back up and walked out the door, went down the stairs, and went outside locking the door behind her.

Her hand lingered on the door for a few more seconds before she heard someone calling her name. 

“Shingami! You left without telling us!” Anko shouted as she ran towards the girl with Genma trailing behind her.