Kumo No Naka Ni Atama

I Don't Give A Damn 'Bout My Bad Reputation

Hey everybody! I'm back with another installment of Kumo Naka Ni Atama! Like I said, I'm loving getting to this part of the story as these are some of the first scenes I wrote. At certain points it was hard to "connect the dots" and write to get the story to this point. I know I've said it a few times, but the plot will start to speed up over the next few chapters, and as an early warning- it's gonna get pretty heavy. But with that said I can't wait for you guys to read this chapter, sorry about leaving you with that minor cliff hanger. Side note: This chapter is dedicated to JessLily (Ao3) who literally makes my day with her reviews!!!

***

We walked for about twenty minutes. The rain slowed long before our steps did. Shika had held the umbrella over us with one hand and my hand with his other while I led us wildly and blindly down our city's streets. When my feet finally started aching in protest, they pulled us off the sidewalk and we ended up sitting on a bench in an area of town where the residential area we both lived in started to turn into the city.

He had drawn the umbrella closed as he sat down beside me. I sighed heavily. The walk in the rain had rinsed off the initial wave of anger and shame that had been rolling off me since I had stormed out. Now that the fog had cleared though, I considered my circumstances. Poor Shika. I had bombarded him, forced my problems on him by demanding he help me forget about them, and then drug him outside into a storm to wander the streets. 'What a shit friend.'

When I turned to look at him he was already looking at me. Our eyes met and I fought the urge to breakdown crying again. Instead I released a large huff, "Shit. I'm sorry Shika. Just leave me here so you can get back to what you were doing. You looked like you were about to go somewhere."

"This is what I'm doing. You wanna tell me about it?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Do you have anything else to smoke?" I asked meekly.

"No," he sighed quietly while shaking his head.

I groaned, regretting being so spontaneous with my decisions, "Whyyyyyyyy?"

"Because I followed you without thinking," he stated matter-of-factly, but gently.

"Can we go drink?" I had pulled out my vape and took a shaky hit.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" He blew out a mouthful of smoke.

"As long as I'm inebriated in some way," I threw my head backwards and gazed up at the grayness above me. I felt like a raindrop. I had fallen and now I wanted the sun to come out and suck me back up into the sky among the clouds. I wondered how long it would take to feel the warmth and light again.

"Put this on. I'm not letting you walk into a bar with your shirt like that. I'm too lazy to fight guys right now," He handed me his jacket, the same oversized green one I had gone home with on my birthday.

I slipped it on and rolled up the sleeves as he stood up. Like mine, his own white t-shirt had gotten wet and clung to his chest and stomach in spots. I snapped enough buttons to cover up my exposed stomach and already began to feel warmer as I let the smell of his cologne envelope me. He extended his hand. I took it and he pulled me off the bench and down the street.

***

"Fuck him! I'm going to make something of myself without The Uchiha Corporation. I'm gonna do it myself, my way, and no one's going to tell me any different," I chugged the last third of my fourth beer.

The bar that Shikamaru had took me into was a little hole in the wall, in-between a cell phone store and a twenty-four hour laundromat. The kind of bar that factory men stopped in for a beer or two after work before they went home to nagging wives and crying children. When we entered, he led me past a few tables and occupied barstools. He grumbled as he sat us down in two spots at the end of the bar. We, or I rather, had received a few interested glances as we found our seats. I sat on the end, letting him effectively shield me from the eyes of the other patrons closer to the door.