The Wounded Deer

Chapter Six

Kaede forced her eyes to look towards the floor to avoid looking at Shikamaru. He quickly noticed her reaction when he had grabbed her wrist, and he gently squeezed onto it as if to reassure her.

Her head quickly shot up from the floor, her gray eyes now looking into his warm brown eyes. But he noticed that the look in her eyes... seemed to give off a somewhat less cheerful gaze than her usual one.

"T-Talk? About what?" Kaede asked cautiously.

Shikamaru loosened and released his grip from her wrist before he sighed. "Troublesome, I haven't heard from you in a while. I just wanted to see how everything was going. Mom's been nagging my ear off asking why you haven't come by for a visit."

"I've just been busy with work, Shizune-sama's got me working more shifts lately at the hospital. A medical-nin's work is never done." Kaede lied with a meek shrug.

"Well, you're not busy now are you?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"I... guess I could spare a minute." Kaede reluctantly shrugged.

"Alright, fine with me."

Shikamaru lead her over to the couch in the living room and they sat down beside each other. Kaede could feel herself growing more uneasy as they sat in silence. She couldn't help but stare out the window every couple of seconds, anxiously waiting to see if Yoshino had returned with the deer antler she had come for.

'What's taking her so long?' she thought biting on the lower end of her lip.

"So, what brings you out here?"

She quickly snapped out of her train of thought and turned her head towards Shikamaru. "O-Oh, sensei sent me here to grab some deer antler."

"I see..." he trailed off.

She could've sworn she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone, but she ignored it.

"A-Anyway, I should-"

"Kaede," he quickly cut her off.

"W-What is it?"

"I figured I should...explain it's partly my fault why it seems like you might not have heard from me in a while too."

'Guess it's better than him thinking that rather than knowing that I was avoiding him this entire time.'

"You don't have to, it's fine really." Kaede shook her head.

"Just hear me out alright?" Shikamaru sighed tiredly.

Kaede stayed silent, but allowed him to continue. "Remember when I asked you for advice last week on what kind of birthday present I should get for a girl I liked?"

"Y-Yeah, I remember."

'How could I forget that? And I had gotten my hopes up thinking I was the girl he was talking about. And I had gotten so worked up for what? Nothing...nothing but pain and unrequited love.'

"Well, I had done what you said, and she really liked the gift. I asked her out and... we've been hanging out a bit more since then. So much so that I never got around to come and see you and really tell you how things went. Since my girlfriend and I both work together, it's kind of inevitable that we'll be hanging out with each other. But that's no excuse. And I'm sorry for that..."

Just hearing those words wanted to make Kaede break down in tears again. But she managed to force all her sadness down with a smile.

"You don't have to apologize, I totally understand Shikamaru. I'm glad everything worked out for you. I'm...happy for you." she managed to say it without sounding the least bit bitter or upset.

His mouth curved into a meek smile with a nod. "Yeah, it if weren't for you, I doubt we'd be going out. I have you to thank for that."

And somehow, that seemed like the biggest mistake she ever made.

"R-Really, I'm glad I could... help. That's what friends are for right?"

"Yeah, you're a really good friend you know that?" Shikamaru gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kaede flinched slightly in response, slowly brushing his hand off her shoulder. He blinked owlishly in surprise at her reaction when she suddenly stood up.

"K-Kaede-chan?"

"S-Sorry, I-"

She was cut off by the sound of the sliding door. Yoshino returned from the back yard, holding a brown bag with the deer antler inside. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting! Oh... sorry, am I interrupting something?" Yoshino asked.

"No, just a little small talk we were finishing up." Kaede reassured taking the bag of deer antler.

"Oh, well it's almost lunch time. would you like to stay for a little lunch?" Yoshino offered.

"It's alright, I'm running late as it is. I'll just go grab something on the way back to work."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you're always welcome to stay and eat."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I get hungry for a good home-cooked meal. Anyway, I'll... seeya." Kaede bowed politely before rushing out the door.

Yoshino folded her arms over her chest with a small frown.

"Well, that's odd. Normally she isn't so persistent about leaving in such a hurry without having something to eat first." she pondered out loud. She turned to Shikamaru expectantly.

"Did you two get into an argument or something?"

"No, nothing like that..."

"I hope she's alright, I can't help but feel a little concerned for her." Yoshino frowned a little in concern.

'Yeah, I can't help but wonder a little myself...' Shikamaru nodded slowly, staring at the front door where Kaede walked out.