Hanasaku || Sequel to Tsubaki no Hana

Chapter 1.8

"Her and Dad had to run out for a few. Figured I'd take a nap while she isn't looking." Shikamaru pillows his head using his arms, quickly getting comfortable. He could sleep anywhere. Guess that's one thing we'll always have in common.

"What're you thinking about," he suddenly asks without opening his eyes.

"Nothing much," I answered, taking a longer sip.

"Really? Cause you've had that same troublesome look on your face since we got back from the festival. Did something happen when you took Hinata?"

"Of course not!" I force a smile to my lips. Even when feeling his eyes beginning to burn holes into the side of my face, I kept looking out ahead. Across the small private garden, counting every patch of grass, naming every shrub, memorizing every herb in my little greenhouse - anything to avoid thinking about the truth.

"Hm. If you say so."

I internally sigh a breath of relief before shaking off the tension. "So! Have you got Choji a present yet?"

He gave me an incredulous look, slowly sitting up with a slouch. "His birthday is two months away."

"And? You know how those limited chip deals are! We have to reserve them at the store in advance or they'll sell out. I heard him talking about a new sea salt chips that he really wanted to try. I figured I'll buy the chip and you can buy the limited edition dip that goes with it!"

Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, sighing in inherent exasperation. "What a drag."

I roll my eyes, setting the steaming cocoa aside and standing up to take the futon back into my room. "I'm going to take this back. You want anything?" He requested only a blanket, admitting that he might have underestimated the cold just before sneezing. I hummed a winter carol in my head, finding a moment of noiselessness in my head. Of course, those moments seem to be increasingly rare.

Just as I enter my room, I find an unexpected visitor going through my journals. It's the masked man from the forest. No different from the other times we've met. Having him stand in my room brought an even more unsettling feeling though. My foremost worry being that Shikamaru might walk in on us. I quickly, but silently shut the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"It seems you found one rat," he said, still reading through my personal thoughts. Undaunted and unworried about the risk of his presence being figured out. "Now that you've seen the truth with your own eyes, you must understand how depraved the Hokage truly is."

"Mind using smaller words for those of us who are younger?" Though I tried to play nonchalant, every step I took was carefully slow. My back kept to him as I started to fix my futon. "If you know everything, then what're you doing hanging around me?"

"I told you, I know potential when I see it. It'd be a shame to let the filth of Konoha snub you out before your time." I could hear his footsteps sweep across the floorboards. While they were heavy, they were swift and precise. Every part about this man was contrary and difficult to deduce from. "So, I imagine the Hokage has given you and your new ally a secret mission. What is it?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be secret." The air in the room suddenly turned unbearably thin. My fingers dug into the futon cover to resist clawing at my throat. I could feel the overwhelming killer's intent practical flooding out from every fiber of his being. My body involuntarily began to shiver beneath its pressure. A dry sweat runs down my spine.