The Storm Inside Me

Chapter 9: Facing Fears

I sigh, not in the mood to be reminded of my mistakes; I already do that to myself on a regular basis. "Ok, I apologize for even asking. I'll just leave, then."

"Whatever."

I roll my eyes at his obvious attitude and leave before he decides to challenge me to a duel or something. The hell was his problem, anyway? I walk quickly, watching carefully to make sure I don't bump into anyone else. Thankfully, I don't. However, I spot Sakura and some guy walking together through our old training ground. She seems to be enjoying herself, but the guy seems to be awkward and unsure of himself, which is an unattractive quality to have, regardless of someone's sex. I continue to watch them for a few seconds, but then I realize that, if I'm caught staring, trouble will arise, so I continue walking and pretend to be oblivious to everything.

~•~•~

It's close to noon and my stomach is talking to me in rather foul language, which means it's time to eat. I look around for something appealing, but I find nothing. I do, however, see Naruto's favorite restaurant: Ichiraku Ramen. The last time I ate there was over three years ago. Aw, what the hell? I'll eat some ramen. I walk over and take a seat, only to find Shikamaru also sitting there. I can only hope he isn't mad at me, even though I didn't do anything.

He looks at me with an unreadable expression. "Sasuke."

I nod. "Shikamaru."

The lady asks for my order, and I tell her what I want. As the food is being prepared, Shikamaru and I sit in an awkward silence. I look at him and see that he now has a lit cigarette in his mouth.

"How's Ino?" I ask as casually as possible.

He looks at me with a hint of anger in his eyes. "She's fine. Why?"

I shrug. "She seemed upset yesterday."

He raises an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you the intuitive one?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" I ask, rather annoyed at his attitude.

He sighs. "Nothing, nothing. Sorry for mentioning it."

I frown, still confused by his obviously aggressive comments. I don't push it, though. "Don't worry about it."

Our bowls are set in front of us, but neither of us touch our food.

"Look, Sasuke," Shikamaru says, "there's something I wanna talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"It's about Ino." His tone is serious.

I nod and wait for him to continue.

He takes a deep breath. "She's my girlfriend, and, well, I don't feel comfortable with you and her being alone together."

"Understandable," I say. But what he doesn't know is that I have no interest in Ino because I'm with Naruto.

"So," he continues, "if you don't mind, I'd like to...get to know you better. Then I'll feel more comfortable with you two being together."

Why would he do that? (I mean, I know why, it just takes me by surprise.) Frankly, I thought he hated me. "I...uh...ok, then."

He nods, not seeing how strange this conversation is. "Sorry that this is so, you know, out of the blue."

"It's fine...But there's something you should know."

He leans forward with a frown on his face. "What's that?"

"I'm not interested in Ino--I have someone else."