The Silent Prodigy: Book 1

Chapter 3: Team 7

"Hey Mai wait up!" Little Sakura said as she chased after me. I laughed and ran as she tried to catch me. Somehow we ended up making it onto the top of the Hokage's faces. I turned around still laughing until I saw that nobody was behind me.

"Sakura? Where did you go?" I called out, my red eyes large and confused. I walked back toward the edge of the faces when I heard footsteps coming my way. "Sakura?"

"Nobody loves you Mai, you're nothing special. You deserve to die!" My eyes widened even more than possible and I saw that Sakura had turned from the little girl to the version she looks like now. 

She started walking towards me and my little legs trembled from the look she was giving me. "Die!" She screamed and lunged toward me, pushing me off the edge.

I screamed and screamed until I heard someone faintly call out my name,"Mai." The voice sounded louder this time,"Mai! Mai wake up!"

I sat up panting and gasping for breath. I felt a hand on my shoulder and suddenly I started calming down. Once I stopped gasping for breath I took in my surroundings. I was in a room with light blue and gray walls and I was sitting on a bed. I gazed over at the person who had put their hand on my shoulder. "Shikamaru?" I called out softly as I relaxed when I realized that it was just him.

He nodded carefully as to make sure I wouldn't freak out again,"Yeah it's me Mai." I let out a sigh of relief and wrapped my arms around his body, giving him a hug. He tensed for a minute, probably because I've never hugged him ever, but he slowly relaxed and returned the hug.

"You're alright Mai," he muttered comfortingly as he stroked my hair. I wrapped my arms tighter around him when he said that.

After a few minutes of him softly telling me reassuring words, I finally let go of him. He stared at me with unanswered questions burning in his eyes. "Mai why did I find you outside of my door with mud, bruises, and tear streaks all over your face?"

I stared at him in shock. I had passed out in front of the memorial stone, not his house. How had I ended up on his doorstep? "I-I really don't want to talk about this right now Shikamaru," I stuttered. He didn't look anywhere near satisfied, but nodded anyway.

"Alright, but you have to promise me that you will tell me what happened soon," He said and I nodded in agreement.

"Alright I promise."

"Good now come on my parents were really worried about you so I think it's only fair we go down and talk to them," He insisted and tossed me my ninja headband that he had taken out when he was stroking my hair.

"Yeah I understand," I said as I checked in his mirror to make sure that there were no traces of me crying on my face.

Him and I walked down the stairs to see that Shikamaru's parents were sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Nara," They both turned to look at me.

"No need with the formalities dear, you've been to our house plenty of times," Shikamaru's mother smiled and gestured for me to sit down at the table.

"Thanks a lot Yoshino," She beamed when I said her name. 

I sat down at the table beside Shikamaru and across from Shikaku. "Itadakimatsu," we all said once Yoshino sat down with us.