He breathed in the cool air as the dew glistened beneath the light of the rising sun. It had been so long…too long. He took in the sight of the green, amazed at its splendor. Two years ago, he would have called it troublesome. Now it was living glory. Two years ago, the clouds above had been free, but nothing else. Now they were signs of familiarity and change. Two years. Only that long? Two years. More like two eternities. Two years, skulking where the sun couldn't reach. Two years of fighting, killing. Two years of hating.
"Enjoying the sight?" his cloaked comrade remarked. He shrugged. He was enjoying it, a little too much. Another one appeared, grinning maniacally as his blonde hair whipped around in the light wind.
"Hey, where's your uniform, yeah?" The reply was a shrug. "Leader says to hurry up, yeah. And Kisame wants some sake, yeah." He poofed away, his comrade rolling his eyes. Idiot. Uchiha Itachi glanced at the one remaining, expression cold as usual.
"I will not hold you back, but I will warn you this; do not kill the Kyuubi. Any other being is yours to dispose of." The other shrugged. Itachi's scowl deepened. "Understand, Kagemaru, you belong to the Akatsuki, and you will obey orders." He disappeared easily, as if he were never there. 'Kagemaru' scowled at the name. He honestly preferred his birth name. Not that Itachi cared. After all, he was Uchiha Itachi. The man that had started it all.
"Hate me, hate yourself, hate anything you wish. Only those who hate survive. The rest die into the nothingness they are." Uchiha's own little pep talk. But it'd worked. His apprentice lived on hate, fed on hate, breathed in hate. All that hate for all those reasons. Even Deidara had noticed the difference, and found it to be feared. "You've changed, yeah," Deidara once told him. Damn right.
Nara Shikamaru had changed.
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Ino and Chouji sat in front of the silent grave, pure white flowers laid in front of it. "Asuma-sensei…" Ino whispered. It was so quiet. "It's been two years since we lost Shikamaru. Two whole years." She stifled a sob. "We couldn't do anything, we just watched while Itachi took him away. Sensei, everything went wrong ever since you left. We don't even know if he's alive, sensei."
"But we'll find him," Chouji promised. "Even if he's dead, we'll find him and bury him next to you."
"And if he's alive?" a cool, unfamiliar voice said. The two leapt up in surprise, turning to see a figure in a black cloak with red swirls of cloud.
"Who are you?" Ino snarled, reaching for a weapon. Red clouds...Akatsuki? The person lifted his hat, revealing a face they knew all too well.
"What," Shikamaru's voice whispered. "You don't know me?"
Stunned silence. Chouji's mouth fell open while Ino dropped the kunai she had grabbed. "Sh-Shikamaru!" she cried, running towards him. Chouji immediately grabbed her by her long blonde ponytail, pulling her back. Shikamaru smirked.
"Never trust anyone. Smart." Chouji glared at him suspiciously. Despite the voice, Shikamaru's mouth never moved. "You guys have grown."
"Shikamaru, where…?"
"Have I been?" Shikamaru smirked as he continued to speak without his lips moving. "That's easy. I've been rotting in a hole with homicidal psychopaths and ants as my only company. And here you are, visiting Asuma's grave like nothing's changed." He looked down at the hunk of cement with a hint of remorse. "Asuma, you died so I wouldn't, and look at me now. You should've let the bastard kill me."
"Shikamaru," Chouji said finally. "Why are you here?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see what's changed. A lot, from what I can tell. But I guess there haven't been any Hokage-killing snake men around lately since Tsunade's head is still up there." He looked towards the mountain for emphasis. Ino and Chouji were silent. Shikamaru shook his head. They've learned to shut up. He was about to leave when he turned, hearing something come.
He sighed, recognizing the group instantly. "How troublesome."
The entire gang had come to visit the Asuma. Hinata grew her hair, he noticed. Akamaru was a bigger, a couple different outfits, but nothing much had changed. Everything was the same. Team 8 seemed totally shocked, while team 7 stood in stunned silence. Team 7… Sasuke's missing, Shikamaru thought. The bastard's just like his brother. Sakura stepped forward, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
"Shikamaru?" she whispered, taking in the clouds on his cloak. He smirked.
"Glad to see you remember me."
"Why are you…?"
"Here? I'm one of them." He let his bitter words sink in. Them. I'm one of them. "I'm one of them whether I like it or not, thanks to you guys. Or did you forget how I left?"
"How could I forget?" Sakura blinked back the sudden tears. "I was there when Itachi came."
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Flashback
"Stop!" Sakura screamed, pulling at Sasuke desperately. He ignored her despite the fact that he was coughing up blood. "Sasuke-kun, please, you can't leave the hospital!" Shikamaru was in front of him, nearly strangling the Uchiha in an attempt to calm him down. Sasuke struggled, furious at the thought of Itachi being nearby and him not having a chance to fight him. Unforgivable.
"You're going to bleed to death, you idiot!" Shikamaru yelled, punching Sasuke in the gut. Sasuke groaned, falling to his knees. Sakura kneeled down, slowly healing him. Shikamaru sighed, standing up.
"Troublesome," he growled. "How are you supposed to kill your brother if you won't stop bleeding?" Sasuke glared at him beneath the black bangs. His dark eyes suddenly widened and he opened his mouth in alarm. Shikamaru turned only to be hit hard in the chest, flying into a tree.
"Shikamaru!" Sakura cried. The lazy genius groaned, falling to the ground. A pair of feet stopped by his face and he looked up to see the swishing black cloak. He stared at the bloody designs on the cloak, wondering why his clouds had betrayed him. The adult bent down and pulled Shikamaru's head up by his hair. He stiffened as he faced an older version of Sasuke with evil red eyes. Uchiha Itachi.
End flashback
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"We looked for you!" Kiba shouted. "But you were gone, man!" Shikamaru shook his head.
"Liar," he hissed, his calm voice suddenly venomous. "Had you really come for me, you wouldn't be standing here. You'd be in a grave by Asuma." There was silence as they processed his words. It was true. None of them were near Itachi's level, not even Sasuke. Tsunade had forbidden them to look for Shikamaru, despite Ino and Chouji's pleads. Ino had nearly killed herself then and there.
"Please, Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata whispered. Her voice was still gentle, which bothered Shikamaru. A ninja can't afford to be gentle. A ninja is a murderer. Or at least he was. "Why did you come back?"
"Itachi said I could," Shikamaru replied lazily. His eyes fixed onto Naruto. "He said I could destroy this village."
"What?" Ino shouted, paling. This can't be Shikamaru! But somehow, it was. That cool, lazy look and the hidden air of authority...all wrapped up in a black cloak.
"Except Naruto. They still need the Kyuubi, so Naruto gets to live. Lucky you, eh?" Shikamaru watched as Naruto's face darkened with anger. "Troublesome, isn't it? Having to watch your comrades die before you. You find it hard to even think about. I've lived through it, Naruto. Hokage. Asuma. My parents. They all died for this damned village. And so will you."
"Why are you doing this, Shikamaru?" Naruto shouted, his eyes glowing red. Shikamaru smiled, his eyes sad and distant. In a flash, he was behind Naruto, a kunai to his throat.
"Because I can."
-----------------
Flashback
"Itachi!" Sasuke screamed, struggling to get up. Sakura was holding him down, sobbing as Itachi came nearer. One arm was wrapped around Shikamaru's waist, like he was a bag. He hated it.
"I did not come for you," Itachi said. His eyes lingered on Sakura, who hugged the younger Uchiha tighter as she braced herself for pain. Instead, Itachi turned away with Shikamaru in tow.
"Get off…" the chuunin groaned. Itachi smirked slightly before looking back at Sakura.
"Two years." She looked at him, confused. "In two years, I will return this boy. Let's see if you still want him."
End flashback
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Shikamaru sighed, examining his hands. He had managed to wipe them clean before Itachi came, knowing the Uchiha bastard would try to drink any blood left. Something sparkled; it was a silver ring shaped like a lizard curled around his left ring finger, shimmering blue like the above sky. In truth, it was a real lizard. Itblinked lazily, nodding towards the left. There was a sudden shuffling and Shikamaru looked up. Itachi was surveying the graveyard.
Numerous chuunins were sprawled on the ground, including the Kyuubi. None of the wounds seemed fatal. Indeed, it looked like Shikamaru had been purposely missing their vital organs. There was a single red flower between the scattered white ones in respect of the dead. Itachi moved towards Naruto but stopped when a hand grabbed the hem of his cloak.
"Not today," Shikamaru said. "Not until they feel it."
"Feel what?"
"The misery of being abandoned."
-----------------
Flashback
Shikamaru shivered, feeling at his neck. The ANBU had tried to save him. Tried. One of the kunai had just barely missed him, grazing his throat. He couldn't talk without feeling hell claw at him from the inside out. Uchiha Itachi had defeated them easily, throwing them around like dolls. Shikamaru knew he was showing off. It had been a week since they'd brought him here, and still he waited for help. The door creaked open and he looked up, instantly ready to fight for his life. Itachi entered, his black cloak brushing against the ground.
"Do you know why you are here?" Shikamaru glared at him, edging into the corner. Itachi smirked, to his rage. The younger Nin forced himself not to tackle the jerk as Itachi continued watching him coldly. "You are here because I am in need of an…apprentice." Shikamaru blinked. An apprentice? Why me? Itachi could see the burning question.
"I chose you because I felt you would understand. You hide behind that lazy demeanor, when truly you are a strategical genius. You are able to hide your thoughts and control them. You have more potential than Sasuke ever did." Shikamaru frowned. This wasn't the conversation he'd expected. Not that it was really a conversation when he couldn't talk. Itachi came a bit closer.
"Hate is what keeps you strong. Just like…" he paused. "…When you killed Hidan." Shikamaru looked at the floor angrily, unaware of Itachi inching closer. "You did it, didn't you? You hacked off every piece of his body; burst every vein that flowed. I saw you ripping that heart into shreds and I knew you were perfect. You did that out of hate. Revenge. Didn't it feel good? I will help you harness that power. And…" Shikamaru looked up and realized Itachi was right above him. "You will belong to the Akatsuki."
Shikamaru frowned. No. My friends, they're waiting for me. They'll come. Itachi seemed to hear his thoughts. Smirking, the Uchiha said, "I'll give you a week."
A week later; Itachi opened the door to see Shikamaru lying on the small bed they'd provided him. His fingers were bleeding badly, and a small gray lizard climbed over Shikamaru's face protectively, hissing when Itachi came near. He noticed the scales were actually silvery and were reflecting the unseen sky. A summoning? But so small. The lizard hissed again, spitting out a stream of molten metal. Itachi dodged, watching it pile against the wall sluggishly. He smirked.
Shikamaru barely noticed when Itachi sat on the side of the bed. "Well?" the Uchiha said quietly.
"'Well' what?" the genius' voice rang out. Itachi looked down and realized Shikamaru's voice was being projected from his summon.
"Have you considered my offer?"
"Yeah," the genius said quietly. Itachi understood Shikamaru was conveying what he wanted to say to the summon in his mind; the lizard was his new voice.
"And…?" There was silence.
"They didn't come."
"They never will," Itachi said coldly. "If they do, they will come in pieces." Shikamaru shivered at the thought.
"I'll kill you if you hurt them."
"Impossible." Shikamaru glared at him before speaking.
"I have one condition," Shikamaru's voice murmured. Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"I get to kill anyone I want." Shikamaru's eyes gleamed with determination and, to Itachi's pleasure, hatred.
"Excluding the Kyuubi, I will agree." Dark eyes looked up at the man's face.
"Does that mean you're on the list?" Itachi smirked with dark understanding.
"Perhaps."
End flashback
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Itachi glanced at Shikamaru's neck, which was bare. A scar broke into the tan skin right between the neck and shoulder. Shikamaru glared at Itachi before moving ahead.
Bastard. Just let me kill them. He itched to drown Konoha in a river of blood, to bite into its people with weapons and drink in death, the way Itachi had drank his blood. He unconsciously rubbed against his pale scar.
------------------
Flashback
"STOP!" Shikamaru yelled as he struggled against his assailant. The silvery-blue lizard spat at Itachi angrily, hissing. Itachi grabbed it and threw it across the room with the intention to kill. Shikamaru automatically canceled his summoning, watching the reptile poof away. He winced as Itachi slammed him against the wall mercilessly
"Why aren't you protesting now?" Itachi teased, knowing well the genius couldn't speak without his summon. He ripped the Nara's shirt where the shoulder met the neck. Shikamaru shuddered, pushing at the Uchiha desperately.
"Stay still. This will not hurt as much as one of Orochimaru' seals," Itachi ordered. Shikamaru sullenly obeyed, looking scared out of his wits. Itachi ran his tongue over the skin slowly, feeling for a good spot. Shikamaru twitched as the Uchiha's teeth brushed against his vulnerable skin. There. Pain. Lots of it. Shikamaru opened his mouth in an empty cry, full aware that it would be loud and agonizing if it could be heard. Itachi ignored the movement, sinking his teeth in deeper. Shikamaru slowly slid down the wall, paling. Itachi bent down, drinking in the blood that freely flowed. He pulled away, watching the boy's eyes dull from the pain.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Itachi smirked, blood dripping from his lips. Shikamaru didn't answer, already falling into unconsciousness from the blood loss. Itachi licked his lips as he watched the wound heal itself quickly, a gift from Hidan's blood. A pearly scar remained, droplets of blood trickling down Shikamaru's neck.
Nara Shikamaru. A lazy genius.
Nara Shikamaru. A reluctant traitor.
Nara Shikamaru. A successful creation of two blood bondages; Hidan's gene transfer and Itachi's own personal mark. Itachi gave his unconscious apprentice a genuine smile. If only he was awake to see it.
Nara Shikamaru. An Akatsuki.