Prologue

Nara Shikamaru knows that war is terrible ― he's experiencing it first hand.

He knows that people die because of the most basic of techniques and most trivial incidents of human nature. He has seen so many of his comrades, nameless comrades, slip away from his grasp, and go to a place far better than the battlefield. Inside him he wonders if any credible shinobi goes to Heaven, because, well, they've killed before, haven't they?

But before he can place his fingertips together so that they are just touching, a bomb detonates next to him and he is instantly brought back to reality. This is a war, and he has no time to sit idly by and think about life after death.

At least, not when the smoke clears and he realizes that the kunoichi next to him has received a direct hit.

Shikamaru curses wildly, and as he descends into the newly formed crater, his eyes go wide and his vision goes blurry. His fellow shinobi make sure to cover their captain as he hurriedly summons on-site medical nin, the fatigue and tire from two straight days of battle showing in his drained visage.

The irregular pants and gasps amidst the chaos of war only serves to disorientate him even further, and as his mind spirals into what one may describe as desperation, the only thing anchoring him to his sanity is the seriously bleeding shinobi lying down in front of him. The damage is bad ― even he can see it ― with her being impaled on a stray tree root, going right through what appears to be her abdomen, and with her gurgling the immense amount of fresh blood pooling in her throat.

Shikamaru feels for her gloved hands, and he screams his words to her, because her eyelids are fluttering closed, and she is drifting away from him. The iron fan, sprawled out on the forest floor not far from him in all its glory, is painted with her blood. There is fierce fighting going on behind him, and he hears yells of panic and death.

He feels his eyes go moist and his ears ring, his eyebrows coming together. He tells her not to go, please don't leave him, because he needs her and he wasn't being attentive and it is he who deserves to die. The medical nin come running, but as they recognize the signs of her injuries they sigh, and shake their heads. Shikamaru wants to punch them, he wants to beat them up so bad ― what right do they have to declare somebody dead when she is struggling, struggling so hard and so bravely, right in front of them?

Then a shout louder than the din of battle comes from the scene behind him; the medical nin retreat. Shikamaru glances at the harsh fighting, but spares only a minute because the kunoichi on the ground makes a small sound.

He turns his head immediately, rubbing his eyes because they have started to sting. There is blood flowing from her mouth, and blood spilling from her wound. Shikamaru tries to pick her up and bring her to safety, but as he attempts to pull her from the root she lets out a blood-curdling scream. His face distorts into one of confusion, of anger and of helplessness, but his underlings defend their grieving captain for as long as they can.

With a gasp and a pant from her, Shikamaru cuts the base of the root off from the tree, so that when he brings her to those cowardly medical nin it is still lodged in her body. He makes sure to bring the fan as well, but he's not sure why. He gives orders to take care of her the best they can, and as he turns around to face the enemy, he crouches down to look at her one last time.

There is a sliver of eye between her barely closed eyelids, and she appears to recognize him amidst the sharp pain that is repeatedly stabbing her, over and over. She smiles a little at his expression, and with her last breath she tells him her last words.