A HAPPY MOMENT
Crunch
Shikamaru gazed up at the clouds as he popped the chip into his mouth. The eighteen year old watched them roll by carelessly in his special spot-—the one he had shared with Choji for all those years. He could remember the last mission he had…the A rank mission…Ino and Choji were both by him when the criminal they were sent to capture went for the kill…Choji pushing them both out of the way just as Shikamaru and Ino were about to be hit…
Shikamaru closed his eyes. He didn’t want to remember. God he didn’t want to remember…
“Shikamaru?”
Shikamaru opened his eyes to see his blond haired, blue eyed teammate staring at him from above. Shikamaru sighed as he sat up, Ino moving out of the way. Ino sat on the red railing of Shikamaru’s special spot for cloud-watching.
“What, Ino?” Shikamaru said irritably. “Is it about the mission papers? I already filled them out.” The pony-tailed eighteen-year old said, turning away from the blond stubbornly. “I’m busy right now.”
“With what--your official job as a cloud watcher?”
Shikamaru sighed again. “If you want to stay here, fine. It doesn’t matter to me. Want a chip?” Shikamaru offered the bag to Ino. Ino took one chip, and stared at it for a moment before popping it into her mouth.
Crunch
“Choji had a whole stash up here.” Shikamaru said after a moment of silence.
Ino chuckled a little. “That’s kind of hard to believe…I mean…he stashed them here without eating them all? That’s totally unlike how Choji was before—” Ino caught herself, as if admitting the truth was forbidden.
Shikamaru shrugged. “I told him to stash them so we wouldn’t get hungry on a day we didn’t feel like going home…but now I don’t want to go home, and I really don’t want to finish all these chips without him…” Shikamaru trailed off, taking another chip and eating it.
Crunch
The two teammates were silent for a time, with Shikamaru gazing at the clouds rolling by them. Ino continued to eat the chips. She stopped suddenly, tears in her eyes. “Ah…”
Shikamaru glanced at Ino. “What?”
“That is…it’s the last chip.” Tears formed in Ino’s eyes as she smiled, almost laughing. “We aren’t allowed to eat it. Only Choji…”
Shikamaru took the bag of chips abruptly, taking out the last, single chip. He broke it in half, handing one half to Ino. “We aren’t eating the last one alone. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
Ino took the half of the chip, studying it before eating it quietly, licking the salt off her fingers.
“Hey, Ino…do you believe in heaven?”
Ino turned back to Shikamaru abruptly. “What’re you talking about? Of course I believe in heaven. I mean—when I die of old age; I have to see you guys somewhere, right?” Ino laughed, swinging her legs off the railing and settling down next to Shikamaru, fiddling with his ponytail.
“I bet you’d look a lot uglier when you died.”
“Hey!” Ino turned a bright pink. “That’s not very--”
“Not that you’re ugly now. But if you diet too much, you’ll look really icky when you get older.” Shikamaru said sheepishly, rubbing his head as if embarrassed. “Guys like girls who have a little fat on them. They don’t all like skinny girls. You’re pretty, Ino. You just have to put on some weight.”
Ino blushed. “Ah…” Speechless, Ino turned away, waiting for Shikamaru to continue.
“I really don’t know if there’s a heaven or not.” Shikamaru said, his eyes remaining away from Ino. “I mean…why so much suffering? I’ve seen two of the most important people in my life taken away from me—I watched them die, Ino. How can I believe in a life after death if this life totally sucks?” Ino could see Shikamaru close his eyes shut, refusing the tears to exit. “This life is so freakin’ horrible—how can I believe in the promise of a happy, peachy-keen life after I die?”
“Shikamaru!”
Shikamaru turned to Ino, opening his eyes as a single tear fell off his cheek. Ino’s eyes were filled to the brim with tears, each of them falling, another two taking each tear that had fallen in a long line of tears. “I-Ino!” Shikamaru said, surprised. He had never seen his teammate like this.
Ino placed her hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder. “Don’t say that.” She said quietly. “Don’t say that you don’t believe in Heaven. This suffering has to stop someday…and,” she added, “I don’t think life is just full of suffering. I think life is full of happy moments, too. You have to think of the happy moments…”
“A happy moment, huh?” Shikamaru leaned back, Ino’s face hovering his own. Shikamaru gazed into Ino’s blue eyes before he impulsively leaned up, stealing a kiss from his blond haired teammate. Ino sat there, startled for a moment, before pulling away. Shikamaru sat up. “Is this considered a ‘happy moment’?”
Ino was speechless. Soon, though, she regained her composure. “A happy moment…” Ino leaned in again, and the two shared another emotional kiss. Ino pulled back after a few seconds and smiled. “Yes. This is definitely a happy moment.”
Shikamaru smiled, leaning over the seat and pulling out another bag of chips. “Want some?” he asked, offering the bag.
End
The Birthday of Kyon
“Kyon-kun! Wake up!” My little sister cried, shaking me from my deep slumber. “Wake up, Kyon-kuuun!”
I sighed, sitting up. I had been dreaming about sweet Asahina-san before I was rudly awakened, so I was feeling a little grouchy. "What do you want with me? It’s six thirty in the morning. Go away."
My little sister smiled. “Happy Birthday, Kyon!” she cheered, waving her hands in the air and hugging me. “You’re seventeen today! Yay! Yay! Soon you’ll be off to college!”
I stood up. "Go away." I sighed. "Now that I’m up, I have to get ready for school."
“Kay, Kyon-kun!”
Geez, that kid can be cheerful in the morning.
So I headed off to school by seven thirty. The hill climb wasn’t as bad as it usually was………Maybe it was because of the dampness in the air. Hell, the sun was hardly climbing into the sky. You must be tired to, Mr. Sun.
“Hey! Kyon! Happy birthday!” Tanaguchi yelled, running up to me from the top of the hill.
"Wait, what in hell are you doing at school so early? Shouldn’t you still be asleep?"
“Touche, my fine friend! I am here because I remembered it was your birthday! Now, where is your school locker again?” He yelled happily. Even this guy, who is my age, can be so energetic in the morning. Maybe it’s just me who can’t seem to get energetic until noon?
Wait a minute. "You’re not decorating my locker."
“Aww, why not, Kyon? And when I came so early to do it!” Tanaguchi screamed, pointing his bandaged finger at me. “Screw you!” He yelled, running back up the hill.
I sighed, slowing down my walking speed. What’s with everyone today?
At eight o’clock on the dot, I entered the classroom.
“SURPRISE!!”
I nearly fell back at the energy in the room. There were streamers, banners, balloons, everything you could possibly imagine for a birthday party. Hell, someone even brought a cake. "What in hell are you doing?"
Okabe-sensei smiled. “We’re throwing you a birthday party, of course! We all came early just to surprise you. Suzumiya-san planned it.”
I immediately swung my head around to look for Suzumiya. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen. "Where is Suzumiya?"
“Apparently, she’s not here, Kyon!” Tanaguchi smiled, glomping me. Get off, pervert!
I almost felt a little sad. I really did want to see what Haruhi would do on my birthday. Wait………She already did this. But she wasn’t here! If you’re going to plan something out, you should be here the day it’s supposed to happen!
Haruhi didn’t show up at all that day. Out of habit, I walked to the clubroom.
Another party awaited me at the clubroom. "Still no Haruhi, huh? Did she plan out this?"
“How did you know, Kyon? Wow, your intellect must be off the charts! Are you a genius or something?” Itsuki smile was plastic. I swear, someday I’ll rip that little plastic smile off your face, you bastard.
I sat down in an empty chair that said the words “KYON!” on it. Well, I wonder whose chair this is.
Suddenly, the door to the clubroom slammed open. I looked up. "Well, you came in late……"
“Shut up, Kyon!”
I couldn’t help but smile. There she was, our stupid leader, coming at me with an angry look on her face……wait, what?
Haruhi stood over me, a menacing look on her face. “You suck, Kyon.” She stated, looming over me.
"How exactly do I suck?"
“Last night I went out to find you a birthday present. I didn’t know how hard you are to shop for!” she yelled, poking my nose. “But I figured out the perfect thing.” She grinned evily.
"If this has anything to do with Asahina, please do not even go there."
“Oh, it doesn’t have anything to do with Mikuru-chan.”
"The way you say it makes it sound exactly like it has something to do with Asahina."
Suddenly, Haruhi’s face was centemeters—millimeters—away from mine. And then she delicatly placed a kiss on my lips. Wait, what in hell are you doing?! The others looked on at the two of us, smiling, and in Asahina-san’s case, giggling uncontrollably.
So, to sum it up, I got the best present ever for my seventeenth birthday.
I got Haruhi.
