First off, to those who were reading my Ukyo fic, and the helpful
people who were helping me pre-read, thanks for reading. However, I'm
stopping long fanfics for the time being for various reasons.

    That being said, I had this idea for a Naruto short fic kicking around
in
my head for so long that I just had to write it. The ending was different
from
what I had intended, but I'm still happy with it.

    C and C welcome. I highly doubt there are spoilers here; it takes place
after the ninja are in teams and start doing missions as a team. I don't
really
know if you'd say it's based in the manga, but that's where I got the idea.

____________________________________
Title: Board Games
Anime: Naruto
____________________________________


 The board between the two young ninja was full of pieces of
black and white, lined up in two rows on each side. Tall pieces
stood behind shorter ones, and there was a large, blank space
between each colour. While Shikamaru, the taller, black-haired ninja
moved the box that had contained the pieces onto the ground beside
him, his partner, brown-haired Chouji, scrutinized it curiously.

 "What the heck is this?" he asked, touching the piece
Shikamaru called the bishop.

 "Chess," said Shikamaru. "Someone brought it back from a
mission to the snow country."

 Chouji, not quite impressed, grabbed a handful of chips from
a small bag on his lap and began munching on them.

 "No Go today?" he asked, sounding disappointed. Shaking his
head, Shikamaru began looking over his black pieces, trying to decide
which one to move first.

 "No Go. Not that I wouldn't prefer it," he said. Picking up
a pawn with his index finger and thumb, he moved it one pace forward,
then looked at Chouji. "No one knows how to play this. It's kinda
irresponsible, really, making me try it. What if it's not even a game?
Maybe it's some weird decoration, and now I get to waste my time with
it."

 "I dunno. It looks like a game," said Chouji helpfully. He
then picked up a pawn, like Shikamaru did, and put it right beside
Shikamaru's. "Er. You think that's okay?"

 "Beats me," said Shikamaru, opening the box to get the paper
that said what the pieces were called. That was a little helpful, at
least. Now if only it said how to move them, they'd be set.

 From somewhere around the corner of the porch they were sitting
on, the two of them heard footsteps approaching; quickly, but
non-threatening. Chouji visibly took in a deep breath, then frowned,
hiding his chip bag. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything
as he tried to figure out which piece to move next.

 "Hey, Chouji, Shikamaru," called a young, female ninja as she
walked around and stood beside the two. She held some fragrant
flowers in her hand, and bent over their chess board curiously. "Huh?
What's that?" she asked.

 "Chess," said Shikamaru, picking up the piece called a knight
and moving it diagonally.

 "Oh," she said, picking up a piece and looking at it.
Shikamaru sighed, then leaned back, letting Chouji take his time in
deciding where to move. "How do you play?"

 "We don't know yet," said Chouji, and Shikamaru noted that
he hadn't taken out his chips again. Normally, he finished food
rather than storing it for later. Puzzled, he looked from Ino to Chouji
and back, trying to decide what was different about his two teammates.

 "My dad thought I could figure out how to play it," explained
Shikamaru.

 "You play enough games, I can see why he'd think that," said
Ino, then flashed a smile. "So, do I look any different today?" she
asked.

 "Different? You don't-" began Shikamaru, but was quickly cut
off by Chouji.

 "I was just gonna say," said Chouji, shooting Shikamaru a look
before turning back to Ino. "You look like you've lost five pounds. No!
Ten. Your clothes must be getting big on you," said Chouji, making Ino
smile even wider.

 "Well, I _have_ lost a little," said Ino happily. "Thanks for
noticing. Anyway, I need to deliver these. Have fun with that chess
stuff, Shikamaru," she said, walking away.

 "Yeah," said Shikamaru. As soon as Ino was clearly around
the corner, Chouji pulled out the bag of chips and resumed eating
before moving another piece over to Shikamaru's side. "You're going to
explain what that was about, right?" asked Shikamaru.

 "Huh? You forgot?" asked Chouji. "It was just last week, Ino
went on this weird diet. You even said something about it, when she
left. That she was already thin enough."

 "So she's still on that," said Shikamaru, surprised. Ino often
talked about dieting and losing weight, but she never stayed on a diet
for more than a few days. He couldn't figure out why she did it; she was
already little enough.

 "She tries to be, anyway," said Chouji, then he lowered his
voice. "I have to hide my food now. If she sees me eating anything, she
always sneaks some of it. Then she blames me for tempting her! Like I'm
trying to make her diet fail or something."

 "Heh," said Shikamaru. "Women. I swear, I'll never understand
them."

 "They're not all like Ino, at least. We men would be in lots of
trouble if they were," said Chouji, still with his voice low. "Hey,
speaking of which. You figure out what your dad meant? That thing about
men being useless without women?" asked Chouji.

 Shikamaru stopped moving his piece in mid-pace, then put it
back. He forgot that he had told Chouji about that conversation. Why
had he, anyway? It wasn't important. It was just... odd. And sort of
humiliating to think about. Men needing women? So he would have to
choose a wife, someday?

 "Nah," said Shikamaru, picking up another piece and moving it on
top of a nearby piece of Chouji's. He decided to claim the piece,
chucking it back in the box. "Okay, here's a rule. If you land on a
piece of your opponent's, it means it's out of the game."

 "Err, okay," said Chouji, looking disappointed. "How do you now
how you can move?"

 "Don't know yet," said Shikamaru.

 They heard footsteps again, slower this time, and quieter. It
was a short person, possibly female or a small boy. She walked carefully
and evenly, and after a moment walked up to the two of them. Shikamaru
looked up through his bangs to see Hinata.

 "Hey, Hinata," said Shikamaru. Chouji waved, not looking up from
the board.

 "Hello," said Hinata politely. "Umm. You haven't seen Naruto pass through
here, have you?" she asked, her face turning a slight shade of
pink. She must be warm in that coat, thought Shikamaru.

 "Not lately. I saw him heading out of the village this morning
with his team, I don't think they got back yet," said Shikamaru. Hinata
looked disappointed, but she schooled her face carefully back to serenity
and bowed politely.

 "I see. Sorry to bother you," she said, walking away.

 "No problem," said Shikamaru.

 "See ya," said Chouji.

 Shikamaru found himself watching her as she walked away, deep in
thought. If there was ever an opposite to Ino - not an exact opposite,
but enough to be quite different - it would be Hinata. Demure, polite,
respectful.
He would bet that she would never try to bully him into
anything, or make him eat food he didn't like, or wear clothes he didn't
want to wear. She was cute, too. Her smile, her neat,
pretty-but-not-overdone hair, her pale eyes. And unlike Ino, she wasn't
trying to turn herself into a pencil; she was slim, but had enough fat
on her to not make her look breakable and scrawny.

 "Hey, Shikamaru," said Chouji, making him look back at the board.
He noticed that one of his pieces was now gone, and Chouji had moved the
piece called the queen where it had been. "Your turn."

 "Sure," he said, examining the board again. He couldn't decide
whether to move one of the pawns, or take one of the pieces he had put
at the back. That had seemed like the most logical route of placement,
putting the larger ones at the back, with the largest in the middle. But
was it a correct battle plan? He leaned back for a moment to look up at
the clouds, but instead of being able to think, one of the clouds took
the form of Hinata's face. Groaning, he  leaned forward again to look at
the board.

 "You know," began Shikamaru, picking up a rook and tapping it
against his wrist. "If I had to get married... absolutely had to, no way
out of it... I don't think I'd mind a girl like that. If it was a choice
between being stuck with a banshee woman who wanted to boss me around,
and a nice girl like Hinata, Hinata would be the way to go," said
Shikamaru seriously, as though he were discussing possible game
strategies.

 "Hinata?" said Chouji, who nodded after a moment. "I guess she'd
be good for you. There's a problem with that, though."

 "A problem?" said Shikamaru, looking up.

 "Don't tell me you don't know," said Chouji, who tsked when
Shikamaru continued to look at him blankly. "She likes someone already.
Think about it, who was she looking for?"

 "Naruto," said Shikamaru, firmly putting the rook down near
the queen Chouji had placed earlier.

 "Right. Even I know, and no one tells me anything," said Chouji,
finishing the last of his chips, then carefully placing the empty bag
in his satchel for later disposal. Deflated, Shikamaru leaned back to
his elbows, looking up at the sky once more. So, Hinata liked Naruto.
But Naruto didn't like Hinata, did he? No, that didn't seem right.
Something clicked in his mind, a conversation, a memory. It was almost
with him, if he could only grasp it...

 "Naruto likes Sakura," said Shikamaru finally.

 "Sakura? Heh, he'll need good luck with that," said Chouji,
chuckling.

 "Huh?"

 "Sakura and Ino are both crazy for Sasuke," said Chouji, picking
up his king piece and using it to take one of Shikamaru's pawns. "Naruto
doesn't have a chance with her. At least, not with the way things are
now."

 "Feh, this is why we men should just avoid love. It's so
bothersome," said Shikamaru, moving his bishop away from Chouji's
threatening king. At least, he thought it was a threat. It was hard to
tell, but he didn't want to take the chance. "Who does Sasuke like?"

 "Sasuke?  No one," said Chouji, who moved a knight over a few
paces. "I hadn't realized before how much of a problem this is."

 "Oh?" asked Shikamaru, picking up his queen.

 "Yeah. For instance, let's say you like Hinata. Cuz you _did_ just
say it and all," said Chouji, as Shikamaru put the queen down on the
other end of the board, taking Chouji's pawn. "So, you're at the bottom
of the chain. Err, unless one of the girls likes you."

 "Let's not worry about that," said Shikamaru.

 "Fine. So, Hinata is the second link. But she likes Naruto,
who makes the third person," said Chouji, taking one of Shikamaru's pawns
in a move Shikamaru was sure shouldn't be legal. "Naruto, however, likes
Sakura and doesn't even pay much attention to Hinata."

 Shikamaru moved his knight up a few paces, taking Chouji's queen
and making his companion stutter in his little speech.

 "You sure about that?" asked Chouji. Shikamaru nodded, and Chouji
began looking over his pieces. "Anyway, Naruto likes Sakura. But Sakura
obviously only likes Sasuke. Ino likes him, too."

 "And Sasuke likes no one," finished Shikamaru, crossing his arms
and looking thoughtful. "But wait, that makes two links attached to Sasuke,
and Ino's just hanging there."

 "We're all caught up in a meaningless triangle. No, it's bigger
than a triangle. There are six people involved, with you at the bottom
and Sasuke at the top," said Chouji, ignoring his comment. The way he
said it made Shikamaru grimace, and he put down his king in a place that
he only later realized was threatened by Chouji's pawn. He was tempted to
move it, but he was trying to get Chouji in the habit of not making
take-backs; taking it back now would go against his honour, even if they
were still figuring it out.

 "If I'm going to be anywhere, the bottom might be best. The top
is too troublesome," said Shikamaru. He then was reminded of another
female ninja that Chouji hadn't even mentioned, and scratched his head.

 "What about Tenten?" he asked.

 "Her? She's got a thing for Neji."

 "Neji? You sure?"

 "Oh, yeah," said Chouji. In his mind, Shikamaru pictured another
chain starting, with just two people so far. Who would be in this one?
Chouji, maybe? Female ninja from other classes? Lee?

 The chains starting to grow now, wrapping around them, choking
them. They were chains of unhappiness, of frustration. Of angst, of wasted
time, of unrequited love. Annoyingly long and clinging tightly, they took
hold of every young ninja that he knew and held fast. Shikamaru shuddered,
realizing what their fate was to be if they continued playing this game.

 For the third time, they heard footsteps coming from around the
corner, and this time voices, too. Three people, one of them a young boy,
talking loudly; Naruto. With Sasuke and Sakura, most likely. The three
approached them, and Sakura paused to look at the chess board, clearly
interested.

 "Oooh, what's this? It's a game, right?" she asked. Shikamaru
could see the chain that went from Naruto, to Sakura, to Sasuke. It
glistened brightly, holding them together tightly while keeping them apart,
Sakura snug in the middle.

 "Yeah, it's a game. And it sucks," he said.

 "It does? Can I try?" she asked.

 "Sure. We don't know the rules, though. I don't think anyone does.
Here, take my seat," he said, getting up and letting Sakura sit down.
"Chouji, give Naruto your seat."

 "Huh? Well, okay," said Chouji, getting up and letting a confused,
but intrigued, Naruto sit down.

 "We don't have time," said Sasuke. "Kakashi's waiting."

 "And when has he _ever_ shown up on time? We can play for a moment,"
said Sakura, watching as Shikamaru set the pieces up once more for them.

 "You can drop it off at my house later, take your time. Chouji, you wanna
head to the ramen stand?" asked Shikamaru.

 "Sure," said Chouji, following Shikamaru as they started to walk away.

 "Hey, wait!" called Sakura, and Shikamaru paused. "You didn't say
how to play it."

 Shikamaru turned around slowly, looking between the three teammates
once more.

 "Don't know. But, you guys are already playing it anyway. Maybe you
can tell me, someday," said Shikamaru. Sakura opened her mouth, then closed
it when she realized she didn't know what to say.

 As they walked away, Naruto picked up the king piece, looking at it
thoughtfully.

 "Shikamaru's a funny guy. Hey, Sakura? You got any idea how to play this?"
he
asked, putting the piece down on the board flat and inspecting it.

 "How should I know? Sasuke, you have any idea?" she asked, moving Naruto's
piece back to where Shikamaru had it originally. She was
half-tempted to call him back, but something about his tone of voice made
her not want to bother him. Sasuke turned to look down his nose at the game,
as though he were scrutinizing a trap.

 "Feh, don't ask me," said Sasuke, turning away to look back at the lonely
path
ahead of him. "I don't like board games anyway."

~FIN~




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