Execution Day (Nara Shikamaru) One-shot

Thump, thump, thump.

Footsteps? Hachi wondered whether or not her ears were failing her. When was the last time she had heard the sound of a person's approach? Perhaps only a few days; she couldn't be sure, Hachi had lost count of time in this cell.

One thing she did know is that it had been months since she had seen daylight. She'd nearly completely forgotten what it felt to have rays of light shining upon her alabaster skin. Likewise, her throat was dry, and her lips chapped. It had been days since she had tasted water upon her tongue, and felt the soothing liquid trickle down her throat, quenching her thirst.

"Sakahara Hachi?"

She flinched at the sound of his voice, which is the only thing she had to base his identity on; a blindfold had been tied around her face since she had first been captured, sealing away her sight.. One thing was for sure, this wasn't the sound of that corrupt blonde-haired medical ninja, Tsunade, who had become the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. So who, then, would be disturbing her now? Was it time for her execution?

Often times there was the man that came to feed her, but she never heard him speak a word. Judging merely by his chakra presence, she was able to confirm that he was at least of Chuunin level, and perhaps higher.

There was a creak as the cell door opened, and footsteps danced across the floor as someone advanced toward her half-hunched over figure.

"How troublesome," he muttered.

The shackles around Hachi's wrists shook as she attempted to stand up, but her feet were far too weak to sustain her weight and she merely collapsed upon her bottom again.

"Eh, there's no need to stand up," the man said, "I just brought you your food."

"You're not... The person..." Hachi found herself struggling with the words, for her voice was so hoarse and her throat so dry.

The edge of a glass was pushed against her lips. "Here," he said, "Drink."

Hachi didn't hesitate; she quickly tilted her head back and swallowed the soothing liquid within a few gulps.

"Slow down!" The man quickly pulled the cup away from her lips.

She hung her head in defeat. "Gomen (sorry)," she apologized.

"Tch, how troublesome..."

He's said that a few times, she thought, this person is strange.

"Who are you...?"

"Shikamaru," he answered, "Nara Shikamaru."

"Why are you here, Nara-sama?"

The person seemed uncomfortable with her formal inquiry, but answered nonetheless. "The guard who was on duty down here had a new assignment from the Hokage, so she assigned me to come down here today and tomorrow. Just for now."

"Just for now..." She mimicked the words as though questioning them.

"Yeah," he responded in a bored tone, "The day after tomorrow is execution day."

When she had first arrived, Hachi had been terrified of the day in which she would be executed, but now she had discarded all of her fears. After much thought she had come to the conclusion that the decision of the Hokage was justified.

A criminal and murderer can never live a normal life again, right? Hachi mused.

"So, then, Nara-sama-"

"Shikamaru works better," he interjected.

Hachi lifted her head a bit and regarded the person before her with a rather critical expression, "Shikamaru, why hasn't Tsunade sent down anyone in so many days? Does she assume this to be some method of torture? Depriving a person of food and drink for such a long time... I wonder how the citizens of Konoha can let such a heartless woman lead them."

"Eh, she's not that bad, and it wasn't really her fault. You were asleep when the guards visited to serve food, so you didn't get any."

A smirk lifted her lips upward. "I see."

"Are you ready to eat?"

He seemed to resent the job he had been given, for the tone of his voice was quite annoyed and he had called this task troublesome a few times now. Hachi was beginning to wonder what kind of person it was that she was dealing with. Though most people would complain about having to do such a boring job, this man hadn't said one word that made it seem like he was whining.

This Shikamaru must be lazy, she thought.

"I suppose," she responded in an almost mocking manner.

Shikamaru seemed to disregard it, as he placed a metallic kitchen utensil known as a "spoon" against her lips. "Eat," he commanded.

Hachi obeyed, parting her lips and quickly devouring the mashed potatoes that had been offered to her. They were hardly warm or delicious, but a person who was trapped in a prison couldn't very well be picky.

The lazy Chuunin dipped the spoon into the bowl of potatoes before offering more to the shackled female in front of him. This process continued until the round glass object in his hand was empty.

"Thank you," Hachi said as her head fell against her chest, "At least by easing the pang of hunger in my stomach, you've also managed to quell my fear of dying."

"Yeah," he responded in an nonchalant tone as he retrieved the bowl and spoon before making his way over to the cell door. The man named Shikamaru didn't even hesitate at this point, for he closed the door immediately behind him, giving Hachi no time to speak to him anymore.

It's only right that he would hate me, she told herself, even if he doesn't know what I've done, he'll still hate me, because I've been condemned. I'm a prisoner, and one of the few who's crimes have warranted the death sentence.

Hachi leaned her head back against the wall. Tomorrow she would see him again, and that would be the final day she would have to talk to anybody. It had been well over a year since she had been able to converse, for any period of time, with anybody. Now that she had the opportunity again, Hachi wished she had more time to speak with this Shikamaru person; he was most amusing.

The rest of her day was full of silence, save for the occasional drip of water that came from the leak in the ceiling of her cell. Otherwise, Hachi was left to solitude,
counting the seconds up to the minutes up to the hours until she would be able to interact with this Shikamaru person again...

"Oi... Oi, Hachi. Oi!" Shikamaru had been shaking her shoulders for well-over a few minutes now, but the captive kunoichi had yet to even flinch. He could only conclude that she was trying to play some sort of game with him. "I know you're awake," he drawled.

A smile tugged at the edges of her lips, but the kunoichi didn't respond. He sighed. Why did all females have to be so troublesome? And what did she hope to gain from this odd behavior? Even for someone so bright as Shikamaru it was unfathomable. "Do you want to eat?" He asked, finally.

"Judging by your tone, you'll leave if I don't respond."

Shikamaru grunted.

"I thought so," she responded with a sly smile.

He disregarded her strange words and poked at her lips with the spoon. The metallic utensil held at least a dozen grains of cooked white rice. Like yesterday's meal, this one was just as simple, just as tasteless, and just as unenjoyable.

Hachi turned her head away. "No," she said, "I'm not hungry. What do I need food for if I'll be dead by tomorrow?"

"You wanted food yesterday," he quipped.

"Yes, but that was because by filling my stomach I was able to defeat my fear of dying."

"Today is no different," Shikamaru responded with a quirked brow.

She smiled. "I like you. It's too bad we couldn't have met outside of this cell.
Maybe we could've been friends, then... I would've liked that."

The Chuunin groaned in response, bored with his task of feeding and humoring prisoners. This was all so troublesome for him.

"I'd be willing to bet you don't even know why I'm in here, right?"

He set the rice bowl down and sighed, "No," he said, "I don't know. Does it matter?"

"For some like you, I suppose it doesn't. All you have to do is come down here and feed me, oblivious to what crimes I have committed. For all you know I'm an innocent victim-"

"Unlikely," he interjected, "Your crimes warranted a death sentence. You must've done something severe."

"That's true," she admitted, "I killed many of my comrades. I betrayed the people and the village that I served for five years. Why? I don't know, and I don't remember. You probably won't believe this, but... When I look back it doesn't even seem like it was me. Maybe this year of solitude has forced some remorse out of me and that is why I think the way I do."

"You don't act remorseful."

There was silence for a moment...

"Shikamaru?"

He tilted his head to the side, "Mm?"

"Could you... Take off this blindfold? Just for a minute."

Despite the fact that he knew he wasn't suppose to, and if Tsunade found out she would bite his head off... Shikamaru obliged. Leaning forward, the Chuunin clumsily fiddled with the blindfold until finally he managed to untie the knot, whisking away the white cloth from Hachi's deep crimson eyes.

At first, her vision was a bit hazy, and she found that it was hard to make anything out. It had been a very long time since she had been able to see. Finally, however, she was able to make out the young face of the man she had been talking to since yesterday. He was an average-looking person, who held no particular interesting features, other than the permanent frown upon his lips and the bored gleam in his eyes.

"You're sixteen, huh?"

He grunted. "Fifteen and a half."

Hachi's eyes softened a bit, "Gomen (sorry), Shikamaru. I know you have no interest in talking to a prisoner. After all, I've committed so many crimes that have warranted a death sentence, that it's pretty much a waste of time-"

"That's not it," he interrupted, "This is just like a mission. It's not personal, it's 'business'."

This was an even more disappointing response than Hachi had previously anticipated. "I suppose that could be," she said, "Or maybe you just don't want to spend too much effort on me because you know I'm going to die."

He furrowed his brows. "You're a criminal."

"Then you proved what I said previously to be correct; you hate me because of the crimes I've committed."

Shikamaru sighed. "I have nothing personal against you. I'm just doing what the Hokage told me to do."

This person is impossible, she concluded. It's been nice having someone to talk to, but it would be stupid for me to continue on with this little charade; he has no interest in befriending me. Why should he? I'll be dead soon.

"I'm not going to eat, so why don't you replace my blindfold and be on your way," with a hmpf, Hachi averted her gaze, turning her head away.

"You're impossible."

"You're ridiculous," she retorted.

As Shikamaru retrieved the blindfold and struggled to tie it back around Hachi's face, he responded, "You're naive."

"I'll be dead soon, too."

Knots twisted in his stomach at this thought, though he couldn't figure out why it sickened him so to think of this kunoichi sitting in front of him being killed. She didn't seem as horrible as the crimes she had committed...

No, he told himself, she showed no remorse when she spoke about the murders she committed.

As Shikamaru shuffled over to the door, he found his gaze wandering back over his shoulder. He took a moment to stare at the girl; a myriad of roseate locks spilled over her shoulder, her frail, cadaverous frame nothing more than skin and bones.
It looks as if she had been starved for a long period of time.

Even though she was a prisoner... Even though she was a traitor to Konoha...

I still feel kind of bad leaving her here, he thought. Reluctantly, the Chuunin stepped outside of the cell, quietly closing the door behind him. He then had to force himself to walk back down the hallway and away from Hachi.

She listened to him intently, until his footsteps dissipated. This was the first time, in a good long while, that she had actually felt like crying. Hachi had never before felt her heart wrench in such pain as now. She couldn't help but wonder why it hurt her so.

It wasn't because she cared for Shikamaru, she hadn't known him long enough to care. Actually, the real reason she was upset... Why she felt like crying...

I'll never have an opportunity to care about anyone ever again. I'll never be able to have friends, or people to care about me. This is... The end of the road.

A tear escaped the cloth pressed against her eyes and trickled down the length of her cheek.

Ding, ding, ding.

It was rare that any bell in Konoha rang, especially the execution bell. That is why the citizens of Konoha had dubbed it "the cry of the fallen". However, the execution of any criminal was kept private and wasn't allowed to be viewed by the public. Only the victim's family were allowed to watch the death of the criminal. The location in which this execution was performed was a remote one in the depths of the underground area, where many of the prisoners were kept

Thump-thump-thump.

Her heart was pounding quickly as adrenaline flooded her body. Fear was spreading like a plague through her bloodstream as she stood upon a stage. The executioner had just placed the noose around her neck, and was currently tightening the knot.

If she could've cast a glance over the crowd, Hachi would've probably only seen the angry faces of her victim's family members and relatives. None of the people attending her execution felt even the tinniest bit of sympathy for her. After all, they had all been waiting for this day for over a year now, and they were probably rejoicing because it had finally arrived.

Hachi knew this, but admonishing herself now would not do any good. That is why
Hachi discarded any self-pitying thoughts that she had and put on a straight face. Despite how afraid she was, she knew that this execution was just; she was a criminal, and a murderer. Hell was the only place she belonged.

Damn, she thought, that wench Tsunade could've at least trusted me enough to remove this blindfold. Shouldn't I be allowed to glare at the people who have condemned me to such a cruel fate?

These thoughts were interrupted as the cord around her neck tightened, and Hachi found herself almost literally choking; it had been tighter than she had first anticipated.

"Do you have any last words?" The execution inquired in a whisper.

"Burn in hell," she responded venomously.

Ignoring her words, he bellowed, "Does anyone have anything that they would like to say?"

Tch, yeah right, she thought, if they want to say anything then it will probably just be something like "Burn in hell you *****."

"Yes," a familiar voice called out, "I guess I do."

There was silence among the crowd of people gathered around the stage as the speaker clambered up the staircase and over toward Hachi.

"Shikamaru?" She blurted out in bewilderment.

"Yeah," he said, in that same lazy tone that she had heard him use the first time she had met him.

"What're you doing here..?"

"The Hokage asked me to come," he replied, "It's very troublesome."

She grinned, despite having been angry with him the previous day. "You'll have to come down to hell to visit me when you die. Then you can tell me in great detail how I died. Whether my neck was severed, or if I was a strangled. That'd be fun... Ne?" There was pause from Shikamaru as Hachi felt something else being tied around her neck---A necklace?

"Maybe with this you won't have to go to hell."

Although she couldn't be sure, Hachi assumed that it was a silver necklace with a silver cross. "A sweet sentiment, but it's wasted on this person. The devil and I are engaged, don't you know?"

"I'll meet you there someday... In the underworld."

"Alright, alright, enough talk," the executioner shooed Shikamaru off of the stand back down the stairs. "Anyone else?" When there was no response, the masked man traipsed over to the lever that controlled the floorboards beneath Hachi's feet.

"Sakahara Hachi," Tsunade bellowed, "For all the crimes you have committed, you now face your punishment: Death."

"Bring it on!" She replied defiantly.