Naruto: The Jinchuuriki Princess

Ch5: Shogi and Conjectures

Not completely a Warning: Long Chapter ahead!

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"A shogi...game?" Akimi repeated with uncertainty, suddenly feeling anxiety pooling in her gut. She didn't like where this conversation was going. To anyone, it would seem like a simple game of shogi. But then that would be an understatement, because she was going to be playing against an opponent who specialized in shogi, specifically a Nara, and admittedly, it was nothing close to simple.

"Yeah, we could play at my house at six o'clock." He didn't stutter or hesitate, Akimi noted, it was a statement. Akimi did her best to refrain herself from shifting from where she stood by the insistent gaze from the Nara. Akimi definitely did not like where this conversation was going. Now she really had to think carefully to what she would say next, because one wrong word would no doubt spring up ideas and suspicion. And the hardest part, she grudgingly admit, was countering a Nara. This was, certainly, not an easy task to accomplish. Nope.

"But isn't that a bit too soon? I mean, no offense, we just met, Shikamaru-san." Akimi reasoned softly, furrowing her brows to feign clueless. And after the moment those words left her mouth, she wished she could take them all back as they were, rather, erroneous to say. She cursed mentally when his eyes narrowed.

Shikamaru immediately knew that Akimi was trying to find a way to abscond the situation she was currently in. He almost missed the way her eyes (yes, eyes, her bangs were moved for her other eye to be visible) gleamed in a certain way the moment those words left her covered-mouth.

Almost.

And there was no way in hell he would let her escape him. He wanted to know how smart she was, because he could clearly see intelligence in her eyes.

"So? I prefer to do it this way to 'get to know' a new classmate, as troublesome as it sounds." Shikamaru drawled, rubbing the back of his head while momentarily sliding his gaze away from her before staring back at her galaxy orbs apathetically. But his eyes were intense, almost daring her to refuse.

Yeah, it was a weak excuse to directly invite a new girl for a game just to find answers for his questions. However, he did want to know why, at the randomness time, and near graduation, she enrolled to the academy. Just a little shogi game would maybe satisfy him. Akimi was intriguing, and he was not one to miss how she had never said her last name (or clan name) in her introduction. No one in his class seemed to noticed or bothered and left it be, with the exception of the brooding Uchiha (the look in Sasuke's eyes said it all), the Aburame (Shino did suspect, but, nevertheless, remained silent), Chouji (well, he didn't, but his Akimichi friend noticed the look in his eyes), and the Hyuuga heiress (sadly, she dropped it when the troublesome Uzumaki used his...odd Jutsu).

And now Shikamaru suddenly felt like he was acting like his old man, unknowingly planning to interrogate someone by playing a game of shogi.

Akimi bit her lip beneath her mask, risky resolutions already forming in her head and most of them didn't have the best outcome. If she refused the Nara's request, it would be suspicious and quite rude to turn down a clan heir's invitation for a game. Not to mention the fact that Shikamaru's father was Konoha's Jounin Commander and Strategist. And that would be a bad thing. So with her answer being made in her head...

"Okay." She said agreed, and Shikamaru blinked, looking a bit bewildered along with his chakra. "I am new to the academy, and I don't really know a lot of people there, so I guess I could make a new friend other than Naru-kun." Akimi instinctively brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Let's meet up at the academy's entrance later at six."