Arron and Trexx

Chapter 44

Third person pov

A few weeks went by, and it seemed like Arron was finally comfortable leaving the house with Shikamaru. She was closer with Ino and Choji, and no longer cringed away from Asuma; although, she wouldn't let the man touch her. She still continued to shy away from people, and would become extremely nervous anytime strangers were around or they were in a new place, but she was talking more. Shikamaru was glad to see her make progress, as was Inoichi.

"Do you think you could come out of the closet to talk to me today, Arron?" The Yamanaka asked. He was over for yet another therapy session. Arron had been in Konoha a while now, and had participated in quite a few sessions with the man. Despite that, she still feared him. She seemed to fear all men, save for Asuma. Inoichi had to assume that's because she saw him almost everyday, and because he was her godfather. Arron had known him prior to her trauma.

"Why don't we give it a go, Arron?" Shikamaru tried when the girl didn't respond. "It's a drag to be stuck in a stuff closet. Especially when you have to keep Trexx from eating the bulb." The Nara glared at the creature as he said this. Trexx didn't actually notice. He was too busy staring at the bulb hanging from the ceiling, his white eyes seeming wider than usual.

Arron shriveled up at the request. Men was the one thing she couldn't handle, save for Asuma. But Shikamaru had worked hard to express his trust in Asuma, and Arron knew who he was to an extent. Men like Inoichi and Shikamaru's dad, on the other hand, scared the ever living daylights out of the girl. She'd buckle in their presence. It was her weakest point by far.

"It's Ino's dad. I trust him. I've known him since I was a baby, pretty much." Shikamaru said, and he had. His dad had been on a team with Inoichi as well as Choji's father, Choza. They were close, and so Shikamaru had grown up in the company of the two people he now called teammates. 

"Dangerous." Arron said, hackles raised. She didn't like this. She didn't like Inoichi. He asked her all sorts of questions. Questions she didn't like. She never answered them. She couldn't. She didn't want to. They made her remember, and she didn't want to remember. She wanted to forget it all. She wanted to leave it behind. Dealing with it wasn't on her agenda, but it certainly seemed to be on Inoichi's.

"He isn't dangerous. I promise." Shikamaru swore up and down, just as he'd done the past two sessions. "I'll go out there with you. He can be on one side of the room, and we can be on the other. I'll be next to you the whole time." He bargained. Arron eyed him cautiously. She knew she'd been making... progress lately. She'd noticed it in herself. She noticed how her shoulders were relaxed around Ino. She noticed herself responding to questions. She noticed a lot of things. Things that were new and different. She was afraid to get comfortable again. Every time she settled, someone would come along to kick her up again.

"I'm scared." Arron whispered to him. Outside the closet, Inoichi remained silent, although he couldn't stop his ears from straining to listen. Inoichi was an expert of the mind, but a big part of that was being able to see the person. The look in their eyes, and they way they reacted. Their facial expressions and body language. It wasn't all talking, and he knew he wouldn't be able to help Arron unless a bond of trust was formed, even if it was a thin one. They needed to be face to face for that to happen. 

"It's okay to be scared, Arron. Everyone gets scared." Shikamaru said. He blew out a puff of air. "Just give it a go. You can even stay in the closet if you want, and we can just open the door." Shikamaru suggested. Arron seemed to perk up at this, staring directly at Shikamaru. He stared back firmly, trying to display his complete and total confidence in Inoichi.

"...Okay." Arron whispered, frowning. Shikamaru sighed in relief.

"Inoichi, Arron wants to stay in the closet, but she said I could open the door. Can you back up a little?" Shikamaru called out, turning off the walkie-talkie. If all went well, they wouldn't need to use them anymore after today. And God, Shikamaru hoped things went well.

Inoichi scrambled back, settling himself at the end of Shikamaru's bed on the floor. He tried to make himself as non threatening as possible. He relaxed his face and put on a smile, folding his hands in his lap over his clipboard he was using to take notes. He hoped he'd have enough paper. He would have a lot to write down.

The closet door slid open slowly, and Shikamaru gave a nod to the Yamanaka, who returned it. He could see Arron peeking around the boy, eyes wide and full of fear. But she also seemed curious, observing Inoichi. She was smart. Inoichi could tell just by looking at her. The way her eyes flickered over him told him he was being assessed. He carefully kept himself as relaxed as possible. Any tension could show that he too was nervous about this, and that could shut her down.

"You sit here." Shikamaru told her, patting a spot in the middle of the closet. "I'll be right behind you, okay?"

Arron settled herself down on her knees, looking completely started as Shikamaru carefully moved behind her. She twisted to watch him, whipping back around to look at Inoichi to make sure he hadn't moved. She glanced back at Shikamaru again, but her eyes seemed to bounce back to Inoichi, as though she couldn't bare the thought of taking her gaze off of him. For fear that he would attack.

"Hello, Arron." Inoichi smiled a warm smile. "It's nice to meet face to face with you."