Fma-naruto crossover chapter 28

Shikamaru slouches his way down the hall, both hands in his pockets. He slides his eye back to Choji as his friend pushes the large contraption of bed along. Choji's face is stoney as he looks blankly forward, and the drag of it all is that Shika knows what a mask it really is. He glances once down towards the too still form of Ino, lying pale beneath the thin white sheets, and watches the jaw of Choji grind with deep worry.

When they reach the door, Shikamaru simply stops walking. He can easily hear the Hokage speaking in the room beyond, and by the drag of her tone, she doesn't sound happy. He wonders just how long she's been inside as he glances again back to Choji. Choji only nods in encouragement, and Shika let out a breath.

He raps his knuckles against the door, and hears a sharp sound within. It is too soon to be in response to his knocking, and sounds as though a hand slapped against some flesh. Before he can wonder much on what it could mean, sparks of blue lightening spark and dance across the tiles at his feet.

He hears a groaning rumble, and the silence afterwards is followed by the Hokage's voice.

"It'll do."

The door swings inwards, and he finds he gazes at the Hokage's displeased face.

"Good. You're here. Move her over there." She says, gesturing vaguely over her shoulder. Shikamaru steps within the room and slouches against the nearest wall as Choji complies with her orders. He recalls a low wall that stretched from the door to the far end of the room, and numerous sculpted hands which protruded from the walls, ceiling and floor. The area she indicated to wheel the bed is clear, a far cry from the strange, likely summoned, mess he had witnessed in here earlier.

He sees Ed leaning heavily against one hand upon the far wall, dressed only in a pair of white shorts, and narrows his eyes slightly at the sight. The shiny metal leg that was his left is gone from its accustomed place, and lies on top of the bed the boy is by. Shikamaru is well aware the leg is false and has known for quite some time but, looking at the gaping emptiness now is very different. It is as though the leg was chopped off at the thigh, and Shika can't help but eye the barren metal thing bolted where the leg should rightly be.

He stares and can't help but wonder how many of his fellow nins would be lucky enough to have just a missing limb at the end of the upcoming battles.

The boy hops unsteadily on his one remaining leg, golden eyes glaring at the Hokage.

"You no listen. I no can.." The boy snarls.

"You are not the one I am depending on in this procedure." The Hokage roars over him. "Now sit."

Instead of complying, Ed darts his golden orbs briefly Shika's way, and then slides them towards the entering bed. He sees the boy's thin brows skew upwards as Ed watches Ino get rolled into place.

If the boy wasn't the enemy, if the boy wasn't responsible for Ino's current condition, if the boy wasn't the one that so gravely injured Ino's father...

This is war, Shikamaru reminds himself. His people are depending upon him for his intelligence, for his firm decisions, and this boy, who is very likely working for the enemy, cannot be sympathized with. Shika slides his gaze blithely towards the other bed in the room, where Sakura is fussing with what looks to be clothing.

"Calm down, Ed." Sakura says softly, and walks over Ed's scarred shoulder. "Here, let me..."

Ed pushes her aside, and hops his way over to the bed with a deep frown plastered on his face. Sakura looks his way and Shika can see her roll her eyes as Ed half hand walks and hops his way to the end of the bed.

"I said sit." The Hokage says, and places her hands at her hips as she towers to glare down at Ed. Ed for his part, glares defiantly back. "Let me be very clear. We. Are at War. There will be no deal, here. Not like you want. You will not be learning ninjutsu, certainly not for such a dubious service as you offered."

"Tell to me what you mean!" Ed snarls. "Are you to kill me..?! Or. Or her..?! Both?!?"

The Hokage raises a single finger and points it at Ed's unprotected forehead as she speaks.

"Fact. Ino is a competent nin, well versed in her family's techniques. She will be the one getting herself out of you, not, I repeat, not you. She merely needs the chakra that you happen to lack to be doing so. "

"What you plan?" Ed demands.

"No harm to you or her. Now." The Hokage taps the tip of her finger on Ed's forehead. His head snaps back as though she had landed a heavy blow with her closed fist, and Shika supposes that is exactly how the seemingly gentle touch would feel on the receiving end. The Hokage is an expert at chakra control, and that touch likely has a huge amount of energy packed behind it. Ed flops onto his backside as she says. "Sit."

Sent via a stray supercharged nano particle of unobtainium....