Eyes Upon the Moon

"I remember that jacket," Vihaan said. "I remember the jacket and the girl it belonged to." He was sipping a Spoiled Oak beer, his gloved fingers tight against the glass.

"She should be dead," Vihaan said. He shook his head, setting the bottle down. He didn't feel like drowning his sorrows just yet. "We can't just let her walk in like this."

Netra said nothing, reaching for the beer. She liked the idea of being drunk, despite her body refusing to process the poison. Her clan was known for their ability to control poison. It didn't help in this situation when the weight of the world seemed to grip her mind and pull-down.

Shikamaru gave his team a cold look. "If that is the girl, then we should do something."

Vihaan blinked. "I am not going near her. If she is the same girl-she should be dead."

Netra took another long sip. The beer settled in her belly. Closing her eyes and suppressing her chakra, she could almost feel it fizz for a moment. She couldn't hold back the ability for too long, but it helped her feel normal. Not that her kind was ever normal. Ninjas were never given the same freedom to forget.

"But, It's the girl. Is that correct, Vee?" Shikamaru asked. He had become almost hyper focused, the shadows behind him slithering longer than they should have. Netra coughed into the beer, letting Shikamaru know they had an audience.

"It's the girl," Vihaan said. He said it like he was swallowing his own teeth. "It's the fucking girl!"

Netra spoke up. "Shik, Vee, as much as I love this, we aren't going after the girl. Or at least, I'm not. I'm here to meet up with friends. If you want to go trolling for ass, do it on your own. You don't need a wingman."

She moved to stand up. Shikamaru grinned. "We all know your taste runs hotter than you let on." The smile was practiced. They were supposed to be at the bar, drinking, forgetting. Vihaan had a tendency to get angry at his own stupidity, making the same mistakes again in his anger. Netra hated having to work with him, but she knew she had to. He was the closest thing to family, at least in abilities.

That meant they worked well together in the field. She just hated how impulsive he was. He couldn't even kill a target right.

Shikamaru was better, smarter, useful. He was the tactician. Netra would follow the older man to death. He was her senpai.

He stood, taking her hand with surprising ease. "Maybe I can help you find something warm?" He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. She could taste something wrong the moment his lips crossed her own. He had been drugged.

She pushed against him, her chakra moving in slow circles. She was lowering his blood pressure, letting the energy gather up the inky poison in his blood. She kissed him for a good two minutes, up against the bar, like they had been lovers for years. She was familiar with the idea of men, with ways to save someone, through touch and gesture.

She appreciated Shikamaru on a deeper level. She didn't want him to die. If Vihaan tried to kiss her, though, she might just kick him in the balls and rip the poison from him another way.

When the poison was gone, Shikamaru lingered. When they parted, Netra had to lower her heat with a quick chakra wash. Shikamaru was a spectacular lover, they had played the part before. Getting worked up wouldn't help them find this girl.

Vihaan was moving in a strange, wobbly way. He seemed drunk, despite having not touched any of the beer. He leaned against Shikamaru and hissed something.

"Man, you don't look so good," Shikamaru said. He gave her a soft smile. "Your brother sucks. We'll have to continue this later."

And then they were gone, leaving Netra to look out for the girl in the bar. Or to stay like she had been rebuffed.

"I'll meet you at the hotel," she yelled like they were all old friends.

She would follow them after a moment. Putting on her jacket and gathering Vihaan's book. He had picked up an Icha Icha at the bookstore. With a sigh and the ghost of warmth from the kiss on her lips, she followed them out of the bar. They would be looking for the girl now and she would be back up.