I didn't want to leave a review immediately after reading the story, because I wanted to mull over it. And boy, did that fuck me up for the rest of the day (in a good way, of course). I still don't know where to start; Shikamaru's my absolute favorite character, and you've got me in his head, and it just hurts. I love how his stint in ANBU starts as outward pressure, how his caustic humor (calling ANBU "spooks") and foresight (calculating how long Kiba and Neji would stay) seem to shield him from the horrors from the job but god no they're actually condemning him. Amazing that even as the focus stays on Shikamaru ssslowly isolating himself, every single character is. Dead. On. The understated fear from his parents, the tragic battles with the Sand siblings (of course, Kankurou does care for his sister; of course, Temari has to avenge her brother), the quiet, infinitely heartbreaking last image of Shikamaru walking out the door. Yeah, Neji may be faster than Shikamaru, but Shikamaru's fucking brilliant and broken and beyond redemption.
Woah. Okay, so that was the longest review ever, but I felt I needed to get all that out.