A/N: Hey Guys, this chapter's just an intro but there will be more on the way soon so enjoy :)
Sat in the empty school library avoiding his friends, avoiding the world, Shikamaru Nara racked his brain trying to figure out the recent turn of events that made life so troublesome. It was a sunny afternoon and he was missing out on his Shogi club, but the genius sixteen year old was in no mood for any form of interaction, including his favourite game. For the time being he merely wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
A few weeks ago he'd been happy and content, class president, straight-A student, close with his friends and going steady with Ino, his girlfriend of almost two years. Looking back he could pinpoint exactly where his life took such a drastic turn for the worst.
It was a sunny Tuesday morning and started like any other day. He was awoken at six thirty by his alarm and got out of bed with a grumble, he dragged himself out of bed and lazily got ready for school. A scruffy white shirt and black trousers with a tie shoved in the pocked in case Tsunade-sama saw him. A quick breakfast of toast with his mother and he was ready, the woman attempted to straighten his hair but he wouldn't allow any such hassle and left with haste.
The first stop on his journey was to the house of Choji Akimichi, the boy's oldest and dearest friend. A round and warm-faced individual, he and Shikamaru had been friends since they were both very small, now they attended Konoha high together and were as inseparable as ever. The Nara boy knocked three times against the wooden door and awaited his friend, the sounds of quick goodbyes could be heard from inside moments before the door swung open revealing the other male.
"Hey Shikamaru" the larger boy greeted "Ready to go?" Shikamaru returned the greeting and nodded lazily for his friend to follow.
The trip to school was always a short one, lasting little more than ten minutes, leaving a substantial period before lessons began for the boy to meet up with his girl, Ino Yamanaka, head cheerleader and top of her class in psychology, she'd been another one who'd been in the same middle school as him but he'd only really noticed her when they were put in a three person group for a science project some three years prior.
She ran up and hugged him in her usual enthusiastic manner, a polar opposite to his own lax demeanour but it was that which both annoyed and attracted him to her in the first place. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and planted an equally eager kiss upon his lips which he casually accepted, smiling slightly as was his way.
"How ya doing?" he asked as he always did as the blonde let go, she smiled and replied that she was of course well, the conversation rarely differed from that and was merely an opportunity to say something slightly more meaningful.
"So are you still coming over mine this evening?" she asked beginning to walk towards their classroom with the boy in tow.
"Should be" he replied nonchalantly keeping pace with the female. He'd been to the Yamanaka residence on many an occasion and had been welcomed there with open arms due to their fathers being old friends, he enjoyed it there and was often round of an evening "It'll be fun" he continued prompting a warm smile from the girl.
"Great" she exclaimed, stopping their travel "Hey, I gotta help Shizune-sensei with getting the nurse's station set up, can you apologise to Kakashi-sensei for me?" the male thought it an unusual request but didn't question it. He simply nodded in the affirmative and smiled, prompting her to hug him tightly "Thanks Shika, see you at break then" she then released him and started walking in the opposite direction, waving to him from a distance. He simply put his hands into his pockets and headed to class, registration and then maths with Kakashi-sensai to begin the day, a lot of thought this early in the morning always seemed so troublesome.
