Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. o.o

The light grey clouds drifted past, blown by a breeze across the misty blue sky. It was going to rain soon. You looked up at the sky, then at the street in front of you. A single thought flashed through your mind. Shikamaru. His sensei, Sarutobi Asuma, had passed away just a few days ago in the line of duty and as his best friend, it was only the right thing to do to go visit him. Even though he'd probably call you a drag.

You found him in his usual spot, on the roof of his house, lying on his back and staring up at the sky. Quietly, you climbed up to the roof and sat down beside him. He turned his head and glanced at you, then swiveled his grey eyes back up to the sky again. "..._-chan." You stretched out beside him, folded your hands behind your head and stared straight up. "Shika-kun."

A pause.

"Are you okay?" You propped yourself up on an elbow and looked him in the eye. He glanced at you again. "Yes. Why?" You stared at him a moment longer. "Don't lie. I've been your best friend for over ten years, and I know better than your mom when you're lying or not." He looked away. There was a faint rumble of thunder. "What do you want, _-chan?" You were silent for a while, then spoke in a much softer voice. "...It's okay to cry, you know, Shika-kun." He turned onto his side. "...I don't know what you're talking about, _-chan." You sighed, just slightly. "It helps, it really does. But if you don't want to talk about it, then it's okay. But remember... I'm always here for you..."

Without warning, the skies opened up and rain came pelting down. You shot up, gasping as the cold water hit your face. Shikamaru remained on his side. "If you want, _-chan, go downstairs. My mom'll give you a change of clothes and something hot to drink. I'm staying up here." You lay back down, brushing your soaked hair out of your eyes. "No, Shika-kun, I'm staying up here with you. Until you finally agree to cry." He looked at you, frowning. "I told you, why would I want to cry? Asuma-sensei only died a few days ago... ..." He trailed off as his shoulders began to shake. Then barely supressed sobs tore out of him as he buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Shika-kun. You baka." You shifted onto your knees and put an arm around your sobbing friend's shoulder. "Who's the baka... You troublesome woman..." He muttered through gritted teeth. You said nothing, just crouched by his side until his sobs subsided.

A couple of minutes later, you two were stretched out on the roof again, completely drenched, staring up at the fluffy white clouds that drifted into sight, chasing away the grey ones. A warm breeze carrying the scent of after-rain caressed your cheeks. "_-chan...?" You turned to look at Shikamaru, whose eyes were fixed on the sky. "Hmm?" He glanced at you, then away with a slight blush on his face. "I... I think you're a nice person." You were surprised. "Aw, thanks a lot Shika-kun!" He looked you in the eye. "I'm the one who's supposed to be thanking you." You considered this for a while, before shrugging and smiling. "Well. You're welcome! That's what friends are for, isn't it?" Shikamaru's face split into a grin.

"How troublesome... but yeah..."