Disclaimer: First fic that really involves Yoshino! I think her personality is just waiting to be exploited! Go baby, go!
"Nara Shikamaru!" Yoshino's voice crashed through the thin wood of her lazy son's bedroom door. There was a muffled groan on the other side of the wall, and Shikamaru stumbled out, hair down, shirtless (OH YEAH!), rubbing the last traces of sleep from his eyes. He was obviously cursing women in his mind. Yoshino's frown softened at the sight of her only child looking so cute, but reached out and grabbed his ear, hauling his carcass down the stairs to the kitchen, where she firmly dumped him into a chair.
"So." She pressed her fingertips together. "When did you plan on telling me, or were you just going to skulk around forever?" Shikamaru looked taken aback. Yoshino reached into a pocket in her Jounin vest and pulled out a wrapper. A very familiar looking wrapper of a used Trojan condom.
Shikamaru's narrow black eyes widen in shock. "Mom! What the hell are you doing with that… that thing?!" His mother rolled her eyes.
"Don't make such a fuss dear. I found it in the trash, and it certainly doesn't belong to me or your father." Shikamaru cringed. He did not need to know that. "So who's the girl? Ino? Sakura? Come on boy, tell me, I haven't got all day to dawdle!" Her son looked down at his knees. She could see his mouth move, but no audible sounds came out.
"A little bit louder, if you don't mind." Shikamaru blushed bright pink, and seemed to will the floor to swallow him.
"Temari. The Suna ambassador." Yoshino inhaled sharply. A foreigner? She leaned forward angrily onto the table.
"Shikamaru Shikaji Nara, I swear if you're just messing with this Suna girl, I'll absolutely kill you. If you two are engaging in these"-she raised her hands in air quotes-"activities, and it doesn't mean anything to you, then I've completely failed as a mother. And I hope you know whatever you've gotten yourself into."
Shikamaru nodded numbly, not daring to speak, unless he enraged his mother further and she really did hold true to her threat.
"That girl has risked a lot for you lazy ass, especially since you're not from the same village. She's giving up the one thing her body has left, and if it doesn't mean anything to you, then something is very, very wrong, and she'll probably kill you before I manage to. So think about what you do with her from now on, do you hear me, young man? Have you considered letting other people know you're together?"
He shook his head, launching Yoshino into a fresh torrent of strict words.
"Do you ever think, did it ever occur to you, that maybe she might like to stop sneaking around so much, running off on dangerous mission, just to get a chance to see you? Well? Did it? Of course not. I've met the Kazekage, he seems very reasonable, and I'm sure he would have no objections to the two of you being together. Hiding a relationship is never a good idea, understand?"
He nodded again. This boy was just so verbose today.
"Did you know that I almost didn't marry your father? He didn't want his friends to know that he missed their boys' night out to take his girlfriend out to a nice place on Valentine's Day. Of course, he didn't want anyone to know he even had a girlfriend. I could have killed him on the spot when I found out. And from Ino's father, no less!"
"You see what I mean about hiding these things? Everyone is going to found out anyways, so stop beating around the bush and just do it already! Yeah, it'll be troublesome, and Ino and Chouji will laugh at you till the day you die, but is this any easier for you? Do you like lying to your friends, your parents, even to your Hokage? I want you to man up right now, and stop be so secretive, for the love of God!"
After her little rant, Yoshino seemed to collapse, like all the tough love coaching she needed to give to her son was the only thing holding her together. She sighed into her hands, and when she lifted her head again, there was a cheery smile dancing on her face. She winked at her befuddled son.
"Your father saw Temari walking in the main gate this morning, towards the Hokage's office. They should be finishing the meeting, so if you hurry, you'll be able to catch her." She glanced down at his sleep rumpled apparel. "Go put on some pants, heavens know this could be the most important day of your life!" She smacked him on the back of the head in a caring way, and he scurried back to his room.
Yoshino shook her dark head with a playful frown. She turned back to the doorway, to see her husband smirking, propped up against the doorframe. She walked over and fell into the familiar position of leaning against his faintly muscular chest.
"How'd I do?" Shikaku smiled lazily down at her, looking unusually vulnerable today, and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Perfect."
After Shikamaru hastily dressed, having to go back twice for forgetting socks and then a shirt, he dashed towards the Hokage's office, checking for any signs of a huge fan, the distinct smell of jasmine and cactus flowers, or four spiky blonde bobs of hair. How could you possibly miss someone like that?
It seemed, apparently, that losing such a noticeable person was rather easy, he noted to himself, as he began circling the village for a third time. Pausing to catch his breath (not having a third of the stamina of Lee or Gai) on a rooftop, he spotted an open window, staring directly into the Hokage's office.
There in all her huge fan, jasmine and cactus flowers, blonde ponytails glory, was Temari. Talking to the Hokage, and did not seem to be going well. After several minutes of shouting, arm waving, and stomping around like a hormonal elephant, Temari stormed out of the room, thunder coming out of her sandaled feet. She sulked on the swing outside the Academy about her angry meeting with Tsunade, until she felt the subtle pressure of eyes on the back of her neck. When she whirled around, fan held at the ready, she almost completely decapitated Shikamaru.
She looked angry, not specifically at him, but just in general. He stepped over the swing with a small frown on his face, and casually interlaced his fingers with hers. She only smiled, but on the inside, she was having a Super Bowl worthy party.
She leaned slightly into his shoulder, smelling warm, spicy cinnamon, and liking it.
"So where were you this morning? I thought Tsunade was going to make you be my guide, like always."
Shikamaru shook his bushy pineapple head. "Just needed to talk to my mom."