I was probably inspired to write this story after seeing the second Naruto movie. I noticed that throughout the series when Shikamaru runs into Naruto's group Sakura always is the first to notice or call out to him (at least after the time skip). She does it so cheerfully I began to think they had a relationship (friendship wise). Anyway while doing this story I began to realize my writing style had really matured and that made me very happy. :3
000
Days at the ninja academy were such a bore, the same routine over and over again, the same lessons Shikamaru could do in his sleep. That is if he actually cared, which he didn't,
He had been called a failure because of it, an idiot, or as Ino liked to call him "a lazy bastard". Personally he thought that suited him the best. But again, he could care less.
Most of his senseis had given up on him, after all, letting him sleep in class was just another way to ignore him. Shikamaru was fine with that. He didn't want fame or power; he just wanted a simple life. Or at least that's what he'd always told himself, he went where life took him, which usually wasn't a hell of a lot.
"Shikamaru wake up!" Shikamaru blinked lazily as he looked into the young face of Iruka-sensei. He had forgotten this troublesome teacher of his was about the only one who made him work in class, but then again he always pushed that Naruto kid to so in a strange sense Shikamaru understood him.
"Did you hear anything about the Genjutsu test we're having?" A low chuckle was followed by Iruka's question as Kiba did a poor job to hide his amusement.
"Yeah…" Shikamaru mumbled, to be honest he hadn't heard a damn thing but of course Iruka already knew this.
Iruka sighed and nodded at him in awkward acceptance before going back to the front of the class.
"Now this will, of course, be added to your permanent record so everyone give it your all. Sakura, pass out the papers and we'll begin"
"Hai sensei!" Shikamaru looked up with vague interest at the energetic voice that answered Iruka. She looked normal enough but there was something about her that made Shikamaru's eyes follow her around the classroom.
A bright smile lay on her face as if something splendid had just happened and she had been the cause of it. She pranced about handing out the tests one by one giving a strange glare to Ino and that Naruto kid again.
And then there was something else, something that wasn't strange at all, something Shikamaru had seen (in the rare times he was awake) happen in class again and again, yet only interested him further.
That light blush Ino always had on when "that guy" was around, that small giggle and hesitant smile and then finally "Good luck Sasuke-kun!" followed only by "that guy"'s cold glare as he took the paper from her.
Shikamaru's eyes slanted, So she's just another Sasuke groupie. He yawned, oh well, at least he had burned some time watching her flit about. Not that it was particularly interesting but it was better then nothing, oh how he wished he could go to sleep again.
A tap on his desk caused him to look up into the green eyes he had been following only a moment ago. She was looking at him quizzically as if checking to make sure he was alive.
"Here," she said, giving him an amused smirk before making her way to the last desk.
Shikamaru watched her for a second before turning to his paper. Keh, anyone could answer these questions with mere common sense, he thought to himself before looking over to a struggling Naruto still trying to find where to write his name.
Well, maybe not anyone.
"Hey, Shikamaru, over here!" Shikamaru looked over to the cheerful face of Ino as she waved at him. She must be really desperate to be talking to me, he thought as he made his way over to her.
"You were actually awake for the test yesterday weren't you?" She asked while giggling at the thought, Shikamaru nodded seeing no need to waste breath.
"Well the scores are up today, just thought I'd tell you." Ino said before turning to see Sasuke enter the school grounds, her face immediately lit up as she ran right past a startled Chouji and over to the Uchiha boy giving Shikamaru a mere "see ya".
"Hey Shikamaru that was Ino wasn't it?" Chouji asked walking up to his best friend,
"Yeah," he answered then turned to the bulletin board.
"Anyway, she said the results are already decided,"
"Oh really? Guess we might as well check," Chouji said as a pink haired kunoichi walked past him and quickly stopped in front of Shikamaru.
"You're Nara Shikamaru right?" She said pointing to him her tone vibrating with anger.
"I am," he responded. He wondered what he had done to this girl besides look at her yesterday. "
Your score," she murmured nodding to the bulletin.
"Whoa, Shikamaru, come here!" Shikamaru walked over to Chouji who now looked at the test scores in awe.
"I knew you were smart but look."
Shikamaru scanned his eyes over the test scores noticing the thing that had caused Chouji to call out his name.
In large letters the words "Nara Shikamaru - score 200" were labeled on the top of the board. Shikamaru shrugged it off.
"No big deal."
"Excuse me!"
Shikamaru turned to look at Sakura her voice holding even more anger now, if that was possible.
"You've just made history and you say 'no big deal!" "This was a test which scored only up to one hundred, you were perfect in every single thing, so perfect that Iruka-sensei gave you a two hundred!"
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow; she said this as if he didn't know. He knew full well what it meant. He just didn't particularly care, though he knew then and there telling her this would only make his situation worse.
"What are you so angry about?" Chouji asked shakily, Sakura growled lowly before walking a bit to close to Shikamaru for his own taste so that he could feel her breath on his face.
"I challenge you! Tomorrow meet me at Konoha Park, then we'll see which of us is the smarter one!" And with that she stormed off leaving Shikamaru with only one thought in his mind.
She's scarier then Ino and my mom combined.
"Hey, Ino."
"What?"
Ino had just finished telling him about how her conversation with Sasuke had gone, (if you call a few exchanged words a conversation, but for Ino it was progress.) though he knew she could and would talk about it all day if he let her.
They were sitting around the well that was located behind the Nara residence where his family's raised deer usually drank.
From the time their parents had introduced each other, the Akimichi, Nara and Yamanaka children would always discuss things around it. That is when Ino deigned to lower herself to the ranks of mortals.
"Do you know anything about that Haruno Sakura girl?" As soon as the question slipped out of his mouth Ino grit her teeth as if he had just shot a kunai at her.
"Why do you ask?"
"She said something to me today that's all," Shikamaru answered looking up at her curiously.
"She said something to you?" Ino asked with surprise, usually the girl only had one thing on her mind, Sasuke, so why would she waste time talking to Shikamaru?
"Yes," Shikamaru said simply leaning back against the cool, hard surface of the well.
"What about?"
"Well do you know any reason she would be specifically concerned about her grades?"
Ino cocked her head as she thought and then sat down beside Shikamaru before saying,
"Well, she was teased a lot in the past, and her intelligence is about the only thing keeping her in the ninja academy. Did you know that out of all of her clan she was the only one to qualify to be a ninja?"
Shikamaru shook his head. The only one? He would give anything not to be a shinobi and just live a simple life, so why was she trying so hard?
"So what did she say?"
But Shikamaru was deep within his own thoughts and all Ino could do was tug on his shirtsleeve and pray to the gods he would answer.
It was now Sakura's turn to wonder what to do as she spun a lock of pink hair around her finger. Ugh, I'm such an idiot I didn't even tell him what the challenge was. And now I don't even know!
I say we just make him wait there in the park, then we'll know who the smarter one is!
Came the voice of her all to familiar inner self.
No that would be something Naruto would do, besides it's not fair.
Since when were you concerned about that kind of thing?
"I always have been, it's you who isn't!"
"Sakura who are you talking to?"
"No one mom!" Sakura called down the stairs and then turned to her mirror, giving her reflection a cold hard glare.
"I know. I should just study like I always do, then whatever that guy can dish out I'll be able to handle!" Sakura said aloud pounding her fist into the desk as a sign of her decision.
How do you even know the guy's going to "dish something out"? I think the idiot's already been decided.
And then the loud shout of "Shannaro!" was the only thing that could be heard in the Haruno household.
Really he didn't even know himself what he was doing here, standing in the park with a wooden board clasped in his hands, waiting for some girl he barely even knew existed.
This would be a great day.
Shikamaru sat down on the ground with a loud sigh, the sound of footsteps running towards him caused him to look up into the flushed face of Sakura.
"Sorry I'm late," Sakura said as if attending a meeting as she took in a deep breath. She then looked down at Shikamaru and the wooden board that lay before her, "What's that?"
"Shogi,"
"What?" Both pairs of eyes locked as Sakura's confusion shown through.
"You don't even know that that is?"
"I know! I just didn't think you'd bring something like it."
"Well why not? You said you wanted to test our thinking skills."
Sakura sank to the ground in silent defeat, of course! How could she have expected him to bring some test to determine their IQ or demand Iruka-sensei to re-test them? What she put into learning all of the elusive information only chuunins knew she had lost in common sense!
She solemnly stared at the ground. She felt hot…
"Hey, are you okay?"
Sakura looked up at Shikamaru before a single tear rolled down her face.
"Why are you crying?" Shikamaru yelled it was rare for him to lose his temper, hell it was rare for him to say anything besides "troublesome", but this girl suddenly breaking out in tears was to much even for him.
Sakura rubbed her now red eyes. She was beyond stupid! She had sworn never to let anyone see her tears again and yet here she was breaking into hysterics in front of her self-proclaimed "rival".
"I-I'm sorry it's just, I never seem to do anything right! I wanted to be able to be good at at least one thing and I thought thinking things through was that 'one thing'. I thought maybe I could become a great ninja if I just tried!"
"But her I am crying to you." Sakura pushed away her tears but only more came. She was so pathetic.
"Oh, be quiet and play."
Sakura looked over to Shikamaru as he set up the shogi board.
"You're crying over nothing, I mean you haven't even lost yet!"
Sakura blinked, this boy was strange, he had always just been that slacker in class, yet here he was cheering her up even if he wasn't trying to. So strange…
"Yeah, yeah, I won't lose!" Sakura sniffed, Shikamaru smirked "Then let the game begin."
Sakura was a mystery, usually Shikamaru had everyone figured out in a mere heartbeat but this girl was different.
Now that he was officially facing her he was certain of that. Usually when he played against others in shogi they concentrated so hard on beating him he could easily read their moves but the way Sakura played, he had never seen it before.
Provided, she too thought about her moves, but her style of playing was so liquid at times even Shikamaru didn't know what she was doing.
She was obviously a beginner at this game, she asked him questions about it and sometimes refused to admit she was lost, but all and all she was a different experience then playing against his father or the other adults, she was having fun.
She had used the knight the most, which was understandable because of its flowing movements, but in the end that piece and her king were the only things left on her side of the board.
Shikamaru looked at his own pieces she had taken a good chunk out of his artillery, actually Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time someone had done him this much damage, usually he finished them off in the first ten moves. But this game, this game he actually didn't want to be over.
"Check mate," The sound slid off his tongue easily, he had said it many times before and he knew just the right way to startle people with it. But this time he just said it, bluntly and quickly, the game was now over and he had inevitably won.
Sakura let out a long sigh and considering she had been holding her breath in anticipation for the final move it felt good.
She didn't know what to say, she had lost but strangely enough it had been enjoyable. Testing wit against wit, move against move, it was just like a real battlefield.
Shikamaru stood up and slowly put away the game, waiting for some sign of life from Sakura, when he heard nothing he put a hand to his head murmuring "troublesome" under his breath and slowly said,
"Look if you're worried about being a ninja, don't. You can only become a true shinobi through experience, or something, so you don't always have to win in order to become one."
Sakura looked up at him as she slowly got up and suddenly smiled warmly, it wasn't the happiest smile that he had ever seen on her but it was thankful and warm all the same.
He was thinking about this too much.
"Yeah, thanks, you're a worthy rival," She said holding a hand out to him,
"Since when were we rivals?"
"Well I plan to be the smartest shinobi in Konoha Gakure so naturally we are!"
"That's quite a dream."
Sakura smiled mischievously, "Yes, but if it'll get Sasuke-kun to notice me it'll all be worth it."
"Wait a minute… you only want to become a ninja to impress someone else?" Shikamaru's eyes held something more then anger or aggravation in them as he took her hand out of his and quickly slapped her.
"Wha-what did you do that for!" Sakura yelled in confusion as Shikamaru drew his hand back.
"It's stupid! Do you plan to live your life just to impress one guy? There are enough girl's like that already! You're wasting everything that could make you a ninja!"
Sakura put a hand to her cheek rubbing it tenderly,
"You're right again I guess, but love makes you do crazy things."
Shikamaru glared at her.
"All the same I'll do my best so the next time we play I'll beat you!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Shikamaru smiled, this was most definitely strange this feeling he had, it wasn't anything he recognized and yet it made him do crazy things.
Sakura looked up at the darkening sky and bowed slowly before beginning to walk away, Shikamaru looked after her for a while until he noticed another figure near her. "That guy" again,
He heard a hasty conversation go on between the two before Sasuke left her behind watching his back. She then waved back to him before rushing off in the direction of her house.
Well at least she didn't totally forget I existed. He thought sarcastically as he headed home, she was troublesome and cried easily but all the same, she had something that made Shikamaru watch her from afar, something that sparked something in him.
Something that he hoped he would someday be able to tell her about.
But until then he was sure there would be many more shogi games.