Quick Author's Notes: Meh, my dad gave me this idea. He started talking to me about reaching for the stars and whatnot, and what's so bad about reaching for clouds? So I thought of Shikamaru D Lazy bum.
Argh, this one-shot is pretty pointless and meaningless…I pretty much wrote it for my peace of mind. I didn't bother to edit it, but then again, I never bother to edit .
Reaching for the Clouds
"Keep your feet on the ground, but reach for the stars." Shikamaru remembered someone telling him this saying a long time ago. He didn't know how old he was, but he recalled asking, "Why reach for the stars? What about clouds or leaves, or even ceilings?"
The answer he'd gotten was a pat on the head, a faint smile and an "I don't know, sweetie".
In school, you're taught to be the best. It was okay if you fail, but it wasn't okay if you failed all the time and in great numbers. Shikamaru never really cared about being "the best"; just so long as he got through life virtually unscathed, he was perfectly fine with being adequate. Not good, not bad. Just average.
Of course, he's a genius, so he's anything but average, and this fact annoys him to no end. With his knowledge and skills, he is actually quite an excellent shinobi. He would have settled for being of mediocre quality, because life was a lot less troublesome when you were mediocre. No one expected you to solve huge problems. No one expected you to solve any problems. There were no problems.
Shikamaru wanted to live a life with no problems. Decent. He'd had it all planned out. But, of course, somehow Asuma discovered his brilliant mind, and Shikamaru was thrown into a hellhole of expectancy and problems.
Tonight, however, was simple. The sky was deep black. Stars were strewn across it like grains of rice in a messy American's kitchen (1). It was summer, and the low, soft hum of insects was rising lazily from the forest. Shikamaru was lying on a rooftop, his arms traditionally crossed behind his head. The moon was bright and full. A couple of thin, grey clouds stretched across it like rubber. Shikamaru grinned and raised his arm, moving his fingers in a motion that made it look as if he was grasping his hand around a cloud.
"Look, everyone," he whispered. "I have my feet on the ground, and I'm reaching for the clouds."
Author's Notes:
You know what really annoys me? People who are sad/angry when they get a C or a B. Come on, jackasses; a C is average. It's a fucking passing grade, man! I'm really happy when I get C's! At least I fricken' pass…like Shikamaru, why bother with reaching for the stars when you can settle on the clouds?
(1): My dad and I tried making rice balls today, and it was a complete disaster…We didn't use the correct kind of rice or a proper Japanese cookbook so; yeah…our kitchen was really messy.
Sorry for saying "Shikamaru" so much. The flow probably doesn't make any sense. Screw it, it's eleven o' clock at night, and I didn't finish my homework so I have to get some rest for the hell to pay tomorrow.