Hmna: Hi. This is my very first fan fiction. I must admit it seems quite slow and not very much informative. To be honest, I don't even know where it's going! I just hope that my first work is read by somebody other than me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light coming through the window looked too bright. Birds were already tweeting noisily. Another day had come again. Another whole troublesome day! He didn't want to start it just yet. But as usual, his mother would force him to sooner or later. Sure enough, he heard his mother's voice calling his name from downstairs. Normally, he wouldn't pay any attention and would have tried with every might to get back to sleep.

But today was different. Instead of her usual booms, there was definitely something strange about his mother's tone. And from his lifelong experience, he had learnt that whenever his mother's voice is soft and full of care, there's only one explanation. They had visitors.

Surely, he heard his mother call out in a caring and motherly tone, "Shikamaru dear, it's time to get up. Your friend's already here. Don't make the lovely lady wait!" Well, just as he thought. They did have visitors. His friend, in this case. Wait! The lovely lady?? Who the hell was that?? His first thought was Ino. No, no, don't get it wrong. He just assumed it because they were on the same team and all. But Ino had gone on a mission so she couldn't be here.

Then Chouji? Are you stupid? Chouji cannot be "the lovely lady". Then who? Which female can be at the front of his house waiting for him right now? He gave up guessing. It just might be less troublesome if he go and see. He didn't even bother to wash his face, brush his teeth or even change his pajamas. There's always a chance that "the lovely lady" had come to a wrong house. Then, he could just get a quick lie-in.

As he climbed down the stairs, the mysterious lovely lady turned out to be… Hinata??? What was the Hyuuga girl doing in his house?

Hinata turned red at the sight of him. She began to twiddle her fingers and said, "S-s-shi-ka-maru-kun, o-o-hiyo." He was quite surprised to see her but still managed an ohiyo back. Then, he waited for her to say something but she was busy twiddling her fingers and staring at her feet. Obviously, he was to start the conversation. How troublesome! "So, what brings you here? Does Tsunade-sama want to see me?"

"N-no, s-s-shi-ka-maru-kun, w-well, y-you know, a-actually…" Oh good. This is getting us nowhere. How could this Hyuuga girl come to his house and say nothing but ohiyo? If it were Chouji or Naruto, he would have yelled at them for wasting his precious time when he could be happily sleeping. But Hinata, she had rarely talked with him before. Besides, she's a girl. Or "lovely lady" as his mother put it. Be patient Shikamaru, he told himself. A man should not yell at a woman.

"Shikamaru dear, why don't you invite young lady for breakfast? And you should clean up yourself and change. It's not nice to hang out in your pajamas. Especially in front of charming girls." Hinata chanced a glance at Shikamaru's face and turned bright red again when she saw him looking at her. But this time, miraculously, she spoke up. " I-It's okay. I've a-already had some breakfast. Arigatou," she told his mother.

"Then, why are you here?" he knew he was being quite rude but he couldn't help it. He was getting more and more annoyed with her.

"Y-You see, Shino-kun and Kiba-kun have both gone on missions and-and I thought you could train me since you are the only one who became chuunin among us…" then she blushed. Gosh, how red can this girl get? But now, he got the point. She came here because she wanted him to train her since he was the only one who became a chuunin among them. Wait! What? Train her??? This was his turn to stutter. "W-What…W-Why…H-How…" He wanted to ask her why she was asking him to train him but he couldn't quite form the question. How strange! His 200 IQ brain can't even form a question?? Both of them stood still frozen in their own thoughts till Mrs. Nara pushed him to the stairs and muttered, " For god's sake, hurry up and tie your hair too."

Unlike him, he ran up the stairs and began brushing his teeth in a rapid speed. Then, he changed his clothes, taking care that his forehead protector was attached perfectly on his arm. Then he reached for the comb. The comb?? What is happening to him?? He never bothered to comb his hair without his mother telling him to. Well, he's already reached for it so he might as well use it.

When he rushed back down, fully dressed, Hinata was waiting for him outside. He suddenly noticed how beautiful her indigo hair was under the ray of sunlight. She smiled at him.

--------------------------

Hmna: What do you think?? I am just a beginner so… I sure would love some reviews. But somehow, I can't help thinking that if they were too harsh, will I have the strength to carry on? Anyway, good or bad, I would love to know my reader's opinion…