Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Disclaimer: Yes, Keiko is a rather cliché name for an OC.
Synopsis: Reincarnation insert fic with a twist.
AU notices: Shikamaru Nara and his twin sister, Keiko, are born a year later than the Rookie 9. Other AU thingimabobs may crop up that are probably intentional. The majority of it will probably be told from Shikamaru's perspective.
Chapter 1:
"She's not normal! Surely you can see that, or have those shadows finally blinded your eyes?"
"She has a duty to clan."
Listening to his father's voice, Shikamaru was surprised to note it was firm and unyielding. His parents never argued, ever. His father Shikaku was rarely home but when he was he followed Yoshino's requests with only a small degree of faked grumblings.
"And we have a duty to her as her parents. She's not cut out to be a shinobi."
Shikamaru bent down to stare at the person in question, huddled in a ball beneath her cloud-covered bed. "Come on out, Keiko, let's go outside and play." He extended a hand to his twin sister, smiling slightly as she took it and crawled out and onto her feet.
"Isn't Shikamaru enough?" his mother continued, a note of resignation creeping into her voice. "Hardly anyone in the village has seen him and they're already calling him a genius, can't we at least keep her home another year?"
"They start tomorrow." Shikamaru paused at the door, Keiko cocking her head like a spaniel at him as he stopped to listen. "It is a delicate time. The Nara clan cannot afford to lose any standing." As Shikaku's scarred visage appeared around the corner Shikamaru realized that last had been more for himself than for his mother. Shikaku caught his eyes as he passed out the door ahead of them. "Make certain she doesn't fail."