Seriously, everyone is saying this. The owners of Naruto should get it by now, no? I don't own Naruto, but I do own a PC, a copy of Microsoft Office 2003, and a twisted mind that demands that I write a fanfic for Naruto... Arrgh, it's the voices in my head again... No!!!
Author's Note:
Another ShikaIno love story and I hope I don't disappoint you guys (and girls). I really like Shikamaru, he can be said to be my favourite character in Naruto. And I think Ino is so cute. (Aww... Actually Hinata is much, much cuter, but I like Ino as well...)
This is my first story (and chapter... duh) for , but please don't go soft on me just because of that. I strive for improvement, so any and all constructive criticism is appreciated. But no flames please, my innocent mind cannot tolerate such mindless acts. Thanks to all reviewers in advance.
Girls, I hate them... I think
A Nara Shikamaru Fanfic by Yeo Kian Bung
Chapter 01: A Cliché Scenario
A shrill ringing tore Shikamaru from the depths of his slumber into reality.
'Damned alarm clock, I have no idea why I even bothered using you,' he thought as he buried his head in his pillow, trying to ignore the scream of the accursed timekeeper.
"Bah!" he groaned as he slammed his palm onto the clock the shut it up. He slowly pulled himself up and sat up on his bed. He gave a long, lazy yawn as his mind chanted, 'Hell hath no pain and suffering like getting up six in the morning.'
He tore himself from bed and walked into the bathroom. "Yet another boring day as a ninja..." he sighed to himself. After washing up, he dragged himself to the dining table, where his mother and father are already finishing up breakfast.
"Nara Shikamaru," his mother started, "can't you see what time it is?! Honestly, you're a younger version of your lazy father! I don't even know why I married that bum! Now finish your breakfast quickly before you're both late again!" As she said that, she slammed a bowl of freshly-cooked ramen onto the table and started clearing the rest of the table.
'On the contrary, my dear mother, I'm always the earliest of my team thanks to your weird sense of timing...' Shikamaru sighed in his mind, but dared not speak out loud for fear of getting another lecture. His mother was like that. 'Females - they want you to be early but they're always late,' he remembered how his mother was always late because she had to dress up 'properly'.
"Bah, females are so bothersome. I hate them..." Shikamaru mumbled in front of his father as soon as his mother was out of earshot, slurping up his ramen slowly and calmly.
"You might think that now, my son. I was like you until the day I first kissed your mother," Shikamaru's father explained, "Sure, she may be a loud-mouthed monster most of the time, screaming at us at the slightest provocation, but she really has a soft heart and she loves me more than anything else in the world..." Shikamaru's father grinned as he said that, not noticing that his wife was just behind him, fists clenched and growling like a rabid beast.
Shikamaru turned his attention towards his ramen and started slurping it up nonchalantly and sighed, "You're on your own, dad. I'll be sure to send flowers at your funeral."
"But... but dear..." Shikamaru's father stammered at the wrath of his spouse, trying desperately to shrug off what he said, but of no avail. "Yes, I am... a LOUD-MOUTHED MONSTER!! So WHAT, STUPID OLD MAN?!!" she screamed and brought her fist down squarely on her husband's head in a hard whack.
Minutes later, Shikamaru and his father were walking together outside their house side by side, each towards their own destination. Shikamaru's father rubbed his head where he was whacked moments before.
"See, I told you they were no-good troublemakers," Shikamaru grumbled. This time, his father merely smiled and said, "You'll see, my son. You'll see..." as he turned away at an intersection and walked off.
As usual, he was the earliest in his team to arrive at the training area. 'This is so dumb. I'm the earliest as usual...' Shikamaru thought as he slumped down by a tree and looked at the sky. He admired how serene the clouds looked, how they moved unhurried across the sky, so much unlike humans. Humans rush too much to slow down and smell the roses.
He was so engrossed by the beautiful heavens that he did not notice a blonde girl walking up to his side.
"Morning, Shikamaru!" the girl let out a shrill greeting as her face suddenly popped up above him. He jumped. "Damn it, Ino. Don't do that, my weak heart can't tolerate this," he complained as he sat up.
Yamanaka Ino was the daughter of the owner of the flower shop near his house. She was a beautiful girl with long silky blonde hair, although she can be bossy and annoying at times. However, she was a really good friend and Shikamaru really enjoyed being around her, for some reason.
"C'mon, you should get up. Chouji and Asuma should be arriving any moment now. They stopped to get some snacks as usual," Ino grinned and offered her hand to her team mate. Shikamaru smiled and gladly accepted the offer. Pulling himself up is so tiring, he might as well use the help.
Shikamaru grabbed the hand of his team mate and started to pull himself up. 'Her hands are really... soft and smooth.' He quickly shrugged off the thought.
As Ino pulled her lazy friend off the ground, her leg suddenly got caught on an exposed branch of a tree and lost her footing, sending her sprawling backwards towards the ground and pulling Shikamaru along with her. The pair ended up in a rather awkward position on the ground, and both their eyes widened in shock as Shikamaru's lips somehow found its way onto Ino's.
"Whoa. Gone for less than five minutes and you two lovebirds start getting all cosy already? Aren't you a little too hasty for yourself, Shikamaru?" a familiar gruff voice chuckled behind the twosome. The boy's face burned deep red and quickly tore himself from the girl's awkward embrace to find Asuma-sensei leaning against a tree cross-armed and his friend Chouji several steps behind, laughing his head off.
"No, no! It's not what you think, really!" Shikamaru desperately protested, his face still burning with embarrassment. "I was... and... err...then she... umm..." It was not everyday that you find Shikamaru so desperate, he was usually calm even in the gravest of situations.
"My, my... The genius is finally at a loss of what to do! Checkmate, buddy!" Chouji guffawed through his snacks which he continued stuffing into his face even though he is laughing so hard. "Hmph, be careful not to choke to death on potato chips, fa-" he stopped abruptly as he remembered what happened the last time Chouji heard that word. 'Ah, forget it. Let them laugh. It won't last long... I hope.'
Shikamaru turned back to Ino to find her sitting on the ground, her back facing him. Both her hands were covering her face. One could probably guess that she is trying to hide her blushing face. "Ino... Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" he was suddenly interrupted by the girl. "No, it's okay. I pulled you down, after all." Ino said in a soft and gentle voice, very unlike her usual self.
Shikamaru promptly pulled himself up and helped Ino up as well, taking care not to have a repeat performance of the incident. "T-thanks," Ino muttered shyly, trying to avoid eye contact with the boy she just pressed lips with. Shikamaru brushed the dust off his pants and tried to say as casually as he could, "Ah, let's just forget this whole incident, okay Ino?" The girl merely nodded vaguely, still blushing.
Shikamaru gave a death glare to both Asuma and Chouji, and muttered, "Aren't we supposed to train or something?" Chouji laughed and gave a sly grin, "Well, I'm sure I can keep quiet, as long as I don't feel hungry..." Shikamaru knew what he meant, 'Damn, I'm going to go broke feeding this guy. How bothersome...'
Still chuckling from the incident, Asuma announced, "Yes, yes. Training..." The bearded man than eyed his team for a moment before continuing. Chouji was still busy stuffing his face, Shikamaru leaned against a tree, his face still flushed, and Ino was looking at the floor trying not to look at anyone.
"Today, my team... You will be doing some thing special..."
Chapter 01 End!
Ending notes:
Yes, a cliff-hanger! You hate them and love them at the same time! Anyway, sorry for the cliché 'trip-and-kiss' scenario... I'm sure this has been done a million times but it just seemed appropriate at time of writing. So, I'll be looking forward to the reviews and look out for Chapter 02 coming real soon. (In around a week or so, unless I am consumed by that weird cursed-seal some weird snake guy gave me last week... it still stings. Oww.)
By the way, I have a question. I've noticed that in manga and anime there are sometimes suffixes to peoples' names -kun, or -chan, or whatever. Could anyone please tell me what they mean and how they are used? Thanks in advance. A list would be greatly appreciated.