The Ramen Delivery
Shikamaru strolled easily down the dirt path, listening to the cacophony of hammers, saws, and the yells of men. Konoha was being rebuilt, slowly but surely, and Shikamaru was satisfied. It would take a lot of work – a lot of hassle – but it was necessary. Konoha was practically a crater in the ground, and if the citizens were to be safe and happy - if the Shinobi were to have people to protect - they would need a home.
As Shikamaru continued his walk, he nodded at those who waved. He watched the half-built homes pass and the sun beat down on the village. He stole glances at the sky, marveling at the clouds as they floated through the wind. That is, until he stumbled over a large object and landed face-first in the dirt.
A curt scream of surprise echoed behind him, and Shikamaru rolled over to see who it was. A young woman immediately knelt by his side. After Shikamaru rubbed the dirt from his face, he realized he was looking into the dark eyes of the daughter who worked at Ramen Ichiraku, Uzumaki Naruto's favorite restaurant in Konoha.
"I am so sorry! Are you all right?" Her mouth moved urgently, and Shikamaru barely caught the words as they tumbled from her lips. He resisted a sigh of annoyance at this. He hated it when people talked and acted quickly, especially when it was in a fuss over him.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Shikamaru sat up. "What did I even trip over?"
The young woman blushed, and stood to go pick up her bag. A large amount of chopsticks and napkins were spread across the ground, making a path from Shikamaru's feet to the inside of the bag. He looked more closely at his surroundings, realizing that he was in front of Ramen Ichiraku, and had stumbled over her supplies.
"I'm sorry I tripped over your stuff," he said as he got up and joined her in cleaning up the utensils.
"It's all right. I shouldn't have put them in the way. I was just trying to figure out how to carry all this stuff."
Shikamaru looked around her, and realized she had three wooden cases to carry, presumably filled with Ramen orders.
"Are you on a delivery?"
"Yes," the woman said. "My father and I recently decided to open up the shop so we could feed the workers on the job. It's just a little hard because so many people are rebuilding and we don't have enough workers in the shop to make the deliveries. I've been doing it all by myself."
"Those wooden cases seem hard to carry."
"You have no idea. It's even worse because we've got our nice bowls. I have to be sure not to break them." She glanced up at him as she grabbed the bag's handles from Shikamaru and smiled. "Thank you for helping me, and I'm so sorry that I tripped you."
Shikamaru nodded at her. Her speech had slowed down, and she acted gently as she went about putting a wooden case on her back.
Shikamaru, without thinking of a reason, grabbed the second container, carefully placing his arms in the straps. He grabbed the last one on the ground, and then turned to her. She smiled and grabbed the bag of utensils.
"You don't have to help me with my delivery," she said.
Shikamaru shrugged. "Might as well. I don't have anything better to do right now."
"Thank you! You're being so helpful, even after I tripped you." She began to walk, leading Shikamaru in the direction of the workers she was feeding.
"It's nothing. I can clean up later."
"Well, how about you take one of these napkins and at least wipe off your face?" She reached into her bag and handed a napkin to Shikamaru. He adjusted the wooden container he was carrying so he could better receive the napkin, and then wiped his face off.
"Thanks. What's your name?" Shikamaru said as he handed back the napkin.
"Ichiraku Ayame. You're Naruto's friend, Nara Shikamaru, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"I love Naruto. He's our best customer. Although, we haven't seen much of him since he went away."
"I can imagine sales went down exponentially," Shikamaru said.
"Yes they did. He has quite the appetite!" Ayame glanced up at him, a fond look in her eyes as she spoke of Naruto.
"He's back, though," Shikamaru said.
"Oh yes! It's really exciting. I can't wait for him to visit the shop and tell us all about his travels." Ayame's eyes shone brightly, and her voice had a burst of energy as she spoke.
"Do you want to travel?"
"Doesn't everyone?" Ayame laughed. "But I need to stay in Konoha and help my father with the shop. I could never abandon him."
"Hm,"
"I'm assuming you've travelled quite a lot since you're a Chūnin. What's it like?"
Shikamaru thought, taking a glance up at the sky. "Working as a Chūnin, I haven't really gotten the full experience of traveling. I've gotten to see a lot of places, but I miss out on a lot because I'm always working."
Ayame wrinkled her forehead. "That must be frustrating."
"Not really. It doesn't bother me too much. I'd be just as fine merely living in Konoha."
"Well, I guess everyone is different. But who knows? Maybe you'll find a fascinating place one day in your travels, and you'll be inspired."
"Inspired to do what?"
"Leave Konoha and travel. Experience new things."
"I couldn't leave Konoha for travel. I'm needed."
Ayame nodded, and a smile grew upon her face. "That's something Naruto would say."
Shikamaru shook his head, suppressing a groan and a smirk. "He's influenced all of us quite a bit."
Ayame smiled. "He's an inspiration. He's the one who has taught me to keep hoping. One day I will get to travel, but I just have to wait for the right moment to make it happen."
Shikamaru glanced up at the clouds once again, a feeling of contentment passing over him. Konoha was a great place, filled with great people. Naruto was right to want to protect this place, and Shikamaru knew he would do the same.
A group of deep male voices hit Shikamaru's ears, causing him to look down from the sky. A group of four men, working on a house, waved at Ayame and exclaimed happily. Ayame waved back with a laugh, and then spoke, "I have your food, you guys! Come and get it!"
The four men crowded around them, and before Shikamaru could even take the case off his back, it was opened. Food was passed around, and Shikamaru decided to wait out the impatient group. Ayame was relieved of her items as well, and then she grabbed a bowl of food and sat with all the workers on a pile of wood. They asked her questions, which she answered with ease as she kept her eyes on Shikamaru. Finally, the noise died down, and the men dug into their ramen.
"Would you like to join us, Shikamaru? There's enough food!"
The man who was sitting next to Ayame looked up as he put his arm around her. He gave an easy-going smile and nodded. "Join us, Chūnin! We'd love to keep the company of one of our Shinobi!"
Shikamaru merely gave a wave of his hand. "That's all right. I have a meeting to go to."
Ayame nodded. "You're an honorable Shinobi, Shikamaru. Thank you so much for your help!"
Shikamaru gave a curt nod as he turned away. "Yeah, no problem."
"See you!"
As Shikamaru left, conversation between the workers and Ayame began once again. A feeling of pride surged in his chest, and he stretched his arms as he walked. Konoha was a good place – a really good place.
A/N: This is my first Naruto piece that I've ever published on . Well, at least under this name, but we won't get into that. I hope you like it, even though I think I was unable to capture the essence of Shikamaru. He's a hard character to write. I would appreciate a constructive review to improve my writing!