It's a warm and sunny day, as it always is around this time of year in Konoha, early in the spring. Shikaku Nara sits on a bench in Konoha's park, staring up at the clouds in the sky, his hands gently holding onto the little sleeping form in his lap. There aren't a lot of clouds, but there are a few white, fluffy ones, floating about in the sky.
"Shikaku!"
Shikaku lowers his head and smiles at the sight that meets his eyes. His two best friends are walking towards him, each with a little kid in their arms.
"Hey guys," Shikaku says. he carefully tries to sit up straighter, but the little form in his lap doesn't really allow it, at least not at first, but Shikaku manages in the end. Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi sit down on the bench as well, and Inoichi gently puts his little girl down on the ground, holding onto her fingers as she stands wobbly on her little feet. Choza places his child in his lap, and the little boy peeks out from Choza's chest.
"Shikamaru," Shikaku says, stroking his son's back. Shikamaru scrunches up his nose and opens his eyes. "I'd like you to meet some people."
"Hey Shikamaru," Choza says, smiling. Shikamaru clutches at Shikaku's vest and hides half his round little face in it. All three men laugh, and Ino and Choji curiously watch the scene.
"It's okay Shikamaru, they're friends," Shikaku says. Shikamaru's face comes out of hiding, but his hands don't leave the vest. "Say hi, son."
"Hi," Shikamaru says quietly.
"Hi Shikamaru," Inoichi says. "I'm Inoichi."
Shikamaru's eyes move on to Choza.
"Hi. I'm Choza, and this is my son Choji," Choza says. Choji smiles shyly at Shikamaru. Ino takes a few unstable steps forward, trying to get closer to Shikamaru.
"This is my daughter Ino," Inoichi says. "I think she'd like to play with you."
Ino smiles brightly.
"What do you say Shikamaru? Do you want to play with Ino and Choji?" Shikaku asks. Shikamaru looks up at him with round eyes and then looks back at the others warily. "I think you should. Come on."
Shikaku picks Shikamaru up and lifts him off his lap, placing him on the ground. Shikamaru finds his footing, but Shikaku keeps holding onto his sides. Ino lets go of Inoichi's hand and waves at Shikamaru. Shikamaru still seems a bit unsure, so Ino smiles as well, and this earns her a small wave back. Something over Shikamaru's shoulder catches her eyes, and they lighten up like little candles.
"Daddy! Sandbox!" she squeals. Shikaku looks over his shoulder, along with his two friends, and sees that there is indeed a vacant sandbox just a few feet away.
"Do you want to play in it?" Inoichi asks. Ino nods fervently.
"I think that's a good idea," Choza says. Choji smiles.
"Shikamaru, do you want to play in the sandbox with Choji and Ino?" Shikaku asks. Shikamaru nods a little. "Then let's go."
Shikaku stands up, picking his son up from the ground, and carries him over to the little sandbox. Shikaku sits down cross legged and places Shikamaru in front of him. Inoichi and Choza sit down across from them and place their children in the sand. The three kids wobble closer to each other and sit down again to play.
"So Choji turns two soon, doesn't he?" Inoichi asks.
"Yeah, in a week," Choza replies.
"It seems like it was yesterday we were ten and laughing at the idea that we'd ever get married, or have kids," Shikaku says.
"And when we were twenty, we laughed at the idea that we'd ever become family men," Choza says. Inoichi and Shikaku chuckle a bit. They remember those days, back when they were young bachelors and went out together nearly every second night. They'd eat and drink, and sometimes they would talk about the future, marriage, and kids. Back then they had pictured that they'd get married, have a few kids, and then their wife would cook, clean, and raise the little ones.
"Look at us now," Inoichi says.
"I think I spend more time with Choji than Pai does," Choza says.
"Times certainly have changed," Shikaku says. "And for the better."
"Definitely," Inoichi agrees, briefly stroking Ino's blond hair. Ino looks up at him, but when he does nothing else and remains quiet for all of three seconds, she looks back at what she was playing with before. Shikaku smiles down at Shikamaru. "How's Yoshino?"
"Good. Bossy as usual," Shikaku replies. "A drag now and then. Basically the same as always."
"You two have always been the most mismatched couple made in heaven," Choza says, clearly amused.
"So you tell me," Shikaku says. Shikamaru pours sand over Choji's hand, and the three toddlers watch as it slips between his fingers, extremely fascinated, like it's a chemistry experiment that just proved something important. "How is Pai, Choza?"
"She's great. She's happy I'm spending so much time with Choji," Choza replies. "It makes it easier for her to finish the house work."
Inoichi and Shikaku both laugh.
"Keiko says the same thing when I spend a lot of time with Ino," Inoichi says.
"I spend a lot of time with Shikamaru, but if he gets in Yoshino's way, she just dumps him on me," Shikaku says. Inoichi and Choza laugh, and briefly attract the attention of the three little toddlers.
"Have you heard that Itachi Uchiha will be graduating from the Academy this year?" Inoichi asks, and, as usual, Shikaku isn't surprised that Inoichi is the one with the gossip, because he always has been.
"No, where did you hear that?" Choza asks.
"One of his instructors let it slip when he was buying flowers the other day," Inoichi replies. "Apparently, Itachi is such a natural talent that there isn't much more they can teach him."
"I'm not surprised," Shikaku says. "I've heard about his great skills before. Or, great skills for a seven year old."
"I wonder if any of these three will be that good," Choza muses, watching Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino with his head titled a little to the side.
"One never knows," Shikaku says. They all three take a moment, and a silent cliché one at that, to fondly watch their kids playing in the sand. "I heard that Kakashi Hatake is considering joining the ANBU."
"He is," Inoichi confirms.
"Who was he buying flowers for?" Choza asks, because he and Shikaku both know very well that Inoichi gets most of his gossip when helping people buy flowers. It's one of his little tricks, to be able to casually go over and help someone pick out flowers, and then get them to talk.
"Obito," Inoichi replies.
"I'm surprised you made him talk. Kakashi isn't usually the sharing type," Shikaku says. He has only worked with Kakashi a few times, because usually Shikaku is sent with Inoichi and Choza, or alone, or with someone who compliments his abilities well, which, frankly, a 16 years old teenager doesn't. But the very few times that Shikaku has worked with Kakashi, he has always been a quiet loner, who only really steps out when talking about the mission.
"I think Obito has rubbed off on him, even though Obito's dead," Inoichi says.
"Maybe," Shikaku says. "Probably."
"But it was really hard to get him to talk," Inoichi says.
"I'll believe that," Choza says.
"Here, here," Shikaku agrees.
"I can't believe they're that fascinated with sand!" Choza says, staring with large eyes at the three toddlers. They've poured more sand over Choji's hand, and it continues to slip through his fingers, and they continue to be fascinated with this. Shikaku laughs and strokes Shikamaru's dark hair once. Shikamaru looks up at him with a curious and questioning expression, the kind that only a small child can make. When Shikaku does nothing but smile at him, Shikamaru turns back to Ino and Choji, finding them much more interesting.
"They're small," Inoichi says. "They're exploring and learning and stuff."
"Yeah, but still, the sand should've gotten boring by now," Choza says.
Shikamaru yawns.
"Sleepy, daddy," he mumbles. He moves away from Ino and Choji, and tumbles into his father's lap. Shikaku picks him up and places him correctly, more comfortably, on his crossed legs. Shikamaru curls up against Shikaku's stomach, grabbing a gentle hold on his vest, and is asleep within seconds.
"He's a lot like you, Shikaku," Choza says with a warm voice.
"At least when it comes to sleeping," Inoichi says.
"He's a Nara, that's what he is," Shikaku says, and he can't deny that there's something akin to fondness in his voice. Choza and Inoichi smile.
"Daddy," a small voice says, and all three adults focus on Ino, who's looking at Inoichi with big round eyes. "Home?"
"You want to go home?" Inoichi asks, and Ino nods.
"Hm. That might be a good idea," Shikaku says. "We've been here for a while."
"What do you say, Choji? Do you want to go home now?" Choza asks. Choji nods.
"Sleepy," he says. Choza lets out a single chuckle and picks his son up. Inoichi stands up before he picks up Ino, and Shikaku can see why that's a good idea when he has to get up with a sleeping Shikamaru in his arms. Choza holds onto Choji with one arm and pushes himself up with the other. Shikaku carefully adjusts Shikamaru a little, so he's holding the small child with one arm without dropping him or waking him, and pushes himself up from the soft sand.
"Well, it's been nice," Choza says. "Say goodbye, Choji."
"Bye, bye!" Choji says, waving a slightly chubby hand. Ino waves back.
"Bye bye!" she says.
"Bye guys," Choza says. "See you around."
"See ya," Inoichi says.
"Bye," Shikamaru says, and Choza leaves the park.
"Now say goodbye to Shikaku, Ino," Inoichi says, and Ino waves again.
"Bye, bye," she says. "Shikamaru."
"He's sleeping. I don't think we should wake him," Shikaku says, smiling. Ino briefly looks disappointed, but she gets over it quickly, and Shikaku waves back at her, and also Inoichi, who leaves the park as well.
"Come on, Shikamaru," Shikaku whispers. "Let's go home."
At home, Yoshino greets her boys with kisses. Shikaku gets one on the lips, and Shikamaru gets one on the forehead. Shikaku puts Shikamaru down in his crib in the nursery, and leaves again, taking the baby-walkie with him to make sure Shikamaru will be heard when he wakes up. Yoshino is doing laundry when Shikaku leaves the nursery, and he gives her the baby-walkie, and a kiss on the top of her head, before leaving for the Nara forest. He takes care of the deer like they were family, because they kind of are. They were some of his first family, before Yoshino and Shikamaru.
Before those two seems like a long time ago.
THE END
It's a bit of a strange piece of work, I know. Hopefully you thought it was a good strange.