Shikamaru had always enjoyed the ironies in life. In a troublesome world he already found himself inhabiting, any sort of mockery of it was a godsend. Even as a young child, he had found himself mocking his own stoic features with that of rival children. While they had enjoyed playing with anything they could get their small hands on, he had found a large and comfortable tree deep within the park's woods and staring up at the passing clouds. He would find himself constantly wishing to be one of them, flow wherever the wind took them, not have to worry about troublesome mothers, eating vegetables, or cleaning up a room. They were just there and nothing could make them stay or go. But the thing with ironies and clouds, Shikamaru had discovered, is that they always seem to shift when something strikes them hard.

She had come and struck it hard.

Naru Uzumaki was a ball of sunshine and trouble.

Oh no, this couldn't be more unexpected

Before Chouji, she had been one of the first people he had met in daycare through his parents. Her parents had been close friends with them until their sudden death that left the small four year old in the care of her grandparents. Shikamaru was all but given the title to be her friend and, in a way through his mom, her protector.

Naru was loud. She would talk with such of energetic tone that it made his head ring with annoyance. He couldn't muster the energy to tell her to shut up, so he closed his eyes as she rattled on about her day. She would pout when she found out he wasn't listening but soon focused her attention on Chouji who eagerly joined in with his own adventures.

The three of them hung tightly to one another, a gravitational pull that locked the trio together despite the differences in strengths and weakness. Shikamaru, the hidden genius, Chouji, the naïve teddy bear, and Naru, the loudmouth knucklehead were definitely the oddest group of friends Konoha had ever seen.

Still, Shikamaru, with his true belief in ironies, kept with these two misfits as if his life depended on it and that beautiful tree deep in the woods soon started to become a distant memory. Choosing a knucklehead over a sanctuary of peace and solitude was a question that the lazy genius didn't even want to think about.

And I can tell that I've been moving in so slow

When Kiba came and was just as loud and annoying as Naru, Shikamaru's stomach started to hurt. He saw the fascination the girl had with the boy. The way her eyes lit up whenever he would come up with some sort of genius plan to make recess longer or embarrass another teacher to the point they wanted to quit. Her smiles was bigger, her cheeks a little redder, and her posture a little more lively.

Who would've thought that it would be his stomach that hurt the day Naru became an even bigger ball of trouble and not his head.

It only stopped when Kiba made her an honorary Inuzuka and adopted the blonde as his little sister.

And I can tell that I've been moving in so slow

Sasuke Uchiha was the prodigy of Konoha, of Tokyo, and of Japan in general. He was smart, handsome, and skilled in everything he could say and do. Shikamaru knew him through formal clan celebrations where the elite clans would go to a formal dinner and exchange conversations. It is how he met Chouji, but the Uchiha always tended to stay away from the other children (preferably Sakura and Ino) and cling on to his eldest brother no matter how many times Itachi Uchiha tried to shoo him off.

When Naru met him, he was met with the biggest of ironies to cling onto.

The sparkle in her eyes when she saw him, a thin line from adoration was evident in her features that he could so easily read. His eyebrows raised with amusement at this and at her attempt to be friendly. His cruel message, making Shikamaru's slouch straighten a tiny bit, was sure to send the girl crying her eyes out.

Irony meet Fist. Fist, meet irony.

As he stared at the tackled Uchiha trying to block pathetic punches from a girl, he almost felt himself slap his forehead with his hand and shake his head. Better not think too much of this, or another headache would occur.

At the end of the day, she invited him for ramen.

But Naru…you don't beat the living crap out of a boy you really like…

Don't let it throw you off too far

'Cause I'll be running right behind you

Naru made her crush so obvious, that everyone thought her crush on Sasuke was the last thing she would have. The sarcasm in this fact made Shikamaru muster a small smirk as he watched his blond friend arguing with her official rival on some class notes.

Behind it all, though, every argument, every attempted punch, and ever slander, he could hear the hidden fangirl within her squealing at how cute 'Sasuke-kun' was and a victory in getting him to talk with her. Arguments, but talking nonetheless.

Giving a soft complaint at the hot weather of early summer, Shikamaru felt a gentle fist hit his head and Naru give him the God-awful name of Pineapple head. An invitation of ice cream was a relief and he only gave enough energy for one nod before laying his head back against his chair for a nap. He briefly listened in on the main topic of the day: Naru's orange jumpsuit that hurt his eyes. There was a brief battle between her and Kiba and her and Sasuke over the coat, a battle that she would usually lose with a loud surrender and small pout. He opened his eyes to see her take off her jump suit, revealing too much tan skin than the Naruto usual.

And it wasn't like he didn't notice her…developments that barely protruded from her chest and made a slender change in her hips. His eyes scanned her with one swipe before feeling a heavy weight on them. Determined to close them, they had decided to get a mind of their own and shift to Sasuke.

He was still staring at her chest, head tilted and eyes slightly glowing a little darker than usual. A part of Shikamaru wanted to straighten up and tell the raven to stop being a pervert, but a part of him wanted Kiba to notice and send the prodigy looking the other way.

"Like what you see, Uchiha?" Bingo.

Following insults from another cruel comment on the size of her breasts, Naru and Sasuke settled it with failed punches, hits, insults, and the famous Uzumaki pout. Despite this, Naru had received condolences once again from him and their friends. Giving her an amused look, it was all he could muster as a ridicule and praise.

At the end of the day, she asked him for ramen. Her treat.

This year was gonna be such a drag.

Could this be out of line?

The irony in his life was silence. He was addicted to it as if he only needed the sweet sound of nothingness to get him through life. Though the truth, he found himself glaring down at the fourteen year old girl as she leaned against the wall of his room.

"You're leaving?" A glare of defiance.

"It's not like I have a choice! Who would've thought my pervert grandfather's books would get popular in China!"

She had him there and he could think of a proper response to that. Hearing her sigh, she went over to his bed and collapsed on it, owning it as if it were her room. Shikamaru only sighed and leaned against his desk.

"So how long will you be gone?"

The blonde shrugged, but he could see a small twitch in her shoulder at the question. This couldn't be good.

"Grandpa Jiji said two years."

Silence rang across the room and what Shikamaru found himself treasuring most he wanted to get rid of. It was another irony he would add to his list. His friend was leaving them, Konoha, Japan, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Not with the grandparents being her legal guardian.

"I decided to tell you first because you would have the best reaction," Naru confessed as she left his house two hours later, "I'll tell Kiba, Chouji, and Sasuke tomorrow."

"Surprised you even added the Uchiha genius into the mix."

"He's close to me, Shikamaru." She sighed as if she had explained this to him for the millionth time.

Maybe she had.

"How close?" Silence rang again, but it was broken by a small 'this is such a drag' from the lazy boy's mouth. Naru only laughed and gave him a hug which he returned. After all, a bodyguard couldn't stay mad at his protect-ee for so long.

"By the way, don't forget to ask Mr. Perfect for ramen tomorrow."

"Why? You know his answer. It's gonna be the same one tomorrow, and the day before that, and the whole entire week before that."

The look of surrender, to throw down the towel wasn't something he was use to on the blonde's face. She always had a thumps up in any situation she found herself in and even if it was troublesome, love was a huge situation indeed.

"Maybe he'll stop having his head up his ass and finally have some sense knocked into him before you leave tomorrow." He was met with a tilted head, pursed lips, and confused blue eyes.

"What sense?"

Scratch that. When both of them have some sense knocked into him.

Being friends with Uzumaki Naru wasn't only troublesome, it was annoying.

To say you're the only one breaking me down like this

You're the only one I would take a shot on

He rejected her offer once more, Naru was off to China by afternoon, and Shikamaru drowned himself in a game of shogi with Chouji and his father.

Keep me hanging on so contagiously

"Guess who?" He answered the phone before the early morning dew had settled on thin blades of grass.

"Naru?"

"Who else?" He hadn't expected her voice to change so much. Gone was the tomboyish loudness of it all and here was this.. girl voice. If she heard his thoughts now, he wondered if it was possible to receive a smack in his head all the way from China.

"You troublesome woman, do you even know what time it is here," he found himself snapping as he furiously brushed strands of his hair away from his face tiredly. Hitting his head down into the soft pillow, he listened to the answer.

This had gotta be good.

"Sorry, Shika! I left a package for you! It's really important and I need ya to get it. It's probably already at your home." He murmured a few curses that earned him a reprimand from the girl on the phone as he lifted himself up and headed to his front door. With a loud yawn, he opened it to be greeted with a tackled hug.

Okay, now he was awake.

His eyes traveled down to the view of golden hair and he knew the girl wouldn't let go without a proper hug. Hugging her back tightly, she finally released and stared at him with a large smile.

"Naru?"

"Who else?"

To say she hadn't changed was an understatement. Two years later and here was a teenage girl, curved hips and breasts, with hair in soft waves and in clothing he had remembered saying she would drop dead before even wearing anything like them. He led her into his home, fully awake and ready to serve a cup of tea. He watched as she took her view around his home, a contented smile on her face for being back. He gave a small smirk and shake of his head.

Still classic Naru.

He had been aware of her homecoming earlier on that year. Writing letters of when she would be back but making her promise that she wouldn't tell any of the others, especially Sasuke. Rolling his eyes, he kept this promise, but when his mother found his letter she had made a sort of intervention with him that he made him swore off the prospect of getting married.

Since Naru was the daughter of his mother's best friend, Shikamaru found his position as her 'bodyguard' elevated to the status of 'protector of Naru's innocence.' The fact she was coming back as a sixteen-year old girl had send his mother into one of those moods that his father and him tried unsuccessfully to avoid.

It was one of those times that Shikamaru had wished Naru had been born a boy.

So now that he was the 'protector of a little flower' (he cringed at those words), it was easy to see why his mom went overboard. Naru had grown up and if the Uchiha didn't hurry up and make his move in confessing his feelings, Shikamaru was sure there was a line of hopefuls soon to be waiting.

He wouldn't be surprised if Kiba abandoned Naru from his 'little sister' status either.

When I'm around you I'm predictable

She had gotten a good scholarship to their school. She had told him of the three friends she had met in China and how they had gotten her interested in sports. She had asked him to pretend not to have seen her earlier, knowing full well there would be an onslaught of demands from Kiba and Chouji on why they weren't included.

When their group was back together, he could not escape the group hug around the only female of their cluster and even though Sasuke didn't hug her back, the faint blush on his cheeks and the glaze over his eyes made Shikamaru sure that a confession wouldn't be too far into the future.

The year continued on with their small club getting bigger through Naru's participation in school and the same old Uzumaki way of hers. Soon their small group became a group of 9 along with three older students by the names of Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and his girlfriend TenTen. A large group that Shikamaru found himself trusting, loving, ones that he knew would have his back and he would have theirs.

It scared him to actually have this and to believe that he had wanted to wonder the rest of his life in a solitude place.

Irony.

He had witnessed Naru's next attempt to show Sasuke her affection. The hesitance in his stance and the blush on his cheeks made it stand out even more, Shikamaru was sure that maybe…this time…

"You know I hate ramen." Damnit.

He watched her tackle Lee into a hug and the happier-than-most-people-should-even-be boy greet her with enthusiasm and commenting on the power of her youth once more. Naru only laughed and smiled at the boy's remark, but Shikamaru had been around the girl more than enough to know the insincerity of it all, that there was still so much hope but a small fragmented piece being ready to give up.

He didn't need to be a genius to see that it may not have been Naru's naïve character…but perhaps an Uchiha's hereditary stubbornness and dignity.

'Cause I believe in loving you at first sight

I know it's crazy but I'm hoping to…

Graduation came too quick for his mind to wrap around. He winces as he watched his mother flash the camera in his face as he went up to receive his diploma. Cheers from his friends, his group, the originals of it all cheering the loudest and standing up with applause. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed with a smile at their foolish actions.

After too many hugs, kisses, and pictures his mother tormented him with along with his friends, he went over to their group, parent and relative free. He had to admit that the girls did look pretty today, even Naru had given in to her grandparents request in wearing a kimono. He watched as she was embraced by them and they proudly showed off her diploma.

"You mom and dad would have been so proud of you, Naru," he heard Tsunade-sama tearfully tell the girl in her arms. Her eyes met his and he couldn't help but give her comforting smiles at the statement that he saw make her twitch. Her parents were too much of a sensitive subject.

In the eighteen years he had known her, he hadn't heard her talk once of the man and woman his own parents would talk so fondly of.

She made her way into their group, grabbed into a fierce hug by the girls and promises for all of them to spend every waking moment of their summer together.

Great. And he thought he was actually gonna get some rest.

"You'll have to wait til we get back," Kiba piped as he held his brand new puppy in his arms tightly, "Me, Naru, Chouji, and Shikamaru are going to China with Naru's friends she had invited to her graduation. We'll be back in a month."

Their trip was one of a surprise when a boy named Gaara told Naru of the festival she had been unable to attend due to the fact she had come home to Konoha. It was a trip of a lifetime for Chouji and Kiba and Shikamaru didn't want to spend the rest of his summer hearing his mother nag, making it either China or his home.

Chatter of future plans filled his ears and as he watched Naru break herself from the group and head toward the Uchiha, the lazy teen felt an eyebrow raise with amusement at this. She hugged him, there was a tensed stance in his posture, and he could barely see Sasuke lean down and brush his nose into the sunny hair and take in the fragrance. The blush appeared once more, but was soon all forgotten when the raven pushed his secret crush away.

He interrupted the talking a short time later when he suggested that they all should go home to catch the first plane out of Konoha. He still needed to pack and the sooner he was done with his mother's 'help,' the better. Nods of agreement, they headed out of the school's entrance for the last time. Sasuke volunteered, with no emotion within him, to escort Naru home. His eyes traveled to the passing cars, unable to see the shy smile on the girl's face.

Maybe this time…

To take a hold on you…

"Hey," he heard the hoarse voice through the other side of the phone. He sighed with a pinch to his forehead. It didn't take him long to know that it was another rejection from the Uchiha that made the girl sound this depressed.

"You wanna come over? I need someone to protect me from my mother's troublesome nagging."

He heard her laugh on the other end at it.

Mission accomplished.

Could this be out of line?

China was nothing but lights and sounds. He couldn't believe that Konoha or Japan as a whole was more quieter than what he experienced in Hong Kong. He was dragged by his friends as Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro gave them a tour of everything the large country and downtown area had to offer them. As always, Naru's first destination was the nearest ramen stand. She could hardly contain her excitement at the different flavors of the delicious noodles on the menu and the 3 foreign friends couldn't hide their amusement at the bouncing ball of gold.

Shikamaru could hardly get one ounce of rest through it all. Each time he was grabbed by his arm by his blonde friend and his own protest was a small 'what a drag' as he was pulled to another site. Despite this, he would admit it was sort of enjoyable to see he and his original friends together, even with three new ones. It reminded him of muddy water and high jumps of his younger years.

To say you're the only one breaking me down like this.

His younger years when all four of them meant the world to only each other and no one else, not even stubborn ravens, would come in between the strong friendship.

You're the only one I would take a shot on

"I had fun. It'll be nice going back to Konoha, but I'm gonna miss Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro." She broke the silence on a silent walk to a small koi pond near a Chinese museum. In the distance was sounds of faint pops from a festival nearby, sparklers and fireworks lighting up the midnight sky. Shikamaru nodded as they continued to walk, dressed in formal attire that Temari had to threaten Naru with her life if she didn't wear a dress. The threat sent the boys laughing and they were met with a fist to their heads. Escaping from the group to a small garden with a pond, they took in the gentle nature around them.

Shikamaru barely closed his eyes in his semi-sleepwalk when he felt no presence to his own side. He gave a small 'hm' before turning around to see Naru in a stilled position, looking at the soft granite floor. Her eyes slowly made their way up to his and that childish smile, a smile that told of him some realization she had or another idea to make a teacher release them from class early.

She grinned at him, eyes shining and hands softly trembling. Shikamaru felt something within him tense, sore his normally relaxed muscles as they hardened with some sort of anticipation. Naru only laughed and shook her head, grabbing his hand with that persistent gaze in her eyes.

"Come, Shika! Let's get some ramen! My treat!"

He groaned a soft 'troublesome.'

Well, at least he wasn't fitting the bill.

Wait a minute…

Keep me hanging on so contagiously

That small treat became another night with Naru's leftover money of ramen and the next and then the whole final week of their trip. They settled in their usual friendly conversation, sometimes a comfortable silence filling the ramen bar. They would go into their usual banter, with Shikamaru most of the time giving in to the argument and Naru getting even angrier at the fact he had given up due to the fact he was too much of a lazy ass to continue the debate.

"Geez, Pineapple Head, I thought you would at least have a little energy at eighteen."

Shikamaru smirked as he twirled the noodles with his chopsticks

On their last day, he treated her out to a Chinese restaurant.

"Too much ramen for one week, even for you," he sighed, pulling her into the building, "Let's try something different."

They ignored the snickers from Kiba, Chouji, and Kankuro behind them.

Oh you're everything I'm wanting

"No way," TenTen squealed as she launched at Naru with a death hug. Coughing ultimately released the girl from her grip. Naru gently rubbed the back of her head and stared at the rest of the group. Kiba and Chouji were the only ones sporting smirks and excited eyes, while the rest had been locked in a shocked state. If Shino joined them, his stoic stance didn't give him away. Shikamaru sighed his usual catchphrase before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You two…I mean…But you two."

"Yes, Sakura we know," Naru snapped, the blush on her cheeks getting darker with each gaze her friends gave her. She barely felt the warm presence behind her stare holes in the back of her head as if they were trying to get her attention. Shikamaru viewed as her stance straightened even more, ignoring the tense gaze from the eyes of Uchiha. Shikamaru eyes stuck on the raven until finally they met. There were no secret conversations or one-sided advice.

No. Because Uchiha Sasuke was given the biggest irony in Shikamaru's life than he had ever thought.

"Just say it Sakura, Shikamaru sighed, taking his hand out of his jeans and pulling Naru close to him, "We're dating."

Come to think of it, I'm aching

Twenty-two and their first sips of beer had been the final rite of passage for every one of them. The day ended with them ordering a few meals and all the liquor they could drink. When Sasuke volunteered to escort Naru back, Shikamaru felt a slight twitch in his body. Not only was their community apartments all in the same direction, but Sasuke had no reluctance in his voice.

He pulled her aside and gave her an okay. Because they were meant to be, not them. She offered him a smile and a comforting hand on his arm before guiding Sasuke to Konoha bridge. Feeling exhaustion creep up on him like a shadow, goose bumps of fear cascading on his pale skin as he watched them walk away together.

An hour later she was back at her apartment, jiggling the lock to her door.

"I told him one day he'll like ramen, but the next time he does I won't be asking him to share a bowl of it." Her laughter showed no hesitance, showed no mask in the tone and only a sure decision in her final choice. A choice that shouldn't have been meant to be.

However, his mind hid this though within the shadows of a corner as arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, tasting of citrus and spice and a warm body pressed against his own.

Minutes later, flushed faces, symbiotic moans, glistening bodies, and the smell of lavender and sweat was the final reassurance Shikamaru needed to know this irony was a karma in the making.

On account of my transgression…

Will you welcome this confession?

He stared his brown eyes to the cloud-covered sky from his place on the window sill. Leave it to Naru to pick a troublesome day for a wedding. She already was given her reprimand through a fist on her head by Sakura before dragged away to get ready.

"This day is gonna be such a drag," he murmured to Chouji when he made his way over to his best friend and his small godson in the man's arms. Shikamaru stared down at the pouting lips on the sleeping baby and sighed.

Troublesome. He'll end up being just like his mother.

"Only you would say that about your own wedding, Shikamaru," Chouji laughed and patted the man's shoulder, "Usually people are in love on their wedding, not wanting to get it over."

"It's not marrying Naru that makes this a drag, it's my parents," he grimaced. When the Nara family found out of the engagement, his mother had turned hysterical. Hugging Naru for a full ten minutes before he had to drag his fiancé away from his mother. Planning began a minute after they announced it and all three of them, including Shikaku, found it was best to avoid trouble if they just agreed on everything she said, especially when Tsunade became involved as well. The only control Naru really had was the date and time of the wedding. Shikamaru: zero.

"Just stare at the girl," Chouji grinned, "That's what I did."

"And think of the wedding night," Kiba added to the private conversation, a perverted grin on his face. This earned him two glared and a sharp punch to his shoulder.

"She's ready," his ears rang from the scream from Ino's voice. She took the young child from her husband and began ordering them all to the alter with a tone that no man wanted to mess with. Sighing, he headed up the aisle, shaking few hands and offering few words of thanks for the guests. His eyes briefly made their way to Sasuke, seeing his cold features staring at the golden alter with such hardness, as if he wanted to destroy the whole damn place.

Placing themselves in their positions, the girls coming in with giggles and few exchanges of words, he heard the music begin and his stance was a little straighter.

Walking down, was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. His eyes solely focused on her, friends and family disappearing and becoming second best to the beauty he was gonna make his with two simple words and a silver ring. Chouji was right on the focus on the bride, but he had to admit that Kiba was also right. Looking at her beautiful body now, he knew wedding night was a distraction from his weeping mom and other Nara women ready to cry their eyes out.

Could this be out of line?

A prayer from a priest, two simple words, exchanges of rings, and a passionate kiss sealed the deal as he swept her in her arm and held her tightly. He felt her giggle at his persistency in the kiss, but to him it was a declaration to the man standing in the groomsmen line. That this black comedy of irony had its angst and had its happily ever after.

They pulled away and grinned out at the crowd, his hand holding hers tightly.

She was a Nara and as long as she kept that ring on her finger and his arms around her, she'll stay that way.

To say you're the only one breaking me down like this.

Irony: humor based on using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning.

The dark humor that engulfed him filled his mind as he ran down the hallway, holding the sweaty hand in his own and offering her words of comfort. Stroking her blonde hair, he was led into the emergency room, drenched with scrubs and a surgical mask.

This was the final nail to an obscure coffin. In the midst of the chaos, behind a paper mask, he smirked at the situation at hand. He had become the villain to a fairytale that should have been, that was written out to be the future.

In the end, though, he was selfish and twisted the story until it would fit a dark character's ending. The small screams of a child breathing their first breath of life was the final words at the conclusion of every twisted tale.

The End.

You're the only one I would take a shot on

The cold congrats from Sasuke made him tingle. The heartbroken face behind the veil of unemotional eyes was like a soldier giving up the battle. He got her in the end. He accepted her offer and look where it had led them: the two men she had stolen their hearts from, standing in a cold hall with one male holding a product of their love in his arms and the other a distant memory.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I'll let Naru know."

Walking back to the woman gowned in a white hospital dress, he smiled as her eyes lit up at the precious baby in his arms. Gathering her son in her arms, he watched the beautiful scene of his wife feeding their first child with the sounds of footsteps going into the distance. He'll still be around, but the man knew his barriers and Nara Raiden was the brick wall.

Leaning down for a final kiss before the brand new, but exhausted mother settled down for a nice lap, the lazy genius never knew satire could have tasted so sweet. He could only pray that more would come in the next 20 years.

Keep me hanging on…so contagiously…