A/N: That was chapter 1, would you like to read chapter 2? You better you son of a bitch. I know the way.

Three Years Later

White. Everything white. It's peaceful and serene. A moment when everything around him seemed to disappear into complete silence. That is, until he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and the white that was so peaceful a moment ago was now leaving him as he was slapped back into reality. He looked up to see who had caused the pain and dispelled the peaceful serenity.

"Shikamaru," she stated roughly. "Don't stare at the sun like that, you will hurt your eyes."

His blank stare lingered on her for a few more seconds than he slowly turned his head back to the sun's warm glow. Then smack again.

"Baka, do you want to go blind."

Yoshino shook her head. He was definitely not her son. He took more after that idiot father of his, but he wouldn't grow up to be exactly like him. Not if she had a say in the matter and she most certainly did.

Shikamaru stared blankly at the woman before beginning a search for something other than the sun to pre-occupy his mind. The trees were nice, but they didn't give the feeling of peace that the sun did. He looked at the grass, and the flowers. They didn't mean anything to him. Feeling frustrated at his lack of freedom as he glanced at the woman who brutally assaulted him both verbally and physically at any chance she would get. He let out a sigh as he once again cast his eyes skyward. He could feel her strong gaze on him so he turned his head in the opposite direction of the sun. That's when he spotted it.

A Cloud.

Elegantly beautiful in its simplicity. The white cloud reminded him of the sun's peacefulness. The fact that it floated freely overhead made him a bit envious. The cloud didn't have an angry, loud mother to berate it. It just floated peacefully through life with any cares or problems. His eyes darted around curiously and found other clouds unique in their own way. The interesting shapes intrigued him. He was pretty sure he liked clouds.

His thoughts were interrupted.

"Shikamaru, it's time to go home." His mother stated as she picked up the basket of herbs she had been picking out of the family garden.

At home, Yoshino walked into the kitchen and set the basket down on the table. She washed her hands in the sink and then grabbed a towel. As she dried her hands, she looked down at her son and sighed. She wondered if anything she said ever registered in that little mind of his. She finished drying her hands, refolded the towel, and placed it neatly back on the counter. Then she turned back to look at him.

She sighed. "Ino is coming over and you're going to play with her."

This was not a suggestion. Shikamaru knew. He just stared blankly back at her.

She cocked her head slightly to the right and gave him a look that dared him to say anything to the contrary.

He just gave a small shrug and continued staring at her. That irked her more than she would admit, but she wouldn't hold it against him. Most children his age had already started talking. If not in complete intelligible sentences they at least made an effort to. Even his little friend Ino hardly ever shut up. Her son, however, hardly ever made a sound. This made her more worried than angry. 'Was he …….' She thought to herself as if thinking the word 'retarded' would curse him forever.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice him leave. He made his way outside to sit on the porch. Looking back up at the sky, he restarted his train of thought that had been interrupted before their return home.

He sighed as one of the clouds reminded him of his mother. He liked his mom. She took care of him. He wouldn't mind talking to her if she wasn't so ………….

He couldn't think of a word to describe her. Not for the lack of trying. He strained his little mind over it until it began to hurt. He sighed again. Just thinking about it was………..

The word escaped him again. Luckily or unluckily for him his thoughts were broken again when he heard the gate swing open. A tall blond woman was walking up the path to the house holding the hand of an equally blond but very short little girl, whom he recognized immediately.

"Konnichi wa, Shikamaru-kun." The tall blond woman said smiling down at him.

He looked back at her with a blank expression. "Arigato gozaimasu" he said flatly. He only said it because if he didn't his mother would scold him for being so rude.

The blond woman's attention moved to her hand which was now being drawn behind her back. She chuckled at her daughter's shyness.

"Say hello to Shikamaru-kun, Ino" she said sweetly.

The little girl slowly peeked out from behind her mother. Her wide, blue eyes slowly made their way from the ground to Shikamaru. She whispered softly, "Konnichi wa".

Her mother smiled at her again. "I'm going inside to talk to Yoshino-san. You stay out here and tell Shikamaru-kun about what you learned today, ok." She looked down at the young girl with a straight face.

The young girl answered with a nod. Her mother let go of her hand and proceeded up the steps to the house. The little girl stood there nervously, playing with her fingers, staring at the ground. Slowly she lifted her stare from the ground to the porch then shifted her focus from the door her mother just walked through to the boy who had been sitting there.

When she noticed that his look was no longer on her and cast towards the sky, she felt her nervousness lift. She began to speak. Small talk at first about how nice the day was and how pretty every one of her mother's friends said she looked. She paused for a second to look at the boy again noticing that his position hadn't changed. Not feeling the least bit ignored she tore into what her mother suggested that she talk about, the names and purposes of the different flowers that she learned today.

Shikamaru on the other hand was in his own world. The clouds moving freely reminded him of so many things he had seen before. His mind wandered randomly to each cloud that passed overhead. One of them looked like a leaf. One of them looked like a ninja tool that his father carried in his pouch. One even reminded him of the Hokage.

His thoughts were interrupted by two finger snapping in front of his face.

"Shikamaru! Are you even listening to me?"

He looked at her with his blank expression still plastered on his face. She didn't even give him time to respond. As soon as she saw that his attention was on her she resumed talking again.

Shikamaru only responded in his mind. 'You lost me at Hello.'

Later that evening, Yoshino was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Shikaku sat with his son on the couch in the living room. He raised his eyes from the book he was reading to look down at his son. He was growing so fast. Pretty soon Shikaku was going to have to put him to work around the grounds. He noticed that his son looked deep in thought and wondered to himself what could occupy a three year-old boy's mind so much.

"Shikamaru, yo." Shikaku said as he watch his son turn and look up at him questioningly. "Is there something on your mind?"

Shikamaru stared at his father for a minute before turning his head back to whatever it was he was staring at early.

Shikaku shrugged it off. If his son didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to force him. He rather liked the fact that his son was quiet. It was one less thing to trouble his mind. Shikaku went back to reading the book, but was interrupted shortly thereafter when his son spoke.

"Tou-san"

Shikaku looked down at his son. His son rarely spoke so when he did he want to listen.

"Tou-san, why…….."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. There was definitely something on his son's mind.

"Why are…….women ………so………" Shikamaru seemed to be searching for a word in his mind. The same word he had been searching for early in the day and he still hadn't found it.

"What about women?" Shikaku questioned.

"Why are women…so…………….like women?"

Shikaku heard the question and knew what his son was trying to ask. Shikamaru had noticed that there were differences between the male and female species.

"Shikamaru, yo." Shikaku said to regain his son's attention. "A woman is a mysterious thing. Men have tried their entire lives to understand the complexities of women only to fail miserably. The only thing we really know is that the world would never exist without them. Keep that in mind son when you get older."

Shikaku looked down at his son who seemed to be processing the information he just received. Then a look of understanding crossed his face followed by small smirk. Shikaku didn't need to say anything more, so he went back to his book.

After Shikamaru went to bed, Shikaku and Yoshino sat on the very same couch. He was reading the same book and she was sipping on her evening tea. Shikaku took a look at his wife. She had a concerned look on her face. Shikaku made a show of closing the book and setting it on the table. He looked her directly in the eyes until she seem to notice he was doing so.

"Yes"

"You look concerned about something" he said questioningly.

She turned her eyes away from him. She was afraid to voice what she was thinking. She was afraid it would curse him.

"What is it?"

She looked him. She knew she could hide her worry from him. "I'm worried……..about our son."

"Oh." Eyebrow raised.

" I think……" she hesitated. "I think….. I think he…….might be……. Slow."

"Slow?"

"You know what I mean." She said giving him a scowl.

He chuckled and this earned him a slap.

"This is not funny, I'm serious. What would we do with a….slow….child?" the concern in her voice was thick.

Shikaku just smiled at her. "He's quiet, not retarded. Besides he and I had an interesting conversation this afternoon. I doubt a retarded little boy could hold an interesting conversation on a complex subject now could he."

Yoshino looked shocked. "What? He actually talked to you?" Her eyes darted around in thought. "What did you guys talk about?" she asked innocently.

Shikaku laughed then coughed to clear his throat.

"Women."