Chapter 2: Family
Shikazu reached the old family house he sighed so his brother got the house it didn't bothered him, but he had remembered when his father said that the house would always go to the first born unless the other beat him to having a family and Shikaku being smart as a Nara and being foolishly in love with Yoshino had beaten him to the family home he sighed and knocked on the door. Shikaku answered and his mouthed dropped "Shikazu? "
"Yea let me in"
"Sure sure" and held the door open for Shikazu and Cho they reached the family room and saw Shikamaru and Chouji playing Shogi Chouji knew he was losing, but he didn't complain Shikamaru looked up from the board and stared at Shikazu " you must be Uncle Shikazu?" he blunt about it Shikazu saw it
"Be nice" Yoshino said with her hands on her hips Shikazu smirked ' the same Yoshino I knew way back ' he thought Yoshino looked in Shikamaru direction and she gasped
"Shikazu? oh my god Shikaku how come you didn't tell me?"
"I was about to woman" Shikaku answered Shikazu smirked they were still the same as always Shikaku did everything that Yoshino had told him to do and it made him smile.
Yoshino went to Shikazu and hugged him " it's so good for you to be back " she said with a smile
"It's good to be back " Shikazu replied with a smile he knew even though Yoshino was bossy and troublesome she did Shikaku good and that was a good thing and then he wonder if he could find someone that would give him a good family his thoughts went to her, but before he dug deeply into it the door opened and a pair of shoes were kicked off Shikamari sighed heavily " Hi Ino"
"Hey Shika" came Ino reply and plopped down onto the ground next to him Shikazu stared for a moment and wondered Ino was Inoichi daughter Choza had said back at the training grounds he didn't know his daughter would look almost like Inoichi and such a scary way and also the fact the his nephew was deeply in love with the girl made him smile he noticed the look Shikamaru gave her when she walked into the living room a look that is shared only by lovers so Shikazu thought ' does he love her or likes her?' so he studied Ino she didn't show the same look like Shikamaru did, but he guessed it didn't matter Yoshino did that to Shikaku for awhile before she realized it was him she was suppose to be with of course he didn't remember who Yoshino was crushing back than, but Shikaku knew and thinking ahead to get yoshino to be his forever and an eternity.
Chouji coughed and both Ino and Shikamaru looked at him concerned " you okay Chouji" Ino asked the first to say
"Nothing wrong, Shikamaru your uncle is staring" Chouji answered pointing to Shikazu direction. Shikamaru looked and noticed the look of ponder on his face he knew at once his Uncle was trying to figure something out faster than what his dad could think, but what bother him most even though he heard stories of his uncle this was the first he had laid eyes on him his father had said he was gone on a mission 20 years ago, but had never came back the third hokage said the mission should've only taken him and Chouji uncle a week to finish unless things had gone terribly wrong, but it shouldn't have not with a Nara in the mission something happen something that had nothing to do with him or the mission he was on so why did he get involved in something that shouldn't have been involved in unless it had to do with your teammate, but his teammate had been by his side since the beginning. His father didn't tell him much about it for at the time it didn't concern him for he was still in the academy, but was his Uncle forgotten? Why by his own people? who was it that he was trying to rescue? and who did he what to kill?
Ino looked at Shikamaru and punched his arm in iggitation "Hey Baka you there?"
"Yea Yea troublesome woman I am " was his common reply to anything she said when she was annoyed by something. Ino was about to respond when there was a quiet knock on the door " Get the door Shikaku" Yoshino had ordered
"Yes dear" he replied heading for the door anyways Shikaku answered " hello"
"Hey Shikaku it's me Emiko " I answered friendly
"Come on in" he greeted as I walked in took off my shoes and found Shikazu standing there staring off into space I frowned I knew what he was thinking he was thinking about Tsunade and the others and why Orochimaru would do such a thing I smirked and went over there.
"Frowning so much is bad for you Shikazu" I said waving a finger at him.
Shikazu frowned deeper and muttered "Damn Uchiha" before heading for the kitchen his atempt to ignore me Cho smiled nervously while Shikamaru stared at me
"Who are you?" Ino had bluntly said I widen my eyes at her confidence
"The name is Emiko Uchiha of the Uchiha clan or what most of them" I said rather sadly I went over by the slide door that led to the backyard and looked out it I couldn't believe I was so self-absorbed into myself that I didn't think about home I didn't know what was going on with Sasuke I had no right to indulge in his personal buisness even though it was family related
"Emiko it wasn't your fault for what happened " Cho replied trying but failed to cheer me up.
I turned to Cho and smiled nicely at him " Thanks Cho, but it's something I should've expected " Cho knew exactly what I meant by that he wasn't stupid and neither was Shikazu they both knew why, but they weren't about to go up to my little brother and tell him what it was he couldn't handle it to be exact Sasuke was suppose to be dead and I knew that, but I guess Itachi couldn't do it couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke. Cho sighed and put a hand on my shoulder he knew that I understood the way Itachi did it, but I didn't think he could actually pull it off without it eating at his insides I knew Itachi loved his village and his family, but our family wasn't the goody two shoes like my teammates were. Shikazu left the kitchen with a sweat drop on his brow he had to escpae the wrath of Yoshino before she had started on him it wasn't his fault his brother caused it so why did she start nagging at him for? Shikazu sighed heavily he plopped down on the couch in pure exhaustion Chouji got up off the floor and sat on the couch as well meaning the Shogi game was over and Shikamaru had won the game Shikazu looked at the board and sighed he didn't know if his skills were any good since he's been gone for so long 20 years to be exact he sighed it was starting to get dark and he wanted to visit Tsunade again before it got too dark. He stood and stretched when Yoshino walked out of the kitchen with that look of murder Shikazu sweat dropped and started for the front door.
Yoshino humphed meaning where do you think you're going, but knew better for he was just a brother in-law to her so she let him leave with Cho following suit Choza smiled weakly and told Chouji to get his stuff ready and head on home Inoichi did the same with Ino once they left I turned around sheepishly and left as well didn't want to overdue my welcome I rushed to my tree and saw Jiraiya there waiting patiently I stared and trembled for a minute "Jiraiya" I said putting on a brave mask he gave me a wary look like he didn't want to scare me away from what he wanted to tell me
"Emi what happen to you? 20 years ago? " He asked he didn't mean to be straight forward with it, but there was no way around it. I stood there and collapsed to my knees thinking my mask gone it shown of pure saddness Jiraiya knew this wasn't of 20 years ago, but he knew he would eventually get to it in due time so he would take this explaination instead.
At the tower Tsunade was sitting at her desk she wanted to leave and go home and plop down on her awaiting couch, but something had stopped her she had dug out Emiko old records and looked at the last mission log that was given to her 'wait this one was the last one she had to do and it was with Jiraiya and me and we finished it and went back to Konoha, but what made her leave and come back 20 years later?' she thought the door opened and she hastely put the file away in her desk drawer and put on a straight face when Shikazu walked in " hey Tsu"
"Hey what brings you here at this time?" she questioned
"To talk to you" he replied
"About what?" she asked
"Jiraiya" ' so he played dumb from the beginning ' she thought " you thought I wouldn't have figure it out? eh? I know just as much as you do how they're feelings corresponds with each other and they're both trying hard not to let the other know." he explained
"I've got a question to ask you and I hope you don't share this with Cho " she said
"What is it?" he said raising an eyebrow
"Do you know Why Emiko left so suddenly after her mission with Jiraiya and me?" she asked. Shikazu backed stepped a minute and looked at her bewildered "no I don't know what happened to her after that, but I do know that something is eating at her and she feels like she regretted something and I haven't figured it out yet, but I want to know why Jiraiya been acting out character lately?" he reasoned.
"Only because of Emiko and the conflicts she had with Orochimaru" she said
Shikazu nodded his head in understanding meaning she didn't know either or not into the heavy part of the crazy relationship you would call Emiko and Jiraiya, but that didn't matter right now he wanted to know why Tsunade was hiding something from him and it bothered him to no end "What are you hiding from me?" 'Shit!' Tsunade sighed and took out Emiko file and laid it onto the desk for him to see when he reaches for it she snatches it in time to give him a glare
" This is only between you and me got it Shikazu?" she ordered
"I gotcha troublesome woman" he said while Tsunade fist hit the desk "What?" she shouted.
"Nothing" he said and he takes the file and opens it his eyes widen and he looks to Tsunade all she does is nod her head
"What to know why she left after our mission together and I know you've seen her when you were gone " she explained he closes the file and lays it on the desk.
"Once I saw her go into the Sound village, but didn't think anything of it I thought it had been a mission, but than 4 hours later she had came out with Orochimaru talking to her I didn't dare sneak closer for they would've sensed me, but the looks she didn't like how the conversation was heading." Shikazu explained
Tsunade put her hands together and thought deeply Orochimaru had told her something she didn't what to hear and she could probably think what it was he was trying to tell her to forget about Jiraiya and her and be with him and that he could bring absolute happiness, but also knew that Emiko would never abandon her love for Jiraiya to go Orochimaru Emiko love for Jiraiya was stronger than her love for anyone else even herself Emiko family was dear to her as well, but there was conflicts and she saw her teammates as her new family and Tsunade was always confused about that, but she knew that I had problems with my father and never wanted to talk about it Tsunade got up from her chair and started to put things away and looked to Shikazu "would you like to stay at my place for the night " she offered.
"Sure " he agreed they left after locking up the tower and heading for Tsunade house once there and inside and comfortably on the couch and talking for hours Tsunade got up and was heading for bed she turned to Shikazu " the bathroom is down the hall and to your right Night" she said
"Night." he replied
Once Tsunade was safely in her room she plopped onto the bed and hid her face into her pillow she didn't think she was that close to say fuck it and kiss him right there, but she had dignity and wasn't about to announce her feelings until she knew she was ready to. she closed her eyes and sleep took her Shikazu cursed silently to himself he was being stupid Tsunade was the woman he fell in love with, but was scared to tell her so because he wanted to know if she felt the same way if she didn't he would've been beaten to a pulp right now he stretched onto the couch and yawned heavily sleep took him. Cho laid down on his brothers couch and wonder why didn't Shikazu stay at his brothers house as well Choza had said that Shikazu didn't want to stay be a burden to Yoshino so where did he go than he smirked he went to see Tsunade typical Shikazu had liked her forever and would visit her til the last second and probably asked her if he could stay the night not if Tsunade would have objected to the question and had stayed the night with her his eyes widen could it be? naw she wouldn't move that fast she probably had him on the couch. Yep that was it he yawned deeply and wish he could think more, but drifted off to sleep.
Outside Jiraiya had me in his arms holding me " Emi if that bastard had hurt you. You know full well that I wouldn't had let him do that?" he said holding me tightly
"you weren't there so how would you know a damn thing that had happened " I said defensively
"I know Orochimaru he not looking for your love he's looking for a new body to take "he reasoned I sighed I knew that already that's why I had went to his place to confront him about it and stared at Jiraya straight in the eyes and smiled he smiled in return and gently brought his hand to cup my face I turned away at that and buried my face into my hands Jiraiya frowned "Emi did he do something" he said his eyes searching.
"That's the thing I don't know" I answered
"Well than let me take you home " he offered
"Okay thanks Jiraiya" I replied taking his hand he walked me to my apartment and was at my door within minutes
"Thank you Jiraiya for taking me home " I said unlocking my door I turned to him and smiled I felt his hands cup my face again preventing me from turning away
"Don't be afraid to talk to me about your problems" Jiraiya said I smiled and nodded my head saying yes he let go and walked away and I shut the door and went to bed.