The blaring of his alarm clock jolted Shikamaru awake that morning. It was Monday which meant he had to spend hours in the most troublesome place he knew, high school. Monday was just the beginning of a long torturous week of obnoxious students and work. Although Shikamaru hardly did the work he was supposed to, he still found it to be a drag. Getting up on Mondays were even more troubleome because he had the weekend to sleep all day. Anything that had to do with lazing around was his hobby, those and shoji. He hadn't picked up his shoji board for over a year now, not after his father's death. His dad was his shoji partner and the only opponent that could actually challenge him. No one else came close or had the patience.
Shikaku's death was unexpected and hit them hard. A car accident was the cause. A truck nearly hit his on the way from work. To avoid collision Shikaku swerved but ended up driving the car off the highway it was on. He was dead on impact. Shikamaru was in denial at first, his dad was so smart and careful how could he be gone so fast? It was when he saw his mother sink to her knees and sob that Shikamaru faced reality. Yoshino never cried, she was so strong. Shikamaru could feel her heart break more with every tear. He wanted to cry as well, but he knew his father would've wanted him to put on a tough face for her. So he sat next to her and let her head fall onto his shoulder. He tried to soothe her by tracing circles on her back as well.
He couldn't look at her without feeling tears cling to his lids, so his eyes drifted around their living room. His eyes locked on a photograph above their fireplace. It was a picture of them and the Yamanakas from a vacation they shared when he was eight. The ocean was their backdrop from the tropical vacation Shikamaru found boring at the time. They were all standing together in a snug cluster. Ino's blue eyes looked brighter because they were complimented by the orange flower tucked behind her ear. She was sitting on her dad's shoulders with a beaming smile. Shikaku had a goofy grin on his face as he had one arm draped around Yoshino and the other rested on his son's shoulder. Shikamaru was the only member not smiling, instead he had a light pout with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a sunburn on his nose as well since he was too lazy to put sunscreen on himself and Ino had forgotten to cover his face.
Another realization hit him at that moment, Ino's father was with Shikaku. He found himself wondering if he was alright. Shikamaru knew he wasn't alright of course, but he hoped he was alive. Ino would be crushed. She was closer to her father than she was to her mother. Yoshino caught him staring and had the same thought as him.
"Go to her." Yoshino ordered between shudders. She was calming down somewhat and knew that she wasn't the only one that needed Shikamaru that night.
"Are you sure?" He asked. When she nodded and mustered a weak smile, Shikamaru was out the door. It felt like hours before he had reached her house and rang the doorbell. Ino was the one to answer, her eyes were red and puffy, and her breathing was frantic. Shikamaru knew she was sobbing and wasn't going to stop yet. She let him in without a word and sank into the sofa. Shikamaru saw her mother sunken into an armchair with the same expression as Yoshino did. Ino curled her legs to her chest and began crying again. She didn't want to cry in front of him but she couldn't help it.
"They're both d-dead." Ino hiccuped. Shikamaru was seated next to her now. His presence soothed her oddly. She scooted closer to him and buried her face in the soft fabric of his sweatshirt. Her arms were wrapped around his stomach. Shikamaru held her instinctively and frowned at how fragile she was in his arms. She seemed so small and vulnerable. He didn't want to let anyone harm her in this state and his grip strengthened, but he still kept it gentle.
"You're warm." She whispered and felt her current of tears slowing down. She liked being in his arms, she felt so safe. The constant beat of his heart was another calming effect on her. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Ino didn't realize how late it was, time felt like it was frozen after they received that dreaded call. Shikamaru noticed how peaceful she was becoming and felt relieved. He peered over at her mother who wasn't crying or doing anything. Her eyes were staring at her wedding picture across the room. Shikamaru felt a wash of a pity and could only imagine how their mothers felt.
"You need to let it out too." Ino said suddenly and gazed up at her somber friend.
"I don't cry." He objected and shook his head. If he couldn't cry in front of his mom there was no way he'd do it in front of Ino. He was their pillar of strength. He couldn't crumble and let them fend for themselves. He'd mourn on his own and no other way.
"But you should. Keeping emotions bottled up isn't healthy." She scolded halfheartedly, she wasn't in the mood to argue. She was getting really tired now and a yawn escaped her. His sweatshirt felt so soft against her that it reminded her of a blanket. She clutched the fabric in her small fists.
Her mother watched in adoration as her daughter snuggled into her best friend. She always preferred Shikamaru to all Ino's other male companions. Choji was great as well. Sai was fine and all, but she found him bland. Shikamaru had always been there for her. Even now when he just lost his dad, he was at their home comforting Ino. He was her playmate when they were children, a reluctant one however. He always let her be herself and happy. He took full responsibility for her safety which reassured her protective father.
"You should get some sleep." Shikamaru suggested as he noticed her drowsiness. Ino nodded and untangled herself from Shikamaru and sat up. She gave her mom a quick squeeze on the hand and moved towards her room slowly. Her hand was pressed to the wall for balance. Shikamaru watched her stumble to her bedroom soundlessly. He had a quicker pace and was next to her with his arm offered. Ino grabbed it and let him lead her down the hallway until they were in her room. Ino wrapped her floral bedspread around her trying to get every ounce of warmth out of it. Ino found it strange that she felt warmer in his royal blue sweatshirt clad arms. She wanted that warmth again.
"Can you lay next to me, just until I fall asleep?" She asked softly. He never could say no to her, especially requests like this. He ruffled her hair lightly as he complied and laid next to her. Ino hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Long blonde hair cascaded around her and her bangs were a mess over her forehead. Shikamaru used his free arm and brushed them out of her eyes. Her usually shiny blue eyes were dull and hazy. Her luminous skin was blotchy and red from crying.
"I like this sweatshirt." Ino muttered, her voice heavy with drowsiness. Shikamaru detached her arms from his and pulled off the sweatshirt Ino had become so attached too. He chuckled his signature phrase and handed it to her. She tugged it on happily and grinned.
"You should go back to your mom. She needs you too." Ino yawned as her head dropped onto her soft pillow.
"Are you sure?" Shikamaru questioned as he pulled the blankets up to her chin. He wanted to be with his mom, but he wanted to help Ino too.
"I'll be fine. Besides having your sweatshirt is like having a piece of you. That's enough for me." She nodded and made shooing motion with her hand.
Ino gave him her best reassuring smile and he finally left. Her mom he drifted off to sleep in the armchair as well. Shikamaru grabbed a blanket from the couch and placed it over her before leaving the house. He shoved his hands deep in his pockets and trudged down the empty street. Once he got home he helped his mom to bed and went to his bedroom to sleep the night away.
He pushed the memory away with a sigh. He forced himself out of bed and rummaged for his uniform. He hated his uniform since it had too many steps for his liking. He had button his shirt and his stiff navy blue blazer. He sloppily made his yellow tie knowing his mom or Ino would fix it later. Then he had to pull on his pressed pants and belt them. His shoes pinched his toes no matter what size they were. The whole uniform was uncomfortable and troublesome on his opinion. He liked their summer uniforms better since he could at least ditch the blazer.
His mom was shouting at him to come down which only made Shikamaru hate school more. He sulked down the stairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Yoshino was nagging him to do all his daily tasks before school.
"It's raining outside so make sure to being an umbrella." Yoshino added once he had finished brushing his teeth. He grabbed an umbrella by the door and sulked towards the dreaded building. It wasn't far from his house at least.
He hadn't gotten far before he heard his name being called. He turned around to see Ino jogging up to him. She was holding a textbook over her head in an effort to shield it from rain. Her platinum blonde hair was plastered down her back and her sleeves were soaked.
"You shouldn't get your textbooks wet." He scolded as she forced her way under the umbrella.
"My mom took the umbrella with her to work this morning." She pouted. She smoothed her navy pleated skirt and pulled up her knee socks that always sagged down.
"You're socks always fall down, why don't you get a smaller size so they won't puddle around your ankles." He advised with a smirk. Choji and Shikamaru always teased her about her ill-fitting socks that never stayed up. They knew she wore the smallest size available, but it was still to big for her thin legs. She was a very skinny girl, probably one of the smallest in their grade. Ever since she was a kid she had this obsession with staying thin so everyone would find her pretty. She constantly dieted even when others told her she shouldn't.
"I can't wait until the twentieth! We get to wear our summer uniforms then. No more stupid knee socks and baggy sleeves for me." She responded, bubbly as usual. The girls' summer uniforms had more differences than the boys did. The skirt and shoes were the same but the socks were normal socks and the sailor fuku style top had short sleeves instead of long.
"March is a very unpredictable season Ino. We'll probably have to wear our winter uniforms this month anyway. You could wear tights instead of socks you know those are allowed." He shrugged which made the umbrella bob and sprinkled water droplets around them.
"But every girl wears knee socks. I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb." She whined in response.
"It wouldn't hurt if you gained a couple pounds. Maybe then your uniform wouldn't be so baggy on you." Shikamaru informed as he eyed her physique. He wondered how someone so devoted to staying small had such a large bust size, and a narrow waist. Her proportions never made sense to him, but he'd get smacked if he ever mentioned it.
Ino's eyes lit up as she remembered the lunch she packed him. She halted and rummaged through her bag to find the container.
"It's some broiled salmon, a rice ball with sown soy sauce , pickled ume and cucumbers, and a thermos of green tea if you get thirsty." She explained as she handed him the container with foil over the top to keep the food fresh and hot. She blushed slightly as he took the lunch she had specially prepared for him with a grin. They were in the school courtyard now. It was usually upbeat and busy but it was empty due to the rain. Usually Ino met up with Sai here, but Shikamaru wasn't going to wait for him so Ino followed him inside the building. Ino loved school, it was her popularity paradise. It wouldn't be for long though and Ino dreaded the day her secret would get out. All the looks of admiration would turn to disgust with a baby in her belly. She'd be stuck at the bottom of the social pyramid for the rest of high school. She shuddered at the thought.
"Where'd you get that scrape from?" Shikamaru asked interrupting Ino's thoughts. She raised an eyebrow and looked down at her leg. Her sock had slid down revealing a fresh scrape. Ino remembered slipping on the slick street that morning. She caught herself from falling face first by pushing her hands out. Her knees still banged on the concrete.
"Oh I slipped this morning and I guess I scraped my knee." She replied absently. Shikamaru wasn't paying attention to her and was searching his bag. Ino's eyebrows shot up when he kneeled in front of her. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment as the students in the hallway stared at them. Some giggled to each other and others simply stared fondly. The clueless ones probably thought they were a couple. Ino hoped Sai wasn't around.
Shikamaru rose back up again and rubbed his neck, his nervous tick. His eyes were a hue pinker than usual. Ino looked down again to see he had placed a bandage over the scrape.
"Thank you." She mumbled as she pulled her sock up yet again. It was such a sweet gesture of him. It must've been troublesome for him to look for the bandage in the first place.
"Be more careful next time." He scolded in his monotone voice and began walking in the other direction. He quickly turned on his heel and was back in front of her.
"I've got to stay after school so you should take this in case it keeps raining." He added and handed her his umbrella. Then he walked away from her with his hands deep in his pockets. Ino decided she should get to her first class chemistry, with its soggy textbook. She had the same class with Shikamaru so she hurried after him down the hall. He was talking with Kiba outside the classroom. Kiba was a bit of a womanizer, but overall a nice and funny guy. Kiba was also one of Shikamaru's closest friends outside of Choji and Ino.
"You need to pack me a lunch too." Kiba joked with a toothy grin as Ino strode up to them. His hair was even more sloppy than usual, which made Ino want to run a brush through it. After rolling her eyes at his comment she turned her attention to Shikamaru's sloppy tie. She fixed it quickly with an annoyed sigh.
"It's not even that hard to do." Ino huffed and brushed a piece of lint off his blazer.
"Why bother when I know you'll do it for me?" He shot back with his usual smirk. With a sharp glare and a quick hair flip Ino went into the classroom. Her lab partner was TenTen, an upper-classmam that was like an older sister to Ino. She didn't act superior to the younger students and even tutored for some of them. She'd give Ino good advice on what to do about her pregnancy. Especially since she had a pregnancy scare last year with Neji Hyuga. Ino was one of the few people she told about it. TenTen made sure Ino was aware of the consequences if she had sex with Sai.
"Hey TenTen." She greeted her brunette lab partner. TenTen laughed when Ino dropped her soaked textbook on the lab table.
"I didn't know textbooks could be umbrellas." She teased and flicked the blonde's shoulder. TenTen looked at her friend with finger at her chin. She took in her slightly damp uniform and smirked.
"A textbook isn't very good protection you know, why aren't you more wet? You shared an umbrella with someone didn't you?" She teased, her playful smirk still present. Ino groaned at her friend's nosiness. She could feel a blush spreading across her face.
"And I don't see Sai anywhere." She added as she looked around the room. She spotted the umbrella in Ino's hand and snatched it hastily. She turned it over and saw the initials SN on the handle. Her devilish grin grew wider and were paired with a twinkle in her chocolate eyes.
"Give it back!" Ino squeaked and reached for it, but TenTen held it higher. Shikamaru sulked into the classroom to see Ino chasing TenTen around the classroom. His umbrella dangling from the brunette's fingertips. Ino finally snatched the umbrella back and held it protectively to her chest. Class was about to start, so everyone hurried to their seats without a word. Ino was glad that TenTen couldn't tease her more.
Shikamaru's eyes were glued to Ino all class period. He smiled to himself every time she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear or she pushed her baggy sleeves up. She was so absorbed in the lesson and he contemplated tossing a pencil at her to ruin her focus. He loved how her eyebrows knit together as she scribbled the notes. He noticed whenever she blushed after TenTen whispered something to her. His umbrella was in her lap.
Ino lookef across the room and saw her best friend staring back at her. There was something unreadable in his eyes. She wanted to find out what it was. And she knew exactly how.
