25 July 2014


007. Creak
Requested by: pink-cherry-005


If they thought back hard enough, both Ino and Shikamaru could remember one timeless spot from their childhood together. It was East into the village, closer to the forest though still a few blocks from the academy; their fathers used to drop them off –sometimes along with Choji—while they walked a few steps further to the old training post near it. It was a playground mostly made from wood and, if anything, it was a much overused, forgotten little area. It seemed as though the wood, once freshly carved and constructed, had finally given all it had and now rested as the slow, rotting memory of its older days.

It was perfect to keep children busy and its location served well for any parents who were also part-time shinobi since the training post was only a blink away. So, when their fathers would wander off in their nostalgic chuckles, Shikamaru and Ino took advantage of the worn playground.

Ino, being her adventurous and often overbearing self (compared to Shikamaru), ran across the panels of the dangling bridge between the levels of the play structure. Despite often being in her flowing dresses, she jumped and laughed freely as the bridge shook beneath her tiny weight; and as she held onto the rails, she yelled over to the figure usually swaying on one of the two swings. He'd glance over, daunted, and quickly consider sneaking off at the first given chance.

This, however, never happened because Ino always beat him to it. If he took too long to respond to her, she made up for it by running over to him (much to his despair) and pulling him back up the playground's stairs with her.

Together the two would trail up the stairs and onto the slow-rotting bridge. They would overlook the forest and sometimes catch glimpse of their parents leaning against one of the wooden pillars used for weaponry training, and at other times sometimes even find them sparring lightheartedly.

"Who do you think would win if we ever fought?" she asked once, childishly nudging Shikamaru in the rib.

With a moody pout, he glanced back at her.

"Probably you," he replied. "You're too much to handle."

Somehow, Ino found this insulting.

"What's that supposed t' a mean?!"

Then, with a sigh, Shikamaru began to turn away and walk further along the bridge toward the slide.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

He heard her let out a huff and begin storming after him. Then, for the first time in his seven-year-old life he found himself feel a spark of effort. Without much thought, he raced up the rusting ladder and quickly slid down the slide. Behind him he could already hear her disbelief, followed by the frightening creak of the bridge, frenzied footsteps, and palms fisting their way up the ladder.

There was a skip in his heart—one he found himself questioning as he ran involuntarily across the tanbark. With an exhilarated look behind him, he saw Ino sprinting toward him determinedly, her dress flapping behind her, her short, porcelain hair bouncing. Instead focusing ahead of him, he surveyed his surroundings and dove over a swing with an impressive leap he (and Ino) didn't know he was even capable of. He looked back again, catching sight of Ino's astonished expression. Suddenly, he began to feel an unfamiliar thrill in him as he ran over a small sandbox, bending forward to shovel a hand into the contents and just as agilely whisk it behind him.

Despite the cry of distaste he heard from Ino, he found himself smiling as he felt the ambitious stomps from her zori on his tail. With another leap, he threw himself at a rope hanging from the playground, gliding swiftly with an exciting momentum. His luck, however, ran out when he landed. He was so close to continuing his agility streak, but he had lost his balance and stumbled forward clumsily. He didn't actually fall until Ino's body crashed into him purposefully, landing them both onto the ground.

In an instant, he was staring up at a pair of quite large, startlingly piercing blue-gray eyes. Ino hardly looked as worn-out as he'd have speculated—something oddly satisfying to look up at in her expression. Above all, she looked victorious and perhaps even provoked with irritation.

He was out of breath, every so often exhaling through his nose. More than anything (although he hadn't fully noticed yet) he was smiling; and before she had a chance to pummel him for not answering her previous question, he answered it for her.

"See?" he said breathlessly. She looked repulsed, though waited for him to finish. "I could've outrun you—I'm faster than you and even thought ahead of you, but you still managed to catch up to me."

Ino's eyebrow rose as she processed his words.

"You'd win if we ever fought 'cause you're more likely to try harder when you're losing."

Ino began to squint at him questioningly. Although she had him by the collar of his shirt, she eventually released him, letting his head hit the ground anti-climactically. She left him on the ground, smoothened out the skirt of her dress once she was on her feet again, and with a warning harrumph, she eyed him once more before she finally walked away.

In the end, it was ironic how although Ino had technically won the fight, both she and Shikamaru knew he had won the last word. This made his lazy smile continue resting over his lips as he stared up at the leafy sky.

"Tch," he mumbled silently to himself. "Girls."

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note1. This was a fun little concept to picture. I enjoyed the thought of Shikamaru's inner child showing with him running around mischievously as Ino chased him around. Classic. Meanwhile, it's growing increasingly warm with end-of-July weather here where I live. It's somewhat refreshing if I ignore the gross feeling of hot air, haha.

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece as much as I did. I'll talk to you all again soon ~

note2. Prompt ideas are, as always, welcome. Just remember to try and relate the prompt to a sound/something that can make sound (ex. Scream or Thunder).
Leave your suggestions in a PM or review and I'll see what I can do :)


Feel free to leave a review ~


Disclaimer. Credit for Naruto and its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.