Naruto Fanfic – "Ten"

Written June 2007 by Astra M.

Author's Note: Originally began its life as a Team Ten introspective, and then warped itself into something else entirely. And in spite of the 30Kisses theme, this one lacks a kiss. Oops!

Shikamaru's eyes travelled swiftly across the shogi board, his faintly creased brows betraying the barest hint of concentration as he reached out and slid a piece over. Then he leaned back and smirked.

"Checkmate."

From across the board Asuma heaved a long-practiced sigh as he assessed the damage. "Hmm... and my luck's been so good lately - I thought I was finally bound to beat you for once. Ah, well." With a good-natured grin he began to dig a fresh cigarette out of his vest. "So what do I owe you this time?"

Shikamaru shrugged in apparent indifference, but his mind was already mulling over the possibilities. In spite of the innumerable things Asuma 'owed' him, it seemed that his sensei had a wily way of getting out of many of them. Well, that just meant Shikamaru had to think of something more creative - or devious. Probably he should start with those annoying cigarettes...

"Aha! I thought I'd find you here, Master Asuma."

Surprise distracted Shikamaru from his plans at the sound of this particular voice. He swiveled his head just enough to observe the unexpected visitor through his peripheral vision, the corners of his mouth turning downward automatically. What was she doing here?

"Hey there, Ino," greeted Asuma, likewise appearing astonished at his pupil's unusual visit. "What's going on with you?"

"I'm here to deliver a letter for you," answered Ino matter-of-factly. Then she broke into a mischievous grin. "It's a special message, courtesy the Yamanaka flower shop."

"Ah. And is your family in the courier business now?" asked Asuma wryly as she handed over the note. Shikamaru detected a faint waft of perfume in the air and lifted a brow. It didn't smell like Ino's.

"Only for those certain cases we deem important," said Ino archly as she crossed her arms behind her back. "We like to keep our faithful customers happy, after all."

Shikamaru's gaze narrowed suspiciously. For lack of a better term, Ino looked very much like the cat who swallowed the canary. Her eyes were fairly dancing as she avidly watched Asuma perusing his message, and Shikamaru was certain that she was trying her hardest to suppress a giggling fit. His frown increased as he was struck by the visual incongruity: such behavior always made Ino appear alluringly girlish in spite of her barely-there outfits. It was so strangely troublesome...

"What's wrong, Shikamaru?" asked Ino suddenly. He noticed that she was brushing her hand concernedly across her chest, fussing at the fabric. "Is there something on my clothes?"

"What?" mumbled Shikamaru, shaken out of his reverie. An uncomfortable prickling shot through him as he quickly dropped his gaze. "Er... no."

A confused, irritated expression broke across Ino's face. "Then why were you staring at me?"

"I wasn't staring at you," retorted Shikamaru swiftly. Determinedly keeping his eyes fixed on the shogi board, he added brusquely: "I was thinking about stuff and just staring off into space - and you happened to get in the way."

Ino's lips pressed into a thin line and a deeply offended look flickered through her countenance. But then she rolled her eyes in an "it's Shikamaru, so it figures" manner and abruptly returned her attention to Asuma. But she was no longer jovial.

"Well, enjoy your letter," she snapped. Then she tossed her head and added airily: "I'm off to find better company myself."

"Oh, are you?" said Asuma mildly as he refolded the note and carefully tucked it into his vest. Glancing over, he caught Shikamaru rolling his eyes down at the shogi board. Asuma's mouth curved into an amused smile as he addressed Ino. "So I take it that means you've finally found someone special again? Some other boy who can compete with Sasuke?"

"Ha! No one can compete with Sasuke," asserted Ino haughtily, unmindful of the low grunt that escaped Shikamaru. "But a girl has to keep looking anyway. And I know there's a prince out there waiting just for me - a cute, strong, totally awesome boy who's just like Sasuke in every way." A petulant frown suddenly crossed her face as Ino tugged unhappily at her hair. "I just have to find him first..."

"I see how it is," said Asuma wisely. "You're basically waiting for the perfect person to come along, eh?"

Ino shot her teacher an odd look, as if he were stating the obvious. "Well, of course I am! What girl doesn't want the best boy around?"

Saying nothing more, Asuma merely nodded. Satisfied, Ino turned her back on them and with a wave of her hand flounced off towards the gate. As he watched her go, Asuma began to think about the letter in his vest, a contemplative expression on his face. Then a dry snort cut across his thoughts, drawing his attention back to his surly companion.

"Huh. I'd say that proves Ino just doesn't know anything about guys at all."

"Oh?" murmured Asuma interestedly. He examined Shikamaru keenly for a moment, his smile quickly turning sly. "So... what do you know about girls, Shikamaru?"

"Eh?" stammered Shikamaru as his head jerked up to gape at Asuma, taken completely aback. He'd had no intention of getting into this kind of conversation when he'd opened his mouth - it was only meant as a snide comment against Ino. Then to his deep chagrin Shikamaru felt himself going red as Asuma's grin broadened.

"Oh, come on. There's no need to be shy with me," laughed Asuma as he watched Shikamaru squirm uncomfortably. He had to admit that it was something of a treat to watch his former pupil lose his cool like this. "You do like girls, don't you?"

"... Maybe," mumbled Shikamaru reluctantly after a moment, struggling to get his emotions under control again. "When they're not being complete pains in the butt, that is. And we're supposed to be playing shogi here, Asuma."

"In a minute, Shikamaru. So what are you looking for? What's your idea of a perfect girl like?" persisted Asuma, who had no intention of letting this subject drop in spite of Shikamaru's discomfort. Noting the stubborn bent that entered his face, an idea struck Asuma. "We both know that Ino's is a shining prince. Are you looking for a princess, too?"

An appalled look flashed through Shikamaru's eyes, goading his tongue into action. "Hell no," he blurted out. "And if you insist on knowing, I decided back when I was a kid the kind of girl I'd marry - a perfectly average, normal girl!"

"Normal?" Asuma cocked a brow curiously. "Well, I guess that sounds all right... but what's 'normal' for you?"

"Oh, come on, Asuma - normal as in normal," answered Shikamaru with annoyance. "Some girl who isn't extreme in any way. Not too stupid or too brilliant. Not too talented or too inept. Not too saccharine or too mean. Not an ugly girl..." he continued, suddenly looking off in the direction Ino had left. "Or too freaking beautiful for her own good. And frankly not all-around too much." Shikamaru frowned, and then a sigh escaped him as he looked back down at the shogi board. "Just an average person... like me," he finished quietly.

"Average like you, huh?" said Asuma as he idly tapped a finger on the edge of the game board. "Hmm. I suppose there's something to be said for sticking within your limits... assuming they really exist, that is." He paused, then added softly: "And that it's not being used as an excuse to cover for something else."

Shikamaru gazed up at Asuma, feeling unaccountably tenser than before. "What exactly are you saying?"

In response, Asuma pulled the cigarette from his mouth and fixed Shikamaru with a stern look. "For starters, I'm saying that it's interesting how different and yet how similar you and Ino act sometimes, and over the most unexpected things. Take love for instance. Neither of you are realistic about it in the slightest: she aims too high, whereas you don't aim at all. Personally, I think you'd both be a lot happier if you met each other somewhere in the middle."

Shikamaru felt the air go out of him as if he'd been punched in the stomach. "Love?" he sputtered, thrown badly off by this frank observation. Coherence fled him as he tried to regain his composure. "I'm not... me and Ino... I don't...!"

"Easy, Shikamaru," murmured Asuma calmly, though with a trace of amusement. "I'm not trying to imply anything in particular. I'm just saying that I often wonder if either of you two know what it is you really want in a romantic partner. Your expectations don't bear out at all."

"You can't be serious." Shikamaru stared incredulously at his sensei, his rationality fully restored by his indignation. "How can you honestly say that my expectations are unrealistic? How can they be as bad as Ino's? Or do you know any so-called knights in shining armor you haven't introduced me to?"

"'Course not," admitted Asuma as he took a drag from the cigarette. "We both know that's a ridiculous myth Ino will have to figure out for herself eventually. But leaving her out of it for the time being, let's talk about your issues."

"I don't have any issues," muttered Shikamaru as he began pointedly arranging the pieces on the board.

"Why only average?" continued Asuma as if he hadn't spoken. "Do you really think that way about yourself? Tell me, Shikamaru - all those times when Ino was going on singing Sasuke's praises and you said something against him... what was that about? Regardless of what she said, did you ever consider yourself inferior to Sasuke?"

Shikamaru abruptly brought his head back up, and in spite of himself Asuma was startled by the expression burning within the dark eyes. "... No," he answered at last. "Not even once."

Asuma felt pride swelling up inside of him as he regarded his favorite student. "I didn't think so," he said approvingly, but his somber demeanor quickly returned. "But if that's not the true case, Shikamaru... then could it be you're only looking for someone ordinary because you think that an 'average' woman would make no demands on you that you couldn't fulfill?"

Shock rippled out from the brown eyes and Shikamaru hastily dropped his gaze. "That's not it," he mumbled, his brows beetling perplexedly. Then aggravation flooded his face and he suddenly fired up. "Look, Asuma, you can say whatever you want about my modest aims, but the fact is a simple girl isn't going to wind up driving me crazy. I'm just not interested in dealing with a demanding, overbearing woman for the rest of my life! And I don't want to turn into whipped dog like my old man, always at the beck and call of a relentless nag."

Asuma merely inclined his head in sympathy. He knew all about Shikamaru's many issues with Nara Yoshino, though he privately acknowledged that his student had a rather one-sided view of things. It was another example of those paradoxical similarities Shikamaru shared with Ino - he likewise just didn't understand the opposite sex - but Asuma wisely kept this to himself. Reasonable though Shikamaru normally was, this was one of the rare areas he simply wouldn't listen. Besides, the boy was bright; he'd figure the truth out for himself... eventually.

"All right, Shikamaru. Be that as it may, let's say you do someday meet a perfectly normal girl and decide to settle down with her. Average or not, who's to say that she still won't turn out to have a few less-than-modest goals of her own? Goals she'll want you to support her in, regardless of what you think about them. And then what will you do? Maybe you'll wake up one day to find yourself married to a total stranger - it happens more often than not. People grow over time. Relationships change. It's natural."

But Shikamaru merely shook his head, the hint of a smirk returning to his face. "Don't you see, Asuma? I've already thought about this, and that's why only an average girl will do." He gestured towards the shogi board. "It's like this game you introduced me to - once you understand the rules, you can predict how your opponent will move given certain parameters. And to be perfectly honest, it's a lot easier to handle someone with so-so skills than one with real talent. Even if they grow, their moves keep to a certain limited range. It's not that much of a challenge to outmaneuver them."

Ouch, thought Asuma, supposing that this was also another way of Shikamaru bluntly assessing his former teacher's shogi aptitude. "Even if that's true, sometimes an unremarkable opponent can prove themselves unpredictable. It's a serious risk to disregard that possibility."

"That's why I only take calculated risks," replied Shikamaru. Then he peered at Asuma in a vaguely accusatory manner. "And besides, what's wrong with that? You're the one who was always reminding us never to act rashly. You don't believe in making incautious moves - you think they're unnecessarily stupid."

"Calculated risks..." murmured Asuma softly. He pulled out the cigarette and began rolling it slowly between his fingers. "...Yeah, I suppose I always have said that, haven't I...?"

Silence fell between the two. Shikamaru pretended to occupy himself by moving a few pieces experimentally as Asuma aimed unfocused eyes on the trail of smoke curling off his cigarette. After a minute he came back to his senses, and briefly touching his vest, he began speaking again.

"Did I ever tell you guys why I thought Ten was the perfect number for our team?"

Shikamaru hesitated in the middle of a move, caught off guard at the sudden shift in the conversation. "Um... no, I don't think so."

Asuma grinned wryly. "You remember how it was when you were all genin. You, Ino and Choji had a lot of rough moments together. It wasn't smooth sailing, especially those first couple of months. During that time, did any of you believe that Team Ten was particularly well-matched?"

Shikamaru snorted, recalling old memories. "No, we didn't."

"That's right," agreed Asuma. "But eventually you made peace, you each found your groove together. Even so, going into the first chuunin exam our team was considered the weakest of the Leaf rookies - and among the whole contestant field, too. But then you all wound up scoring the highest in teamwork. You guys beat everyone. And after that... only you became a chuunin."

Shikamaru said nothing, instead basking in a fierce, quiet pride. He would never brag, but it was one of the precious few times he'd ever felt he had really done something worth shouting over.

Watching him, Asuma's expression grew oddly mellow. "You see what I mean, Shikamaru? Ten is a number that's often used to represent a certain gold standard... to symbolize perfection as it were. But it's really an illusion - an idealized notion of what we think life should be like. It's an unrealistic ideal that we nevertheless strive for. And it's easy to set ourselves up by thinking that we have to meet a certain set of parameters in order to achieve 'perfection' - or to be so afraid of failure that we don't even try to reach for something better."

The pleased feeling left Shikamaru. He began rolling a game piece between his fingers, unconsciously mimicking Asuma's earlier actions as he listened to the man continue speaking.

"Our team was never perfect. You know that as well as I do. But it didn't matter in the end. We still found a way to beat the odds. Together we made it work. And after all this time, knowing how imperfect we all are... would you go back and trade your teammates for anything?"

"No, I wouldn't," answered Shikamaru softly.

Asuma blew a smoke ring and watched it drift up towards the sky. "You can waste years chasing after some far-fetched fantasy, or running because you're afraid to measure up, and never realize that what you really needed all along are the imperfect people right in front of you... and I should know," he mussed, pausing to take another drag. "Life isn't perfect. Love isn't easy. It's simply what you decide to make of it, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru stood before the grave marker, watching the cigarette burn in tribute to his much admired teacher, and a smile touched his face as this particular old memory slowly faded away. He'd lost track of the time, but just as he was about to check the sun he heard an annoyed voice speaking up from behind him.

"Oy, Dad!"

He turned around to face a young boy with a shock of brown hair that was pulled back in a severe ponytail. Shikamaru was amused to note that the boy was sporting a pronounced scowl.

"What is it, Shikanosuke?"

"Mom's in a real snit, wondering where you are." Crossing his arms, he suddenly threw his father a very put-upon look. "She's been on my case to find you for the whole past hour. Geez, I don't know why that troublesome woman has to pick on me, not when Inori is more than ready to fly out here at a moment's notice...!"

"Well, let's get home then," said Shikamaru mildly as he began to shuffle off in the direction of their home. "We shouldn't make her worry needlessly."

"Yeah, whatever," muttered Shikanosuke as he angrily stuffed his hands into his pockets. He took a few steps in silence before bursting out: "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you decide to marry a woman like her?"

Shikamaru smirked, anticipating the aggravated look he was about to receive from his son. But it didn't bother him. The boy was bright, he'd figure it out some day... probably.

"Because... it was a perfect match."