Lean on Me...
Summary: She was found at such a young age, taken in by Shikaku, not as a daughter, but as a wife in training for his youngest son. How will this affect the Nara Clan...more specifically the laid back, easy going, semi-lazy...Shikamaru?
Anime: InuYasha/Naruto
Pairing: Shikamaru/Kagome
Genre: Romance/Comfort/Hurt
Rated: M for Mature
-x-x-x-
"That's fine..." the ever so lazy reply from Shikamaru set Kagome's blood a boil. Frown forming on her lips at his uncaring words.
Looking down at her feet in though, she sighed before shrugging her shoulders. "You don't really care about what I do, do you." This was not a question. Turning her back to Shikamaru, she made her way outside the Academy towards the swing where Neji said he'd wait for her.
Chouji who had been silently eating his chips while watching the uneasy exchange between Kagome and Shikamaru, looked uncertainly after Kagome before turning his eyes curiously to Shikamaru who was knocking the tip of his shoe against the ground in irritation. "Should you go after her?"
Shikamaru shook his head, "troublesome..." he muttered under his breath before following after Kagome down the hall, intent on apologizing. For what? He wasn't entirely sure, but he was still going to apologize, because something he'd said, had obviously upset her.
-x-x-x-
"Neji " Kagome forced a smile, still peeved at the lack of caring Shikamaru continued to demonstrate with her. Unlike Neji, he never asked her to train with him, he trained with his father alone, and never bothered with her. Neji on the other hand, he asked her all the time to train. He enjoyed sparring with her, and he proved to be a challenge as well to her.
""Did you find Nara?"
Kagome's forced smile disappeared and formed quickly into a frown, "let's not talk about him. Come on. I'm ready to train now."
Smirking at the annoyance that could be heard in her voice, Neji led the way to the Hyuuga Compound.
"Aren't we going to the training grounds like normal?"
"No, not today. I figured we could just use the Hyuuga grounds. My Uncle shouldn't have a problem with it."
"...I'm not so sure, Neji..." Kagome shuffled one of her feet a bit, digging the tip into the dirt as she paused in her step. "I met your Uncle last year, he didn't seem too keep in my training with you. If you don't recall, he called me weak and mentioned that I was a waste of your time. I understand if you ignore him, but taking me to the compound...?"
"Don't worry so much, Kagome...I'm sure he'll be fine with it."
"If you say so..." Kagome didn't sound so sure, but she followed all the same. For all she knew, Hiashi Hyuuga, the Hyuuga clan head, had changed his tune and was no longer Anti-Kagome. 'Highly doubtful though...'
-x-x-x-
Shikamaru looked around the empty training grounds, he'd searched four of them now, but had failed to locate Kagome. "Where the heck did she go?!" He scoffed, "I didn't realize that she and Neji had a secret training spot, maybe I should have at least asked where they were going to be training." Looking around once more, he pocketed his hands before he walked off. "Whatever, I'm going home."
"SHIKAMARU!"
Shikamaru turned to see Chouji walking over towards him with a familiar blonde at his side. "Chouji, who is this?"
"Oh, he's in our class. This is Naruto Uzumaki...uh, he was wandering around and looked bored, so I asked if he wanted to hang out with us. I figured I'd find you on a training ground since you were looking for Kagome...any luck?"
"...none."
Naruto blinked in confusion, "that girl that was with you this morning?"
Turning their attention to Naruto, both Shikamaru and Chouji nodded.
"Oh, I know where she went! I saw her a little bit ago...walking towards that Hinata girls house."
"You mean the Hyuuga estate?"
Naruto shrugged, "I guess. She looked worried about something though."
Shikamaru gritted his teeth in annoyance, finally taking off in a run, he yelled back over his shoulders, "I'll catch the two of you tomorrow! I have something I need to take care of!"
-x-x-x-
'I knew this was a bad idea...' Kagome forced herself not to look away from the cold eyes that stared down at her. Hiashi stood there just judging her. This scared her, and it wasn't because she was worried he wouldn't approve of her, or because he would call her weak or some nonsense like that. No, she was scared because she honestly figured that something Hiashi said might actually influence Neji's opinion of her. She straightened her shoulders and hardened her eyes on the man. Her hand subconsciously resting on the jewel around her neck as she did.
"...she is not welcomed on this property, Neji. Why have you brought this weak child to the Hyuuga compound?"
Neji frowned, "she isn't weak, Uncle. She is far stronger than you give her credit for. We've been training together for a year now, and before that she was trained by the Uchiha prodigy. Far be it for us to call her weak."
"You are wasting your time training with this child, you have responsibilities to uphold, which means there is no time for you to be wasting on this little girl. Am I understood?"
"I fail to see how-"
"Am I understood...Neji!"
Kagome jumped, "sir, please bare your anger on me, not Neji. He has trained with me, true...but if only to ease the strain I've put on you and your nephew, I will cease coming to him. I meant no ill will, to you or your family." Kagome bowed respectfully. She knew how to deal with these types, Shikaku taught her how to speak to people such as this. However, she honestly would stop training with Neji if it was causing this much drama in his household.
"No, Kagome..." Neji cut his Uncle off, stepping in front of him and blocking Kagome's view of the older man. "Don't pay my Uncle any mind. He holds nothing over you, any punishment he wishes to hand out to me, I'll take...and I will continue to train with you! Whether it's here or elsewhere, it doesn't matter to me!" He glared coldly at his Uncle and then taking Kagome's hand in his, he pulled her towards the entrance to the estate.
A loud commotion came from up ahead as they grew closer to the entrance. Both slowed to a stop, not listening to the enraged yells of Hiashi, rather...watching the curious scolding of one of the other Hyuuga's, watching as they scolded none other than Shikamaru.
"Listen! I don't care about being on this property, I'm here for Kagome!"
Kagome's eyes widened, "...he's here for me?"
"I don't know who you are speaking of! There is no Kagome here, and you are not permitted on the property to seek her out!"
"Say what you will, but she's in there with that Neji kid!"
"Neji Hyuuga is most likely training, far too busy to be bothered with a little girl."
"Hey!" Kagome snapped, causing both the Hyuuga in front of her, and Shikamaru who was out of her sight due to the gate, to jump at the firmness in her voice. Neji let go of her hand as she walked forward and leveled the Hyuuga with a hard glare, "my name is Kagome, I am Neji's sparring partner, and the Wife-to-be of Shikamaru Nara...the guy you are yelling at! While he may not be allowed on the estate grounds, I am on the grounds, and will say this...I am not some 'little girl'!" She turned back around, turning her glare back on Hiashi and a few other Hyuuga's who were giving her a dirty look. "I'm tired of the way you people treat me! I will continue to train with Neji! I will get stronger, and I will surpass the Hyuuga clan, so that none of you can call me weak ever again!" She turned so quickly, her hair lifted with a flare as she left the estate, her hand reaching out for Shikamaru's as she walked by him, pulling him along the way.
-x-x-x-
The sun was slowly dipping below the trees of the village, the colors in the sky dancing and mingling with one another, shades of orange, red and purple were gentle pulling and pushing at one another are the night grew closer, and the temperature began to drop. Kagome remained silent throughout their walk back to the Nara estate. However, Kagome had paused so that she and Shikamaru were standing right by the fence of the Meadow. One of the doe's had wandered nearby the fence, grazing at the grass as she roamed around, the fawns and buck nowhere to be seen, though, the two knew that meant very little. "...he's not too far." Kagome said softly as she watched over the doe.
Shikamaru glanced towards her out the side of his eyes, "no, he's not. He will always be near enough to watch over her...even if she can't see him...he's there."
Kagome smiled, tightening her hand as she held his, a warm feeling inside her formed when she felt him return the gesture.
Everything was good...even if she had just yelled at the Hyuuga's head of the Main Branch…everything was good. She had faith that things would all work out.
-x-x-x-
Me: Here is chapter fourteen, I hope you are all still following the story well enough! It's about to pick up speed in the next two or three chapters, meaning another time skip will be coming up soon too. Tell me what you think, and I'll get a new chapter up soon!