I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Rumiko Takahashi.

Beta: Silver Moon Lit Forest

Warning: Timeskip.

This along with 22-25 have recently been betaed by Silver Moon Lit Forest, she's a great writer and I hope you all go check her out.

Chapter 25

Shikamaru looked down at the tiny girl next to him. She was grinning up at him as if nothing could be better than being out on a cold damn day like today. Then again, with her parents and little brother all sick, they wouldn't have been able to come to the Fire Leaf Temple. It was part of the New Year, or O-Shogatsu, and she was always excited to celebrate.

"Come on, Shikamaru. It's not that bad and you don't live that far from home anyway!" Kagome laughed before tugging on his hand and happily pulling him behind her. It was something she'd always done, holding his hand, and he'd never really minded. But now that they were older it seemed to bother him more than it once had, like he hated getting kissed on the forehead by his mother.

The night before, they had enjoyed buckwheat noodles before they had gone to a bonenkai party at the Akimichi house hold. Needless to say, they had both felt fat and tired after the long party had finally subsided. They had managed to return to Shikamaru's home where they had both crashed. The only problem was that morning….apparently Yoshino and Shikaku were feeling frisky, and they had both gotten out of the Nara house hold relatively quickly. Which was how she and Shikamaru ended up walking toward the temple to make offerings for the year to come, it really was exciting. She loved being able to see her wish and thoughts being tied to the tree. She also took a silly guilty pleasure in ringing the bell and giving up her prayer to the gods. Generally, her prayers involved the hope that her loved ones always came back from their missions.

Her loved ones had expanded over the years. A few months after her sixth birthday, her father, Asuma, and her mother, Kurenai, married. Eventually, she was given a little brother they named Souta. He happened to be the apple of her and her parents' eye. This occurred just short of two years before. Her mother was also pregnant with their second child; they were all eagerly awaiting the child's birth. She always prayed for good health and happiness in there house hold. The fact that her father had proposed under one of the many Holy Trees of this particular shrine, just seemed to make this place a symbol for all good tidings.

"I just don't understand why you like this place so much…" Shikamaru grumbled, looking toward his long time female friend. He'd known and been friends with Kagome even longer than he'd been friends with Ino. Then again, depending on what day it was, the time, or the weather decided if he was friends Ino Yamanaka.

Kagome paused, thinking over the question quiet seriously. "You know how relaxed you are after watching the clouds because everything has calmed down? I sorta feel that way about the shrine…it's comforting for me. That and I like Kaede and Kikyo. They're both really nice, and Kaede plays with me when she's able to!" Kagome grinned up at him; sometimes she simply disappeared in him or Choji. This was the only time she was just allowed to be a girl, and, as much as she loved the two of them, they didn't understand girl things.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He knew that he and Choji probably were energetic enough for her sometimes. So it made since that she would seek out other people to play with. Then again, Kagome was a little social butterfly. She tended to be with anyone she could at all times. She still hated the dark and being alone.

"Come on, I think you'd like them…Kikyo is like you. She's really quiet and prefers relaxing when she gets the chance." Kagome grinned up at him.

Shikamaru smirked, "Fine…but I want to stay home tomorrow. You've dragged me out here three days in a row. The gods are going to think you're greedy, Kagome." His soft laughter at her pouting seemed to echo across the steps of the shrine as he was pulled the rest of the way up to the landing. When her hand tightened around his, he nearly pulled away. This was something that had been bothering him recently about being around Kagome. It never failed that she made something odd jump in his stomach, and he hated the uncomfortable feeling that settled there.

"I'm not greedy. I just want to make sure everyone comes home safe and sound…Daddy was hurt really bad on his last mission. He still has to go to the hospital because of it," Kagome replied. She was biting her bottom lip. It seemed to have become a bad habit for her every time something bad happened or she worried over something, she began to gnaw on that same lip.

Shikamaru frowned. He'd heard about it but his parents and Kagome had been pretty tight lipped. They were rumors of a different group that was collecting something; Asuma had supposedly run into one of them. The fact that he'd made it back alive and in one piece seemed to be something of a miracle. At least that's what his parents said about it when he listened in on one of their conversations.

Slowly the conversation faded away as the two of them followed through with the motions of wishes for the future year. It was something that Kagome had demanded to do the year before and she had decided that it would be a tradition whether her friend liked it or not. Then again she tended to drag him away at the most opportune times, like when his mother decided the day before that it would be the perfect time to visit all her friends and the family…he'd missed the whole thing. The fact that she'd come home to find her son dozing on the couch with his best friend had been the only thing that had saved his life, in his mind anyway.

"How much longer you going to be staying over?" Shikamaru asked. Sometimes it was just better to change subjects than to argue about who was right. This was mostly because the two of them were rather stubborn. It had been about a week since she'd started spending the night, and it never failed that she crawled into bed with him. When they were younger, he hadn't minded, but this was something else that always seemed to make him feel very uncomfortable.

"Are you saying you want me to leave, Shika?" Kagome asked, turning suddenly to push her face just inches from his. There was a pout beginning to spread across her lips, while her cheeks seemed to be flushing in frustrations.

"N-n-no! That's not what I meant Kagome!" Shikamaru felt a slight panic rise up in his chest at the sadness that seemed to fall over her face. He could hear the outrage in her voice and knew he was done for.

"Promise?" She was eyeing him as if she wasn't quite sure if he was being one hundred percent truthful about his comments.

"I promise." Shikamaru sighed, studying her out of lazy tired eyes. He really wanted nothing more than to go home and take a rest.

Kagome grinned before kissing him on the cheek, "Good!" Giggling at the faint pink that appeared on her friends face, she dragged him the rest of the way to his own home, having no idea what a daze she'd put Shikamaru into. As the two of them entered the house, Kagome left Shikamaru were he was before thundering up the stairs. That was quickly followed by a yell from Yoshino not to run in the house.

Shikamaru on the other hand rolled his eyes before heading into the living room to sit on the couch in front of the TV. He could hear the footsteps above his head and he had to wonder at it. Trying to force the thought from his mind, he returned to the television before his eyes began to close as he dozed off to sleep.

By the time Kagome had returned from looking for what she wanted in her room, Shikamaru was fast asleep snuggled down at one end of the couch. Giggling to herself, Kagome settled next to her friend before pulling out a pencil and beginning to write in her diary. It had been given to her nearly a month before by Shikamaru during the Christmas time, and it happened to be one of her favorite gifts. Many of her family and friends had found her writing in it quiet often.

Looking down at the still very empty book, she could only sigh and think. She'd been trying to keep it up to date by putting the things that happened on a day to day basis inside; but she also tried to record things that had happened when she was younger. Flipping back a few pages, she grinned. This really had to be the neatest thing about having a diary. She could go back a look at the things that were most important, like the day she met Shikamaru, or Kiba. Or other things, like the first time her father showed her how to ride a bike, or her Granpa teaching her how to swim.

Thinking it over, Kagome nodded. There was another first that she'd never written about. She rubbed the pencil between in fingers before hunkering down and putting her writing utensil to paper.

January 3

Today was a lot of fun. I managed to drag Shikamaru with me to the shrine again (aren't I nice!) He finally met Kaede and I think that he agrees with me when I say the Shrine has the best trees to lay under, though he did say he would "withhold judgment until spring," I think he was being stingy because I was right! Kikyo kept looking at me with this amused little smile, while her stupid boyfriend "Inubaka" kept laughing at me. He picks on Kaede and me all the time. (It makes me so mad sometimes I wish I could Juuken people like Hinata or Neji.)

Kagome paused for a few moments before snickering softly to herself, and beginning to doodle a figure sticking her tongue out at the dog eared boy.

InuBAKA is from the Inuzuka clan like Kiba, Inugaki thinks he's so much better than everyone, including Hana and Kiba….but according to them the only real star of the Inuzuka clan is Inubaka's younger brother Sesshoumaru (I had to ask Neji how to spell his name it's soo long!) And I can believe it. He's really tall and pretty (like my scarecrow or that lazy deer!) But really Sesshoumaru is like a gray hound or whippet, while Inuyasha is more like a bulldog, short and a little on the dumpy/frumpy side. (He looks gross all the TIME!)

Anyway, after we got by the Shrine's regularly visiting bulldog, we spent a relutively long time sitting and talking. The only problem was that it started to snow on the way back, which brought out Shika's famous last words, or word in this case "Troublesome!" I swear that boy has a vocabulary the size of a mini dictionary and he only uses one world to express himself, honestly. *insert eyeroll right here!*

This of course reminded me about the time that I went ice skating with my scarecrow, Kakashi, his dolphin, Iruka, and the fox that everybody doesn't want to share (Naruto who really does look and act like a fox, it's really kinda cute.) I'd never been ice skating before and it was just a few months before my seventh birthday (Yay I'm going to be nine this May, time sure seems to past really fast.) I, of course, had never gone skating in the first place and, with Minoa being such a large city and there being very small pools of water, I'd never gotten the chance before then either. You know I don't really remember Minoa anymore? I don't even remember what my mom looks like, Daddy said I have her eyes…but for the most part I look like the Sarutobi side of the family with my tan skin and dark black hair.

Anyway, well, during this ice skating expedition, Naruto and Kakashi got really hyper and excited (why doesn't anyone believe me when I say my scarecrow gets excited? He does, specially when he's alone with Iruka and he thinks nobody's looking, he bounces on his feet.) Because of this happiness, the two of them practically ended up on their buts. Naruto cackled the whole time, while Iruka and I watched like it was a picture (Tangled rocked btw.) I was incredibly nervous. My dad told me about his epic failure trying to learn ice skating and he said I should be fine considering I'm a lot more grace full than he was at my age…I could only picture daddy as one of those hound dog puppies, you know the ones with ears that are to long and they keep tripping over them?

After watching Naruto and Kakashi clown around for a while, Iruka helped me put on my skates and pulled me onto the ring. This was one of many times that I was super happy that Iruka was a teacher because he explains everything and why things work….It didn't take to long before I was skating, but I felt like such a klutz watching Naruto whirl around like a sparrow. When I asked Iruka about that he just smiled a little sadly before telling me that he'd started taking Naruto with him because it was something his parents had done when he was little, and seeing Naruto and his friends so happy made him happy. And that hurt a little. I don't think I could live without my parents or my siblings and cousins. They make everything worth it, and, even though I get mad at Ko for doing stupid things or Souta, Tatsu and Syuu for getting everything dirty, I love them a lot…

By the time we had to leave, I was skating really well, but I wouldn't let Iruka go. I think Kakashi was really amused by it, but Iruka just lit up. I think he likes being needed….and Naruto and Kakashi really, really need him. The rest of my class needs Iruka to…I don't think anyone else in our entire school could put up with Naruto and Kiba when they start plotting and get Shikamaru and Shino to help them with there plots… They turn into unholy terrors I say!

I think this is all I wanted to write, if I remember anything else I'll put it at the bottom.

Kagome grinned, looking over her journal entry. She really was happy with the little book, and sometimes it was hard to think of a time when she didn't have it on her. Though, she was sure she was going to have to put some type of protection on it, considering once Kiba or Naruto learned about it they would be sure to try and steal it and read it! Smiling, she closed her book before putting it down on the table, and then snickering lightly…She'd stretched out on the couch and so had Shikamaru. In fact, she'd been using his back as a table. The fact that he was face down on the couch, not moving a bit, meant he was out and more than likely would be out until morning. Smiling, she simply laid her head down on his back and sighed very much content to lie on her best friend.