"What were you all thinking?" Shikamaru buried his face in his hand. "You could have been killed." He did not sound as angry as he should be.

The trio remained silent in front of the commander. "We apologize, commander."

The older man sighed again.

"All three of you would be following me back to the City, and I have already wrote a letter to your families." Shikamaru shrugged.

Inojin and Chouchou said nothing.

Shikadai looked up and stared at his father. "It was my idea, but we achieved what you didn't do – we got Uncle Kiba back."

Shikamaru said nothing to him. "Inojin and Chouchou, you two head back to your tents and get some rest, we leave at dawn tomorrow."

The two nodded and left the tent.

Shikadai stood there, looking at his feet.

"You should get some rest son."

"No," he replied, teal eyes staring at his father. "I want to talk about this … all this."

Shikamaru walked down from his desk and stood in front of his son – they were about the same height, but Shikadai felt small, like the little boy he used to be in front of his father.

"I expect more from you, Shikadai." There was something strange in his father's voice, like something was stuck in his throat. "You are my son, not some irrational brat that would go out and get himself killed in the battlefield."

"But you taught me to never leave a comrade behind." He replied, glowering at his father. "No one gets left behind."

"But it was suicide, you got lucky tonight." Shikamaru sighed. "I won't be here to save you all the time."

Shikadai looked at his feet. "My mother … she tried to kill me." There was a hollow look on his face, disappointed and saddened.

His shoulders slumped down as if someone had dropped enormous weights on both sides. "She doesn't recognize me, she tried to kill me, if it weren't for you…"

Shikamaru grabbed his son by the shoulders. "Listen up son," his son stared into his dark brown eyes. "Your mother will never harm you. She has always loved you."

"But …"

"She will never hurt you. She is your mother."

"But why is she there in the military camp? Why do the people fear me, is it because of her? WHO IS SHE?" Shikadai's face was covered with anger and confusion as he pushed his father away from him. "I have so many questions in my mind!"

Shikadai does not know anymore.

He buried his face in his hands - slowly, they became moist.

Shikamaru placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder, the younger man was sobbing, tears rolling down from his face.

"As a shadow user, we must bear the burden of the darkness." His voice was calming; Shikadai felt a large hand wiping off the tears off his face. "I will tell you everything you want to know, when we get home, I promise."

The younger man jerked his head upwards and stared into his father's eyes.

The calming dark vortexes, he immersed himself with the calmness.

Shikamaru smiled at his son. "Now, aren't you a crybaby."

Like father, like son.

He sent his son back to sleep, before heading out.


"Kiba." He smiled at his friend, who was having his wounds tended by medical officers.

"Hey," the wounded man grinned at his friend.

"So," Shikamaru sat down at the sides of his bed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, well, at least I didn't get killed." His eyes darkened as he stared down at his chest.

"It's okay, Kiba." He shrugged. "Good to have you back anyway, at least, we don't have to lose another boy from our generation."

"Heh." Kiba gave him a tiny grin. "It's only Neji so far, right?"

"Right," said Shikamaru, his eyes became darker. "Wars are such a pain."

The two sat silently for a minute.

"I am going to break the silence." Kiba lifted his head; his face was somber.

Shikamaru turned around and they looked at each other in the eye.

"I have a confession to make: I brought about this war."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru looked befuddled. "Don't be silly Kiba, this war between the two countries – it was only a matter of time…"

"No Shikamaru, you listen to me." Kiba snapped. "It was me … it was me who captured her and sold her into Konoha; it was me who found the brat who was their Prince … it was me, it was all me…"

"Stop it."

"What?"

"I didn't hear all of this." Shikamaru stood up, he turned his head over his shoulder - his face was grave. "Kiba, you are a captain of the army – the men need you to lead them in the battles."

"I am a traitor."

"So am I, I had a child with their Princess. I slept with the enemy for years."

Shikamaru furrowed his brows, staring dead in the eye of his friend. "Of course it made my job difficult, but I knew my purpose. I trust you know yours too." He placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Nothing is ever black and white."

Kiba nodded, his tired eyes almost welling up with tears.

"Now, get some rest," Shikamaru stood up and left his friend's tent. "We need all the men we have to end this war."

Kiba stared as his friend left the tent, and disappeared into the darkness of the night.


It had been sometime since she returned to the palace.

Temari smiled at herself as she walked up the stairs, massaging her aching shoulder on the way.

"I am back." She announced as she entered one of the chamber.

A blonde girl jerked her head around and grinned from ear to ear. "Mother!"

She ran towards her and squeezed Temari with her arms.

Temari smiled and returned the hug.

"How was it? Did you get hurt?" The girl scanned her eyes all over her.

"No, I am perfectly fine, don't worry." She patted the girl on the head. "How about you, Mari? How was your training?"

"Just fine, mother." She then looked away, her brows furrowing. "Something is wrong with me though."

"What is it?"

"I was a bit overwhelmed, and during that something strange happened – I , I stopped Yasha in his tracks – my shadows were somehow connected to his."

Mari stared at her mother. Temari could see the confusion in her hazel coloured eyes. "I don't know, I –I, this is all too…"

Temari pulled the girl close to her and hugged her.

"Don't worry, Mari."

"But what is it? I mean, I knew how to embrace my powers with the wind, but with the shadows, I… it is all too troublesome … and I…"

"Mari." She stopped her daughter from her frantic cries. "Mari, listen!"

The girl turned and stared. Her slit-like eyes stared at her mother, irritation scrawled across her face.

She does look like you when she is bothered, Shikamaru. She smiled to herself.

"Your father, he embraced the shadows like his own. That is the reason why you could manipulate the shadows too. You mustn't worry too much – now that you know you have this gift, you have to try and master it. It will be difficult to do it here, no one knew how to help you train, but you have to try."

Mari's eyes seemed to lighten up when she heard the word 'father' from her mother's mouth. "Will you meet someday, mother? Father and I."

"When the war ends, you will meet." Temari pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"War is such a pain though," she muttered before grinning and snuggled up to her. She does look a bit like you, Shikamaru.

She smiled back, her mind drifting to somewhere beyond the war front.

Back to when her best and worst years were spent.

To when she was with him, everyday, everywhere.


"Hey," Shikamaru leapt off his horse; there were two couples, dressed in their respective clan robes at the city gates.

"Where is Inojin?" A beautiful woman, with light blonde hair and clear blue eyes almost seized Shikamaru by his shoulders when she saw him, only to be held back by her husband, who was just as pale as the winter snow. "I can't believe you let them go…" Her voice was shaking; her hands wrapped around her body.

"Ino, she is completely fine." He reassured her – she was his childhood friend, and apart from her vanity and obsession with romance, she managed to become the head of the interrogations unit.

Her husband was the Royal painter, responsible for all paintings – including maps and strategy graphs.

"Pardon, she has been worried sick after getting your letter." The man said apologetically. He could not control his wife – she was the matriarch, given the fact that he married into the family and took his wife's name.

"It's alright, Sai." Shikamaru gave a smile to the pale man. He knew how she was – fiercely protective, just as any mother would.

If only Temari was here. He laughed at himself, painfully.

"Of course I am worried!" The woman yelled. "Inojin!" She ran towards the pale young man once she saw him, and gave him a hard slap on the face.

"WHAT WAS ON YOUR MIND?" She yelled at the top of her lungs and began lecturing her son. Inojin pressed onto the now ruddy cheek with one of his hands, exchanging worried glances with his father, who stood there and shrugged, with an unnatural smile on his face.

On the other hand, Chouchou only received anxious questions from her father – he is Shikamaru's best friend ever since a young age; he even saved his life a few times on the battlefield.

"Are you hurt? Did you starve? Here have a snack!" The beefy man shoved snacks from his hand to hers, his tiny eyes overwhelmed with relief that his daughter was fine. His wife – Chouchou's mother – who shared the girl's brown skin and amber coloured eyes, only patted off the dirt from her daughter's outfit, and asked her did she manage to fight well.

Something ached deep within Shikadai.

Nearly all of his friends have loving families – it was not like his father does not love him, but he used to have a mother as well.

Seeing this, made him feel hollow, as if someone has taken a piece out of his heart.

"Here, let's go home." He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he smiled at his father.


Shikamaru had his son sat down at the table, with a cup of hot tea in their hands.

The son stared as his father took his pipe and lit the tobacco at the end.

He huffed out a puff of smoke. "So, what would you like to know about your mother?"

He said the words as if they were nothing, a sentence of casual banter.

To Shikadai, it meant everything.

"Everything." He said the word, as if his life depended on it. "Everything."

Shikamaru sighed with a smile on his face.

"Very well then." Shikamaru took another sip from his cup.

He told him everything.

Who she is.

How they met.

How she left.

Shikadai's eyes widened, he turned and stared in his own hands.

"So … who do I look like?" An innocent question that would usually be way too troublesome to ask. Especially for someone like Shikadai.

Shikamaru's heart ached a little when the question popped out of his son's mouth. He sighed, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Well, you are like my clone, but your face, you are kind of like your mother – especially your eyes."

"I have always known that I have her eyes," Shikadai chuckled. "You always seemed to get lost in them when you look at me."

"How troublesome." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh and by the way, Shikadai."

"Yes, father?"

"Happy birthday to you and me."

The father and son smiled at each other.

"This will be our last birthday during the war; next time, your mother will be here too." He reached out and ruffled the top of his son's head. "I promise."

It has been a long time since he saw that grin on his face.

That grin that was passed on to him from his equally dazzling mother.


"Your Majesty," he nodded at the blonde man sitting on the chair.

"Ah, Shikamaru," the King grinned at him. "Glad that you are back, on top of that you got Kiba back."

"Ah, all thanks to my son, who was crazy enough to go after him." He shrugged and smiled.

"Ha," Naruto smiled. "Well, I have decided – I will march with the army to the field." Shikamaru saw his fists clenching tight.

"But Naruto."

"It must be done – to end the war, the Kings must fight." Naruto unrolled a scroll in front of him. "This is the reason why I asked you to come right away."

It is time to fight, Kurama.

Shukaku awaits you in the Desert of Demons.

"He didn't mean…"

"Yes he did, he intended that we would fight with all our might," Naruto's face darkened. "Even those sealed powers."

"But Naruto, our goal is to …"

"I know, we need to find a truce, but first, we have to fight." He turned his face facing the map on the wall. "We must convince one another that there is no point to continue this fight."

"You might die, Naruto."

"If it must be so, then I shall die protecting Konoha and striving for peace."

Shikamaru placed a firm hand onto his shoulder, his eyes filled with determination as he stared in Naruto's blue eyes.

"Listen, you won't die, we won't let you." He smiled at him. "It will be troublesome, but we will end this once and for all."

The Fox King laughed a little and indulged in this new found hope.

Shikamaru looked at his King hopefully.

No one can end this war, but you Naruto.

Because all of our hopes are entrusted in you.

The King may be chained to a monster, but it is from the chains of hope entrusted by his people, that he became the free and powerful man he is.

Something stirred in Shikamaru's heart – something frightening but welcoming.

He knew clearly what it was – the end of the war.


Author's note:

Here is another chapter - the war will finally come to an end soon.

Enjoy!

V.S.V xoxo