Year Five

When Everything Seemed Normal Again

It was a classic Nara-Akimi-Yamanaka barbeque hosted by the Nara's this year and Inokoto had only eyes for one boy.

"'Dai! 'Dai! I learned how to do fractions!"

The son of the host himself.

Her stance was one who supported her cocky sides, she crossed her hands and leaned her upper body back thinking this would surely impressed the young genius.

"Please 'koto, I did that when I was three!"

She huffed and stomped her foot as the youngest Nara walked off. Shikamaru had witness the scene and turned away to try and contain his laughter. Ino was glaring at the woman he had at his side. He had explained to her over and over again how she had changed. How different she was and it was for the best. Shikadai needed some female role model in his life.

Ino wouldn't trust Temari with a roll of toilet paper. There was so much she wanted to say to Temari, so much she wanted to do but Shikamaru had refused her. Told her the lies he had been served by Temari.

"Wait! 'Dai, wait!"

Inokoto took off running after the little boy who wanted to hide from the bossy and energetic monster. She would never leave him alone. He just wanted to hear what Yuuto recommended on the table booming with snacks and cakes.

"Ugh, 'Koto?"

If only his parents hadn't told him to be nice against Inokoto.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Shikamaru had given Shikadai had a normal upbringing where as Itachi gave his daughter everything she pointed at and the whatever next to it to be certain she was satisfied. While Shikamaru hadn't been shy about telling his son no. Inokoto had become spoilt rotten and didn't know who to react when Shikadai wasn't giving her the attention she wanted.

"Is it weird?"

Shikadai looked at her. She was taller than him, he hated that. She had braided her hair that reached past her ribcage now, it must have been her mother who had put flowers in her braid. She was wearing a purple jumpsuit that glittered in the sun. He was wearing sand colored shorts and a yellow, dirty shirt with a smiley face on it. He had seen a frog in the bushes and ignored his parents warnings not to run after it because he could end up getting dirty.

He had gotten dirty, he had been running too fast and tripped. It had been embarrassing. He had scratched his knee and cried. Ino had to clean it, he had sensed that his mother had been mad about it. She was his mother and she was supposed to help her son. It didn't matter that Ino was a medic. Inokoto had been hanging around them and helped pick a band aid. It was yellow and that glittered too. Shikadai was still upset and embarrassed that he had been crying.

"What?!"

Inokoto shrugged like she didn't know, but she knew very well what she wanted to know.

"To suddenly have your mother?"

Shikadai looked behind him to see if there was anyone listening.

"I don't know, daddy doesn't cry as much anymore."

They both shrugged. Inokoto was just trying to play it cool.

"I think it's weird, with mine."

It had happened over the course of a few months. It started with her being allowed to come see where her mother lived. She had laughed, been happy and proud when her mother showed her the nursery she had never ended up using. She had laughed when Ino told that it was Shikamaru who had stolen most her baby stuff for Shikadai.

Inokoto didn't want to spend the night with her. Not in that house without her father. It didn't feel safe without him. She didn't feel like she knew her mother anymore. She had been gone for too long and didn't know what she liked for breakfast or was stories to read her at night.

So her mother had spent the night in Inokoto's home every once in a while, before she had started sleeping there every night like before. She had been sleeping in uncle Sasuke's old bedroom. It was funny since her mother used to have a crush on him, long before she knew daddy. No, she had to know daddy if she knew uncle, because daddy and uncle were brothers.

Still she had started spending more and more nights with them, then she had started sleeping in his bed and exited wearing his black shirts all day long on Sundays.

They had once asked her about the day she wasn't feeling too good and had ended up in both her mother's and father's head. She didn't want them to know about that part so she hadn't told them why she had been screaming for it to stop. They just didn't talk about it.

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Sorry! If anyone has gotten an email saying I had already uploaded a chapter. I had… I had posted the wrong one, the other one is supposed to come tomorrow! Sorry about the mix up.

A fan: I know, those two are adorable! Shikadai getting annoyed by loud Inokoto, but forced to play with her because his father said so. I'm also sure this chapter made you melt!

Uchiha: Well, she does adore her father. I talked to Itachi and he said just because of that he's going to marry her instead of Ino. You're putting fuel on the fire here! Do not mess with Itachi! You should know that, try to deny him something and he just wants it that much more!

Smartasswolf: Thank you, again! They totally are! I don't ehm… really watch the show, and still I'm upset with how it ended. That should tell you something about how shit that ending was, especially the couples. Seems like he rolled the dice on most of them. So… it never took place in my mind, in my mind Itachi is also still a deranged murderous psychopath, but I still like nice Itachi too. Can he have an evil twin? Itachi and Ino need to realize that they're just doing her harm by shielding Inokoto from everyone and everything. I think both her parents would be more than displeased by the same treatment. Still they don't mind treating Inokoto that way. I'm sure it'll backfire.