A/N: Hoo boy, here's Shikamaru! Enjoy.


Chapter 11: Someplace New


Fists slammed against the wooden table, making the man flinch.

"No. I absolutely will not accept this!" The sharp voice, so contrasting to his regular demeanor, cut through the atmosphere of the room as Shikamaru glared daggars at his parents. "You told me that we would just be joined in political ties! Why would you change your minds now? And why was I to know about this in two days?"

"Shikamaru," his father pleaded, but his mother sighed harshly and retorted.

"This is not something you can take control of," his mother snapped back. "You should be lucky that the Yamanaka clan is even considering joining both for marriage and influence. This union will be the best decision for both of our clans, and we expect you to give your support as well."

"I cannot!" Shikamaru yelled back. "Remember what I told you? I said that when I marry, I will only marry for love!"

"Shikamaru, many noble-born families find love after a marriage is finalized," his father tried to soothe while trying to keep his own irritation in check. "That was the case for your mother and I. Ino is a lovely girl; I'm sure that sooner or later you'd come around-"

The teenager abruptly stood, knocking his chair back. With a dark look, he stormed out of the room.

"Nara Shikamaru!" His mother angrily gasped. "Such disrespect! You will stay and listen to your father and I!"

Upon pausing at the doorway, he turned back to hiss at his father, "Just because I'm your son does not mean that I'm your son. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, I will continue to object for as long as I'm able."

Right when he wrenched the door open, he heard retreating footsteps and sighed frustratedly.

He slammed the door shut behind himself and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Leaning against the wall was Tenten, giving him a grim smile.

"So it's really true," she chuckled mirthlessly. "You're getting married."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," he sighed. "Sorry that you had to hear that."

"Wasn't just me." She shrugged, pointing a thumb to the hallway. "Although I'm sure you already knew that."

He nodded, walking with her the opposite way. "Ah, Kami... this makes things way worse."

Tenten patted his back. "Not your fault, man. Literally no one except the clan elders probably saw this coming. Hell, I was lucky to catch Lee when he heard."

He stiffened for a moment before glancing back to where Ino had run.

"I don't know... I mean, I have to give her credit for coming to me first." He sighed, rubbing his face. "But I do feel kind of bad for basically ruining her excitement with the way I acted in there... not to mention now I have to apologize to my parents."

"Yeah, that was a dick move of you," Tenten commented. "But the wedding announcement would be on the night of the celebration, right?"

"One week," he confirmed with an exhausted frown. "I don't have much time."

She glanced around for a few moments the second they got outside. Then she leaned in, whispering. "You know, we could always just... skip town."

He stared back at her in shock. "Tenten, are you crazy? I can't just sneak away! Not when we have so much to get ready for..."

"Listen to me for once, Maru." She grabbed his shoulders and shook him once, staring him in the eyes. "I've already talked it over with Captain Guy and he's agreed to look the other way while we make a run for it. This could be our once-in-a-lifetime chance for an adventure and help the Violet while we're at it!"

"Yeah, and one that will get us killed." He spat. He shrugged off her hands. "No thanks."

She gave him a cold, hard stare. "Are you questioning them? Are you questioning her? After everything that's gone into this? I thought you were smarter than this, Nara."

He sighed harshly. "I am loyal. At least I'm knowledgable enough to realize that this plan was doomed from the very moment the royal family started raiding villages! Unlike the rest of this stupid town, I'm actually smart enough to realize that no matter what, the Uchiha will win and there's no hope for any of us, Iris be damned."

She flinched. "That... that hurts, Shikamaru."

"The truth is supposed to hurt, Tenten." He shot back. He folded his arms across his chest angrily for a moment before he deflated and looked at her pitifully. "... I'm sorry. That was a low blow."

"Yeah, it was." She agreed. Then she smiled at him, clapping him on the back. "But no worries, no worries. This whole 'arranged marriage' thing is probably more stressful than trying to win an argument against your mother."

"You have no idea," he groaned. "What am I gonna do?"

"You already know the answer to that." Tenten replied. "I just gave you the ultimatum. All you have to do is choose."


The morning dawned with dark clouds on the horizon, much to the chagrin of the people of Morino. Unluckily, even for the buildings, some intact, most either charred or completely burnt to the ground, the clouds often meant rain - and rain was the last thing they needed at the moment.

Some of the elder folk griped about needing rain when their village was being burnt to the ground, but the majority of the young adults held their tongues and silently got ready for the impending water.

The children went about quietly helping their parents (if their parents were even still alive), now-childless couples mourned in the privacy of their near-destroyed homes, orphans wandered around with a glassy emptiness in their eyes, and the elderly either turned away or held makeshift inns for anyone unlucky enough to have been thieved of their homes, spouses, children, or any combination of any three.

As a group of travellers entered the solemn little town, the people turned to stare for a few moments before looking away and keeping to themselves.

"Good morning," the woman with the short brown hair and a sweet smile greeted. "We're here on behalf of one Tazuna Yori?"

"Oh yes, right this way, ma'am." The young woman gestured towards one of the homes with a collapsed roof. "Please excuse the mess. We're still, ah, cleaning up."

"No worries." She waved it off. "We understand. We extend our sympathies for what happened."

"Please, don't." The smile on the young woman's face grew rigid. "We're doing all we can."

"Of course, of course. Please, allow us to help while we stay." The brunette was quick to console.

The woman said nothing more, only directing them to a small trapdoor underneath some rubble in the corner of what looked to be the kitchen. Upon lifting the thin metal door, a ladder into the darkness of the basement appeared.

The small group glanced at each other for a moment before a woman with short noir hair stepped forward. With an uncertain look at their host, she turned so that she could place one foot gingerly on the ladder.

"Don't worry, it won't break." The woman encouraged with a light chuckle. "Trust me, we've tested that extensively."

She nodded and began to descend.

Once she was safely in the basement, one by one the others went after her. When at last the brunette was left, she clasped her host's hands in hers and repeated, "Thank you so much. Please let us help you in return."

"It's no trouble at all," the young lady shrugged. "I mean, they can't take much more from us. We want to see them taken down just as much as anyone else."


A/N: Ah, we finally get to see Morino again... after they got burnt down. And yet another world retcon. (Ino-Shika-Cho doesn't exist in this universe)

Also! I'm certain that, after laying the entire plot out, this is gonna be at least the second-longest fanfic I've ever written. The longest one? If I ever get around to finishing the rewrite and polishing it, ironically enough, The Camp Shinobi Disaster. Just a fun little tidbit of information.

I've been polishing chapters way ahead of time, and at this point, we're at least halfway through the chapters I've uploaded to the site, and we're good until December. Don'tcha just love a fixed update schedule? 'Cause I know I do!

Please tell me what you thought, feel free to speculate, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.