Disclaimer: This fanfiction and image used for the cover is merely written for the enjoyment of the author and readers and is in no way associated with the creators or producers of Naruto, no copyright infringement is intended.


Inojin was twelve years old when he first noticed. Nothing major had happened but it was the small things he started to notice. In the academy, they had been learning about being observant of your surroundings and how important it was. Now, obviously they had meant on missions and things but Sadara had been talking about how it was a good idea just to get in the habit of it and he had agreed so from then on he had started just being more careful about watching the people around him and just what was going on around him, including at home. His parents had never been crazy about PDA, and boy was he glad for that. But he couldn't remember their soft touches and quick pecks on the lips ever seeming so… half-hearted. His father seemed the same as always, he had never been the most emotional person but that was what had made him fit so well with his mother. Apparently according to his Aunt Temari and Uncle Choji he used to be even more emotionless, which he couldn't even imagine… His Mother's behavior was what raised his curiosity. She seemed to be hiding something, she hadn't exactly done anything strange, she hadn't been crying or staring off into space but somehow there now seemed to be the smallest air of sadness around her that oddly enough always seem to become slightly more prominent whenever his Uncle Shikamaru was around.

They all three families of the legendary trio were at his house for dinner when he had overheard them. He hadn't meant to be eavesdropping! He was by no means the smartest kid around, definitely not when it came to emotions. Sadly it seems he had inherited some of his father's lack of understanding of human behavior… But he wasn't that bad either, how could he be with such an expressive Mom. Maybe his Uncle had done something to his Mom? That didn't sound right though, Uncle Shikamaru always said yes to whatever his Mom asked, no matter how much he grumbled about it.

"I suppose to put it simply, you'll never be able to fill the void you see in her heart Sai. The only person that could ever do that is Shikamaru and obviously that's just isn't possible right now,"

Void in her heart? The only one who can fix it is Uncle Shikamaru? None of it made sense to him, why was Uncle Shikamaru the only one who could fill the void? Weren't Dad and him enough?

Only years later had his questions been answered. He had gotten better at reading human behavior since then. He had decided he couldn't just watch his parents. This involved both Aunt Temari and Uncle Shikamaru too. The more he watched the more he saw, the small bits of jealousy that lingered in both his Father's and Aunt's eyes every time his Uncle and Mom would be together. The slightly stiff way all members of the Nara family interacted, the way Shikadai would have small traces of longing in his eyes whenever he saw Ino spending time or doting on her son but would never breathe a word about it. There were a lot of hidden secrets between the three families.

His family was always happy, his Mom still seemed mostly happy, his Dad well. He was happy, he loved both his wife and his son he was just not always the best at expressing it but overall they were happy. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wasn't the case for Shikadai. It all seemed to be tied together in one way or another, both his Aunt and his Dad were hurting they loved these two people infinitely but they had, could never receive the same. Their lovers were never theirs to begin with, they were on borrowed time and it seemed like everyone knew it. Uncle Choji had pity in his eyes when he looked at Dad or Aunt Temari, of course he had known. He had been the ever silent observer all along he grew up with Uncle Shikamaru and Mom. Uncle Choji always seem to carry everyone else's secrets too. He always seem to see everything, like how Inojin had begun to notice his Mom's pain at the young age of twelve. He had given the boy silent glances his eyes practically saying I'm here if you want to ask. A look that Inojin had merely shrugged off, being too offput to even ask about his newfound revelations. He noticed how Shikadai had noticed even earlier than he had, or how Temari was restless, how she was growing tired and she is hurting, how the Nara family no longer seem to hold much love at all. Never breathing a word though, just showing through his actions. How he always told the boys they were welcome anytime despite the fact that they had hardly spent anytime with his daughter in their younger years, silently giving Shikadai a place to run to when he whenever he needed.

Heartbreak was like a disease. It starts with two people in a bad situation and it spread quickly. It could jump with one look, one conversation. It only took another to fall in love with the infected and suddenly it's infected them too and there's nothing either can do about it because love always kept them tethered to one another. It breeds jealousy and pain, but it also breeds understanding, it forces those infected to take a step back and look at the whole picture. Heartbreak isn't pretty but it teaches a very important lesson to all infected and even those simply observing like himself or his Uncle Choji.

Things don't always work out how we want them too or how they should have. You may fall in love with those you can't have but no matter what the world keeps going and sometimes there's nothing you can do but try your best to pick up the pieces of your heart and keep moving with it. But fate will always favour the original story.