What Bothers Shikamaru
By MaroonSorrow
( Shikamaru / Naruto)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All repetition was intentional. All flames shall be used to fry Ino.
Not much greatly bothers Shikamaru. Nothing is important enough to be inconvenienced about. Sure, he puts up with the small daily annoyances, Ino's whining and nagging, his parents wish that he would " apply himself more. Because really, if you would just apply yourself, you could do anything!" There isn't really anything Shikamaru wants to do- except...
Right now, Shikamaru has to write an essay. He has to write about a time he got frustrated with something. Shikamaru doesn't care enough to be frustrated. Unless... Naruto is around.
It bothers Shikamaru how lively Naruto is. Isn't it exhausting to live one hundred and ten percent? Where is the point? Doesn't Naruto know those fake smiles don't hide anything? If Shikamaru were to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he feels he feels more towards Naruto than anyone else. When it comes to Naruto, he feels envy, he feels dislike, he feels... enchanted ?
Shikamaru doesn't feel envy much. You have to care to envy. But- Naruto never over thinks things. He lives for the sake of living. With Naruto, every color is bright and vivid. With Shikamaru, there is the white of clouds, the blue of the sky, and many shades of grey. No angst, no fire.
Shikamaru cares for Naruto exactly because of this. It is said that opposites attract ...and to most people, that means Sasuke and Naruto. But they aren't opposites, not truly. There's love, and hate, and sometimes they get confused. But indifference, apathy, that is something else altogether. Like any grey, unremarkable moth would, he watches the brightly flickering flame as if it means everything. Maybe it does. Certainly, it means more than most things.
Nara Shikamaru has been sitting with paper in his lap for an hour. There are only six words written on the paper. " The thing that annoys me most..." Visions of Naruto, bullied until he was lying on the ground, scorned and despised, wearing a smile. " If I don't include any names, who will they think I'm talking about?" Certainly, the general public couldn't imagine any sympathy for the village outcast. So much vivid happiness wasted, Naruto's light never reaches anyone. The entire evening has passed and the sun is setting.
" Oh, how troublesome..." thought Shikamaru.
The next day, someone turned in a brilliant essay about watching someone struggle against all odds for something impossible. The speaker expressed annoyance at watching and being unable to do... anything. There was no name on the paper.
: : : Orange clouds at Sunset, Blue skies at Dawn: : :
tbc?
I'm considering writing " What Bothers Naruto"- or maybe a chapter where Naruto somehow finds Shikamaru's essay. What do you think about that? Sorry if I killed the pairing, I don't write romance well... xx . This is just something that found its way into my head while I was in my Language Arts Class...
- MaroonSorrow
