Section 11: Daddy Nara Steps Up

Shikamaru sat perched on his roof outside his window, staring up at the stellar arrangement in the night sky. He held up his thumb, pretending to connect the stars to manifest images coming from his imagination. He slumped down in an aggravated fashion, as if he were trying to get something off his mind.

"Humph... This is a rotten situation I've got myself in." Closes his eyes, and sighs with discontent. "Why do I feel bad for what I did earlier anyways? She's just some stupid girl I'm forced to do mission with. I shouldn't care as usual..."

"You just like her is all..." Shikamaru gets surprised, and turns back to his window, where the comment came from. He saw his father, Shikato, smiling at his own assumptions.

Shikamaru lashes back around angrily, "No way, why would I like her? All she talks about is Sasuke anyways." Shikato just chuckles lightly at his son's response. He climbs out through the window, and walks over to his baffled son. "What's so funny? Huh?"

His father looked over to him smiling, "You're a little jealous, aren't you?"

"Jealous?" He lashes back at the accusation, and crosses his arms fiercely. "Humph, what do I have to be jealous of?"

"Well boy... I think you're starting to realize why I fell in love with your mother."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You see that girl's good sides. She obviously makes you feel differently about women, if she's got you sitting up here like this..."

"Eh... I suppose he's right. But, I'm just asking for trouble... I've got to stay away from her obviously." He looks up to his father, "Whenever Ino comes here, just tell her I'm busy or something from now on, then."

"Hmm..." Shikato leans forward laughing lightly. "You can't avoid it, it's impossible, son. You'll just eventually realize it, and end up looking for her."

"Avoid... what?"

Shikato sits down next to Shikamaru, looks over to him and smiles. "Love... Shikamaru."

"...Love? Me? No... that can't happen, not yet. Pshh, love my ass. Who's he to tell me what love is? Right, dad. Right."

Shikato chuckles in pleasure at his son's denial. "Shikamaru, don't look at love as a bad thing... You always look at me strange when I always do things to please your mother, but..."

"...but what? Why should you have to make her happy all the time? They can make themselves happy for all I care."

"Well... I don't really look at it as I have to make her happy." Shikato rubs the back of his head nervously, "I just love her so much, that I WANT to make her happy all the time, I guess." Shikamaru looked at his father oddly, and then stared down at the shingles on the roof.

"So, dad finally made some sense. First time for everyone to do something right... I sort of get it all too, I guess." Sighs in confusion and defeat, "So, what should I do then...?"

Shikato looks down surprised. "You're asking for help from me... with love? He's actually asking me for help? So this is how this father business works, eh?"

Shikamaru closes his eye, and in an irritated tone, "Are you going to help me, or what? Look what you've stooped down to now, asking dad-ee-o for tips on love."

"I... guess I could, heh..."

Shikamaru looks up to the sky again with an unconfident aura around him. "Love sucks... Damn it."

Shikato just smiles and chuckles happily. "Oh, Shikamaru... you silly kid."