A/N: Many thanks to those of you that reviewed so far! I've mentioned two pairings in this story: Shikamaru/Ino and Shikamaru/Temari. Please keep reading as I release more chapters to find out what's ultimately going on. I will touch on the other characters of the series, too, some more than others. I refuse to beg for reviews, but I'll admit that few things make me happier.

Two weeks later he sat down next to Chouji with a sigh, rummaging around in his pack for his lunch. His hunger surprised him, but he guessed Chouji had worn him out. His friend had certainly gained a lot of strength and stamina recently. He pulled out a sandwich and bit into it, scratching his cheek with a free hand. Glancing at his friend, he watched as the large boy pulled a box out of his overstuffed backpack. It was a lovely item, black and lacquered with plum blossoms painted on it. It certainly wasn't something Chouji would own. He continued to watch as other boxes, of different shapes but equally fine, appeared out of the depths of the pack, followed by an elaborate package of tableware. Chouji opened the lid of the largest box, carefully unwrapped the chopsticks and napkin, and started to eat. The food was of finer quality than Shikamaru had ever eaten and differed so far from Chouji's normal diet of junk food that he was completely baffled.

"Woah, where did you get all that?" he asked. "That doesn't look like your usual stuff."

A blush spread across his jovial face and he smiled. "Yeah, Naomi packed it for me."

"Naomi?"

"The daughter of the family we hired," Chouji explained.

Shikamaru watched Chouji's blush deepen as he commenced eating. "Seems like she can really cook," he commented. "It was awfully nice of her to make lunch for you."

"Oh, she does it almost every day," Chouji replied between mouthfuls. "She says it's to thank us for giving them a house to live in and not making them pay rent. Plus I helped her move all her furniture into her room."

"That's pretty great," Shikamaru said, surprised. It sounded like the Akimichi clan had hired a very nice family to help them with their business.

"She's really sweet, too, and smart. Not as smart as you, but still pretty sharp. Definitely smarter than I am."

"Don't be hard on yourself."

"And she's so pretty, too. Her cheeks look like dumplings when she smiles, and her eyes are such a nice color."

Shikamaru finished his sandwich and leaned back on his elbows in the grass, looking up at the clouds. It sounded to him like his friend was rather smitten. He turned the idea over in his mind and finally remembered something that might be of interest. "Hey, why don't you ask her to the festival?"

Chouji looked up at him, jaw slack. Bits of rice clung to his lips. "What?" he choked, putting down the box and coughing, grabbing for his canteen and chugging some water. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shook his head. "Has the pressure of everyone trying to get you to be a jounin finally made you nuts? I want to know, because what you just said was insane."

Shikamaru just shrugged, or as close to the action as he could get while leaning back on his elbows. "Why? She seems to at least be friends with you."

"But she's smart, and talented, and pretty!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And? What, are you waiting for somebody better?"

"There is nobody better than Naomi," Chouji sighed. "She's so perfect. We have all this stuff in common. Not just the food thing."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"She'd never go with someone like me."

That was the final straw. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sat upright, meeting his friend's gaze head-on. "And why not? You have all sorts of things in common, she makes lunch for you all the time, you spend lots of time together, plus you're a big, strong, handsome guy. You're also one of the nicest people I know. Girls really like that sort of thing."

Chouji polished off his lunch, seeming to consider it. "You really don't think it's a stupid idea? Do you think she'll go with me?"

Shikamaru looked at his friend's gentle, earnest face and felt a laugh bubble up from his chest. "Yeah, I do. Heck, my mom's been married to my dad for almost 20 years and she doesn't make him lunches like that!"

Chouji glanced down at the remains of his lunch, a smile slowly breaking over his face, and then he began to chuckle, too. "Okay, okay. I'll do it. But, if she refuses to go out with me, you owe me lunch at the barbeque joint. Deal?"

If it would increase Chouji's confidence, Shikamaru would do just about anything. His friend was more like a brother to him. Chouji never pressured him to do anything or say anything, just let him be how he wanted to be. His friend was a rare soul, and he hoped more people saw it as time passed. "All right, I don't see why not. I know she'll go." He stood, brushing off the seat of his pants, and began to stretch.

"And you? Are you going to go to the festival?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "No, I don't think so. It's still four weeks away, and there's nobody I could ask, anyway."

Chouji put his lunch away, a sly smile slowly creeping over his round face. "What about Ino?"

Shikamaru blushed. "What about her?"

"Don't you think she's pretty? I mean, she's got better boobs than most of the other girls, but she's not so pretty she looks fake. And you already know her really well. She's always fun at parties."

"Because she always has a boyfriend, dumbass. Besides, she'd never go with me, anyway. I'm not her type."

"Hmph," Chouji grunted. "Okay, whatever."

Shikamaru felt an eyebrow twitch. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"We're just friends."

"Yeah, because girls are too troublesome, right?"

"Exactly," Shikamaru replied. "Way too troublesome." He stood for a moment, thinking. "Wait a minute, when have you gone to parties with Ino?"

Chouji smiled, the expression almost as fox-like as Naruto's. "If you'd just take the damn jounin test they wouldn't make you train all the time. Maybe then you'd get out and have some fun, eh?"

"Aw, crap," he groaned.

"Speaking of training, let's get to it," Chouji reminded him, and the two packed up the remnants of their food, returning to the meadow and training for the remainder of the day.