So I'm trying to improve my grammar. I have two books on grammar but I am studying them in between planning a wedding and finishing my last semester of uni. I'm hoping to see a marked improvement by the end of the year but I'm actually not sure what area I have the most issue with sooo it's going to take a while.
As sleep slowly left his mind and his eyes creaked open he registered two things. The first was that there was a pressure on his chest and stomach, and the second was that there was a large figure looming over him. He had no time to determine if the person was friend or foe before a hand was clamped over his mouth. His eyes snapped open fully, his arm tightening around the body pressed against his own.
"Shhh." A finger went to the lips of his attacker. "Not. A. Word."
The attacker looked at Shikamaru's chest, making the boy look down. Naruto half laid on him, her face, whilst half covered in bandages, was relaxed and peaceful. She had a fist full of blanket pulled up to her cheek, her lips parted as she breathed evenly. She looked peaceful and for the first time Shikamaru wondered how anyone could think Naruto was a boy. There was the mildest flush to her skin, one of her legs sliding between Shikamaru's knees as she buried her face into his stomach. His net shirt allowed him to feel her warm breaths hitting his skin. His arm was still around Naruto, but with her shifted position his hand had moved up her side more. Noticing where his hand was coming dangerously close to he moved it an inch towards her back, being discrete. Naruto sighed, the rush of air tickling his stomach.
The man who silenced Shikamaru removed his hand from the boy's mouth, delicately scooping Naruto up and easily rolling her away from the boy. She unfolded into her new position comfortable, not once waking. There was no saving him if Naruto wouldn't wake up. All she did was pull the blanket up more to help block out the sun.
Shikamaru was smart enough not to make a sound, to not try and wake the girl up. Instead he had to allow himself to be dragged roughly off the bed and pulled out of the window. His assailant held tight to his arm as they jumped up towards the hospital roof. When they reached the top he was dropped onto his bare feet, his shoes and jacket being thrown to the concrete in front of him.
"I'm going to be nice enough to assume you behaved yourself, and I'm only doing that because I've known your father since he was a kid. And the Naras have never shown themselves to be perverted."
He had thought this man was intimidating when they first met but now his very presence was lethal. A strong urge to grovel at this man's feet washed over Shikamaru but he held himself back. He had to be careful though. Jiraiya was a formidable man who did not appear to like Shikamaru at that moment. He would have to watch how he started to get an explanation out of the man.
"Lord Sage, what is this about?" He figured starting with his title was his best bet.
"You have feelings for Naruto." Jiraiya crossed his arms, pulling himself up to his full height which easily towered over the boy. "But Naruto isn't a normal kid."
"I'm aware of that."
"Not the- healing!" Jiraiya snapped. "Children who have been treated like Naruto has can go a certain number of ways. Naruto's particular path is going to cause you problems."
"Are you giving me advice to win Naruto?" He knew he shouldn't have spoken the moment the man's face tightened.
"No because Naruto is not a prize. You win a prize, not a person. I will accept the word courting. And no, I'm not helping you court Naruto. I am stopping you from hurting the kid as you bumble around. Like I was saying people who go down Naruto's path are one of the hardest to court. Whilst they tend to have a strong understanding of themselves they find it hard to read those around them." The man crossed his arms, looking as though he was in agonising pain with each word.
Shikamaru nodded along, taking in every word. It was somewhat amusing to him to hear the self proclaimed pervert say 'courting' as though it was the only word that didn't turn his stomach.
"They always look for the worst in situations when it comes to themselves. If someone is their best friend they will think that the person only tolerates them. If you want someone like Naruto to acknowledge your feelings you are going to have to go big and follow it through. And you better mean it because if you break that kid's heart I will make you regret it." Jiraiya went to turn away, towards the edge of the building but he stopped, sighing. "I am warning you once, so listen closely. You could go up to Naruto and declare you are in love with the kid and Naruto will assume you are lying, or drunk, or whatever excuse Naruto can come up with. Unfortunately the village has stripped Naruto's ability to believe that good things actually happen to people in Naruto's position."
With that the large man jumped over the side of the building, leaving Shikamaru to put his shoes and vest on. His feet were cold and he was wondering how his shoes ended up off. He didn't know how to take the Sannin's advice. The man probably knew Naruto's state of mind better than Shikamaru so it would be wise to heed his advice but Shikamaru didn't know how to go big. Feelings were outside his comfort zone. When he was with Naruto he usually just let his heart and body act how it wanted whilst his mind studied the situation. But he had to actually think of something to do to express his feelings. Except he wasn't sure how far they ran. He knew he should by now but he had always been better at reading others than himself. That realisation made him chuckle.
He made his way home hoping it wasn't too late for his mother to make him breakfast, or too early for lunch. If he was he would have to walk back to the shopping district for food and he was not looking forward to that walk whilst hungry. When he walked into his house he discovered that he didn't have to worry. The moment he put his shoes away he was gathered into a tight hug. He instantly tensed only for his body to register that he wasn't being attacked.
"Shikamaru," his mother sobbed, dropping to her knees. She buried her face in her son's vest. She was the second woman to do so in the last two days. He thought it was two days. "Stop scaring me like that!"
"I'm… sorry, mum," he started awkwardly, his arm wrapping around his mother's shaking shoulders. "But I'm a ninja, I have to go on these missions and they can be dangerous."
"I know, I know." She had been a ninja before she was a mother, of course she knew. Standing up, Yoshino wiped at her eyes. "Come on, I will make you breakfast. Anything you want."
He was sitting at the dining table listening to his mother cooking in the kitchen when his father joined him. At the sight of the older Nara Shikamaru prepared for another lecture. Instead he found his father nursing his hand.
"Mum wouldn't let you steal any breakfast whilst she's cooking?"
"No," Shikaku grumbled, licking what looked to be rice off the back of his hand.
"It sounds like she's going mad in there." From the sounds he could hear he thought breakfast must be close to being ready.
"When we love someone we like to make sure they are looked after. Whether that means comforting them or making them a meal."
His father looked him dead in the eyes, appearing to put too much of a serious tone on a simple statement. The young boy wasn't sure if he was missing something or his father simply wanted to make sure Shikamaru knew his mother loved him. She may scare him and seem crazy at times but he knew his parents loved him. He was even aware that they loved each other but he still found himself questioning his father on numerous occasions of late about how he could fall for such a rash woman, and how did the older Nara know he loved Yoshino. The only real response that Shikaku had given that remotely satisfied his son's questions was that Nara men had a habit of attracting strong woman, even impulsive at times. The Nara men fell in love with those women because they were different in their own various ways and couldn't be manipulated with the Nara intelligence.
Shikamaru felt his mind wake up and he felt somewhat stupid that it took it this long to do so. "Yeah, you're right."
He had asked himself why he insisted on question his parents' relationship. And it wasn't just his father. He had also been studying his uncle who had a very defiant wife who worked in the interrogation department. There was no way his uncle could lie to that woman. Although he asked questions and analysed the males around him in regards to the woman they married he hadn't understood why. His mother and aunt acted nothing like other women he saw around the village, or his teammates' mothers. When he was younger he hadn't really seen the Nara women as women, since they didn't conform to their gender roles. He had created an image of gender dynamics from girls at the academy and woman around the village and the males they interacted with. However those dynamics didn't hold true in relation to his mother and father, or his uncle and aunt, and he realised, with him and Naruto. And he didn't want it to. He loved his mother and his aunt, even if they were terrifying, powerful women.
The image of Naruto standing atop the giant toad she summoned to fight Gaara entered Shikamaru's mind and he realised something else. Naruto, whether male or female, was also terrifying and powerful. And that was why Shikamaru was drawn to her. She was impulsive and unpredictable. It was impossible for Shikamaru to calculate her actions like he could others. And that was what excited him to be around her. He never really knew what to expect or what she was thinking. And the reason he had been questioning his father so much was… He really felt like an idiot for not realising sooner. Choji, if in Shikamaru's situation, would have realised his feelings for Naruto back in the academy and would have noticed how far they had grown throughout the years. Shikamaru, however, only realised he was drowning after water had filled his lungs.
His mother came out of the kitchen carrying loaded dishes. She set them in front of Shikamaru before going back into the kitchen to gather more. When Shikamaru tried to rise to help her she waved him off. It turned out he was not late for breakfast, even with his mother is an overly affectionate mood. Laid out on the table were three servings of his favourite breakfast, one for each Nara. White rice, sausages, bacon, rolled scrambled eggs and miso soup with carrot, burdock root and cabbage. His stomach gave a loud grumble at the smell. He thanked his mother before picking up his chopsticks, starting on the egg roll first. His mother was a very good cook.
"How are your teammates?" Yoshino started after her son had eaten half of his egg roll and finished his miso soup.
"They are healing and resting." Shikamaru was smart enough to swallow his mouthful of rice before answering.
"Well if they are able to eat I made kasutera and daifuku for them all. I have them all bundled up for them. Choji has a larger serving and your father said Naruto seems to eat a lot, so I gave him more too."
"Yeah, he does eat a lot," Shikamaru agreed. "Thank you, mum. I'll take it to them later today."
Although he knew where his mother's earlier hostility towards Naruto originated from it didn't mean he understood it. It wasn't Naruto's fault that she had the Nine Tails in her so his mother's treatment of the blonde was unwarranted. However, Shikamaru acknowledged that she was making an attempt to be nice to Naruto. Her maternal instincts apparently had gone into overdrive when it came to baked goods and Naruto. If his mother, who had shown a lot of hatred for Naruto, could move passed her negative feelings perhaps it showed Naruto's ability to change people's minds. It gave him a sense that Naruto could actually win over the rest of the village, something he had thought impossible for a long time.
After breakfast his mother, who apparently needed to go shopping, walked with him to the hospital, helping him carry the parcels for his teammates. She parted ways with him at the doors to the building, leaving him to enter alone.
Talking to the man at the visitor's desk Shikamaru found out that all his teammates were well and Kiba was due to be discharged the next day at the latest. Choji and Neji had regained consciousness, though whether they would be awake when he visited was unclear, and Naruto was apparently being visited by Lady Tsunade. Shikamaru figured it was because of the Nine Tails residing in Naruto and chose not to worry. Deciding to see Kiba first Shikamaru head in the directions of the boy's room.
He knocked and entered only to find that Kiba and Akamaru weren't alone. Rummaging in the cupboard was a girl. Shikamaru couldn't see her head but he assumed based on the clothing that it was Hinata.
"Found one! It was under a bunch of blankets." Hinata retracted her head from the furniture, triumphantly holding a pillow. When she spotted Shikamaru looking at her with an amused smile she blushed. "Oh, he…hello."
"Hello." He moved over to sit on the window sill, leaving the chair for Hinata. He decided to not mention that her hair was a mess after digging around in the cupboard. Instead he silently watched as she put the extra pillow behind Kiba's head, fluffing it for extra comfort. The brunet appeared to like being pampered and even wore a smug smile like he was king. However, he was gracious to Hinata, clearly knowing when to be gentle with the timid girl.
When Hinata sat down in the hospital chair, hands clasped in her lap, Shikamaru dropped one of the parcels he was carrying onto the bed next to Kiba. Akamaru lifted his head, giving the air a sniff before giving a small yip.
"My mum made them and the troublesome woman insisted I give everyone on the team one." Shikamaru scratched at his cheek, embarrassment creeping into his body.
Kiba tore open the packaging and grinned. As he took a large bite out of a slice of cake he held one of the red bean paste buns out to Hinata, waving it under her nose. She blushed, shaking her head.
"Oh, come on, we both know you want it." Kiba looked at Shikamaru, swallowing his mouthful. "It's red bean paste, right? I can tell from the smell."
"Yeah, it is."
"Last chance, Hinataaa," Kiba sung, grinning. "You loooove daifuku."
Blushing darkly the girl took the treat, nibbling shyly. She stayed out of the conversation which mainly revolved around Kiba outlining the training he was planning to do once he was out of the hospital. Shikamaru had never seen him take something so seriously but apparently seeing his beloved dog injured motivated him. Hinata's quiet behaviour was something he was used to, her bravery the other day had been out of character. It was only when the conversation ended up on a particular topic that she raised her head and found her voice in Shikamaru's presence.
"Have you checked on Naruto yet? After what you told me yesterday I'm worried about the kid," Kiba asked.
Shikamaru shook his head.
"I have." When the two boys looked at her she blushed and dropped her head. "I visited him this morning and gave him flowers. He is doing all right. I only had enough time to ask how he was healing when Lady Tsunade came in and said that Lord Jiraiya wanted her to talk to Naruto before they went on their trip. Something about Lord Jiraiya not wanting to explain things to him on the road. Lady Tsunade called Lord Jiraiya a chicken."
"Trip?" Shikamaru asked, sitting up a little straighter.
Hinata nodded her head. "I don't know anything about it but it sounds like a long trip."
Shikamaru nodded his head even though his heart beat quickened and he heard the sound of a clock ticking somewhere with annoying clarity.
Sorry it took so long. This chapter would have been done sooner but I've a hellish week. It's all better now so that's good. Hope you all liked and there is more to come. R and R.