a/n: hi this is my first time writing for Naruto so please forgive me for any OOc-ness. english is not my first language so if you see any mistakes please feel free to point them out to me. i'm still unsure if i should continue this or not so feel free to leave me some reviews thank you very much and i hope you all are safe during these times.:D

Chapter i: Serendipity

Serendipity (n.) the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for

Releasing a heavy sigh, Shikamaru Nara at age six settled on the soft grass sloping upward on a nearby treeline. He cradled his head with his arms as he stared up at the azure sky watching the puffs of clouds moving slowly on the horizon.

Feeling his entire tension roll away along with the wind not once noticing the other occupant of the area whose eyes were curiously watching him from above the tree he was resting on.

He hadn't realized he had dozed off when suddenly he heard a thud nearby. He almost stood up and went into a defensive position had he not been stopped by impossibly crystalline wide blue eyes staring right down at him.

It held him where he lay and he watched as a dozen different emotions flashed within those blue eyes before a slightly guarded gaze stared down at him. He watched as a tight small grin graced his intruder's face.

"Hi", his intruder, who Shikamaru knew as Naruto greeted him with one of her bright smiles. He huffed as his mind thought the situation was troublesome. He slowly began to sit up and Naruto stood behind him as if waiting for a reply from him.

Shikamaru was pondering whether to reply or not however as he watched the girl in front of him, he didn't understand why he suddenly blurted out a reply. Probably due to the fact that she looked so pitiful waiting for a response from another kid her age who didn't antagonize her as much as the others.

"Hey", as soon as he blurted those words Shikamaru watched as those slightly dimmed blue eyes filled up with such brightness that he couldn't figure out where it came from. It wasn't a secret how everyone treats the girl that it became like a normal thing for almost all who had ever interacted with her.

The adults treat her harshly, look at her with eyes filled with hate and the children who imitate their parents' acts goes along with it like little obedient ducklings who never not once became piqued as to why the girl received such hate despite being just a child. Even Shikamaru had his questions regarding it, however he could see the way his parents would react when he asked about the blonde.

"Shikamaru?", his thoughts were halted by her soft slightly worried voice as he realized he had been staring at her while she seemed to have been asking him something for some time now. She was waving her hand near his face to get his attention.

"What is it?", He turned away trying to hide his embarrassment, from staring at her for too long and getting lost in his thoughts.

"Are you alright? You kind of zoned out.", Shikamaru grunted and nodded.

"I see. That's good then. Un.", she spoke in her easy cheery voice. "I didn't know you knew of this place, this is a good hiding place you know."

Shikamaru watched her as his peripheral view as she decided to sit down next to him not near that it would encroach his personal space however not far enough that he could still hear her warm cheery voice.

"Not a lot of people come up here that often. I come here a lot though.", Shikamaru looked at her, his mind whirring and analysing. She easily slotted herself as if she had always belonged there and Shikamaru didn't understand why but he decided to blurt out interrupting her explanation.

"Do you want me to leave?", he watched as blue shocked eyes stared right at his dark eyes. Flashes of emotions began to play right before his eyes and the girl suddenly stood up.

"Uh, no. I should be the one leaving for interrupting you like that and suddenly talking to you and—"

"I didn't mean it like that Naruto.", there was surprise in her face and wonder as if she was asking him why without actually mouthing it or even saying it. Shikamaru could read her like an open book, her emotions in her sleeves. However there was something so interesting and an air about her that just seemed like a bottomless pit of mystery.

"You can stay.", he tiredly replied and she smiled like there was no tomorrow. But there was a tinge of an emotion Shikamaru wasn't able to decipher in her eyes as it easily was drowned by the pure and utter happiness of her being.

"Really?", and Shikamaru nodded slowly.

"Thank you", Naruto replied so softly that Shikamaru almost didn't hear as he looked away not seeing the tears that Naruto wiped from her cheek as she reclaimed back her seat next to Shikamaru who decided to lay down back on the grass and allowing Naruto to chatter about as he hummed and grunted as a reply.

The day passed on and both of them were left in comfortable silence. Shikamaru found that spending time with Naruto wasn't that bad as he had thought. He sat up and noticed that his companion was dozing off her body curled up on her side facing Shikamaru.

A few more centimetres and her fanned out hair would be touching his shoulder. He looked down at the girl whose hair was like spun gold, her blue honest expressive eyes, and he wondered what secret was it that made every single one of the villagers treat her as they had.

Shikamaru could not stop himself from huffing as his thoughts spiralled. He watched the girl whose face looked so peaceful and open as the questions began to pile from his head. He scratched the back of his neck and his eyes, never leaving the enigma known as Naruto.

Soon enough she began to scrunch up her nose, her eyelids slowly about to open and there it was the blue crystalline eyes that Shikamaru could help but notice anywhere. She looked up at him with half lidded eyes before fully opening and as if it just registered to her that she had dozed off, she suddenly sat up and wiped the drool off of her face.

"You could've woken me up Shikamaru.", he shrugged as he looked toward the horizon.

"I'm heading home.", he voiced out as he stood up. He turned his head towards her and she looked as if she was waiting for something from him. He knew what it was however he didn't want to make promises he can't keep.

"Aren't you going home yet?", her eyes slightly widened before she smiled at him with her face splitting smile and shook her head.

"I'll stay here for a while!", she replied as she waved her hand at him.

Not wanting to pry as to why he instead turned away from her. "See ya, Naruto."

"Un, see you Shikamaru!"

Naruto watched as Shikamaru's back faded away from her view, her smile never fading from her face. There was an ever present warmth flooding from within her chest. She clutched her clothes above her heart and hoped that it would never fade away.

She hoped that the small however reluctant kindness that Shikamaru graced her with would never fade. She decided she would cherish it no matter what happens, even if by tomorrow Shikamaru would forget about her or would find better friends than her or would leave her. She would never forget it.

Just thinking about those things gave her a jolt of pain in her chest and tears began to pool in her eyes. She bit her lip becoming honest with herself. If Shikamaru would leave her or treat her the same as the other kids she realized just how much that would hurt more than the other times that she was brushed off before she was offered kindness.

She looked up at the darkening sky and released a breath she didn't know she had been holding for a while now. "If there is a God out there listening to my wish. Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she sniffed. "I want Shikamaru to be my friend, can I ask that of you?", she asked no one in the distance, but towards the sky where she had heard where Gods reside. She knew how soft her voice was but she heard from one of the Matrons at the orphanage while listening through the door where the other kids are, that if they wish for it with all of their hearts that the Gods would hear their wish and in some way it would come true.

She prayed and wished and hoped it would come true. She didn't mind if only Shikamaru became her friend because having one would be enough for her. She didn't mind it as long as it would help chase away the sadness that kept on piling up on her chest.

Naruto realized at a very young age how she was sensitive when it comes to other people's feelings. She couldn't understand how but she could instantly feel the hate, the anger, the contempt, the negative emotions thrown her way by the people around her even though she could see it clear in their eyes how they glared at her. It was like she was a beacon or something of a sensor of some sort that she could feel their emotions.

It prickled and scorched her as she could almost taste the hate they had for her. The question she always wanted to ask was why? Had she done something so horrific that they consider her as they had called her a 'demon'?

Kids her age were easy to read, they would hold emotions like curiosity but once their parents would pull them away and stop them from playing with her, their emotions would shift. Soon enough they would face her with the same emotions as the adults have despite not fully understanding why they should hate, or get angry at her for.

She was always suffocated by all of it. She felt like she was drowning amidst the pressure of emotions not rooted from her. She always seeked the comfort of this forest, where almost no one else stumbles upon. Naruto rarely goes out into the busy streets of Konoha due to the onslaught of emotions she would feel would crush her whole.

Earlier that day before she saw Shikamaru she was lounging silently atop the tree she usually climbed to see a better view of the field of dandelions below. She didn't realize that someone came along to her spot until she saw the familiar spiky hair. She watched curiously before deciding to approach the boy.

She wondered what type of emotion he would show, but to Naruto's surprise she didn't feel anything from him. It was like a breath of fresh air that she suddenly eased around him easily, with a curiosity that she didn't know. To her he was something unpredictable, unlike when the others who showed her their animosity she knew when she would back away to prevent herself from getting hurt.

It was as if everything was muted when she was near him and it felt great, she felt a whole lot lighter that she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep without the heaviness pushing her down everytime.

That is why she prayed harder, she prayed that even if the whole village hated her if Shikamaru stayed by her then she could survive. That she would be alright.

With a slightly lighter heart she stood up from where she sat, wiping away the stray tears from her cheeks she began her trek back to the orphanage. She wondered if she could get to eat for tonight.

Shikamaru reasoned out to himself that he was only back here due to the fact that it was the best cloud watching spot he had stumbled upon. And not because he was wondering whether he would see the blonde haired girl again.

As he reached that same spot his eyes slightly widened at the starkly spun gold freely mingling with the breeze. He silently watched whether the blonde would notice his presence but with the way she was quietly humming a tune Shikamaru hadn't heard he decided to approach her.

"Hey, you're here again?", bright blue eyes sparkled in his direction.

"Shikamaru!", she patted the grassy ground next to her opting for Shikamaru to plop down next to her with a safe amount of distance from her. He didn't want to seem overly close to the girl he had only gotten the chance of getting to know of.

"I am always here!", she chuckled as she smiled widely at him as if thankful for the company.

Shikamaru hummed. "Here I thought you would be out there pranking people."

Naruto shook her head before she answered. "Didn't feel like it, maybe later or tomorrow."

"Well don't let me stop you.", Shikamaru remarked as he leaned back at the ground, his arms cradling his head as he stared up at the calm blue sky watching the lazy clouds go by.

"No, I'd rather spend time here with you.", Shikamaru hummed at this deciding to ignore the bright eyes that looked down at him and the smile that followed with it.

Naruto, as Shikamaru had decided, was easy to hang out with. He didn't realize it when he suddenly almost without a single thought met up with her almost every day that his Father started to look at him with suspicion. She wasn't as annoying as Ino who would scream at him non-stop and wouldn't leave him be. She was interesting in her own unique way. The way she just lights up despite the somewhat weariness in her form, the way her eyes sparkled up whenever she realizes that he was there.

He couldn't help but question where she pulled such energy, such brightness, such joy when he knew that her life wasn't all filled with it. Shikamaru didn't realize it but he didn't mind staying with her even just for a while to somehow ease up the weariness she has on her shoulders.

She was late. Shikamaru had been sitting down at their usual spot for over two hours already and he hadn't seen the blonde arrive yet. Naruto had always been the first one to arrive here before him and this was the first time in the times that they had met up here to hang out that she is late.

He knew that she had no prank plans for the day, which is why he decided to take her to one of his other cloud watching spots for a change of scenery. However she was running late, he knew it wasn't like her to be so. He bit his fingernail as he thought of the possibilities as to why the girl might have been late.

As soon as he made up his mind he stood up from where he was sitting when Naruto arrived. Shikamaru instantly noticed that something was wrong once his eyes landed on her small form. She slightly fidgeted as his sharp gaze landed on her. Her eyes looked away from his dark ones as she tugged at the sleeves of her orange jacket.

"What happened to your hair?", Naruto flinched as she chuckled nervously and scratched her cheek.

"Oh", she voiced out as she held onto the now uneven short strands barely reaching her shoulders. "A gum got stuck on it and it was hard enough to remove so I decided to just cut it off."

"So you decided to cut it off that short?", Naruto couldn't look him in the eye and instead nodded her head. Shikamaru sighed as he mumbled the word 'troublesome'. It was clear that the girl was lying and stopping him from further asking about what really happened. However he could not stop the glare he shot towards that short uneven hair cut in disarray.

"At least when we start school and train to be ninjas it won't get in the way.", she chuckled with optimism winning at the face of what happened to her that Shikamaru couldn't stop the roaring of emotions that he held at bay.

Shikamaru then approached her and Naruto's bright blue eyes stared up at him in wonder. Without any permission from her he touched the strands of her hair and voiced out. "It's uneven." And chopped in a sloppy way seemingly as if the one who did it didn't even care for what it looked like afterwards and just cut off her hair.

A frown marred his features and he released a sigh that he was holding before he stepped back and gave her space. He then turned away from her as he tipped his head in a motion for her to follow him.

"Come on.", Naruto tilted her head to the side in question.

"Where are we going?"

"Just come on.", he didn't want to elaborate, as he was sure Naruto would think that it would trouble him. So he just egged her on to follow him. What he noticed the moment they walked by the busy streets was the way people suddenly stared at something behind him, he could feel their hurtful gazes.

That was when he cursed inwardly, more to himself than at anyone. How could he not have anticipated this. He looked behind him to see Naruto whose head was down, shoulders slumped and hands knotted together, her very body tense.

"Tsk", he muttered and before he knew it he tugged on one of her hands and pulled her to walk beside him. He could hear and see the sudden surprise on the gazes of the adults who he glared at with no abandon until they all hastily looked away from his glare that was as if telling them how shameful they are to look at a child with such contempt.

He squeezed slightly at Naruto's hand to snap her out of whatever was clouding her mind until she looked up from staring at their joined hands. She looked up at Shikamaru with eyes that he could not decipher, as they sparkled with something akin to gratefulness.

He looked away from her feeling as if he was unworthy of such looks coming from the blonde beside her. He didn't get to see the serene smile that replaced the frown that marred Naruto's face as they walked silently on the street.

Naruto almost forgot about this feeling. She swallowed as soon as she stepped back into the busy streets of Konoha. It was overwhelming as soon as the first pair of eyes landed on her, their seemingly cheery faces turned sour and as if that was the cue the atmosphere turned 180. She knotted her fingers together to hide away her trembling fingers.

She looked down on the ground, her eyes never leaving the small of Shikamaru's back in order not to get lost in the crowd that looked ready to suffocate her with their growing feelings in the air. Her throat felt dry as the oppressive feeling of emotions began to weigh her down. She slouched her shoulders making herself look as small as possible at the onslaught of emotions she was feeling from the other villagers at the moment.

She had forgotten how painful it was and how suffocating feeling other people's emotions all around her coming from different people all together. It had been so long since she walked these streets. It was as if she could not remember the last time she had been here due to the days she had been having fun just hanging out with Shikamaru.

A small smile quirked up her lips as she only remembered fond memories from the past few days. Something shifted, she couldn't understand how or when did it happen but suddenly everything stopped. It was silent again just like the times when she was with Shikamaru.

Then she stared openly, eyes impossibly wide as her left hand was tugged and being held by hands slightly larger than her own. 'Shikamaru', her mind supplied as she stared at their joined hands no longer could she feel any more emotions other than her own and for once she felt like she could stand, she could breath.

She felt those hands squeezed slightly at her and she then stared up at his small back that seemed so large to her as he tugged her towards the busy streets. The villagers' eyes were shocked at the scene however it was the first time that Naruto didn't care about their stares or what emotions were flowing through them as the only thing she was focused on was Shikamaru.

The calmness she always felt when she was around him was ever present and so so soothing that she could not stop the grateful smile she wore as they walked past the busy streets of Konoha.

Before she realized it they entered a compound of one of the Clans and by the insignia by the gates Naruto realized that they were entering the Nara Clan Compound. She had almost forgotten that Shikamaru was part of a Clan, unlike her who was just a lonesome orphan.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she was snapped out of her daze when she heard an unfamiliar woman's voice coming from inside of the house.

"Come on.", Shikamaru tugged on her hand before he released his hold on her as he removed his shoes to take out an extra pair of slippers for her as he wore his own.

"Uhm excuse me for intruding.", she voiced out as she hastily removed her shoes to follow after Shikamaru who was already entering the house. Shikamaru entered the kitchen where a woman was washing a few dishes on the sink.

"I'm home.", he mumbled out with a voice that Naruto thought wouldn't be heard by the woman. But soon enough the woman turned around with an irritated look on her face.

"Shika-oh who is this?", she stopped when her eyes landed on Naruto and Naruto unconsciously looked away.

"Hello Ma'am", Naruto voiced out as she bowed in greeting.

"Mom, this is Naruto. Naruto my Mom."

"My my Shikamaru I didn't know you would be bringing a friend around and such a cute one at that!",she approached the two of them and ignored Shikamaru's groan, opting to focus on Naruto.

"Nice to meet you Naruto, my name is Yoshino. Feel free to call me that yes?", she smiled warmly at Naruto that she was taken aback due to the sudden kindness that she was showing her.

She flushed as she nodded and replied. "Yes, Yoshino-san"

"Yoshino is fine, Naruto-chan.", then her eyes suddenly landed somewhere on her face and a frown marred her features.

"What happened to your hair Naruto-chan?", Naruto was about to explain but she was cut off when Shikamaru decided to do the explanation for her.

"About that, Mom can you fix it for her?", she turned to stare at her son and Naruto could feel as if they were in a silent conversation with each other as Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders afterwards.

Then she turned her warm brown eyes back at Naruto only to smile. "Of course, would you like that Naruto-chan?"

Naruto looked as if asking him if it was really alright to let his mom cut her hair. Shikamaru nodded his head before she replied at Yoshino. "But wouldn't it be a bother?"

There was a flash of something that passed within her kind eyes but soon disappeared as soon as she blinked and smiled down at her.

"Naruto-chan, all I have are two lazy men in my life, so fixing and cutting the hair of a cute girl like you is like a dream come true for me. So don't you ever think of it as a bother, okay?", Naruto flushed at her words but she soon nodded her head. Yoshino giggled at her shyness and soon enough guided her to the garden where she helped Yoshino set up.

She felt tense when Yoshino began to touch her hair, she combed it gently and Naruto didn't know why but she felt as if she wanted to cry. Her eyes slowly looked up to see Shikamaru nearby playing shogi by himself, his face concentrated on the board.

"Your hair is very pretty Naruto-chan, it's silky and soft. Now let's fix it up shall we?", Naruto could feel the scissors as they began to cut her uneven hair. She focused on fiddling her fingers and she didn't realize it as she got caught up in her thoughts.

It felt nice.

Never had she thought nor dreamed that there would be people who would show her such kindness in her life. A smile appeared on her lips as she thanked whatever god it was up above for today.

Naruto was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize it when Yoshino was already done with cutting her hair. She felt something odd thought at the side of her hair, she raised her hand to touch it and realize that it was tied.

"Look Naruto-chan, what do you think?", a mirror was held up in front of her and she could finally see what she was touching. Her hair now reached just above her shoulders. She traced the braided part of her hair with care as if she felt like it would be ruined if she touched it any more.

"I'd have to say she look cute.", Naruto's eyes snapped towards where the voice came from and she looked up to a man who looks like an adult version of Shikamaru. His smile was also kind along with Yoshino's and Naruto couldn't help but look down.

"Uhm my name is Uzumaki Naruto sir.", Shikamaru's father waved his hand.

"Shikaku is fine, Naruto.", she smiled at him before nodding her head.

"She does doesn't she?", Yoshino looked so happy with her work as she nodded. "Don't you think so Shikamaru?"

Naruto's eyes then turned towards where her friend is and he merely shrugged before he replied towards his mother.

"Well it was better than before.", Yoshino huffed as she mumbled out something that made Shikamaru's father chuckle that Naruto didn't understand as she smiled at Shikamaru's direction.

She stood up from where she was sitting and thanked Yoshino before she bounded to where Shikamaru was. Not noticing the way Yoshino and Shikaku looked at each other in silent conversation before both of them stared at Shikamaru and Naruto.