Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Shikamaru's earliest memories:
The first memories he has are of the strange face people; he says strange because they have animal faces, while his two younger companions he's aware of have regular-looking ones. The animal masked people make noises towards him he doesn't understand, although it appears they expect something from him for their effort. Whatever it is he doesn't know nor does he care, he ignores them; he soon learns that this is a mistake.
It starts the day he first notices one of his regular-faced companions making noise; the animal-faced people seem happy about this not that he cares; however, before he can look away, one of the masked people notice him watching. The lion-masked person misinterprets this as interest and picks him up. "I see you've noticed Naru, Shikamaru. If you know what's good for you, you'll follow her example," he says and then puts him back down.
When he is older, he'll recall this being the first time he learns what his name is and that the bright-haired baby is Naru. Soon he learns that besides Naru his other regular face companion is named Sasuke, he isn't nearly as noisy as Naru so he decides he likes him more than her.
Naru continues to make sounds that seem to continue to please the masked people; he remains quiet as it would require effort to make as many sounds as that noisy creature next to him makes; unfortunately for him, the animal people refuse to let him be. It starts with them shaking him awake if dozes off or forcing him back between Naru and Sasuke when he'd rather be by himself; this frustrates him and in retaliation, he ignores Naru who seems to only want his attention.
For a few more months he tries to nap or ignore the masked people, but soon he learns that they won't tolerate his disobedience and start to give him more severe punishments, like ignoring him and leaving him in his crib while Naru and Sasuke lay about the floor or smacking him on the cheek until one day it occurs to him that if he goes along and gives the mask people what they want, which is for him to follow Naru's lead they'll leave him alone.
So he starts to go along with what they want; he begins to make sounds and form words. Sure enough, this pleases the animal people and they soon start paying him more attention and giving him treats for his effort. He still continues to ignore Naru though, for no matter how he looks at things this whole situation is her fault.
Everything changes though on the day that Naru throws a tantrum because Sasuke and he were ignoring her. The cat masked person whom Shika had always assumed favored Naru over Sasuke and he scoops her up so fast that he blinks twice only to see Naru gone.
He listens as she screams her heart out and begs to be let out in her little voice. No matter how much the redhead girl annoys him he can't help but feel sad about her mistreatment. That is the day he realizes that this situation isn't her fault and that someone else is pulling the strings.
It occurs to him that perhaps this is that old lady's fault; the one he heard the masked people call Lady K. Until this moment, Lady K hadn't seemed so bad to him, but now he's sure this is all her fault. He tells Sasuke this when the masked people aren't looking and Sasuke nods his little head in agreement; the two then decided to try to be nicer to Naru whom up until that moment they had no interest in.
Naru of course is thrilled although a little stunned by this change of behavior but doesn't question him about it. Then one day the young girl says to him and Sasuke, "I don't think we're safe," that's when everything starts to make sense.
Author's note: Here's chapter seven, I hope you like it.
