with you at your kitchen table

by FiresFromOurHearts

After the chunin exams, Shikamaru finds himself with nothing to do and yet, for perhaps the first time, craving something to do that might help Konoha in her time of need. He's not the only one doing such things, and somehow finds Sakura and a new friendship. Only, the new friendship makes Shikamaru realise just how far out of reach Chouji and Ino have fallen. Can it be fixed?

Nara Shikamaru has always known who he is and who he will be. He is Clan Heir and, as such, will likely step into the shows his father currently stands in. There is no reason for him to push himself in the Academy, to try and be more than he is. After all, he has time everyone tells him. There is time and time and time besides.

So Shikamaru doesn't rush, doesn't try. Instead, he calculates the exact score he needs on each assignment to maintain a mediocre position in the class positions.

And then-

(He thinks it's another part of the chūnin exams at first, and so is determined to keep his eyes closed. But then it's not at all another part, but an actual attack and Shikamaru almost slept through it.)

-the chūnin exams and Konoha is attacked.

The fight seems simple as Shikamaru relies on teamwork that's not instinctive even though it perhaps should be. He finds himself running on fumes far too early, struggling even though he should be able to fight for longer. He knows he's lucky not to die, but that doesn't make things easier, (there are things you can't escape, the cries of pain and the screams, the last breathes that haunt Shikamaru's nightmares).

When the battle ends, Shikamaru feels a moment of release, sighs, and thinks that now things will go back to normal.

It turns out to be a futile hope, (and he knew it was a futile hope, but he hoped anyway; because that's what it means to hope).

Following the attack, Shikamaru doesn't see his father that night—busy dealing with various tasks, Shikamaru rightly assumes—but nor does he see him the following night. Even Shikamaru's mother is out of the house, helping out; and she's been retired since she lost her leg years before Shikamaru's birth. Now, however, she doesn't let that stop her as she hobbles around and sets up shop in the receptionist of the hospital, helping out wherever she can.

(Their family isn't scattered, but Shikamaru can't help but think the house feels too quiet, the silence too loud, and remembers Sasuke and thinks, choking on loneliness that means nothing—is this what it feels like?)

Suddenly, Konoha is much emptier than it's ever been in his memory. Sure, there are the sounds of building and construction wherever Shikamaru goes, primarily focussed on the outer walls, (their first line of defence, breached, and yet important to repair regardless). However, the jōnins and chūnins and even some of the senior genins are taking any mission they can get their hands on. As such, the streets are less crowded, the rooftops much quieter, and- and then there are the dead and the injured.

Konoha's forces weren't decimated, and yet Shikamaru can't help but think maybe they were.

It occurs to him, as he waits for sleep to come, that Konoha's in a dangerous position at the moment—politically, that is. The attack from Sunagakure and Otogakure left Konoha without a leader and left them with a number of gaps in their forces.

They're a weak, injured doe in an otherwise healthy herd. They're the ones that predators will be gunning for, (and there's no one looking out for them, no one but themselves).

Konoha will need all of her ninjas out taking missions and proving their might, acting like everything is fine and they didn't just suffer a massive intelligence fail, (Shikamaru is brought up in peacetime, but he knows that war is only ever hovering just below the horizon, waiting to pounce).

Three days after the end of the chūnin exams, Shikamaru pulls on his uniform, ties his hitate-ate around his arm, and leaves the Nara Compound, (this is not bravery or courage or any such thing). He doesn't head towards the training grounds. He could do train easily enough from the compound. No, Shikamaru has a duty—as a Nara, as a shinobi, as a citizen of Konoha—to help in his village in their time of need. And when, in Shikamaru's career, has Konoha ever needed her ninjas more?

(The loneliness of his house feels like it's clawing away at him. However, it's the sound of construction that haunts him the most, the sound of rubble being removed. How many of those that died are still being found?)

(How many deaths could he have prevented if he hadn't thought the attack had been part of the chūnin exams? How many lives could he have saved if he'd been smarted?)

He doesn't report to Mission Distribution Centre—which is placed near the Hokage's Office, but the Genin Corps Office a floor below instead. Sure, if Shikamaru wanted, he could apply for basic D and E-rank missions. Without his team, however, it's unlikely he would receive any missions. Not to mention, they're without Asuma-sensei as he takes higher-ranked missions to help portray the image of Konoha still being strong.

Meanwhile, the Genin Corps Office will be able to provide him with an idea of what is going on and where manpower is currently needed. It's exactly what Shikamaru needs right now, and where he's most likely to be able to help.

After all, search and rescues were still ongoing, as were building efforts. The hospital, as far as Shikamaru knew, was overrun with patients with serious and minor injuries, unable to help all those who needed it. Medic-nins were being run off their feet and he had no idea what the supplies were currently like considering usually the Naras were partially responsible for herbs and medications, and no one had come knocking on Shikamaru's door about it.

(The Nara Clan don't need Shikamaru to lead them while his parents are busy, they've gone through this before and everyone has their own task to fulfil. Everyone, it seems, but Shikamaru. He feels like a ghost haunting his own house. He needs something to do and, more than that, he wants to help.)

The floor that the Genin Corps Office is on is largely abandoned. The only people Shikamaru sees—both ninjas and civilians—are going up and down the stairs to get to the Hokage's office or head down to the ground floor.

The door into the Genin Corps Office is wide open, hanging slightly lopsided, and Shikamaru surveys it with all the distaste he is capable of after five hours—two more than usual—of sleep.

He enters. He's only come here once, back when he had to fill in his genin paperwork, and he'd forgotten it. The office is sparse, though not dusty in the slightest. Along one wall, there are bookshelves that reach the ceiling. On the opposite one, there's a well-drawn map of Hi no Kuni.

At the far end of the office, settled before a pigeon hole cabinet that seems to be either completely full and overflowing, or empty to the point that Shikamaru can make out dust.

"Ah," the kunoichi behind the desk looks up. There are sunglasses sitting on her head, despite the fact it's only just past seven in the morning and also cloudy outside. There are dark bags beneath her eyes, and blonde hair streaked with grey is twisted up into a bun that sits on top of her head, where it does its best to look like it's falling apart. "Good evening."

"Morning," Shikamaru corrects. He pauses, considering his words and his options. He'd come here with the idea of helping out, but he hadn't really thought what helping out would mean exactly.

(He is the Clan Heir of the Nara Clan, but he's also a fresh-faced genin barely out of the Academy. What good can he do here? What use can he be?)

The kunoichi frowns, and a scar along the side of her face twists with the movement. "Morning, then," she says, sounding rather unhappy about the fact. She lifts a hand and pinches her nose. "What do you want? I have little time for things at the moment. If you're after a mission, you're better off going to their offices." Her eyes narrow. "Considering that you've only been a genin for a few short months, however, I wouldn't hold much hope to get issued one."

"I wasn't after a mission," Shikamaru says. "I was wondering if there was something that I could do to help."

He remembers, now, that this is the Genin Commander—Takahashi Yuri, third-generation ninja. He'd been introduced to her, briefly, when he'd been officially promoted. While he hadn't handed in his paperwork to her, she had been there to meet him, to meet all the new genins, (and yet, he hadn't ever clocked her as being anyone important; it's only now that he remembers not all those who hold power seem powerful, that power isn't limited to your abilities but also the position you hold).

Yuri stares at him, a pinched expression on her face. "Well," she says. "You're a Nara and have the clearance of a baby Clan Heir. You might be of some use."

It takes Shikamaru a second to parse through that, he's a Nara—so intelligent—and a Clan Heir, and thus has clearance necessary to attend Clan Council meetings and review the minutes if he desire to, though he never does the latter.

"What do you need from me?" He asks, instead of commenting on anything else.

Yuri's grin turns predator-like, but he doesn't think he's imagining the flash of gratitude that appeared on her face. "I'll largely handle the administration side of things as you have no idea who anyone is, but I'll give you a quick rundown of what I do. What do you know of my position?"

"Genin Commanders, like Jōnin Commanders, are in charge of seeing that their ninjas receive missions suitable to their level. Likewise, if a ninja dies in-field, they are responsible for filing the paperwork and making sure the proper authorities are notified. D and E-rank missions, if they haven't been picked up in over a week, are handed here from the Mission Distribution Centre for the Genin Commander to hand out. Genin Commanders are also responsible for the field promotions of genins, provided that at least two ninjas of a higher rank and the Hokage agree on the decision," Shikamaru says after a second or two of thinking.

The position and responsibilities of the Genin Commander had never been a major point of mention in the Academy. However, Iruka-sensei had gone over it and, as such, Shikamaru had bothered to remember it. He never thought it'd be important for him as he was under the teaching of a jōnin instructor, and thus fell under their purview rather than the Genin Commander. Now, though, it seems like the information has finally come in handy.

(Information, the Nara Clan likes to say, is always useful to have and will one day be useful, you just have to live long enough until that time.)

"Good," Yuri says. She signs something quickly, and moves the piece of paper onto the top of another pile. "What this fails to account for is that the Genin Corps are less of a staff and more a mess of genins with various skill levels and different experience. My career genin all know what they must do in times like this, and as such are picking up much of the C-rank missions that are being left as the other ninjas take on higher ranked missions." Yuri pauses, waits, (and Shikamaru feels like a student before a teacher, more than a subordinate before a superior).

"And so there's a gap being left behind," Shikamaru figures. "And these missions are being passed down to you to ensure they are filled, but the newer genins don't know what's going on or to even come here."

"Exactly," Yuri says, pleased. "However, we are also responsible for providing aid for the search and rescue teams, which currently consist of retired clan ninjas for the most part. We are also in charge of helping with the reconstruction efforts due to our skills that we have but civilians don't."

Shikamaru takes all this in, then nods. "What do you need me to do?"

Tapping a pile, Yuri says, "This is the current reports I've got from the morgue. It's the current list of confirmed KIA. However, I haven't yet had any such report of injured genins from the hospital. I know exactly who is taking missions at the moment, but there is a staggering number of genins MIA." Yuri pauses, but then shakes her head. A wisp of hair escapes her bun, and she shoves it back. "Get that report from the hospital, and then I'll tell you what we have to do next."

(Shikamaru had been grocery shopping—neither his father or mother around to do it—and had heard one of his aunts gossiping. "The genins were hit the worst," she had said, "unsurprisingly." The remark hadn't been callous, but it had made Shikamaru strangely aware that he had been lucky to survive, that his whole graduating class had been lucky to survive. He wonders how many familiar faces he won't see again. He wonders how many people he almost-knew and now never will.)

He nods. "I'll do it immediately." He's under no belief that this will be easy, can only imagine the understaffing the hospital is currently going through, but he can try and he can help, (he will do his best). With any luck, someone will be able to point him in the right direction.

The hospital is near the Hokage's Building for obvious reasons, and Shikamaru doesn't delay in getting there. He sticks to the rooftops, chakra pulsing in time to his quiet footsteps.

While the rooftops aren't quiet, they're still less busy than Shikamaru is used to. He doesn't like it.

Unsurprisingly, the hospital is busy. There are dark marquees set up around the entrance, staggered so as to provide space. Beneath them, there are hospital beds and cots and thin mattress laid down.

Amongst them all, the healers move with their uniforms largely clean. Their movements, though smooth, seem sluggish to Shikamaru's eye. How many of them are suffering from lack of sleep? He trusts that they're looking after themselves as best they can, but it's clear that the hospital is well and truly overcapacity.

It like hasn't seen so many patients since the Kyūbi attack all those years ago or, perhaps, even longer, back to when war still rampaged through the countries.

Jumping down, Shikamaru takes care to stay out of the way as he heads into the receptionist bay of the hospital. There are blood marks in almost every direction he looks, but he heads towards the main reception, where a long desk sitting multiple people stands.

He pauses, before it, catching sight of pink hair and a face that he certainly didn't expect to see here. Stepping up to the desk, he waits for her to look up, before saying, "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looks up at him, paler than normal, with tired smudges beneath her eyes. She doesn't work at the hospital—or hadn't, before.

(Beyond Ino and Chōji, Shikamaru doesn't exactly have friends. This is, he knows, mostly his own fault, but that doesn't mean he didn't keep an eye on those who graduated with him. Not only are a number of them Clan Heirs and thus important, but there is potential to all of them just waiting to escape. As such, Shikamaru knows all of them are alive, relatively uninjured, and how they have been coping for the most part.)

(And yet, out of all of them, he never expected to find Sakura here, and working.)

"Shikamaru-kun," Sakura says, offering him a tired smile. It's a familiar one that Shikamaru has seen before, time and time again, in class after long projects.

Sakura, he knows, has always tried, has always pushed herself forward, has always had a reason to motivate her to try harder. It's always been a point of conflict between them but… no longer.

They are ninjas of Konoha, and that has always been enough to put their disagreements aside. Now, however, Konoha has been attacked and left injured, so their disagreements will be forgotten.

"I was wondering whether there was a report on every genin injured since the attack," Shikamaru says. "And if not, I've been tasked with getting one."

Lifting a hand to her head, Sakura rubs her eyes. "I don't think there is one," she says. "But we can try and create one. The number of patients though…" She closes her eyes for a second, looking exhausted, before opening them. "It'll be a challenge and a half."

Shikamaru sighs. "I was afraid of that," he says. "Is there a list of all ninjas, both active duty and retired, who are currently patients? There should be a list somewhere so it can go into their files to be properly logged."

At that, Sakura straightens. "There is!" She says. "And there's also a check-in for who's actually working and has worked in the past few days, so that should cover everyone." She smiles, relief painted on her face. "Good thinking."

It's strangely easy to smile back, and Shikamaru feels like something is unwinding within his chest. "Don't suppose you'll be able to give me a hand with it?" He asks, half wanting the help and half wanting the companionship and not at all expecting a positive response.

Sakura glances off to the side, before turning back to him. "I can," she says, standing and twisting in a way that makes her back crack something awful. Shikamaru's only slightly jealous. "Come on. We can use one of the staff breakrooms to do it in so long as we're quiet."

(Shikamaru doesn't expect much to come from this, doesn't expect anything to come from it. Unbeknown to him, however, this is a beginning that sets them both on a new path.)

---

It takes a few hours to compile a list of all the genins. Once he does, Shikamaru retreats to Yuri with it, who releases him from his duties to get lunch 'or whatever it is you that young people do these days'.

Of course, Shikamaru's all too aware of the fact he was dismissed more so because he doesn't have the clearance to see all the files than anything else. By the time he comes back, Yuri will likely have new tasks prepared and an idea of what needs to come next.

In the meantime, he finds himself sitting at a small stall out of the way with Sakura, who's still in her scrubs. There's a bit of blood on her left sleeve, but she hasn't noticed.

Shikamaru doesn't plan on pointing it out.

(He's realised, by now, that Sakura works at the hospital, but how long she's down so is an answer that eludes him still.)

"How did you find this place?" Shikamaru asks as he picks out a piece of cabbage from his yakisoba.

The street stall they're at isn't one he knows; he's never been to it before. The food is good and cheap, especially with the additional discount they get for helping in Konoha's reconstruction efforts—and the stall owner wouldn't listen to Shikamaru or Sakura's protests.

(He thinks he'll mention this place to Chōji, especially considering the nourishment value of the food is perfect for ninjas and their dietary requirements.)

Sakura offers him a smile. Once she finishes her mouthful, she says, "This is one of Sasuke's finds."

Chewing on a piece of pork, Shikamaru thinks over how he wants to respond. The main thing on his mind is just how much Team Kakashi has changed. Before, back when they'd been in the Academy, Shikamaru had thought that the team would fail out in the field.

(He can't quite describe his first thoughts upon seeing them in the waiting room before the first trial for the chūnin exams. They'd moved together, fluidly, and Shikamaru had been jealous and impressed in equal measure. Then, he'd brushed the thought off, thinking himself wrong and remember exactly what the three had been like at the Academy.)

In Shikamaru's defence, Naruto had failed to prove that he had anything going for him except an overabundance of chakra that even Shikamaru could sense; Sasuke, while good skill-wise, looked down on everyone and desired revenge that made almost everyone worried; and Sakura, book-smart, had her eyes set on marrying Sasuke and appeared to have no other goals in mind. As such, it's not exactly surprising that he thought the team would fail.

What is surprising is how much the team has changed in a few short months. From Ino, Shikamaru had learnt that Team Kakashi's C-rank mission had gone from problematic to disastrous, officially being reclassed as a different rank, and so he figures that the cause of the change is probably the mission.

He has no other information, however, and it irks him. Why is Sakura so far from the person he'd originally known? Why has Naruto started thinking before leaping into a fight? Why is Sasuke looking at his teammates and excepting their help?

(How can three people change so drastically when Shikamaru has barely changed at all?)

There is no denying that the trio are a team now, but no one had ever thought it would happen. It leaves Shikamaru puzzled, and he desperately wants to know the answer. That said, he doesn't exactly want to push the trio further from the rest of their cohort. They're already outsiders enough as they are, he has no desire to make things worse, (they weren't friends, but it's not a hard thing to be kind).

And yet… When would he get a better time to ask his questions?

Placing his chopsticks down, yakisoba now finished, Shikamaru lifts his gaze to meet Sakura's eyes. The green is piercing and he can see the calculation behind the gaze, and yet he speaks anyway.

"What happened?"

It's a simple question, and rather general, but Shikamaru knows how smart Sakura is. He trusts that she knows what he's after. Whether or not she decides to answer him is up to her. It's a kindness he can afford.

Sakura pauses, chopsticks clacking together. She sighs, placing her own chopsticks to the side now that her plate's empty. Lifting a hand, she runs a hand through her hair, not making it any neater but not making it anymore messy either. "We lost," she says simply, "and we won and we did it together."

That makes nothing clearer, and Shikamaru narrows his eyes at Sakura.

Shaking her head, Sakura smiles—and it looks good on her, he can't help but think. The tension seems to disappear from her shoulders, leaving her loose and relaxed as she leans back into the chair. While the bags under her eyes remain, they become gentler as the sunlight from the windows falls on her face. They've spent hours pouring over paperwork, and Sakura had clearly been on shift even before then. But, right now, the exhaustion seems to have been wiped from her.

"We didn't get along before our C-rank mission," Sakura says, confirming what Shikamaru already knew. "However, when Kakashi-sensei fought and fainted, well, there was only us and the client." Sakura's shrug is a loose thing—too loose, and Shikamaru can see the underlying tension in it by the way she shifts, her fingers drumming against the table for a second before disappearing from sight. "We had to rely on one another to keep each other safe. Then, once Kakashi-sensei woke up, we had to prepare for another fight."

A steely expression crosses Sakura's face, and she looks like a proper kunoichi, the kind who go out into a fight and know the harsh reality of their job. "We had to come together, had to rely on each other, in order to survive, let alone succeed at winning the fight. I had to be more than I was, than who I was." She tilts her head, a half-smile forming. "I found myself remembering why, exactly, I'd wanted to be a ninja in the first place. In turn, Naruto's rivalry with Sasuke took a backstep to consider the challenges we were facing. As we began to work together, we reached out to Sasuke." Sakura stops, there, leaving words unsaid.

There's a clear gap, here, but Shikamaru thinks he can fill it in. Sasuke had been lonely, in a way. Full of anger and hatred, yes, but lonely in the way that all of them get. It's a loneliness that has clung to Naruto, and has even clung to Sakura.

(It's a loneliness that Shikamaru has known all his life, and also one he has never known. It's what haunts his house, now. It's what haunts so many of them.)

Team Kakashi is a team made up of those isolated, those secluded, and some of that is on them, yes, but some of it isn't. And Shikamaru knows he's played a role here, has never tried to be anything more or even really help, but…

Well, he can be glad that Team Kakashi have become a team, have found one another. It'll make things easier for all of them, he thinks. He hopes.

"How are your teammates now?" Shikamaru asks, rather than pushing the conversation further. He knows they're alright, but he imagines Sakura has more information and, probably, even knows what they're currently doing.

Sakura shrugs, forehead creasing. "Training, I imagine," she offers. "They were alright, and we all came out of the fight relatively unharmed. I haven't seen them since, however. The first day after was set aside for recovery, and since then I've been at the hospital."

It took Sakura promptly a day to decide to help out, while it took Shikamaru three. He dislikes that fact, but accepts it for what it is.

(Most people agree that there are moments in life when the path ahead of you change. This is not one of those moments—this is Shikamaru faced with the realisation that a Sakura is a first-gen ninja and doing better than him and, in knowing this, recognising that he needs to do better. Not better than Sakura, but better than himself. This isn't a moment he will remember well, but it is still a moment.)

"How's your team?" Sakura asks, and this isn't the same girl who fought with Ino over a boy. This is a kunoichi who's curious about her fellow ninjas and worrying for them.

Shikamaru offers her a smile. "They're fine. At their respective compounds."

Since the attack, the clans have been strengthening their personal security. Many Clan Heads have secondary positions within the corps that mean their time is primarily taken up by duties that Konoha asks of them. In the meantime, their heirs and partners are responsible for the clan.

It's not surprising that Shikamaru hasn't seen Ino or Chōji, (not surprising, but Shikamaru has still missed them, unnecessary as such things may be). Although he doubts either of them have taken up important tasks within the clan, there are still jobs that need to be done.

The top-down leadership model that both Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans boost is different to the leadership that the Nara Clan favours. Instead, they spread out their leadership as a network. One at the front, yes, but a net behind them to help them and make sure they aren't overrun by work. It's the main reason why Shikamaru hasn't had much to do the past few days.

"The clans are doing alright then?" Sakura asks, and the question isn't pointed—but Shikamaru is suddenly reminded that neither Sakura, nor her teammates, receive the same information he does.

Inclining his head, Shikamaru admits all that he's willing to on the topic. "They're doing as well as can be expected." The clans are fearful, especially considering Orochimaru's interest in bloodlines, and the attack has left them busy and trying to fill gaps left behind by those fallen and injured.

No one is saying it, but they are all remembering the Uchiha Clan massacre, wondering if they are vulnerable once again to inside attacks. It will take time for the tension to ease, for the clans to relax, but it will happen in time Shikamaru knows.

With a sigh, Sakura stands. "I should head back to the hospital," she says. The stress lines her forehead once again, pulls at her mouth.

"And I should go back to the Genin Corps," Shikamaru agrees as he, too, stands. Before they part on the street, however, he pauses. "We should meet up again."

He means it because they're both working where none of their other classmates are, and he means it because he likes this Sakura and her self-assurance, wants to get to know her better.

(And he means it because he's a little bit lonely too, though he will never say such a thing aloud.)

Sakura smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "We should," she agrees.

And that, it seems, is that.

---

Day two of working beneath Yuri dawns early.

And by early, Shikamaru means that it's still dark outside to the point he can actually see the moon. It's probably four in the morning, and he's fairly certain that Yuri didn't go home, because she was still working hard when Shikamaru left the day before.

It also explains why Yuri had no idea what day it was—or the time.

(Shikamaru doesn't question Yuri's commitment or why she's still working hard. He doesn't know what it's like to work so hard to something the days blur into one, but he knows what it's like when your mind won't let go of something until you complete it. The Nara Clan warns against obsessions, for good reason.)

Before heading up to the Genin Corps Office, Shikamaru watches black sludge pour itself into a paper coffee cup in the basement refectory. For the most part, Shikamaru doesn't go for coffee in the mornings. Waking up on his own schedule helps with that, and when he wakes up, he usually is awake from the get go.

Unfortunately, little sleep combined with the early hour means that Shikamaru's not exactly eager to see the day begin. Even worse, the coffee machine that's normally in his house is absent. In its place, there's a note from his father saying it's been borrowed—likely placed in his office so he doesn't have to use the communal one.

Shikamaru doesn't begrudge his father for such things. Can't. Not when the coffee machine really does make the best kind of coffee.

However, it does mean that he has to do with the black sludge that seems to be forming some kind of goop in his cup. Shikamaru is almost impressed with how disgusting it looks, but as long as it wakes him up, he doesn't care. The double shot of caffeine should do him some good.

Unsurprisingly, Shikamaru finds Yuri still hard at work, though she does appear to have changed her clothes since he last saw her. "Good," she says, without looking up. "You're here."

Shikamaru places a cup of coffee down on the edge of the desk, also in a paper cup. He has no idea how Yuri takes her coffee, but she's enough like him that she probably just appreciates the caffeine.

For a moment, Yuri considers the cup, and then gulps it down like it's a shot, tossing the cup in a bin across the room. It lands with a clatter. "Thank you," Yuri says. She hands him a stack of folders. "These are the files of every able-bodied genin currently residing in Konoha and cleared for active duty. Today, we're going to be working on getting the genins forming groups to help reconstruction and rescue efforts." Yuri rubs a tired hand across her eyes. "At the very least, the Academy isn't ours to deal with."

The Academy, Shikamaru imagines, would be horrifying to deal with. Small kids aren't his area of expertise, and he certainly can't imagine teaching anyone stupid enough to decide a kunai is a chew toy. It's something he remembers happening when he was younger, and it pretty much cemented his idea to never work with pre-genin kids once he was out of the Academy.

(There is something to be said about teaching the future, about bestowing on them lessons that form their foundation. It impresses Shikamaru that anyone can do these things, and it scares him that he might ever be offered the position. How do you teach someone so that they can build upon it? How do you teach someone what it means to be a Konoha ninja?)

(Shikamaru knows how lucky he got with Iruka-sensei and Asuma-sensei, just as he knows that he'll never be a teacher like them.)

"How many groups do you want?" Shikamaru asks as he takes a seat at the new desk positioned in the room's corner. It hadn't been there yesterday, but neither Yuri nor he mentions it.

Yuri hums, mouth twisting downwards as she reads something, before her expression flattens out. "Do it by group numbers rather than number of groups," she says. "Groups of six should do it, with skills loosely fitting one another. Make sure they're individuals who'll be able to work together. There needs to be one in a leadership role too, though they can work that out among themselves."

For a split second, Shikamaru thinks of his classmates, thinks of how many of them had fought to step into a leadership position when given the opportunity for a given class scenario. It hadn't been that long since they'd squabbled over such things.

And yet, Shikamaru knows that he himself has changed much since graduating—not to mention, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto have all changed a surprising amount too. Are they still the same people who fought over silly things in the classroom? No. While they're likely capable of such things, when it comes to matters of importance, situations in which they needed to be ninjas, Shikamaru thinks that they'd be able to discuss and present a viable leader amongst themselves. He… He doesn't quite trust them to do it on a personal level, but he trusts that they will do their duty as owed to Konoha.

"I'll be done by lunchtime," Shikamaru tells Yuri, estimating the amount of time spent reading and the amount of time required to put together teams that will work together.

Yuri nods and doesn't respond verbally. And so, Shikamaru loses himself to the paperwork in his hand and begins sketching groups together in his mind.

---

A knock on the door rouses Shikamaru from his focus on the work in front of him. He's managed to create a few groups, ensuring that experience levels are mixed up, while trying to ensure that each person has at least one other like them—in experience and in age. Sure, they might not be teammates, but at the very least they'll know one another.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Shikamaru smiles at Sakura who stands in the doorway with two takeout containers in hand. A glance at the wall tells him it's barely half past eleven, far too early for lunch.

But late enough that it's an acceptable time for breakfast. He looks over at Yuri.

"Go on," Yuri says, waving her hand at him. "You've been chewing over that last group for the past fifteen minutes. Take a break. I've heard that's good for you or something."

Shikamaru laughs as he gets to his feet. "You should try it," he teases, before following Sakura out of the room.

"I figured," Sakura says, in the hallway, handing over the takeout container, "that you'd already be working and skipped over breakfast."

The container is warm in Shikamaru's hands and he wonders what Sakura picked out for him. Yesterday had been the first time they'd gone out for food together, but they'd spent years eating out of bentos in the same class—perhaps that counts for something.

"Breakfast is an important meal," Shikamaru says, stepping forward and leading the way up a dark shadowed flight of stairs that sees little foot traffic.

Sakura hums. "Indeed," she says, before glancing at him with crinkled eyes. "I will admit I've missed it a time or two when I'm on shift though."

Suddenly, Shikamaru wants to ask if Sakura remembers when she and Ino attempted to go on a diet. How they'd mentioned it in class, and how Iruka-sensei had proceeded to spend three hours that week, and four hours the following two weeks, giving them lectures about the importance of nutrition and metabolism and the eating requirements needed as a ninja.

Only they're not close enough for Shikamaru to bring up such topics. Instead, he just hums and opens the door for Sakura, holding it open as she walks through.

(They've never been that close to one another, only faces in each other's peripheral. In all honesty, Shikamaru hadn't thought that Sakura would do that well out in the field. Even ignoring her family history, she'd never really tried to be a ninja, only interested in Sasuke. Team Kakashi had been a mess from the beginning, and Shikamaru had turned away from the unfolding mess.)

(Only now, it seems, Team Kakashi is somehow greater than the rest of them; stronger, fiercer. Where does Sakura fit into that? How did everything change?)

The door closes behind them with a quiet creak. Shikamaru steps up to the edge of the platform and sits down, swinging his feet against the side of the building. After a moment, Sakura joins him, slightly more tentative.

"How'd you find this place?" Sakura asks as she opens her container. "You haven't been working here long, have you?"

Shikamaru hums, looking across the small street to the blanket of leaves covering the building opposite them. Even though it's not quite autumn, the leaves go from red to orange to green, various shades creating a blanket of colour. It's surprisingly beautiful, and the only redeeming feature of this small platform that juts out between the two buildings.

"I saw someone head this way and thought the stairs were a shortcut," he says. "And ended up finding this place instead. It's nice, and quiet."

"Good for naps?" Sakura asks, smiling, and Shikamaru smiles back.

"Exactly," he agrees, even though he hasn't napped here. Still, with the taller buildings around them, the cool stone is nice and—Shikamaru imagines—when the sun is overhead, it'd be a great place to close his eyes for a bit.

They eat in silence, nothing but the clacking of their chopsticks.

(Shikamaru thinks this is the beginning of something—or could be the beginning of something. He doesn't know what that something is, doesn't know which option he wants to choose.)

At the very least, the silence is comfortable.

---

It becomes routine. If Sakura isn't working, she meets Shikamaru for lunch, usually with takeout, and they talk briefly while Shikamaru pours over some form. He learns Sakura's schedule as well as he learns Yuri's, meeting her outside the hospital at the end of her shift or bringing meals when she's six hours into a twelve-hour shift.

Somewhere along the way, he begins to see her more than he sees his own teammates.

(What does it say about him, that he leaves behind those he's grown up with so easily? They're all working and have their own problems to deal with. In the meantime, Shikamaru steps into a position that doesn't exist, seeing the Genin Corps properly for the first time.)

"You should invite Chōji-kun and Ino," Sakura tells him as she sits on the edge of a desk—not his, but one that'd appeared in the room days after he'd started working with Yuri. "Then all six of us can have dinner together."

Shikamaru frowns at her. "Dinner?" He echoes. "You didn't mention this."

"Ah," Sakura colours. "Sasuke, Naruto, and I share a meal every Friday so long as we can manage it. I meant to invite you this week, seeing as we've spent so much time together lately. We had a team gathering yesterday, so you don't need to worry about encroaching on our time."

To buy himself some time, Shikamaru reads over a construction report completed by a genin team he'd put together. They're doing well, wrote an additional comment that they were getting along well together, and Shikamaru thinks they might do well as a team, (they aren't a genin team but they'd never gotten a genin team, being placed straight into the Genin Corps as individuals instead).

"Shika?" It's Sakura's quiet call that has him sighing, abandoning his work to rub at his temples.

"I haven't seen them since, well, the day after everything really."

He looks up and catches Sakura pressing her lips together in a thin line. "You haven't seen them?"

Shikamaru shrugs. "They're busy," he says.

For a long moment, Sakura doesn't respond, but then she taps the paper he's reading so that he looks at her. "You should make time anyway," she says. "You three were always so close, you and Chōji-kun more so. What happened?"

Not knowing what to say, Shikamaru just shrugs again.

(He always knew he was going to be a ninja, as did Chōji and Ino, but they'd never really known what it meant to be one—didn't know about the terror or how close to death they might get. Shikamaru has never had to try, never forced himself to his limits, never properly trained, because he never saw any reason to. Now, though, things are different. Now he tries because he knows what might happen, knows what can happen, and never wants to be in the same position again.)

(Weapons clashing, someone is screaming, and this is no simple part of the chūnin exams; this is a battle, pure and simple.)

"I guess it's just hard to find time," he says. Looking up, he gives Sakura a slightly forced smile. "I'm impressed that your team is managing." Both Naruto and Sasuke's names have passed over his desk, joining in the clean-up efforts and picking up a few D-rank missions they can manage while Sakura works at the hospital and their teacher takes missions outside of Konoha.

Sakura's smile is almost pointed. "We make time," she says simply. "Sometimes it means less sleep or missing out on something else, but we manage."

(Only a few months ago, Shikamaru likely would have been annoyed by Sakura lecturing him. Now, though, things are different.)

"Are you coming?"

He hesitates, for a second, before nodding. "Sure. Should I bring anything?"

Smiling, Sakura says, "Only yourself."

And really there's only one thing that Shikamaru can say to that. "I'll be there."

---

That evening, only an hour past sundown, finds Shikamaru walking through the Uchiha mon. He can't help but shudder as he steps through it. While he's seen the Uchiha mon before, walked past it countless times, how faded it looks makes him eager to be out from its shadow.

The faded paint accompanied by small marks reminds Shikamaru all too aware of the tragedy that befell the Uchiha Clan. He really doesn't understand how Sasuke manages to live here, in this place that can't have the blood scrubbed from the tiles because it's so big. Does Sasuke remember where people fell? Does he remember whose house belongs to who? Or has he forgotten it all?

Shikamaru isn't sure which option is the better one, and he doesn't particularly want to find out either.

Rather than follow the main path, he turns to walk along one of the smaller trails. Sakura had told him that the Clan Head house had gone unlived in ever since their graduation to genin.

(Whose idea had it been to leave a grieving child in a house where his family was murdered? Why did Sasuke have to stay in this compound, a forever-reminder of what happened? Shikamaru remembers, when things had only just happened, how Ino had hissed about trauma and psychological reminders and how this wasn't going to help their classmate at all.)

(Shikamaru had brought it up at home, cautious, because if Ino knew than her father knew and that meant the Clan Council knew just what they were doing. His father had only looked at him and warned him, in a roundabout way, to watch what he said and who he said it too. There are more dangerous things out there, he'd been told, especially in the shadows.)

Who decided that Sasuke had to stay here, Shikamaru finds himself wondering once again, after so many years gone by. Still, better not to ask. He doesn't know who his enemies are here, or who might overhear.

He doesn't know why it's an important thought to keep to himself either, only knows that he must keep it to himself.

The small pathway, kept clean and largely free of weeds, leads him past a few closed-up houses, their windows and doors all shut. Shikamaru notices, as he passes, how most of them are in dire need of repair. The paint is fading and peeling in places, and some of the decking sags where the wood's started rotting out. He can only assume there's even more damage inside.

(He sees a dark red patch near the doorway of one house, and turns his gaze away. These people might not be his to mourn, but the grief that strikes him is fierce.)

Sakura had told him to keep walking until he saw Sasuke's house, that he'd know it when he sees it.

She's right, of course. It's the only house that's open and looks in much better condition. The paint is brighter, though some areas have clearly been painted over lately, giving it a somewhat patchy appearance. Though there are wooden boards that seem to be slanted, there are newer boards amongst them, indicating that some repairs have been done here. The windows are open, too, and yellow light filters through them, pouring out onto the pathway.

Shikamaru steps up to the door and knocks gently, flaring his chakra as he does so.

From inside, he hears a laugh, bright and loud—Naruto, he thinks. This laugh, however, is nothing like the forced laugh it'd been in the past. It's bright and loud, but doesn't demand your attention, doesn't have an edge to it. It's better for it.

The door slides open and he sees Sakura, grinning. Her eyes are bright and her hair's been pulled back in a braid, though it's already falling out, strands too short to be remain in the style. "Hey," Sakura says. "It's about time you got here, we thought you were going to be late!" She steps back from the door to invite him in.

"Thanks," Shikamaru says, stooping to take off his sandals and sliding his feet into the guest shoes that Sakura provides. "And I stopped to get some desert as well. I know that Sasuke-kun doesn't like sweets all that much, so I thought green tea ice cream? I also got some daifuku too."

He hands over the box to Sakura. "That sounds great," she says. "Though you really didn't have to, we are friends."

Shikamaru blinks at that, caught out by the blunt statement, but by then Sakura has already turned around and is walking further into the house. He follows, and soon finds himself in the same room as Sasuke and Naruto.

"Shika!" Naruto calls, leaping to his feet and charging forward. Shikamaru has only a moment to ground his stance properly before Naruto slams into him in a hug. He hadn't thought they were that close in the Academy, but clearly Naruto had thought otherwise. So Shikamaru doesn't say anything, just closes his arms around the blonde.

(It hadn't been hard to be kind to Naruto, because Naruto had just been like every other kid to Shikamaru—annoying, loud, but willing to leave him in peace for the most part. As such, they'd spent many lunchtimes together, and longer days too when they'd decided to skip class, usually with Kiba and Akamaru in tow.)

When Naruto steps back, he's smiling, wide, and… and he looks happier than Shikamaru's ever seen him. He's not wearing orange, seems dressed down, and his hair is a mess of clips and ribbons that are probably Sakura's doing. He seems softer, and Shikamaru's not sure whether that's due to the setting they're in or just how much he's grown since they both graduated.

"It's good to see you," Shikamaru says, and isn't surprised to find that he means it. He turns, searching for Sasuke, and finds him still sitting down. He looks different too, and maybe that's just because he's not scowling, but maybe it's something else too. His hair has been pulled back into a proper braid and it's tied with a bright pink ribbon. "And you Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke narrows his eyes, before nodding. There's a red haze to them that takes a moment longer to fade—the Sharingan? Probably. Shikamaru knows that Sasuke got it on Team Kakashi's first C-rank mission, and he did use it in the chūnin exams too.

Within a few minutes, they're all sitting down with the dishes laid out and plates empty, ready for servings. "Do you like spices?" Naruto asks. "We've got spice but Sakura doesn't like it, so we all add it individually."

Shikamaru glances at Sakura, then smirks. "Yeah, I found that out the other day."

"Shika!" Sakura shakes her head at him as she adds some rice to her plate. "We got mentaiko," she explains to the others. "And I accidentally ordered the wrong thing. I had to get another serving of rice."

Sasuke snorts as he scoops out some curry into a bowl. Shikamaru carefully keeps his expression straight as he sees at least four cherry tomatoes bobbing up and down in the curry. "You really should have known better," he says. "One would think that eating with Naruto and me would see you get a better spice tolerance."

While Shikamaru ladles some curry into his bowl, he thinks about Naruto and Sasuke. Orphans, one by birth and the other in childhood, that both enjoy spicy food. For Sasuke, it makes sense. While Shikamaru doesn't remember the Uchiha Clan very well, he remembers the spices and food they made. Chōji used to go on at length about them. Meanwhile, Naruto is an Uzumaki, and they came from the coast in the same direction many of Konoha's spices came from by trade.

"Thankfully," he says, breaking apart his chopsticks, "I have a somewhat better spice tolerance. Pros of being a friend with an Akimichi."

(It aches, just slightly, to speak of Chōji without Chōji being there. How long has it been since he saw his friend? Not too long, a week, maybe more. But how long has it been since he last properly spoke to Chōji? To Ino? Too long. Perhaps it had even been before the chūnin exams.)

(How can it be only now that Shikamaru realises just how much his team has drifted from one another? How could he have let such a thing happen? How could he have not realised?)

The others don't ask him to speak up, just talk around his silence. Naruto and Sakura both invite him into the conversation; the topic light and easy. Sasuke isn't so conversational, but he speaks up more than he did in the Academy.

It's not strange to watch the three of them anticipate each other's needs without a word, trading food and seasoning. But for a while now, Shikamaru has seen how much Sakura has grown, has heard her speak of Naruto and Sasuke, and they're a team—a true and proper team.

(Like he and Chōji and Ino should have been, but aren't.)

"How is the construction going?" Shikamaru asks when Naruto chatters on about their latest job, something to do with painting, that had ended up in the creation of a mural.

Sasuke, it turns out, is quite the painter. Shikamaru wonders whether it's thanks to the Sharingan, (and how sad it is that he'll never know whether it's the Sharingan or just Sasuke).

"I think it's going well," Naruto says. His head swivels to Sasuke, waiting on his teammate to speak up.

After finishing his mouthful, Sasuke says, "They've finished the construction on the walls now and they've moved into fixing smaller things up down in the centre of Konoha now, where the rubble is causing the most problems. Seems like it's finishing up for the most part."

Naruto scowls. "Except for the poorer districts. We've gotten no orders about whether or not we can help there. A lot of contractors are willing to give us materials to help them, but we've got to do it in our own time—which we don't have a lot of."

Looking between the three of them, Shikamaru finds himself looking at three very similar scowls. None of the three are happy about it, it's clear, but Shikamaru hasn't heard anything about it.

"I'll see what I can do," he says, though he knows he can't do much. He only helps Yuri, he can't actually direct reconstruction efforts at certain areas, no matter how much he might want to.

With a sigh, Sasuke shakes his head. "You won't be able to do much. The construction efforts are directed by the council, and unless a group of clans agree, nothing will happen."

And, well, that might be true—but Shikamaru can still try. Sasuke is on the council, or can be if he wishes too, and Shikamaru's fairly certain Kiba will jump on convincing his mother if they ask. And… And Chōji and Ino would help, he's certain, especially if he asks.

"I'll see what I can do," Shikamaru says, swallowing. "Can you guys talk to Kiba? He might be able to convince Tsume-sama, and perhaps can speak to his teammates too." Shino might be able to help them, though Shikamaru isn't quite certain about that. He is, however, certain that Hinata won't be able to help—she has her own battles to fight in the Hyūga Clan and Shikamaru is adamantly continuing to pretend he has no idea of the coup she's currently working on with Neji and her little sister.

Naruto's expression turns hopeful. "You think we can do something?" He asks, and even with his hope, he is cautious.

(How many times has Naruto been let down? Too many, Shikamaru can't help but think. He deserves better, deserves more then what he got, just because he has—well, there are some things Shikamaru shouldn't know.)

"I can't promise anything," Shikamaru says, because he refuses to lie. "But I'm more than willing to try."

"We lose nothing by trying," Sakura says, reaching out and intertwining her fingers with Naruto's. Her expression is fierce, like the times Shikamaru has seen her at the hospital, face cast partially into shadow by the green glow of her hands.

Both Naruto and Sakura turn to Sasuke and, once again, Shikamaru is reminded that these three are a team—a proper team. They're in this together, relying on one another, and… and it's good for them.

(Shikamaru's jealous, he knows. He's guilty for it, but that doesn't stop him from being jealous of the trio.)

Sasuke nods. "Let me know how it goes," he says, and there's a glimpse there, Shikamaru thinks, of just who he could be—the Uchiha Clan Head and capable shinobi that he'll grow to be.

They're all growing up, stepping into bigger shoes, and Shikamaru has no idea where they'll end up.

Alive, hopefully.

---

Shikamaru enters the Yamanaka flower shop only a few minutes after opening. He'll be late for his work with Yuri, but he doubts Yuri will notice considering that she'd been head-deep in folders yesterday and likely continued through the night.

The Yamanaka flower shop is as vibrant as always, the flowers blooming and colourful. The door chimes merrily above him as he enters, and he hears Ino's voice further inside.

He walks down the path he's tread many times before, (and thinks just how many months it's been since he's last been here), until he reaches the counter.

"Coming!" Ino calls from the back room.

Shikamaru tucks his hands into his pockets, slouching. "Take your time," he says, barely raising his voice. He trusts Ino to hear him. She's always had good hearing, though maybe that's just because she wants to hear all the rumours and gossip going on at any given moment in time.

Seconds after he's spoken, Ino hurries out, a smile breaking out across her face. It reminds Shikamaru, stupidly, of a flower blooming in the sun. "Shika," she says. There's dirt on her left cheek and her hair's been shoved back with a hairband, and it looks rather knotty from where it's pulled up into a ponytail.

"Hey," Shikamaru says, nodding, and he feels strange. Awkward. He's not meant to feel awkward in Ino's presence, but he's all too aware of the abyss that's grown between them. Only now does he wonder how he's going to fix it, how he can bridge it.

It's one thing to want to fix it, but that doesn't actually help him do anything.

Ino continues to smile at him, lifting a hand to rub her cheek and just managing to smudge the dirt across her face instead. Like this, she looks carefree—and happy. "How are you?"

"Busy," Shikamaru says and- and they're making small talk. Small talk! What happened to their friendship that never needed small talk? "I'm working as part of the Genin Corps, helping out there with everything that's going on."

Rocking back on her heels, Ino's brows furrow and the smile becomes smaller. "Oh," she says. "Is it fun?"

"It's something to do," Shikamaru says and Ino's smile disappears entirely and- and this isn't how he wanted this to go at all. He glances at the flowers sitting on the benchtop, spread out in a beautiful array. Ino's always had an eye for beauty and for good combinations of flowers. While Shikamaru can spot a pattern a mile away, Ino is the one who sees meanings in it faster than he does.

They make a good team. They are a team.

Breathing in, Shikamaru brings his hands out of his pockets and straightens from his slouch. Immediately, Ino's gaze becomes much more focussed and she straightens as well, turning watchful, (and this is something that's been trained into them, this response to one another's body language, they know each other too well and maybe that's the problem). "How long has it been since you've last spoken to Chōji? Properly, that is."

"Last week," Ino says, but she's thinking over her words even as she says them. "But… we just spoke about our clans, about the reconstruction efforts. What are you getting at? Not all of us have your genius intellect."

"Sakura works at the hospital," Shikamaru says, instead of responding. "She pulls twelve-hour shifts to help out at the moment. Sasuke and Naruto are both involved in the reconstruction efforts, as well as completing D-rank missions when they manage to have free time. Every week, they have a meal together."

(He thinks about what he'd seen in Sasuke's house, the little things that had indicated at something bigger—how none of them were wearing guest house shoes, how all of them had been ready to fall asleep together, how Sasuke had grumbled about their toothbrushes taking up space on the bathroom vanity.)

Ino pauses, before she picks up a group of flowers and twists their stems together. "Well," she says, "I shouldn't be surprised. They need all the help they can get."

Pressing his lips together, Shikamaru remembers Ino from when she was younger—back when they were all younger and Ino only ever wanted to play with Sakura, back before they began a rivalry, back before they graduated.

"I don't know," he says, and finds himself surprised by the words that next leave his mouth, "I think they're ahead of us."

Ino laughs, the sound awkward and high-pitched. "Nonsense," she says, but it's clear to Shikamaru that she doesn't believe her words. Does she know he's right? Or does she simply know that they're no longer as far ahead as they had once been?

(They're clan kids and they're better-off for it, but that advantage can only last so long when others train harder and longer than they do. The wind is beginning to change, and it's time to see which way the leaves sway.)

"Is it?"

Shikamaru runs a finger across the front of the wooden reception. It had, apparently, been a gift from the Shodaime Hokage when the Yamanaka Clan had joined Konoha. He's inclined to believe that it's true, too, as the wood seems to be full of chakra, when normally wood has no chakra—at least to Shikamaru's senses, though he's far from a sensor of any kind of repute.

Sighing, Ino looks up from the flowers she's organising—or pretending to organise, at the very least. "We can talk in circles, Shika, or you can get to the point."

At that, he can't help but smile. It sounds closer to the Ino he remembers from childhood, the one that was always loud and demanding, (annoying, but he loved her regardless). This feels closer to them, something that he's been missing for a while now. "Our team's becoming more distant," Shikamaru says bluntly.

(The number of genin teams that fall apart after one's been promoted or just as time goes high is a statistic that's astronomically high. Shikamaru never thought it'd include him and Chōji and Ino, but he'd been wrong. Now's the chance to stop such a thing from happening, however, and he's taking that chance.)

"And," he continues, "I don't want to let it." He meets Ino's gaze, strangely nervous, and says, "I don't want our team to just… disappear once we've been promoted or after all this. I want us to still be hanging out, to still be laughing, to still be talking to one another months and years into the future."

For so long, Shikamaru's thoughts of a future has always, always involved Chōji and Ino. It'd been a given that they'd be there with him—except it wasn't a given, and he didn't realise how close he's come to losing them until just now.

(You have to make time, Sakura had said, or something similar. And she's right—to have someone in your life means that you need to spend time with them, need to make time when otherwise there might not be anything. Friendship is about giving and taking and forever trying and- and that's just what it means to be in love, isn't it? And isn't friendship all about love?)

"So," Shikamaru says, feeling mulish and more than a little like Naruto when he plants his feet in the ground, "I want to try and spend more time with you, and with Chōji, and all three of us together. Whether that means less sleep or early mornings… Let's do it."

Except, Shikamaru knows, it's not all up to him. A friendship involves more than one person, and so he finds himself holding his breath, wishing and hoping that Ino will smile and him and say yes.

For a long moment, there's silence as Ino stares at him, gaze inscrutable.

But then, a grin breaks across her face and it's like the sun chasing the clouds away, sunlight filtered golden-green through the leaves. "Let's do it," Ino agrees. "How do you feel about training sessions at five-hundred?"

Shikamaru can't help the automatic grimace that crosses his face, but he nods. "I'll need coffee, but I'll do it. Just give me a training ground."

"Our team one," Ino says decisively. "I'll expect you tomorrow morning, yes?"

Tomorrow, Shikamaru will be working at Yuri's side at seven, and Sakura has the late shift so will likely sleep in so they'll likely meet up for lunch. Considering how much of his day thus far Shikamaru has spent not working, he'll likely be working until late tonight.

Even knowing this, he doesn't hesitate to agree and say, "Tomorrow morning."

It soothes something in Shikamaru to know that Ino agreed, to know that there is a chance to repair this—a good one too. He relaxes, shoving his hands back into his pockets and slouching, leaning backwards though making sure he doesn't touch the spindly cactus resting on the shelves behind him.

"This has no bearing on anything else," he says, eyelids drooping to hide how his gaze sharpens, "but the Nara Clan is going to be throwing their weight behind the Uchiha Clan in the next clan council meeting. It'll be about sending support and directing reconstruction efforts towards poorer districts. At the moment, everything has been focussed on more important areas like the walls, but now it's more wealthy areas that are getting support and none of the areas that actually need it."

(Shikamaru hasn't spoken to his father about this, hasn't really had the chance, but he knows his father. So long as Shikamaru can argue his point well enough, his father will agree with him. Besides, as Nara Clan Heir it's expected for Shikamaru to take more and more of the decisions of the Clan Head, especially when his father is busy elsewhere.)

Ino doesn't pause, just nods with a fierce look. "You have my clan's backing," she says. "Are you going to ask Chōji?"

"Yeah, and I think Team Kakashi's gonna go ask Kiba as well."

"Sounds like this might work out then," Ino says. "Naruto-kun's idea?"

The ease at which Ino figures out who's responsible for the idea isn't surprising. Sure, none of them ever followed him at the Academy, not really, and they were more likely to ignore than anything else.

However, Naruto's always had a charisma to him that no one could ignore. It's only gotten stronger since they've graduated from the Academy—or maybe the rest of them have just become a bit more inclined to listen, a bit more accepting, a bit more aware of just how much unconscious bias they've picked up from the people around them

"Yeah," Shikamaru says. He steps away from the shelving, half-turning in the direction of the door. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He can't help the inflection his voice picks up at the end, making it a question.

He catches Ino's soft smile in his peripheral vision, "Tomorrow," she agrees.

---

From Ino's house, Shikamaru detours to his home, grabbing the food he'd cooked in the late hours of the night when he couldn't sleep, before heading towards the Akimichi Clan Compound.

Shikamaru isn't a great cook like most people from the Akimichi Clan, but he can cook a decent venison barbeque. It's not quite what someone would sell in a restaurant, but—for as long as Shikamaru's known Chōji—the other has liked barbeque, and it's for that reason alone that Shikamaru learnt how to cook venison barbeque in the same style as Chōji's favourite restaurant.

(It started when Chōji had a bad day at the Academy, turned inward, shoulders hunching, and became quieter than his norm. In the face of that, nothing Shikamaru or Ino said could pull him out of his shell. So Shikamaru went home, frowning and concerned and focussed in a way he rarely was, and figured out how to cook barbeque, just so he could greet his friend with it the next day.)

(And it worked, too, pulling Chōji right back out of his shell and seeing him return to his normal. Since then, it's been a way for Shikamaru to apologise without words, to try and help when he didn't know what to do, and Chōji knows the story behind it, understands just how meaningful it is.)

The mon for the Akimichi Clan Compound is manned, as it normally is, and the guard just nods at him, more than familiar with his comings and goings over the years. Shikamaru waves back and walks inside, body language just right to convince people that he's doing something and shouldn't be approached. It's probably one of the more useful things that the Academy taught him.

It's muscle memory to walk to the Clan Head's house and, all too soon, Shikamaru is standing out the front and knocking on the door.

Unsurprisingly, Chōji answers. He's not wearing his usual training clothes, instead clad in his home clothes and his hair is pulled back into a low ponytail to remain out of his face. He blinks upon seeing Shikamaru, rocking back on his heels a little bit.

"Shika, hey," he says, offering a smile that takes a second too long to form. "How've you been? Is there a problem?" The concern that appears in Chōji's eyes is real, and Shikamaru can see the way Chōji's weight shifts, ready to head off and help if that's what Shikamaru requests.

But Shikamaru doesn't need that right now, so he settles his weight a little bit more firmly in his heels and smiles. "Hey," he echoes back. "And there's nothing wrong, I just thought…" He falls silent, swallowing, uncertain what to say.

(It hadn't been easier with Ino. Shikamaru had still struggled, but at least with Ino, there had been more distance because Shikamaru had fought with her before, and had to apologise too. With Chōji, they'd always been closer, always had less of a need for words.)

(How much of that is because they didn't need the words, however, and how much of that is because Shikamaru despised being vulnerable even around people that knew him? Talking about emotions had always been a drag, but being vulnerable and letting someone see you like that… Well, Shikamaru had never managed it terrifically well outside of his family.)

Chōji stares at him, eyes seeing him—seeing him properly, in a way so few people ever did. It usually made Shikamaru comfortable, being known and knowing Chōji in return, but right now it made him uncomfortable. He shifts on the spot, and reaches into his bag to pull out a container.

"Here," he says abruptly, holding the container of food out. "It's for you."

An apology, Shikamaru says without words.

Reaching out, Chōji takes the container from him with gentle hands. "Thanks," he says. He steps back, out of the way, "Come on in."

Shikamaru enters, trading his shoes for indoor ones, and follows Chōji to the kitchen. "So," Chōji says, as he turns the heat up on the stove, "did you want to talk about something?"

From how Chōji's positioned, Shikamaru can't see his face—and Chōji can't see his. It's a strategic position, no doubt, but Shikamaru's not sure whether it's for his benefit or Chōji's.

"Yeah," Shikamaru says, leaning back against the counter behind him, hands in his pockets. "Two things, actually, with no bearing on each other."

With Ino, he'd spoken about them as friends first, but he doesn't think the same order will work here. Better to put the one that doesn't impact them as friends, first, simply because it's less likely to raise any issues. At least this way, he'll have an answer for when Team Kakashi ask him how it went—because he knows they will.

"The Uchiha Clan Head is going to ask for reconstruction efforts to be directed towards poorer distracts rather than focussing solely on wealthy areas like it is right now. The Yamanaka and Nara Clans will be backing the Uchiha up, and chances are some other clans might as well. Would the Akimichi Clan be in?"

Chōji hums, pulling out one of the seasonings from the nearby rail, and adds it to the pot on the stove. "Yeah," he says, slotting the seasoning away again. "We'd lend our voice to their cause."

"Great," Shikamaru says, voice not quite catching. Since Chōji can't see him, he lets himself have a moment of weakness and wipes his hands on his pants.

"The second thing?" Chōji prompts once the silence has gone on for a while.

It takes another second for Shikamaru to actually open his mouth. "It's been a while," he says, stilted, "since we properly spoke and hung out and- and just since we were friends. Like, things are different now that we're not in the Academy and part of that is definitely because we're not in the Academy anymore. But-

"Did you know that less than ten percent of genin teams, after a year spent together or after a promotion or after they stop having a jōnin-sensei, split up? So few teams remain together and actually continue as teammates—or even friends. That wasn't meant to happen to us and Ino, you know? We were a team—are a team, and we're meant to stay that way. Or, well, I want to stay that way, and yet we're drifting at the moment. How long has been since the three of us have spoken? Actually, properly spoken? I don't- I don't know what you're up to or how you're going or anything."

Shikamaru presses his lips together, muted surprise running through his veins at how easily he'd gone off. He presses the palms of his hands against his eyes, the darkness comforting after the few minutes of being vulnerable.

Then, arms surround him and he can smell Chōji. The hug is comforting, familiar, and Shikamaru falls into his friend's arms, opening his eyes and wrapping his arms around the large body.

"I missed you," Shikamaru says, almost choking on the words.

Chōji's arms tighten. "I've missed you as well," he says. After a few seconds, he pulls back—not going far, but just enough so that they can see each other's faces. "What now though? How do we keep this from happening again?"

(Shikamaru never doubted that Chōji would agree to keep being friends, to try harder, but there had been the tiniest bit of doubt that he couldn't shake, even knowing Chōji as he did. He's glad to see that he'd been right to have faith in Chōji. Then again, he's always had faith in Chōji. After all, it is Chōji.)

"We try," Shikamaru says, and he's grinning, eyes watery. "We try harder than we did before. We make time. We do early breakfasts or late dinners and training sessions and make plans ahead of time, trying to find something that we can do weekly or something like that."

When Chōji smiles, it's like flowers opening at the dawn of day when the first rays of sunlight reach them. "We'll make time," he agrees, certain and steady and the same solid rock that Shikamaru has spent so much of his life relying on.

(This is a turning point, Shikamaru knows, and he can feel the change in his bones. And it's only thanks to Sakura, and her teammates, that he's here at all, that he even realised what was happening. It's a debt he'll never be able to repay and something he'll always owe them for.)

Shikamaru smiles back, helpless to do anything else. Somehow, he knows that now, no matter what happens, his team will always be a team—and friends, within that.

---

"Can you pass the pot beside you?" Sasuke asks and Shikamaru passes it over, grimacing when at least six cherry tomatoes bob up on the surface of the curry. Honestly, the fact Team Kakashi put tomatoes in everything and way more than necessary never ceases to disgust him. There's such thing as too many tomatoes, and Shikamaru has hit that point and surpassed it at least one meal ago.

Chōji takes it from him, ladling some into his bowl, and then hands it off to Sasuke who takes it with a grunt, mouth full of rice.

Opposite Shikamaru, Sakura grins at him, nudging his foot beneath the table to get his attention. "You ever see this coming genius?"

Shikamaru rolls his eyes and nudges her back, aiming for the soft spot on the ankle that Sakura always goes for in a spar. "You ever get tired of being annoyingly right?"

There's a loud burst of laughter from Naruto, who shakes his head. There's a pink butterfly clip that's attempting to hold some of his blonde hair back—Shikamaru's pretty certain it's one of Ino's. Naruto loops an arm around Sakura's shoulders, only just keeping their heads from knocking into one another. "You get used to it!" He says cheerfully. "She's the best of us three."

"Nah," Sakura immediately says, shaking her head and sending wisps of pink hair into Naruto's mouth. "We've all got our strengths and weaknesses. We're in this together, yeah? Team Kakashi forever."

"Team Kakashi forever," the two boys recite, Naruto decidedly more energetic than Sasuke, who sounds a little bit dead—but Shikamaru can see the smile curling on his lips.

Ino jeers at them, mockingly, though she's wearing a smile on her face. Shikamaru nudges her with his elbow, and tips his head in Chōji's direction when she looks at him. "You won't be holding onto your title of best team for long," Ino says.

The competitive looks she immediately gets from all three team members of Team Kakashi has Shikamaru sighing. Still, when they look at him, he nods. "You're definitely gonna get a run for your money if nothing else," he says. "After all, we have Chōji on our side."

Chōji near chokes on his food, giving them a wide-eyed expression that has Shikamaru biting down on his cheek to keep himself from laughing. Comically, he swallows. "I don't want any part of this. Whatever this is."

Humming, Shikamaru pinches a piece of pork from Chōji's bowl, swapping for something vaguely green. "Too late for that," he says, "you're part of the team."

"Teams that stick together, die together," Sakura chimes in, nodding. "Or maybe that was train together? Kakashi-sensei has some weird sayings."

At that, Shikamaru looks at his teammates, and finds his feelings echoed on their face. "Yeah," he says slowly. "Sounds like it." Shaking his head, he thinks about the other team that graduated with them. "I think that we're going to have another contestant in terms of teams though. Team Kurenai is getting places."

"Are they?" Sasuke says, and Shikamaru has to look away from him to keep himself from laughing. Ino snorts, Chōji bites down on his chip, and Sakura cackles.

Naruto, on the other hand, lives up to his moniker of being the kindest of all three of them, as he says, "Sasuke! Don't be mean!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke retorts, "I'm not wrong. I mean, ignoring Kiba-kun's scores in the Academy, you've got Hinata-chan and Shino-kun. I haven't heard much from any of them since the chūnin exams. Shikamaru, have you heard anything?"

Attention now on him, Shikamaru hesitates with his chopsticks, thinking over the reports he's done in the last two days. He's fairly certain he's seen their names recently, though he can't remember where.

"Hinata-chan's almost done with her clan problems," Ino says, while Shikamaru focusses on remembering what task he set Team Kurenai on. "I think she's got most of the Branch Family on her side, definitely Neji-san, but then she's waiting for a good time to turn on Hyūga-san I think."

Shikamaru nods. "It won't be until we have a new Hokage and things have stabilised a bit more." He tilts his head at Naruto. "So likely when you're back, when all those new changes are going on, we'll see the Hyūga Clan changing then. In the meantime, the trio have been hard at work and are keeping out of the limelight for the most part, but still heavily focussed on gathering good publicity. I have no doubts that Hinata-chan's teammates are on her side."

"Wow," Naruto says, blinking with wide eyes. "You really do know all the things. What colour are my boxers?"

"Naruto!" Ino's shout of outrage has Shikamaru sniggering, if only because everyone should expect this kind of thing from Naruto by now. He has no filter or, if he does, it's used selectively and definitely not around people he claims as his friends.

"Orange," Shikamaru says and, then, over Naruto's shout of surprise at him guessing correctly, he adds, "because that's all you ever wear, I swear. Except for that one pair of frog ones that you showed off at our last training session."

All of Team Kakashi laugh at that. "Oi! I thought we weren't talking about that," Naruto says, pouting, even though his eyes are crinkling in a smile that he only just keeps from forming on his face.

As he leans forward, Sasuke says, "Well you can't blame him, I thought it was a genjutsu that you'd managed for the first time."

Before Naruto can launch himself across the table—likely taking everything out as he does so—Sakura manages to get a hand on his shoulder and shoves him back into his seat. "No fighting while there's still food and plates on the table," she says, tone warning, and Shikamaru bites back a smile as both Sasuke and Naruto exchange a wide-eyed look. "We don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

(How far Sakura has come since they all graduated the Academy. She's gone further than Shikamaru could have ever predicted, and he's amazed to have seen her do it—or, well, amazed to see how far she's now come. He can only be impressed by how far she goes in the future, now that he can watch by her side as her friend.)

(How strange it is, that their friendship could have formed. Shikamaru never could have expected it, but he's grateful and knows that Sakura has definitely changed his life for the better.)

"I want to ask," Ino says, "but I also really don't want to know."

Chōji nods in agreement. "I vote not knowing. I really don't want to think about all the food that must've been wasted."

At that, Sasuke snorts and Naruto laughs and Sakura rolls her eyes. "Probably for the best," Naruto agrees, and his grin invites them to laugh with him. "It was definitely a mess."

"I mean," Shikamaru says, drawling as the others turn to look at him, "aren't you lot always?"

"Shika!" Sakura calls his name with a laugh and kicks his chair, jostling it. Meanwhile, Sasuke bites into a tomato, glaring at him, which is more or less the same thing. Naruto, on the other hand, whines loudly.

Laughing, Shikamaru tilts his head back, and feels warm. It's not just from the hot pot or the curry or the warm air of Sasuke's house. No, this is the kind of warmth that comes from hanging out with friends who you love and love you in return.

Shikamaru looks back at the others, catches Ino's gaze and Chōji's. They're smiling with him, and these days it feels like they always are.

They're friends, again, and making time to spend with one another. It's everything that Shikamaru's been missing and everything he could hope for. What's even better is that they've managed to find friends and training partners in Team Kakashi.

Perhaps he's busy helping out the Genin Commander and trying to give his aid to Konoha in the aftermath of the chūnin exams, and perhaps he's getting less sleep than he should be.

However, he gets to laugh with his friends, knock hands and shoulders and heads with his teammates, and there's no better life than the one he's living—and Shikamaru knows that for a fact.

(He's a Nara, after all.)

---

Shout out to Fyre who helped me figure out where this was going to end. Absolutely no shout out to my muse who made this stupidly long. This was meant to be like 2k or something.

Anyway, the original idea of this was Shikamaru & Sakura becoming friends, falling in love, and becoming a qpr because y'know, that's my jam. Unfortunately, what we got instead was near 14k of Sakura becoming friends with Shikamaru, encouraging him to reach out to his teammates, and all of them becoming friends in a universe that's way better than canon. You've got proper-team!Team 7 and a world where things hurt a lot less. After all, angst isn't my job - it's Night's.

The title comes from "You can put your strength down. I'm sitting here with you at your kitchen table. You don't need to say anything." and is also inspired by this post. And anyway, I just always have a lot of emotions about friendship.