CHAPTER 16: Shikamaru's Birthday
A.N.: Thanks to all my awesome reviewers! You guys make it all worthwhile! Dariuchka, yes, I am a girl. *smile* And to everyone who asked about my older fics – unfortunately, they were on a website that has been taken down, and written on a computer that has died. I do have some version of them on a flash drive somewhere, and may try to resurrect them at some point, but right now, given that I don't have a ton of time, I'm going to focus on WitS (nice catch, btw, I didn't even notice the acronym!)
Disclaimer: Not my characters.
###
The sun was not yet up when Neji opened his eyes. For a moment he was not sure where he was; the bed was more comfortable than the futon he had been sleeping on, and briefly, he wondered if he was back in the North Country, in his own bed. But in the next instant the previous night came back to him, and he realized he was lying the wrong way on Shikamaru's bed. He stiffened instinctively and rolled over, but there was no one and nothing in bed with him save for a shogi board. He pushed himself up on one elbow and looked around. Across the room, he could dimly make out the figure of Shikamaru, asleep on the futon.
What had happened? He was still fully dressed and didn't feel any different. Thinking back, he remembered last night, not being able to sleep…the nightmare…and Shikamaru coming to his door…. Why had Shikamaru done that? Neji had never observed him having trouble sleeping before; on the contrary, Shikamaru seemed only too happy to nap at any given opportunity. Of course, he also liked to play shogi at any opportunity as well, so maybe that was all he wanted. Too bad his explanations were so long-winded and boring that they had put Neji to sleep.
He remained sitting up, vigilant, for several minutes, but as Shikamaru did nothing more ominous than chuff out a couple of snores, he began to feel rather foolish. He thought he probably should return to the other room, but he rationalized that it would be pointless now; it was almost morning, and Shikamaru was fast asleep on the futon. He thought briefly about getting up to meditate, but it was still dark, and chilly, and the bed was warm and comfortable, and pleasant-smelling. Snuggling down into the blankets, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
###
Shikamaru awakened very early, when the first glimmers of dawn were just starting to tint the sky. Today was his birthday. He was sixteen years old. In one year he would be of age and able to set Neji free.
He looked over at the Hyuuga, currently sleeping in his bed. Now that the rains were over, the nights had gotten colder again, and Neji was burrowed into his nest of blankets, only a dark spill of hair visible at the top. He thought of Neji spending the cold nights in the old stables, alone and injured, and his heart gave a painful twist. He himself had slept in the stables sometimes, during the rains, or when a mare was about to give birth. But he had had warm blankets for comfort and the animals for company.
He's my birthday present, Shikamaru thought. It was a strange thought. Not in the sense that he literally owned Neji; that part he hated. But in that he had been able to make a difference, to change someone's life for the better, even if it was only one person who hadn't been that happy about it. He realized he did not have any regrets. Whatever it cost him – and it had cost him a lot; whatever second thoughts he might have had – and he had had a lot – he could not regret what he had done, because the alternative – letting Neji be taken back by Orochimaru – would have been unthinkable.
He didn't have to be up at any special time today – after incessant complaining on Shikamaru's part, Asuma-sensei had agreed a few years ago to always let him have the morning off from training on his birthday. He didn't know how that would fly with Neji, but he was a little relieved at not having to face his friends again right away. Their comments, and especially Chouji's silence, still stung. With no good reason to get out of bed, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
When he awoke again, the sun was fully up, the temperature starting to warm up, and Neji, incredibly, still not up. Shikamaru decided to go downstairs and make some tea. He had a cup of coffee, and then brewed a pot of green tea for the two of them. He added in some of the preserved-apricot dumplings Neji loved so much. While the tea brewed he stepped outside, enjoying the feel of the warm earth under his bare feet. Today would be another hot one, he thought, perfect for lazing about and watching clouds. Which was exactly how he intended to spend his birthday, regardless of what Neji thought.
He wondered if Neji was awake and, if so, what mood he was in. Would he be angry and suspicious because he had woken up in Shikamaru's bed? Or full of complaints about the sleeping conditions in the new room? Or maybe he would be excruciatingly polite, as he had been yesterday, insisting that Shikamaru's bed was too fine for him to sleep in.
Neji was awake, sitting cross-legged on Shikamaru's bed, his hair slightly mussed and cascading loosely over his shoulders. He looked at Shikamaru with a puzzled, somewhat wary frown. "Do you have a mission today?"
Shikamaru set the tea tray down on the bed, but didn't try to sit there himself, not knowing how Neji would react. "No, I have the morning off today. It's my birthday."
"Yes, I know," Neji said, sounding confused as to how the two things related to each other.
Shikamaru stared at him a moment, before realizing that of course Neji was not likely to forget the date he would be freed next year. "Asuma-sensei always gives us the morning off on our birthdays. Then he takes us out to celebrate."
"Your sensei takes you out to celebrate... your birthday?" Neji said, as if that was the strangest thing he had ever heard.
"Sure... I guess yours doesn't?"
"My sensei can be a little... unusual at times," Neji said. "But no, he doesn't do that."
Did they train nonstop in the North Country? Or maybe they only had clan celebrations. "We celebrate with the clan too," Shikamaru said. "On the weekend, my mom makes all my favorite foods, and we celebrate with the three clans – ours, Chouji's and Ino's."
Neji was looking at him as if he was speaking gibberish. "What?" Shikamaru said. "How do you celebrate?"
"We don't, really," Neji said, still looking at him rather dubiously. "Birthdays are for children. No one over the age of seven makes a fuss about their birthday."
"Not even when you come of age?"
"Oh... well... then…yes, there is a ceremony." Neji looked away. Shikamaru heard the pain and bitterness in his voice and thought he understood why.
"But you got kidnapped before you could have your big celebration."
"It's not a big celebration," Neji said in that same bitter tone. "You just go before the council of elders, and they tell you your fate."
"Your fate?" Shikamaru said quizzically. It was an odd way to put it.
"The plans they have for your future."
"Oh…I thought you were the future head of your clan. Is it not that simple?"
Neji looked away. Shikamaru noticed that his hand gripping the blankets was clenched into a fist. He busied himself pouring the tea.
Neji turned back. "Why did you come to my room last night?" he asked sharply.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this change of subject. Clearly there was more to Neji's family background than he had led them to believe. It was also clearly a sore subject, so he didn't press it. But he intended to find out the truth in time.
For now, he just shrugged and pushed the plate of dumplings toward Neji. "I couldn't sleep, so I got up to get a drink of water, and I saw your light on. I thought you might like a game of shogi." He didn't mention anything about the Pet Mark, or how they seemed to be inexplicably connected by it. He had a feeling that wouldn't go over too well with Neji, and above all, he wanted a drama-free birthday.
"Anyway," he said, taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed, "I already know your future."
Neji's head snapped up at that, but as his mouth was full of dumpling, he could do no more than stare at Shikamaru warily.
"In exactly a year, you'll be a free man. You'll return to your village, see your friends and family, and get everything you were supposed to."
"Hn," Neji said noncommittally. He took a sip of tea. "And what about your own?"
"My future? I already know that one too. I'll be an average shinobi, marry a regular girl who's not too ugly and not too pretty, have two children, first a girl, then a boy, retire after my daughter is married and my son becomes a successful ninja, and spend the rest of my life playing shogi."
Neji's expression hovered between disgust and disbelief. But after a moment, it changed and he sat back, regarding Shikamaru thoughtfully for a long minute. "No," he said.
"What?"
"No, that is not your future, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru didn't know whether to be astonished or laugh. "So you can see into the future now with those eyes?"
"I can see a lot," Neji said, with an enigmatic little smirk. But he wouldn't elaborate, even when Shikamaru pressed him on it.
After breakfast, Shikamaru spent the rest of the morning doing exactly what he had planned, which was pretty much... nothing. Neji passed the time running laps and doing push-ups and all manner of other ridiculous things that Shikamaru couldn't be bothered with.
In the afternoon they headed over to the training area. The sun was still high in the sky and blazing hot. When they arrived they found the training grounds deserted, but after a moment Neji spotted the teams high up on the side of a cliff, making their descent. Neji was all for hustling up there to join them, but Shikamaru had no intention of doing that.
"They're coming down," he pointed out. "We might as well just relax and wait." He didn't want to be training in this heat on his birthday. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to go out to the restaurant later, if Chouji was still mad at him. No, he corrected himself. It wasn't that Chouji was mad at him. Chouji hardly ever got mad, unless someone called him fat. His best friend hadn't even wanted to look at him. That hurt worse than if Chouji had gotten mad and yelled, or even punched him.
Ignoring Neji's disgruntled frown, he settled down in a comfortable shady area. The sky was streaked with pale, airy clouds that looked like windblown sand. The stones against his back were pleasantly hot, and a warm breeze brushed his face. He gazed up at the sky and, as he did every year on his birthday, took stock of the year just past.
Unlike most years, when he had many small successes to tally, and many small transgressions of laziness and cowardice to mull over, this year all else was pushed aside by one single, stunning action. With that one stroke he had saved a life, gone against all his family's history and traditions, spent all his savings, made enemies of some very powerful – and dangerous – people, and come to understand just how strongly he felt about the practice of slavery.
What had he lost? Some of his family's honor. A lot of sleep. Money, for sure. Maybe a friend. He didn't want to think about that.
What had he gained? Self-respect. The satisfaction of having in some small way bested the evil that was Otogakure. A new understanding of himself and the kind of man he would someday be.
Maybe a friend.
He thought back to their conversation earlier, Neji saying, No, that is not your future, Shikamaru. What had he meant by that? Cynically, he wondered if Neji was plotting to kill him or something. But Neji's expression and tone hadn't been threatening. More like challenging; like he saw something in Shikamaru that other people might not. Asuma-sensei said the same kinds of things. You're smart enough to become Kazekage, Shikamaru. Shikamaru didn't want to be Kazekage; that was way too troublesome. He was quite content to leave that to Gaara and the whole scary Sabaku clan.
He heard voices a little way off, meaning the teams had reached the bottom and were at the training grounds. He stayed where he was, staring up at the clouds. Eventually, he knew, someone would come and find him, but he was in no hurry.
A few minutes later he heard footsteps on the path, too slow and heavy to be Neji's. He shifted his gaze from the sky as Chouji hove into view, and moved over to make space on the rock ledge he was sitting on. This was one of their favorite spots, where they often came to eat lunch or just sit and watch the clouds.
They sat in silence for a minute, both gazing up at the sky. Then Chouji said, "I'm sorry for doubting you, Shikamaru."
The words were like a healing ointment on the sadness in Shikamaru's soul. "He's not really my Pet, you know. Legally he might be, but I never think of him in that way. To me, he's like... a guest in my house. I don't boss him around or touch him."
"I know, Shikamaru. I know you wouldn't do that."
"Not that he would ever let me if I tried," Shikamaru felt compelled to add. "He's pretty fierce."
Chouji seemed to be struggling with something as they both stared up at the clouds. Finally he asked in a low voice, "What was it about him, that you liked so much?"
"Liked so much? Nothing. I really couldn't stand him when I first met him. Now I…" Shikamaru shrugged. He didn't know if like was really the word for the complicated mix of emotions he felt towards Neji. Admiration, exasperation, fascination. Neji could be a giant pain in the ass, for sure, but he was also quick and smart and brave – and not bad to look at, even if he was a guy. "We get along okay."
"I mean…" Chouji said, "…Orochimaru has been selling slaves and Pets since before we were born. What was it about him that made you do this?"
"He was real."
Chouji looked at him with a puzzled frown.
"He was there in my stables and he was a real human being, just a kid like us. He'd been kidnapped and beaten up and…mistreated by Orochimaru's clan. He wouldn't eat because they'd drugged him, he wouldn't sleep…. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"But..." Chouji hesitated, then plunged ahead doggedly. "What about the traditions of our clans? In all of history, no one in our clans has ever had a... We've always stood against slavery."
"Exactly. That's why I wouldn't let them take him, because I stand against slavery. And in a year, when I set him free, it will show the world that we still stand against slavery."
"You're so smart, Shikamaru," Chouji said, but he still sounded sad. "I guess Ino's right, and you are a hero."
Shikamaru rubbed his temple. He could feel a headache coming on. "I'm no better or worse than anyone else because I've done this thing. I'm still the same person I've always been. You're my best friend, Chouji; you've always known me better than anyone. Please –"
"I'm still your best friend?"
"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't you be?"
"I thought maybe…now…"
"Oh," Shikamaru realized. "You thought Neji was my best friend now?"
Chouji shrugged, staring down at the ground in embarrassment.
"Chouji, I've only known him a month. You're my best friend and you always will be."
They sat in silence for a few moments, broken only by a few surreptitious snuffles from Chouji. Shikamaru kept his eyes on the clouds and pretended not to notice.
"So," Chouji said in a thick voice, "are we still going out for your birthday?"
"I hope so."
"We don't have to go to the barbecue place if you don't want. We can go anywhere you like." This was a huge sacrifice for Chouji. The barbecue place was his very favorite restaurant in the world, and Shikamaru knew he had been looking forward to this all week.
Shikamaru couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. He threw an arm around Chouji's shoulders. "We can get barbecue, buddy. Hell, I wouldn't miss it."
As they got up to head back to the training area, he spotted Neji watching them with a strange expression on his face, before the Hyuuga quickly turned away. Shikamaru stared after him, nonplussed. He knew Chouji had been jealous of Neji. But in that moment, it had almost looked like Neji was jealous of Chouji.
No, that was ridiculous. He couldn't imagine Neji caring about that. He was probably just disgusted with Shikamaru for lazing about and not training.
###
Neji watched as Shikamaru came walking back into the training area arm in arm with Chouji. Shikamaru was smiling broadly. Neji was struck by how happy he looked; certainly happier than Neji had ever seen him. When they were together, Shikamaru generally looked annoyed, exasperated, or cautious. Neji had only seen him smile like that once, when they were playing shogi during the rains. The thought of that made his face grow hot, and he turned away quickly.
He didn't want to think of these things, or why it should bother him that Shikamaru did not smile that way around him. In his whole life, it had never crossed his mind to even want to try to make another person happy.
He stole a glance back, just in time to see the annoying blonde girl, Shikamaru's girlfriend, launch herself at her two teammates and fling her arms around both of them. Neji walked away from the happy little group, keenly aware of his status as an outsider. He hoped they would start training soon. He really wanted to lose himself in climbing up the side of a mountain or beating someone in a spar.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. On the far edge of the training area, the two senseis were deep in conversation with the man he recognized as one of the Kazekage's guards. They all looked serious.
"Take a break, everyone," Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma, called to the group. The three men headed off up the path, to where Shikamaru had told Neji there was a lookout area.
Now, what? Neji wondered. Apparently, just more sitting around, which he hated. He was not happy.
###
Shikamaru was happy. It was his birthday, they would be eating some good barbecue soon, he had managed to get through the day with virtually no exertion so far, and best of all, he had his best friend back. The only fly in the ointment was Neji, who was, as always, severely put out at any hint of down time.
"Don't start training," Shikamaru warned him. "It's too hot. Just relax and hang out."
"It's not that bad," Neji said impatiently.
"Seriously. I don't want to have to toss you into the river again." He meant this for Neji's ears only, but unfortunately, Kiba overheard.
"Can't take the heat, huh?" he said, his wolfish eyes glinting. "You shouldn't wear so many clothes."
"Yeah, why do you dress like that?" Naruto queried.
Neji crossed his arms, looking extremely affronted. "The Hyuugas have always worn these robes."
"It's his clan's tradition," Sakura hissed at Naruto, who was looking confused.
"Yeah, well you'd be cooler, if you wore what we're wearing."
"This isn't the North Country," Sai put in.
Neji had already voiced his negative opinion of the sleeveless mesh, not to mention Sai's belly shirt. Now, judging by the look on his face, there was a high probability that he was taking this as a direct insult to his clan. Shikamaru sent a mental plea to his friends. Please, drop it.
But he was too late. Ino, her eyes alight with the prospect of a makeover, was already jumping in.
"And you need to tie your hair up off your shoulders, like mine." Before Shikamaru could stop her, she had reached into her pocket and pulled out a hair tie, then stepped behind Neji and scooped his hair up with a practiced motion. Neji, looking extremely startled, tried to jerk away, but Ino, equally startled, froze, still clutching his hair. With the speed Shikamaru had observed before, Neji sprang up, yanking his hair from her hand and raising his own.
"Get your hands off me!" The look on Neji's face was wild and murderous. "Do not – ever – touch me again!"
Ino backed up, looking shaken and scared, and Chouji jumped up from where he was sitting, moving closer to her. Shikamaru got to his feet as well. Everyone else seemed immobilized in shock. Neji looked like he seriously wanted to kill Ino with his bare hands, and then move on to the rest of them. A long, strained minute passed. Then Neji spun around and walked away.
Ino turned to Shikamaru, her eyes wide. "I didn't mean…I wasn't…"
"I know, I know. I'll go talk to him." So much for a drama-free birthday.
He searched all the paths and training areas, finally finding Neji on a large flat overlook, sitting on the rocky wall. He had a pointed stone in one hand and was striking it aimlessly against the rocks, leaving a reddish mark each time he did so. He turned his head sharply as Shikamaru approached. He seemed tense, ready for battle.
"Hey," Shikamaru said.
"I suppose you have come to tell me how inexcusably rude I was," Neji said tightly. "Well, I think she was –"
"Actually, I came to see if you were okay. You seemed really upset."
"Of course I'm okay. It takes more than that to…to…" Neji's voice was shaking and, as if realizing it, he broke off, staring down at the stones in front of him.
"She shouldn't have pulled on your hair like that. It was stupid. But she didn't mean anything bad by it. It's just her way of trying to be friendly."
He braced himself for a rant about the appalling manners – or lack thereof – of grabby South Country girls. But Neji remained silent for several minutes. Finally he said, coldly, "Please tell your girlfriend I apologize."
"Sure, I'll tell her. But she's not my girlfriend."
For the first time, Neji looked at him. "She's not?"
"No, we talked and decided we're better as just buddies. In fact, I think she kind of likes you." He wondered in that instant if Neji liked Ino too. Maybe that was why he had gotten so upset. But no, Neji was shaking his head with something like alarm on his face.
"I am not looking for a girlfriend."
"Oh…are you…engaged to someone in your country or have a serious girlfriend or something? Is that why you didn't want her touching you?"
Neji looked horrified at the thought. "I don't have time for anything like that," he said flatly.
"Yeah, I'm with you on that. Women are too troublesome."
Neji regarded him curiously. "I thought you liked girls?"
"Yeah, I do…they're just…" Shikamaru rubbed his head and sighed. "Too much drama."
Neji nodded in agreement. Far off in the distance, they could hear a bird calling out.
"Listen," Shikamaru said, "dress however you want, wear your hair however you want. I just wanted you to know, though, they weren't trying to insult your clan. They were just trying to give you some advice about the heat. Like I said, they act like idiots sometimes, but they meant well."
Neji was silent, staring out at the cliffs. Shikamaru decided to leave well enough alone.
"Well, okay…" He turned to head back. "I just wanted to –"
"He grabbed my hair…" Neji said. His voice was so low Shikamaru wasn't sure he had heard right.
"What?"
"He grabbed my hair like that."
"Orochimaru?"
Neji shook his head. "The one I killed."
Kidoumaru. Shikamaru felt as if he had suddenly stepped off a cliff into empty, vertiginous space. He recalled the haunted look in Neji's eyes. He had no idea what to say, how to handle this. The air around them, everything, seemed absolutely still. Even the birds had gone silent.
"He…." Neji looked down and swallowed convulsively. "I…they had drugged me. I tried to fight him, but…. I tried to run…" He looked up, and Shikamaru saw both defiance and pleading in his eyes. "If they hadn't drugged me, I would have killed him right then."
"I know that, Neji."
The silence that followed was broken by the sound, far-off but distinct, of a voice calling Shikamaru's name. Shikamaru cursed to himself. Now Neji would turn distant and aloof and pull away again.
But there was something like relief in Neji's voice as he said, "Someone's calling you."
Shikamaru shrugged. The voice called again, more insistent, and now he could tell it was Asuma.
"It's your sensei. Go ahead. You don't have to stay here and babysit me."
"Believe me," Shikamaru said, "I never babysit anyone." But he knew he'd better go, otherwise someone might come up here hunting for him. "Okay, well, we're going out to the barbecue place in a little while, if you want to come along…"
Neji shook his head. "I'm sure you'd rather not have –"
"No," Shikamaru said, so forcefully that he surprised even himself. "No, I mean, I want you to come. If you don't feel like it, I understand. But I'd like you to be there."
"Yo! Shikamaru!" Asuma's tone promised extra laps if Shikamaru did not get his butt down there on the double.
"Yeah, be right there!" he called back. He turned to go. At the base of the rock he turned back.
"I'm glad you killed Kidoumaru. He deserved it." He saw the flicker of emotion on Neji's face, though Neji did not speak.
Asuma was waiting for him in the training area, surrounded by his anxious-looking friends and teammates. He took a couple of moments to reassure them about Neji, before following Asuma a little way down the path to a secluded spot.
"They're back," Asuma said without preamble. Shikamaru cursed under his breath. He didn't have to ask who they were. There had been rumors of Akatsuki sightings.
"So soon?"
"We don't think they ever left. They've been hiding out nearby, probably gathering intel. Lady Tsunade has had it. She wants to smoke them out once and for all."
Shikamaru nodded. "Does she intend to involve Otogakure again?" In light of what he had just heard from Neji, he fervently hoped not.
Asuma shook his head. "Not just yet. First she wants to try an all-out blitz. Every able-bodied shinobi will be called into action. A small force will guard the village, and the rest will go out in teams, starting tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Shikamaru digested this. "Okay. What time do you want us to be ready?"
"We'll all meet at the Kazekage's office at 7 a.m. But you're not going to be on my team. I'm on a special mission with Kakashi and a couple of others."
"So whose team are we on?"
"Yours." Asuma's eyes gleamed. "You'll be leading your first solo mission. You'll take Chouji, Kiba and Naruto and scout out the area to the northwest."
"What about Ino?" He knew better than to ask if he could take Neji, though he would have loved to have the Hyuuga's fighting skills. But Neji wasn't even allowed to be out in the village on his own yet, let alone going on missions.
"Ino, Sai and Sakura will be with Yamato. This is an A-rank mission, by the way." Asuma clapped him on the shoulder. "Now come on, let's go celebrate!"
This was evidently Asuma's idea of an excellent birthday present. Shikamaru, for his part, felt rather dazed and overwhelmed as he followed his sensei back to where the others waited.
###
Neji remained up on the overlook for a while after Shikamaru had gone. He hadn't meant to tell Shikamaru all that, but it had just spilled out. Strangely enough, he did feel a little better now that he had said it.
He debated whether to go down and have dinner with the others. He didn't really feel like being around them. But Shikamaru had said he wanted Neji there, and Shikamaru had given him so much. He could give him this small thing in return. He got to his feet, brushing the sand from his clothes.
The two teams were lounging around the training area as he made his way down. Shikamaru was not with them. Probably he was still with his sensei. The blonde girl, Ino, was there. He still wanted to strike out at her, but for Shikamaru's sake he would not. She looked like she wanted to run away as he approached, but she did not.
Neji stopped a couple of feet away and made a small bow. "I apologize for my rude behavior before. I didn't mean to –"
"It's okay!" Ino broke in, sounding enormously relieved. "Shikamaru told me why you got so mad. I'm really sorry –"
Neji stared at her, feeling hot and cold and sick all at once. Shikamaru had told her? His most terrible, humiliating secret – and Shikamaru had told this empty-headed busybody? He could not catch his breath for a moment; his mind felt filled with a red rage. He should never have trusted Shikamaru, he should never have –
"—I've just lived in Suna all my life, I've never been anywhere, so I didn't know," Ino was saying.
Neji blinked, trying to focus. "Didn't know what?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
"He told me about how in your clan, your hair is sacred, and – and me just taking hold of it like that, it was like – like –"
"Like if you walked up and grabbed her boob!" Naruto put in, grinning. This time both Ino and Sakura turned to whack him.
"Ow, ow, ow – what? Sakura-chaaaaan…"
As Naruto protested, Neji felt relief flood through him. Shikamaru had not told her. He had lied. He had lied to this girl, who was his oldest, closest friend, to protect Neji. "It's okay," he said quietly. "Just a misunderstanding."
Behind her, he could see the sensei and Shikamaru returning. Asuma seemed elated, while Shikamaru looked as if a heavy burden had been placed on him. He looked around at the faces as if searching. When he spotted Neji, he broke into a smile of genuine gladness. Neji felt as if he had stepped into a patch of sunlight. Shikamaru walked next to him as they headed through the streets to the barbecue restaurant. They didn't speak, but Neji felt an odd, comforting connection, as if they understood each other. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought Shikamaru might feel the same.
At the restaurant, as they waited for the meat to be brought out, Asuma ordered a bottle of sake and filled everyone's cup.
"To Shikamaru, a leader of the future!" Asuma said, raising his cup. Shikamaru waved it off, but everyone drank.
"To Shikamaru, a good friend," Chouji said. Everyone drank again, with shouts of, "Yeah!" from Ino, Kiba and Naruto. Looking around at their faces, Neji thought that maybe Shikamaru had been right; maybe their words hadn't been meant as an insult to his clan. Maybe Shikamaru's friends, in their rough way, were just trying to be helpful.
Shikamaru raised his cup. "This is what it's all about," he said. "When we go on missions, this is what we're defending. To be here together with my friends…all my friends…" He looked around the table, smiling, and then at Neji sitting next to him.
Neji felt the warmth of the sake, the warmth of Shikamaru's body next to his, the warmth of his smile. He raised his cup along with everyone else and drank.
###
A.N.: Thanks for reading, everyone! Please leave a review – those warm my heart!