HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE LIKED READING THE FIRST CHAPTER SO I DECIDED TO TYPE ANOTHER ONE. I HOPE THIS ONE ISN'T AS DEPRESSING AS THE FIRST ONE. I'M NOT USED TO THESE LONG CHAPTERS SO FORGIVE ME IF I DRAG IT OUT TOO MUCH.
HAPPY READING:)
"Everything okay Shikamaru?" His mother seemed to be asking him that question a lot these days. Obviously she had good reason to but he found it irritating. She always found random times to ask him that question. Like now, he was fiddling with his father's shogi board, well it was his now. He focused on moving a couple of pieces but his mother still found it necessary to ask him. Maybe she could see the frustration on his face or maybe it was just a mother's intuition but he was still prepared to give his usual answer.
"I'm fine." He had said those two simple words so much that he had thought about tattooing it on his forehead on more than one occasion. He knew that his mother never believed him when he said those words but she still accepted it. She knew he needed his space right now and he was glad that she understood. His mother was actually becoming more... motherly. Maybe she was just trying not to push Shikamaru away since she lost her husband but she definitely wasn't as outspoken and 'pushy' like she was before.
"You're home earlier than usual. What were you doing?" She clearly knew that he didn't spend the day by the cemetery as usual. His life was definitely depressing if that was his hangout of choice.
"Went with Kurenai for her check up then went to the Hokage's office." His laziness couldn't be more evident as he answered.
"How did it go with Kurenai?" He knew that his mother would be asking Kurenai the same question when she saw the pregnant kunoichi again. Maybe she just wanted to have a conversation with her son. That would be weird though since he witnessed many afternoons where his parents would be in the same room but spend their time in silence. Both of them getting wrapped up in the books they were reading. Their relationship certainly was weird but their love for each other was second to none.
"Kurenai and the baby are doing fine. Sakura said that she should just get a little more rest than usual and continue taking her tablets and everything else." He was too lazy to explain everything else but his mother knew what he meant.
"I thought Sakura would be handling more challenging cases. She is a superstar in the medical field now. Her reputation is growing as fast as Tsunade's did." He wasn't surprised by that. Ever since Sakura acquired the strength of a hundred seal, she had been able to use techniques that she usually couldn't do. Her range of medical ninjutsu vastly increased and her techniques began rivalling Lady Tsunade's. In his stupid way, he was proud of her.
"Even superstars need a break it seems."
"You would know. You were the first superstar in your class." That was true. Everyone made a big deal of him being the only one of his friends to be promoted to chunin on his first try. It was greatly overshadowed by the attack on the village and the Third Hokage's death but all eyes were on him. 'The Nara Prodigy', 'The Lazy Genius' and many other names were given to him and he hated each and every one. No one saw him as a coward anymore which meant more troublesome work for him.
He was glad when Neji got promoted straight to jounin after his second chunin exams. He was one of the proctors during that exams though. He guessed that they wanted him there because he was able to pass it the first time around and could point out the flaws and make them correct it. After the exams everyone finally forgot about him and focused on Neji. Getting promoted to chunin was difficult enough but getting promoted straight to jounin level was special. He was just glad to have the spotlight off him and onto Neji so that he could live his normal life.
"I'm still a chunin though. Everyone else is ranked higher than I am. Besides Naruto." Naruto was still a genin. Despite being a 'hero', Lady Tsunade and Kakashi still wanted him to pass the chunin exams which is why he is studying. He will have to take it on his own which means that he would be paired up with people he didn't necessarily know so he would have to be prepared for each situation.
"You're only a chunin by choice. They offered you and all your friends the promotion but you were the only one to turn it down." His mother was still angry at him because of that. After the war, Lady Tsunade offered all of them a promotion to jounin level. They deserved it after their performance in the war. Everyone accepted except Shikamaru. No one knew why and no one bothered asking him since he was still mourning. Choji didn't even want to ask him. He just accepted Shikamaru's decision and went on with life. It wasn't like Shikamaru was leaving the village. He just didn't want the promotion.
"I have enough work to do as it is." Shikamaru defended himself.
"What work? All you ever do is go to the cemetery and look after Kurenai."
"That's why I went to the Hokage's office this morning." Yoshino immediately looked up from her book and stared at her son. She was clearly more interested in their conversation now than Shikamaru was. He never took his attention away from the shogi board as he spoke.
"Are you going to go on missions again?"
"No. He asked me to be his assistant and advisor when he became hokage. I accepted."
"But that means that you could still be sent out on missions."
"I know but I told him that I don't think I should be going on missions yet. I'm sure he understands."
"I'm just glad you're going to be doing some work again." He could hear the happiness in his mother's voice which gave him a little joy as well but he knew that she was just glad that he wouldn't be visiting the cemetery as much anymore. She didn't think it was healthy but he found it therapeutic. Some things you just can't talk about to others. You just need to be left alone in a space you feel comfortable in. That was the cemetery for Shikamaru. A safe place where he felt comfortable enough to express his feelings. He never cried as much as he did in the cemetery. It was his own personal sanctuary where he was able to feel protected by his father and his sensei.
"You always complained that dad worked too much." He remembered all the times his mother told his father to stop working, especially if he brought his work home with him. Despite having a study in the house, she always told him that once he came home then he was a father first no matter what. His father broke that rule on more than one occasion but Shikamaru didn't mind. His mother on the other hand nearly kicked him out of the village, let alone the house but that was the nature of their relationship. It was either subtle or extreme with no in between.
"Because your father did work too much. He had too many jobs. The Jounin Commander was enough of a job on its own but your father was always needed somewhere else as well." Yet another reason why he didn't want to become a jounin.
"Are you planning on taking over as Jounin Commander?"
"I'm still a chunin."
"That's only a stupid title. Everyone knows that you're more than qualified to be the Jounin Commander. I don't think anyone would object to it and if they do want you to become a jounin first then I'm sure Kakashi will make you a jounin on the spot." His mother's confidence in him was second to none. Unlike his father, his mother always showed her emotions and acted on it. If she wanted to say something then she wouldn't back down. His mother never ran from a challenge, she clearly didn't pass that on to Shikamaru.
"I'm not planning on becoming the Jounin Commander or any commander for that matter. Just put me behind a desk and let me work." That's all he needed right now.
"You want to become Hokage then." He could clearly hear the amusement in his mother's voice as she said it. She often tried to tease him and sorely failed but this time she hit the nail on the head. All he could do was just sigh and continue focusing on the shogi board in front of him.
A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation but Shikamaru didn't mind. He needed to get out of that conversation before his mother found something else to tease him about.
"Shikamaru, go see who's at the door."
"If it was important then the person would've knocked again." He really was lazy but he knew his mother was going to make him do something that he would regret if he didn't go open the door. He didn't want to get up though so he reached a compromise. He made a few hand signs then activated his shadow stitching jutsu and used it to open the door. Not really what he had in mind when he first created the jutsu but it worked and he didn't have to get up.
"Shikamaru. How can you be so god damn lazy? If someone is at the door then you get up and go see who it is. What if..." Ino. The only girl he knew that didn't care about the situation. She was headstrong and acted on her emotions. Hell, she was the only female his mother would allow to lecture her son about anything and everything because she knew that he hated it which made his mother encourage it even more.
He blocked Ino out. He knew that she could continue these rants for over 10 minutes if she was in the mood and she definitely seemed to be in the mood to talk today. She once lectured Shikamaru and Choji for nearly half an hour and when Asuma tried to step in then he ended up being lectured to as well. She really didn't care who you were because if she had something on her mind then she had no problem saying it. Maybe that's why she had trouble finding a boyfriend. She obsessed over Sasuke for years but she finally gave up and moved on. Most of his friends tried to avoid Ino because if you said one thing wrong to her then she would come down on you like a mountain. She was alright to have around when there was another girl present though. She didn't care about jumping down guys throats but she did think twice before doing it to a girl.
"Are you even listening to me lazy ass?" He finally tuned back into her ranting. He glanced at the time on the wall; only 3 minutes of ranting, there had to be something bigger on her mind.
"Good afternoon Ino." His lazy greeting seemed to irritate his blonde friend even more and he enjoyed it as much as his mother enjoyed letting Ino torture him. She rolled her eyes then turned around to his mother.
"Good afternoon Mrs Yoshino." Ino politely greeted the old woman.
"Good afternoon Ino." Yoshino definitely didn't hide her amusement at the two young ninja in the room with her. Ino then turned back to Shikamaru and folded her arms across her chest.
"Are you packed yet?" He really didn't have any idea what she was referring to. Definitely friends with Sakura. Asking questions like Shikamaru knew what they were talking about. That was just... troublesome.
"Packed for what?" He continued looking at the shogi board then moved another piece.
"We're sleeping over by Sakura tonight." This was the first time he was hearing about this.
"I thought we were just hanging out."
"We are and then we will be sleeping over as well."
"You seem to be full of surprises today Shikamaru." He could tell that his mother was smiling as she said those words.
"What other surprises has he sprung today?" He knew there was no stopping his mother and Ino now. When they had a conversation then they seemed to dissect every detail about it especially if it was about Shikamaru and he knew that they were going to do it right there not caring one bit that he was in the room.
"He agreed to be the Hokage's assistant and advisor."
"Two positions at once. That's a lot of work."
"I'm just glad he is getting back to work."
"True. I would feel a little safer knowing that Shikamaru is helping Kakashi even if it is just advising Kakashi on a plan. I'm actually excited about working with him again. I've got to spread the good news."
"I'm not going on missions." Shikamaru wanted to make that point clear. He knew that once Ino started 'spreading the news' then somehow it would end up being said that he was taking over as Jounin Commander.
"Not yet." He could her the playfulness in her voice but he knew that she would get him to go on a mission with him. She always pushed him to be better for some reason. She never took 'no' for answer without having a valid reason and even then she still kept on pushing.
"I'm going to go pack an overnight bag for you and when I come back down then we're leaving." She disappeared before Shikamaru even had time to think about protesting her decision.
"She definitely is the sister you need in your life." Yoshino laughed as she saw Shikamaru's disgruntled face.
"Why did our clans have to be so close?"
"Stop complaining. You need her as much as she needs you right now. Only you understand what she's going through even if she moved on." That was true. He didn't need to talk to her about what happened or even listen to her talk about what happened. He just needed her there. All they needed to do was be in each other's presence to get the comfort they needed.
"She's already continuing with life so she doesn't need me."
"She needs you because she didn't grieve properly. She buried her father and moved on with her life. When her grief finally comes to the surface then she is going to need you to be her rock." His mother wasn't wrong. After the funeral, Kurenai and Choji helped him get through everything. They allowed him to be anything he needed to be. There was nothing that he couldn't do that would drive them away. He shouted at them and even ended up fighting Choji at one point but they didn't disappear and that's what he needed. That's what he would do for Ino if she needed it.
"Then why do I need her?"
"You're only moving on now. She already did. You might need her help to move on." He hated when his mother was right about something but right now he was grateful that she had all the answers. He tried getting his brain working again by looking at strategies on the shogi board but it didn't seem to be going all that well. He needed his mother and that's what he got, along with the teasing.
"It's not like I can get rid of Choji or Ino so we're stuck together no matter what."
"Just be careful. You three made a huge impact during the war. Your Ino-Shika-Cho formation is more formidable than your father's was so make sure that you be careful if you're ever needed to go on a mission together." He knew his mother's concern wasn't misplaced. Even though they were in a time of peace, there were still people that were against having powerful shinobi around. There were still people who wanted to control the jinchurikis. There were still people trying to take over villagers.
"I will mom." Finally turned to his mother and smiled.
"I'm finished so we're leaving now." Ino dropped the familiar brown backpack on Shikamaru disturbing the war being played out on the shogi board. Shikamaru let out a low groan but lazily stood up. He neatly put the shogi board and pieces away then positioned the back nicely on his shoulders.
"Have fun tonight." Yoshino told the two ninja.
"You can bet we will." Ino's enthusiasm could only mean one thing for him; trouble.
"See you tomorrow mom." Shikamaru gave his mother a wave then followed Ino out of the house. The two walked in silence out of the compound then he allowed Ino to take the lead as he lazily put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky again. More clouds were around than earlier that morning but it was still a perfect day. Not too hot and not too cold. The peaceful wind provided perfect relief if the temperature seemed to be rising. Everything worked in perfect unison.
"Are you really going to go back to being a ninja?" The question was sudden and striking. Ino seemed to be staring at the ground as she asked the question which really was unusual for her. She always had confidence no matter what she did. She believed that she could do most things but to see her looking at the ground made Shikamaru remember the times when they were very young, even before she met Sakura. He stood up for her when the other kids made fun of her for some stupid reason. He knew that his dad and Ino's dad were friends but he didn't necessarily want to be friends with Ino yet he found himself standing up for her. He did the same for Choji. That's how the three of them began their friendship.
"I'm going to be behind a desk doing paperwork and creating strategies to help ninjas on certain missions. I'm not really going to be a ninja. Not yet anyway."
"So you are planning to go back to the way things were?" He could tell that there was an underlying question that Ino was struggling to ask him but he couldn't seem to figure out what it was.
"I put my life on hold after the war. I needed time to find myself again and accept the way things are now because they can't go back to how they were before. Now I am continuing with my new life. I am never going to be the same no matter what I do so I am going to take things slow." He hoped that he was answering her questions because he wanted to help her just like his mother has said.
"Do you think you will be able to go on missions again?" There was the real question. She was doubting herself. This wasn't about him but rather her insecurities.
"Kurenai said something to be me earlier and now I am going to tell you the same thing. Asuma and your father taught you everything they knew. They knew that one day they might not make it back. They weren't preparing you to take their place though, they were preparing you to be better than them. They died believing in us. They knew that we were the future and that only we can make it better. If Naruto can create this peaceful world we're living in right now then it's our duty to keep it as peaceful so that the children of tomorrow can know the happiness we had, so that Kurenai's child can see that her father raised three great ninja. We might not be able to go on missions today but we will prepare ourselves for the missions of tomorrow."
"Damn Shikamaru. I wasn't expecting that from you." He looked at Ino and saw a tear strolling down her cheek. He hated when his mother was right. He knew that Ino would never allow him to hug her right now or even do something remotely sympathetic. She was too proud to admit it but he preferred it like that. It was stupid but he knew that she was strong enough to overcome it.
"Blame Kurenai. She's the one who gave me a speech this morning. She's the one that told Sakura that I was going to come tonight."
"How is Kurenai doing?" There's the Ino he liked. Caring and cheerful. She wiped away the tear and lifted herself back up again.
"She's doing great. Expected to give birth in four weeks."
"Four weeks? We have to do something for her." This is the Ino he didn't like. Somehow he was going to end up doing something he didn't want to do and she would force him to do it with a smile on his face.
"We don't have to do anything. When she gives birth then she is going to be tired and the baby will be tired as well. Get her a gift instead." He was already bored with this conversation and the way it was most likely heading.
"That's a good idea. Maybe get her something sentimental. What did you do with Asuma's chakra blades?"
"I still have it. I'm planning on teaching her daughter how to use them when she graduates from the academy." He didn't plan on becoming Kurenai's daughter's sensei but he did want to teach her a few things that Asuma taught him.
"I guess we can't use that then. What else is sentimental?" Ino was determined to get a meaningful gift for Kurenai no matter what.
"I think she has everything of Asuma's that we don't. It's not like he gave us anything anyway."
"You have his lighter and the chakra blades."
"He didn't really give it to me. I just held onto it."
"Then we can give back the lighter. That has sentimental value to it." The lighter did have sentimental value but it had sentimental value to Shikamaru more. He used it to make his final move against Hidan. He threw it over the pit where he buried Hidan but the explosion pushed it back out and almost hit him in the head. He thought of it as Asuma's way of telling him to keep the will of fire burning and not throw it away. In a way, that was his will of fire. He always kept it on him and opened it so that he could stare into the flame and remember all the good times he had with his sensei and his teammates.
"The lighter is valuable to me." Ino turned to Shikamaru but she could see that he was telling the truth. Shikamaru hardly ever spoke to her about his feelings but she knew when he was being serious.
"Then what can we get her?" He could tell that Ino was defeated. Getting a gift for Kurenai and her child wasn't a bad idea. He only suggested it because he didn't want Ino to throw a party or anything but the more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him.
"Asuma was part of the Sarutobi clan. Kurenai's daughter will be Konohamaru's cousin. We can ask him if there is anything that we can give Kurenai as symbol of the Sarutobi clan."
"That's a great idea Shikamaru. I didn't think about that." She hardly did. Ino had this way of thinking that irritated Shikamaru. If she thought about something then she didn't think about the next step. She lived in the moment and she only thought about what to do that will get her the best results in that moment. She hardly ever thought about the other factors. Maybe that's why she, Choji and Shikamaru were a great team. Shikamaru always thought ahead while Ino thought about the present. Choji would surprisingly be the voice of reason and help Shikamaru figure out how to continue. It always got on Ino's nerves when the two of them would agree with each other and not with her especially on missions but they always completed their missions, not without any injuries though which were mainly because Ino was too stubborn to follow the plan exactly like it needed to be.
"There's no rush though. You have four whole weeks. Konohamaru is like Naruto though so it's better if you go with him to his house to look for something because he will forget."
"All guys are like that." This was definitely Ino's way of starting a fight.
"Troublesome woman." And this was always his reply. He learnt his lesson not to get into a verbal confrontation with Ino because she will always come out victorious. The only person who could ever match her was Sakura. The two of them could argue whole day about anything and everything. He was pretty sure that they could scare the enemy away with the way their arguments would heat up.
They finally reached Sakura's apartment. It didn't look like much from the outside but he knew just how comfortable it was inside. It was like the perfect bachelor pad for him. Open plan, wooden flooring, one huge bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen connecting to the lounge, a fireplace; simple but perfect. Ino went to the front door and walked into the building. He knew that Sakura was her best friend but Ino was like his sister yet she still knocked on the door every time she went to his house.
"Thank god you're back. I need to go buy some groceries." Sakura was clearly way too busy and Shikamaru could see his chubby friend making food in the kitchen. Choji finally learnt how to make food instead of just devouring it but he still enjoyed the eating part better.
"What do you need me to do then?" Ino asked them. Shikamaru put his bag down in the lounge as he saw Ino enter the kitchen and start helping them.
"Shikamaru, wanna join us?" Choji always wanted to lend a helping hand wherever he could but that's where he and Shikamaru differed. Shikamaru's lazy nature always led him to stay away from any work while Choji's caring nature always led him towards work. The only time Shikamaru could get Choji away from working is if he gave Choji something to snack on.
"Shikamaru is coming with me so you two continue making the food. Don't destroy my kitchen or else I will destroy you." Sakura's threat had no effect on Ino but it definitely made Choji scared.
"Come Shikamaru. We have work to do."
"Work and Shikamaru do not belong in the same sentence." Ino stated. Shikamaru couldn't help but join in their laughter. He knew that Ino was trying to rile Sakura up already since she was stressed enough but he didn't want to be in the middle of a fight so he lazily stood up and went towards Sakura.
"You might want to take off your apron." Shikamaru told her as he pointed to the red apron she wore. She had an embarrassed look on her face for a moment but it was instantly replaced with a focused one.
"Okay, let's go." She raced out of the door but Shikamaru kept to his usual pace and followed behind her. She was always in a rush these days. She had good reason to be rushing in the hospital since a few seconds could mean the difference between life or death there but she didn't need to rush while she was in the village. There was no need to. He noticed her slowing down until she stopped at an intersection of two streets.
"What are you thinking about?" He noticed her hand under her chin and her furrowed brow. That was usually her normal thinking face and he found it amusing. He knew that he looked even sillier especially when he crouched and put his fingertips together while he planned but seeing her do her way of thinking right now was... cute.
"That way." She wanted to take off down the street to the right but he immediately grabbed her soft hand before she was out of reach.
"Do you have to run everywhere?" His annoyance clearly showing.
"We have things to do before tonight so we have to do this quickly."
"Take your time. You should know that rushing doesn't lead to anything good."
"Maybe you should get some energy into those lazy bones of yours every once in a while." She clearly wasn't going to back down any time soon and he didn't have the energy to argue with her right now.
"Let's go then but slow down. No one is chasing you. People should be running away from you actually." They began walking down the dusty road again but side by side this time.
"Was that last part really necessary?"
"No but it's keeping you from running ahead."
"Your hand is actually." He looked down at his hand and forgot that he was still holding Sakura's hand.
"Sorry about that." He immediately put his hand back in his pocket and looked up at the sky above them. He could feel Sakura's eyes on him but he dared not to change his expression. He didn't want to show her how embarrassed he felt. He didn't want to show her anything really. She had this annoying way of getting people to talk even when they didn't want to. He wasn't going to fall for it this time.
"Where are we headed first?"