HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. I AM SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT. THINGS HAVE BEEN SO HECTIC FOR ME THIS YEAR. I HARDLY EVEN HAVE TIME TO TYPE MY OTHER STORIES ANYMORE. I'M GLAD THAT I GOT TO TYPE THIS STORY AGAIN. I'M SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER ISN'T AS GOOD AS THE OTHERS BUT I AM JUST TRYING TO GET A FEEL FOR THIS FANFIC AGAIN. THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN SUPPORTING THIS STORY. I'M SORRY FOR THE MISTAKES AS USUAL. I'M USING THE AMERICAN SPELLING NOW SO I HOPE IT DOESN'T CONFUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE.
HAPPY READING
"Looks like you finally found your way back home." Yoshino told her son when he entered the house carrying the scrolls and paperwork that he took from his office at the Hokage tower.
"It's good to see you too mom." He replied as he uncharacteristically gave his mother a hug. She had an iron spoon in her hand and her apron on so she must've been preparing dinner.
"You can put those in the study then go wash up before dinner."
"I just got home, couldn't you wait a minute before you start ordering me around?" He knew challenging his mother right now wasn't the best idea but he was just glad to be back home.
"Don't make me send you to the hospital." Yoshino threatened her son. He knew better than to be a smartass once his mother threatened him because she didn't make threats lightly.
He remembered one night when his mother threatened not to make dinner if he and his father didn't clean the house. Both of them were too lazy and ignored the threat. Unfortunately for them, they ended up having to make their own dinners and still cleaning the house while Yoshino went over to the Akimichi's to join their dinner.
"Yes ma'am." Shikamaru was tempted to give his mother a bow but decided against it. She might've taken it the wrong way.
"I'm glad you're okay." This time Yoshino initiated the embrace. The lazy ninja just let it happen since he was too tired to do anything about it. His mother needed it more than he did especially after his father died. She needed to make sure that he was okay but that confused him since she was the one that wanted him to be a ninja again. He didn't dare question her logic though, more out of fear than anything else. No matter how much he loved his mother, she scared the hell out of him.
"I'm going to go put these things down." He immediately slipped away from his mother then walked down the passage that was neatly decorated with framed pictures of him and his parents that his mother put up after the war. This was actually the first time he was really looking at it and taking it in. He didn't really like taking pictures, it was just another troublesome thing that wasted his time. He would've preferred using that time to lay on a bed of grass somewhere under the warm rays of the bright sun. By his father's expressions in most of the photographs, he would've preferred doing something else as well.
Suddenly one picture caught his attention. One perfect moment that captured the essence of the love he had for his father. One single frame of pure happiness that would never be attained again. He found himself being drawn to the picture and unable to move as the emotions came rushing back to him.
"Your father was such a drag on that trip." Kurenai's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned his head then saw the soon to be mother making her way down the passage. She was probably going to her room when she saw him.
"We had a difficult time convincing him to come with us but ultimately your mother ended up threatening him into going. Lord Third was a little worried that Kakashi, Asuma and I were all taking some time off to join you and your parents but we needed the break. Your father still took his work with him but that afternoon was the first time I finally saw the fatherly side of the strict and stern Shikaku." Kurenai took the picture off the wall then held it in her hands as she stood next to the younger Nara.
"I don't remember this trip." Shikamaru felt his voice ready to break but he refused to give in. He didn't want to break down right now.
"You were only 2 so I doubt you will remember. You just started talking, well at least making sense in a way. That afternoon your mother packed us lunch and we wanted to have a picnic in a clearing in the woods. Your father forgot to bring the blanket and your mother didn't trust him enough to go back to the house we were staying in without continuing his work so your mother and I went to go fetch it and left you and your father to look after the food basically. We found you and your father laughing as you fed some nuts to the squirrels when we came back. You guys looked like you were having such a great time that we had to take a picture. That was one of the rare times I heard your father genuinely laugh as well. Your mother swears that this specific moment was when she knew that you were going to turn out exactly like your father. Looks like she was right." Kurenai smiled as she looked at the picture of a very young Shikamaru sitting in between his father's legs while both of them had the brightest smiles on their faces.
"When is she never right?" Shikamaru responded but had a tear rolling down his cheek.
"A mother just knows I guess." Kurenai reached out her arms and threw them around the taller ninja next to her. Shikamaru reluctantly wrapped his arms around the older woman as well. Despite the tear that escaped his eye, he wasn't sad. He was surprisingly happy. I guess it was a tear of joy.
"You're going to be a great mother." Shikamaru truthfully stated. He didn't have a doubt in his mind there.
"Well we're going to meet this little girl that has been so troublesome soon." Kurenai released Shikamaru then gently placed her hands on her protruding stomach. He smiled as he saw how happy Kurenai looked right now.
"She's going to be even more troublesome once she's here though." They shared a light chuckle at Shikamaru's reply.
"I helped look after you when you were a baby and you weren't a lot of work. All you wanted to do was sleep or drink your bottle. At least you were friendly. My little girl will hopefully follow your lead there."
"Even if she gives you any trouble, you literally have the help of the village." He was pretty sure that once Kurenai gives birth then there would be some sort of celebration in the village. Kurenai was a well known and respected kunoichi all around the village so the birth of her child, who was also happened to be a descendant of the Third Hokage, was bound to be something worth celebrating.
"Shirking your responsibilities already." Looks like Kurenai was back to herself now. She challenged the young Nara who quickly regained his composure.
"You're going to be living here for a while after you give birth so there is no running away from my responsibilities no matter what." He gave her a lazy smile and she immediately responded with a gracious one of her own.
"I'll hold you to that. I'm going to lie down a bit before dinner so you should go get ready for work as well." Kurenai instructed him but a wave of worry suddenly washed over him.
"Is everything okay?" A list of problems began forming in his head but that sorely outweighed the list of solutions that he could come up with. He hoped that it wasn't anything serious.
"Relax Shikamaru. I'm just tired and your girlfriend did say that I needed to rest in this last month. Between you and Asuma's little demon inside me, you guys are tiring." Kurenai turned around and immediately began making her way back down the passage.
"Asuma's little demon." Shikamaru sighed as he put the picture back in its place. "Sounds troublesome."
Shikamaru finished his journey to the study he often found his father in. It felt weird that he was the one that was probably going to be in here most of the time now. Looks like he was following in his father's foosteps. He set his work down on the classy wooden desk then exited the room and went up to his room. It was already late evening so he couldn't really take his time to wash him like he'd hope for. He was excited for the food if he was being honest. He didn't really have a home cooked meal from his mother since before he left for the Earth nation.
"Shikamaru, I'm coming in." Shikamaru heard a familiar female voice as he showered him.
"Sakura?" He asked as he turned the water off while the door opened and finally allowed the steam that built up in the room to escape.
"Yeah. How do you see anything with all this steam? It's dangerous you know." Yep, definitely the beautiful medic ninja in the bathroom with him right now.
"You didn't seem to be complaining about it this morning." Shikamaru smirked as he tied his towel around his waist then stepped out of the shower and stood in front of his pink haired lover. He took in what she was wearing and couldn't take his eyes off how beautiful she looked. She wore a plain pink dress that made her look as innocent as a flower despite the demonic nature she had when she was on the battlefield. She was just full of surprises.
"Staring is disrespectful idiot." Sakura folded her arms over her chest as she stared at the lazy ninja in front of her. Shikamaru immediately looked away but couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed that he stared at her for as long as he did.
"Sorry about that." Shikamaru quickly apologized. "You look beautiful though."
"Thank you. You better dress up as well." She ordered him.
"Why do I have to dress up? It's my house." Shikamaru pointed out but Sakura's deathly stare said enough to convince him.
"Fine." He reluctantly agreed.
"Great. I'm going to go help your mother in the kitchen so don't take too long." Sakura went closer to him then gave him a quick kiss before leaving the steamy bathroom.
"Such a drag." Shikamaru sighed as he exited the bathroom as well. He didn't think she would be here this early. Sakura told him that she needed to go discuss something with her parents and that she might be a little late so that's what he was hoping for rather than having her come early. This was definitely going to be a long night.
He went to his room and then dried him before taking out clothes that would hopefully make him look decent and 'dressed up' enough for Sakura. Why was Sakura wearing a dress anyway? It's not like she needed to make a good impression on his mother or Kurenai. If anything, he was the one that should probably be putting in the effort there. He put on a formal black pants and wore a matching black shirt but he refused to wear a tie. It was uncomfortable and he was getting too hot right now since he stepped out of the shower. It was cold outside but he was at home so he could easily just come back up to his room to fetch a jacket later anyway. He tied up his hair then made his way down to the kitchen to see how it was going with Sakura and his mother.
"… under the bridge where found the lucky stick." Yoshino said as Shikamaru approached the kitchen. Sakura burst out laughing and Shikamaru immediately felt embarrassed. He had begged his mother to stop telling that shameful story from his very early childhood.
"I asked you not to tell that story anymore mom." Shikamaru lazily said while he leaned against the doorframe. Sakura and his mother were plating one of his favorite dishes, mackerel and kelp. His excitement for dinner definitely rose now.
"It's a beautiful story Shikamaru, nothing to be embarrassed about." His mother responded while Sakura turned to look at him with a playful smile on her face.
"Easy for you to say." He muttered under his breath so that no one could hear.
"Set the table while we finish up here." His mother instructed him. He immediately began setting the table the way his parents taught him, well mainly his father. Shikaku taught his son to set the table when he was young as a surprise for his mother on her birthday. Shikamaru did his best to remember everything his father told him but ultimately ended up doing it wrong. Yoshino appreciated the effort though and ended up helping him.
"Four places, are we expecting anyone?" Kurenai asked as she appeared by the dining table.
"Sakura is here. She's helping mom prepare dinner." Shikamaru mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of questions that Kurenai was bound to throw at him right now. She's been saying that he and Sakura should be together for weeks now so now that she was finally right she would probably have more than enough to say about them.
"Sakura hey? Looks like I was right." Kurenai was clearly not going to be humble about this.
"It's just dinner. It's not like I am going to propose to her or anything." Shikamaru stated. He wanted to draw the line now already so that Kurenai didn't overstep during their meal. She probably was still going to overstep no matter how many times Shikamaru drew the line.
"You're the one talking about marriage here, not me." Kurenai responded as she took a seat by the table.
"Tch… troublesome woman." Shikamaru's frustrated reply clearly amused Kurenai as she smiled and tried not to laugh.
"Foods ready." Yoshino announced as she and Sakura emerged from the kitchen and placed the food on table. This was one way to be welcomed home. Yoshino took the seat at the head of the table so Sakura took the seat next to her. Kurenai eyed him as he took the seat next to the pink haired kunoichi but he knew that she was just trying to make him nervous.
"Let's eat." His mother permitted them.
"Shikamaru, how was your meeting with the Daimyo?" Kurenai asked him as they began dishing their food.
"It was interesting. He's not what I expected actually." Shikamaru honestly answered as Sakura took the salad bowl and began dishing more salad onto his plate. He knew that arguing with her was going to be pointless especially with Kurenai and his mother to back her up right now. He was seriously outnumbered.
"What did he want? Why did he want to meet with you?" Yoshino asked this time while they began eating.
"He just wanted to meet me basically. I got the feeling from him and a lot of people actually that dad was going to retire from his positions after the war and probably hoping that I step into them." This time it was his turn to indirectly question his mother and Kurenai.
"He did mention it to me. He loved his work though so I didn't know how serious he was but he definitely believed that you were capable of filling his shoes." Yoshino casually answered him.
"I told you that he met with Lady Tsunade before the war to discuss it." Kurenai reminded him.
"The Daimyo wasn't exactly happy to hear that I didn't want to be the Jounin Commander though." Shikamaru told them.
"Are you going to be meeting with him again?" Kurenai asked.
"I am one of the Hokage's advisor's and the head of my clan so I'm bound to meet with him in the future again." Shikamaru replied. "And he ordered me to take over dad's position on his council."
"You're on the Daimyo's council?" The surprise in Sakura's voice was justified. Shikamaru hadn't told anyone about it until now actually. The Daimyo probably informed Kakashi about it already but he didn't think anyone else would know.
"Yeah. He said that my father believed that it was time for me to lead. With everything that happened, I guess that I forgot to mention that." He scratched the back of his head as he had a nervous smile on his face while all 3 women stared at him in disbelief.
"How do you forget something that important?" Sakura asked him.
"Well right after that I proposed the Shinobi Union which I am also leading." The lazy ninja defended himself.
"What is a 'Shinobi Union' and why are you leading it?" Yoshino asked her son.
"It's basically like a continuation of the Allied Shinobi Force but instead of forming it for war, I proposed that it was there to stop a war before it came to that. This way all 5 great nations work together and are informed of what is happening and we can take down larger groups of criminals from every nation easier and quicker. I suggested that I be the temporary leader since there is a criminal organization out there that's targeting the Sage of Six Paths' Tools. Once that is finished then I am planning on stepping down and allowing the Kage to elect a proper leader." Shikamaru explained. Yoshino and Kurenai immediately looked at each other and smiled as they shared a light laugh.
"What's the laughter about?" Shikamaru quizzically asked them. He turned to Sakura but she didn't look like she knew what was going on either.
"Your father was thrust into leadership positions just as quickly as you are being." Kurenai answered him as she continued chuckling.
"Like father like son I suppose." Yoshino added. Shikamaru surprisingly didn't feel pressured by those words anymore. It's like he didn't care about being compared to his father. Shikaku created a proud and prestigious legacy but Shikamaru was planning on creating one of his own so he didn't care about what other people said anymore.
"You're going to have your hands full trying to look after him now." His mother told Sakura who then turned to him.
"He's always been a handful but he's surprisingly worth it." Shikamaru had to force himself not to grab Sakura right now and kiss her as passionately as he could. She said those words so easily yet so sincerely. She really believed in him and their relationship.
"So what are you guys now?" Kurenai's words nearly made Shikamaru choke on the piece of fish he was swallowing. Why did she have to throw a spanner in the works right now? Everything was going great until she said those words.
"I don't know." Shikamaru nervously answered her. "Sakura has agreed to go on a date with me so I guess we're dating."
"You guys have known each other for so long than you can just skip the dating phase and just get married you know." Kurenai casually stated causing Sakura to nearly choke on her food this time.
"We're not there yet. We haven't even gone on a date yet." Shikamaru replied as he turned to Sakura but she looked just as nervous as he was feeling. What was his mother and Kurenai doing by putting them under pressure like this?
"The elders were talking about you getting married soon." Yoshino informed her son.
"Sakura and I will get married when we get married so they shouldn't rush it." Shikamaru exploded. The older women looked at each other then began laughing again. They were clearly enjoying this. He turned to look at Sakura again but she was hurriedly stuffing her mouth with as much food as possible so that she wasn't able to say anything that would embarrass herself like Shikamaru was right now.
"That's good to know Shikamaru." Yoshino replied as amusement plagued her face while he sighed.
"Troublesome women."
THAT'S IT I GUESS. I'LL TRY MY BEST TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER READY BUT I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT WILL BE. I HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS WORTH THE WAIT BUT IF IT WASN'T THEN YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOMED TO HATE ME IN THE REVIEWS OR SEND ME SOME HATEMAIL. I DEFINITELY DESERVE IT BUT DON'T BE TOO HARSH ON ME BECAUSE I AM JUST ANOTHER STUPID GUY. UNTIL NEXT TIME GUYS AND GIRLS, SEE YA.