As Kuroko woke up, he felt dizzy and nauseous. Okay, so sleeping outside with wet hair was not a good idea. He covered his eyes when he looked up to the sky, his eyes overly sensitive to the light. He didn't usually sleep in that long either, it had to be around ten o'clock. Everything felt slow and he couldn't think straight.
He tried to get up and tumbled to the ground from his spot in the tree. "I… I should go to… the…" he mumbled to himself, unable to think of the word. Without even noticing, he drifted back to sleep.
When he woke again, he felt more alert, but just as disoriented. The back of his head felt cold and his back was wet. Slowly getting up, he pieced things together. "I-I should get some medicine…" Taking his time—because he felt horrible and would probably faint if he moved faster—he made his way down the stairs from the monument to the shopping district.
• • • • • •
Exiting a pharmacy, Kuroko looked around for a nearby food stand. The nice man at the counter recommended that food should be eaten with it since it was hard on the stomach. He was rather hungry anyways, and following his nose, he found the type of food he was looking for.
After his purchase, he moved over to the side of the stall and faced the wall. Kuroko looked around to make sure no one was looking before he moved his mask to the side to take the medicine he bought. Quickly popping the pill in his mouth, he took a bite of fish and swallowed.
He didn't notice Shikamaru round the corner and see him take it.
• • • • • •
Shikamaru saw his chance and took it. His mother was distracted and talking to a stall owner she knew, so he dropped his bags beside his father and bolted around the corner. He poked his head around the corner to make sure that his mother didn't notice—she didn't—and sniggered at the betrayed look his Tou-san gave him.
Ha, he'll have to carry all those bags now. Sucker, that's too much work.
When he turned around he did not expect to see Kuroko. He was about to greet him but paused when he saw him put something in his mouth. Shikamaru frowned and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, what was that? He approached when Kuroko fixed his mask after another bite of fish. So he likes fish then, he saw that pleased smile as he was eating.
"Hey Kuroko," he startled Kuroko from that hard flinch he saw.
"O-oh, h-hey Shika!" Kuroko stammered in surprise. He didn't really feel like talking, still feeling unwell and all. His head couldn't really keep up with him.
Shikamaru thought of something, "Yeah, so my family's hosting a clan get together. Want to come?" It was a spur of the moment thing, though at the back of his mind he vaguely remembered his Kaa-san telling him to invite Kuroko during dinner the last two nights.
It took a moment for Kuroko to comprehend what was said, "Clan get together? I-I'm not a part of a clan in Konoha." Sure, outside of Konoha his father was the leader of the Nekoma clan, but the clan never joined Konoha. Kuroko has never really thought about it until now to register that he was the heir of his clan.
"Who said I couldn't invite anyone?" Shikamaru mumbled rhetorically, "Besides, my parents would love to have you over."
Kuroko felt a blush creep up upon him, he wasn't really used to being welcomed. "W-when is it?"
"Today," he paused for a moment and continued, "in an hour or two actually. Kaa-san wanted to get last minute supplies."
Kuroko scratched behind his ear, "A-a little short of notice, but," he sighed, "Okay." He really hoped that the medicine would kick in sooner rather than later.
"You should bring extra clothes and pyjamas–"
"Shikamaru!" A familiar adult female voice shouted in a controlled tone, "I know you're over there."
"Crap, I've been found—hide me."
"W-what! S-Shika!" Kuroko tensed when Shikamaru spun behind him and held him in place as a barrier between his mother and him.
"Of course, you would try and leave," she stomped around the corner of the building, Shikaku following behind his simmering wife. When Kuroko came into view, she suddenly calmed down and smiled, "Oh Kuroko-kun, did Shikamaru ask you?" Kuroko nodded. "Good." She raised an unamused eyebrow as Shikamaru his behind Kuroko.
"I-I am able to attend Yoshino-san."
"Great, then why not come with us now? We were just going to pick up some groceries on our way back and another pair of hands would be fantastic."
Shikamaru nudged Kuroko, "You better come, she seems emotionally unstable today." Kuroko gulped at the withering stare she sent her son. He could feel Shika flinch when his arm tensed on his shoulder.
On the way to the Nara clan compound Kuroko had carried his weight in groceries—which honestly wasn't that much—and on the way, he and Shikamaru talked about what their teams might be like, what kind of teacher they might get, or who their teammates would be. Once they got to the estate they found a few people in front of the gate—one a plump woman with orange makeup around the eyes and another woman who looked regal and refined.
"Yoshino it's about time!" the plump woman exclaimed. "Keiko and I have been here for fifteen minutes."
"Sorry girls, I was getting some supplies," Yoshino gestured to the boys—including her frowning husband—who were carrying various bags. "Don't worry Natsuki I've got all the ingredients we'll need."
"We'll have the best feast yet!" Natsuki rolled up her sleeves in a motion. Yoshino laughed with her friends. They walked into Shikamaru's house and set the bags down on the counter in the kitchen. Kuroko was awfully relieved that he didn't have to carry that weight anymore. He still felt really shaky, though, on the bright side, the medicine was starting to do its job and his head was clearing up.
"You boys shouldn't be in the kitchen, run along and do boy things, us women will take care of it."
Shikamaru sighed, "Come on Kuro. Let's play some shogi until the others arrive."
Kuroko looked between Shika and the two women he didn't know. He inclined his head in a respectful bow and followed after Shikamaru.
"So, is that the boy you were talking about?" The Akimichi's usually happy expression softened as she watched Kuroko leave with Shikamaru.
"Yes. Shikaku told me about how malnourished and skinny he is. That's why I asked if we could get him on the meal plan, I talked to him about it and we can pay for it." There was the implication that Kuroko couldn't afford it—which he wouldn't be able to anyways.
Natsuki waved a hand, "No. You aren't, not without a screening first."
"What do you mean?"
"We have to see him and adjust the meal plan according to his condition. Like for example, if he's anorexic and doesn't get enough calories and nutrition, but it depends on how long it's been like that. You can't just feed someone a lot of food after they've been starved." Yoshino hadn't seen the serious side of Natsuki come out in a long time. She knew that the Akimichi were very knowledgeable about nutrition and were proud of it. "I'll talk about it with Chouza, okay?"
Yoshino nodded and rolled up her sleeves, that was probably the best she could get from the woman. "Alright, it's time for some intense cooking girls!"
• • • • • •
Kuroko and Shikamaru have been playing for about twenty minutes in a comfortable silence. Well, that was until they heard a loud clatter and voices shouting from the kitchen then a wave of laughter. The noise made Kuroko want to get a conversation going. Silence was alright, it was peacefun and calming, but after that racket it felt a bit awkward.
"... S-so what exactly is going on?"
"Clan get together," Shikamaru finished his move and rested his chin in his palm, "the heads are going to talk about boring stuff and the kids just hang out. Afterwards, there's a party."
"Oh," Kuroko moved a promoted bishop back three spaces on the board to protect a rook, idly realizing that heads meant the clan leaders.
"I'm guessing that you're getting whooped?" At the new voice, Kuroko tensed and whipped his head around to see Kiba crouched beside him. He was too engrossed in the game and didn't even notice him enter. Behind the Inuzuka was Ino who was walking around them to sit beside Shikamaru.
"You know, even though I watch you play shogi all the time I still don't get it. It's just so boooring," Ino sighed as she plopped down onto a spare cushion and twirled her long bangs around a finger. Naruto would have the exact same thought, I doubt that he would find this fun, Kuroko thought mildly with a small smile. The two were more similar than he thought.
"Uh... Hi Inuzuka-s-san... Y-yamanaka-san."
"Save the honorifics for my Kaa-san. So, which one's which?" Kiba asked, leaning in and scrutinizing the board. All the pieces looked the same to him. He wasn't into strategy, he would just go.
"Shikamaru's black and I'm white." Even at Kuroko's explanation he still looked confused.
"Oh."
"So... Woah, Shikamaru, you're actually down a piece?" Ino was surprised.
At that Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome," then he moved another piece threatening Kuroko's knight.
Kuroko blinked at the move. It was unexpected. Ino must have influenced him to go for the kill on his weakened right side. Right away Kuroko moved to take his now open golden general, but he paused before putting the piece down. It was a trap. He took a pawn instead to bait him. Shikamaru smirked, Kuroko was good at quick decisions and he almost got him into the net, but he wasn't thinking as far ahead that he was.
There was the telltale sound of chips being crunched. "Hey guys," Chouji waved and put a handful of chips into his mouth.
"Hey, Chouji!" Ino put her hands on her hips, "If you eat too much you will be too full for dinner!" she scolded.
"Let the guy eat," Kiba came in with a stupid grin. "If he eats now there will be more food for us later," he barked in laughter with Akamaru who was on his head.
Actually, that's quite smart of him. Shikamaru had to admit he hadn't thought of that before.
While they chatted, Shikamaru and Kuroko continued their game.
"Ah..." Kuroko noticed it a bit too late and let Shikamaru surround him. While he could still move his king, it had no effect. No matter where he would move it another piece would be able to cover its escape. "I lost."
"Not that it wasn't to be expected," Shikamaru grinned, "but it was a good game." Kuroko crossed his arms and frowned at Shikamaru's cocky attitude.
"H-hello," Hinata said shyly as she entered the room, she had been waiting by the door for a good moment to come in and not disturb anything. Behind her was her younger sister Hanabi, she bowed but otherwise didn't say anything.
"Now we're just missing Shino," Kiba said.
"Um... A-actually he's been here for a while."
Upon being pointed out by Kuroko, Shino spoke, "Yes, Kuroko is right. I have been here for precisely twenty minutes now."
"Who's he?" Hanabi spoke, it didn't sound like a question with the way she said it. She sounded snobby and was looking down to Kuroko.
"Uh... I'm N-Nekoma Kuroko... I-it's n-nice to meet you," Kuroko stammered, she was quite scary for a kid with that inherent irritable expression.
There was a long silence, the atmosphere different with a new person in the mix, and it was a bit awkward.
"D-do you guys want to play h-hide and seek?" Kuroko spoke up, offering something to do. He's never really played it before, but he had seen other kids play it. He got weird looks, "W-we can make it a more complicated version. Like... um..."
"That sounds fun! We should add some tag into it too so Akamaru will be able to run around, he needs to get more exercise." At Kiba's comment, Akamaru growled in annoyance, though it sounded more cute than scary.
"Since Kuroko mentioned it he should be the one who seeks first," Shikamaru said with a smirk. He just didn't want to run after people.
"Excuse me..." Hinata spoke up, "How do we know when we're caught?"
"Oh! How about you have to run to a safe spot to be safe from the person that's it?" Ino offered.
"If that's the case, then you should have to be found before you run," Hanabi added. "Otherwise it would be unfair."
"Before you do anything of the sort, how about dinner first?" The group of graduates looked up to the source of the new voice. It was Shikamaru's mother. As if on cue there was a growl from somebody's stomach—long and loud. They all turned to Kuroko who was playing with the bottom of his poncho in embarrassment. He's only had that skewer of fish since waking up—and he woke up around noon.
"I-I've only had a snack s-so far today… I'm famished."
"How are you even living right now?!" Chouji shouted in uncharacteristic exasperation. He promptly put another handful of chips in his mouth, though not before getting a scary look from Shikamaru's mother.
They all walked down the outdoor corridor and found that the food was set up in a room that connected to the outside. The sliding doors were all open so the yard was visible with all its trees and nature's white beauty. It wasn't too cold but it was a bit chilly. "Everybody get a plate and get as much food as they want."
When Kuroko entered, he looked and saw a whole bunch of adults he didn't know. He shrunk further into his poncho and scarf, shying away from the new people. He grabbed a small portion of food. It all looked delicious and everything, but he felt guilty that he couldn't try all of it. Kuroko stayed away from everyone as he ate. In these situations, he ate by lifting his mask up a bit and bringing his food under the scarf to his mouth.
"Hey, why do you have that mask?" Kuroko looked down and saw Hanabi looking up to him. "I'm sure everyone is wondering why." Kuroko didn't answer. Her stare was intimidating despite being several years younger than him. His breaths became more short and irregular. "Are you hiding something?" Her questions kept coming, one after another. "Don't you know it's impolite to not show us your face? Why are you here anyway? You aren't a part of the founding clans."
"Hanabi!" Came the clipped stern voice of, who was assumed to be, her father.
Kuroko flinched hard at the tone and volume of the voice. "I-I..." his breathing became more laboured—he felt anxiety creep up and grab a hold of him as he felt everyone's eyes on him. He wanted to run away. He put his unfinished plate on a table. "Th–" he tried to swallow the lump in his throat and clenched his fists, trying to choke back his tears, "...Thank you for the food," he said shakily before turning on his heel and running to the bathroom.
"Kuroko! Wait!" Shikamaru gave a dirty look to Hanabi. "Troublesome woman," he muttered and went to chase after his fleeing friend. Shino also bristled along with his bugs.
Yoshino glanced to her husband worriedly. He got the message and followed Shikamaru to where Kuroko went. The rest of the kids were silent, feeling guilty for not intervening when Hanabi got to in his face and went all superior on him.
"Was that the kid Yoshino and Shikaku were talking to us about?" Chouza asked his wife.
"Yes. They weren't exaggerating that his appetite being non-existent." Natsuki and Chouza saw the small portion of food Kuroko took, only half of it eaten and wasn't being touched since before Hanabi started bombarding him with questions.
"Kuroko... I-Is he going to be okay?" Hinata asked, worried.
"My husband and Shikamaru are going to check up on him. He'll be back out soon." Then Yoshino clapped her hands together, dissipating the downed mood of the room. "Alright kids eat your food, when Kuroko comes back you can play."
They all chorused, "Yes Yoshino-san," in sync and continued eating in silence. Hanabi pouted beside her father after being scolded.
There was a knock on their bathroom door, "Kuroko." Shikamaru could hear sniffles. He knew Kuroko was crying. Now he really wanted—no needed—to know why he was like this. He flinched at any physical contact and loud voices or noises, he always covered up, and he was emotionally unstable.
There was a long pause, and then came Kuroko's tired scratchy voice, "Go away."
"No," Shikamaru replied bluntly, "I'll wait until you open the door." He put his back against the door, sliding to the floor, he would sit there for as long as it would take.
Kuroko looked at himself in the mirror. "Why... why am I so different?" He reached up to feel an ear, and it was soft—it was real. Moving his hair, he saw the ears that normal people had.
I should only have one pair... but both of them work. I'm a freak.
Even if Hanabi didn't say it explicitly he got what she was trying to get across—he was smart enough to read between the lines. Am I not human? He felt tears well up, blurring the vision of himself in the mirror. Kuroko didn't care if he was hurting himself from clenching his hands so hard, it helped to distract him from his internal turmoil.
It was times like these that he really wished that his family was back to how it used to be—his mother would comfort him by rub circles on his back and hum a pretty song, while his father would tell him to embrace the weakness and accept it, accepting your faults is the first step to becoming strong, son.
A shiver racked his body as emotion overwhelmed him. I know… I know that Otou-san! I know that I'm weak—I know that I'm a freak! I just can't accept it.
I can't accept myself!
Kuroko sighed shakily, his mind going back to the dark numbness as if in a cycle of torture. He loathed himself—he just wanted to be normal.
• • • • • •
Shikamaru looked up from his crossed arms when he saw legs in front of him. "Oh… hey Tou-san."
"How is he?"
Shikamaru frowned, shrugging with a deep sigh, "He won't open the door. It's been fifteen minutes."
Inside the bathroom, Kuroko was curled up into a ball in a corner. He opened his palms, staring at the blood slowly soaking through his gloves. He had been gripping his hands hard enough that he drew blood. He took off his gloves and watched in morbid fascination as the white bandages slowly absorb the fresh blood.
Shikaku decided to take drastic measures, he knew that Kuroko was a nice boy, but he was emotionally unstable and he didn't know if his injuries were self-inflicted or not. He picked the lock on the door and when he opened the door, he saw Kuroko with his mask off, staring at his bloody hand with empty eyes.
"Shikamaru, go finish eating," Shikaku ordered, and without another word he entered the bathroom, closing the door behind himself before Shikamaru could protest.
Shikamaru went back to the dining room, grabbed his plate, and went back to wait outside the washroom—a loophole that he exploited. He really wanted to see how Kuroko was doing and it was persistent in his mind.
Shikaku locked the door behind himself so nobody would walk in unexpectedly and knelt in front of Kuroko.
"Kuroko, let's get you some new bandages, alright?" Shikaku asked, and Kuroko nodded slowly in return. Sluggishly, he rolled up his sleeve and undid the bandages around his hand. He went to reach into his bag for new ones but stopped when he noticed that Shikaku already had some.
Kuroko felt dazed and before he knew it, when he came back out of his trance, he had his mask on and his hands were covered in fresh bandaged with his gloves on. He blinked owlishly for a few seconds, still unable to process things properly. It was either his high emotional stress or his fever that made him feel like this—though it was most definitely both. Kuroko didn't even hear a voice calling out to him.
"–roko, Kuroko? Are you alright?" He looked up from the floor to see Shikamaru standing in front of him.
"Uh... yes..." he said slowly, still feeling sluggish.
"Everybody's worried."
At that Kuroko's eyes widened, they were worried about him? Worried? He felt a small smile creep up on his lips as he followed Shikamaru back to the dining room. When they returned everybody looked over to him and he felt another small wave of panic at the attention. Taking a deep breath and holding it for three, he breathed out and quelled his anxiety.
"H-how are you feeling?" Hinata felt bad for not stopping her sister.
"Yeah! I mean Hanabi is cold and mean and everything but–" Kiba stopped when Hanabi glared at him and cleared her throat.
"I... I'm sorry. I came off too strong in my questioning and made you feel threatened," she bowed lowly and Kuroko flustered.
"Um… a-apology accepted Hyuga-san,"
Hinata smiled at her sister who sighed lightly in relief, "K-Kuroko-kun, do y-you still want to play hide and g-go seek tag?"
Kuroko nodded, "S-sure…" he felt a little flutter of happiness in his stomach.
"Sorry, but I won't be playing," Chouji spoke up, "I hurt myself when sparring against Iruka-sensei during the exam."
"Oh, okay."
"Then you're it, remember? Count to... twenty and then come find us." Ino ran off to hide before he could start counting.
"Cheater!" Kiba shouted as Ino turned onto the outdoor hallway and out of sight.
"No taijutsu kids! I don't want to pay any hospital bills today," one of the parents shouted from further in the house.
"Aww but Kaa-san!" Kiba whined.
"No buts." Tsume was a tough looking woman and while she would usually let something like this slide and let the kids play, she was a firm believer in what hurts you makes you stronger, she was more concerned about property damage.
"Okay..." came the dejected sigh of Kiba, Shikamaru, however, looked relieved.
Kuroko smiled and flipped his poncho up to cover his face. The others looked at him weirdly but when he started counting slowly they ran. "One... Two... Three... Four..." Kuroko couldn't help but grin. It was weird, he felt like garbage earlier, that he shouldn't even be there, but now he was just happy for some reason. He was having fun, but couldn't place the nice feeling he had inside him.
While Kuroko was counting a new person joined in on the party. "Good evening, I apologise that I'm late."
"No worries Hokage-sama. There is still food left if you'd like," Yoshino bowed politely and gestured to the table.
The other heads bowed to Hiruzen and exchanged pleasantries. He looked down to see a boy bent over covering his face with his ponch—oh, it was Kuroko, he recognized.
"What are the children doing?"
"A game of hide and go seek tag," Chouza came in with a smile, Inoichi following behind to converse with Shikaku and the Hokage, "Kuroko is it."
"Eighteen... Nineteen... Twenty!" Kuroko stood up and his poncho fell back down. He blinked and saw the Hokage looking at him with a smile. He nodded in respect, "G-good evening Hokage-sama," then he turned and scanned the yard, eyes flickering around to look for any abnormalities.
"What's he doing?" Ino mumbled and peeked out of her hiding spot. "He's just… standing there..." she whispered to herself in confusion. She thought the spot was genius. After running outside, when Kuroko covered his eyes she snuck back in and hid in the house.
Kuroko's eyes snapped to the side, hearing a voice come from behind him. "Oh... Um, Yoshino-san, by a-any chance do you know where my d-drink cup is?" He asked—but he knew exactly where it was.
"It's on the side table over there, dear."
"Oh, th-thank you." He walked silently to the table where a decorative curtain was hanging by the window. He lifted his mask, making sure no one could see, and drank some water. "Ahh... I s-should have said no hiding inside. So..." he paused and faced the curtain, "Would you like to run… or no?"
"Eat curtain!" Ino shouted, draping the curtain over his head as she bolted and ran around a corner. Kuroko followed, hot on her tail—literally a tail, her long ponytail gave her away while whirling the around the corner. He quickly caught up and tapped her shoulder.
"Aww man, I can't believe I was the first one out!"
"H-hey, guys—Hinata and Hanabi too!" He raised his voice and it cracked since he wasn't used to yelling, he blushed but continued, "I-I forgot to say that we c-can't hide inside!" If they broke anything they would surely get scolded by Yoshino and the other parents. "D-do you think they heard me?" Kuroko turned to ask Ino.
"I don't know. I don't think they would want to give away their spots. I'll go ask our parents if any more of us hid inside."
"Thank you, Y-Yamanaka-san."
"Please, Ino's fine."
"I-Ino-san then."
Ino smiled and went back to the porch, sitting down on the edge to kick off the snow that was stuck on her boots. "Hey, Otou-san?" She looked up from the ledge she was sitting on and saw that he was conversing with an... older looking man? Not the Hokage, he was sitting down and sipping on tea as he watched Kuroko look for the remaining people. The man wore a cloth face mask—not like Kuroko's solid one—that covered his mouth and nose with a shinobi headband slanted to cover one eye. His hair was really interesting, it was white! I've heard of albino people, but I've never seen one.
"Yes, Ino-chan?"
"Did any other people hide inside?" she started kicking her legs back and forth over the ledge idly, "We forgot to add something to the rules."
"No. Everyone else hid outside, you were the only one."
"Oh..." She paused in thought for a few seconds. "... Then how in the world did I get caught first!? That's that last place anyone would look! ARGH!" Inoichi chuckled at his daughter's mini freak-out. She frowned and pouted as she watched the game unfold. Chouji had the same idea and plopped down beside her to watch.
Kuroko had been looking around and saw a bush move when there was no wind. Behind it was Kiba and Akamaru, the dog was scratching behind its ear and caused the bush to move. Kiba noticed Kuroko walking in their direction, his instinct telling him that they were noticed. He was hoping that it would've been played off by falling snow from the tree above him, but he didn't have the best luck and Akamaru just had to scratch.
"Aww crap, Akamaru hurry! Run for the safe spot!" They just started their motion to get up and run, but Kiba ended up slipping on the snow. Kuroko took his chance and tapped the two of them.
"Noooo..." Kiba groaned face first into the snow, "Whyyy." Akamaru even whined.
"Hmmm...?" Kuroko stretched and looked up and… Is that a leg? A leg was dangling off a branch near the top. Most trees leaves were already changing colours and falling, so those trees would be risky to hide in, though the tree he was under was a pine. It looked like it was Hanabi from the kimono. Kuroko climbed the tree without trying to alert her, he was feeling a little mischievous.
Hanabi frowned and scanned the ground for Kuroko, he was just there a second ago... right? He did just get the Inuzuka. She didn't see him go anywhere though, now she was on hyperalert because she didn't see him anywhere around the yard.
She didn't notice him behind her, she didn't even hear him. Kuroko held his lips in his mouth to hold in his laughter, but couldn't hold back the smile. He grabbed her shoulders and—
"Boo."
There was a shriek and she tumbled from the height of the tree into a pile of snow head first. Kuroko blinked owlishly, he didn't think that she would be that startled. Just before he jumped down, Kuroko noticed a bundle of black hair on the roof. With the snow, it was very obvious. He wondered if Shikamaru even noticed that his hair gave him away.
So that's where the lazy one chose to hide, of course. I'll get him later...
When he jumped down he saw her scowling and Kiba howling in laughter. "Hahahaha! That was hilarious! KYAAAAA!" he imitated her scream in an annoyingly high falsetto voice.
Hanabi glared at Kiba who slowly stopped laughing and wiped a tear from his eye. She looked to Kuroko with a frown, "That really was quite unnecessary."
"S-sorry," he scratched behind his ear nervously. "Hmmm... It's just Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru now..."
He looked for a place he hadn't gone to yet. There was a pond at the corner of the yard, but it was ridiculous to hide in the pond when it was -10°C. Looking towards the house, the distance he had from it helped when he noticed something lavender coloured under the porch. He walked around, not straight to where she was, but eventually stood right in front of where the girl was. He waited a few seconds to lull Hinata into a false sense of security. When he felt that she relaxed after the pause, he dropped down to a crouch and tilted his head.
Hinata paled and tried to scramble out of there. It was a creative hiding spot, but it wasn't very good in terms of manoeuvrability. He tapped her ankle, "T-that was a good spot though H-Hyuga-san," he reached out a hand and helped her out of the spot she was stuck in.
"T-thank you."
A smile danced onto his lips when he remembered where Shikamaru was hiding, he's right above me. Kuroko bent his knees and jumped up to the roof, scaring him shitless. Shikamaru scrambled up from his laying position and threw a large snowball at Kuroko's face. He couldn't dodge in time and it hit his mask straight on, the snow stuck to the mask with how wet it was and hindered his vision.
"T-That was dirty!"
Kuroko spun around to follow Shikamaru when a wave of dizziness caused him to slip just like Kiba and fell off the roof, a huge pile of snow following behind and falling right on top of him. After a second of struggle, Kuroko popped out of the snow pile and gave chase to Shikamaru.
He was about to get out of his sights.
"Oh? This is the first actual chase in the whole game—and it's with Shikamaru!" Chouza barked a laugh.
Shikamaru ran around the pond and went to climb up the only tree over there when he saw Kuroko honing in on him, "Troublesome." He could have just run to the safe spot, but he went the wrong way, the momentum from landing on the snow made him slide instead of turning around sharply. "Tch," he readied another snowball, but by then Kuroko was too close.
Kuroko leapt into the air over the pond and Shikamaru ran under him. "Ah!" He was going to crash into the tree's base, he adjusted himself in midair so his feet landed on the trunk and pushed off in the direction Shikamaru ran, tackling him down from the propulsion.
"You..." Kuroko panted, "have been tagged." That running took all of his energy and he couldn't move. Shikamaru turned over and knocked Kuroko off from on top of him.
"N-now… there's only Shino," Kuroko took a deep breath and sighed, he was tired.
"Yeah," Shikamaru put a hand out to help him up. "Come on, you need to get up so you can find him."
Kuroko took his hand graciously and was about to thank him, but suddenly took off quickly to tag Shino. When Shikamaru helped him up, he got a good visual angle behind the tree to see an unusually shaped pile of snow with two black circles.
Shino didn't have a chance to escape his snow pile from the speed Kuroko was approaching and ended up getting tagged before even moving.
"T-that was a tricky hiding spot Shino," Kuroko rested his hands on his knees and tried to regain his breath. He really felt winded from that and needed to stay still to wait out the dizziness. If Kuroko didn't see his glasses in the snow he wouldn't have looked over there. It was the chase with Shikamaru that helped him find Shino.
Shikamaru laughed after Shino got up, snow was covering him completely, but his glasses looked weird and stood out in the pile of white.
"Atchoo!"
They all looked to Kuroko who was shivering, his teeth clattering. The cold was just setting in on him. It was also cooling down with the sun starting to go past the horizon—the snow that had also run down his shirt from falling off the roof did a number on him too.
"Come over here, boys! There's hot chocolate." Chouji's mother shouted.
They went back inside for the hot treat and warmed themselves up. The sliding doors to the porch were closed since the wind was picking up and went to change into spare clothing. Kuroko changed into baggy pants—which was actually his father's old pair that he cut to fit—and a large long sleeved shirt, which was also his fathers. His poncho and scarf were soaking wet from the snow that melted on them and were given to Yoshino who insisted that she could wash his clothes. He also had to take his bandages off since they were damp too. He didn't have any extra—having run out of them—so he didn't have any on. He was thankful that his wounds were all healed from the last visit with the doctor the Hokage recommended. She was really nice. Though he had scabs on his hand now from before, but that wasn't in need of a bandage anymore anyways. When Kuroko was finished changing, he exited the bathroom and peeked around the corner into the dining room. "Uh... um, Shikaku-san... D-do you have a blanket or anything? P-please?"
Shikaku turned from his conversation with Kakashi to see a white mask and curly black hair floating by the doorframe. Kuroko looked very uncomfortable.
"I'll get one for you dear," Yoshino smiled and went to a closet that held the extra linens, pillows, and blankets.
"T-thank you."
"Hey, Kuroko, why do you wear so many layers?" Kiba asked but remembered what happened with him and Hanabi. "Just wondering," he added.
"I-I feel uncomfortable without them," Kuroko answered simply from his hiding spot. "I g-guess it's an, uh, anxiety thing?" Inoichi's attention was effectively drawn, he was a mental specialist after all.
"Oh."
Kakashi couldn't help but wonder what was up with that mask of Kuroko's. He could sense a strong genjutsu over it but Hiruzen wasn't addressing him about it. So he let go of the topic, he trusted his Hokage. "So that's the boy that reminds you of me." Shikaku laughed at Kakashi's sudden topic of conversation.
"He's an extreme version of you alright." Inoichi drank the last of his beer, "Doesn't show a sliver of skin."
Yoshino returned with the blanket, it was medium sized, black and very fuzzy. She thought that he would like it. He grabbed it and wrapped it around himself before entering the room. "It's so fluffy," he stroked it back and forth happily. It was an odd feeling, he always had bandages covering his hands—it was weird to feel something in its entirety after dulling his sense of touch for so long. He felt something touch his arm and he flinched and tensed up.
"Oh my god, Yoshino-san you have to tell me where you got this!" Ino noticed the flinch but took it as if she accidentally startled him. Shikamaru frowned when he noticed, and Kiba seemed to be in thought—which in itself was strange—about how Kuroko acted. Kiba decided not to voice anything about it. He had been yelled at not to pry into things that weren't any of his business by his mother. She meant business.
They chatted idly and relaxed until the moon took over the night sky. Through a window they could see the moon illuminating the clouds it was behind as it snowed.
"Why is it snowing anyways? It's the beginning of fall!" Ino said with exasperation. She didn't like it, it made her hair frizz up and get messy.
"Otou-san said it's a cold front or something," Chouji said. "I heard him talking about some ninja reporting about the unusual weather with your father, Shikamaru."
"Some ninja had a mission out west and reported a strong storm coming. The storm probably died down by the time it got here."
"Yeah, but why snow! It messes up my hair!" Ino frowned, "Rain's not any better though..."
The topic of the conversation was brought over to Kiba when Akamaru barked. "I have something to tell you guys," he said seriously and went right into a story. He was telling a funny story when he, Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji skipped class, though in the middle of it a fierce looking woman approached them. The tattoos on her cheeks were a dead giveaway that she was Kiba's mother, Tsume.
"Alright squirt, it's time to go home."
"But Kaaaa-saaan, we were just talking about–"
"Inuzuka Kiba."
"Y-yes!" He stood up quickly and straightened, he knew the true fear of being called by his full name.
"Your parents also said to get ready to leave," she got varying replies from the other children. Then she looked over to Kuroko, "You, come with me."
"M-me?" Kuroko squeaked.
Tsume nodded and cocked her head, beckoning him to follow. He was taken to another room which had the other adults in, Inoichi, Chouza and his wife Natsuki, Hiruzen and both Shikaku and Yoshino, also a man he didn't know the name of. He shrunk further into the blanket that he still had wrapped around him. He felt really small compared to everybody in the room.
"Kuroko-kun," Hiruzen spoke kindly, "Do not fret, there isn't anything to fear. The Nara's here have noticed your… health and proposed an offer to help you."
"Help?"
"Yes," Yoshino took over from Hiruzen. She wanted to ask him, it was her idea in the first place. "Kuroko-kun, over the few dinners we have had the pleasure of having you over for, we have noticed some unsettling things. Your complexion is sickly and you do not eat enough. I'm afraid that you may be malnourished." Kuroko absently stroked the blanket anxiously, its softness calming to him. "If you're aspiring to be a shinobi you will need a healthy and strong body. I have talked it over with Hokage-sama and the Akamichi to get you on a meal plan."
Kuroko blinked, "A-a meal plan?" He thought it was going to be something much worse, if anything it was a good thing—though there must be a catch, "For what cost?"
"You would have to be examined by the Akimichi to see what kind of meal plan you need. It costs–"
"Nothing," Yoshino intercepted Hiruzen, "I will pay for it."
"I-I can't accept that," Kuroko said nervously, but he was serious. He didn't want anyone spending money on or for him—he felt that he didn't deserve it. "I would like to do it... but I will pay. I might not have the money now, but I could pay a down fee and pay the rest in intervals."
Shikaku sighed heavily, "How about this then? You keep your money, we'll pay for it, and you can pay us back when you have it. No interest."
Kuroko frowned and was about to retort when another voice came in.
"Are you going to do it or no? It's that simple," Kakashi said as he looked over his book to Kuroko. He didn't really know why he was called for this meeting.
"..." Kuroko stayed silent for a moment. The people around him were being kind enough to help him. He thought it over, "I'll... agree."
"Would we be able to do the examination here?" Chouza spoke for the first time since this whole ordeal started. "It's a physical examination and questions about your diet."
"Phy-physical?"
"Kakashi, Inoichi, Natsuki, Yoshino, if you would please leave it would be more comfortable for Kuroko." Even though Hiruzen asked politely, it was quite obviously an order. He had promised to keep Kuroko's secret a secret, and also the boy was uncomfortable with so many people around. Chouza wouldn't get in on it though since Kuroko wouldn't need to take off his mask.
Thank Kami-sama.