"Oh, it looks wonderful on you Kyoko-chan!" Maria gushed, taking yet another picture of the newly graduated genin. Kyoko adjusted her new forehead protector, not yet used to the strange weight of it, and blushed. The other students around her were being showered with praise by their parents, some of them grumbling and others beaming, and Kyoko just barely stopped herself from doing the latter. She might have loved the attention the woman was giving her, but there was no need for Maria or her father to know that.
"Yeah. I guess." She mumbled, looking at her father from the corner of her eye. He was smirking down at her and when he saw she was peeking at him he reached out and ruffled her hair, messing up the two perfect pigtails she had painstakingly worked on for the special occasion.
"Good job." He said, pride hidden under a layer of his usual bored attitude. But Kyoko heard it and hid the grin on her face.
"Yeah, sure."
"Okay you three, let's do a big happy family picture! Asuma, don't roll your eyes at me, just get over there and stand next to your sister like you love her. Yes, I mean it. Stop making that face and -Shika, try and look a little enthused. After all, your baby girl just graduated! Hey now, don't you roll your eyes too. You could at least pretend to be an adult." She lifted the camera up and smiled, a bundle of energy like usual. "Okay, now everyone! Big smiles! And-"
"Wait!" Kyoko said, making the woman pause and her brother sigh as he figured out that this would take a lot longer than he wanted it to.
"What is it?" Maria asked the girl, confused as to what would be wrong with what she had thought was going to be an adorable little picture.
"You have to be in it too." The girl declared. Maria smiled at her, fingers nervously fiddling with the camera. "Now Kyoko, I don't think that-"
"You said it's a family picture, and you're family. Plus, it's my day so you technically have to do what I say."
"But-"
"Come on," Shikamaru said, waving her over. "Give the camera to someone and get over here so we can get this over with. So troublesome." He grumbled.
Maria found herself blinking away tears, turning quickly so that they wouldn't see how much this little photo meant to her. "Hey, sorry," She said to a nearby woman, "Could you please take a picture for us?"
She got in behind the kids and beside Shikamaru, putting one of her arms around Kyoko to pull the girl to her so that they could squeeze in tighter, her other hand on Asuma's shoulder.
"Alright!" The smiling stranger said, "Say cheese!"
Maria and Kyoko were the only ones to comply, the men of the family having far too much dignity to think of doing such a thing. The light flashed and the woman handed the camera back to Maria, smiling. "You have such a lovely family." She offered, and Maria just couldn't help it anymore.
"Oh my! Are you alright?" She panicked and Maria waved her away, smiling watery at her. "Yes, sorry. It's just... I suppose the flash was a bit bright." She sniffled, wiping away the few tears that had escaped.
In case you didn't get it, she's crying because she's happy.
Why? Because she absolutely loves these three and they're her family in her heart, and this is the first time that she feels that her little dream of them being together is finally coming true.
Some of you might not want to like Maria because she's the one Shikamaru is moving on with when Temari is being held captive, but this woman is loving and kind and is in every sense of the word but one Kyoko's and Asuma's mother.
I've fallen in love with her character, and I really want to make her happy, so she get's her family. Though you don't have to fear if you hate Maria, this is an advertised ShikaTema fic.
This was just a little thing so that I could get all of my thoughts straightened out because it seems Kathy has gone on a vacation, though she'll be back soon!
You're all so beautiful that the sun isn't setting at night, it's actually hiding it's face in shame because it can't stand to try and outshine you for even one more minute.
I love you all!