Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and probably Shonen Jump, with license to Viz Media
Translation note:
"Ganbatte" means "Do your best." It's used when trying to encourage someone (e.g. someone facing a challenge, having a difficult test at school or important meeting at work).
"Ganbarimasu" means "I'll do my best" and is a common response to "Ganbatte."
Ganbatte
Shikamaru looked at the disaster that was once Kurenai's tidy living room. There were baby bottles, baby spoons, small face towels, and hooded bath towels piled in a box to the right. A random assortment of bottles labeled baby shampoo; baby oil, baby lotion and other ointments were spilling out of a shopping bag.
He turned and nearly tripped on a gigantic box of diapers. Wrapping paper and ribbons littered the floor. Abandon half-empty glasses were scattered on every horizontal surface.
Shikamaru expected a mess, but what shocked him was the sheer quantity of clothes. Cute baby clothes. His eye twitched. It seemed completely impossible that any one child could require so much stuff.
The genius shinobi sighed. Live and learn. "Where is Kurenai-sensei?" He asked finally.
Hinata smiled at the bewildered young man. "The girls wanted to take her out for a special pregnancy message and spa treatment. They won't be back for a few hours."
Shikamaru paused before he spoke. Hinata was obviously still here. She either didn't want to go or felt she should stay behind. Probably wanted to clean up the place before Kurenai returned. He was sure that Sakura and Ino and even Anko would have helped clean up after they returned. So why…?
"I want Kurenai to have a nice time and come home relaxed. If everyone was helping to clean up when they returned, Kurenai-sensei would have felt uncomfortable." Hinata explained before he could ask.
"You gave up a professional massage to clean? A true sign of love." Shikamaru teased as he started to pick up the debris in the living room. This was going to take a while. Who knew a baby shower would create so much work.
Hinata blushed. "I…I don't mind." She was uncomfortable with any kind of praise. "Besides, Kiba offered to make it up to me. He was going to help me clean up but was called away for a mission." She explained as she folded and sorted the hundred little pieces of baby clothing into neat piles. Hinata smiled as she watched the infamously lazy genius moving through the mess to help. A year ago, he wouldn't have even bothered to visit Kurenai and Asuma's home. He would have been content to meet Asuma on the training grounds or the BBQ restaurants. Now he practically lived here and helped in every small way that he could.
Shikamaru kept moving through the room, putting trash away. His mind stumbled on what he heard. "How is Kiba going to make it up to you?" He asked out loud.
Hinata didn't notice the hint of suspicion in Shikamaru's tone. "Either he will give me a massage or he'll do the family dinner dishes for a month. My choice." Kiba was a good helper to prepare the weekly Team Asuma, Team Kurenai group dinner dubbed the "family dinner." But the Akamaru and his partner always disappeared around clean up time. Something to do with his enhanced sense of smell and the dish soap. Or so he claimed. Typical Inuzuka excuse.
"Help with dishes would be good." Shikamaru commented.
"You just want a break from drying dishes." Hinata teased. She noticed the 3 to 6 months baby clothes pile was getting ridiculously high. She continued to sort and wondered if she should pick a few to exchange for larger sizes.
"Giving you a massage seems more like a privilege then a penance." Shikamaru explained. "Dishes are a better deal." He eyed the countertop full of dirty dishes from the baby shower.
Hinata giggled and started working her way through another pile of gifts. She made notes as she went through the mess of gifts. Shikamaru smiled at the sound of her happiness and turned away from the pile of dirty dishes to find another task. Any other task.
"I'd rather give you a massage then help you clean." Shikamaru quipped. He decided that Hinata had the best job of sorting and organizing the gifts and sat down next to her to help.
Hinata blushed at his comment and his proximity. Before she could respond, a messenger bird from Hokage Tower interrupted them. The bird alighted on the window frame. It indicated Shikamaru with a nod of its head.
The light-hearted moment ended abruptly.
They didn't need to speak. Hinata continued her notes and organizing while Shikamaru took the message and read it. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he tipped his head backward. She didn't ask.
He would either tell her about it or not. She trusted his judgment.
After a few moments of silence, he explained. "Mission, A-ranked, starts in 2 hours at the gate."
Hinata stopped moving for a moment as she processed what he had said. Then she picked up another baby outfit, folded it, stacked it and noted her list. Shikamaru watched her pale calloused hands ghost gracefully over the soft fabric meant for the baby. He could remember the warm soft touch of her fingertips and palms when she checked him for injuries.
"Solo?" She asked finally unable to wait for him to continue.
"No, a chunin will meet me at the gate and has further details of the mission." He replied.
"Ah." She commented as she finally finished with the gifts. A bit of her unease left her. A-ranked missions were common fare for Shikamaru, but the solo missions were more worrisome. She was glad he had a partner.
"You don't have much time." She realized as the she looked at the clock. Preparing for an A-ranked mission would require some thought. There were few simple A-ranked missions. The boy genius formerly known for his laziness NEVER received a simple mission.
"Yeah." He drawled as stared at the ceiling as though hoping it would open up and reveal the sky to him.
"You can get ready here, it will save some time. Between Kurenai and myself, you should be able stock up on anything you need." Hinata suggested. A small part of her simply wanted him to stay close for as long as he could. But she buried that in the obvious reason. Shikamaru-kun didn't need to waste time running back to his home and then back out towards the gate just to pick up a few shuriken.
Hinata stood up and offered her hand to her friend. Shikamaru took it and allowed himself to be pulled up. If he was standing a bit too close, neither of them seemed to mind. Hinata keep his hand in hers and moved through the messy room toward her room.
Shikamaru tamped down on his hormones as his teenage mind imagined all the different reasons she could be guiding him to her room. Despite their close friendship and a few intimate moments of comfort, Hinata had never given him the impression that she wanted more. It was both comforting and frustrating to know that this kunoichi accepted him and would not make any demands of him.
His affection for her continued to grow with each moment spent with her.
"Well, um…what do you need?" Hinata asked him. Shikamaru blinked and realized they were in her room. She was kneeling by the futon. His mind processed several mental images which involved her, the futon and considerably less clothes. The images were gone in an instant as he noticed that she had begun to lay out her weapons and tools methodically on her futon.
Standard issue kunei, senbon, shuriken and other metal weapons were neatly organized in one bundle. A multi-pocket folder was open revealing stacks of precise calligraphy on tags for a variety of explosives and other jutsu. Hinata heaved a larger container that rattled slightly. "This box has various types of medicinal salves. Everything from a simple liniment oil for sore muscles to creams to disinfect or help blood clotting." She explained. She pointed to one section "These are lotions to neutralize the effects of topical poisons."
Hinata continued to pull things and lay them on her futon. Shikamaru took a moment to admire her organization and thoroughness. "Hinata, I think you have a more complete set of tools and weapons than the village armory plus the hospital emergency room."
Hinata smiled. "The right tool at the right moment can be the difference between life and death for a shinobi." She quoted from the academy.
"Hopefully your life and the other guys death." Shikamaru finished the sentiment with Iruka-sensei's quote. Iruka-sensei's humor often helped the young academy children cope with more difficult aspect of their dangerous profession. Somehow the thin joke fell flat now that they were experienced fighters in an on-going conflict.
Shikamaru shook off the thought and removed his vest. He reviewed the limited information in the message and formulated a packing list in his mind. He quickly checked his vest and pulled a few things from the futon. He tested the weight of a medicinal salve jar and decided to pack it. Hinata's salve always had either lavender or jasmine to blunt the sharps smells from the medicine. He liked that. It reminded him of her.
He rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck then rechecked his gear. It looked complete. The shadow master nin was tired. There were another half dozen things he wanted to help Kurenai-sensei with before the baby came. It was only a week before the due date, though the doctor had predicted a that the baby would be even later. Something about first born's always being more cautious and waiting for everything to be "just right."
Shadow fell on across his face as he realized he only had a little over an hour before he had to leave for the gate and the start of his mission. Time was always running short. Shikamaru patted down his solider pills compartment and then pulled the small box out to double check the quantity. 3 day mission, 12 soldier pills. He counted out 13 pills. He absently rolled the thirteenth pill between his thumb and forefinger.
Hinata silently and efficiently put away the extra gear. It looked like Shikamaru had what he needed. She worried about him as his played with the soldier pill. It was very tempting to take a soldier pill when you were tired or stress. The belief that just a little more charka would provide that extra boost. But Shikamaru knew the dangers of the round little bitter medicine pills.
The Hyuuga heiress cleared her mind of concern and painted a small smile on her face. "Ganbatte Shikamaru." She said. Do your best.
Shikamaru heart warmed to hear his name on her lips. He looked up from the solider pill and saw her clear eyes shining with trust and faith. She wore her emotions openly.
"Ganbarimasu Hinata." He replied. I'll do my best, he promised. He tucked the thirteenth pill back in its small box. The small box disappeared into his vest.
Shikamaru ran a final check on his gear. His vest and weapons pouches were secured and packed correctly. They would be traveling light and fast. He had just enough for a three-day mission and not more. He and his mission partner would either have to buy food or hunt it.
He lifted the vest to put back on. Hinata tugged the vest from his hands and put it on the floor to the side. Shikamaru didn't ask as she unzipped and took off her own hooded jacket. Hinata sat on top of her futon and set the clock alarm to go off in less than one hour.
Her face was burning with a deep blush as she laid down on the futon and curled to one side. She closed her eyes to the afternoon sun filtering in through the window.
Shikamaru stared as the obvious invitation sank into his quick mind. It wouldn't be the first time they had slept on the same futon together. It wouldn't even be the fifth time.
Stress, irregular schedules, bloody nightmares created the need to remember simple human contact. On her futon, Shikamaru and Hinata found their own humanity. But it was always fueled by their friendship and compassion. It also usually followed a hard mission and they had an excuse of exhaustion or illness. The darkness and weariness of the evening helped erase their embarrassment and natural shyness.
Today, Shikamaru closed the curtains to block some of the afternoon sun. He didn't question Hinata's motives and climbed onto the futon to curl up behind her. He hesitated to touch her and was surprised when Hinata pulled his arms to wrap around her waist. His hands were on her stomach. Her hands were covering his.
Shikamaru's apprehension increased as he used the new position to pull her back flush against his body. He could feel her stiff shoulder relax as he buried his face in the nook between her neck and shoulder. He inhaled the scent of smell of jasmine and some kind of medicinal herbs. The Nara genius loved that scent, he dreamed of it sometimes.
He let go of new mission worries and planning. He let go of the worries about his mom coping with both Shikamaru and his father on constant missions. He let go of the ill-bred idea of the quick fix with a solider pill. He enjoyed the moment.
There was just one worry.
A sigh escaped his lips and he asked. "What about Kurenai-sensei?"
"Kurenai-sensei and the others won't be back until after you have to leave." Hinata replied. Her finger began to trace patterns on the back of his hand. "Go to sleep. Even 30 minutes of rest will help you tonight."
That was one of the problems of quick-start missions. It might start in the evening with travel all night eventually arriving at the destination completely sleep deprived. It was a tough way to start your day, especially when your life was at stake.
They were both asleep in minutes as they let their training take over. A shinobi must be able to take rest whenever they are able to.
.......
The grating "beep beep beep" of Hinata alarm clock woke them both up. Shikamaru pressed a discrete kiss to the top of Hinata head. Hinata's hand fumbled for a moment and hit the alarm clock with a bit more force then necessary to shut it off.
They were both groggy, but Hinata acted first. Their bodies were still spooned together and she rotated to face him. She blushed as she realized that their faces ended up very close. So she rolled Shikamaru on his back and awkwardly leaned over him instead.
"Ganbatte Shikamaru." She said as her face showed her concern. Do your best.
"Ganbarimasu Hinata." He replied a bit bemused by her serious expression. I'll do my best.
He wondered what else she wanted to say. As she looked at him, not moving from her position above him. Her tightened slightly and he waited. She seemed to have decided something.
"When you return, come back here." She requested.
"Sure." Shikamaru agreed easily. He usually stopped by after each mission. Sometimes to check in on Kurenai-sensei and sometimes to bring groceries. It was part of his routine.
"No. I mean, come back here to me." She clarified.
Shikamaru forehead wrinkled as he allowed his confusion to show. It was true he didn't explicitly come to visit Hinata. Well, he did sometimes. It was just an odd request.
"We…we have un-unfinished business." Hinata stuttered her embarrassment as her face began to heat up.
Odd. Definitely odd. Shikamaru's confusion grew.
"Okay." He agreed, less certainly.
Hinata leaned over and kissed him.
First on his mouth, then small kisses on his check, his neck, his shoulder and behind his ear. By the time she got back to his mouth, Shikamaru was ready for her and kissed her back.
Author's Note: Please review!
I'm not sure if I am done with this story. I kind of like this ending. So maybe this is a good stopping point. On the other hand, they haven't quite grown up yet and they are still on a journey to become "cool adults."
Happy Fall!
