The last chapter was a transition piece. It's basically a list of semi-revised quotes from all over the story to sorta remind you what happened. I needed it, to make my brain cross the gap 'tween sections. I thought maybe you'd need it, too.

Warnings: angst. Kids gossiping. Language. Relatively unedited.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Thank you to everyone who reviews; you help me stay interested in this confusing, difficult fic.

Thanks to betas, 'cause you're just lovely people all.

愛 Something of Love: Ai no Koto
の
事

Chapter One
the first Section…by Taes

Shikamaru lay on the back deck of his house. One couldn't call it a deck, really; it was a few planks of wood, raised up from the cement patio—a cement sidewalk that gave way to a simple garden Shikamaru had weeded and watered many a'day. Some would assume the youth took pride in his work; others wouldn't.

In truth, it depended on what kind of mood Shikamaru was in.

So, as he sleepily traced patterns in the sky, Shikamaru became content—to a greater or lesser degree—with the world. One thought, however, floated in and out of consciousness, where it was swatted aside—and, once again, to a greater or lesser degree—for less tiresome subjects.

But it came again and again, like a rather persistent fly.

School trip's coming up...

And Chouji's in Naruto's group...while Sasuke's in mine...I know they've coordinated our schedules...

Great...an entire week with those noisy girls, and the argumentative, none-too discreet couple...

The thought in itself was troublesome; Shikamaru would rather it abandon his mind, and leave his final day of peace and relaxation—for the next week, in any case—alone.

But, it seemed, neither relaxation nor peace were specials of the day. Indeed, the clashing forces to both desired states came bounding forward in the shape of one khaki-and-blue clad teenager sporting messy, hastily combed hair and wide, wide blue eyes.

It's Sunday. The thought was a surprising one.

Naruto should be at work...That occurred to Shikamaru almost simultaneously as the last thought.

"What is it, you," Shikamaru asked so lazily it seemed more of a comment than a question. "You're late for work." He mumbled, and shielded the sun out of his line of sight. Naruto, he saw, had come to a complete, awkward stop just below the glaring celestial body; he was haloed in light.

It's too bright, he thought. Too bright to see him clearly.

Naruto laughed, sharp and raucous and full. Just like he always did.

Nevertheless, Shikamaru noticed the difference almost immediately; he heard the confusion behind the mirth, he understood the sense of hopelessness that went hand in hand with unintended glee.

"What," Shikamaru urged, but Naruto laughed a little longer. "Tell me," curiosity peaked, and sense of alarm ringing, Shikamaru was more than a little disturbed.

Naruto shook his head wordlessly.

"What?"

"I'm not." Naruto said, simply.

Silence followed, while Shikamaru tried to comprehend this profound statement.

'I'm'…'not'…he says…he isn't. Isn't what?

Isn't here?

Isn't telling me?

Shikamaru let his frown deepen, and sat up. He leaned back on his arms, and tried to peer into the too bright aura. "What do you mean," Shikamaru felt his voice hallow. He wasn't the suspicious type; he based his assumptions on knowledge, on facts and proven patterns of thought.

He didn't believe in gut senses.

It took more than a feeling, more than a passing notion to get him worried.

...so why am I so…tense?

"I'm not late." Naruto clarified, but he didn't move, he didn't sit down or invite himself into Shikamaru's house, where food could be found. He didn't sit down and offer childish interpretations of clouds' forms.

Shikamaru glanced at the clock inside. "You're not." It was clearly past noon.

Naruto shuffled, he scratched a pattern into the earth absently. "They fired me."

Shikamaru slumped back on his porch, ready to resume his lazy observation of the heavens. "Oh. Is that all?"

He half expected Naruto to pout, to scream or act like a small child.

Naruto sighed. "I dunno, I dunno anything, Shikamaru…Kabuto told me the manager wanted to see me when I got in, and she just said that I'm not ta come back…they don't need me anymore, they don't need me bringing in the wrong kinda crowd, or attractin' the eyes'uh people I've never even met, I mean, fuck.

"What'd I do, huh?"

Naruto twisted in place. Naruto shook his head so roughly Shikamaru's head ached in sympathy, and Shikamaru's eyes twitched with discomfort. With each movement, he revealed less or more of the sun, and the sudden change from light to dark was painful.

"What'd I do to make them do that?" Naruto's voice was forlorn, and yet it was filled with anger.

"I mean, they've always told people a reason why they fire 'em, right?" a nervous laugh filled his throat, threatened to burst and strangle the precious blond.

"Yeah, I mean, every one else gets told some half-ass reasoning like, 'oh, your drawer was forty thousand yen short,' or even, hell, 'you've been consistently late for the last week,' or some shit like that! They always look at me with those eyes—" the anger swallowed him first, and it made Naruto's fists tremble with the weight of it.

"But me, I mean, me?"

Shikamaru didn't sigh, but he would have.

Naruto had always dealt with prejudices, always dealt with being the odd one in a primarily homogenous society.

"What'd I do?"

Shikamaru had to wonder. Is he talking about work, or something else?

Shikamaru wished he had an answer for Naruto.

"I didn't do shit, man, I didn't,

"I didn't."

There was a pause in the string of words, and Naruto shook his head again, heavily.

"And they didn't even tell me what I s'pos'dly did."

Perhaps that was the greatest grievance Naruto had.

Perhaps not.

"…it's not fair…I didn't…" Naruto swallowed.

"I didn't do shit! Fuck 'em all, I didn't do shit!" the anger took hold again, and Naruto's voice carried farther than before.

"They're just lazy fat-ass bastards who don't like high school kids. They just don't like me, the fuckers…I hate 'em all…" fury built in Naruto's voice, and for a while, there was silence.

Shikamaru let his ears fool him…let his ears tell him that Naruto really was all right, wasn't affected by the change at all.

But Shikamaru stared at Naruto in silence. He sat up slowly, and let his eyes stay just below Naruto's haloed face—the sun was just too bright.

Finally, he said, "So you're fired." He smiled wryly and shrugged a little. "Because you kissed Sasuke?" he hazarded, slowly. He raised an eyebrow.

Naruto's face flamed. "Don't look at me like that, Shikamaru! I didn't do anything. I didn't! Your eyes are telling me everything, man, you don't believe me!" he looked hurt. "I thought we were friends."

Shikamaru put one hand on his forehead. "Friends, was it?" he leveled his gaze with the garden and resisted the urge to lay back down. "So, friends don't talk at school, hmm? Or do other things on days off?"

Naruto's expression was stony.

Shikamaru smiled weakly. Sardonically. "Don't worry, now you'll just have more time to spend with your boyfriend."

Naruto sputtered. "Hey, hey, he's not my—"

"Then what is he? Huh? A once-in-a-while fuck?"

Naruto stared. "How'd you—"

Shikamaru laughed quietly, and finally he gave in to the urge to put his back to the floor. "I'm not stupid, Naruto." A tinge of regret painted his voice as he stared up at the clouds. "Anyone could tell, with the way you walk, the way he looks at you…" Shikamaru's eyes closed. "The way you look at him."

Naruto finally sat down. At that point, Shikamaru could tell by the way his then-shadowed face shone. He could tell the other boy'd wiped away angry, frustrated tears. He could see the mixed emotions; anger, disappointment, regret and…

…something even a genius may not readily name.

With a quiet laugh and a far-from amused smile, Naruto looked at Shikamaru. He frowned briefly and offered a fox-grin.

No eyes open. Smile bigger than could be.

Three lines on Naruto's right cheek, framing his face like whiskers.

"At least we can spend some time ta'ge'th'r on the school trip, huh? You'll be on my bus, right? You can come up with some kinda excuse, huh? Somethin' ta get you with me 'n Chouji an—an—" he fumbled with words as he tried to avoid hat Shikamaru'd already thought.

The dark-haired boy's expression was distasteful. "And you'd like it if Sasuke came too, right?"

Naruto sighed. Put a hand through his hair. "No." his voice was firm. "The bastard annoys the hell outta me." He laughed.

Shikamaru knew it to be true.

"He's just such a fuckin' prick! I mean, he's always trying to show us off 'r somethin'…ya know?" He looked into Shikamaru's eyes.

A smile threatened to ruin Shikamaru's bored expression. "And you've learned that that kinda attention's no good, huh?"

Naruto's face turned dead white.

Shikamaru wondered, maybe I shouldn't have said anything at all.

But Naruto laughed anyways.

And then he went, not to be seen—by Shikamaru—until the day of departure.

That day.

The sky was gray when they departed.

To Naruto, daylight came far too soon. A long Sunday of wandering outside, avoiding sunburn and ranting to friends left him feeling drained. Everything had him more than a little depressed, and substantially hungry.

He didn't say a word to Kakashi about his job, and his guardian didn't pry.

Kakashi woke Naruto up on time, and the rushed schedule began.

Early Monday morning, Naruto threw every school shirt he owned in a bag, grabbed his laundered gym clothes from the hanger they were drying on, and searched for his sketchbook and pencils. Unlike his friends, he had no games to play over the flight or the bus ride. He packed no snacks; just clothes, bath-items, and toiletries.

"Kakashi!" Naruto called from the washitsu. "My piece'a paper says I need to bring bento," a boxed lunch, "for the airport—"

The door opened, and Kakashi smiled at his adopted son. The tall man dangled a delicately wrapped, square-shaped parcel from one hand. "Done and done." His eyes were kind.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks." He lifted his hands with the notion that Kakashi would toss the lunch. When the guardian did, he caught it happily and easily noted the extra onigiri, rice balls, on top.

"It's your favorite." The man said, awkward. "Salmon and tuna...one natto," fermented soy beans, "filled one, as well." Kakashi squatted down to better see the blond, and lazily scanned Naruto's disorganized room.

Naruto grinned as he leaned in for a hug. "Seriously, thanks..." he smiled broadly, then, as Kakashi produced an envelope from his vest-pocket.

The white envelope was decorated with golden thread, and in Kakashi's exquisite calligraphy, Uzumaki Naruto was inscribed...like otoshidama, New Year's money.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Ahh, I thought you'd been, hm...rather well-behaved recently." The gray-haired man rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I hope you will enjoy yourself." He made to stand. "...don't forget to do the homework they assign, yes?"

Naruto leapt to his feet, and embraced his guardian tightly. "..." there were no words to be said, and at last, Kakashi exited.

With an exuberant grin, Naruto cleaned up as quickly as he dared. The vacuum was pulled out, and every last speck of dust was cleared from the tatami mats, carefully, painstakingly. Naruto felt that the room looked better than it had in an age; even his school books were piled neatly under the windowsill.

Breakfast was a quick affair, with both guardian and child in a hurry to get to Minami ko on time. An hour after Naruto had woken, Kakashi helped Naruto unload his two bags.

Naruto's stomach turned, and a sense of queasy unease filled him. He looked at Kakashi with his head spinning, eyes wider than usual. "Kakashi..." he offered a small smile.

A warm hand on Naruto's shoulder dispelled some of the apprehension. "It'll be all right." Kakashi murmured; quiet, knowing. "You'll be back before you know it, and we can start saving for the next big adventure, hmm?"

Naruto nodded weakly. "Yeah..." he grinned, despite his feelings. He was eager to show his guardian how well he could take care of himself, wanting to show Kakashi—

Don't worry.

I'll take care of me, and then?


Then I'll take care of you. You can count on me, you know...

Kakashi warmly rubbed Naruto's shoulder, and fluffed the boy's hair as an afterthought, ignorant to the boy's protests. "You've left food out for your fish, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"You've already done your laundry, taken care of your chores, and..." Kakashi thought for a moment. "You did tell your work you'd be gone, yes?"

Naruto's face went white.

Kakashi sighed. "Naruto, you've known about this for months—"

Naruto shook his head, and the feeling of disquiet revisited, to turn his stomach upside down and tear it to knots. "Kakashi..."

His guardian smiled a little, though exasperation showed above the sunglasses. "Don't worry, I'll call for you—"

Naruto frowned, annoyed. "No, don't!" frustration built and broke in his voice.

Kakashi blinked, and turned slowly to face his child. "Naruto." His voice was low. Dangerous. "What haven't you told me?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows knit in irritation. "I got fired." He said, simply.

Kakashi's face went lax with surprise. "Oh..."

Naruto turned around, lifted his bags, and made his way indoors.

"Be safe, Naruto."

Naruto lifted one hand in return, but he didn't look at his guardian.

Kakashi's eyes followed him in.

Shikamaru sighed quietly.

The early morning was disturbed by too many teenagers talking, boys and girls alike chatting amiably to friends on cell phones, in small groups, and over wide distances. Each group rallied under the student-elected leader, the present students were tallied, and busses stalled for the late students.

Shikamaru was one such boy, and through a cleverly timed exit to the bathroom, he managed to miss every bus but one—

Naruto's.

He offered a rueful smile to the boy as he boarded.

The blond was unusually quiet for the morning.

Perhaps, Shikamaru reasoned, it's because of his seat-mate.

Through unhappy luck, he was seated next to one of the least pleasant girls of their grade, Ayako. Shikamaru chose his place next to Chouji, just a little behind the boy. When the engines started, and the bus took off, the chatter seemed to rise in volume, and high-pitched, girlish squeals littered the air.

Shikamaru turned to Chouji, and raised an eyebrow quietly. "You ready for this?" he asked, amused.

Chouji laughed, full and round and amused. "Sure thing!" he held up one pudgy hand, and thumped it whole-heartedly against his chest. "I've got enough snacks to last us two weeks..." he grinned.

With a quiet laugh, Shikamaru asked, "So you figure it'll last how long?" he prodded. "The whole five-and-a-half days?"

Chouji threw his head back and laughed out right. "Nah." He grinned. "I give it two."

Shikamaru smiled, and settled in to listen to their classmates.

Half an hour passed with Ino addressing her class solemnly, half of them ignoring her, and half urging her on. She talked about all they stood to learn, the great sights they'd see, and other things Shikamaru toned out.

He was relieved when the annoying girl stopped chatting.

Ayako's smooth, amused voice cut through the din. "Hey, hey, I've got loads of magazines, Emi! Look it, this one's got your love future mapped out, just by answering some questions!" she laughed and thrust a thinly-bound pamphlet at the other girl, across two annoyed boys to one grinning Emi.

"Oh, le'me see!"

The girls were clearly amused by this, and even Ino—class president—seemed entertained by the proposed questions.

Shikamaru closed his eyes, and willed the girls to shut up.

They didn't.

Fortunately or not, Ayako had already seen the article...and was a little too far away to fully enjoy the games. So, Shikamaru saw with dismay, she turned to a closer victim.

"Hey, Naruto." The girl prodded. "I've got other magazines...here, let me give you a personality test!" she grinned deviously. "It'll be fun—"

Naruto rolled bright eyes. "Uh-huh. Right." He laughed. "I'm not in the mood for it, okay?" he grumbled, and went back to staring out the window.

Shikamaru wondered, what is it you're looking at, Naruto? What can you see?

"Go on, Uzumaki!" Kiba laughed, from behind the two. "I wanna hear it! Le's'see how fucked up you are, huh?"

Naruto growled, and grabbed a magazine from Ayako. He leaned over two seats, and firmly swatted Kiba's head.

The other boy yelped.

Naruto just laughed, even as Iruka reprimanded him.

"Naruto!" the teacher began, annoyed. Not even Shikamaru bothered to listen to the prepared lecture, though.

Naruto smirked at the laughing Ayako, and handed her magazine back. "Sure, I'm game." He grinned lazily, and poked the cover with one finger. "Show me wha'cha got."

Ayako smiled in return, and turned to her friends. "Heh, you'll do great, I'm sure."

Naruto...Shikamaru thought. Surely even you know she's not being serious...

But the blond just laughed, and opened his palms. "You bet."

With deliberate slowness, Ayako found the table of contents, and lazily flipped through the book. She talked continuously as she did so, saying, "Naruto, don't you think this guy's cute? I mean, he's got perfect hair, huh? And look, he's barely got any makeup on, too!"

Naruto scowled faintly as a scarlet blush tinged his cheeks. He didn't dare answer the girl.

"I mean, he could almost beat Sasuke in looks, huh?" the girl tapped her fingers knowingly on the page, and smiled innocently at the boy. "Hah, I bet he'd be a great kisser, too—"

Naruto's expression was clouded. "Just hurry and start, Aya—"

Girlish laughter filled the bus. "I'm starting, I'm starting!" she opened the magazine wide, and comically lifted it above her seat. "Look, everyone, this is a primarily picture test at first, okay?" she stood up briefly, and slowly revolved to let everyone see the first image.

Shikamaru glanced at it. It was just a man, smiling at the photographer, a wide-brimmed hat and suit to match.

What's the big deal? He wondered.

Ayako grinned again. "Okay, I'm going to ask Naruto a question now." She covered her mouth as she laughed, and finally she said, "but only Naruto's to answer aloud, okay?" her voice was quiet.

The chatter dulled, and curious students looked at the offending blond.

"Is he cute?" Emi asked audaciously.

Ayako laughed again, but she didn't reprimand the girl.

Naruto sputtered. "No!"

The rest of the bus joined the girl in her mirth.

"Seriously, Naruto." Ayako began. "This is the question:

"What's this man feeling, in the picture?" she showed the picture to Naruto, and as the boy stared in blank silence, she lifted it up again.

The man's smile looked down on everyone, and students made up their minds in an instant.

Naruto laughed. "He's sad." His voice was low, but everyone caught it.

Shikamaru closed his eyes.

Naruto...you should have lied.

Ayako laughed again, and her enjoyment was as sharp and brittle as frozen rain. "Wrong!" she crowed, delighted. "Everyone else?" she invited, coaxingly.

"He's obviously happy, jackass." Kiba threw the words like a weapon.

Naruto shrugged, and looked back out the window.

Ayako smirked. "Okay, the next question—"

Naruto interrupted her with an even glare. "I'm done." He said, quiet and demur. "You can't be wrong on personality tests, Aya..."

But not one listened, and the rest of the bus ride revolved around diagnosing Ayako and her closest friends with various psychological problems.

Shikamaru wished he could block them out.

When they arrived, Naruto hopped over the girls, and flew done the isle. He was easily the first one out of the bus.

Shikamaru followed at a leisurely pace as he watched the scenery around them. The airport wasn't as crowded as he expected. Even with their six classes and other personnel, there were few people in the area. Their guardians-for-the-week, the homeroom teachers, seemed to have overreacted in their demand for rigid order.

Shikamaru sighed and waved a quiet good-bye to Chouji and Naruto. He scanned row after row of charcoal black hair, searching out the tell-tale pink of—

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice was stiff with indifference. "Sit down, and wait for orders." Stony eyes turned towards Shikamaru, and the other kid offered an arrogant smirk. "Nara." The boy greeted. "You're late."

Shikamaru shrugged, and waited lazily for Ino to get her group next to Sasuke's…completely in order, of course, but everyone knew the class president had manipulated group assignment for this to be that way.

Ch, Shikamaru thought. Those girls make fools of themselves, chasing after this arrogant bastard…

Sasuke continued calmly with the roll-call, and to his left, Chouji's group started stuffing their luggage into one convenient pile as Ino called names. Shikamaru absently started to listen in on other, already-finished group's conversations. He let his mind put the pieces together, but didn't bother to block any noise from his ears.

The best information comes in spurts…Shikamaru thought.

"I'm soooo excited about all of this!" a girl squealed, somewhere to their right. "It's going to be—"

"—two, yeah? They're boy—" harsh laughter, amused and giddy.

"Man, I heard that they're checking to make sure we didn't bring too much money—what do—"

"—gay! Isn't that—?"

A girlish snort of laughter. "Kinda cute, like, adorable, I thought…and can't you imagine—"

"Wave your but, boy! You know you wanna be a dan-sah! We all know you really wan'id to be a girl," the voice was high with giddy laughter, full of adolescent belief in everything voiced.

But they're just play-acting…Shikamaru thought to himself. None of those people think for a second that anyone'd believe them...that anyone would care about their words. The kids, he decided, were just too young to understand the consequences of their second-long beliefs.

It gave him a stomachache. "Hey, Sasuke—" he called, ready to give warning to the other boy. Shikamaru turned to better see his group's leader. His eyebrow twitched.

Of all the times to disappear—he thought—why now?

"Hey, Uchiha!" Shikamaru called loudly as he pushed his bag towards Sakura.

The pink-haired girl mumbled something indistinct, but her attention was divided between a rival and love-interest.

Shikamaru sighed as he said, "Listen, I have something to—"

Good sense and a helpful cough from Chouji led Shikamaru to look the other way. Around the obscuring girth of many travel-bags, and towards an awkwardly standing Naruto and Sasuke. The two boys didn't seem to appreciate seated conversations, Shikamaru noted, while Naruto edged the line between annoyance and anger.

No one said anything directly to the feuding couple, but eyes darted their way every-so-often, and silent smirks followed their every move. Laughter behind cupped hands was kept to a minimum, and the idiot Uzumaki-brat didn't hear a bit of it. The Uchiha-child was presumptuous enough to assume none of that could touch him.

As a result, no one lowered their voice, and even the teachers ignored blatant insults. "I heard that they're a real couple, you know? Like, they're doing it and everything..." an amused snicker followed the statement, and a hasty follow up continued. "I mean, I'm not gay or anything, but I just heard, you know—?"

One girl shifted awkwardly. "Isn't that weird?" she mumbled, her eyes darted between the Uchiha-pair and her group mates. A pink flush tinted her cheeks, and to Shikamaru, she looked nervous.

The first boy's friend frowned a little, but the expression soon morphed into an arduous little smirk. Another kid, eager to prove his guiltlessness. "How could you do that with another guy, I mean, that's so, like, dirty..."

The first chimed in with laughter that soared too high. "Haha, I bet they're going to get AIDS or something! Wouldn't that serve them right?"

The girl looked away, and mumbled something indistinct.

Shikamaru decided she was undecided, unsure of her feelings towards her infamous classmates. He wondered, briefly, why does it matter? But unlike so many other things, the answer did not come to him...and as Shikamaru was prone to do, he left the thought alone, uninterested in procuring an answer.

Naruto and Sasuke argued in hushed, hissed voices, but occasional words flew across the open room. "—you don't know that—" Sasuke snarled.

Naruto's laughter was easily distinguished from the din. "—nuh-uh, I told you," the blond's voice sank again, before rising once more. "—seat—"

"—talking about sex—" there were no giggles now, just wide mouths and silent eyes.

An amused snort.

"—heh! Didn't know he'd a soft side—"

Dark, cavernous laughter. "Told you so...and you listen, those two are gonna die young—"

Shikamaru stood; he'd had heard enough. "Hey." He called, loudly. "Uchiha."

For an instant, the acclaimed Adonis of their year—arrogant as he might be—turned an eye on Shikamaru. Then, Sasuke snorted, ready to continue his argument with Naruto.

Shikamaru did not lose so easily. "You remember to bring your cell phone?"

A blank, angry stare followed that, while Naruto laughed quietly, two hands over his large, grinning mouth.

"It's not safe to go without one..." Shikamaru continued. "So, we were all told to carry one." Shikamaru's lazy voice cut through the din like any of the teacher's. "In case of an emergency, you know?"

Naruto stopped smiling. "Hey, what are you—"

Shikamaru smiled grimly. "Even in Konoha there are levels of unrest..." the boy continued. "And it's not a good idea to travel alone, or even in pairs."

All eyes were on Shikamaru.

"By the train station, a number of people were reported to be brutally injured for no reason at all...and three businessmen were assaulted on their way home." Shikamaru sighed dramatically, and put a cold hand on his forehead. As though to say, we don't have a choice, huh? "When we're in Nara, Osaka or Kyoto...we'd all best be on our guards." He nodded towards the remainder of their group. "Why don't you go over what you're supposed to, Uchiha, and we'll get this little group on its way."

His plan worked.

Conversations slowly turned to horror stories passed around at lunchtime, of boys and girls who'd had a run-in with strange, creepy men after school hours.

But neither Sasuke nor Naruto noticed...and neither one said so much as a simple "Thank you."

Shikamaru sighed, and buried his face in one hand. So much for making amends with Naruto...he thought. God...Inari...Buddha...whoever's listening...

Save me from these idiots.

And the morning passed in quiet reflection and irritation.

tbc...

Thoughts?