Sweet Pea:
"Go Away"

He is angry for some irrational reason, bitter waves rolling off of him even as he sits in the corner of his living room. Why is he angry? He doesnt know. Still, he wallows in gloom, providing a bleak backdrop to what once was a bright, cheery room.

Nara Yoshino stares as she opens the door, not used to her son expending this much effort on brooding. She steps lightly into the room, shivering at the foreboding nimbus that engulfed her. Setting down a new bouquet of sweet peas, she tiptoes backwards out of the room, letting out a sigh of relief as the eldritch aura disintegrates.

The door front door opens, and her son's teammate, Chouji peaks in. "Is Shikamaru here?"

Yoshino points toward the room she just vacated, before beating a hasty retreat.

Chouji blinks bemusedly, before striding up to the familiar door. "Shika, Tsunade-sama wants-" he froze, registering the gloomy atmosphere. "Riiight… I'll just… be going now…." He closes the door quietly, and purposefully heads toward the front door, "I'll be right back, Nara-san."

Yoshino opens her mouth to tell him to give up, but he's already gone.

Not five minutes later he's back, grinning triumphantly with an irascible Ino in tow. The large boy stays in the hall, and waves the furious female onward; "I'll just talk to Nara-san here for a minute."

Ino is so incensed she actually believes him, and rages forward, slamming open the door with a loud bag, rattling picture frames hanging from the walls. "NARA SHIKAMARU!!"

Inside the room, seen only by Ino, Shikamaru jumps, the dreary mood evaporating quickly as he seemed to light up from within. Everyone, how ever, heard what came next.

"HOW DARE YOU KEEP US WAITING!! TSUNADE-SAMA WANTS US FOR A MISSION!! GET YOUR LAZY ASS MOVING!!"

"Yeah, yeah… troublesome woman…"

"I heard that!"

"Ow! I'm moving, geeze!"

Yoshino blinks again, staring at her now normal (maybe even happy? It's hard to tell sometimes…) son exits the room. She remains there, frozen, until Team 10 leaves to pick up their mission, Ino and Shikamaru still arguing. Slowly, slowly a devious smile spreads across her face, and a devious chuckle bubbles forth from her lips.

Her husband, coming in from an early mission, freezes in familiar fear, before turning around and walking hurriedly to the Hokage's tower to demand another mission; preferably one that kept him away from home for a while, no matter how troublesome.