030207: Sorry, this is a note and a side story. I want to explain about the story and why it's taking such a really, really weird road at the moment and confusing the hell out of many people (you don't have to voice it to see it).

I'll explain: I enjoy thought-out and clear stories, something with a simple easy-to-understand direction of the story conflict. For this story, it is supposed to build on the original storyline, with my own additions to make the plot my own. Earlier, I wanted an angst/romance based from when after Sasuke left the Leaf for the Sound. I modified the 2 ½ year gap so that it can play on the relationship development. Then there is a two year gap after that.

Naruto timeline: Naruto – 12, became genin; more than half a year later, Sasuke ditches Konoha and everyone goes separate ways to develop; 2 ½ years later, Naruto, 15 closing in 16, comes back to the village, try to get the "Sound/Leaf war" to end; 2 years more, Naruto 17, closing in on 18 have relationship problems that effect his performance on missions and his motivation in the war and his goals.

That is where the romance conflict is supposed to start and the actual story is to go from there. However, I left innumerable plot holes and inconsistencies it leaves me straggling to get through it. It is still actually holding to my original idea, it's just… not really getting there, if you know what I mean. I've already started planning a back story based on this Narutoverse I created. It already got too complicated to keep as one whole story. From where I stand, I see my romance story coupled with the development that occurs in the Leaf /Sound war.

Anyway, this side story is supposed to be a ShikaxIno pairing. I swore I try to write this pairing as one of the supplementary couples. I don't know if it will work out. I do read TemarixShika and read the occasional TemaShikaIno triangle (though there are few to read and fewer written well).

Meaning: I suck if I am outside my comfort zone. I'm a NaruHina shipper primarily. I also can write SasuSaku and the occasional SasuHina. I never wrote (in any previous attempt) any other heterosexual or homosexual couplings. I need editors for every SPECIFIC coupling I write… That has to be some kind of terrible curse in not being able to write properly in any direction that I am given.

As a side note, I tend to shy away if not avoid making one-on-one replies to the reviews. I usually (would) like to highlight specific ones that come to my attention (like Danny-171984. Bless the guy for being loyal to an inconsistent writer like me). Let's say I'm finally getting over the shock that my writing is not extremely horrible and is able to rack up some reviews. I've been around roughly 6 years now (Dec of 2000) so let's say it's a shock-to-my-system to actually have reviews. I will take your complements with grace, your criticisms in open arms, and flamers who just bash the writer and their preferences… get a fucking life, you dumbasses. If you don't like it, why bother reviewing it. I have not liked several stories (no offense to the writers. I liked other material of similar authors and their related material but it's a matter of preference to what stories you read) and immediately stopped reading them. I find taking the time saying "I don't like your story" is a waste of time. I like what I like but I respect what others like and do (in this case, write). Idiot flamers who put reviews like "This is crap" are probably not even realizing doing such idioms create more disarray in this shit of a life we already have (e.g. religious and moral beliefs of North American beliefs to Middle Eastern beliefs). At least consider that you may get beaten to death for not really respecting others in the same community. There are reasons why people can track others by IP addresses and… you know. At least if you are going to say why you don't like the story, base it on how the story is formatted, storyline errors… something that can at least improve the story quality. If it's the material… well, that calls for more of an email message so there can be a one-on-one discussion. I sound like a teacher… I DO requests to a point. I just tend to lean to what I am good at.

Sorry for the long long-winded note, I will backtrack a bit and work with its prequel of sorts, to get my storyline back on track. I will appreciate the feedback anyone can give me.

If this is horribly terrible, PLEASE TELL ME. I want to at least portray the characters correctly (considering that crack fics are abundant, this is NOT a crack fic).

Thank you for your patience and sorry for the length of time that has passed. This short one-shot will be my last for this version of this story. I'll direct your thoughts to the prequel after this, continuing the storyline I have created.

By Lab Cat

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I also don't own xxxHOLiC.

Wake Me Up With Summer Rain
Story 12: A Shadow in the Presence of Darkness

A shadow works well in light. Sneaky, hidden, and works accordingly to the time of day's light. Hides even the most noticeable of noticeable. It is not the noticeable, nor is it the noticeable. That is a shadow. It is meant to hide things indiscriminately.

That is what Nara Shikamaru is. A plain guy. Not incredibly handsome, nor is he butt-ugly. Smart but too lazy to apply is intelligence. Loyal to a fault. Terribly hard to anger and when provoked, harder to stop. Everything is too "troublesome" to him, without knowing that he is being troublesome himself. As like the shadow, he works directly behind the main body, only a mere extension of a person. And hides his truths easily under a mask of indifference.

In the sky, the clouds roll by. The freedom these puffs of vapor water have is what he envies. They don't have to hide from the light, are completely exposed and never judged harshly. Very much what he wants to be but never can be.

Shadows are best partnered up with light. Light extends and shrinks a shadow's power. In darkness, it just swallows everything in its path.

A shadow is a dark thing but not true darkness.

Fire is very much both a "light" and a "dark". Shikamaru can tell you that very much. It brings warmth to cold bodies and light for those lost in the darkness. And yet, it leads hoards of shadows in its wavering path. A bringer of darkness and light.

The fire this boy of shadow faces now is neither a helper nor hindrance. This fire is merely a spectator to watch the shadow's own growth and decline.

Shikamaru's secret is hidden in light but exposed in darkness.

The fire knows the secret but does not appear to acknowledge it.

Fire is a sacred element and the most feared. Of the five, it is of pure destruction. Wind and Water brings life. Earth fertilizes life. Lightening, the most ambiguous of the five, can herald danger and instinct in the brain and mind, or the coming of Fire. Her power is strong and intriguing. Beautiful in her elegance and deadly to touch. Watch but don't touch. Although Wind is the messenger of the elements that brings all information to them, Fire has a tendency to find the most revealing of information. Information that can bring fortune and rebirth (as in life burring down to Earth and renewal of the cycle) or bring calamity and destruction (such as the Apocalypse).

Fire gives Shikamaru a gardenia(1).

"I'm pretty sure you know the meaning of that flower."

"Obviously. Ino would pound the meaning of every flower in her family shop when we were children."

"Then…?"

"Do I have to give it to her face-to-face?"

"Now that would ruin the message, wouldn't it?" A quiet giggle is emitted from the enigmatic wolf-demon clan's princess. Thin, pale legs slip back into the folds of a flowing purple kimono, blood-red cherry blossoms dotting them, connected to branches. A senbon needle is pointed at him with a faint red string wound on it. From one end, it ties onto the shadow's left pinky, the other end flows outside the doors of the wish-granter's shop.

Shikamaru looks at the flower, then at his friend's 'sister'. 'I should have not taken his advice. She is not the type of person you show give your trust in.' A giggle is emitted from the white-haired woman once again. She stands and motions for him to follow her. Moving out the doors of the shop, the fog rolls around outside the fence of the shop. A blue-eyed youth cleaning the yard turns to them, smiling in a pitying manner towards Shikamaru.

"I feel a bit sorry for you."

Glaring at the boy, he asks harshly, "How so?"

He smiles gently this time. "Getting involved with someone like the ookami-oujo(2) leads to a hard path with the most promising futures. You must love someone deeply to go through that kind of strife," He looks at the flower in Shikamaru's hand. "So much so that you can't tell her face to face."

Shikamaru looks at the flower, then at the boy. "Did you make a wish from her and this shop?"

He laughs gently. "In a way yes and no. I met her awhile ago when I was fifteen. She helped me through some of my problems, many with a relationship of someone I am involved with right now. Mostly because it was her specialty and Yuuko-san said that she is the best in her field and much stronger than her with these types of wishes. As for the wish… I made one a long time ago. I can't make that wish come true anymore or I'll lose everything I worked for. Ironically, I started working here to pay off that wish. I couldn't take back the wish, nor could I let go of everything. In the end, I kind of got screwed over and my wish was practically no longer in reach. In a way I'm glad because I don't think that was my real wish. Yuuko-san always said that the purpose of this shop was to fulfill the desires of a person. Although they say what they wish, it may or may not be the actual wish they want. I fell in the latter of those two wishes. In a way my wish was granted but because of excruciating circumstances beyond anyone's control, I'm bound to the shop now."

"So now you are…"

"I'm very much alive and human, like you. The only difference between us is that I live in one world, you live in another. The only way we can meet is through people like Yuuko-san and the ookami-oujo." He looks to the entrance of the shop; it has relocated to a busy street in Konoha. "Ah! The shop has relocated to your world now. You can see that childhood friend of yours. Ino, right?"

Shikamaru was walking towards the gate while talking to the boy; he spun a rough quickly glaring at the boy, with a growing blush. "It isn't for her."

The boy gave Shika an all-knowing look, not to far different from looks the Dimension Witch gave the boy constantly. "Trust me, I know denial. You'll feel better after leaving that flower on her windowsill. I suggest giving a yellow tulip(3) in person afterwards." He looks around. "You better go. The shop has to get back to where it was before, in my world. Don't ask why, I don't even know either. Humans are determined to learn about everything in their version of the world. All we could do is make our world a bit more livable, for ourselves." He then shoos our Shikamaru into the busy street.

"Hold on! What's your name? Mine's Nara Shikamaru." He desperately needed to know what was going on. Nothing was making sense in his logic-driven mind. First, that demon lady disappears and then this boy tells stories that don't seem to make sense but answer his questions.

The boy smiles secretly. "You should know better than to give out your name freely. I should know. Someone can steal you soul if you're not careful. However, my name will be safe with you. My name is Watanuki Kimihiro." With that, the store fades out, taking the blue-eyes youth with him, leaving a confused and flustered Shikamaru holding the gardenia in his left hand, the faint red string wrapped around it.

"Ah! Finished talking to Kimihiro-chan are you!"

"ARG!" He falls over, surprised by the demon's abrupt appearance. "Where the hell were you?"

"Outside waiting for you to come out. I supposed you boys needed to talk about your love lives a bit. He knows what he's talking about. He's paying for it, although he isn't regretting it, thank goodness." The she-demon turns around; that's when he noticed that she wasn't wearing that kimono eerily reminding a bit of poison, mystery and death. She wore a standard jonin uniform and vest.

"What was that…?"

"Merely a shop that has a greater purpose that you don't need to concern yourself yet."

"Yet…?" He doesn't like the sound of that.

"Not your problem, poor Kimi-chan's and Shizuka-kun's. But they will help Konoha in its own way, like it did with Sayoran-kun and company."

"What…"

She turns around. She smiles a bit more gently and sadly then what he usually sees from her. 'Naruto was right. There is more than meets the eye with her.' A soft sigh resonates from her mouth.

"Go to her. Do what Kimi-chan said. It will become more fortunate for you later on. Don't lose you chances." Then she leaves with a puff of smoke.

He looks to the flower in his hand, surprised that there are now two flowers in hand.

"A gardenia and a yellow tulip? Who are you planning to give them too Shika?"

He takes in a deep breath and turns around, doing what his better advised him to do."

END NOTES: Yeah…If you know about the series Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLiC, you'll get some of the references made. There are also references made to a one-shot I had written. If you want more explanation about the "relationship" reference, read my xxxHOLiC stuff. It will help on the overall of how my story is supposed to go. Once my editing is done with this story, then it will make more sense. If anything, I got the idea of different perspectives from those two series.

Here are some translations of the meanings:

(1) Gardenia: You're lovely; secret love

(2) ookami-oujo: literally "wolf princess"

(3) Tulip: in general they mean fame, charity; perfect lover. Yellow ones mean hopeless love.

Very sorry for the long, long wait.