Sorry that it's taken so long to get this chapter out. There's been a lot going on in my life at the moment and I've dealing with a lot of stress (mainly in trying to find a job). Still, this pairing has proven fun and refreshing to write about.
And on another note, I'd like to give special thanks to Cardlover95, Naf-Nav, CatQueen95, and .Stars for their reviews. Thank you, it means a lot to know people are enjoy reading my work.
BETWEEN THE LINES
Part II:
"Chatting over Coffee at the Crossroads"
.o.o.o.
After a rather shaky start at the bookstore, the two youths eventually found themselves inside a small café. It was situated on one of the corners of the main intersection of the commercial district. Shikamaru smiled as he relaxed in his seat. He and Shiho were seated at opposite ends of a small round table.
He looked over at the girl before him as she adjusted her glassed. The young genius guessed that it was some sort of nervous quirk. He leaned forward, putting his weight on his elbow. "Come now, am I really that scary?" He asked her with a smile.
The question staggered Shiho momentarily. She covered her mouth as she awkwardly cleared her throat. She eventually managed to turn her gaze back to the dark-haired young man across from her. "No! Not at all… It's just, well…" She paused, collecting herself. "Well, I just never would have thought that someone like me would ever be doing something like this with someone like you."
He leaned back as he considered what she'd just said… "Someone like HER… with someone like ME…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while replaying the words in his mind. He considered the implications of what she'd just said. Then, he leaned forward again and gave her a friendly smile. "You know Shiho, there's nothing really all that great about me." He remarked with a shrug.
"As for what the other things you said…" He paused, looking intently the glasses-wearing girl. "Shiho, there's at all to make you inferior- just like there's nothing that makes me superior. We're all just people- all living our lives as best we can."
Shiho shook her head and gave a small smile. "But Shikamaru, you're widely regarded as the greatest genius of our generation." She replied emphatically. "Your tactical expertise has been key to the success of countless missions."
Shikamaru nodded. "And your decoding work in the cryptography department is just as essential." He countered calmly. "You see, no single life is more important than another… And everyone in Konoha impacts the village in their own way. Any attempt to assign priority is pointless."
Shiho found herself blushing once more. "…I guess I never thought about it that way." She offered thoughtfully. "I still wish I had your confidence though."
Shikamaru chuckled unabashedly at this. "Me, confident? You couldn't be further from the truth- I'm just as graceless and uncool as the next guy." He admitted. "There's a lot more that I don't have the slightest idea about- like women."
Shiho suddenly found herself able to relax. The cryptographer smiled as she reached up and slowly removed her glasses. "Trust me Shikamaru, you're definitely cool." She offered, holding her spectacles in her hand. "And as for women... Well, we're not really all that mysterious."
Shikamaru remained silent, noticing Shiho's light blue eyes for the first time. He smiled and leaned forward. "Does that include you as well?" He asked. "Because there's a lot about you that I've yet to discover." He countered.
His tone caused the girl to blush, but she didn't hide her face. Instead, she simply placed her glasses inside the pocket of long white jacket. "That depends on just how interested you are in finding out." She answered in a sly voice.
Shikamaru's smile widened. "Now that sounds like a mystery I'd like to get myself involved with." The dark-haired teen replied.
.o.o.o.
It was late in the afternoon as the two of them walked down the path. Things had quieted down and there were less people around. Shikamaru crossed his arms behind his head while Shiho tucked her hands into the pockets of her long coat.
Shikamaru shrugged off the silence. "You know Shiho; you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself…" He began with a smile, lowering his hands and looking to the brunet walking beside him. "After all, I've enjoyed spending time with you- you're a lot more interesting than you realize."
The girl blushed at the compliment. "My, such flattery…" She began with a smile as she turned to look at him. "…Well, as far we cryptographers go- that's very high praise." Shiho replied with a faint chuckle.
"I mean it, I'm serious." He responded simply. "I could never do the sort of work you do… I just don't have the discipline for it." He added with a shrug. "But then again, that's pretty much on par with my general lack of ambition."
Shiho looked at him for a moment. "So, I take it that you don't have aspirations of becoming Hokage one day?" She asked, prompting a brief burst of laughter from her companion as they continued walking.
"I'm afraid not, such dreams are the providence of people like Naruto." He replied with a sly smile. "No, I want a normal life... One where I can be content and happy- surrounded by the people and things most important to me."
Shiho smiled at the remark. "Yes, I can see what you mean- that does sound nice." She replied in a soft voice. "Though, it's not the sort of thing I would have expected to hear from a ninja."
Shikamaru nodded and smiled. "Well, I'm not like most of the other ninjas." His expression became thoughtful as he continued. "Four years ago, I would have been content to simply go about my life- never realizing my potential."
He became silent and made his way over to a bench and sat down. Shiho was quick to sit down beside him. "But then something happened... something that opened my eyes to what was going on around me."
"You're talking about the first invasion, aren't you?" She asked him.
He nodded and continued. "After Orochimaru attacked us, I realized just how petty that sort of thinking had been." He paused for a moment, before going on. "I no longer had the luxury of half-assing my way through life." He added, glancing over to the girl beside him. "I realized that I had to start pulling my own weight- and that meant taking on the responsibilities I'd been trying avoid."
The brown-haired girl leaned back. "Till that day, I never would have believed that Konoha would be attacked... After all, our generation had never known conflict before that and war was just something that we were taught about in school." Shiho remarked with a sigh. "But now we've been attacked twice, and the nations now stand poised for war." She added in grave tone.
The dark-haired teen nodded in agreement. "Most of us never really appreciate something until it's been taken from us..." He mused softly as he continued. "Master Asuma wasn't just my Cell Leader, he was my mentor and friend... But when he died, I only really became aware of just how important he was so many people... and how a single life can impact others."
"I've heard people say that the only constant in life is war..." Shiho began to say. "But I believe there's something else that continues to endure- something even more significant that conflict."
Shikamaru looked at her for a moment. "And what would that be?" He asked, his curiosity now peeked.
Shiho turned to face him. "Human compassion." She replied. "Despite everything that's happened to him, when I look at someone like Naruto and see how much he cares for others... I realize that true Ninjas aren't simply instruments of conflict- they're people protecting what the care about and believe in." She paused. "And that gives me hope."
Shikamaru found himself smiling as she finished. "Shiho," He began, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you free tomorrow?"
(- End of Part II -)
Shiho is a bit more complicated than some might think... On one hand, she could could be considered a bookworm or even a "geek". But she's also smart and can take the initiative when the situation calls for it. Plus, her crush on Shikamaru was rather cute. I personally think that she'd be very compatible with him, as she has a similar personality and so on.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll try and have the next one up soon (barring any unforeseen hold-ups). If you liked reading this, than please leave me a review to let me know what you think.