I ended up doing the Ninja Courtship series out of order... At the time, I had no idea that the stories would end up turning into a series- it just sort of happened that way. Anyway, this story takes place before "Call it a Date" and "Ebb & Flow".

I'd like to give special thanks to Staceyandstars. Naf-Nav, CardLover95, LadyGhost92, Katqueen95 and everyone else who's taken the time to review this! I've started working on a follow-up to my Naru/Hina, and I also have a Sakura/Lee fanfic in the works as well. But in the meantime, please sit back and enjoy some more Shikamaru/Shiho goodness.

BETWEEN THE LINES

Part III:
"Getting to Know You..."

.o.o.o.

Shikamaru Nara was the sort of person who preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible. His usually docile nature just wasn't really suited for the hectic lifestyle of a Ninja. Still, in spite of that... He continued to find himself in the thick of things- always caught up in some insane adventure or some diabolical machination.

As for girls... Well, that was another thing. In the past, he'd had more than his fill (of the so-called 'fairer sex') from his domineering mother and a certain bossy teammate- not to mention all the other nonsense... Shikamaru sometimes wondered if him having to fight females so often was part of some sort of cosmic joke being played on him. Still, he'd recently learned that not all girls were as troublesome as he'd thought...

In fact, some were downright pleasant to be around. And as the teen spent more time with the female cryptographer, he found himself wanting to get to know her better. It wasn't really something he could explain- he just wanted to be around the girl... to get to know her. And, after all, the best way to get to know someone was to spend time with them.

As for Shiho Takahashi... she wasn't the type who usually swooned over some guy. Most of her life had been career driven- as a result, her time working in the decoding branch had been the focus of much of her life up till this point. Yet, from the moment she'd first met Shikamaru, she could see that he wasn't like other guys... he was different.

She knew of him before they'd met. She'd heard a lot about him, people talking about what a promising young ninja he was. However, while everyone else would talk about how smart he was or how level-headed he was... Shiho found herself only able to think about how cool he was. It wasn't just his appearance that drew her, it was his posture and the way he spoke and so on...

It was an understatement to say he was different from any other ninjas. The brunet could tell that he was much more complicated than first glance would suggest. Shikamaru was calm and collected, as well as thoughtful and introspective. Yet something told her that beyond that, there was a well of strength and fierce devotion within him.

Shikamaru suddenly got to his feet and turned to face Shiho, flashing her an uncharacteristic smile in the process. "So, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" He asked the girl. "Because I don't have anything going on and both of us could probably do with a little distraction from our work." He commented, offering her his hand.

The (usually) bespectacled girl took his hand and rose to her feet. Shiho was quiet for a moment, taken back by his actions and sudden offer. But she then nodded calmly and stood up. "You know, Shikamaru..." She began, giving him a warm smile. "I was hoping you were going to ask that."

.o.o.o.

Yoshino Nara walked into the main room of the Nara household and spotted her husband Shikaku. As Usual, he was sitting in the middle of the room and quietly looking at a file- she recognized the document as a mission report by the official seal of Konoha on it.

The dark-haired woman couldn't help but smile as she removed her apron and approached him. She quickly sat down beside him without saying a word. After a moment, he set the report down and looked at her. "You know Shikaku, I sometimes wonder about what sort of world this is to bring a child into..." She mused. "What sort of life are we giving our son?"

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "This life we lead isn't an easy one..." He began with a nod as she rested her head against his shoulder. "When I look back on my life, there's times when I wonder if I did the right thing... But there's one thing that I know with perfect certainty was the right choice." He paused and looked at her. "...Asking you to marry me."

Yoshino blushed uncharacteristically at the remark as she felt her heart flutter. Eventually, she managed to compose herself. "Oh Shikaku... In spite everything, you've given me so much happiness." She replied, looking into his eyes. "And you're right, when it comes to being with you- I have no regrets." She added, leaning in to kiss him.

After a moment, she broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his as she brushed a hand along his hair and up to his short ponytail. "Still, I wish things right now were different... I hope this conflict ends soon, our son deserves a better life than this."

Shikaku nodded, then gave her a quick kiss before pulling back to look her in the eyes. "I think about that a lot too... But we just to have faith in him." He replied with a smile. "Speaking of that boy of ours, I've noticed that he's been coming home later than usual these last few days..." He commented. "I wonder what he's been up too?"

Yoshino became quiet for a moment, thinking it over. "Yeah... I noticed that too." She replied, exhaling gently as she leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder. "You don't think he might have met a girl?" She offered him with a slight smile.

Shikaku became silent for a moment, then looked down at her. "Wow, I hadn't even thought about that possibility..." He began thoughtfully. "Now that would be lucky turn of events." The scarred shinobi replied with a faint chuckle.

The dark-haired woman smiled and nodded in agreement. She turned and placed a quick kiss on Shikaku's cheek. She then rose to her feet and smoothed out her dress. "Well deer, I expect Shikamaru will be heading back home pretty soon..." Yoshino remarked with a knowing look. "So I'd better go get dinner ready." She added.

The elder Nara turned around and watched as his wife made her way to the kitchen. He smiled to himself as he rubbed his chin. "Magnificent... Just magnificent." He murmured softly.

.o.o.o.

Shiho arrived home and made her way to her room, closing the door behind her. She undid the sash around her waist and hung her white coat near the door. The young cryptographer walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room and looked at herself.

She placed her hands on her hips and sighed, shaking her head. She removed her glasses and leaned forward to get a better look at herself. She undid the tie in the back of her hair and watched as the messy sandy brown locks fell free. She sighed again and slumped her shoulders as she noted various strands jutting out unflatteringly.

Shiho sat down on the edge of her bed and fiddled with a stray lock of hair for a moment. When she really thought about it, she was a textbook example of a 'frumpy' girl in every sense of the word... She was shy, unstylish, and more easily more comfortable around books and codes than people. But is wasn't until now that it really bothered her- only after she'd met Shikamaru that she'd even started thinking about how she looked.

She wondered if this was what he mother was alluding to all the times she pestered her about "doing something" with herself. She shook her head and resigned herself to the fact that she was finally have to face up to something that her mother had been waiting years for. The teen reminded herself that her name meant 'to go forth with resolve', so she put her chin up and left the room...

...Elsewhere in the house, a certain Shiori Takahashi was rendered speechless when her bookworm of a daughter suddenly appeared and asked for her help. The woman was taken back by this at first, as Shiho had never shown much interest in cultivating her femininity- an essential aspect for a Kunoichi as far as Shiori was concerned!

Shiori smiled as her daughter nervously explained the situation, gently prodding her at times for more information. And much to her delight, it seemed that this sudden interest had been spurred on by a young man no less. And as if to show that the mother's hopes had been answered- this young man had asked her out!

Shiho shook her head as she was led away by her mother...

.o.o.o.

Shikamaru had just finished replacing a book in the library and was on his was out, when he spotted Sai heading for the exit- a couple of books in his hand. The strange youth turned and gave what looked to be very practiced smile.

Against his better judgment, Shikamaru spoke up. "Hey Sai... what brings you here?"

Sai looked down at his book momentarily, then back at the teen. "I've been researching various text on how people relate to one another... Though I must admit that my research has yet to yield any breakthroughs."

"Go on..." Shikamaru replied.

"Very well..." He replied with a nod. "You see, none of the books so far have been able to explain why Sakura persists in striking me."

Shikamaru smiled slightly at the reference to Sakura. "Yes, well women can be very mysterious." He replied with a smile. "And I'm afraid there's no simple solution either."

"I feared that might be the case..." Sai mused. "I was planning to purchase a potted plant to use for my painting... Perhaps I should speak to Ino about it while I am there?"

Shikamaru was silent for a moment. He then reached out and placed a hand on the other teen's shoulder and smiled at him. "Sai, that sounds like an admirable idea- I wish you the best of luck."

Shikamaru then departed, smiling to himself...

(- End of Part III -)

I was in the mood to have a scene with Sai- he's surprisingly fun to write for (I actually sort of wrote him like Data from Star Trek). I wonder what's going to happen when Sai visits the Yamanaka's Shop?

On another note, I basically invented a background (and a family and last name) for Shiho. It was actually pretty fun coming up with a last name for her. While Shiho is a pretty uncommon girl's name, I did like how the meaning of the name (roughly) translated. You guys will see more of her mother (Shiori) in the next chapter.

Anyway, sorry this chapter took so damn long. Hopefully, I'll have the next one up sooner. Thanks again, and please leave me some reviews to let me know what you all thought about this.