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Shikamaru's Enlistment: Is This Really that Important to You?
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Frantic rapping pounded against his door. Stifling a groan, he slammed the pillow over his head. Stay quiet. Don't make any noise. The person would soon give up and leave.
"Shikamaru!" A familiar voice hollered his name. "Hey! I know you're in there! C'mon open up!"
Not a sound, Shikamaru. You're still in very, very deep sleep. The house could be burning down, flames licking at your feet, and you'd still be fast asleep.
"Shikamaru! Pleaseeeeee," the unwanted guest whined. It was so off-key; he didn't even have to decency to whine on tune.
A low growl emitted from the back of his throat. He hated all mornings. If it were up to him, all days would begin past 12 PM. His raging hangover certainly didn't improve his rapidly thinning patience.
"Come on Shikamaru I'm beggin' you here." A beat of silence lulled in the air; the desperate knocking ceased. Then softly this time, in a hoarse, cracking whisper, the person implored, "Please, I really need your help."
Oh for the love of– Shikamaru sighed a long, heaving sigh. He seemed to be doing that much more frequently these days. His body rolled to the side.
This was so, so troublesome. As if he was on autopilot, albeit a very rusted and sluggish autopilot in desperate need of an oiling, Shikamaru stumbled towards the door.
He missed grabbing the handle a few times, but eventually managed to jerk it open.
"Naruto," the name rolled off of Shikamaru's tongue in slow, fragmented syllables. "What could you possibly want?" Each word punctuated the throbbing in his head and he wanted nothing more than to collapse back into bed.
"Shikamaru!" The blond immediately brightened. "I need advice!"
"It can wait until later. Much later. Goodbye Naruto." Shikamaru moved to slam the door shut, but Naruto's arm quickly snaked through the crack.
"Ow!" He yelped. "No! It can't wait until later!"
Shikamaru rubbed at his eyes. "Okay Naruto. I'm very, very hungover right now. Seriously, it's a huge drag. I have no idea what time it is but I know it's early. I would tell you to come back later, but honestly, don't. I'll still be passed out then."
"Shikamaru please! At least hear me out. I'll never ever ask for another favor from you again," Naruto asserted.
Although Shikamaru highly doubted the validity of his claim, a faint curiosity edged him on.
"Fine. What is it?" He grit out.
"I need you to teach me what romantic love is!"
Shikamaru blinked. He rubbed his eyes again, this time rolling out the sleep dust, and then dragged his fingers down his face. "I must still be dreaming."
"No! I'm the real thing," Naruto insisted, pulling Shikamaru's hand and tracing it over his whisker marks.
"Hah…?" Shikamaru's mouth dropped open. "If it's not a dream, then you must not be the real Naruto."
Naruto pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Hey! I'm the one and only Uzumaki Naruto and don't you forget it!"
"Ugh," Shikamaru slapped his palm against his forehead, "fine, then say something that only the real Naruto would know."
The blond paused, twisting his lips into a frown. "Okay I got one. Back in our academy days, you ate Chouji's last potato chip and blamed it on Akamaru. Chouji and Kiba argued the whole week about it! In the end, you felt so bad about it that you bought Chouji another bag of chips and said it was from Kiba."
"First of all, I did not blame Akamaru. Chouji created his own assumptions and I just…didn't correct him. Second of all," Shikamaru groaned, "that means you are the real Naruto. Why the hell are you requesting something so ridiculous?"
"I need to learn about it! It's super duper important that I do," Naruto cried, causing Shikamaru to cringe as his voice cut like little knives stabbing into his skull.
"Okay, that's great. But I am definitely the wrong person to ask for this stuff and I wish you luck in finding someone else. Good bye." Shikamaru moved to shut the door again.
"Wait!" Naruto protested, but this time he didn't thrust out his hand to stop the door.
The door clicked into place and Shikamaru pressed his back against the frame. He grumbled to himself before muttering, "Go find Sakura or Ino. Or anyone else that isn't me."
"But you're the smartest person I know!"
"Not in this particular area, I assure you," Shikamaru drawled.
"That's not true! You're the closest one out of all of us to have a girlfriend."
For some suspicious reason, the back of his neck warmed, but Shikamaru neutrally replied, "Nope. Don't know who you could possibly be talking about."
"What? Tema–"
"Good night, Naruto," Shikamaru intercepted, "I'm going back to sleep."
He trudged the short distance to his bed and flopped face-first onto his mattress. One, solid thump echoed from his door.
"I'm sorry…for waking you up. I guess I'm just being selfish again. To you this time."
Shikamaru didn't make a sound, but suddenly, the bed didn't feel quite as warm and cozy.
"It's just that…I screwed up again. Nothing new," Naruto chuckled dryly, "though this time, I'm not sure how to fix it."
Silence lapsed between them. Memories from last night flashed to Shikamaru's mind, and he pieced together a vague story. The muscles in his back twitched. Even though his hangover pounded on, Shikamaru's mind refused to turn off.
When the door shook from Naruto's weight being removed, Shikamaru's traitorous mind conducted a quick analysis. His alarm would go off sometime. Maybe not soon, but still sometime eventually. Then, Shikamaru would have to lug his body up anyways to turn off the stupid thing and stop its damn ringing. This entire process of planning the future was already so troublesome, so…he might as well get up now to turn off his alarm and save him effort in the long run. It would only be a coincidence if he happened to open the door too.
Shikamaru pulled himself up and burst open the door with more enthusiasm than it made sense to. Naruto jolted, nearly losing his balance on the hand railing he leaned against. The blond whirled around in a split second, his surprise morphing into a cheerful beam.
"Shikamaru!" He exclaimed.
The dark-haired boy in question sighed. "You are so troublesome." His fingers tapped against the door handle he still clutched onto. "Is this…learning about romantic love thing really that important to you?"
"Yes," the answer came instantly, sincerity lathering his affirmation. Blue eyes flared in determination.
Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose. He only had a hazy idea of what was going on, but Naruto was serious. "Go wait downstairs on the couch. I need about 10 minutes to get ready."
"I'm on it!" Naruto chirped; acting far too chipper and eager compared to his usual disdain for mornings.
Shikamaru inclined his head towards Naruto, noticing that splotches of water dripped from the hem of his orange jacket.
"Oi. Why are you all…wet?"
"Oh man," Naruto hopped from one foot to the other. "Did I get water on your floor? It was raining earlier this morning, but I think it stopped now."
Earlier this morning? Did Naruto not sleep at all? Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe. He briefly closed his eyes; then flitted them open before he retreated into his room. After making some shuffling noises and muttering some choice phrases, he returned to the hallway. A black turtleneck dangled over his arm, and he held it out towards Naruto. "It wouldn't do either of us any good if you got sick," he felt compelled to explain.
Naruto's mouth fell open, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as a bright, grateful smile spread across his lips.
Yup. The hole that Shikamaru dug for himself was definitely going to get deeper.
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"What…is this place?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I take it that you don't go here often."
"Konoha…Library? Is this place new?" Naruto inquired.
"Only if 'older than the both of us' is considered new," Shikamaru said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and tugging open the blue doors. "Come on, let's go."
They walked into the library–Naruto marveling at the towering shelves of books and neatly wrapped up scrolls–while Shikamaru lead them to a particular section.
"Wow! Who knew that libraries had so many books?" Naruto exclaimed, his nose crinkling as he sniffed a novel's aged paper.
"My hunch is…everyone in the village. Alright, we're here–Oi Naruto, stop looking at the ramen cookbooks and come here."
Heeding the command, Naruto set down the cookbook, eyes lingering on the glossy pages of a miso ramen bowl, and trotted towards Shikamaru. The blond shifted in a full 360 degree turn before frowning. "Hey…isn't this the children's section?" He motioned towards the bright book bindings and large-print titles.
"Yes," Shikamaru answered, tapping his finger against a black and yellow book. "Pick up this one."
Naruto's brow creased, but nevertheless he did as told. "Recognizing Love for Dummies?" He read out loud. "Hey! Isn't this for 12 year olds?"
"Probably," Shikamaru shrugged with one shoulder, "I know it's a bit high level, but they don't have these sort of books for any younger age."
"Hey! That's not what I meant!" Naruto replied with a huff.
Lifting the book out of Naruto's hands, Shikamaru leafed through the first few pages. "Oh, something like this might help. If you really like someone, you will voluntarily do things that you hate, but that they love."
"Yosh! Let's try that." Naruto pumped his fist up. "Alright Shikamaru, tell me what you love that you think I'll hate the most!"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "I am not going to be your test subject. Leave me out of your love life."
"Aww come on play along!" Naruto positioned his two index fingers and thumbs in a rectangle and looked at Shikamaru through the makeshift frame. "It's not like I'm actually thinking of you."
"Tch. You are way too troublesome." Rolling his tense shoulders back, Shikamaru tilted his head up towards the skylights carved into the ceiling. A younger Shikamaru wanted to be a cloud. Wanted to be nothing more than a constant bystander floating through life. Little did he realize how taxing it was to have to protect the sun.
Large blue eyes and the most pitiful, puppy dog pout invaded his personal bubble. "I've gotta learn by doing, you know that thinking isn't my thing."
Oh the irony, Shikamaru absently thought. Because thinking of others was Naruto's thing. Naruto had more empathy in his finger than an ordinary person's whole body. Yet, he paradoxically couldn't think about and understand himself.
"Fine…I thought of something. But your brain is not going to like it."
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Naruto's elbow propped up onto the table for him to rest his chin in his open palm. In the other hand, Naruto flipped a block of wood over and over; it plopped with a solid 'thunk' each time.
"These Shogi pieces look like pineapple cakes. You know, the ones with a flaky crust and filling inside?"
Shikamaru glanced down at the playing piece in his hand. It...kind of did. "You're just like Chouji. Seeing food in everything," he chuckled, but the amusement petered out and then Shikamaru returned to business, "Alright, you know how to play, right?"
"Yeah…kinda. I tried playing Shogi with myself when I was younger. Wasn't much fun though," Naruto admitted, his gaze drifting to the window. A melancholic aloofness glazed his eyes.
Shikamaru watched him, his own eyes softening. "Good. Then this is a good exercise. Put your heart into something you don't like for someone you love," he paused, "But make sure you're not thinking of me," Shikamaru added dryly.
Naruto scrunched his face up and stuck out his tongue.
Ignoring him, Shikamaru moved a rook to the left side of the board. "It's your turn."
"Oh okay, uhhh…" Naruto's eyes darted over the board, teeth chewing his lower lip. After indecisively dawdling, he moved a pawn…one space forward.
Shikamaru fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he moved his King to where the rook previously occupied. Whenever Shikamaru played Shogi, his mind already planned and organized hundreds and hundreds of strategies to use at his disposal. Like rungs on a ladder, he arranged his strategies by level of difficulty and adjusted his tactics according to his challenger. As the turns bounced between them, Shikamaru dropped a step each time. Yet, Shikamaru continued to wipe the floor, quite literally, clean of Naruto's pieces.
Sighing, Shikamaru straightened up from lying sideways on the ground. "Look Naruto, we can stop if you want. Both the library and a strategic board game in one day might be too much for your brain."
"Nah it's fine, I want to finish this," Naruto insisted, rubbing his eyes.
"I'm not doubting you on that but," Shikamaru's lips curved into a frown, "if you give her this half-hearted effort, she would rather you not try at all."
"Huh?"
"Naruto, I thought you were serious. Where did that motivation that you had earlier go?" Shikamaru pressed.
The blond stiffened, placing both his palms flat on the floor. "I am serious! I'm voluntarily doing something boring and that I can't eat!"
Shikamaru leaned forward, motioning to the center of Naruto's chest. "Is that so? What do you think she's going to think? What is she going to feel?"
When Naruto pressed his lips together instead of responding, Shikamaru filled in the blanks for him.
"I'm guessing something along the lines of this, 'Naruto-kun is so bored here with me…it's as I thought, I'm still plain, dark, and weird and he's clearly forcing himself. I'm not bright and beautiful like Sakura-san, Naruto-kun would be happy even picking up trash with her while he would be miserable with me.'" Shikamaru reclined back, but kept his gaze trained on Naruto's face. "And with the way you've been presenting, she would have good reason to believe so."
Something inside Naruto snapped, like a string tethered to too much weight, and he curled into himself. "No! Stop! I'm not bored. I would never be bored with you, Hinata. I don't…I can't hurt you again."
"Hey, hey, Naruto, snap out of it." Shikamaru rose onto his knees and shook Naruto's shoulders.
Naruto peered up at him through his eyelashes, half of his face still buried in his hands. Dark circles shrouded his eyes, and his normally clear skin had pimples dotted across his forehead. He looked awful, and that was putting it kindly.
"You look awful," Shikamaru repeated out loud.
Naruto's tired eyes hardened to a glare, but he didn't refute the words.
Pushing himself up, Shikamaru turned around and headed out of the room. Within a few minutes, he returned with a Styrofoam cup–complete with steam puffing up into the air– and a few wrapped packages of…pineapple cakes.
He settled next to Naruto, gently placing the cup on the table and setting a pair of chopsticks over the lid.
"I think it's been about 3 minutes now. Careful though, it's hot," Shikamaru warned.
At the salty smell of chicken broth, Naruto perked up. Shaking fingers reached for the cup and he wolfed down the contents like he was inhaling air. When Shikamaru returned with a basket of daikon radishes and cabbage, he doubted that Naruto had even noticed that he left the room.
"When was the last time you ate something?" Shikamaru questioned.
"I had a little bit of red bean soup last night," Naruto answered, albeit evasively, between mouthfuls of crunching down on a daikon radish.
One eye shut closed. "No wonder. You're a mess inside and out, Naruto. You don't even like vegetables but here you are eating them without complaint."
Naruto said nothing, too concerned with devouring the food before him like a hollowed lake absorbing water.
"Ah…" A grin spread across his lips as Naruto flopped onto his back.
"Better?" Shikamaru asked, mildly disgusted by how quickly he had eaten. Still not faster than Chouji though.
"Yeah, definitely," Naruto turned his easy grin towards Shikamaru. "Yosh! Let's get back to business," he shouted out, shooting up to a sitting position.
His eyes roved the Shogi board with renewed vigor. "I'm going to give my 110% to learn this! I can't be a stupid, big idiot forever!"
Shikamaru blinked. "Hinata called you a stupid, big idiot?"
Naruto shook his head from side to side. "No. I'm calling myself one. But she has every right to."
A smirk played at Shikamaru's lips. "Alright, let's clear the board and start over then."
"No, we'll use the game we have now. There's probably a bunch of mistakes all over but I can't give up just like that," Naruto claimed.
"Whatever. Suit yourself," Shikamaru replied blandly, but felt a sort of…respect well up inside him.
Naruto carefully scrutinized the board and his remaining pieces, ultimately deciding to shift his rook to the sixth file. In turn, Shikamaru moved his fourth pawn one square forward, allowing space for his gold general to fend off attacks. On Naruto's side, he moved his King to the square previously inhabited by his rook. A defensive strategy? Hm. Interesting. Naruto was trying to preserve this game as long as possible.
As the game continued, Shikamaru found himself climbing up on the metaphorical ladder rungs of his strategies. He raised an eyebrow, not surprised that Naruto could be smart, but surprised that he had the aptitude to be this smart.
It was Naruto's turn now, and he spent several minutes hovering over certain pieces before abruptly hesitating and withdrawing his hand. A sudden epiphany struck him, however, and he used his rook to chomp up Shikamaru's silver general. Both of Shikamaru's eyebrows rose to his hairline. True, it was only one piece…but, what a dramatic change.
A bang and rattling of Shogi pieces captured his attention. Naruto's forehead rested against the table, and he clutched onto the back of his head with both hands. "Ahh finally, I got one! That took so much thinking my brain is overheating. I don't get how your brain works Shikamaru. How can you think so much without your head exploding?"
Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "I should ask the same for you. How did you manage to play Shogi without your head exploding?"
"Oh. That's easy. I thought about how happy she would feel if I managed to impress her," Naruto mumbled, sleep slipping into his words.
With a small smile, and Naruto's soft snores echoing through his living room, Shikamaru looked out the window. Perhaps…she really was that important to him.
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"Ah…Achoo!"
Shikamaru opened one eye, a frown settling on his face. "How troublesome…first my shirt and now my blanket. I just did my laundry too."
From beside him, Naruto sat up and yawned so widely that Shikamaru could hear the pop of his jaw. Blinking blearily, he turned towards Shikamaru. "Did I fall asleep? Where are we?"
"Yes. And on my roof," Shikamaru plainly answered.
"Why?"
Shikamaru held up a black and yellow book and lazily waved it in the air. "Lesson number two. You enjoy being with the person even when you're doing absolutely nothing. Now there's a lesson I can get behind."
"Eh? So that's why we're on the roof?" Naruto looked up at the small cluster of clouds, swirling in wisps of white against a soft blue day. "…Cloud watching?"
Shikamaru grunted an affirmation. "The clouds are nice after the rain."
"Oh okay," Naruto nodded slowly, "You're the expert." He rolled onto his back and spread out his arms, eyes blankly staring at the sky.
Silence elapsed between them…until Naruto's rumbling snores once again resounded through the air. In his peripheral vision, Shikamaru could see drool dribbling down the corner of Naruto's mouth and onto his definitely no-longer-clean blanket. Ugh. Why did Naruto always leave behind so many messes?
A few more tranquil minutes elapsed, and analyzing Naruto's strange predicament slipped out of his mind as Shikamaru felt his own eyelids grow heavy. Just before the edges of Shikamaru's vision faded to black, a loud snort startled him to consciousness.
"Gah!" Naruto sat up abruptly, rubbing both eyes with his knuckles. "I fell asleep again?"
Shikamaru didn't respond. Stay quiet. Don't make any noise. Naruto would shut up soon and he could return to his peaceful sleep.
"Shikamaru…this isn't working, I still don't get it!" Naruto exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
Ugh...Shikamaru leaned back onto his elbows and propped up his upper body. He angled his face towards Naruto, "What don't you get?" Shikamaru asked reluctantly.
"I don't get…how any of this is romance," Naruto sunk his chin into his knees. "If it's like this then I might as well be in love with you."
"Not my type," Shikamaru shot down. "Already have enough loud blondes in my life."
Naruto stuck his tongue out. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant like, how is romantic love different than Lee loving to train? Or Chouji loving to eat his chips?"
"Naruto, training and chips aren't people," Shikamaru said flatly.
"I know that! I mean. Lee loves training so much that he's willing to go through a lotta pain. And Chouji loves doing nothing and eating chips. That's love too isn't it?"
Shikamaru nodded. "You are not incorrect."
"So then isn't romantic love like, that stuff from movies? You know, the guy brings the girls pretty flowers, or the girl makes bento boxes and peels apples for him? Shino told me it's more than just that, but I still don't…know what," Naruto finished with a defeated sigh.
So this was the extent of his cluelessness. It made sense. Considering Naruto's lonely upbringing and Team 7's dynamic, it was only natural that he used movies and his teammates as models.
"Like I said, I'm not someone who can explain it to you. I don't understand this troublesome emotion myself," Shikamaru admitted. Before Naruto could protest, Shikamaru continued, "The best way for someone like you to understand is to watch some more couples. See how their interactions with each other are different than when they're with other people."
"You mean like…case studies?" Naruto wondered out loud. Suddenly, he perked up. "Like Ino and Sai!" He announced brightly.
"Like Ino and Sai– wait, what?"
Naruto pointed to a figure below them. Shikamaru followed his finger to see Ino practically skipping through town and heading towards the stream.
"I bet she's going to go find Sai. He's always hanging out at the river these days," Naruto explained. "This will work! Sai's just as dumb as I am in this sort of stuff so I can see how he handles it."
Shikamaru groaned. "I don't know…if Ino finds out that we were spying on her she's going to kick both of our asses. Oi! Where are you going?"
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He wasn't sure if he liked the guy. There was something about Sai that seemed…kind of off. But he didn't know enough about him to make a decision. And he certainly didn't intend to learn more by spying on him through the bushes.
"Naruto. I'm leaving," Shikamaru drawled.
"What? It's too late! Ino will see you if you leave now."
Shikamaru regarded him with hooded eyes. "I'm a shinobi I'll be–"
"She's approaching him! Shh!" Naruto hushed.
True to his word, Ino had finally finished making herself "presentable" and bounded to lean over Sai's shoulder.
"Hey Sai-kun! What a coincidence to see you here. What are you up to?" She smiled broadly from ear to ear.
Sai didn't look up from his sketchpad. "Drawing," he stated.
Neither a genuine smile nor a fake one was plastered on his lips today. Ino's cheery disposition faltered. Apparently, Shikamaru hadn't been the only one to notice.
"Oh nice," Ino nodded, taking a seat besides him. She raised an eyebrow. "You're not drawing flowers today?"
"No."
"Oh okay. That's cool. It's good to practice drawing different things." She craned her neck to get a better look at his painting. "Those…rocks look really good."
"Thank you," he responded curtly.
The corner of Ino's mouth twitched, but she kept her tongue behind her teeth. After a beat of silence, Ino re-composed herself.
"So…were you the one who cleaned my house this morning? Thanks for doing that," Ino said gratefully, keeping the light in her voice cheerful.
"No. It was not me," Sai replied.
Ino blinked. "Oh…then who was it?"
"Your teammates and Sakura, I believe."
"Huh?" The blonde wrinkled her nose. "No way. Shikamaru's way too lazy to do that. Especially if he's hungover."
"Then just the other one," Sai clarified crisply.
Ino narrowed her eyes. "The other one? You know their names, Sai." She sighed, turning to face him fully. "Alright Sai. Spit it out. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he clipped, eyes focused on shading a rock with his brush.
Blue eyes burned to a glare, her short-temper spiking. "Don't 'nothing' me. Don't you trust me?"
Sai's hand froze; he dropped his brush. "It is none of your concern," he claimed.
Ino's lips twisted into a frown. "None of my– what? Sai I care about you. What the hell are you saying?"
"Do you?" He snapped. Dark eyes finally met blue. "Or am I a puppet that conveniently fills in a hole?"
Confusion washed over Ino, petrifying her into silence.
Sai continued, "It has been perplexing me for quite some time. Why someone like you–someone popular, pretty, and confident– has expressed interest in me. You've had several other boyfriends before. Other boyfriends who were much more interesting characters compared to myself. I have no family. No personality. Not even a real name. I am no one."
Regaining her ability to formulate sentences, Ino opened her mouth to speak. But before she could utter a word, Sai cut her off, "No, it is true. I am speaking objectively. I have done much research on the subject of love and have tried to follow the instructions. But after yesterday, I finally understand. We are not real."
Ino furrowed her brow until deep creases appeared on her forehead. "What do you mean…we're not real?"
"Yes." Sai nodded once. "At first, I admittedly felt flattered that you wanted to perform intimate activities together."
Her eyes widened and a crimson blush inflamed her face. "Are you talking about Truth or Dare? Dare or Drink, whatever."
"Yes," he repeated again. "The more I thought about your answer, however, the more bothered I became. It was very strange. I have trouble feeling emotions, yet this turmoil caused by you was very clear." Sai held Ino's gaze and said his next words with unyielding certainty, "You chose me as someone to fuck. Not someone to marry."
Ino's mouth plunged open, and she sputtered, "I-I was drunk, okay. You're misinterpreting this the wrong way."
Sai pursed his lips. "Am I really? You do not have interest in me, but rather, the idea of me. You have interest in finding a male companion so that you do not feel left out within your friends. Hinata wants Naruto. Sakura wants Sasuke. It is only natural that you want someone too. I am the one who most conveniently fits that role."
"Hey!" Ino bristled, a livid fire dancing in her eyes. "Don't talk about my feelings as if you're me!"
"I apologize, I was merely expressing my own deductions," Sai said in a monotone far too devoid of emotion to be sincere. "The way I see it, you want me as a prize to show around. Something material, and ultimately, disposable. That's what we are."
Ino dropped her head into her knees, using her arms to pull her legs closer to her body. "What…what kind of girl do you think I am? Do you think I use men to make myself feel better? Do you think it's impossible that I could like you simply because I just do?" She croaked out, voice wobbly, like it was teetering on the edge of a cliff.
At that moment, Shikamaru brusquely yanked Naruto out of the bushes and sprinted away in a blur of grey and black. Once they reached a clearing of tall grass, yellowing in the autumn weather, Shikamaru plopped Naruto onto the ground.
"That was a mistake," Shikamaru ground out, voice carefully controlled.
Naruto remained rooted to the spot that Shikamaru had planted him on. "I…I've never seen Sai act like that before. I wonder what he said next."
"I don't know. I don't care." Shikamaru turned his back away, hands crammed deep in his pockets. His dark eyes glinted dangerously under the sunlight. Anger boiled within him, an anger that was different from when Asuma-sensei or his father died. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. This anger was inexplicable, irrational, and maybe if he cleared his brain he could break down the pieces and figure it out.
But right now, he let himself seethe. He let himself mentally pummel Sai to the ground. Let himself replay their heated conversation over and over in his mind. God, he needed a cigarette. Underneath the surface layer of his mind, he knew that most of all…he hated himself for being unable to protect Ino.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling Shikamaru with patches of light amidst the leaves' shadows. It was still fairly early– the morning air cool, crisp, and causing the hairs on his skin to prickle almost pleasantly. The nice day, however, did little to alleviate Shikamaru's mood.
"Hey, you haven't eaten all day right?"
Shikamaru didn't move as Naruto plunked down besides him on the damp bench. The blond offered him a skewered mackerel on a stick and a cup of green tea.
His lips quirked into a small, wry smile. "You remembered that I like these?"
"Of course I remember! How could I forget the awful smell?" Naruto said cheekily.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but nevertheless accepted the gift. "Thanks…I just need a moment," he admitted, taking a sip of his tea. The hot liquid soothed the tightness in his throat.
"Sure, not a problem," Naruto agreed, chomping down on his fried mackerel and swinging his legs back and forth. "This is kinda nice. We haven't hung out just the two of us for a while."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Ah, it can't be helped that we're both getting busy. That's what happens when we have to grow up. We're going to be adults soon with troublesome responsibilities and even more troublesome families."
Naruto laughed, nudging Shikamaru in the arm. "Oh come on Shikamaru it won't be so bad. The future's gonna be bright I just know it!"
He would never admit it, but seeing the confident sparkle in Naruto's eyes lightened the weight of his burdens just a little. The two fell into a comfortable silence, and Shikamaru's anger cooled to a tepid frustration.
As if reading his thoughts, Naruto suddenly spoke up, "Hey Shikamaru…how come we didn't jump in and stop Sai from saying those things? You know, clear things up for him. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt her."
"Because," Shikamaru sighed, "we weren't supposed to be there. It only would have been worse if Ino knew that we had witnessed her like that. That girl…she has a lot of pride."
"Oh," Naruto responded. He massaged his temples with his index fingers. "Man…this love stuff is hard. It's so confusing. I think Sai was going overboard, but at the same time Ino had unintentionally hurt him too. Nothing's black and white."
Shikamaru smirked. "And that's why I prefer to get involved with none of it."
A teasing twinkle entered Naruto's eyes. "I don't know about that, you seem pretty close with Tem–" He stopped short, skin paling until he resembled a white sheet. "Gah! H-Hiashi…abort mission, retreat!"
"What?" Shikamaru craned his neck around to see that Hyūga Hiashi was indeed strolling down the dirt path. A firm tug propelled him to his feet and Shikamaru whipped his head around to see Naruto practically dragging him away.
"Oi oi," he called, digging his heels into the ground. "Since when were you so afraid of Hinata's father?"
"I'm usually not. But yesterday, I was supposed to take Hinata home and um…I got lost. So I didn't," he answered evasively.
The hazy picture in his mind focused, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "So you left her in your house, alone I presume, and very hungover or confused."
"No…I wrote a note! Anyways let's go," Naruto urged.
The dark-haired boy allowed himself to be pulled away. "So…you did do something to Hinata last night? That's why you're so scared?"
"What!" Naruto skidded to a stop so abruptly that Shikamaru lurched into him. "Of course I didn't! But…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his arm. "I think it's my fault that she got so drunk. Either way, I'm not gonna be on her father's good side today."
"Actually, that might be my fault," Shikamaru confessed.
"What?" Confusion saturated Naruto's expression.
"While Shino had his hands full preventing you and Sasuke from torching down the place–seriously, it was like you two wanted to start a war in that apartment, I stayed with Hinata and tried stopping her from going overboard–"
"You didn't do a good job!" Naruto interjected.
"–It was either that or stopping Lee from ripping off his clothes and challenging everyone to a beauty contest. Pft, I made an attempt." He crossed his arms across his stomach and shifted his weight to the side. "Even if I drank half of her drink, she'd just pour herself another one. It was troublesome, and pointless, since in the end both of us fell asleep."
"Shikamaru!" Naruto pouted, momentarily displeased before he suddenly softened his face. "Did she…say anything about me?"
Shikamaru hesitated, not sure what to say as he met Naruto's urgent, wide eyes.
"No," he answered, deciding to spare him.
"Oh…" Naruto looked down, scuffing his shoes against the grass.
"Anyways, let's get going," Shikamaru quickly changed the subject, giving Naruto one shove in the back before jogging away himself. He angled his head back and reminded, "If she's really that important to you, you can't let her father kill you first."
x-x-x-x-x-x
Jagged twigs and itchy leaves clashed against his skin, leaving thin, streaks of red on his bare arms. What a troublesome day to not have his black turtleneck.
"Are you serious, Naruto? The best hiding spot you could think of was more bushes? It's not like the man has all-seeing eyes or anything like that," Shikamaru intoned sarcastically.
Naruto sniffed indignantly. "I didn't see you taking us anywhere better!"
Before Shikamaru could reply that he wasn't the one with a target on his head, two familiar voices filtered through the bushes. Oh no, he inwardly groaned.
Shikamaru wasn't the only one to notice; Naruto's eyes widened in recognition and he scaled the bushes to peek over the top.
"It is them!" He confirmed in surprise.
"I've learned my lesson about eavesdropping on couples. I'm leaving," Shikamaru announced, beginning to worm his way through the mess of brambles.
"Shikamaruuu," Naruto whined. "I've been trying to learn from their interactions all my life! How come I still don't understand love?"
"Not my problem," Shikamaru deadpanned, "You can find me after–"
"Sasuke-kun, did you hear something?"
Both boys froze, immediately concealing their chakra patterns.
A beat of silence. Then a neutral reply, "No."
Although, Shikamaru could have sworn he felt the Uchiha's eyes glare through their weak excuse for a barrier.
"Oh okay. Must be my imagination."
If Shikamaru squinted his eyes and if he peeked through the right holes in the shrubbery, he could vaguely make out Sakura crouching over a hospital bed and tending to Sasuke's bandages.
"You know…we still have an artificial arm made out of Hashirama-sama's cells ready for you," Sakura began slowly, unwrapping the bandages around Sasuke's stub.
Sasuke said nothing.
"So if you want the prosthetic procedure, we could…arrange it for you."
This time, Sasuke did flicker his eyes towards her. "No, there is no need."
Her expression deflated, but she pressed on, "Are you sure? It wouldn't be too much trouble, honest." Sakura gently traced her fingers across his skin, sending tingles running up and down his spine.
Sasuke didn't respond immediately, opting to press his lips into a thin line. After a tense silence, he stated, "It bothers you, doesn't it? That I do not have an arm."
Sakura stiffened, her brow creasing. "No, it doesn't bother me," she proclaimed firmly, "Sasuke-kun I just…want you to finally be happy. I think that if you had an arm you'd be able to enjoy life more."
"Hn. An arm would not make me enjoy life more," Sasuke replied.
"Why not?" Sakura asked earnestly.
Sasuke opened his mouth only to clamp it shut instantaneously. After some deliberation he finally settled on saying, "You wouldn't understand."
Her shoulders tensed, an unreadable emotion flashing across her eyes. However, almost as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. She plastered on an easy grin and reached for her medical charts. "Fine. Okay. You're probably right, I wouldn't. I'm not going to push you to share anything," she said evenly.
Dark eyes peered up at her, trying to catch her averted gaze. "Don't…take it that way."
"Don't take it what way?" She parroted back, not looking up from her clipboard.
"…Nevermind," Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, I'm going to leave Konoha soon."
Sakura stilled in her scribbling, the resulting silence so thick that a shuriken couldn't even slice through it. Her eyes flitted to him–shining in a myriad of emotions from open to questioning to overwhelmingly sad. "Already? But you just got here…won't you at least stay for Naruto's birthday?"
He flinched at her words but steadily continued, "No…I can't. I have to go. I must continue my journey."
Sakura took a deep breath, her grin fading. "Do you think that maybe…maybe I could come with you this time?" She shyly asked, tentatively moving her hand towards his.
Sasuke retracted his hand out of her reach, slipping it behind his back. "Like I said before, you have nothing to do with my sins. You wouldn't understand."
Sakura's fists balled tightly at her sides, and it was heart-wrenchingly painful to watch her struggling to reign in her emotions. "Fine," she clipped, "I wouldn't understand, of course I wouldn't."
A frown etched onto Sasuke's face. "Sakura…don't be. I–"
"You what? You don't mean it that way? So what do you mean? Or am I too naïve and too innocent to ever understand?"
The frown stretched tightly on Sasuke's lips.
"Maybe you're right, I could never understand. Even so, I always want to if you'd…if you'd just let me. I want to share your pain. But all you ever do is push me away…" She trailed off, grabbing onto her elbow with one hand.
"Sakura I…" Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. "I want to shelter you from all the evil parts of me. And it's…it's hard for me to open up to anyone."
"Is really that hard for you to open up to anyone? You don't seem to have any problem with Hinata. I'm sure she could understand you," Sakura retorted back.
"Hinata?" He stood up rigidly and scowled. "You…you too? You've got to be kidding me."
Shifting away from him, Sakura folded her arms underneath her chest. "It took you forever to warm up to me, years. But you got close to her practically overnight."
"Naruto is stupid enough to act so ridiculous. But you too?" Before Sakura could snap back, Sasuke barreled on, "What do you have to be jealous about? You and Naruto have spent everyday of your lives together, with lots of alone time no doubt, for the past several years."
"Yeah, we did. And so what? Why would it bother you? Since when did you care about the two of us being together?" Sakura bit back.
Sasuke inhaled deeply through his nose, dodging her questions. "It's true that I see Hinata as a level beyond toleration, we might even be friends. But I opened myself up because you asked me to. I attended all these ridiculous social events for– I came back to Konoha for…" His breath hitched, almost imperceptibly, and he turned his face away from her.
The reminder ebbed away some of her frustrations; she closed her eyes. "I know…and I really appreciate it, I do. I just can't help but feel…" The rest of the words fell away.
"That's why we cannot work."
Sakura lifted her head up towards him, eyes wide like a newborn does'.
"I will not be able to make you happy. Everything I do…is too little. Is not right. Is not enough. I am not enough."
"Sasuke-kun no I–"
"It's the truth," Sasuke interrupted. "I have nothing but darkness surrounding me. You don't need to be involved in that." He stared at her with an unwavering attention that would have unnerved anyone else. "Sakura…I see now that I cannot…be the person you wish for me to be. Being with me would only give you a life of hardship. So you should…forget about me. Try for someone else similar to Naruto. I am not a prize you should be striving for."
Sakura said nothing. She stood still as a stone statue–hands curled tightly into fists and skin stretched taut over her muscles. Her head shot up, green eyes brimming with unbridled rage and hot tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.
"How dare you Sasuke. How. Dare. You," she punctuated each word harshly.
She took one step forward. "How dare you minimize my feelings? Again. Even after all this time you still treat me like a little girl with a little crush. How are you…" The tears streamed down her face and she croaked out a choked sob. "How are you able to keep casting aside my feelings like that? As if they're nothing but specks of dust for you to swat away. A prize…is that what you think I see you as? That I want you to love me back so I'd get a sense of accomplishment from winning your affections?"
Sakura held her chin high and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "You must think I'm so foolish. So, so foolish for being unable to forget about you and choose Naruto or Lee or whoever. Well you know what, you're right. My heart's a fool and can't change so easily like that. But you know what my heart can do? Break. Break and shatter into glass shards that cut into my skin and it's like they're saying, 'Why why why, why are you doing this to yourself again Sakura?'"
Hot tears had stained her cheeks again, and she struggled to suppress the rest. She breathed shakily through clenched teeth. "You are worth so much more than a prize to me," she whispered, "perhaps it is you who wouldn't understand."
Pivoting on her heel, she stomped towards the exit. She only made it three paces before Sasuke gripped onto her wrist and pulled her back against his chest.
Sakura quivered in her shoes. "What are you–"
"I cannot accept the arm because I do not deserve one."
Green eyes trembled; she didn't turn around.
"The crimes I've committed, the suffering I've caused, the hate I've created…I'm carrying too many sins on my shoulders. If you were to be by my side, I'd only drag you down to hell with me," Sasuke said, voice low, gravely, and utterly sincere.
"Your affections and your forgiveness, it is…overwhelming. I…I can't accept it. I don't deserve it. It's as if I've been locked in a dark cave for years and you're the sunlight trying to pull me out. But in the end it's too bright, too strange for me to bask in the sun. It's better for everyone if I had just stayed alone in the darkness." Sasuke gently twirled Sakura around to face him. Tears no longer leaked out of her eyes, but the moist residue still stained her cheeks. Sasuke lightly padded his thumb over her tear streaks. "You have no reason to love me. You wouldn't need to cry anymore if you didn't."
"Sasuke-kun," she muttered his name quietly, her eyes glued to the floor. Brushing the hesitation out of her mind, she gulped down a large intake of breath. "I love that you express yourself with actions instead of words. I love that everything you say is honest, even if the words are cold." Her voice picked up power, head gradually rising. "I love that you're witty and make sarcastic comments. I love that you listen to everything even if you pretend not to. I love that you…understand me."
Green met black in full force; the intensity in her bright eyes capable of melting even the iciest of glares. "I love you because I believe in you. I believe that deep down, it's not just that you can be good, but that you are good."
"Sakura," was all he managed to say, eyes unblinking as Sakura jumped into him and wrapped her arms around his torso.
He found his one arm, his one hand, clutching onto the fabric of her white coat like it was a lifeline. If he had another arm, another hand, it would not have been wiping at the tears that definitely had not pooled in his eyes.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Shikamaru swished the green liquid in his teacup, absently watching the sun lighting his drink in flecks of yellow. The tea's warmth seeped through the smooth ceramic and into Shikamaru's thin fingers. The hangover had waned since the morning, and the green tea admittedly soothed the leftover pressure thumping his head. Naruto's romantic adventures, however, certainly didn't speed up the process. Even so, Shikamaru couldn't quite blame him.
From besides him, Naruto took satisfying sip of his own drink. "Ah…" He leaned back until his back hit the picnic table. "Hey Shikamaru you know what's funny?"
"That your preferred choice of drink isn't ramen broth?" Shikmaru droned.
"That is kinda funny but no!" Blue eyes glazed over and he watched a blade of grass sway in the wind. "What's funny is that…I don't feel anything here." Naruto patted the left side of his chest, right at his heart, with an open palm. "No resentment, no jealousy, no pain."
Shikamaru turned towards him, waiting for him to continue.
"There was once a time in my life where I would have done anything to hear Sakura-chan say those sort of words to me. I thought that if she finally liked me back this hole in here," Naruto fisted his hand into the black turtleneck he wore, "Would go away. I thought that I wouldn't feel so lonely if one person honestly wanted to be with me."
Naruto lifted his gaze towards the underside of the tree in front of them. "But watching Sasuke and Sakura like that…only made me want to cheer for their happiness." A small smile twitched onto Naruto's lips, followed by a chuckle. "I guess that's it, the light bulb is officially dead."
"You want to know what I think?" Shikamaru's voice cut into Naruto's reflections.
"Sure. Go for it."
"I don't particularly care about relationships or love in general. Way too troublesome. But if Sakura did choose you, and you knew that she still had these strong feelings for Sasuke, you would constantly feel like a consolation prize, wouldn't you? She would have chosen you as a means to forget about Sasuke."
"A consolation prize…" Naruto rubbed his thumbs together. "I guess so."
"If you understand that, then shouldn't you be able to understand how Hinata feels?"
"Hinata?" Naruto scrunched up his brow. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Shikamaru sighed and reached into his back pocket for a notepad.
"Oh! A flipchart!" Naruto exclaimed, looking far too giddy upon seeing the plain notebook.
"Er…yeah. Kind of." Shikamaru used his teeth to pull the cap off a pen. He scribbled crude drawings on four separate sheets of paper–first, a girl with shaded in straight hair, second, a boy with three whisker marks on each side of his face, next a girl with a diamond in the middle of her forehead and short hair, and lastly, a boy with shaded in spikes. After adding an arrow to the bottom of each page, Shikamaru slowly flipped each page over.
"So…do you get it now?"
"Yeah…" Naruto placed two fingers beneath his chin thoughtfully. "Your drawing skills…are really bad. I can only tell which ones are girls because you put eyelashes on them."
The notepad whacked against his head and flattened his yellow spikes.
"Oi, oi focus." Shikamaru pointed to the first drawing. "This is Hinata," he turned to the next page, "and her arrow is going to you. Your arrow is going to Sakura. And Sakura's arrow is going to Sasuke."
"Where are you going with this?" Naruto questioned, frowning.
"You to Sakura is like," Shikamaru flipped back to the first page, "Hinata to you. Hinata knows this. She knows she's chasing after a person romantically invested in someone else."
Naruto held up a hand, frown still in place. "Hey, hey, Shikamaru. I thought you were smart."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
Shaking his head, Naruto elaborated, "Me to Sakura-chan, and Hinata to me, are two completely separate things. Sakura-chan has rejected me at every turn. She made it clear every single time that she didn't like me like that. When we first met, she didn't even like me at all! As for me, I've never rejected Hinata. I didn't even think she liked me 'cause it was impossible for me to believe that someone could… actually like me." Naruto looked down at his hands, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "To tell you the truth…I still need more time to really figure out my feelings. But when I'm with Hinata…I feel warm everywhere, like my heart feels all fuzzy and I get flashing images of a future together and it's honestly…kind of nice."
A smile spread across Shikamaru's lips. "Naruto, you didn't need me to teach you anything."
Laughing, Naruto bashfully scratched his cheek. "Nah, you helped lead the way for me. Thanks for helping me out today, really. You're a great friend Shikamaru."
Shikamaru averted his eyes, sliding his hands into his pockets. They sat in comfortable silence, a rarity for Naruto, and it was no surprise to Shikamaru that Naruto broke the calm in a matter of minutes.
"…Giant bunny?"
"Hallucinations? You're more sleep-deprived than I thought."
"No, no look! There's actually a giant bunny over there." Naruto shook his finger towards a wheelbarrow that was indeed carting a huge plush animal. He jumped to his feet. "I have to get it."
"You want a giant bunny? Well at this point, anything you do doesn't surprise me anymore. Where are you–" He cut himself off, rolling his eyes as Naruto dashed to the cart.
"Oi! Old man! How much for that big rabbit?" Naruto skidded to a stop in front of him, resting his hands on his knees.
The man turned around, bewilderment crossing his face before settling to recognition. "Oh…you're Naruto-san aren't you? The Village Hero?"
The blond shot him an awkward grin and waved him off. "Err…yeah."
The old man remorsefully shook his head. "I wish I could help you…but this rabbit is unfortunately not for sale. It has to be one of the prizes on display for the winter festival."
Naruto's face fell to a crestfallen puppy-dog pout. "No…that's too far away. Please old man, I'll work for it. I'll do anything."
He shifted from foot to foot before biting his lip. "W-Well…my daughter does own a Dango Shop. Maybe we could work out some sort of trad–"
"Yes please!" A whiskered face stopped short just inches from the man's face. A tap on Naruto's shoulders made him tilt his head ever so slightly.
"Sorry to interrupt this…I don't know what this is," Shikamaru nonchalantly gestured to them. "But there's…something that I gotta do. See ya around, Naruto."
Naruto backed away from the old man to wave to Shikamaru. "Bye Shikamaru! I'll be sure to come back to you when I have more questions, you're the best romantic-love-sensei a guy could have!"
"Please don't. Also, never call me that again."
Contrary to his dry farewell, Shikamaru couldn't help but smile as he walked away. Somewhere along the day he had noticed that it wasn't exactly romantic love that was important to Naruto, but rather... All Naruto had to do was piece together the last puzzle piece himself.
x-x-x-x-x-x
The light fragrance of flowers floated through his nose. The shop smelled like a curious blend of tropical aromas and vanilla flavors that somehow mixed into a general scent of "nice-smelling." Shikamaru was no poet. He leaned back on his heels, rocking back and forth onto his toes.
"Ino, this Hinata obsession of yours is getting creepy," Shikamaru stated, roving his eyes over the rows of photos clipped to a laundry line.
"Shikamaru?" Ino straightened up from slouching behind the counter. "Since when did you get here?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Just now. The bell rang and I said hello and everything."
"Oh…really? Sorry about that. I'm just…" Ino bit her lip.
"Still a bit hungover? Yeah don't worry it's fine," Shikamaru excused for her.
"Hungover? Y-Yeah, that's right. Anyways," she clapped her hands together and pulled on a bright, thousand-watt smile. "What can I do for you Shikamaru? Finally gonna show some class and buy Temari some flowers?"
"Tch," was all he offered, but a faint blush heated up on his face.
"There's no need to be so shy about it," Ino teased, waggling her eyebrows. "You know the other day, I saw Sasuke-kun staring into the store and looking super conflicted. How much do you wanna bet he was thinking about getting flowers for Billboard brow?"
"Nothing, because I couldn't care less," Shikamaru intoned.
Ino stuck out her lower lip. "Oh Shikamaru you're no fun. What have you been up to all day?"
"Hanging around with Naruto," he answered.
"Pft," Ino blew her bangs out of her eyes. "That guy…he better get in here soon and buy the entire store for Hinata-chan."
"Knowing you, you'd find a way to rope him into it."
Her lips stretched into a wry smile. "Nope…I promised Hinata-chan yesterday that I'm done. Although, it is a shame. All I want is to see my friends find happiness. Is it really that bad if I want to…give them a little push?" Ino sighed, pressing her cheek into the palm of her hand. "You…Billboard, Hinata-chan, you've all had it pretty rough. You deserve some good blessings for once."
"And so do you," Shikamaru admitted softly.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. Dark eyes scanned the colorful baskets, bouquets, and pots before settling on a cluster of pink flowers with fuzzy yellow centers. "I'll take a bunch of these," he requested.
"Ohh, let's see what you've chosen for your lucky lady. Those are–" Her breath caught, blue eyes blinking rapidly. "Cosmos…" she finished saying. "Cosmos are my flower," he could practically read the betrayal in her eyes.
In the snap of the fingers, Ino re-composed herself. The hurt fizzled away and an eerily chipper smile took its place. "Alright! No problem. I'll choose the best ones for you."
She skipped out from behind the counter and knelt down in front of the display of cosmos. Lithe fingers picked out the healthiest of stems and brightest of petals; she bundled them together with a rubber band and returned to the register to wrap them in a square of clear plastic.
"Let me just wrap these for you and you'll be good to go. You know what? This one will be on the house. In exchange, make sure you tell me how Temari reacts when she finds out you of all people actually got her flowers," Ino tittered in a way that would have sounded perfectly normal to any other person.
"Can you make it a delivery?" Shikamaru suddenly inquired.
Her hands stilled, smile faltering. "Sure, no problem." She opened a drawer and reached for a felt pen. "Where to?"
"Here," Shikamaru replied instantly.
"…Here?" Ino repeated, mouth parting open.
"Yes, right here," he confirmed again.
"You're getting flowers for my mom?"
At that, Shikamaru chuckled. "No, they're for you."
Her jaw unhinged even further. For once, the loudmouth blonde was struck with a loss of words.
Shikamaru averted his eyes and played with a loose thread unraveling on his shirt. "I…I think that you're a girl with a kind heart who sincerely cares about people. There. One man's opinion negating another's. So…d-don't worry, okay?" He stammered out uncomfortably.
Laughter filled his ears as Ino pressed her hand over her eyes. "Shikamaru…that's just like you to choose the most awkward way to reveal yourself. Like I didn't already know that you were watching the whole thing. You can hide your chakra pattern all you want, but we're practically family now and I can even tell if your dead body was nearby."
He wrinkled his nose. "How morbid."
"I know right?" Ino raised her hand off her eyes and used her thumb to wipe at her eyelashes. Shikamaru frowned, taken aback by the unwelcome arrival of tears.
"A-Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ino lazily waved a hand as she tried to even out her breathing. "Shikamaru…don't get mad at Sai, okay? I've been trying to see it from his side, and maybe…maybe he has a point. I'm just the girl who wants to have fun and be the center of attention. Not the girl ready to have serious feelings and settle down. He's right, isn't he? It's what everyone says about me anyways." The tears welled up in the corner of her eyes again and she looked down at her hands.
"He has no point," Shikamaru interjected, scowling. "Like I said, you're a girl with a kind heart who sincerely cares about people. So what if you're popular? So what if you like to have fun? It doesn't change a thing about your feelings. If Sai can't see that it's nothing but his huge loss."
"Shikamaru…" She choked out a laugh, drying her eyes before more tears could form. "Move me aside, you should be everyone's couple counselor. Come here you!" Ino stepped out from behind the counter and tackled Shikamaru into a hug.
Shikamaru stumbled backwards and awkwardly returned her embrace. A couple's counselor? No thank you. But somewhere in the far recesses of his mind… he knew underneath all the troublesome messes and reluctant complaining… he would still dig himself into any hole for his friends.
x-x-x-x-x-x
x-x-x
Author's Note: Sorry for taking a bit of time, so I made an especially long chapter! I'm actually not sure how this chapter will be received, but I suppose I chose a controversial topic to tackle in the first place. I made efforts to keep the fights as fair-balanced as possible and humanize their emotions because often times in fights, it's not clear who or what is right. There's not as much direct NaruHina this chapter, but when I thought about it I really wanted to develop the overall message and round out the other character's sub-arcs in the process. I've been trying to reply to burning review questions a bit more, but I'm admittedly kind of bad at it so sorry if you slipped through the cracks!
Personal Whatnots: I am a pharmacy student; classes are not only demanding, but there's also a perpetual pressure to be professional, composed, and carefully poised everyday of our lives. I started writing after a huge blank period as a form of escapism and also as a way for me to...find my emotions again. But, I really need to pull my reality together now, and there will unfortunately be a bit of delay for the last 2 official chapters and possible epilogue. (I've been super excited for the next chapter since Chapter 1!) I also have to update Of Parallel Lines & Intersections too, since it's been forever since I updated that and I've been neglecting it for too long.