It was a quiet morning in Konoha. The sun was just starting to rise and the birds have just started chirping. Many of the citizens have yet to get out of bed, while the local merchants are organizing their goods, getting ready for the morning market rush. All in all, it was a peaceful morning in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"SHIKAKU! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED!"
The matriarch of the Nara Clan was running around the kitchen, getting ready for the morning. She had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. The deer needed to be fed and managed, breakfast needed to be cooked, the table set, and everything double checked before she sent her family on its way for the day. Of course, she had to do this all herself. Her husband was as about as helpful as a sack of potatoes. No, a sack of potatoes would be more useful, as she could use some for breakfast.
She could always ask her daughter, as she was so diligent in her work and could complete a task with no complaint. Her daughter was the apple of her eye. No, this was her and Shikamaru's first day of the academy, she wouldn't put additional work on her little Kanoko.
With a smile, Yoshino continued on making breakfast for her family while going over again in her head what her two children would need for their first day.
Upstairs, the two said children were waking up. Well, Kanoko was waking up. She stretched a little before getting out of bed and making her way to the bathroom across the hall. She was a morning person, like her mother, and only looked slightly tired as she fished around the mirror cabinet for her toothbrush. As she started to brush her teeth, she took a look at her appearance. Her dark brown hair was mess. She still struggled with having long hair. She would have prefer to keep it at the length she had in her past life, but her mother loved her hair, always saying how happy she was that Kanoko took after her, more than her father. In an effort to appease her, Kanoko kept growing it and it now reached a couple inches past her shoulders.
Kanoko started to brush her hair and then wrapped it up into a bun with a few loose strands of hair sticking out like spikes. She had no bangs and only two loose pieces of hair curling out from behind her ears to frame her face, much like her mother's hair.
After finishing in the bathroom, she walked back to her room. Kanoko's father, Nara Shikaku, was the head of the Nara Clan as well as the Jounin Commander and had both the wealth and power to back up those claims. As such, Kanoko lived in a fairly large house, in the Nara forest lands, away from other families. However, even though the house was large enough to fit three families, Kanoko and Shikamaru shared a room. This started when they were young, as Yoshino wanted her children to be close by if they needed her and Shikaku found it too troublesome to travel to from room to room to care for his heirs. Getting out of bed was difficult enough.
This of course, was supposed to be temporary until they grew old enough to share the same room. Kanoko was overjoyed when she was moved to her own room. Shikamaru, for as lazy as he is, latches on like a koala bear at night. No amount of kicking, hitting, elbowing, pillows, or blankets stopped him. And he hadn't outgrown his drooling yet either. To say Kanoko was happy when she was given her own bed would be an understatement.
Her happiness was short lived, however.
Flashback
Kanoko had laid down in her new room and bed a while ago and was just starting to fall asleep. She never felt so relaxed before. "Who knew having another person taking up valuable sleeping space could be stressful." She thought with her eyes closed.
Kanoko opened an eye when she heard her door open slightly. A small amount of light came in, enough to make out a small form at the door.
"Shikamaru, go back to bed." She grumbled out.
He stared back at her. Shikamaru has these dark beady eyes that has always unnerved her. He continues to give her a bored stare before closing the door behind him and making his way onto her bed.
"I said no." She drowned out, not bothering to sit up. He stopped his movements and this time he kept his gaze away. He kept his head turned to the side, not saying anything or moving away. This was another thing that annoyed her to no end. In the past, she had a variety of childish behaviors she had to put up from her brothers. Loud complaints and overdramatic whining was what she was used to. Silence with the occasional gruff or the word "troublesome" (and she was beyond done with that word) were the typical responses she got from her brother. And it annoyed her to no end.
During her musings, she noted he still had not moved or said anything.
"Shikamaru. What. What is it you need?" She asked, if only so she could finally go to sleep. The response she received was a mumble.
"I have no idea what you said." Kanoko sighed this time.
Feeling a sort of defeat, Shikamaru started to move away from the bed and trotted slowly to the door.
"Finally." Kanoko thought as Shikamaru opened the door to leave.
Before he complete left through the door, he took one last look back at Kanoko. His face, for once, didn't hold a bored look, but rather a disappointed and lonely look. He quickly looked away though, and started to close the door.
"Wait." Shikamaru looked back when his sister called. Kanoko didn't say anything else, she just patted the spot next to her. With this, Shikamaru slinked back to Kanoko's bed after closing the door. He snuggled under the sheets and next to his sister.
"Don't think this is going to be an every night thing." She told him sternly with a frown before closing her eyes again, missing his small smile.
End Flashback
It of course turned into a nightly occurrence and soon Shikamaru started stuffing all his clothes in her dresser. She protested of course, but Shikamaru just slept through her nagging.
Kanoko walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of dark gray shorts and a navy blouse with pink flowers and the Nara Clan symbol on it. Kanoko didn't enjoy wearing such girly clothes, but again, whatever makes her mom happy. She regularly gets a front row seat to her ranting at Shikamaru and Shikaku, and she would like to stay on her new mother's good side.
Once Kanoko is dressed, she looks back at her bed. She sees the lump in the covers that still has yet to move. Maybe she has finally got lucky and her brother passed peacefully in the night. She sees the lump twitch and knows she is not getting lucky anytime soon.
With a grumble, she walks over to the bed and rips off the sheets. Shikamaru's eyebrow twitches, but he still refuses to open his eyes.
"If you don't get up, Kaa-san is going to come in screaming at you." She says in a low and annoyed voice. He still doesn't respond, so she walks over and rips the pillow he is holding onto. He was holding onto rather tightly, so his top half follows the pillow to the ground.
"Uhgg. Troublesome woman…" He mutters as he tiredly stares at his sister upside-down.
"You have 10 minutes to get ready." That's all Kanoko says before walking out and down the stairs to the dining room.
"Kanoko. Good morning! Can you set the table for me please? Your good for nothing father is taking forever to feed the deer." Her mother asks as she enters the room.
"Good morning Kaa-san. And certainly." Is Kanoko's response as she sets the table.
"Did you wake up your brother?"
"Hai."
"Good, I don't want you guys late for your first day at the academy! Are you excited?!" Her mother asks with a large grin.
After setting the table, Kanoko sits down at the bar to talk to her mother while she cooks, "Hai. I am eager to learn more about the village and becoming a ninja."
Before Kanoko can continue, she is interrupted by a large yawn from her brother. He lazily walks to the dining table and sits down. Kanoko thinks irritated, "Great, now Yoshino is going to yell at him since he has no manners."
"SHIKAMARU! You get over here and greet your mother properly with a good morning!" Yoshino screams from the stove.
"Troublesome woman…" is the only response she gets. Yelling is all Kanoko hears next.
.
.
.
Why couldn't have stayed dead? Was that really too much to ask?