Sungrazers

by El Reino

ShikaHina. When Shikamaru's mother procures him a noblewoman from the capital to be his wife, he thinks he'll be getting a spoiled, demanding shrew of a woman. Instead, he gets Hinata. He remembers Hinata from his pre-genin class. But he knows nothing about who Hinata is now, and is equally confused about her best friend, Sasuke. Smut later. ***Drabble length chapters***

15. Fifteen

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Enjoy!

oOo

Yoshino took Hinata all over the compound, somehow managing to meet up with every old aunt that lived there. Shikamaru felt intensely bored but still greeted them politely. If he did not, they all thought they had the right to pinch his ears over it.

Hinata handled it just like he would imagine from an aristocrat. She complimented something about them and repeated a fact they gave to her to indicate she was listening. The old biddies loved it and giggled as if they were Hinata's peers and not decades older.

After they finished the tour, Yoshino dragged Hinata into the main house. The tour of the house was perfunctory. It was clear that Yoshino wanted Hinata in the office. Which just happened to be the most warded room.

Yoshino did not hesitate to key Hinata in. Shikamaru was shocked at the level of trust Yoshino showed Hinata. Why? Why would Yoshino let this stranger in so easily?

Escorting Hinata to a desk, Yoshino pulled out a long piece of paper. Hinata folded it up carefully and tucked it in the folds of her obi.

"It's a shame I have to write the information down," Yoshino said, "but hopefully the pictures will help you. And now you know who to trust in the compound."

Shikamaru could not hold it in anymore. He still stood at the door, feeling disposable and unneeded. "What is going on?"

Yoshino rolled her eyes. "Can't you keep up?"

"How am I supposed to keep up when you're not telling me anything?"

"How am I supposed to tell you anything when you're never home and when you are you don't listen to me?" Yoshino asked with words flying rapidly through the air like senbon.

Shikamaru shrunk back. Hinata pretended to be extremely interested in her furisode sleeves.

Yoshino took a quick, steadying breath. "Hinata is going to be your cover agent."

He blinked at the shock of his mother using nin vocabulary. "No offense, but Lady Hinata is an aristocrat. How can she-sorry my Lady- be a cover agent?'

Yoshino rolled her eyes and exchanged a rueful glance with Hinata. "What do you think she was doing the whole time she was in the castle? Embroidery? And how did she fill the rest of the time she was not embroidering? Why would the Daimyo be willing to let her back into a nin village if she couldn't take care of herself?"

Because Shikamaru was not slow on the uptake when it came to nin business, he only said: "Aw, shit."

"To be fair," Hinata said meekly, "I did do a lot of embroidery."

oOo