Chapter 7
The night before the written exam, there was an unusual silence in the Kuro household as Kimimaro poured over every book he could, Sora played with a kunai and Haku checked the scroll where he stored his costumes.
It was a hobby the ice-user had picked up during their travels, gathering costumes and storing them in scrolls.
When the silence went on for too long and the children just kept picking at their food, Harī had had enough.
"Boys, it's just an exam. You don't need to be this nervous."
"Yeah, if you don't pass it with flying colours you've not learnt anything from us in all these years." Growled Zabuza getting a look from Harī.
The children seemed even more nervous now.
"What Zabuza was trying to say is that you already know everything you need to pass this exam. There is no need for you all to worry." Said Harry.
"You think so?" asked Haku, insecure.
"I know so." Replied Harry.
Slowly, the children started to relax and dove into the food with more energy.
HPNHPNHPNHPN
The morning of the written text was like any other to Shikamaru. He was too lazy to get nervous over an exam that he didn't care about. After all, there were very few chances they would make chūnin on their first try. And making chūnin also meant getting more work.
No, Shikamaru wasn't nervous at all.
Upon arriving at the site of the exam, he was met with the sight of Naruto speaking with three unknown boys that all wore the Konoha hitai-ate. The Nara decided to approach.
"…didn't know you were all genin." Was saying Naruto making wild moves with his arms.
"Hey, Naruto." Greeted Shikamaru. "How are you?"
Naruto looked at Shikamaru, then at the door to the room of the exam and started to tremble.
"I, ah, I'm… I'm fine…"
"Harī says the exam will be easy once they explain the rules." Said one of the dark-haired boys consolingly, very obviously trying to keep Naruto from getting more nervous.
"Really? Harī-san said so?"
"Kuro Harī? You know him?" asked the Nara at the same time.
The three boys looked at each other before turning to Shikamaru.
"Harī is our jōnin-sensei…" explained the white-haired one in a quiet voice.
"…and kind of our dad." Finished the most feminine looking one.
Shikamaru paused at that.
'So these are Harī's genin team.'
"And how do you know Harī?" asked the pretty one then. "Oh, by the way, my name's Yuki Haku."
"I'm Nara-"
"Shikamaru." Interrupted him the other dark-haired boy, who was now scowling at him.
Suddenly, the boy didn't seem to like the Nara much.
"Harī's always talking about you, but you don't actually look like much." Sneered the boy.
"Sora! Forgive my brother, he sometimes lets his jealousy get to the top of his head." Apologised Haku whilst dragging the boy away and apparently scolding him.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"I'm Kimimaro." Introduced himself the last of the boys, the white-haired one. "I'm sorry for my brother. He gets jealous over the silliest of things and Harī mentioned you often."
Shikamaru felt warmth in his chest that Harī truly had missed him and had spoken of him to his team.
"So troublesome." He muttered lowly, but still pleased.
They had no more time to speak, for they were called into the room and sat to take the written exam.
HPNHPNHPNHPN
As Harī had predicted, the written text was easy once the rules were explained.
Kimimaro knew the answers to all the questions already. Haku used his ice mirrors to copy what he didn't know and Sora did the best he could before waiting for the final question.
Of course, there were others in the room who had their own methods of answering the questions, but only a few of them were caught. At the end of the exam there were more people left than the examiners had been hoping for.
And after Naruto's and Sora's speech of not giving up, more than they had expected passed the test.
HPNHPNHPNHPN
After the written exam was done, Naruto finally had a chance to come over for dinner. That same day, Shikamaru went to have dinner at the Kuro household. Both boys stood awkwardly at the door to the big house.
It didn't last long, as they were soon warmly greeted by Harī himself and ushered in. Introductions were taken care of fast.
Citing that he still needed to get the final touches on dinner, he encouraged the boys to go and explore some until he finished.
And so Naruto, Haku and Sora ―who seemed to have warmed up to the blonde after learning he was an orphan too― left to show Naruto their rooms and explore the rest of the house.
For his part, Shikamaru seemed to get along well with Kimimaro, who asked if he played any strategy games. They both ended up playing a game of shogi and they were surprisingly well-matched. Geniuses.
Harī was just happy to see all his boys got along so easily. Well, not his boys because Naruto and Shikamaru weren't his, and technically neither were Haku, Kimimaro and Sora ―though that would change soon enough, probably, he hoped.
His heart clenched a little at the thought. He'd wanted so badly to have a chance to raise Naruto, to tell him about his parents and how much they'd loved him… And the most he could do was approach him through his boys, damn those elders for interfering.
But he had grown up well, despite all the hardships he'd endured, he'd turned out well. Kushina and Minato would've been proud of how kind and bright he was.
And Shikamaru… he'd missed the little genius the most out of everyone in Konoha. He'd missed his curiosity, his brightness and going cloud-watching with him.
But he wouldn't change his choice to leave. Not after it had brought him to Haku, Kimimaro and Sora.
Haku had been an orphan of the Kekkei Genkai users in Ame, a surviving member of the once great Yuki Clan. Harī had taken him in after his mother was killed by the same villagers that later tried to kill him.
Kimimaro he'd found after he'd personally massacred his own clan, who had caged and tortured him for having the Kekkei Genkai they'd once been famous for. He'd been sick too. Harī had nursed him back to health with his magic and taken him in without an ounce of hesitation.
The last member of their ragtag family, Sora, they had picked up a year before. Tsunade had mentioned he'd find something interesting in the Fire Temple and Harī had decided to make the trip. There he discovered Sora, the holder of a part of the Kyuubi's chakra, feared by the very own people who were supposed to take care of him, reviled and repressed at every turn. Harī had offered him a place in his family without asking for anything.
Shaking his head to rid it of such thoughts, Harī set the table and called the children ―and Zabuza, though he could often count as a child himself―to the table.
"This is delicious, Hari-hiko!" exclaimed Naruto with a half-full mouth.
"It's just Harī, Naruto. And I'm glad. I wasn't sure what you liked."
With that, dinner flew by with conversation flowing and food disappearing.
HPNHPNHPNHPN
It was a small very private meeting that Harī was about to enter when he came face to face with the last person he wanted to see at the moment. But of course, he should've been prepared for it; a meeting of this calibre would of course require the presence of the jōnin commander.
Shikaku stared back at him with impassive eyes. He looked slightly older, but more or less the same as when Harī left Konoha, and it brought him back years into the past, to the day he'd tried so hard to forget.
"I'm not a homewrecker. I… we can't be together, Shikaku. It's time to accept it."
"I won't! I won't accept it, Harī! Not if it means you'll leave our lives."
"Shikaku…"
"We can make this work. Just… take… take some time to think it through and…"
"I've thought it through and this is all I can think to do in our situation."
"Harī, no, we'll find another way. Think of Shikamaru-"
"I am! I am thinking of him. This situation is not good for him, Shikaku. He needs stability and a nurturing environment. He doesn't need to grow up with this- this-"
"Stay. I'll make it work." Pleaded the Nara, desperate.
"We've already tried, Shikaku! We've already tried and look where it got us: half the village hates me for loving a man and the other half condemns me as a homewrecker. I wish I could stay, that I could see Shika grow up, but I can't live like this. He'll hate me sooner or later if I stay. Yoshino will make sure of that."
"That'll never happen." Swore Shikaku.
"It will. I love Shika as if he were my own-"
"He should've been." Interrupted Shikaku, eyes full of pain.
Harī sobbed at those words, the tears finally pouring down his cheeks.
"But he isn't. Yoshino is his mother. And I… I can't get in the way of that, no matter how much my heart rebels at the idea."
They stared each other in the eyes; green eyes firm and dark eyes pleading, begging.
"Goodbye, Shikaku."
"Hello, Shikaku." Greeted Harī in a soft voice.
"Harī-hiko. Welcome back."
"Thank you."
An uncomfortable silence settled between them both.
"Shikamaru said he had fun last night."
"He seemed to." Agreed Harī. "He and Kimimaro seemed to get especially well along. I already told him he was welcome to come anytime he wanted."
"I'm sure he was glad to hear that."
Fortunately, they were saved from another awkward silence by the arrival of Jiraiya.