There was darkness everywhere.
And cold.
The darkness seemed to stretch forever. He gulped feeling a shiver run down his back.
He took a deep breath before taking an hesitant step forward, when Nothing happened he took another one, more confident this time. He didn't know how long he'd been walking (nor where he was going). He realised that he could probably be walking into a trap, but he had no other choice seeing as he couldn't see anything.
Then he heard it.
Scuffing and sniffing behind him. Fear gripped his heart and he froze.
Slowly, he turned to find a wolf two times the size of Kiba's dog standing a few feet from him. It's red beady eyes staring down at him in hunger the only thing visible in the darkness. It was huffing and puffing almost as if getting ready to pounce on him.
He panicked and without thinking started running, behind him he could hear the wolf chasing after him. It wasn't long before he came to a stop in front of a wall blocking his route of escape, he looked around him only now realising he was in a cave.
The wolf tilted its head as if amused at his plight.
He slowly reached where his pouch rested in order to take a weapon but found that his holster was empty. He looked down at himself despite darkness making it hard to see, he noticed he was only wearing his boxers.
Shit, he inwardly cursed closing his eyes in resignation as a short moment of assessment told him there was no way he would be able to kill this thing at close range without any weapon. Troublesome, he thought when he heard the wolf approaching him slowly, probably taking its time to savour the moment as it knew that he was stuck.
He clenched his hand still ready to punch the fucker even though he knew it will be useless when...
"Shikamaru?" A soft velvety voice, one that he hadn't realized he'd missed so much, called.
Shikamaru blinked his eyes open and found himself back in his room, he looked at where he heard the voice calling from.
Temari stood at the door, her hands on her hips looking at him with that haughty look of hers that he loved and hated at the same time.
"Is this how you act when your girlfriend is here to visit you?"
He blinked confusedly at her before shrugging his shoulder. "Sorry, I must have spaced out."
She snorted shaking her head before approaching him slowly. Her walk as graceful as a panther and full of confidence, always demanding for his attention. Her naked body looked perfect before his eyes.
She stopped in front of him, a slight smirk playing on her lips. As if she knew something he didn't. Before he could ask her, she grabbed his face and kissed him. The kiss was familiar, soft and warm but a little rough around the edges. It reminded him of a hot sunny weather.
He was shoved backward on the bed which he hadn't known was behind him, he grunted but didn't break the kiss as he pulled her on top of him so that she was now straddling him.
She moaned softly in his mouth. When he tried touching her pert breast she quickly caught his hands with hers, she pushed them on top of his head with a sexy laugh she shook her head at him. "No you don't, little boy." She said tutting as if talking to a naughty boy.
He scowled up at her half heartedly, knowing she always did that when they were together. He let her, because he didn't totally dislike it.
She kissed her way down to his abdomen her hands still keeping his hands over his head, his stomach clenched as he felt desperation to take her in rise. He hated it when she punished him like that.
She lifted her head and shook her long sun-kissed hair over her shoulder. The face on top of him changed and he felt a smile pull on his lips.
"Naruto," The name came out like a breath he could have sworn he'd been holding since the day he was born.
She grinned at him, her blue eyes lighting up in their usual mischievous way. "Ready for your ride, Shika-kun?"
Shikamaru nodded, sure that his face looked as eager as he felt. As she rode him to unnumbered pleasures, she leaned in his face her breath as hot as the cavern enveloping him.
"You're mine now." She whispered in a husky voice.
His eyes widened in horror as he watched her eyes turned crimson like the wolf's and just as predatory. Her sharp elongated teeth visible as she opened her mouth wide to devour him.
Shikamaru woke up with a start, panting like he'd just run a race against Rock Lee. He looked around the room to confirm that he was indeed all alone.
Shit, he thought running his hands in his hair to find them wet from sweat, what a really weird dream.
He painfully wet sensation caught his attention and he lowered his eyes to find that the dream had affected him down there too, apparently.
He groaned lying back on the bed, he'd just changed the sheets yesterday and now they were soiled. Again.
He glanced at his clock to see that it was just after four, there was no way he was going back to sleep now. At least not with this obvious problem between his legs.
Sighing he quickly stood up to head in the bathroom.
He stood under the cold shower until he could feel his muscles relax despite the chill. He closed his eyes leaning his forehead on cold wall.
This had been happening on and off this whole week. The dreams differed, of course, but it always left him a bulge under his boxers when he woke. Sometimes he even had orgasm in his sleep. Like yesterday he had two of them, because he dreamed twice in the same night.
But today's one was really unusual, a little creepy yet hot at the same time.
It all started after he'd realised that he had feelings for Naruto. He'd decided to keep his distance from her until he figured things out. But it seemed the more he stayed away from her the more his body craved hers. He was starting to regret ending things between them.
Maybe this was his punishment, and he probably deserved it.
With a sigh, he shut the shower off and dried himself with a towel before hanging it to dry, then he stepped back in his room.
He stood naked in front of his bed and stared absently at the mess that is his sheets. He grimaced, he only had two choice left, one is to go find Naruto later and beg her to take him back or suck it up like the man he was.
He smiled ironically, Suck it up it is. There was nothing less attractive than a guy begging for sex. Probably.
Troublesome.
Sasuke watched Naruto as she panted heavily, his hand on his hips.
"Do you want to take a break?" He suggested coolly, but inwardly he felt concern for the blonde. The way she was panting and puffing seemed as if she'd just run from Kumo to konoha nonstop. He admitted that they'd been sparring for two hours straight, but he barely felt tired and he didn't have a chakra being sealed inside him.
Naruto shook her head, straightening up with a red sweaty face. "No I can still fight."
"Yeah but I can't, I'm getting thirsty." He lied walking over to where their stuff was laying and sat down without giving her time to protest.
Naruto glared at him knowing that he was lying, after a moment she grudgingly walked over to take a sit next to him. He handed her a bottle of water which she took gratefully without a fuss. She sighed in satisfaction after having drank all the content from the bottle.
Sasuke glanced at her when he was done with his own water. "So what's up with you?"He asked his brow arching slightly.
Blue eyes snapped to him in confusion so he elaborated albeit irritatingly.
"This is the second time I've beaten you this week," He said without gloating, "You're getting slow."
Naruto turned to the side to glare at the ground, she shrugged. "Maybe you're the one getting faster."
He snorted. "Now I know there's something wrong with you." He said shaking his head slightly, "You would never admit that unless you were dying."
Naruto rolled her eyes scowling at him now. "Everyone have an off day once in awhile."
"Hn."
That looked more than an off day but if the dobe didn't want to tell him he wasn't going to push, though he couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the Nara.
Maybe he should really tell someone about this before it got out of hand? Kakashi maybe? No he would probably encourage her, knowing him. He would have told the Hokage but with the pressure of the council about Naruto's apprenticeship, this thing could create troubles they didn't want and Naruto could lose her dream.
He scowled, wondering why he even cared about the dobe's dream even though she herself didn't care enough to control her hormones. He inwardly shook his head at that, he knew she cared because if she didn't she would never have agreed to see the Lazy jonin in secret. Naruto was dense but she wasn't stupid. She knew that if people found out about what they were doing, no one would look at the situation kindly. Unless, of course, the Suna girl was completely out of the picture.
His thoughts were disturbed by Naruto's voice calling his name. He looked at her in question.
"Did you ever have a crush on me?" She asked unexpectedly.
He blinked at her, a little exasperated, he didn't think he knew anyone that was more random than the girl sitting beside him looking at him curiously. "Where did you get that from?"
Naruto shrugged. "It's something Sakura mentioned awhile back." She admitted truthfully.
He gave her an incredulous look and she smiled sheepishly.
Sakura and Ino were the last people anyone should be listening to. About anything except what they specialised in as ninjas.
Naruto knew that but for some reason she was still waiting for his response so he decided to humour her.
"If you and I had that kind of interest in each other it would have happened a long time ago, don't you think?" He said crossing his arms and tilting his head.
Naruto's brow pinched together, "Are you implying that I'm easy to get?" She asked an edge of irritation in her voice.
He rolled his eyes slightly, "No, all I'm saying is that considering our history and the connection we have together if we were interested in each other in that way it would have happened long ago."
Naruto considered that for a moment before nodding. "I guess you're right."
They stayed silent for a moment before Naruto looked at him with a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"So you think we have a connection, uh?" She teased lightly.
Sasuke rolled his eyes once again, standing up. "Not if you keep losing to me." He smirked when she scowled at the reminder.
"Wait until I wipe that smile off your face, bastard." She growled standing up so that they can resume their spar.
"Hn, talk is cheap, dumbass." Was his reply taking a fighting stance.
...
Naruto hummed a soft tune as she made herself a sandwich, she'd just come from taking a shower and her wet hair was wrapped around a towel. She had on a loose black shirt and equally black sweatpants.
As she bit into her bread, her mind drifted to what was turning out to be a huge dilemma. It had almost been a week since that incident at the training ground with the clones, and she was still throwing up and feeling dizzy sometimes when she overworked herself. Although, her chakra had gone back to normal, her stamina had been drop by three quarters. Now even Sakura can last longer than her during combat.
She asked Kurama but he too seemed clueless about it. He told her he was going to find out and let her know, he also suggested she go see a doctor in case she was really sick. But Naruto doubted this was sickness, only because she'd never been sick. But...she did get the occasional stomach ache whenever she ate something that had gone bad and during her period. Speaking of which...
Naruto paused mid-chew, her brows knitting thoughtfully, shouldn't she have gotten it around this time?
That's strange.
But before she could go and check her calender there was a knock on the door.
She opened the door to find four beautiful girls crowding her entrance. She blinked at all the smiles aimed at her.
"Get ready chica, we're going out." Ino was the first to speak.
Naruto glanced at the still bright sun, then glanced back at her friends. "Going out where?"
"To the baths, of course!" Ino cried excitedly causing the others to wince.
Sakura rolled her eyes stepping forward. "We all had an off day and we decided to go to the bath, we wanted you to join but..." she waved her hand indicating the towel still wrapped around Naruto's head.
Naruto touched her head, "Oh, I forgot about that." She removed the towel and ran a hand through her still wet strands, "I don't mind joining you, I think it will be fun." It might help distract her from everything, plus she would be avoiding her landlord for awhile.
"See? I told you she will come, we'll have so much fun!" Ino squealed as they all headed to the bathhouse.
Naruto looked at Sakura in question. "What's up with her?"
Sakura let out an exasperated sigh and leaned towards her to whisper conspiratorially, Tenten and Hinata leaned curiosity. "She won't tell me anything but I suspect that she got laid last night."
Naruto's eyes widened she looked at the other two who were just as surprised. "Really?"
Sakura nodded giggling at their expressions. "Went to this bar yesterday after our mission and she met this guy, a civilian, one moment they were sitting talking with their heads way too close together and the next moment they were gone. Vanished, poof and-"
"They got the point, Sakura." Ino said glaring at her pink haired friend, having heard the conversation from where she was walking in front.
Sakura and Tenten snickered into their hands.
Naruto was still getting her mind wrapped up at Ino's guts to sleep with a complete stranger and not be the least bit embarrassed about it.
Here she was sleeping with a friend in secret. Oh right she forgot they "broke up". She bit her lower lip feeling a slight pang at the thought of the dark-haired boy. To be honest, she missed him a little. She was glad they managed to clear the tension between them though and that they were still friends despite everything.
Naruto shook her head to dismiss her thoughts and focus instead on her friends.
They got to the bathhouse and undressed while talking about random stuff, Naruto joined in from time to time.
They all let out a simultaneous sigh as they entered the hot water.
Naruto looked at the girls around her, they were all beautiful in their own right. Not only appearance wise but their characters are enviable too. She wondered why none of them had boyfriends, well, except for Tenten who had a brief relationship with Neji, but for some reason it ended faster than it began. Naruto had no details of the break up but she'd heard about it, courtesy of Ino's.
"Why don't you guys have boyfriends?" She found herself asking much to everyone's surprise, probably because she'd never been interested about these things before.
"Eh! What's with the sudden question?" Ino asked leaning forward in curiosity.
Naruto shrugged a shoulder while glancing at her blurry looking toes under the water. "I'm just curious, you guys could have a pick of any guy in the village yet you'd rather have one night stands."
Sakura and Ino looked at each other before shrugging.
"Well, I don't always have one night stands." Ino volunteered.
Naruto gave her a flat look. "You're the one that always bring up stories of your experience with different men."
"I like to exaggerate sometimes," Ino scoffed slapping the water slightly. "That doesn't mean I've slept with all of them." At the disbelieving look from the girls around her, she scowled. "It's true!"
"Okay, okay," Sakura said in a placating manner, "You don't need to get so defensive."
"Says you, Miss I-pretented-to-be-a-virgin-but-I'm-actually-not," Ino scowled splashing the pink-haired water on the face.
Sakura's face turned red from embarrassment. "I do not pretend!" she cried splashing Ino back, "Just because I don't tell the whole village and their grandmother who I sleep with doesn't mean I'm pretending."
It was Ino's turn to splash her friend with an aghast expression. "I do not tell people who I sleep with!"
"Yes, you do!"
"Do not!"
"Do too."
Naruto snickered in her hands at her friends' childish antics. Before closing her eyes in contentment. This, being in the baths with her friends, was everything she needed to distract herself from her chaotic life.
All of her problems seemed to be piling up on top of each other. Now she had rent to contend with, except, she was short on money. Yesterday, she went to the hokage tower to try and ask for a mission at the mission desk but apparently the hokage had informed the staff not to give her any missions, much to her disconcert.
It had been a month since this whole punishment started; she'd tried telling them that she'd learnt her lesson but to no avail, no one believed her. For that no one could blame her for the coffee machine in the staff kitchen suddenly having technical issues due to someone pouring water where they shouldn't have.
Serves them right, she thought in vindictiveness.
"So why the sudden question?" Ino asked moving back towards her with Sakura, both of them no longer fighting.
Naruto shrugged. "No reason, I was just a little curious."
"Oh well, I don't know about them," Ino pointed at Sakura, Tenten and Hinata. "But I have no time for boys right now, I want to first build up my career before I decide to pursue love and settle down."
"You do know that you can still build up your career while pursuing love, right?" Tenten said smirking. "I'm doing it."
Ino huffed rolling her eyes. "Not really, I know for a fact that love requires everything you have and many sacrifices. I'd rather finish with all my goals before I'm required to make them. Live with no regrets is what I say."
Sakura frowned, looking at Ino with a careful look. "You don't think you would have to give up on your career when you get married, do you? Because you know we're in a new generation where women are not only required to sit at home and make babies."
"Yeah," Naruto quickly agreed, "you can be married and still be a ninja, no one can force you to give up your career."
Ino shook her head. "You guys don't get it, things are not always so simple, especially if you're a part of a clan."
At this, everyone looked at Hinata who smiled a little sadly and nodded in confirmation.
"Ino-chan is right, you don't always get want you want as a kunoichi and if you're part of a clan it's even harder."
Naruto scowled, indignation and defensiveness welling up in her. "What? But that's not fair! You guys shouldn't have to sacrifice your careers just to stay home and be housewives, that's bullshit."
Sakura and Tenten nodded in agreement.
Ino blew a frustrated breath. "Yeah, but what would happen when you have children? Would you be okay leaving your children alone while you go on whatever mission you've been assigned to which, let me remind you, takes months sometimes? I know I won't."
They stayed quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts in consideration. It was Tenten who broke the silence.
"Are you okay with just leaving all of this behind though?" She asked waving her hand around them.
Ino snorted derisively surprising the others. "You say that like it's a good life we're living. I mean we kill other ninjas for money."
Tenten winced, "that...that's kinda true."
"Come on, guys, it's not that bad." Naruto defended, "I mean you all chose this career, remember?"
"Actually, our parents did, we were way too little and young to be making a life changing decision like that." Sakura interjected, when Naruto gave her a betrayed look she shrugged. "It's true."
Naruto looked around at her friends incredulously. "I can't believe this! We all swore to protect this village with our lives and now you're having regrets?"
Ino shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I love my village and I will give my life to protect it at the first chance. But I also want more than this," she said lifting a shoulder in a shrug, "I at least want to get married and raise a family someday."
"Even at the expense of your career as a ninja?"
Ino shrugged again. "If it's what it takes."
Naruto studied her fellow blondes' face. There was no fear or hesitation in her eyes, this girl who's at times shallow and selfish would give up everything she's ever known if it was required of her to start a family of her own if it was asked of her.
"I see." Was all she said despite the fact that she didn't see at all, she cannot imagine herself giving up her dream as hokage let alone of being a ninja as a whole to stay at home and be a wife. "Clan girls sure have it tough, uh?"
Sakura and Tenten nodded.
"It's not that bad," Hinata said softly with a gentle smile, trying to put them at ease. "I accepted this a long time ago."
That somehow made Naruto feel worse. That her friends somehow believed that they were the only ones expected to make sacrifice once they got married while whoever was their husband continued on with his life.
"Yeah, don't worry about it Naruto," Ino said unconcerned about her own future which will end up turning her into a baby factory for some guy. "It's not like I'm getting married tomorrow or something, that's why I'm waiting before I get serious with any guy."
"Plus, it's not like I will completely stop a being a ninja," she added when she saw Naruto still looked sceptical, "I will still work at the T and I department so that I get to serve my village and raise a family in the future."
Naruto eventually shrugged in acceptance. "Well it's fine if you say it's fine."
After that the conversation shifted toward gossip which, of course, Naruto didn't join in but listen to nonetheless. She was always amazed at Ino's skills at gathering information.
Before long they all decided to call it a day. After getting dressed, they all headed their separate way home.
Yoshino considered herself an expert on reading her son.
Well, at least she used to.
She used to be able to tell what he was thinking; she could even predict his action at times. Despite his immense intelligence she always believed her son was quite a simple boy that would do everything in his power to get out of troublesome situation.
But all of that changed as soon as maturity had struck. Her lovely little boy had started growing, his abnormally high I.Q had started getting recognition really fast and so was the added amount of responsibilities on his shoulders.
She'd first been worried about how fast her boy was forced to grow, but her late husband, Shukaku, had reassured her that Shikamaru could handle it because he was stronger than he looked.
Sometimes, she wondered, as she watched Shikamaru absently play shogi on the terrace of their home from the kitchen, if they'd done right by him.
Now Shikamaru barely smiled anymore.
She sighed moving over to the table to set the last plate of food before calling out to her son.
"The food is ready!"
She waited five minutes, when she still didn't hear signs of him moving, she added, "If I don't see you here in the next two second I will drag you myself with your ears." There was a pause but then she heard a sigh and shuffling of feet, she smiled to herself in satisfaction.
A moment later, Shikamaru sat down on the table, sulking slightly. She giggled at the sight that reminded her so much of when he was little.
Aware of the cause of his mother's humour, he pushed his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout like a small child and widening his eyes causing her to laugh louder. She smacked him lightly at the back of his head.
"Silly boy," she said sitting down, smiling. Yoshino felt slightly relieved to see him playing the food, even if it's just a little.
Shikamaru sent her a grin in thanks as she served food in his plate and her own.
They both uttered a silent prayer before digging.
Yoshino watched her son eat, he still seemed vaguely distracted. Well, these days he almost always seemed distracted when he visited.
She hesitated a little before deciding to ask. "So who are you avoiding?"
Shikamaru's fingers twitched. He tried to hide it by shrugging casually and knew he probably failed. "What makes you think I'm avoiding someone?"
"Well," his mother said slowly smiling a little, hoping that would make him open up to her, "this is the third time you came to visit this week and the last time you even slept over without me asking."
He frowned. "I always visit you," He protested lightly.
"Yes, twice a month," Yoshino pointed out, "Usually you make it a point to avoid this place." Her smile turned a little sadly at the end.
Shikamaru winced in guilt, he only shrugged as a response though, hoping that his mother would get the hint that he didn't want to talk. About anything.
There was a moment of silence in which Yoshino waited for him to say something. When he didn't, she decided she would just have to come out and say it.
"Does this have something to do with the girl?"
Shikamaru dropped his chopsticks in surprise. He looked up to see his mother looking at him in triumph. He silently cursed at easily giving himself away, now even if he tried to act dumb it would not be effective.
But still how did his mother know? Who told her? Did this mean they weren't as careful as they thought they were? He panicked as paranoia started to creep in until it occurred to him that his mother could have been talking about something else altogether.
Doubtful but he would still try. "By girl you mean Temari, right?" He asked hopefully.
Yoshino sighed as she finished eating, she gracefully put the chopsticks on her plate without a sound. She folded her arm on the table and looked Shikamaru straight in the eye. "No, I mean the girl that has been your distraction lately."
Shikamaru gulped, there was no doubt about that now, he thought as he watched his mother watch him, waiting for his reply.
She knew.
Well, not everything. He didn't think she knew who the girl was.
He licked his lips in nervousness. "How?"
Yoshino watched him in silence before letting out a sigh as her stomach sank. She'd been hoping that she'd been wrong somehow, that whatever she was suspecting was not true.
"The day you had a fever, I saw the marks on your shoulders and neck." She knew he would understand what she was talking about without her describing the marks.
For his benefit, he at least had the grace to be embarrassed. His face was rapidly turning red and he covered his face with his hands, groaning
He peeked through his fingers to eye her, a little confused. "Why didn't you say anything then?"
Yoshino shrugged one shoulder, she couldn't help the slight amusement that was coursing through her at his reaction. "To be honest, I wanted to, but you weren't feeling well so I though it I'd give you your space."
Shikamaru removed his hands entirely from his face, he avoided her eyes as he talked though. "It's nothing, just some girl I met during a mission."
Yoshino could tell he was lying but she knew if she pushed he would just pull back further. He'd been distancing himself from her lately that she was afraid that one day he would completely pull away. When Shikamaru was younger, his father used to be the one he always confided in because their characters were alike. Yoshino had been okay with it as long as her son didn't have to deal with everything alone, but now...she didn't know how to help him. Apparently his way of dealing with his own issues was avoiding them and she knew for a fact that that wasn't healthy.
Sensing his mother's worry Shikamaru reached out to squeeze her hand which was resting close to him. "Mom, don't worry about it, everything is fine."
Yoshino sighed softly. "You say that, but whenever you come here you always seem distracted. It's like your mind is never truly here and I'm worried about you."
Shikamaru shook his head, guilt gnawing at him deeper. "Mom, I don't mean to look distracted, I'm sorry I will try harder."
Yoshino shook her head, her expression serious if not a little bit sad. "It's not about trying harder, you shouldn't have to try and be happy, it should be a natural thing."
Shikamaru looked at his mom, uncomprehending. But he was happy, wasn't he? Just because he didn't spend all his time laughing or anything didn't mean he was unhappy.
"You know what I think?" His mother ask tilting her head to the side, "I think you must stop avoiding your issues and face them instead."
Shikamaru tensed, he wanted to pull his hand away but his mother held on to it. "I'm not avoiding anything." He said, his face void of any expression.
"Yes, you are and I see it's starting to affect you." She held her hand up when he opened his mouth to protest, "you do that every time, I understand that's a sort of coping mechanism for you which is why I know it's not healthy for you. I know this started after your father's death, and it's my fault for not seeing it earlier how much it was hurting you."
Shikamaru grimaced at the mention of his late father. He sighed in exasperation already regretting coming here. "Mom, don't you think you're exaggerating a little? It's not a crime to sleep with a girl that's not my girlfriend, you know."
His mother pursed her lips, it was her turn to sigh shaking her head. She pushed her chair back and stood up with her plate.
Shikamaru looked down at his now empty plate before looking to where his mother stood scraping furiously at her plate. He bit back a groan knowing full well that his mom was upset with him now. Now, he remembered the reason why he really left home. His mom could be so high maintenance sometimes, he quickly regretted the thought as fast as it came. It wasn't his mother's fault that he was clueless about what he really wanted to do with his life. He'd stopped really caring about anything a long time ago. "Mom-"
"The clan elders came." His mother cut him off without turning to him.
Shikamaru's brow furrowed slightly already knowing what was coming. "What did they say?"
Yoshino sighed finally turning around to look at him. "They're thinking of appointing a temporary clan leader." Her face twisted in distaste showing how much she disapproved of that idea.
Shikamaru only shrugged carelessly standing up. "You should let them."
Yoshino frowned, "you're joking right? I mean you do realize this is your legacy we're talking, right?"
Shikamaru shrugged again avoiding her gaze. "I don't know what the deal is, it's only going to be temporary anyways, until I'm ready at least."
His mother laughed in disbelief, shaking her head. "And you think they're going to just hand it to you when you decide to be "ready"? Come on, you're intelligent enough to know how these things goes."
It was true, these politics never went the way one expect it to. There was no ways the elders are just going to watch him hand over his job away only to come back for it when he was supposedly ready, they would be lots of protest that not even the hokage could argue against if he were to involve her. Even though Shikamaru knew this...
"Maybe it's for the best." He finally said walking to the sink where his mother was standing to drop his dish in the soapy water.
"Shikamaru Nara!" Yoshino shouted in outrage making him wince at the proximity to his ears the sound was. "How can you say such a thing? This is your father's legacy and you're just going to hand it off to some... person? What is wrong with you?"
"I-"
"If you think I would just watch and let your lazy butt give up on your father's hard work then you have another thing coming." His mother ranted poking him in the chest with her finger.
He grimaced stepping back from her sharp deadly nail. He bit his lip in hesitation knowing full well his next words would really upset his mother, "what if I don't want the mantle?"
There was a moment of silence in which Yoshino studied her son to gauge whether he was serious or not, when he refused to meet her eyes she realized that he really was serious. Her eyes widened in shock as she took an involuntary step back but the sink prevented her from doing it,"you-you can't be serious."
At his confirming silence her expression turned into one of anger. "So you're just going to let the clan down? This is your duty, and everyone is expecting you to lead them."
Shikamaru's jaw tightened, he looked off to the side in annoyance before looking at his mother with narrowed eyes. "That's just it, isn't it? Everyone is always expecting me to do something or be somebody for their own benefit, when do I ever get to decide what I want?"
His mother shook her head, "but your father would've wanted you-"
"My father is dead." He said more sharply than he intended, "he doesn't want anything and neither do I."
His mother flinched at his words, he saw grief and sadness pass over her expression for a second. He bit his lower lip in guilt before turning around to leave but his mother grabbed his arm before he could go far.
Yoshino's brows drew together in worry as she realized the root of her son's problem. "I thought you were past that, you said you were fine and I believed you."
There was a moment of silence before Shikamaru drew a breath shaking his mother's grip from his arm. "I am fine, I just want to be left alone." He refused to meet her probing gaze as he walked out of the kitchen to the front door where he left his shoes to put them on.
Behind him he heard his mother's light footsteps following him. "Where are you going? Avoiding your issues won't help you in any way, you know." She repeated something equivalent to what she'd said a few weeks ago.
Shikamaru didn't say anything this time as he opened the door, stepping into the darkening sky and leaving a broken-hearted mother behind. He gritted his teeth against the burning behind his eyes. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he walked away from his house, from his duty and all the expectation he was not ready to face.
But most of all from himself.
It's kind of a short chapter but really necessary. We learn a little more about Shikamaru and the reason behind his confusing actions. Next chapter there will be a surprise for him, I'm sure you all can guess what it will be.
I would apologize for my late update but with my chaotic life right now this might happen again so it's pointless, but I will thank you all for putting up with me.
On a side note, I'm thinking of changing the title seeing as this story is taking a whole new direction than I'd previously planned. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Sorry for any mistakes and misspellings but I'm too lazy to edit, maybe next time.