Chapter 1: Birthday Boy

This is a tribute to the beautiful work of art that is Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen. I know I didn't, but I hope anyway, that I did it justice.

His first reaction was, 'You forgot your own birthday?!'

But then he remembered that it was Shikako. Of course she forgot her own birthday.

He sighed. "I can't believe you forgot your own birthday."

"I know when it is." she said, frowning.

Their mother laughed, her eyes twinkling. "I wondered why you didn't say anything."

His sister gave an exaggerated huff and then pointedly concentrated on her food. It was grilled pork. Kurobuta, to be precise. A luxury even for the family of the Jounin leader. Unlike commercial pork, which lended itself favorably to a variety of sauces, kurobuta had its own intrinsic and distinctive sweetness that came from the high levels of intramuscular marbled fat. He shook his head. Spending too much time with Chouji had made him something of a meat connoisseur.

He glanced back at Shikako who was frowning, but didn't really look annoyed, so he ventured, "I guess I shouldn't expect a present, then."

Her answer was quick. "I got you one ages ago, don't you worry about that."

It pleased him more than he liked to admit, that Shikako forgot her own birthday but had somehow remembered to buy him a gift. Though how that worked out he didn't quite know.

"That's...well, uh," he grappled for words "Thank you."

"No problem."

"Yeah...thanks again."

"No," she said, "problem."

Their mother clicked her tongue as she cut up more meat for them. "Shame on you, Shika. You do know your sister would forget her own birthday before forgetting yours, right?"

"Well, she did forget—"

"And yet," his mother returned, her eyes locked in on him, "she got you a present."

Shikako flitted upstairs to her bedroom as soon as they got home, and when she came back downstairs, she was holding a box the size of a shoe box carefully in her hands, an excited look on her face.

"Kunai?" he guessed, shaking it a bit.

"Half right," she replied, a small smile on her lips. "Open it."

How that one worked out, he didn't quite know as well. He studied it some more before giving up and then opening it.

Only to look up at her, exasperated. "They are kunai."

"Half right," she repeated, flicking one out of the box and then rolling it over her fingers until the handle fell into the palm of her hands.

Then she did the unthinkable. She stabbed it to her thigh.

Shikamaru's heart stopped. His breath stopped. His world stopped. No. God, no. Please don't let this happen on our birthday. Futilely, he grabbed her arm. He clenched her wrist tight as if it would protect her from everything in the world. As if it would protect her from herself. Shikako, Shikako, what are you doing?

As if it would do anything. He was always too late.

His throat closed and she raised an eyebrow at him, slight surprise in her eyes. His eyes shot back to her leg. It was... unharmed. "Trick blade." she said by way of explanation.

He exhaled shakily. His legs were shaky. "You didn't have to be so dramatic." he managed to say, pulling away his stiff fingers.

"I saw the chance; I took it." she replied dismissively "You'd have done the same."

No, I wouldn't have, he suddenly wanted to scream, I wouldn't have. Not if just a few weeks ago, you had to see me with the blood gushing out of my chest and a sword sticking out of it.

But it was their birthday, she got him a gift, their mother was in the kitchen and he was Nara Shikamaru, so he reigned whatever it was that was simply raging to get out of him. He cleared his throat, said his thanks and then threw a haphazardly wrapped box at her. He stayed long enough for her to give a guess at what his gift was, open it to see if she was right. Then he made the excuse that he needed a cup of tea.

She didn't say anything.