[STARTED ON: 12-14-2015 at 11:49 PM]
Summary: In an attempt to grab the attention of a certain Nara, Himawari asks the most important men in her life for advice. Because, from a logical standpoint, have her father, brother, Konohamaru, or Uncle Kakashi ever been wrong? Sarada begs to differ. Oneshot. Full of fluff! ShikaHima. Please review! Thank you!
A/N: Hey there! It's my brother's birthday today, and when he said he was a bit dissatisfied with something, he and I wrestled like we used to when we were toddlers. Because of this, I started thinking of the Sunshine Family, then of all the (already commencing) ships, and then I started thinking about the lack of love ShikaHima receives. So here we are: my take on Shikadai and Himawari!
It has also come to my attention that Shikadai may be six years older than Himawari…? But, considering they have most likely known each other their whole lives, that shouldn't really matter that much (at least not to me haha). Anywho, I hope you enjoy!
And, PLEASE, reviews truly are helpful! If there's anything you liked or anything you think I may need to work on, please tell me! Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or anything pertaining to the franchise (obviously~).
-\[=]/-
Himawari Uzumaki sat at the kitchen table, a pout very clearly present upon her innocent face. She drummed her small fingers, emitting a sound that was very easily agitating her elder brother. Boruto had been sitting quietly, playing on his small game console, and he did not take kindly to the distraction his baby sister was so rhythmically producing. With a slightly noticeable frown, Boruto reached over and grabbed his sister's hand in his.
"Himawari," Boruto muttered, "quit it."
"Boruto-Nii," Himawari responded without missing a beat, "what do you like most in a girl?"
Almost immediately, Boruto's face was entirely flushed. What on earth did this have to do with anything? Was this what she was thinking so intently about while she was pouting? Why did she even care what her elder brother found attractive in a girl? He was only twelve-years-old! The older of the two gulped, took a deep breath, paused his game, and set it aside. Boruto turned his chair around so he could face his six-year-old sister.
"Why are you bringing this up?" he asked. His eyes went wide with a gasp in only a second's time. "Himawari, if you're trying to set me up with Sarada again, I swear—"
"No, Nii-San, that isn't why I'm asking!" she interrupted, coming to a stand in her chair. "I'm just…"
Himawari seated herself in her chair once again. Losing her energetic nature in an instant, she sunk back into her seat, bit her lip, and avoided eye contact. A hint of pink sped across her cheeks, and Boruto realized what was happening. Oh no, he thought to himself in a panic, it's finally happening; she likes someone! Boruto's worst fear was coming true, and without hesitation, he decided it would be safest to give it to her straight.
"Himawari-Chan, you are not allowed to go out and woo boys yet," Boruto laid down the law. "I don't know who he is, but don't go chasing him. You're only six."
"But I like him a lot!" Himawari blurted, her face becoming as red as it could be.
"I told you 'no' and I meant it!" Boruto argued, leaning forward with a grimace.
Silence blanketed the duo, and it was only broken by the short whimpers that erupted from Himawari's throat. She had just opened her heart to her brother; told him her secret, and he wouldn't even help her, let alone allow her to figure this whole issue out. Once the whimpers made themselves heard, Boruto lost his angry expression. It was replaced with a sorry, regretful face.
"Hima-Chan, gomen—" he attempted to apologize.
Himawari cut him off by scrambling out of her chair and making a mad dash to her bedroom. She was in such a hurry to leave that she nearly fell several times just getting out of the kitchen. As he watched his baby sister run out of the room, Boruto couldn't help but feel guilty. What have I done? He hated when Himawari cried. Yes, he understood that being an older brother involved protecting his little sister, but he may have taken it too far this time around. After all, this was just a little crush. How far could a six-year-old take it?
Feeling incredibly horrible, Boruto scooted his chair back and decided to walk to Himawari's room. Upon reaching the portion of the hallway that held Himawari's room, he noticed that the door was shut, which never happened. Himawari left her door open almost constantly (the only exception being her changing her clothes), so this must have been serious. Without knocking, he slyly cracked her door open to peer inward.
Upon spying on the little girl, he noticed her lying in the fetal position on her bed. Choked sobs and uneven sniffles came from her shaking body, and every sound caused Boruto to cringe. He cautiously walked through her doorway and seated himself on the side of her bed, where he laid a hand on her back.
"Goals."
Her shaking didn't stop, but her sobbing certainly seemed to calm down. Himawari turned her head back enough to look at her elder brother. She wiped away her stray tears and runny nose with her sleeve before sitting up just a bit.
"W-What?" she asked.
"I like a girl who has goals she works very hard for," Boruto explained. "If a girl has a lot of perseverance and works hard at achieving her goals, then I am automatically head-over-heels for her."
When her vision cleared a bit, Himawari noticed a pout and rosy cheeks upon her brother's complexion. This is embarrassing for him, too, she thought. Without any warning, Himawari hugged him and giggled, sniffling one more time. He wasn't expecting the hug, but he was glad it came. He patted her head and wished her luck before walking out of the bedroom.
Himawari sat there, alone and deep in thought.
"How do I let him know that I work hard for my goals?"
Upon looking to her right and seeing a photo of her and her father, she hatched an idea.
-\[=]/-
People stared at the tiny figure rushing through the Leaf Village. That was definitely the Hokage robe coupled with his hat…but why were they so close to the ground? Quizzical faces were quite present on every villager that witnessed the occurrence. Little did they know that Himawari was the one adorned in the robe and hat. This was all a part of her plan to grab Shikadai's attention. Himawari figured that just telling him her goals wouldn't be enough; actions spoke louder than words. Perhaps explaining her goal while clad in the clothes that matched it would make him understand how serious she was about it.
Once she was out of the main streets, Himawari located the Nara Clan's compound. She walked in, nearly instantaneously feeling serene upon arrival. The Naras kept a very nice, clean compound. There was a forest behind the houses that was full of deer and small, sweet animals. The grass was up to her ankles, but it never made her itch. The wind always smelled so fresh and sweet. Never once did the peaceful environment fail to meet her needs for a calm place to sit down and think.
This, of course, was going to make it all the more difficult to strike a fire into Shikadai's heart. Without a ferocious spirit, she couldn't express her goals as vividly. Thus, she needed to overcome the serene nature the compound provided and make herself fierce.
Himawari wandered throughout the compound, spotting several members of the Nara clan as she did so. Her eyes darted in every direction as she attempted to locate the house of Shikadai Nara. Eventually, she saw a house that looked vaguely familiar, walked up the porch, and knocked on the door. Within a few second's time, a woman with sandy hair flung the door ajar. Himawari grinned. She recognized this woman: Temari Nara. She visited Naruto's office to give Shikamaru his lunch sometimes, and she was a very nice lady; her humor was just different.
"Hello," Temari said with wide eyes. "How are you, Himawari?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Himawari replied politely. "How are you, Temari-San?"
"I'm just dandy," Temari said, chuckling once. "What brings you here?"
"I was just looking for Shikadai. Is he home?"
"He is," she nodded. Temari stepped onto the porch and pointed in the direction the Uzumaki girl needed to go in order to find him. "He and his father finally got off their lazy butts and decided to go train. They're in the woods right now. There's a dirt path right beside the house; if you follow that, you'll see them in a few minutes. If you reach the fence, you've gone too far."
"Thank you, ma'am," Himawari said.
Himawari hopped from the porch to the ground, and then made her way down the dirt path. Temari rolled her eyes and smirked as Himawari walked away. She absolutely loved Naruto and Hinata's children, but they could be quite odd. Even so, she hoped whatever Himawari wanted to accomplish by showing Shikadai her Hokage garb would work.
Meanwhile, Himawari was going over her plan in her head. She only had a few minutes to devise what she would say and do. This may be harder than expected, she thought with a gulp. Himawari never figured she would be doing something like this. For a moment, she stopped walking, took a deep breath, and put on a brave face.
"You can do this, Himawari!" she urged herself. "Just remember that thing Tou-San always says!"
She exhaled sharply, then inhaled once more. With a heroic stride, she continued working her way to find the apple of her eye. All the while, she rehearsed her dialogue in her mind, making sure she included every word. As she strode onward, she heard the clashing of metal, followed by exasperated sighs. She halted to smirk to herself. That's him alright, she thought. She tiptoed sneakily to a bush, which was where she would hide until the moment was right. From there, she could easily spot the two Nara men.
"Good, Shikadai," his father yawned, "keep it up."
Himawari's eyes sparkled, as a quiet "sugoi" slipped past her lips. She gasped lightly and threw her hands over her mouth. Little did she know, Shikamaru was perfectly aware of her presence. Out of his peripheral vision, he spied the tiniest Uzumaki. What she was doing with the Hokage hat and robe, he hadn't a clue. He did, however, know that whatever was coming was going to be a hoot. He decided Himawari was possibly waiting for Shikadai to stop training so she could approach him with whatever she wanted to, so he figured he would help her cause.
"Shikadai, why don't you take a break?" Shikamaru questioned, throwing a water bottle at him.
Shikadai caught the bottle with a quirked brow. Hadn't they just started training only moments ago? Even so, Shikadai wasn't going to argue with him. He didn't think tossing kunai was very entertaining. He shook off his queries and took a sip of water.
Now! Himawari ordered herself. She popped out of nowhere, nearly causing Shikadai to choke on his drink. After battling to keep himself from drowning, he gagged, then gasped, and then stared at what seemed to be the newest Hokage.
"Shikadai!" Himawari began her declaration. "I have something to tell you, dattebayo!"
Shikamaru stood there, stifling a snicker. Dattebayo? Himawari didn't have a catchphrase like her father or brother. What was going on? He successfully retained his composure, but his son was obviously struggling.
"…Yes?" Shikadai cautiously urged her.
"I have decided that I will become the Hokage!" Himawari boomed, stamping a foot on the ground and striking a pose. "My goal is to be the nicest Hokage, but also the toughest, dattebayo! I want to make sure all the peoples live in harmony, and all the nations are kind and share all of their candy, dattebayo! No baby will be upset, and no old person will be grumpy! Not even that Sasuke guy, dattebayo!"
Shikamaru was going to throw up from muffling his laughter. What was going on? Shikadai was easily confused. Why was she telling him all of this? Her mouth was so stern, yet heroic, and it honestly frightened him a bit. Boruto's little sister jumped out of absolutely nowhere to fill him in on the future of Konoha. In and of itself, that was all fine and dandy. He had zero objections, but why was she telling him all of this? He had so many questions.
"Ok?" he finally replied.
Himawari wanted so badly to grin at her accomplishment. She had gotten to him! He recognized her, and he had heard her goals, but if she wanted to continue playing the mature adult who had many aspirations, she had to continue looking the part. Her facial expression was static, and a bit alarming.
"So what do you think?" Himawari asked.
Shikadai blinked, looked at his father with a quirked brow, and then back at Himawari. What was she talking about? And what was with "dattebayo" being thrown in so often? He had never—not even once in his lifetime—witnessed Himawari say "datteba" anything.
"What do I think of what?" Shikadai asked back.
"Of my goals!" Himawari sighed, completely exasperated. She gasped and quickly added, "…uh, dattebayo!"
"Well…they're cool? I mean, I don't know," Shikadai replied, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess it's nice that you have goals."
Himawari groaned angrily before she marched away from the Nara boys. He obviously was not understanding the situation. She needed to find another person to talk to about this. Meanwhile, Shikadai was beyond confused. Her attitude resembled Boruto, which made him feel nauseous. What made that sweet, innocent girl act like her bratty brother all of a sudden?
"What was that all about?" Shikadai asked his father once Himawari was out of earshot.
That was it. Shikamaru finally let out all of his laughter, which caught Shikadai even more off guard. His father didn't laugh; his father never laughed. But he witnessed it right then and there. Shikamaru's laugh was that of an old man, which was a bit off-putting. It was scary.
"That, Shikadai, was something you're going to have to figure out on your own," Shikamaru replied, wiping a tear away, "because I don't think I can help you understand it."
-\[=]/-
Himawari sat at the dinner table and pouted. She had successfully returned the Hokage robe and hat to her father's office without him noticing. However, she seemed to forget that there were security cameras all over Konoha. Not to mention the number of people that witnessed her running around in her father's attire. She thought she was in deep trouble when Naruto confronted her about it, but after he watched the footage, he thought it was so hilarious that he let her off with a not-so-intimidating warning.
He wondered why she was pouting after getting away with her stunt of the day. It was only 11:30 in the morning; she had the whole day ahead of her. Normally she would be playing in a creek, picking flowers, or coloring. He looked up from his newspaper to see her clearly upset expression.
"Why are you so angry?" Naruto asked lightly.
"I went on a mission today," Himawari began, slumping back in her seat. "I failed it."
He put his paper down completely and gave her an apologetic expression. He put an arm around her, patting her shoulder as he did so. He knew how that felt. She may have been six-years-old, but her outings were just as big to her as his missions were to him.
"You'll get it next time, sweetie," Naruto comforted her. "The first missions are always the hardest ones."
She nodded slowly, her pout eroding. She leaned onto the table and played with her hands. She still had the rest of the day to win Shikadai over. It wasn't like her attempts were limited to one a day. If she wanted to get it right, she needed to learn from her mistakes. Clearly Boruto's method didn't work, but he didn't have a girlfriend. Thus, she figured asking men in relationships would be her best bet. A small smile crossed her pretty face as she looked at her father. Her parents were the best couple she knew. Surely her father would have good advice.
"Tou-San," Himawari said, grabbing his sleeve. "What made you fall in love with Kaa-San?"
Naruto's smile grew, his focus no longer on his paper. He looked at his daughter and hummed lightly, thinking about his wife. Himawari had heard the story of how they fell in love so many times, but she never knew her parents' favorite traits. Her father finally grinned and looked at her, and Himawari jerked up, prepared to take mental notes.
"Your mom is so brave and so caring," he smiled ear-to-ear. "She's so wonderful because of it."
She pondered over the meanings of those words for a moment or two. She nodded to her father, who nodded back before returning to his reading. Brave and caring…. She needed to convey those traits to Shikadai to make him fall in love with her. She just needed to know how to do that first. Suddenly, an idea popped into her brain, and she felt a glorious revelation coming on.
"Tou-San, can I take Kurama for a walk?"
-\[=]/-
Shikadai walked with his mother through the marketplace. He despised grocery shopping. Temari did, too, which is why she made him tag along. Being miserable with somebody was a lot better than being miserable alone. Shikadai didn't see why his father couldn't fill his position. It was a beautiful day outside; perfect for napping, lazily reading on his porch, or playing a game of shogi. Yet here he was, pulled into buying fruits and vegetables because it was his dad's turn to take a nap.
Shikadai preferred family naps more than individual naps. That way, he didn't have to worry about being woken up. However, his father's individual nap time was very suspiciously close to the time his mother ordered someone go shopping with her; not to mention Shikamaru told Shikadai he could take a nap after he took a nap. He would get him for that later.
Although, perhaps it was a good day to swap nap times with his father; otherwise, he would have missed the ruckus headed his way. There, in front of everyone in the market, was the Kyuubi carrying a kitten by the skin of its neck. It menacingly growled, urging all to back away from it.
"What on earth?" Temari muttered to herself. "I thought Naruto had all of these under control?"
Temari figured she would see what the demon wanted. Perhaps she could get him to talk about why he left Naruto so suddenly. Just as she handed her bag of goods to her son, a familiar voice echoed through the streets.
"Stop right there, Nine-Tails!" Himawari Uzumaki belted from the other side of the marketplace.
Temari smirked to herself as her son watched the six-year-old girl leap into action. I see… Temari thought. She took the bags back from Shikadai, urging him to watch Himawari at work. He had no clue whatsoever as to what was going on.
"Nobody be afraid!" Himawari announced.
The crowd watched in awe as the little girl came to Kurama's side. She gradually began to stroke his orange coat, whispering sweet names into his ears, and asking him kindly to please let the kitten down. The ring of people around her murmured about what danger Himawari was in, but she assured them that everything would be properly taken care of.
"Could you please let the kitty down, Kurama?" she gingerly queried.
Kurama looked around at the people he attracted, nodded to Himawari, and placed the kitten on the ground. Everyone exploded into cheers and applause, including Temari. Himawari hugged the Kyuubi to her, as well as the kitten.
I think he bought it, kid, Kurama transmitted his thoughts to Himawari. Good show.
You, too, she replied. Thank you!
The crowd dissipated once the show was over, but Temari and Shikadai lingered a bit longer. Temari waited for her son to compliment the Uzumaki girl on how well she handled the situation. However, all he could do was blink. He didn't know where to begin in his conversation with her. He could have sworn the Kyuubi was a tame creature by now. He had seen Boruto walk him just a few weeks prior to this event. Surely he wasn't a rowdy, cat-eating monster…was he?
"Does your pet eat cats, Himawari-Chan?" Shikadai asked, very confused.
Now it was Himawari's turn to blink. She feigned ignorance as she came to a stand, the kitten cradled in her right arm as she pet Kurama with her left hand. She tilted her head to the side, seemingly offended more than perplexed. He took a step back, warily gritting his teeth and nearly sweating; he hoped hadn't offended her.
"Pet?" Himawari replied, pretending she had no clue what he was talking about. "This is the Nine-Tailed demon; I just saved a kitten from being his lunch!"
He gave her an incredulous look. He opened his mouth, then closed it, thought of the correct way to say what he needed to say, and then opened his mouth again. Temari, on the other hand, was enjoying this far too much and had plenty she needed to say, but wasn't allowing herself to. This was too much fun to watch, so keeping her mouth shut would be more of a necessity for entertainment's sake at this point.
"Himawari, that is Kurama, isn't it?" Shikadai questioned. "Your father is his Jinchuriki."
Himawari's eyes went wide as saucers. How would she respond to that? She had completely forgotten that the Naras knew who Kurama was. She may have gotten away with faking the appearance of a foreign demon with the rest of those people, but Shikadai actually knew her family; Kurama being a part of said family. Uh oh, she thought, we're done for! Instantly, she picked up the kitten, patted Kurama so he knew to bend down, and climbed onto the fox's back.
"I'm sorry! I need to bring something home!" Himawari excused herself. "Goodbye!"
"Goodbye, Himawari-Chan!" Temari yelled, waving to her.
Shikadai slowly lifted a hand to wave goodbye, still very confused about the whole ordeal. She was acting so strangely, but he couldn't figure out why.
-\[=]/-
"I can't believe that didn't work," Himawari huffed. She then turned to Kurama with a grateful smile. "You were great, though. Arigatou."
They made their way home where she opened the door for them to walk inside.
"Daijobu," Kurama said as he went off to find Naruto upstairs. "You'll get him next time."
She made her way to the living room, which was where Hinata was collecting her things. Himawari gained a bright face upon seeing her mother and rushed to give her a hug. Hinata happily accepted her daughter's sweet embrace, returning it tenfold.
"Where are you headed, Kaa-San?" Himawari asked.
"I need to visit your Hanabi-Baa-Chan and Konohamaru-Jii-San," Hinata explained. "Would you like to come with me?"
"Hai!" Himawari beamed.
Hinata lowered her daughter to the floor as she announced to Boruto and Naruto that Himawari would be accompanying her on her errand. The two responded, said goodbye, and wished them a happy afternoon. Thus, the women of the house were on their way.
-\[=]/-
While Hinata and her sister spoke with one another, Konohamaru played cards with his niece. She adored playing cards with her uncle; it was a very relaxing process, even if the two of them got very competitive halfway through. It was even more fun with Boruto, though whenever he got involved, fights occurred more often.
While they played their game, Himawari kept an eye on the clock. It read 2:00 PM, which meant her afternoon had begun. She still wanted to get her message across to Shikadai, but she was at a loss after the incident from earlier. If the traits that attracted her father to her mother didn't attract Shikadai to her, what else could she work with? She sighed and told her uncle to "go fish." He groaned gruffly, causing his wife to sarcastically laugh at him.
"Beating him isn't as hard you think, Hima-Chan," Hanabi joked.
Himawari lifted an eyebrow before turning back to look at Konohamaru. He now had a small smile on his face. She thought for a moment before deciding that her aunt and uncle were also a very sweet couple, even though they were very different from her parents. Himawari stood in her seat to reach eye contact with her uncle, though he thought she was attempting to get a good look at his cards. He pulled his deck close to his chest and eyeballed her.
"No peeks, Himawari-Chan!" Konohamaru complained.
"No, not that!" Himawari pushed their game aside. "I have a question for you."
He halted his glaring at her and pulled his cards away from his chest. With a grin, he nodded his head, signaling for her to go on with her question.
"What's your favorite thing about Hanabi-Baa-Chan?" Himawari proceeded.
Konohamaru looked betwixt her and his wife, a devilish smile crossing his lips whilst he decided how to answer. Hanabi had a suspicious, yet entertained look on her face. Hinata smiled softly, watching the excitement build in her daughter's eyes. Naruto told his wife earlier that day about Himawari's question. She thought it was simply adorable! Though she wondered who caught her daughter's eye, she assumed she could wait until the end of the day to pull it out from her.
"Well," Konohamaru began, "I love how she can totally roast me."
That earned a roaring laugh from his wife. However, Himawari was confused.
"Like food?"
"No, no, no," Konohamaru explained, "it means she makes fun of me a lot."
Now she was even more confused than before. Boys liked it when girls made fun of them? That just didn't add up. Why would anybody have a crush on someone who made fun of them all the time? Although, Himawari did notice that her aunt's pet names for her husband were things like "lame-o," or "butthead." She also liked to poke fun at his card skills every time he started a game.
Maybe boys did like girls that made fun of them.
-\[=]/-
Shikadai and Inojin had a late lunch at their local barbeque restaurant around 2:30. Shikadai slept from 12:00 to 1:00 after he helped his mother put the groceries away. Inojin had a feeling he would be asleep until at least afternoon, so he waited until then; that way, they could eat together. It wasn't a bad choice, considering now he was extra hungry and had room to finish his meal. However, he noticed Shikadai was barely touching his food. His eyes seemed glazed over, and he could hardly keep his head up.
"Are you ok?" Inojin asked.
Shikadai jolted up to meet Inojin's gaze. He nervously cracked a smile as he apologized.
"Sorry, I was thinking about some stuff that happened today," he expressed.
"What kind of stuff?" Inojin questioned curiously.
"Like…" Shikadai attempted. "You know Boruto's little sister?"
Inojin made a face.
"Yes…?"
"She's just been acting kind of strange today," he continued. "She acted like Boruto this morning; all prideful and loud. Then just before noon, she came running into the marketplace to 'rescue' a kitten from the Kyuubi."
The blond boy formed an incredulous expression.
"But, isn't her dad the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki?"
"That's what I said!"
He sighed before he shoved his first piece of food into his mouth. His morning was very confusing. He was genuinely intrigued by Himawari Uzumaki. She was normally a cheerful, innocent girl, but today she showed something very opposite of what he was accustomed to. He didn't understand why she had acted the way she did, and that made it even harder for him to have any kind of perception of her. Suddenly, such an original character became so…mysterious, and he didn't know how to feel about it.
He had never thought much about Himawari. She had always been his friend's little sister. She was a family friend, sure, but he was around Boruto more than he was around her. He assumed he knew a lot about her already, considering she had been in his life for six years. He knew she liked to play in the creek, he knew about all the flower crowns she loved to make (he owned about four of her "specially-made, one-of-a-kind" flower crowns, actually), he knew her favorite colors, her favorite spots in Konoha….
He paused in realization for a moment. How did he know so much about her, anyway? He was there the day she was born, yes, but that didn't make her his best friend. Then why did he know all these things? And why did he care about her whether or not she was becoming more like her bratty brother? All of it hurt his head, and he wanted to shove it to the recesses of his mind.
"Uh, Shikadai," Inojin cut into his train of thought once again.
"Huh?" Shikadai asked.
"I think your about to get a third visit from Himawari."
Shikadai knit his eyebrows together in blatant misunderstanding. Inojin then proceeded to point at the young girl through the window. There she was: violet hair, yellow top, red pants, and those trademark whiskers. He suddenly tightened his jaw, though he didn't know whether it was due to nerves, fear, or confusion. He supposed he would find out soon enough.
The bell to the shop rang, signaling that a newcomer had arrived. Inojin and Shikadai followed the tiny, violet cowlick as it made its around the maze of booths. Finally, Himawari's face became clear, and Shikadai was preparing himself for Round Three. What on earth would she do now? That heroic look was off her face, and was replaced by a straight, bland line of disinterest. He mentally gagged; "apathetic" certainly didn't suit her.
Making her way to the booth of the two boys, Himawari stood before them. Inojin offered her a seat, but she declined. Instead, she wanted to make stern eye contact with the Nara before her. Now it was her turn to mentally prepare herself. How would she go about this?
Himawari tested a few insults out in her mind before coming to an independent consensus. I don't want to make him too mad, she thought to herself. I just need to insult him enough so he likes me. She bravely stepped forward, pointed a finger in the face of her crush, and inhaled deeply. Here goes nothin'…
"I've been wanting to tell you for a while now…" she shut her mouth tight before continuing.
She was beginning to focus too heavily on his facial features. What was there to insult? His eyes were certainly the most gorgeous things she'd ever laid her own orbs on, and his nose was just adorable. She moved onto his personality, but had even less luck there. He was lazy, yes, but who didn't call him lazy? There was no point in ridiculing his intelligence, because everyone and their grandmother knew of his smarts. Finally, she looked to his hair, and mustered all her courage to come out with her opinion. Forgive me, Shikadai.
"That your hair looks like a pineapple!" Himawari blurted.
That certainly caused a few stares from the booths that surrounded the trio. Himawari stood there, nose scrunched slightly from her discomfort, and her mouth still taut. Shikadai, on the other hand, had his eyes wide open as he touched his cranium. He never put much thought into his hair in the morning. He was a Nara man, and Nara men wore their hair in messy ponytails. It was just a tradition.
Once he made it past the blatant mockery, though, he focused on something else.
"Why are you—of all people—being so rude?" Shikadai questioned, genuinely craving an answer.
Himawari put her accusing finger down and inhaled sharply. She suddenly felt the room heat up, and she didn't know how to respond. Shikadai knew that this wasn't her; she knew that this wasn't her. This wasn't like her at all. She felt tears brim her eyes, but she sucked them back. How could Konohamaru be wrong? He and Hanabi had such an incredible relationship. Wasn't this something Shikadai would like? At a loss, Himawari backpedaled slightly, causing Shikadai to become wise. He inched forward in an attempt to halt her efforts, but she was too fast for him.
"Gomen!" she squeaked, rushing out of the restaurant as quickly as she could.
Shikadai sat there, totally filled with wonder. What was going on with her lately? He settled back in his booth, his fingers holding up each of his temples as he seriously thought over his day. He didn't know what to make of the ordeal, and it was about to drive him to insanity.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Shikadai confided in Inojin. "That was a third personality from her!"
"Yeah…" Inojin shrugged, stealing a piece of meat from his friend's plate, "good luck with that, pineapple-head."
-\[=]/-
Himawari needed to catch her breath. She rushed to the outside of the Uchiha Compound, where she fell against the wall and whimpered to herself. She didn't know how to go about making her love evident anymore. Each time she tried, it became harder and harder. Not to mention this time literally gave her breathing troubles. She placed her head on her knees, whispering her mistakes to herself. She hated when she messed up.
Why would Shikadai ever love her? She was a tiny six-year-old, and from today, all he witnessed was a boastful, dishonest, mean girl covering every inch of her person. She angrily rubbed her tears away with the heel of her palm, kicking the dirt as she did so. Why did she have to go and look for ways to get his attention? None of these versions of Himawari were what Shikadai liked. Had today been an entire waste of her time? It certainly seemed to be a waste of Shikadai's time. She let out a frustrated scream into her arms and knees in an attempt to wash out the bad thoughts.
"Himawari-Chan?"
She looked up to see none other than Sarada Uchiha. She was walking with the Rokudaime, who seemed to be quite calm for someone who just witnessed a small girl screech into her own frame. Sarada, however, looked incredibly concerned. Tragically embarrassed, Himawari wiped off as many tears, snot, and drips of drool as she could. She hated when people saw her cry.
"Are you ok?" Sarada asked gently, taking a knee before the Uzumaki.
"Yeah," she sniffled, putting on a fake smile. "I just got really mad and needed to scream."
Sarada looked at her quizzically, not buying her story. Though it was true, it certainly wasn't the entire truth. Himawari turned to Kakashi, who was looking at the two girls very mildly. She then got an idea. She wanted to see if one more participant in her research would help. Kakashi was a ladies' man, wasn't he? Perhaps he could teach her his ways, but allow it to work on Shikadai. With a fragile smile, she looked up to meet his gaze.
"Kaka-Jii-Chan," she asked in a newly hitched voice, "what do you like most in a girl?"
Sarada's eyebrows went as high as they could go. Himawari was crying over boy trouble? That just didn't seem like her at all. She was six-years-old; how could she get her heart broken so early? Both young women turned their attention to Kakashi, who had his thinking face on. A lightbulb must have gone off in his head, because his eyes grew wide once he discovered his only answer.
"A cute bikini!" he proclaimed.
In an instant, Himawari came to a stand. Sarada sighed at the young girl, pulling her back to the ground by her shoulder.
"Jii-San. Leave. Now." Sarada ordered in a voice that mimicked her mother's perfectly.
Kakashi shrugged, lifted up a hand to wave goodbye, and went on his merry way. Once he was distant enough that he was out of earshot and eyesight, Sarada took a seat next to Himawari. Both of them sat in silence for a good minute or two, watching the clouds tumble through the sky. It had to be 4:00 by now, which meant sunset was in another two hours or so.
"He loves the sunset," Himawari muttered in a cute and quiet, yet defeated, tone. "Shikadai does."
Sarada stifled a laugh.
"Shikadai, huh?" she inquired. "You like him?"
Himawari nodded her head slowly.
"I've been trying all day to get him to fall in love with me," she confessed to Sarada with a sight sniffle. "Nothing worked. I think I made everything worse."
"I bet you're being too hard on yourself."
That earned a glare from the Uzumaki girl. Sarada visibly winced.
"It was that bad, huh?"
Again, Himawari nodded.
"I don't know how it went wrong," Himawari continued, tears forming once again. "I tried everything that I researched! I asked Boruto-Nii-San what he liked in girls, then I asked Tou-San, then I Konohamaru-Jii-San…. All of those times failed, though! No matter what I tried, he didn't like it."
Sarada turned to her friend. She researched what boys liked in girls? She could only imagine what kinds of idiotic responses Himawari received from Boruto and their sensei. She pulled Himawari into a side hug, brushing her arm up-and-down as she did so. Sarada of all people knew how harsh crushes were. Getting a particular boy to notice you was more difficult than it was worth…in her opinion at least. But, clearly, Himawari wanted some help, and she couldn't stand by and watch the adorable child sob anymore.
"Can I give you some advice, Hima-Chan?" Sarada queried.
"Anything that will help," she replied.
"Be yourself."
Himawari's eyes went wide as saucers. She looked at Sarada, taking in the sweet grin from the raven-haired Uchiha. Was that all she had to do? Be herself? She'd been being herself for six years now, and look where that had gotten her! At least today, Shikadai actually noticed her. Himawari glared at Sarada, completely unappreciated of how lightly the Uchiha seemed to be taking the situation. However, the girl donned in glasses wouldn't back down, declaring she was serious.
"I swear, it's true." Sarada held up her hand. "Kunoichi's honor."
Himawari turned her gaze to the ground. Maybe she really did need to pay a visit to her original self. She missed being happy-go-lucky all day. Today was such an awful one solely because she took on personas that weren't like herself at all. Perhaps the Uchiha was right about this.
Himawari came to a stand. With a deep inhale, an even deeper exhale, and blooming smile, she decided it was time to pay Shikadai one, final visit.
-\[=]/-
She approached the Nara Compound at about 6:00 that night. The sun was slowly setting, so she knew where her favorite Nara would be. He was the type to sit on his front porch solely to watch the sun kiss the horizon. She stopped in her tracks once she reached the aperture of the compound. Frankly, she was still embarrassed over her behavior throughout the day. What with her dashing through Konoha like a lunatic, either wearing an ensemble that clashed heavily with her height, or chasing a fox demon through the streets. Whichever one she picked to be humiliated over, she couldn't lose; they were equally disgraceful.
Nevertheless, she mustered all the courage in her tiny frame and marched into the compound. Little did she know that two adults spotted her, both sharing the same sadistically entertained expression. The wife nudged her husband, who vigorously nodded in return, implying he knew what this was all about.
"She interrupted Shikadai's practice wearing Naruto's work clothes," Shikamaru conferred in a whisper.
His wife snorted.
"She chased Kurama in the marketplace to show off how brave she was to Shikadai," Temari informed. "She's too cute."
"What do you think she's about to do now?" he queried.
"Only one way to find out," she said, grabbing his hand. "Let's enter through the back porch and spy on them."
A devilish grin crossed his lips as he said, "I like the way you think."
Taking the backway to avoid Himawari, the Nara couple flat-footedly toward home. However, Himawari marched in a beeline. This was her final chance to deliver her all-too-important message to the man of her dreams. She came to the conclusion that, even if he didn't return her feelings, she wasn't going to be upset with herself. No more sobbing, no more harassing herself over a boy, and no more research from the men in her life. If Shikadai couldn't accept her for who she was, it just meant she had to try all the harder to either forget about him, or make him see what he was missing.
Upon reaching his dwelling, she saw him sprawled out on his front porch, his feet dangling over the side. Her heart fluttered at seeing him, though she also felt her stomach drop ten feet, and a sudden wave of sweat seemed to be barreling down her palms and back. She stopped in her tracks for only a moment, becoming doubtful of approaching him. Although, after the day she had, and the way she made herself out to be to him, she wouldn't have a lot of time to apologize and explain her behavior before he came to a decision about whether he still liked her or not. Thus, she grit her teeth, balled her puny hands into fists, and strode onward.
"Hey," she said gingerly, though her nervousness was very evident in her tone.
Shikadai bolted upright, finding the girl who had been playing on repeat in his mind all day standing in front of him. He was honestly a little terrified of whatever she had in store. His mortification became all too real when she stepped toward him even more, meeting his height by standing on the step beneath him. She was relieved that he was sitting still; if he rose from his seat, he would have been plenty taller than her, and it would have intimidated her.
"Hey," Shikadai greeted her cautiously.
She was silent for a moment, which was slowly killing him. He wanted her to go ahead and get this final round of personalities over with. The opinions he'd formed of her today didn't settle well with him, and left him somewhat depressed. He didn't want to dislike Himawari and who she was. He knew people changed as they aged, but becoming a dignified, rude brat within a day's time must have been a record. He liked who Himawari was before: a gentle, sweet, bubbly girl. Because he didn't want that to change, he felt his heartbeat going a mile a minute. Little did he know that hers was doing the very same.
"Gomenasai…for today, I mean," Himawari finally came out with it, blushing all the while.
That caught him completely off guard. He blinked at her, inching forward a bit, which made her instinctively lean back about an inch.
"Nani?" he replied, dumbstruck.
"I just…" she trailed off.
How could she describe what she felt for him? She averted her eyes for a second, clenched her teeth, shrugged one shoulder, and thought of how to put her feelings into words. Though she wasn't speaking, Shikadai's mind was a whirlwind. You just what? he thought to himself, his heartrate speeding up. Unbeknownst to either of them, his parents were sitting underneath a cracked window, holding their breath.
"I…" she gulped.
After a few moments, she made herself make eye contact with the young Nara. Looking into those teal orbs of his, she got a strange sensation. Some sort of confidence flew through her, and, suddenly, all the words she was looking for were now within grasp. Her newfound confidence was manifested in how she carried herself also. Now, she erected her back, put her hands at her sides, and relaxed her jaw.
"I really admire you," Himawari finally confessed. "And I just want you to notice me. It's very hard for me to match your talents because you're so smart, but I want you to acknowledge me. I'm not going to stop trying to get your attention just because I'm younger than you. With every year, I'm just going to try that much harder to be able to walk by your side."
Shikadai was shocked. He simply continued to stare at her; not daring to interrupt her. Even if he wanted to interpose, he was at a complete loss of words; he didn't know what to say. For a smart boy, he was certainly oblivious to this. Is that why she had been acting so strangely today? Because she admired him? She wanted him to acknowledge her? She wanted to walk by his side? He had so many questioned, yet his vocabulary seemed to be utterly lost to him.
"In other words," Himawari began.
If he was breathing before, he surely wasn't now. What else? he questioned. He needed to know all about this; to the very last detail. He was so caught up in astonishment that he didn't even notice his mouth was ajar. Catching sight of his total bewilderment, Himawari halted for a second to smile.
"Shikadai-Kun," she continued, "I am not going to stop trying until you love me back. I'm smaller than you, younger than you, and less experienced than you, but I am going to give it my all to catch up with you. Even if I have to drive you crazy, I will definitely walk by your side. And I'll do it on my own terms. Because today I learned that none of those other things I tried work; I'm going to be myself. And I know for certain that it will be the real Himawari Uzumaki walking by your side."
Himawari, finally satisfied with her approach to Shikadai, exhaled in relief, determining she had made her point known. She would have to remember to thank Sarada for the help; without her, this entire experience would have ended on a low-note. Yes, she would definitely make Sarada a cute card when she finished dinner that night. She shined an enormous grin, finally satisfied with her days work. With that grin, though, an entirely new can of worms opened for Shikadai. Now he was no longer worried about being on verge of disliking Himawari; he was certain something much more terrifyingly powerful was overtaking him. That smile…
"Well," she respired, raising a hand to the Nara, "I think I should get home for dinner. I'll see you later, Shikadai-Kun."
And with that, she merrily skipped home, leaving Shikadai even more confused than he would have ever thought he could be. He wanted to call out to her, to demand that she explain what he was feeling in that instant. What had she done to him? Once she was out of eyesight and earshot, Shikamaru came to the porch to sit by his son, who was experiencing his very first mental breakdown.
"Were you expecting that at all?" Shikamaru questioned, leaning back a tad.
"Not in the slightest," Shikadai managed to answer.
"Do you like her back at all?" Shikamaru asked.
"I'm…not sure," he responded.
He seemed to be having an out-of-body experience, as he kept telling himself to Wake up! even though he knew for a fact that he wasn't sleeping. After a second or two of silence, Shikadai turned to face his father.
"I'm sure of one thing, though," he admitted to his father.
"Yeah?" Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"I know that she has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."
Shikamaru couldn't help but smile softly at his son. Of course his son would inherit the Nara curse. If there was one thing a Nara man couldn't resist, it was a pretty smile. And that, my son, Shikamaru thought good-humoredly to himself, will be your downfall. He continued to watch his son, who was now looking down the road with a baffled expression. But it's not such a downfall when you think about it¸ he thought once again, it's actually more of a difficult epiphany.
-\[=]/-
A/N: Well dang, THAT took like a year and a half to write! Sorry, guys! XD;
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it! They're just s precious that I couldn't resist.
PLEASE REVIEW!Maybe I'll revisit the two in the near future if I get enough reviews! ;D
Thanks again for reading, and God bless!
[ENDED ON: 7-23-17 at 1:11 AM]