Shikamaru liked cloud-watching.

It was his peaceful past time, despite all the nagging that he received for having such a uneventful and chaotic sense of fun. He liked watching clouds, because they moved but stayed the same, and he was content to keep watching them forever if he could.

No one bothered to disturb him, at least those who tried had gotten restless and moved off. Shikamaru was satisfied with that. Until one day, a typical brown eyed brunette walked up to him, crouched, and told him, "I'll be here from now on." and lay down beside him.

Shikamaru internally nodded, and showed his acceptance by continuing to lay there.

They never spoke even once, not even when the sun went down and the clouds could be seen no longer. They just left, in opposite directions. Shikamaru was satisfied with that. Perhaps she would leave him alone from now on.

The next day, she came and lay next to him wordlessly. And the next. And she continued doing so for the next 7 weeks.

One day, she wasn't there. He felt uncomfortable without her presence, and he showed it the next they when she came back and he lay down exactly 10 centimetres closer to her body then he was before.

That was his lazy way of saying I missed you, she supposed. Shikamaru's heart beat a little faster around her from then on.

On the day of the first genin test, he wasn't there. She was worried about what had happened to him, despite him not having said a single word to her thus far.

Biting her lip, she resumed her cloud-watching, resolving to forget her worries and remember to relax. For some reason it did not work.

"Where were you?" she asked, as a familiar black ponytail came into view from where she lay. It was her first time initiating conversation with him, and she was a little nervous. She caught sight of his forehead protector, and realisation hit her.

"You're a ninja." He nodded once, staring at her to gauge her reaction.

"Okay."

"Are you mad I didn't tell you?"

"You haven't talked to me before, I don't even know your name, there's no reason for you to tell me."

"..."

"No, I'm not mad," she sighed. "I'm just a little sad that my cloud-watching companion is gone."

Shikamaru felt a tinge of guilt, and lay down on the grass. Together, they gazed up at the clouds, looking at the clouds pass slowly. An unsettling peace fell around them. It was peaceful yet filled with tension from unspoken words, and Shikamaru didn't bother to defend himself. However, he felt that he owed an introduction to her.

"My name is Shikamaru Nara, and I'm a Genin now. I like cloud-watching and dislike troublesome things. When I grow up, I want to marry an average girl that is not too ugly and not too good looking and settle down peacefully."

She felt like he was giving her an ultimatum. If she introduced herself, they would start a conversation and maybe start a friendship. If she didn't, he wouldn't bother her any longer. Ninja life was no joke. Ninjas were constantly in danger, and so were their family and friends. But she was never one to stray from danger.

"My name is Ayano Yamada, I'm a civilian and will probably remain one. I like cloud-watching and dislike liars. When I grow up, I want to start up an outdoors coffee shop."

The decision was made, and they smiled at each other, before laying back and resuming their common past time.

From then on, they shared a few things about themselves every day, just getting to know each other. When he was busy doing missions, she chose to instead study at the library. When she was busy helping out her parents at the office, he chose to play shogi with someone instead. Cloud watching became a time reserved for just the two of them, as friends.

One day, Shikamaru announced that he was going to enter the Chuunin exams. Becoming a Chuunin was highly dangerous, because not only were they able to be killed in the exam, Chuunin also took higher ranking missions with a higher danger factor in return for increased pay. Bounties on their heads started to go higher, and they were tasked with more missions. Apparently, he had been pressurised into entering by his other friend Ino Yamanaka.

Ayano was curious what Ino was like, to be able to drag him into this. Shikamaru who found it troublesome to wake up, and move in general. Sometimes, Ayano wondered why he bothered being a ninja. "Ninjas can do things that make life a lot easier, like detecting lies, and walking on water." He replied, shifting his eyes a bit. "And also my whole family is a ninja, so I grew up knowing that I'll train to become one."

"I see. Good luck on the exam, and don't get killed."

He sparred a lot more, and that meant less times with him. However, less time did not mean no time, for he always came back and lay down on the grass next to her. Ayano felt that their little reality getaways felt more precious then ever, and silently appreciated him making time for her.

On the day of the Chuunin exam, he didn't come. On the day of the Chuunin exams, her family's coffee shop was attacked and burnt down. She had been taking a short break, chatting to the shopkeeper next door, which was why she managed to escape the shop that blew up next to her. Her parents weren't so lucky.

She instantly brought the shopkeeper with her and ran for her lives to the nearest shelter. Ninja life was scary, and civilians were in as much danger as ninja sometimes. But ninjas were obliged to protect the village, and she knew they would come. She loosely hoped Shikamaru wasn't in any danger, but knew that it was an ignorant fantasy.

The next day, he found her laying down on the grass during the time that she was usually helping out her parents with paperwork. Shikamaru frowned at the implication and sought his brain on ways to comfort her. He held her hand the entire day, gently tapping on her fingers when he heard uneven breathing. It took part of her to not burst into weeps of sorrow, because crying could not convey the true pain she felt in her heart. It only served as a visible reminder of her pathetic state. She unknowingly curled up towards him in comfort, trying to regulate her breathing.

Shikamaru once told her that he found troublesome blondes one of the most troublesome things he ever met, but expressed interest in a girl he fought named Temari. She motivated him to carry on being a ninja when his first Chuunin mission to retrieve Sasuke had failed, and all his teammates had nearly died. Temari sounded interesting, like a beacon of light that could ensure his progression and motivation.

Shikamaru told her about his first time he proctored a Chuunin exam with Temari, and how impressed she was with his methods. Ayano felt a twinge of pain, as if her heart had been stabbed with a sharp dagger repeatedly, but shook her head and ignored it, asking more about her.

The next day, he brought her to watch the clouds with Ayano, introducing them to each other. Temari smiled, and turned to face Shikamaru on the grass, intending to have private conversations with him. Ayano tried to act like she was indifferent to the fact by gazing straight up at the clouds, trying to block out the sound of them chatting.

After that, Ayano chose a new place to relax, like the library at the orphanage. She understood that cloud watching was no longer reserved just for them. Shikamaru was just trying to get to know Temari better through his favourite past time, and Ayano felt that she should give them some privacy. She felt like she was being cast aside, even though she knew that Shikamaru would still see her as his friend. Her heart wrenched in guilt, and resolved to try repressing all emotions. Maybe he would even visit her once in a while.

Ayano shook her head again to rid the toxic thoughts that flooded her mind, whispering about his betrayal of their sacred unwritten agreement. She had to do that a lot nowadays, as she was often alone with only her thoughts to accompany her. She hoped Shikamaru was having fun with Temari. Maybe, he would still remember Ayano the girl he once cloud watched with before Temari had changed his life for the better.

Shikamaru was irritated. Irritated that he had broken tradition, irritated that Temari was going off about his lazy habits, irritated at Ayano for leaving him without a word. It was originally a simple friendship where she accepted him, and he accepted her, but somehow he couldn't bear it when he was alone with Temari instead of her. He sent Temari off to Suna, and in the meantime confessed about his developed lack of feelings for her. She was heartbroken and screamed in his face, telling him to get the hell away from her.

Shikamaru did not regret his decision to reject Temari, because in his heart, he knew who he truly accepted. He decided to pay Ayano a visit at the orphanage. He sat up from the grassy fields and left, no longer able to relax with cloud watching. It just didn't feel the same without her.

As he approached the orphanage, he heard the sound of sniffing. Panicking at the thought, he slammed open the door only to see Ayano comforting a boy with a large bruise on his knee.

Oh.

Ayano's head snapped up to find Shikamaru halfway through the door, panting heavily and gazing right at her. For some reason, this sight made her feel like her throat was constricted and she was tongue-tied for words. Thankfully, she didn't have to say anything because he stalked right in and wrapped his arms around her, instantly making her feel as fragile as glass which caused all the worries and repressed emotions from her toxic thoughts come spilling out in the form of tears. They crouched onto the floor and she dipped her head into his vest, mumbling apologies for ruining it while sobbing about her jealous stunt and her feelings for her.

Shikamaru didn't give a jack shit about the chuunin vest, he murmured his own apologies into her hair, his irritation vanishing the moment he hugged her. He didn't deserve Ayano, but now that he knew how much she cared for him, he silently vowed not to abandon her again.

At the side, the boy rubbed his bruised knee slowly, happy that Ayano-chan had found happiness in her friend again. Wiping away his tears on his old shirt, he left the room to give them some privacy.

Shikamaru got up, pulling Ayano by the hand and tried to lead her out of the door to the grassy fields once more. Surprisingly, she steadfastly refused to which he made up his mind to bring her to somewhere else very special to cloud watch.

Entering the Nara compound, he drawled a quick, "I'm home," to his dad and dragged Ayano to the Nara forest. The Nara forest was not open to the public, as it was used to keep deer that was owned by the Naras.

He lay down in his other usual spot, waiting for her to lie down next to him. She did, but not in the way he expected.

She curled up towards him and pulled his arm to face her, before she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Shikamaru was taken aback, but he quickly responded by placing one of his own on her forehead.

She sighed and gazed up at him.

"You know, you're kind of like a cloud."

"...what?"

"You move really slowly, and I wouldn't mind looking at you all day."

This made him red to his ears, and he instinctively tried to hide his face in embarrassment. Seeing this, Ayano instantly backtracked.

"I mean, I don't mind if you don't feel the same! We can still be friends, there's-"

Not wanting to create further misunderstandings, Shikamaru decided to quickly unveil his heart's desire by uncovering his face in one motion and placing his lips on hers.

She was frozen for a while, unresponsive against his moving lips, before snapping out of it and kissing back with as much gusto as she could. Her past jealousies over his friends had made her realise how much she liked him, and now that she could have him it would be difficult to let go. Magical tingles ran throughout both their bodies, and the searing feeling of each other's lips only added to it.

He kissed her once more, and pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers. They panted together and gazed at each other, feeling the heat on the surface of their skin. It was their first kiss, and not their last.

He smiled, making her heart beat faster. It was childish love, and they knew it.

The next day, they kissed again.

And again.

One day, he asked her to be his girlfriend, and she accepted. She got to know his friends and family, to which she was surprised and Shikamaru mortified when she found out how much Shikamaru had talked about her.

"He always leaves right when training ends to cloud watch, but I never knew he meant that kind of cloud watching." This got Chouji a pinch on the ear from Ino.

"He never called you troublesome? What!"

"Shikamaru's a lazy pig, but I guess he has some redeemable qualities."

"Take care of him, Ayano-chan!"

"He always makes stupid excuses to finish missions as soon as he can to find you."

"I thought he would never get a girlfriend and grow up an old geezer, dattebayo!"

"Naruto, shut up. Everyone, enough of this troublesome activity and stop embarrassing me."

Shikamaru took her away, swearing never to introduce her to anyone he knew ever again, to which Ayano laughed and he grunted back with a small smile.

Ayano thought it was touching, but continued talking to his friends anyways. She avoided the louder ones like Ino and Naruto, if only for the sake of protecting her eardrums, instead choosing to talk to Hinata and Shino. They were good company, but she always went back to Shikamaru in the end.

When they were both 21, he proposed to her. They married, with the knowledge that it was dangerous for both of them as Ayano would be targeted as his weakness, but they never paused to brave the rain.

He wanted to buy an old coffee shop for her when it came to their first wedding anniversary, but she shook her head with a smile, revealing that the owners of the coffee shop that she already worked at had retired, leaving it to her as a gift for serving them so faithfully ever since they first opened. She ran it everyday with a smile, and was delighted at the sight of peoples' tense shoulders slacking as they entered the place, knowing that they found the ambiance of jazz music and the musky smell of coffee relaxing was all she ever needed.

As they grew older, they fought often but always made up. They cried for the deaths of precious people and returned with two bowls of ice cream. They appreciated and basked in the other's presence, because together, they were peaceful.

Together, as old retired great-grandparents, they returned back to the lush greeneries of the Nara forest and lay down to cloud-watch, for one last time.

With a smile on their face, they died, surrounded by Nara deer and the cheerful clouds that passed.

Ayano Yamada

A dear daughter, wife, mother to three

She found her cloud at last

Shikamaru Nara

A dear son, husband, father to three

He found his cloud at last

It's over, but you can check out my other stories for more Shikamaru fanfiction:)