I have completely revise, rewritten, and lengthened this chapter. The original snippet was just to see if anyone would actually read this fic. Shikamaru and Ino do not belong to me and I hope you enjoy this fic.
Otanoshimi ni kudasai
Ch.1 Parting....
She knew she should be happy.....happy for him...happy for their entire team...but instead, all she could do was stare at his chuunin vest with hunger in her heart and jealousy in her eyes. She knew she was being totally unfair and completely irrational but she couldn't help herself. She had wanted, scratch that, still wants to become a chuunin. Becoming a chuunin was a stepping-stone to the next level in her course of life.
She had her life all planned out. First, she would enter the ninja academy and graduate with flying colors. Then, as a genin, she'll become stronger and succeed in the chuunin exam. After a year or two of being a chuunin, she'll become a jounin and be one of the most powerful female ninja, no, one of the most powerful ninja out of all of them. Originally, that was the ultimate goal in her life's plan, that is, until Sasuke came into the picture. Now, she wants to become a jounin so she could get Sasuke's attention. As a jounin, she'll finally catch Sasuke's eyes and then they'll get married and have kids and live happily ever after. That was how she saw her life should be lived. She never predicted that she would have such a setback in her plans. It never occurred to Ino that she might fail at something. Out of all people, she never suspected that Sakura would be the one she'd lose to.
&&&&&
Shikamaru had noticed Ino's strange expression but at the moment, couldn't be bothered to make a comment. His sixth sense was telling him that Ino was displeased but over what he didn't know. From the way she was staring at his vest, he suspected it had something to do with his promotion. But if that were the case, he would be very confused, because when she first saw him wear the vest that was forced upon him, she had the brightest smile on her face. He was positive that she was happy for him. But as she watched him, her expression changed gradually. The longer she scrutinized his vest, the darker her visage became. It was making him uncomfortable because her glazed stare seemed to make his vest tighten oppressively around his body, making it hard to breath. He wanted to take off the vest but Asuma wouldn't let him. Hell, he didn't even want to come to this troublesome party. If only they didn't insist on celebrating his rise in status.
Asuma had wanted to celebrate the moment he received news of his advancement but it was impossible due to the uproar in the village over "the only genin to get promoted". So for the first month, Shikamaru was unable to see the group at all for he was too busy hiding from admirers and curious neighbors. Then when things quieted down, he found himself forced to undergo a three-month long strenuous crash course designed to improve his physical fitness so once again, the party was postponed. After a while, when things finally started to have some semblance of normality, Ino and Asuma quickly gathered the team and roped him into this little get- together.
"Mendokusee I knew I shouldn't have shown up", Shikamaru complained grumpily. 'Especially since Ino is looking so dangerous.' He added mentally.
Chouji too, had noticed Ino's odd swing in mood and willingly relinquished his bag of chips to her guardianship in hopes of cheering her up.
"Naa Ino...is there...something you wanna talk about?" Chouji asked as he nudged the bag of chips into her limp hands, "Oi....."
Ino slowly came out of her trance. She slowly looked down and noticed for the first time that she was holding Chouji's bag of chips.
"Ah hahahaha", she laughed nervously and handed the chips back to Chouji. "I'm on a diet." She told him.
Asuma rolled his eyes and took another deep drag on his cigarette. Chouji gave her a miserable look. "Ino, you're fine the way you are. You don't need a diet..." He told her.
"YES I DO!" She exploded without warning. "I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO BECOME A CHUUNIN SO THE ONLY CHANCE I HAVE AT CATCHING SASUKE'S EYES IS TO BE BEAUTIFUL AND SKINNY AND-" Her ranting was cut off mid-speech by a softly spoken lazy drawl.
"You might have become a chuunin if your body wasn't weak from starvation."
Everyone looked at the dark-haired boy on the floor who was lying on his side with his back facing them. His body didn't shift but it was obvious it was he who said that. Asuma, sensing the impending altercation, quickly stood up.
"Wellll" he breathed out the smoke in his lungs, "I think I'll drop in on Kurenai sensei...er....because...that....er...Kiba is a rough one. Maybe I could uh...drop in..to....uh...train them..and......" Asuma jabbered ineffectively. Eventually, He gave up trying to cover up his obvious crush on Kurenai and disappeared in a puff of nin smoke.
Chouji quickly took a few steps towards the disappearing nin smoke, "Senseiiii zurui! How could you escape all by yourself!?"
Meanwhile, Ino was too preoccupied with her rapidly rising rage- fueled chakra to notice Asuma's absence. "Shiiiiiikaaaaamaaaaruuuuuuuu!" Her voice trembled with anger.
And the Nara boy still laid there with his entire body soft and relaxed. Ino raised her fist and slammed it down at Shikamaru's head.
"Ino no! you'll kill him!" Chouji called out. He had noticed how Ino's chakra had gathered in her arm without her conscious effort. A chakra enhanced punch is nothing to joke about. 'She really IS pissed this time.' His mind panicked.
By the time Ino had noticed the strength behind her punch, it was too late. She tried to stop herself but the momentum kept her going. All of a sudden, everything stopped. Without her noticing, there was an iron grip on her wrist and her punch was halted.
Shikamaru was no longer lying on the floor. She turned her head to see who had grabbed her and saw him standing next to her. His body was slouched in his usual slack position with one hand in his pocket. His other hand was still maintaining a strong but careful grip on her wrist. The speed he had used was imperceptible to her senses.
"Shika....maru?" Ino said with awe in her voice as she stared at him wide eyed in surprise. 'Since when has Shikamaru gotten so fast?' she thought.
Shikamaru didn't turn his head to look at her but he did let go of her arm. He stared straight ahead with his perpetual frown on his face.
"And that's why you're not chuunin" he told her. Shikamaru tucked his other hand into his pocket as he strolled out of the room nonchalantly.
&&&&&
Shikamaru was in his room contemplating his life while he packed necessary possessions into his bag. He was thinking about his current situation and decided he didn't like it at all. It was both troublesome and discomforting.
It wasn't until recently that he realized how important she was to him. At first, her presence was merely annoying, until, without him realizing, she had permeated herself throughout his life so insidiously that she was now an inextricable part of his being. Shikamaru never thought he would catch himself missing her incessant chatter even while he watched the clouds. It felt strange, to not have her around to boss him about. But ever since 'the incident', she's been absent from his life. If he were still a genin, he would get to see her when they're being trained by Asuma. Unfortunately for him, being a chuunin entailed a different kind of training. He rarely got to join his team in exercises anymore. It goes to show how one never knows how good he's had it until everything changes.
Shikamaru looked at the mission slip in his hand and sighed for the umpteenth time that day. It was a complicated mission requiring skill and tact. It wasn't one of those 'charge and demolish' kind of mission that were suitable for the brawny but not very brainy kind of ninja. And worst of all, it was a two-year long kind of mission.
He supposed he should be flattered by the amount of confidence the Hokage had in him but he couldn't see it as anything other than troublesome. He didn't want a two-year long information-gathering mission that required him to live in an enemy village. He was too young for such a mission but that was precisely why he was chosen. A child is less noticeable, especially one with drab features such as his. And unlike Sasuke and Neji, he lacked the strength in chakra that might tip off an experienced fighter. What really made Tsunade-sama decide he was perfect for the missions was his precocious mind. You can send a kid to a village and have him spy, but how many twelve-year olds knew what to look for?
He raised the paper to his face and re-read the conditions of the mission and sighed yet again. Knowing his luck, he'd part unhappily from Ino and his family then end up getting himself killed in enemy territory. When he showed his parents the mission slip, he knew from their eyes that they wanted him to refuse it. What they didn't realize was he already tried to do that. The Godaime Hokage had taken him into her office and explained to him the importance of this mission to Konoha in a way that he couldn't refuse. He wasn't allowed to refuse. Shikamaru let himself sigh one more time.
He never wanted to be an exceptional ninja. For some unknown reason, the adults had managed to see the genius in him that he tried so hard to hide. Fate had decided to screw him over and before he knew it, he who loved anonymity so much was the center of Konoha's attention. But that wasn't right. It wasn't want he wanted. He was supposed to go through life as a plain ninja without much dangerous missions. Shikamaru only meant to earn enough to survive. That was all he needed. Luxuries were too troublesome for him.
Shikamaru scratched his cat under its chin with his fingers. "I'll see you in two years cat." He told his pet. "If your food dish gets empty, go find mom, not dad. He'll be too lazy to feed you. He's too lazy to feed himself. That's why he also goes to mom when he's hungry."
His eyes started to get that faraway look as he thought of something that made his lips curl back in a soundless sneer. "How dare Ino get mad at me for becoming a chuunin." He thought furiously. She had no idea about the sacrifices and the difficulty of it all. It wasn't all about the glory of the chuunin vest. If that was all she thought being a chuunin was about, he was glad she didn't make it. Ino wasn't mature enough for it yet, which, in his opinion, was great. Unlike him, she had the chance to enjoy childhood. Even without his new chuunin responsibilities, he can never be a real child. Not when he knew so much and understood what should be beyond his comprehension. Being a genius kind of sucks sometimes.
Shikamaru felt mature at the moment. Too mature. From outside his window, he could hear the sounds of children playing in the streets. He was never one of those children. Instead, he's always preferred solitude and intellectual exercises over childish antics. He walked to his bookshelf and took out the heavy volume of Sun-Tzu's Art of War and opened it up to a special page. From between the pages, he took out a picture of team ten in their younger days, before they were even team ten. In the picture, Ino was smiling beautifully without a care on her mind. She had her arms slung over his and Chouji's neck and they had to bend over because of her hold. Even though he was scowling in the picture, he actually liked it a lot. He liked it enough to hide the picture in a book he knew no one other than him would read. For a brief illogical moment, he considered taking the picture with him on his mission as a form of comfort before he quickly squelched the idea. There was nothing like sentimentality to blow a ninja's cover. He didn't need anything that might reveal his true background with him.
He took his light backpack and walked down the stairs. His father was already waiting there, struggling to keep a grin that didn't reach his eyes on his face. His mother was there too. From the puffiness of her eyes, he knew she had cried. Now what? What was he supposed to say to them? Bye mom, by dad, See you in two years if I'm still alive?
Shikamaru continued to walk until he was standing between them. He looked up and scratched his head. "Mendokusee na.." he declared in a bored tone, "This is such a pain." Nothing like a catch phrase to break the tension, right?
His mom laughed tearfully and hugged him while his hair was ruffled by his father's heavy hand. When his mother let go of him, she stuck a large pack into his hands.
"I made you something for the road." She said. "I made enough for you and the jounin's you'll be traveling with." She ended with a sniffled.
"Make me proud son. But don't be a hero." His father added.
Shikamaru gave his parents the cocky smirk he often wore. "You guys didn't make a son who was hero material."
&&&&&
After putting up with more patting and hugging than a kid could ever endure, he was finally on the road. Shikamaru walked slowly behind his two jounin companions. He didn't know their names and had never seen them around the village before. They were young, probably newly promoted jounins. Shikamaru guessed it was because any of the more experienced ninjas would be too easily recognized. He knew their only role in this mission was to act as his parents. From his careful assessment, he concluded that they were not especially strong jounins. They were borderline jounins, the kind that narrowly passed the test. He only knew the names they were supposed to use for the next too years. The woman, "mom", was to be called Yoshiko. It was a nice, reliable, and common sort of name. The man, or he should say "dad", took on the identity of Masao. It was a nice traditional male name, the kind a man with a family of three would have.
Their walk down the road was uneventful. It wasn't until he noticed the lack of human voices that Shikamaru remembered this was only the second time in his life that he's left Konoha. The first time was to drag that bastard Uchiha's ungrateful ass home. Upon this realization, he couldn't resist himself and had to turn and look at the village of his birthplace. The broad gates of Konoha no Sato looked too far away.
He hadn't told much of anyone that he was leaving or the nature of his mission. Only that he had a mission when people asked. This was the way he liked to handle his business. But for some reason, he felt unsettled. In the back of his mind, his unconscious was screaming at him to take care of his unfinished business before leaving because it might be his last chance. His footsteps stopped when the lurking thought rose into the conscious part of his mind. Ino didn't know he had this mission. He should tell her. She probably wouldn't care but it didn't feel right to not let her know. Of course he could always leave it to Chouji to tell her but it would probably be better if it came from him.
"Sorry.....could you give me some time?"
The two jounin turned around and looked at him.
"There is something very important I have to do before I leave." Shikamaru explained.
And then the pair scowled at him. Obviously they didn't think a mere chuunin brat should be allowed on such a mission.
"I'm really sorry," he apologized, "I'll be back in fifteen minuets. Just wait for me." Before the jounins could reply, he turned around and ran back towards the village.
&&&&&
Ino was breathing raggedly as she walked back to the flower shop. When Chouji told her the unbelievable news, she had ran around in a fit of panic trying to find Shikamaru. First, she ran to all his favorite cloud watching spots. Then, she jogged tiredly to all his favorite napping spots. Eventually, she remembered that she should've visited his house as her first destination and ran there with renewed vigor.
When she knocked on the door, she prayed that Shikamaru hadn't left yet. She was let down when his parents answered door. The expression on their faces confirmed her fear. She was too late. Ino turned away from his house and walked away forlornly with her ears unhearing when Shikamaru's parents called out to her. She was too late and she was such a butt to him before he left. She was dragging herself back into her family's flower shop like a girl defeated when she was greeted by Shikamaru who was behind the counter.
"Ino, where were you? I looked everywhere!" he said worriedly as he ran out from his spot.
"What are you talking about? I looked everywhere for YOU." She told him.
"I have a mission," he cut in impatiently, "it's a long one."
"I know!" she replied. "Chouji already told me! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
Shikamaru scowled at her. "You were ignoring me, remember?"
"Well of course I was!" she rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You were such an ass! But I would've put my cold shoulder treatment on hold for such an important news!"
"Well," he scratched his head. "I have to go now so bye." Ino grabbed his arm as he turned to leave.
"What? That's it?!" she yelled at him.
He turned to give her a confused look. "What else am I supposed to do?" Shikamaru asked.
"How about a little detail?!" she yelled at him. Her anger stemmed from worry.
"That's classified and you know that." He growled back.
The mood between them changed when Ino started to look upset. She released her bruising grip and let go from his arm. "I'll miss you....." her eyes looked away. Ino didn't like how she was acting. She felt vulnerable.
Shikamaru felt uncomfortable with her admission also. "You didn't seem to miss me when you ignored me for a whole month." He replied acridly. 'I am such a fool', he thought to himself, 'I really am an ass.'
True to his calculation, Ino was angry again. "Well fine! If you're going to be this way I'm NOT going to miss you! Leave for ten years for all I care! In fact, never come back if you want!" The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.
Shikamaru slouched his shoulders and grinned at her. He knew she didn't mean it. In fact, the extent of her anger proved how much she cared. "Look," he said. "It's really not as big of a deal as Chouji made it out to be. All I have to do in my mission is to act like a normal kid and meanwhile, keep an eye out for useful information that can be of use to our village. That's all. Not a big deal. Besides, I'm going with two jounin so its not like I'll be alone." He tried his best to comfort her.
Ino seemed to be suspicious as she regarded him with her crystalline blue eyes. Although she probably didn't believe him, she fulfilled her role and pretended that she did by nodding at him smilingly. "Bring me back something nice ok?" she told him.
"What's 'something nice'?" he asked. How was he supposed to know what girls liked.
"Just something nice!" she raised her voice.
"Hai hai I get it. Ke..mendokusee." He stuck his hands into his pocket and looked off to the side. "Well I gotta go now." He checked the time, "I told them I'd be back in a fifteen minutes and it's already been twenty."
Ino wrung her hands nervously. She wanted to do something to let him know that she cared about him and is worried for his safety but at the same time, she didn't want to come off sappy like the girlfriend of a departing soldier. "Um......don't get killed, lazy bum." She said.
"I don't plan to." He answered, knowing the message behind the simple line.
"Well....bye then..." Ino was reluctant.
"Yea, see ya." Shikamaru slung his bag over his shoulder.
And that was how they parted.
TBC (When I have time that is, whew)
Zurui: Cunning, sly
Mendokusee: troublesome