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Shikaku liked to think of himself as a good father.
Shikamaru might be lazy and grumpy, but he was a great kid. Smart and sharp since childhood, a teammate and a loyal and protective friend. He complained about her like any pre-teen, but he cared for his mother with love and respect. He was one of his generational ninja prodigies, a good kid who didn't get into trouble and spent his free time playing shogi and watching the clouds. What would he, as a father, have to complain about?
Of course, sometimes Shikaku could worry a little, especially when his son's passive personality left him almost like a leaf being dragged through life not caring about anything else. Shikamaru was an easy teenager, but too easy sometimes. Shikaku watched the other boys, growing up, training, but also having fun, running away to drink, hanging out with friends, falling in love and flirting with girls, enjoying their youth as only boys that age could. Shikamaru... Seemed too disinterested for Shikaku not to be a little worried.
His son was growing up, but he couldn't see him getting excited about drinking on the sly with friends or hanging out with any girls (other than Ino, and that's because he was forced to be around her because they were teammates). Shikaku even thought that maybe Shikamaru wasn't interested in girls in general, but he wasn't into boys either. He showed no interest in anything other than being alone, playing shogi, sleeping, or looking at the clouds.
Of course, the Nara gene for laziness ran in the veins of every male in the clan, but even Shikaku, as a young man, had his big carefree, stupid adventures that only teenagers could have. He remembered being dragged by Inoichi and Chouza through the streets, stealing drinks from their parents' daggers, spending hours lying drunk and smiling in deserted training grounds with friends or Yoshino, when she decided to give him a chance after so many years of watching her in the distance, with his heart hammering in his throat.
Had the Nara genes spread through her son's body a little more forcefully than they normally would? Perhaps. But Shikaku knew that each child grew up in their own time, so in the end, he could only hope that Shikamaru wouldn't regret the ways he enjoyed his youth.
Yoshino shared his concerns, but unlike her, Shikaku was willing to let time do what time always did: make everything better. Back at the academy, for example, his wife was on the verge of having three different types of aneurysms because of Shikamaru's bad grades, but he managed to convince her to let their son grow up and learn on his own. Sometimes, the best way to educate children is to let them make their own mistakes.
It worked. Shikamaru grew, matured, became a great shinobi. And Shikaku knew that would happen because that's what made him a good father: he knew the boy he had. His son trusted him, shared his life and was welcomed with open arms in return. Inoichi always complained about how Ino was too independent since she became a teenager, not wanting to tell him anything like she used to, but Shikaku was lucky. Shikamaru shared everything with him and he was young, barely fourteen. There was still plenty of time for him to start acting like kids his own age, so despite his slight worries, Shikaku would enjoy every second.
So surely, because of that, the conversation he had that morning was a huge surprise.
It was rare that Shikaku was called on missions, being the Hokage's advisor and all. But Tsunade entrusted him with a diplomatic mission and he couldn't refuse, especially knowing that a woman as powerful as she trusted him to do it. She had been Hokage for less than a year, but she was doing a great job protecting the village. The least he could do was follow her commands, even though his back was too old to be wandering around on four-day trips across the country.
Shikaku walked through Konoha's gates with a smile on his lips, sighing slightly as he lifted his arms and stretched. His teammates exchanged similar smiles with him, happy to be finally home as they started to head towards the Hokage's tower. He, however, was interrupted when a laugh resounded from the pair of ninjas who always looked after the gates.
“You were unlucky, Shikaku,” Izumo said, with a mischievous smile. "If you had arrived a little earlier, you would have found your future daughter-in-law with your son."
His words entered Shikaku's mind, frowning his eyebrows. He looked around, as if to make sure he was really the one Izumo was talking to, before blinking and moving his fingers as if doing a mental math.
"Do I happen to have a second child that I'm not aware of?" he replied, drawing a loud laugh from the two ninjas.
“Don't tell me you don't know, Shikaku,” Kotetsu said. “Shikamaru was here a few minutes ago, looking for his girlfriend. They just left, just before you showed up.”
For such a smart man, he sure was completely blank-minded. Looking at them as if they spoke a language he didn't understand, Shikaku replied:
"My son?'. Izumo and Kotetsu nodded together. "Shikamaru, my son?"
Another wave.
"Was here?" Confirmation. “With a girl? A girlfriend?"
They were starting to stare at him as if Shikaku was the idiot in the conversation, as if he was the one who wasn't making any sense. He checked his pulse, checking the time.
"Early?". His eyebrows were deeply furrowed. "It's six in the morning."
Shikamaru would never wake up earlier than that of his own free will. Even if obliged, the entire village would be able to hear him complaining for miles.
“We were surprised when it started to happen,” Izumo commented, exchanging a conspiratorial smile with Kotetsu. “But he always comes, without fail. He even arrives a few minutes early and waits.”
Shikaku stared at them with his mouth half open, searching for words but not finding them. What? How? When? Where?
"If you run to the Hokage tower, maybe you'll find them" Izumo chuckled. Then Shikaku left, giving them one last lost look before leaving.
He walked the streets of Konoha with a confused expression on his face and his mind racing. His son with a girlfriend? That he needed it to visit the gate from time to time? That didn't make any sense. Yoshino would have told him something if she knew and Yoshino always knew everything. And what girl would this be? He would know if it was Ino and his son never talked much about any other girl. There was the little pink-haired ninja, who had recently become the Hokage student, and the daughter of the Hyuugas, who looked more uncomfortable in public than anyone he had ever seen, but just the thought struck him as odd. Besides, Shikamaru barely had the energy to live the life he had. Finding a girlfriend that made him wake up early and still find the energy to hide it from others...
Shikaku's feet stopped, stagnating near the stairs. A little way off, he saw his own son descending the steps, with his usual posture. Feet shuffling, hands in pockets, head thrown back as if he was tired of holding it up. And right behind...
“Oh”.
Shikaku had never spoken to her directly, but he knew who Sabaku no Temari was. She not only competed against Shikamaru in the chunnin exams, she also saved him in that failed mission where his son and companions nearly died. He saw her on these two occasions, impressed by her clear skills with the fan she carried on her back and by her apparently strategic mind. Even though she was caught by his shadows in the fight, the girl was able to dodge Shikamaru for quite a while, enough to leave him almost out of chakra. It was an amazing feat, both for him and for Asuma. Furthermore, she was the daughter of the late fourth Kazekage and sister of the boy who would soon assume the position when he turned sixteen. As an advisor to the Hokage, Shikaku needed to know of her existence.
And there she was, walking down the steps behind Shikamaru, her mouth moving as if she were talking nonstop. She lifted her arms, stretching them out, before smiling and walking quickly away, forcing Shikamaru to follow her, moaning so loud even Shikaku could hear.
That brought a smile to his lips. Now things made sense. When Tsunade asked him if there were any shinobi she could trust with a very important ambassador who was about to arrive, he quickly nominated his own son. The Hokage made a point of saying that it would need to be someone who was capable of being professional, beucase the ambassador was a young and attractive girl and therefore they didn't want anyone risking crossing any boundaries that could destroy an agreement between nations.
Who would be better than Shikamaru? He was smart, serious, professional, seemed as uninterested in women as possible, and he'd already known Temari from other times. He was the perfect candidate.
An amused laugh escaped his breath as he resumed walking. Izumo and Kotetsu were two gossips who must have been so bored at those gates that they were starting to create stories where none existed. Shikamaru was following orders, guiding the guest through the village until she felt ready to...
Shikaku's steps stopped abruptly again.
Wait a minute, he thought to himself. Shikamaru's task was to guide Temari until she felt familiar enough with the village to take her tours alone. And that was almost seven months ago.
Either the girl had a bad sense of direction (which he doubted because, to live in the desert, it was a latent need to know how to recognize your surroundings), or Shikamaru...
The expression on Shikaku's face turned suspicious and thoughtful. It was too early to be sure of anything, but he would keep an eye out.
The truth could be found in the details. And Shikaku recognized why he hadn't realized what was going on before. It was very subtle, very small changes and with a lot of time in between. If he hadn't been looking, he might have missed it.
It started with an absence that lasted one, at most two weeks. Shikamaru would spend mornings and afternoons outside, returning at dusk, saying nothing to anyone. When Yoshino asked, he just said it was work stuff. Training. A lunch with the team. Anything other than the actual guide work for which he was assigned. His son never even came close to touching Temari's name and it didn't go unnoticed by his father.
The Suna girl's stay didn't usually last long and she spent long months away. When she was back in the desert, Shikamaru was the Shikamaru Shikaku had known his entire life. He woke up late whenever he could, took long naps wherever he touched, spent most of his time playing shogi at home or with the deer in the clan forest.
But then, like a cycle that started again every three months, his son disappeared. He left barely touching his breakfast, shuffling his feet and sighing tiredly, only to return at night and spend the rest of the day more silent than Shikaku had ever seen him.
It wasn't right to meddle like that, but Shikaku couldn't help it. If this was more than just some kind of paternal paranoia, it meant Shikamaru was starting to act like a normal teenager his age. And it was so exciting that he couldn't just pretend he wasn't noticing anything.
When another six months passed and he saw Temari alone, seeming to know the streets and speak the language without any problem, but Shikamaru kept waking up early to accompany her, Shikaku thought that maybe Izumo and Kotetsu had more brains inside their heads than he thought.
The change became more and more noticeable over time. More energy from here, a dreamy look there. Shikaku tried not to make it obvious that he was noticing his teenage son's changes, but sometimes it was too hard not to nudge him just a little.
“You've been too distracted,” he said one day when they were playing shogi and Shikamaru seemed to have his mind elsewhere. "Are you all right?"
"Hm?" his son muttered, taking his eyes off the forest in the back, which he had stared at almost unblinking for nearly five minutes. “Uh... Of course. All right".
"Are you sure?" Shikaku continued, trying not to smile. "Nothing happened? Any problems with training?”
"No, nothing" Shikamaru replied, too quickly. He propped a cheek on one hand and seemed to have difficulty looking his father in the eye. "Why you ask?"
"Oh, nothing" Shikaku played dumb, even biting his lip to keep from laughing. "You seem distracted... Silent..."
A splash of pink covered Shikamaru's cheeks as he looked increasingly grumpy and nervous. Shikaku couldn't stand it, smiling at his fifteen-year-old son.
“Besides…” He indicated the shogi board with one hand. "It's your turn to play ten minutes ago."
Shikamaru's growl was as deep as the red that covered his face.
"Your son and the princess of Suna?!"
Inoichi and Chouza stare at him across the table with shocked and familiar expressions on their faces. Shikaku sighed, shaking his head and leaning his crossed arms on the barbecue table.
“That's what I think,” he confessed, seeing their jaw drop a little. "I've been suspecting for some time now."
"Shikamaru?" Inoichi insisted, as if that didn't make any sense. "The same Shikamaru who as a boy kept saying he would never get married or that he would marry the simplest woman he could find?"
“If the simplest woman he found was the princess of one of the oldest and toughest lands in existence, the future generation is lost,” Chouza joked. Shikaku snorted while Inoichi laughed.
“It feels completely out of character,” he admitted, scooping up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and eating it for a minute. “But with each visit, he becomes more and more different. He has his head in the clouds, he complains less and less, he spends the day outside, he barely sleeps... ”
"I'm starting to recognize a pattern." Inoichi smiled. “Remember when you started liking Yoshino? I could barely recognize you.”
“Masochism reigns in Clan Nara” Chouza continued the provocation. "I bet she has Yoshino's bad temper."
“My wife doesn't have a bad temper,” Shikaku defended her defensively. “She's just… Passionate.”
Chouza and Inoichi burst out laughing, making him snort and roll his eyes. Pointing the chopsticks at them menacingly, he squinted:
“Stop changing the subject,” he muttered. "I'm serious. The girl...". The restaurant door bell rang, drawing his attention. Shikaku's eyes widened. "Shit! She's right there!”.
The two turned so hard and quickly toward the door that Shikaku was surprised they hadn't broken their necks. Embarrassed, he covered his eyes with one hand and shrank back into his chair.
But even with the small commotion, Temari didn't seem to notice them at all. Like everyone else in the male population (mostly young) that seemed to interrupt their own lunch to watch her pass and walk confidently to the counter, where she placed her order. Shikaku was sure he saw more than one jaw dropping across the room.
"Well, she really looks really well set" Inoichi commented as they watched her. "She seems to speak the language very well."
"That's what I'm saying!" he exclaimed, surprising his friends by the incision in his voice. “The girl is an ambassador, for God's sake, and the daughter of a Kazekage. She must speak fifteen different languages and a person who lives in the desert knows how to walk around without getting lost. Still, my son, the one who once asked to shave his head because he was too lazy to comb his hair, still wake up with the sun just to walk with her up and down? For a year and a half?”
Izumo and Kotetsu were the greatest geniuses of that village, that was the truth. What was going on with Shikamaru and Temari was becoming more and more obvious with each of her visits.
"Yeah, I think you might be right, Shikaku" Chouza said, turning to him before grabbing a piece of meat with his chopsticks. A small laugh came out of him. "How funny. I hope your son knows he will have to face ten different political problems just to get close to marrying her.”
"To marry?" Shikaku's eyes widened. “I understand that Shikamaru doesn't put effort into anything he doesn't believe is important, so he probably likes her a lot, but do you really think that? Shikamaru isn't even sixteen.”
"You tell me" Chouza shrugged, eating. "The child is yours."
"She will stand out among the Nara like no one else," laughed Inoichi.
Shikaku sighed, taking a quick, respectful look at Temari. His friend was certainly right. The Nara genes gave them black hair and eyes, pale skin and lean, skinny bodies. Shikamaru couldn't have chosen a more different girlfriend to be with. She had sandy hair, extremely tanned skin from the sun, clear eyes and a full body. Plus, she wore clothes so short that his old clan advisers would have nightmares if they saw her.
“She's older too, if I'm not wrong” he commented. "I think she is eighteen or something."
Chouza choked on his food as Inoichi's jaw dropped.
“This story keeps geting better and better,” he said, laughing and shaking his head like he couldn't believe it. “God bless your child. He will need it.”
Shikaku sighed deeply, unable not to laugh right away. There was concern brewing in his chest as he analyzed the romance Shikamaru seemed to be living, but he resolved not to interfere. His son was a smart boy. If he decided that the love of his life was an elite ninja, belonging to a royal family, who lived three days away, in one of the most brutal villages in Wind Country... Then he should have known what he was getting himself into.
Finding out a little more about Temari wasn't interfering with Shikamaru's love life, no matter what Inoichi and Chouza said. Shikaku just thought it was important to get to know the girl that his friends claimed would definitely be his future daughter-in-law better. If it was up to Shikamaru, he knew Temari would only be introduced to them in a dramatic life and death situation, mostly because of Yoshino, who would untangle everything about her right there in the living room.
Going to get to know more about the girl was field study, a way to be able to help his son in the future (because he would need it). It wasn't meddling.
There was little and a lot that Shikaku was able to learn about her when he just opened his ears to pay more attention to Suna and her ambassador. There wasn't much in the personal area, which wasn't a surprise. The people of Suna were reserved, especially in the years when the fourth Kazekage was in power. That man had a bad reputation indeed, being known throughout the five nations as a steady-handed ruler who had no problem punishing his subordinates (and children) in ways he considered appropriate (no matter how violent).
Maybe that's why Shikaku was so curious to know more about the girl that has managed to get his son out of bed. Her father was a very hard man and Suna, despite having it's own personal beauty, was also a hard place to live. Her brother had a demon inside of him, placed by her father and who ended up killing her mother... How would that affect the mind of such a young girl?
All he could find were shinobi files and Tsunade's notes, but it was a start. The Hokage seemed to particularly like Temari, noting about her professionalism, respect and impressive skills with her fan. Shikaku trusted Tsunade, so knowing that the princess of Suna was approved of her brought a smile to his lips. Also, he found many files about her skills as a ninja and was very impressed.
Temari, despite not being able to pass the chunnin test with Shikamaru, had now been approved as a jonin. She scored extremely high and impressed the judges to the point of receiving written praise. The notes also said her wind skills were potent and rarely found in other ninjas, making her a benchmark in Suna and neighboring countries as the nation's biggest wind controller. In addition, he found more than one role talking about her intellectual abilities, naming her as a sharp-minded, quick-minded strategist, capable of finding answers to difficult questions and finding ways out under pressure.
That's what made him the happiest. Of course the shadows were important, but the power of the Nara clan was mainly in intellectual capacity. To get along and be a part of the family, she would have to be just as smart, if not more so. But Shikaku shouldn't be surprised. The girl was pretty and older, but Shikamaru sure as hell wouldn't spend so much time following her around if he wasn't able to have pep talks with her. Shikaku wondered if they played shogi together and if she ever beat Shikamaru.
He would have continued his search if he hadn't been caught in the act. As he went through the files, the door to the room opened and Shikaku found himself transfixed, like a deer caught in headlights.
Lucky for him, the other person looked just as nervous as he did. Asuma stared at him with his hand still on the doorknob, as surprised as he was. His eyes dropped to the folder in Shikaku's hands and he could see clear recognition on his face. Trying to look relaxed, he said:
"Are you looking for this file?"
Asuma looked strangely nervous.
"No!" he exclaimed, too quickly. "No, no, I just...".
He looked around, looking a little desperate, before grabbing a random file to the side.
“I came to get this one.” Asuma smiled, giving him a nervous wave. Shikaku reciprocated, still trying not to look like he was doing something he shouldn't. "That's all."
The two stared at each other for an uncomfortable second of silence. Asuma cleared his throat.
“Well, I will…”. He jerked his thumb back. "I'm leaving."
"Okay" Shikaku nodded, straightening his back. The two looked at each other a moment longer.
"Okay" Asuma repeated, then left, so hastily that he had to turn back, embarrassed, to close the door.
When he was gone, Shikaku let out a long breath, putting Temari's file away. He had to force himself not to come back after that.
Shortly after Shikamaru turned sixteen, Shikaku caught him trying to leave the house with the shogi board in his hands. He could have let it go by continuing to drink tea and read his papers at the dinner table, but it was late at night and his son seemed to be trying his best to go unnoticed, so he couldn't not tease him a little.
"Where are you taking this?" Shikaku asked, his voice echoing through the room and making Shikamaru stop walking, almost at the door. "Are you going to play with someone?"
It was an ambush question and his son knew it. Sighing as his shoulders slumped, he turned, clearly looking like he was trying to look innocent.
"Yes" Shikamaru said, looking him in the eye but quickly looking away. “I'm just…going out with a friend. To teach shogi.”
Shikaku tried not to smile too much.
"Ino and Choji finally got interested in learning to play?" he asked, playing dumb. Shikamaru visibly squirmed.
“No,” he said, leaning toward the door. "It's another friend."
"Oh" Shikaku exclaimed, looking at the papers for a second before turning back to his son. "Anyone we know?"
When Shikamaru looked away once more, his cheeks were clearly redder.
"No…" he muttered, before sighing deeply and shifting his body as if he was uncomfortable. “It's just someone I know. Who wants to learn shogi and I offered to help.”
He offered himself to do something. The boy was lost.
"Hm" Shikaku hummed, looking at the papers again as if he didn't pay much attention to the conversation. "This late at night?".
Shikamaru's neck followed the red color of his cheeks. Shikaku smiled, thinking he had tortured him enough.
"Well, don't be late, your mother won't like it" he waved him off. "And try to invite this... Friend of yours, to come to dinner."
Shikamaru got out as fast as his legs would allow, but not before Shikaku heard him mutter:
“With both of them, I would be doomed...”.
When he gets back to the house, it's almost one in the morning. But Shikaku didn't said anything, pretending to be asleep as he smiled beside his sleeping wife.
"You're not sleeping well."
Yoshino's warm hands caress his cheeks, bringing him a kind of peace that seems increasingly rare these days.
“I'm fine, honey” he tries to soothe her, despite knowing his wife can see right through him. She always could. "Just tired. I've been feeling..."
"Old-time sensations" Yoshino completed, looking just as tired as he did. “I feel it too. I have a bad feeling.”
Shikaku nods, knowing that pretending to be misunderstood won't help anyone. Yoshino is a tough woman, she always had been. It was nice to have her by his side, to share everything, including the horrible instincts that the peace they've lived in for the past few years is about to break.
“Come, have your coffee,” he murmurs, holding her hand. "Let's enjoy breakfast together."
She sighs but gives him the little smile he loves. The one that makes his heart pound so hard that a sharp pang spreads across his chest.
“I have to wake up Shikamaru first,” Yoshino says, a bowl of rice in one hand. “He must be in deep-“.
A kiss was planted on her cheek, surprising them both. Shikamaru appeared, moving faster than his parents had ever seen him, before grabbing some rice that Yoshino was holding and popping into his mouth.
“I have to go,” he said, leaving the kitchen while he was still chewing. "I have a thing."
The front door opened and closed, and the entire house was filled with shocked silence. Yoshino's jaw was dropped and she blinked slowly in shock, staring at the spot where her son had disappeared.
"How...?" she stammered, turning to Shikaku with wide eyes. "Did you see...?".
Shikaku tried not to laugh. He'd be as shocked as she was if he didn't know exactly what was going on. If he wasn't wrong, today was the day Temari would return from Suna for the first time after the attack on the Kazekage. No wonder Shikamaru was eager to see how she was doing.
In response, he just shrugged and tried not to smile too much behind his coffee.
In his defense, Shikaku wasn't trying to stalk his son and the girl he liked. He was an elite shinobi, after all, the Hokage's advisor, his clan leader. He had things to do, lots of things actually.
It wasn't his fault the village was so damn small.
Over the years, even unintentionally, it was impossible not to see Shikamaru and Temari hanging around once in a while. And Shikaku's curiosity got the better of him, convincing him that just a peek, just to make sure everything was okay, wouldn't hurt anyone.
She used to be taller than his son in the beginning. An older girl, more laid-back, clearly the daughter of royalty: straight back, shoulders back, chin lifted in elegance, steps that knew exactly where they were going. Shikamaru walked beside her as he always walked around: shuffling steps, head drooping, hands in pockets and tired shoulders. But Shikaku could see that his son's eyes were always going back and forth to the corners, watching his company for long seconds until she turned to him and Shikamaru quickly looked straight ahead, as if he wasn't paying attention.
When he grew up, he began to overtake Temari in height, at first by a few centimeters, then by a considerable distance. The growth spurt also gave him a more manly and less boyish stance, but Shikaku would bet any money he had that his son's biggest transformations came more from the blonde kunoichi walking beside him than thanks to puberty.
Less shuffling steps, following the quick way she walked. Shoulders raised higher, as if he wanted to emphasize his height. The straight neck, the raised chin, giving him a more adult appearance, especially when she was looking.
The most fun part was the hands. Always in the pockets, but now with one difference that made Shikaku laugh outright: if Temari was on the right, Shikamaru's right hand would be out of his pocket. If she was on the left, his left hand was out of his pocket. As if he unconsciously wanted to run the risk of grazing her as they walked.
Sometimes Shikaku saw them just walking, Temari talking and pointing around, while Shikamaru made some comments here and there. Sometimes he saw them in stores, looking at objects together, commenting on prices, Shikamaru even taking her bags with just a lazy grunt. And also having lunch, his son laughing openly at something she had said or just looking at her across the table as if not looking at her was suddenly physically difficult. More than once he pretended not to see Shikamaru slip away in the middle of the night with a shogi board in hand.
It's good to see him grow up, Shikaku thinks to himself as he walks through the empty village and watches the sun rise. He stayed up late working and would probably hear a few good ones from Yoshino. With the tough times ahead, it's good to know he has good things to cling to and fight for.
Quick steps caught his attention, echoing through the silence of a still-sleeping village. Shikaku turned around, frowning slightly as he tried to imagine who would be running through the streets at this time of morning.
The last person he expected to see was his son.
Overcome with curiosity, Shikaku followed him far away, just to know where he was going. Shikamaru didn't even notice him, running through the streets like he was terribly late, almost slipping on their own.
And then, after running for four entire streets, he stopped abruptly.
Shikaku watched him around the corner, resting his hands on his knees and breathing deeply, trying to catch his breath. Then Shikamaru straightened his spine, sighed deeply and ran his hands through his hair to straighten it, then walked with his hands in his pockets.
As if he hadn't walked through Konoha like he was going to save his own life, his son leaned against a wall and just stood there, looking falsely bored. A minute later, the door to the inn ahead opened and Temari walked out.
Shikaku had to use all his strength not to laugh around out loud as he watched them. She turned her face, as if she was looking for someone, and when she met Shikamaru's eyes, a small, happy tilt came to her lips. Saying nothing, Temari started walking, casting a look over her shoulder that quickly had Shikamaru ungluing himself from the wall and following without a second thought.
It was a short walk, four or five streets at most to the village gates. But it was all there as they exchanged a few words softly: spine erect, hand loose as if he wanted to touch her, even a random movement in his feet that made his body move closer to hers, not touching her by millimeters.
They stopped when they reached their destination, talking some more, this time with the bodies nearby. Temari said something with a smile and Shikamaru rolled his eyes, as if she was teasing him. It made her laugh and poke him in the ribs. And he, despite complaining to her, was looking like he wanted to control a smile.
From their place of lookout, Izumo and Kotetsu were failing to try to pretend they weren't watching them.
Temari was gone then, not stopping pacing but casting him one last soft smile over her shoulder. Shikamaru just stood there, watching her leave until she disappeared over the horizon.
Shikaku waited longer than usual to return home, wanting his son to arrive first. When he finally appeared, Yoshino greeted him with an annoyed look, pushing him in the chest.
"Do you know what time it is?" she retaliated. "You know how much I hate it when you-"
He kissed her on the mouth, pulling her closer. Yoshino sighed, surprised for a second before melting against him, hands now gentle on his chest.
"What got into you?" she said, separating them. Shikaku shrugged, unable to stop smiling.
“Nothing, I'm just happy” he said. Yoshino squinted her eyes.
“You're hiding something,” she accused him. Shikaku chuckled, resting his hand on the side of her neck and looking at her fondly.
“I love you,” he said. "And I love our son."
She frowned deeply at him, trying to understand him.
"What's going on, Shikaku?" she insisted. "Why are you so romantic all of a sudden?"
He shrugged, pulling away to get a few hours of sleep.
"Nothing," he lied, smiling at her before heading up the stairs. "I'm just a little weak when it's about love."