Jinchuriki of Water (Shikamaru Love Story)

Chapter 11: Coping

"Very good." He father nodded in satisfaction with her advanced answer. Melody sighed in relief. She couldn't remember when she had blacked out yesterday and Kaida took over, but the brat wouldn't tell Melody a thing about what she learned in training. "Now can you tell me about the correct way to clean equipment?" This continued for almost an hour with him asking Melody questions that takes the average child years to memorize:

"What is the function of a kunai?"

"What is the consequence of unauthorized leave of absence?"

"A ninja walks down the street and sees an old woman having a hard time carrying groceries. He goes to help her even though there is already a team of genin at her service. Why was he punished?"

"Knowing the codes are not always enough during battle because sometime we as human beings have to make a call that is not written down on a piece of paper. Give me an example."

Ibiki knew that he didn't ask Melody, Kaida, or Rin half of these questions yesterday or the day before. He asked them simply to test her logic and reasoning. Some of the questions didn't have a single correct answer, but several. He was putting her under pressure and it was killing her that she couldn't remember what he told her alternate egos and they weren't telling her what she wanted to know. In truth, Ibiki asked them not to for the sake of this unauthorized test.

By the end of it, Melody was exhausted from the mental exertion and strain on her vocabulary flexibility. Complex words like dexterity, oncogenic, materialize, and vitreous rarely left an eleven year-old's mouth in casual context, but she would go to almost any length to impress her father. If he would like her more because of her knowledge, she would read every book, learn every language, and form every seal to gain his love.

§§

Naruto was impatient. He wanted to see his best friend now. And the fact that he was hungry for ramen and she has never eaten it before only encouraged him to find her. His tummy growled as he inhaled the delicious scent.

'I can always eat now, and come back later with her to eat again....'

"YEAH! That's what I'll do! BELIEVE IT!" He yelled, oblivious to the people grimacing about his loud voice. He dashed into the shop and sat up on the stool.

"Hey Naruto! Long time no see!"

"Hey! How ya been? Can I have a miso ramen for here and another one to go please?"

"Wow! You're in a rush today!"

"Not really, I'm trying to find my friend, Yukari, so she can taste your awesome ramen! But I haven't found her yet.... So I'm going to keep looking until this ramen starts to get cold! If it does, then I'll eat it instead!" Naruto proclaimed his brilliant plan.

"That's a great idea Naruto." He smiled and placed the bowl in front of him as he made another to go.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed rubbing his belly."No problem, kiddo! Here's your change! I hope I can see your friend soon!"

"Yeah! I'll bring her back to meet you! Ja ne!" He ran out with the food in his hand, nearly falling over and breaking some one's neck in the process. With nowhere left to look in town, he decided to scale the training grounds. A while later, Naruto heard someone training. Naruto crept up to the bushes behind Yukari and Ibiki, who were too busy sparing to notice. The raman was starting to get cold and he had half a mind to eat it. However, there was Purple Eyes! He watched them in amazement.He would never admit it, but he started to look up to her in all of her entirety. He liked everything about her, including the fact that she trusted him with her secrets.... Because they were friends. <3

Naruto was interrupted from his daze when a kunai whizzed past his face and hit the tree behind him with a thud. A cut opened on his check after he realized what had just happened. He looked forward and saw his first and only friend panting, heaving for a breath, eyebrows furrowed, and her arm still in the follow through position. She blinked.

"Naruto...?" Her eyes widened in realization. "OH MY GOD! I'm so so so so so so sorry! I didn't realize... I was so caught up in the fight! I'm so so so sorry!" Melody ran to her friend. "You're hurt! I can fix it if you let me!"Naruto smiled at his new friend. "Don't worry about it Yukari-chan! I'm perfectly fine!"

"No you're not! Let me heal you!" she collected the moisture in the air and applied it to her hands. Melody cupped Naruto's face and the water started to glow green as his face turned red. A moment later, he was healed, and Melody smiled to herself and sighed in relief.

"There! All better!" (^.^)

"That feels much better! Believe it!" <(^.^)/

"What do you want kid?" Ibiki's transformation came out of hiding. He was super skinny, and had an afro and a mustache with 70's glasses and 70's attire, bell bottoms and vest included. It took everything in Melody to contain her laughter. Her dad looked ridiculous! Naruto on the other hand was laughing his head off. "BWAHAHAHAHA!!" he was rolling on the ground like LMFAO!

"Hey! Stop laughing at my sensei! His afro is very sensitive!" Melody bonked him on the head.

"OUCH! Hey! What was that for?!"

"For being a disrespectful baka! He is my sensei - !"

"And right now you're interrupting Kai- Yukari's training." Ibiki just barely caught himself. He had almost said, Kaida and he was cursing himself for being careless. Melody gave him a look that said 'You'd better not blow my cover, jerk...'

"Gomen! I just wanted to bring Yukari the best raman in all of Konoah!"

"Arigato Naruto-kun! I've never had raman before!"

"I know! That's why I brought it! Believe it!"

"Fine, we can take a break, but only because you were working hard." Ibiki's new tenner voice declared.

"Arigato, sensei!" said both of the children. He formed a guy pose and finished "Then you'll both have that much more energy to do 100 laps around the village!"

"WHHHHHAAAATTT????"

"What do you mean both?" Naruto screeched.

"That's not fair sensei!" Melody put her fists under her chin, shaking her head.

"No whining." He grunted.

"I don't wanna!" Melody pouted with her arms crossed away from him.

"Yukari..." He growled out in warning.

"What's your problem?! Leave us alone!" Kaida came out to defend Melody.

"*Sigh* You need to stop this before you do something reckless, kid." He told the personality.

"Who do you think you're calling kid, old man?" Kaida sneered, hands balled into little fists. Naruto laughed, not sensing the tension between them.

"Good one, Purple!" Naruto yelled.

"Get out of here kid, you've caused enough trouble for one day." Ibiki said to the orange blob of energy sternly.

"Don't mind if I do..." Kaida growled sarcastically. She grabbed Naruto by the upper arm and ran through the forest. Ibiki sighed pinching the bridge of his nose as the sound of Naruto's yells of protest as his head hit the ground faded into the distance.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Naruto shouted out of earshot of Ibiki.

"To Shikamaru's house." Kaida growled.

Hey thanks for your support guys! I need help for the next chapter though! I'm obviously going to incorporate shika-kun in the next chappy but what should happen? Should they just share a bowl of ramen? should they walk around town to buy Dango with Shika's allowance? Should Shikamaru be informed about the personalities? or do you guys want to know where her brothers are and what what they're doing? Let me know in the comments section below or message me privately! <3

Stay fabulous~! <3