Chapter One
Advoiding
(Shikamaru's mask look like ---> but a zipper where the mouth is!)
Shikamaru lazily looked up at the sky watching the white fluffy clouds pass by, making him sight quietly to himself. The clouds were lucky, they were always free; free of everything, feelings, talking, explaining, hell they didn't even need friends.
How troublesome it is to be human, he thought pulling himself into a sitting position as he dug in his pocket, and looked around; he found it was safe to have one.
Pulling one out he stuck it in his mouth and lit it, taking a deep drag. The burning that went down his throat made his muscles relax. Falling on to his back again he let the smoke out, watching it dissipate into the air.
He knew smoking was a bad habit but sometimes someone starts it because another person does it. Shikamaru groaned and shook his head, that thought didn't even make sense to him and he was the one that thought it.
Bring up the burning stick of death to his mouth, he took another deep drag. Shikamaru had become assumed to the burning in his throat, even to the point he could say he liked it. Yet he couldn't say he had a good reason to ever start this bad habit, his mom would kill him if she found out. So you would think he would quit while he was ahead and yet he didn't, maybe he was a masochist.
How else could he explain loving some who was in love someone else? That said someone else was one, a woman, so she had Shikamaru beat there, second she was his age, and Shikamaru was only 15 which would make this person 30, 15 years older than Shikamaru himself. Not only that this said person was his Sensei and somehow or another Shikamaru had developed feels for him and this annoyed him to no end.
Shaking his head, he once again pulled himself up, his arm automatically bring the cigarette towards his mouth so he could take a drag. Shikamaru closed his eyes enjoying the burn in his throat before he let it out.
"You know smoking is a bad habit." A deep voice said behind Shikamaru making him tense up.
'What a drag.' Shikamaru thought.
Shikamaru sighed and took another drag not bothering to turn around "Says the one that's been smoking for ten years or more."
Asuma gave a small laugh and sat down by his old student. It didnt get past Asuma that Shikamaru had tense up when he made his presences known. It concerned Asuma that Shikamaru wasn't as relaxed has he usually is around him, now that he thought about it, he would say that Shikamaru had been avoiding him. But why, he hadn't done anything wrong...at least not that he knows of.
"When did you start?" Asuma asked taking out one of his own cigarettes and lighting it.
Shikamaru cocked his head thinking about it "Two weeks before Naruto left to find the fifth Hokage."
Asuma chocked on the smoke he was blowing out, Shikamaru lazily smirked at his sensei "What you're surprised?"
"You were only a Genin! Also only twelve, why in the world would you even start?" Asuma asked looking at Shikamaru disapprovingly.
Shikamaru laughed and shook his head as he got up stomping his cigarette "Why would anyone ever start?" With that he turned to leave.
Asuma watched Shikamaru turn around to leave, as he remembered what he came to ask him "Hey Shikamaru, Choji Ino and I were going to go to BBQ, wanna come?"
Shikamaru stopped, did he really want to sit through a couple hours of seeing the one he was in love with and not being able to touch him? No, he thought. He was done being a masochist, no need to smash what was left of his heart.
"No thanks, I got stuff to do." Shikamaru replied waving his hand in dismissal.
Asuma looked after Shikamaru surprised, he has never passed up going out to BBQ. Asuma sighed and took another drag of his cigarette, he owed Ino now. She had told Asuma that he shouldn't waste his time but he never thought she would be right.
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"So where's Shikamaru?" Ino asked as Asuma sat down by Choji. Even though she knew the answer, she just wanted to see what Asuma said.
"He said he had thing to do. Since when does he ever do anything?" Asuma asked shaking his head.
Ino gave a small sad smile, she knew exactly why Shikamaru hadn't come. It looked like he finally got tired of teasing himself. It was almost poetic, in a dark and demented way, but still poetic.
Ino had figured it out two weeks after Shikamaru had become a Chūnin, she had caught him smoking and she had asked him if he started because their sensei smoked. She had watched him slide his hand down his face muttering out something that sounded like "Such a drag." Which had told her right there that he had in fact started because of Asuma Sensei.
But she never knew why until a few months after when he had come over and kissed her, shocking her beyond belief. He then pulled back, sighing and apologized, she remembers asking him what the hell was going on. His reply was "Why can't I just like girls? It would make my life easier. God this is such a drag." He had slumped agents her house looking down at the ground.
Ino was shocked that he kissed her but she couldn't say she was surprised, that Shikamaru was gay. "Come in and we can talk. Come on, up you go." Ino told him helping him up to his feet. She had taken him to her room and shut the door "OK Shikamaru what's going on?" She asked as she got out her Shogi and set it in front of him. She knew he like this game, she was so bad at it but she didn't think it mattered at that time.
Shikamaru groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "I have a crush on Asuma Sensei." He told her making Ino freeze.
"You what?" She asked calmly not believing what she just heard.
Shikamaru looked up into her eyes glaring at her a little "I said, that I have a crush on Asuma Sensei and I don't have a fucking clue what to do about it." He snapped at her. Making Ino cock her head, she can't remember when she ever saw Shikamaru lose his cool.
"I'm sorry...I have no clue how to help you out here." Ino said giving him a sympathetic look.
"I know, let's just play. Hopefully I'll get over it." Shikamaru dismissed. And that's what they did all night, not one of them bring it back up.
"Don't worry Asuma Sensei, Shikamaru has his days where he just wants to be alone." Choji said intently looking at the cooking food. Not really worried about Shikamaru.
Ino smiled "Yeah I'm sure he'll be back to eating with us soon." Even as she said it she knew it was a lie.
Asuma sighed at Ino's lie but didn't call her out on it. Why did he feel something was going on with Shikamaru and Ino was trying to cover for him? What the hell were those two hiding?
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Shikamaru looked out into the pond watching the fish swim, it had been three weeks since Asuma found him smoking. He figured Asuma had figured out that he was trying to avoid him. Although Shikamaru wasn't really trying to be nonchalant about it, every time Asuma came up to him, it didn't matter if he was with Ino, or Choji, or someone else; Shikamaru would tell them he had to go and walked the other way.
He even went as far as asking the Hokage not to give him missions with Asuma, which had confused her but she complied and didn't ask questions. Which Shikamaru was grateful for, it was nice not having someone pry into his business.
Shikamaru just wanted to be normal and not be in love with his sensei, but Kami didn't seem to want to go his way.
Shikamaru snapped his head towards the door when he felt a familiar charka signature, making him sigh. So he was going to try and corner him?
"Such a fucking drag." Shikamaru sighed running his hand down his face. Knowing that his parents where home and they would probably stall him, Shikamaru jumped up and over the wall that separate the forest and his back yard. Landing quietly he made sure to conceal his chakra, as he lazily made his way through the forest; lighting up a cigarette as he went.
'Never peg myself this much of a coward.' Shikamaru thought as he made his way over to the river. Taking one last drag of his cigarette, he put it out. Striping his shirt, pants and taking his hair out he jumped into the cool river, hoping that no one would find him for a few hours.
*At Shikamaru's house*
Shikaku watched as his son jumped over the wall and walked off into the forest. His eyes narrowed when he felt his sons charka disappeared. Now why would he hide his chakra?
"Shikaku! Asuma is here for Shikamaru, do you know where he is?" Yoshino asked from the front room.
Shikaku walked into the front room "I believe you just missed him, Asuma and unfortunately I don't know where he went."
Asuma sighed and rubbed his temples "Damnit, that boy has been hard to find in the past three weeks."
"He can be when he doesn't want to be found. Now what made him not want to be found?" Shikaku asked eyeing Asuma concerned.
Asuma gave a short laugh "I don't know, like I said, I haven't talked to him in three weeks."
Shikaku looked as Asuma surprised "Really? How interesting, I'm assuming you don't know why?"
Asuma shook his head "No...But Ino might."
"Well then let's go ask her." Shikaku said as he put his shoes on.
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Ino opened her door only to have her eyes go wide, she was wondering when they would come to integrate her.
"Asuma Sensei, Shikaku what a lovely surprise. What can I do for you?"
"Let's take a walk Ino." Shikaku said.
Ino nodded "Mom I'm going out, I'll be back!" She yelled putting her shoes on.
It was awkward...or maybe it was just her. "So what did you guys need?" She asked trying to keep her voice steady.
"What's going on with Shikamaru?" Shikaku asked getting straight to the point.
Ino sighed heavily "I was hoping you wouldn't ask me that."
She knew Shikamaru trusted her to keep her mouth shut and she was hoping to Kami that they wouldn't ask her why Shikamaru was acting weird.
"Oh so you do know what's going on?" Asuma asked taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
Ino rolled her eyes "Of course I know, but I'm not telling you two."
Shikaku raised his eye brow "Oh and why not?"
"Because Shikamaru trusted me enough to tell me and I'm not going agents that trust. If you guys want to know, ask him."
Asuma groaned "That what I've been trying to do for the last three weeks. He's avoiding me, did I do something wrong?"
Ino sighed and shook her head "No Asuma Sensei, it has nothing to do with anything you did. Other than that I can't tell you anything else."
Asuma sighed so if it wasn't something he did then what the hell was it? "You wouldn't happened to know where he is, do you."
"Yeah I do, if he left when he felt your chakra then he would be at the river behind his house, just jump over the back wall and follow the dirt path." Ino explained hoping that Shikamaru wouldn't be mad at her.
Shikaku nodded and got an idea, "You go find him Asuma, and I need to go talk to the Hokage."
Asuma was confused but nodded "Thanks Ino."
"Yeah no problem." Ino replied as she watched the two adults leave. Turing around she headed towards the forest, hopefully she got there before Asuma.
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Shikamaru laid out on the grass that was by the river, he was drying off. Gabbing his pants he fished through his pocket, pulling out his cigarettes. Lighting one up, he laid back down and looked up at the clouds. He's been out here for about an hour, maybe Asuma had finally left, but he didn't want to take the chance that he was still there. Sitting up Shikamaru ran his hand through his loose hair, he need a haircut; it was past his shoulders now.
Asuma sat quietly on the branch above the river watching Shikamaru light up a cigarette. He watched him pull his hand through his hair that was down and went a little past his shoulders, making Shikamaru grimace at it. Asuma chuckled quietly he went to jump down when he saw Ino making her way to Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru!" She yelled making the boy look up at her confused.
"Hey Ino, what are you doing here?" He asked bored.
Ino stopped running when she got a few feet from him, she took a deep breath looking around, "Good, I was hoping to get here before Asuma Sensei."
Asuma watched Shikamaru's eyes go wide "What do you mean 'before he got here?' he shouldn't even know about this place Ino."
"I know, but I had to tell him! Your father and Asuma Sensei came knocking on my door asking me what was wrong with you and I told them. I wasn't going to tell them anything about your feelings, but I had to give up something Shika."
Asuma watched annoyance go acrossed Shikamaru "Damnit Ino. I wish you gave up anything else other than this place. It's my only escape that I have, that no one knows about."
Ino sighed and sat down by him "I know I'm sorry. You know, you can't keep running from him forever."
Shikamaru groaned "This is such a drag, and you don't think I know that?"
"Besides he thinks he did something wrong to make you mad at him." Ino said quietly, looking around the clearing, but not seeing anything.
Shikamaru gave an unamused laugh and took a drag "No totally the opposite." He groaned and put his head in his hands "Why does he have to be so tantalizing? I feel like myself control is being tested. It's like Kami gets a kick out of put the forbidden fruit in front of me and then giving it to someone else."
"I'm sorry Shika maybe you should tell him how you feel? Other then that I don't know...I don't really look at him that way..." Ino trailed off feeling out of place and awkward.
Shikamaru laughed and shook his head looking up at her, blowing out smoke "That was a rhetorical question, you didn't have to answer it. And no, no way in hell am I telling Asuma Sensei that I love him...in a way a student shouldn't. Besides it wouldn't work he's with Kurenai, if you haven't noticed I'm male."
Ino gave a laugh and shook her head "You sound like a girl Shika. Besides you never know if you never try. Anyway we need to get going if we don't want to run into Asuma Sensei."
"Yeah probably. Thank you for letting me know."
Ino nodded and left, leaving Shikamaru to get dressed and to walk back to his house.
Asuma watched Shikamaru's retreating form with wide eyes, his brain was still trying to process what Shikamaru had just said...in love with him? Was that why Shikamaru was advoiding him because his feelings were getting to out of control? Asuma sat down in the tree, so it wasn't something he did but him, himself that was bothering Shikamaru; and Shikamaru wanted to keep his distance because Asuma was with Kurenai? Now where in the world did they get that from? Sure Asuma and Kurenai hung out but they weren't together...wait was he actually considering of returning Shikamaru's feelings? For Kami's sakes Shikamaru was only 15, there was no way that anything thing could happen between him and Shikamaru. So why was Asuma even considering it?
Asuma sighed he was even more confused than he was before, but this time it was for a different reason. Asuma looked up as an Anbu landed by him "The Hokage would like to see you."
Asuma nodded "Thank you." He didn't have time to dwell on Shikamaru right now that would have to wait until later.
*Hokage's Office 30 min before*
Shikaku knocked on the Hokage's door "Come in."
He walked into see her looking over some papers with hooded eyes. "Lady Hokage I have a request."
The Hokage looked up at him with her eye brow raised "Oh and what would that be?"
"The next mission that will take 6 months to a year I want you to send Asuma and Shikamaru." Shikaku said getting straight to the point, he had a feeling that his son was running away from something and it was time that he man up and do something about it.
Hokage looked at Shikaku surprised "So you noticed him advoiding Asuma as well?"
Shikaku cocked his head "Did he say something to you about it?"
The Hokage shook her head "No but he did ask me not to pare him with Asuma for missions."
Shikaku shook his head "I don't know what's going on with him."
"Well I can do it, I actually just got one, why don't you look it over? Unfortunately it's S-rank so I'll have to make Shikamaru Anbu. Also his and Asuma's skill set should do well for this particular mission." The Hokage said handing him the paper.
Shikaku read over the paper and smirked to himself "That will do perfectly, just don't tell them who they will be working with, and from the way Shikamaru been acting I think he would be relieved to be away from the Village."
Hokage smirked "Of course not, because then Shikamaru wouldn't take it. And I had a feeling he would."
Shikaku laughed and shook his head "Thank you. I will see you later Lady Hokage."
Lady Hokage nodded as she watched him leave her office, smirking to herself "Tenzo!"
In a poof of white smoke there stud in front of her was an Anbu with a cat like mask "I need you to go get Asuma Sarutobi, then wait 30mins and the grab me Shikamaru Nara. Got that?"
Tenzo bowed "Yes ma'am." With that he poofed out of her office, leaving the Hokage smirking at herself.
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Shikamaru jumped when an Anbu appeared in front of him, "The Hokage wants to see you." Was all he said, before he was gone as fast as he came, Shikamaru groaned and got up. Great another mission... no wait, this actually might be just what he needs; to get out of this village for a few. Hopefully it was a long one.
"Where you going?" Shikaku asked as he watched his son put his shoes on.
"Hokage wants to see me, hopefully she has a mission for me. I need to get out of the village for a few." Shikamaru commented
His dad smiled at him "Oh well have fun and be safe."
"Thanks." With that he was out the door.
Shikamaru was feeling oddly excited by the time be got to the Hokage tower, walking up to her door he knocked "Enter."
He walked in and gave a lazy smile "You called?"
Hokage was taken back by the lazy smile on his face, he never came into her office in that type of mood. "Um...yeah I did. I have a mission for you, if you want it. Here."
Shikamaru took the paper and read it, oh this...actually sounded like fun, but it was for a whole year and he only had to deal with one other person? Yeah he could use that time to get over Asuma. "Wait this is an S-rank mission though...I'm not an Anbu Black Ops"
"Yes well everyone else are on missions and this came in earlier today, unfortunately they want it to start right away. I know your skills will work for this mission Shikamaru and you're more then qualified; that's why I asked, so if you take this mission I'll promote you to Anbu level."
Did he really want more responsibility or be taunted by Asuma? That was an easy answer. "I'll take it, when do I leave?" he asked looking up at the Hokage who had surprise written over her face.
Never had she ever seen Shikamaru looked so relieved, it was like he was trying to hide some type of emotions and the only emotion that is draining to hide would be love. If that was the case then this mission would be very interesting. Especially if his feelings concerned a certain someone named Asuma Sarutobi, now she hadn't seen that one coming.
After getting herself under control she gave him a smile "As soon as you get your Anbu gear. Tenzo!"
"Yes Hokage?" An Anbu asked appearing in the room.
"Oh also your name you will go by is Shadow. Got that Shikamaru?" She asked.
Shikamaru nodded his head, she smiled at him "Good. Tenzo take Shikamaru here to get his Anbu mask and gear, he will need it for the mission he is going on."
"Of course Ma'am, come on Shikamaru."
Shikamaru hid his new mask in his pack, it was cool looking it looked like half of it was in shadows and the other half wasn't, it had ears and a zipper in the mouth to where he could smoke. He felt like it suited him well. He walked through his door, stopping to take off his shoes, he need to get dressed in his new gear and then pack the things he would need for the next year.
"So what's going on?" his dad asked him as he walked passed the front room
"Got promoted, leaving on a mission for a year."
Shikaku raised his eye brow, acting suprised "Promoted?"
"Follow me dad." Shikamaru sighed.
They made their way up to his room after making sure the door was closed he pulled out his mask and handed it to his dad.
"I'm an Anbu now."
"Good job, just be careful ok?" Shikaku asked handing him back his mask.
"Of course I'll try." his dad nodded and left him to get ready. Shikamaru looked at himself in the mirror, deciding that his mask would fit better if his hair was in a half ponytail. Letting it down he grabbed one of his kunai and cut into to where it was just barely brushing his shoulders. Striping on his gear and mask he looked back at the mirror, nodded to himself.
"Time to get going." He said to himself, feeling relieved about being able to leave the village.
*Front gate*
Asuma grimaced it felt weird having to ware his Anbu gear again. He looked up to find another Anbu walking towards him, he had on the full gear. His brown hair was cut to where it just brushed his shoulders, and it was up in a half ponytail. His mask was interesting half his mask looked like it was in the shadows, with a zipper in the mouth, it reminded him of Shikamaru.
"You're the newbie I'm taking on this mission?" Asuma asked his voice deeper because of his mask.
"So it would seem." Came the snarky reply, from the younger Anbu, who crossed his arms over his chest. He was curious was this Anbu someone he knew? Also he liked how his mask, distorted his voice.
Asuma rolled his eyes "What's your name kid?"
"Shadow, yours?" Shikamaru asked.
"Wind. Shall we go?" Asuma asked.
Wind? Shikamaru chuckled mentally, reminded him of Asuma, man he sounded like a love sick girl, hopefully this mission will help him forget. The young Anbu nodded "Lead the way." With that they where off into the trees not making a sound.
Hey so this was a random idea lol hope you like it!