The bell rang throughout the academy, signalling the beginning of lunch. The students all cheered before they got up from their seats and began to make their way towards their friends, ignoring their teacher who stood at the front of the class.
Iruka's eye twitched before he let out a long sigh. He grabbed a stack of papers from his desk before he began to make his way towards the exit. The brown-haired male opened the door and was about to take a step outside when he turned to look at his students. He eyed everyone in the classroom before his eyes stopped on a specific long-haired girl, who sat still in her seat, facing her lap.
A soft smile formed on his lips before the brunet walked out of the classroom. 'I hope she's doing alright, it's tough being the new kid.'
Meanwhile, (Y/N) stared at her lap for a couple of seconds before she glanced around the room. Naruto wasn't here, Sasuke was getting surrounded by girls and Hinata was sitting next to her.
(Y/N) looked back at her lap and took in a deep breath. She hoped it would calm her nerves down. She would just talk with Hinata, weren't they friends?
"Oi! (Y/N)" she heard Shikamaru call her.
Somehow, by the sound of his voice, all of her nerves disappeared. She looked up from her lap as she turned her head towards the direction of the voice. The weird feeling in her stomach slowly vanished as Shikamaru walked towards her, his hands in his pockets.
"You doing okay?" he asked in a casual tone, yet hidden behind his eyes held concern.
"I'm okay," she assured in a whisper.
Shikamaru nodded his head before he glanced around the room. He tilted his head towards the exit and asked, "Want to have lunch with my friend?"
(Y/N)'s eyes widened by a tiny bit. She slowly nodded her head.
Shikamaru's lips twitched upwards as he pulled his hand from his pocket. "Come on." He urged her to take his hand.
The long-haired girl stared at his hand for a couple of seconds before she reached out and gently gripped his hand.
———
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as he watched Shikamaru led (Y/N) out of the class. He bit his tongue once he saw they were holding hands. As soon as they left the classroom, he rolled his eyes and turned his head away, facing the window.
'I should've invited her for lunch," he thought to himself. He let out a 'hn' before he stood up from his seat, deciding to go eat lunch.
———
Shikamaru opened the door towards the roof and began to walk up the stairs, (Y/N) following behind him. Once they reached the roof, (Y/N) recognized the place. It was where he brought her when she was having a panic attack.
She looked around and saw a chubby boy, her age, eating a bag of chips. He sat on the bench under the shade. 'That must be Shika's friend.' She thought to herself.
Shikamaru gently pulled her towards the bench. As soon as they reached the bench, Shikamaru called out, "Yo Choji," in a nonchalant tone.
The boy looked up and spoke, his mouth full of chips, "Oh, hey Shikamaru."
Shikamaru turned his head behind him. He let out a chuckle when he realized (Y/N) was hiding behind him.
(Y/N) looked up to find Shikamaru smiling at her. She felt her lips twitch upwards as she continued to stare at his smile.
Shikamaru gestured his head to the side, encouraging her to let herself be seen. Hesitantly, (Y/N) nodded.
She took a step to the side, her hand gripping onto Shikamaru's hand. "Hi," she squeaked out.
Choji looked up from his bag of chips as soon as he heard the unfamiliar voice. He almost choked when he saw a cute girl staring at him.
"Hi," he replied back shyly. 'Shikamaru didn't tell me he was bringing a girl.'
"(Y/N), this is Choji. Choji, (Y/N)." After those words left his mouth, Shikamaru sat down, gently pulling (Y/N) with him.
Shikamaru sat in the middle with (Y/N) on his right. Shikamaru sighed as he laid his back on the bench as he stared at the sky.
Seconds passed and (Y/N)'s stomach grumbled. She blushed out of embarrassment. Although Kurenai did cook her a healthy breakfast, the long-haired girl didn't finish most of it. After she had gotten the news Asuma had left for a mission, she didn't have the appetite.
"Want one?" Choji asked as he handed her a new bag of chips. (Y/N) stared at the bag for a few seconds before she lifted her head to look Choji in the eyes. She let out a sound indicating she said 'yes'.
Choji blushed and handed her the bag. (Y/N) opened the bag and was about to take the first bite when a thought popped into her head.
Shikamaru groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked to his right as he felt someone poke his stomach. He found (Y/N) staring at him with a look of concern in her eyes. In her hand, she held a piece of Choji's chips.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
Shikamaru chuckled. He sat up and shook his head, denying her qudstion. He watched as (Y/N) shook her head before she urged, "Eat." The long-haired girl placed the chip in his hands before she waited for him to swallow the small piece of food.
Shikamaru sighed before he muttered lowly, "This is too troublesome." He finished the chip in one gulp before laying back down, getting ready to nap.
(Y/N) nodded her head in satisfaction before looking back at her bag of chips. She dug in the bag and took out one piece. She eyed the piece before taking a bite. Her eyes widened as the flavours melted in her mouth. She looked at Choji, who sat there, eating a new bag of chips.
"This is really good," she said in a surprising tone.
A small blush began to appear on the boy's cheeks, as well as a smile. The two began talking about the bags of chips, Choji adding in his favourite types. He then said, "One day, I'll buy you all the chips."
Realizing what he said, Choji blushed. "N-nevermind--"
"I look forward to that day," whispered (Y/N) as she looked down at her lap. A smile was spread across Choji's lips before he let out a sound of agreement.
The warning bell rang, signalling they had minutes to get to class. (Y/N) turned her head back to the door before she turned back to Choji.
"We should go," said Choji. (Y/N) let out a sound of approval.
She looked down at the napping boy next to her. She poked his rib as she whispered, "Shikamaru." The only response she got was a low groan. Unknowingly, a small pout began to appear on her lips. She poked his ribs once more before whispering, "Shikamaru, it's time to go to class."
Shikamaru groaned before he slowly rose from his position. His eyes were closed as he tilted his head backwards. "Troublesome girl," he muttered under his breath as he wiped his eyes.
"Let's get to class," said Choji as he took a step forward. (Y/N) let out a sound of approval before she grabbed Shikamaru's hand, catching the tired boy off guard. She then gently pulled him forward as she began walking next to Choji.
Shikamaru watched as (Name) conversed with Choji. Shikamaru chuckled as he intertwined their hands, "Indeed troublesome."
———
(Y/N) stood outside the academy as she waited for Asuma to pick her up. (Y/N) sighed as she bent down, wrapping her arms around her knees. She stared at the ground, her eyes glancing around before they stopped at a line of ants walking towards her.
Immediately, the girl let out a loud shriek. Startling herself, she fell back, her back hitting the ground. She had already backed away from the insects when she heard a voice tell her, "They won't hurt you."
She looked up to find a boy who's hair was covered by a hood, and most of his face was covered by his collar. He wore black glasses as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
(Y/N) watched as the stranger bent down. He stared at the insects as if they were having a mental conversation.
(Y/N) watched in awe as the insects began to leave in the opposite direction, away from her. She looked up at the stranger to find him already staring at her.
"You're amazing, you know?!" was what came out of her mouth. Shino blushed at the words from the girl. He didn't know what he did that made the female stare at him in awe.
"My name is (Y/N)," whispered the (h/c) haired girl, feeling shy.
"Shino."
Out of the corner of her eye, (Y/N) saw a familiar figure. She looked up to find Kurenai walking towards the academy. She looked at Kurenai before looking back at Shino.
(Name) grabbed Shino's arm—to his surprise— and began dragging him towards Kurenai. (Name) stopped once she was in front of her.
She looked up at Kurenai with an innocent face as she pointed at Shino, "friend."
Kurenai laughed. She looked at Shino who stared at her with an emotionless gaze. "Hello, nice to meet you."
"Nice you meet you, I'm sorry I must go home," was all he said before he began making his way home.
"Bye-bye Shino!" whispered (Y/N) as she watched him leave. Shino, however, heard her goodbye. He turned around, his cheeks reddened as he waved goodbye.
Kurenai smiled. She grabbed (Y/N)'s hand and said, "Come on, (Y/N)-chan. Let's go back home."
(Y/N) looked up at Kurenai and nodded before she began walking forward.
"Where's Asuma?" Kurenai bit her lip at the question before she looked down at the young girl. With a smile on her lips, she responded, "He'll be back soon." She quickly changed the subject, "Anyways, what do you think of doing a little shopping?"
——————
A/N: Alright everyone, the next chapter is coming out today in a few hours. Other than that, here are some fun facts to keep you company:
•(Name) sees a bit of Asuma in Shikamaru
•Notice how (Name) lips twitch forward. She never actually smiles. She hasn't smiled in a long time so now, she doesn't know-how. Throughout the whole book, she hasn't smiled once.
•Me, the author, squealed while writing this chapter. SHIKAMARU AND THE READER ARE SO CUTE!!
•I'm so excited for the chunin exams. I thought of a genius idea which will also be a huge plot twist.