The Way Things Are

The next part of their first day together. ^_^ I hope you'll like it!

REVIEW REPLIES

Tyra: Thank you so much! I'm sure Neji will eventually thank her, if he gets the chance. XD lol

AngelicChaos: ^_^ I'm glad you like the way I'm portraying Shikamaru. Yoshino's comment was rude, but she has her reasons. I fear you're not going to like her for a little while. :X Yes, poor Lee, having to deal with all of those little kids. What's an energetic, young man still in the springtime of his youth to do? XD lol

Syake: I don't think I could handle a class full of kids either. Lee's just something else though. hee hee I love it when Neji smiles too. ^_^ I'm falling in love with my own story...geez, I'm conceited...

PossessedMuse: You're very welcome. ^_^ I like to type things quickly. Everyone seems to love the fact that Shikamaru jumped in to defend Neji against his mom apparently. I hope this chapter satisfies your curiosity for a little while.

Lady Laran: No, No, Hinata didn't run off with Naruto. You'll find out eventually who she ran away with. I promise. :D (And Naruto's not with Sakura either. XD)

pen_name: I wish it really worked like that. Typing ten times faster would be awesome! I could just see my fingers flying. XD It's about time Neji thought a little more positively, right? Shikamaru having something to do with Hinata running away? ...It could happen. *cough* hahaha

*******************************************************************************

Chapter 3

Shikamaru stretched his muscles as Neji started to clean up the board. “I don’t think you really tried your hardest, but I will say you’re very good.”

“Thank you,” Neji smirked, closing the drawer and tightening the clasp carefully. He slowly got off of his bed and placed the board back into his closet before he quietly shut the doors. “Are you hungry?”

Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach beat him to it, gurgling loudly. He smirked, snickering lightly.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Neji smiled. “Why don’t we head to the kitchens and I’ll have the cook make us something?”

“Actually, why don’t you come with me to my house, I’ll make lunch, and then we’ll go sit on a hill to eat it?” Shikamaru said, staring lazily at the other.

Neji raised an eyebrow. “And then watch the clouds until sunset?”

Shikamaru grinned. “If you want.”

Neji gave a soft snort. “It seems that you’re going to do that no matter what we do.”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Maybe I am. So, what do you say?”

Neji thought on it for awhile before he slowly nodded his head. “Alright.”

A grin covered the Nara’s face as he got off of the bed. “I’d love to walk, but seeing as my stomach won’t stop making noises, why don’t we jutsu over?”

Neji nodded in response. “Where should I meet you?”

Shikamaru smirked before he made his way over to the white-eyed nin. Neji watched him carefully, still waiting for a response. Neji stiffened when he felt Shikamaru rest his hands gently on his shoulders, but allowed the Nara to turn him around. He almost jumped when he felt the other’s arms wrap around his waist, making a seal as his hands clasped together.

“What do you thi-“he started to hiss, only to freeze when he felt the other’s warm breath against the side of his face.

“Hang on,” Shikamaru said quietly, smirking, his hot breath sending shivers down Neji’s spine.

Neji’s hands moved up to wrap loosely around the Nara’s forearms on their own accord. His brain had stopped functioning. Shikamaru made the necessary seals before Neji found the world shifting from his bedroom to the Nara’s kitchen. He remained motionless as the other pulled away, his hands dropping to his side as his eyes continued to stare straight forward. It was only when Shikamaru started to snicker that he snapped out of his daze.

“You did that on purpose,” he accused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I couldn’t help it,” Shikamaru grinned, walking over the sink to clean his hands. “Seeing you flustered amuses me.”

“Hn,” Neji replied, frowning slightly.

Shikamaru continued to grin as he dried off his hands. “Anything particular that you’d like?”

Neji shook his head and sat on one of the bar stools, clasped his hands together and set his elbows on the counter, resting his chin on his fingers. “I have no preferences.”

Shikamaru simply stared at him for a moment before he turned back to the cupboards with a grin. “You don’t usually do that, do you?”

Neji frowned. “No. Why?”

“Just saying it’s a good thing,” Shikamaru replied, pulling two bento boxes out.

Neji narrowed his eyes. “You will tell me what you’re thinking.”

Shikamaru sighed and looked back at his future fiancée. “You sitting like that gives you a fairly innocent look.”

“You’re point?”

“Wouldn’t want your fan club to see that. They might jump you,” Shikamaru teased as he started to prepare the rice.

Suddenly self conscious, Neji lifted his chin and quietly folded his arms on the counter top instead. The action forced a shake of the head from the Nara, which in turn made Neji look away, almost as if he were embarrassed. Shikamaru smirked and pulled some fruit out of his fridge before he mimicked Neji’s position, leaning slightly forward instead of straight up, looking at Neji with an unreadable look, arms crossed almost in the perfect imitation of the Hyuuga’s.

Neji turned back to look at the other and was slightly confused when the other didn’t say anything. “What?”

Shikamaru’s smirk grew before he lazily blinked. “You don’t have to stop sitting like that on my account.”

Neji lowered his eyes to the counter, making Shikamaru’s smirk grow before he got up to cut the fruit. Why was he so…self conscious around the Nara? He’d never had any problems with confidence before. What about Shikamaru made him nervous? He couldn’t place it and it was bugging him. Ignoring his frustrated mind for a moment, Neji watched as Shikamaru skillfully cut the various fruits, his fingers practically dancing with the knives. Neji was half-afraid that the Nara would cut a finger off.

“You like oranges?” Shikamaru asked, not looking up from his current task.

Neji was taken aback by the question, but moved to answer it. “Yes. Why?”

Shikamaru smirked and carefully tossed an orange to the Hyuuga. “Peel it. Tell me what you think.”

It was obvious that Shikamaru was playing yet another ‘game’ with him, but Neji did as the other asked. His eyes widened as he peeled away the top orange layer and found the inside to be a dark red. With some slight confusion, he finished peeling the fruit before he continued to look at the unexpected coloring of the actual fruit. “What is wrong with this orange?”

Shikamaru’s smirk grew. “There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just the type of orange that’s different.”

Neji frowned. “What do you mean?”

Slowly extending his hand to the Hyuuga, asking for the fruit back, he pulled a piece of it out and handed it to the other. “It’s called a blood orange.”

Neji’s eyes widened fractionally as he took the offered piece. “A blood orange?”

The Nara nodded before he started to separate the rest of the fruit, placing them into the bento boxes. “I’m not exactly sure, but it’s said that it’s a cross between an orange and a raspberry. Try it. Careful though. It stains.”

Neji looked at the fruit hesitantly before he brought it to his mouth, a hand instinctively coming to cup itself underneath his bottom lip. His eyes were glued to the fruit as he took a bite out of it, missing how Shikamaru stopped moving and simply watched as Neji bit it. Neji let the taste flow over his tongue for a moment before a smile made its way on his lips as he popped the rest of it into his mouth. It was good! The flavor was so different than what he had expected.

“Good, huh?” Shikamaru smiled, turning back to the task at hand.

Neji nodded, not noticing that some of the red liquid had escaped the confines of his mouth and was trickling out of the side of his mouth. “Very good.”

Shikamaru didn’t even hesitate to wipe away the dark red dribble, silently thinking to himself that Neji would have been a damn good-looking vampire. Neji watched as Shikamaru’s hand drew back and wiped itself on a nearby towel, officially coloring the fabric a bright red color. He finished eating the rest of the fruit, trying to ignore how his flesh had tingled where Shikamaru had touched him. He stared blankly at the counter top, not paying much attention to Shikamaru’s actions.

It wasn’t long before the two felt a pair of chakra heading their way, but made no movement to try and find out who it was. Neji wasn’t surprised to see Yoshino and Shikaku make their way into the kitchen, and they were slightly surprised to see the younger shinobis in the kitchen. Neji stood up quickly and respectfully bowed to Shikamaru’s parents while Shikamaru just waved casually. Yoshino forced a grin on her face at Neji’s antics while Shikaku merely smirked.

“Have the two of you gotten to know each other already?” she asked, somewhat sharply.

Neji didn’t miss the tone but chose to ignore it. “Yes. We played a game of Shogi before Shikamaru offered to make lunch.”

“Well, isn’t that nice of him?” Yoshino questioned softly, sending her son a withering look. Shikamaru merely shrugged it off and continued to prepare the bento boxes.

“Looks like you’ve been eating one of those blood oranges,” Shikaku said nonchalantly, walking into the kitchen and towards the fridge.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru shrugged. “Wanted to see Neji’s face when he saw it. He liked it.”

“I’m sure he was just being polite,” Yoshino said, walking around Neji and heading out of the kitchen.

Her husband and son merely shook their heads and rolled their eyes while Neji awkwardly sat back down. What had he done to gain Yoshino’s animosity? Was it because he wasn’t a girl and couldn’t have children? Or was it because of Hinata’s actions somewhat shaming the entire family in her eyes? He stared down at the counter top before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Shikaku smiling at him.

“Ignore her,” he stated, his eyes shining with some form of happiness. “She’s not exactly a supporter of same sex marriages.”

“That’s putting it lightly, dad,” Shikamaru mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on the food he was preparing.

Shikaku chuckled. “Probably. But nonetheless, don’t let her get you down. She’s kind of uptight. Just be you and I’m sure she’ll come around.”

Neji hadn’t ever felt so cared for since his father had died. “Thank you, Shikaku.”

Shikaku shrugged. “You’re going to be family. Might as well as treat you like it, eh?”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to treat him like family, I think I’ll keep him away from here as much as possible.”

Laughter exploded from the older nin’s mouth. “Now why would you want to do that?”

“After all the pranks you’ve pulled on me, you think I’d learn to be cautious,” Shikamaru stated. “Besides, teasing Neji is my job.”

Neji blushed slightly which brought a smirk to the younger Nara’s lips while Shikaku merely chuckled. “Well, you two have fun eating your lunch and watching the clouds. You’re welcome to come back here if you get bored, Neji.”

Neji smiled. “I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

Shikaku nodded in return before he pointed a finger at his son. “You be nice or I’ll let your mother chew your ass out later.”

Shikamaru grinned deviously. “Oh, come on dad. You really think I’m going to be mean?”

“Knowing you, anything’s possible,” Shikaku snorted, before he walked out of the kitchen.

Neji watched the exchange somewhat enviously. He wondered if his father and he would have been the same way had he not been killed. He eyes obviously showed his pondering because Shikamaru looked at him, slightly worried. “Hey, Neji, don’t take anything my mom had said to heart, K?”

Raising his eyes, Neji looked over at the other, catching the worried look in his eyes. “Oh, no, I-I wasn’t thinking about that. Sorry.”

Shikamaru shrugged, but there was obvious relief in those eyes. “What were you thinking about?”

“Just wondering if I would have had something similar to what you and your father have,” Neji stated honestly, a small smile making its way onto his face.

“Nah,” Shikamaru argued. “It would have been better. My dad and I tend to be at odds a lot.”

“Maybe,” Neji said softly, getting lost in his own thoughts again.

“Well, the lunches are done,” Shikamaru announced washing his hands once again. “Ready to go?”

Neji gave the other a soft smile and nodded his head. He grabbed one of the bento boxes from Shikamaru’s hands and followed the Nara towards the back door of his home. He opened it and let Neji walk out first, following shortly behind and grinning as the Hyuuga stared out into the forest. At first, Neji was wary. This was the Nara’s forest. Was he even allowed to come in here?

As if reading his thoughts, Shikamaru gently pulled at his arm, indicating for the other to follow him. “Only certain parts of the forest are completely restricted, but I can bring you to most of it. As long as you have me or another Nara with you, it’s not seen as trespassing.”

The pair walked silently through the woods, Neji admiring the trees and life that seemed to surround him. It was so alive. There was something different about the Nara’s forest compared to all the other ones that he had been in. He couldn’t place what though. It gave him a sense of peace, a sense of tranquility. Maybe that’s what the difference was. The fact that he wasn’t on a mission and was out here for enjoyment’s sake made a difference.

They made their way to a clear hill that allowed one to see over most of the trees. Neji’s eyes gazed out to look over the walls of Konoha’s inner city, gazing at the Hokage Mountain from a strange side angle. It gave them a nobler look and Neji was entranced by it. It wasn’t until Shikamaru called over to him that he was able to break away from the view. He made his way over to the Nara and sat down silently in the lush grass.

“This is the edge of the forest,” Shikamaru stated, opening his box and pulling out his chopsticks. “It’s also one of my favorite spots to watch the clouds.”

“Why is that?” Neji asked. A hill was a hill, right?

“It’s the angle,” Shikamaru explained. “It’s really nice to just sit here and watch the sun set. It’s a perfect view. That and it’s really quiet here. Not many of my family members would take the time to come out here to bother me unless it was really important. There’s only one cousin that really enjoys annoying me, but she’s been away on a week long mission. I keep hoping that she won’t be back for awhile.”

Neji laughed at the other’s confession before his eyes wandered on the land around them. “You certainly do have quite the vantage point here.”

Shikamaru nodded. “That’s true. The Nidaime wanted to put a watch tower here, but the Shodaime refused to do it. Don’t really know the whole story, but basically he said that a place as perfect as this didn’t need a watch tower or someone constantly watching from it. He said it should be a place for peace, a place for a person to relax. The Nidaime eventually agreed with his brother and gave the lands to the Nara clan during his rule.”

“Wise men,” Neji said softly. “And it makes sense to give it to the Nara clan.”

“Oh?” Shikamaru said, raising a brow. “What makes you say that?”

Neji smirked and turned to face his companion. “There’s no other clan who could simply lie on their backs all day to simply relax and have peace.”

Shikamaru chuckled and that turned to a bright laughter. Apparently he agreed with the Hyuuga.

The two spent to rest of the day simply chatting with each other, Neji beginning to like the Nara more as time went by. How had he ever hated this man? It wasn’t long before they were lying on their backs, watching the clouds, continuing their light conversation. Neji couldn’t help but smile during the short time when there was silence between them. It felt good to simply relax like this. Maybe marrying Shikamaru wasn’t going to be such a disastrous thing after all.
*******************************************************************************

Shikamaru's so nice and mean to Neji at the same time, isn't he? XD lol The blood oranges really only made their appearance because I've been craving one! That and I needed something to come out the side of Neji's mouth. XD lol

Reviews make the world go 'round...Well, at least my world. XP lol