Shikamaru-niichan!"
The row of men sitting at Ichiraku turn in the direction of the high-pitched voice. A young boy, barely five, scrambles over to a dark-haired man, clambering up his legs and threatening to overturn his bowl of ramen.
"Shikamaru-niichan!" he cries again, the sound bringing endearing smiles onto the faces of the stand's other occupants. He shoves an object into the shadow-nin's face. A huge grin is splitting across his own.
"What's this?" Shikamaru asks, taking the object carefully.
It's a kunai, not as sharp as it should be, and etched with the Nara clan symbol. His half-lidded eyes narrow.
"Shikaku-jichan gave it to me!" The young boy practically bounces with glee on his lap.
Of course, Shikamaru thinks. It's from his father.
"Inojiko!" a voice calls out from a distance.
The boy in his lap freezes. He cowers in Shikamaru's embrace, and buries his face in the older man's chest.
Beside them, Chouji laughs. "It seems you aren't the only one afraid of Ino these days," he says in his husky voice before slurping at his food.
Ino arrives with an aura of anger radiating about her. She gives a loud huff as she stalks towards her old friend, hands on her hips. But the image before her causes her to pause, and the imperceptible softening of her features is only seen by Shikamaru, used to reading her every emotion. It's gone, in a flash, and her brows are furrowed in anger once more.
"Inojiko! What did I say about running off?"
The young boy in his lap turns his head, his cheek still pressed against Shikamaru's chest. He pouts, cheeks puffing out only in the slightest, his big, blue eyes widening in an attempt to earn his mother's good graces. It's a look Shikamaru's seen on Ino's face many times.
"But I wanted to show Shikamaru-niichan my kunai," he whimpers.
Ino can only sigh, knowing her son adores the man before her. And rightly so. She smiles, the anger gone from her face, and reaches out for the boy. Inojiko immediately brightens, having won his mother over again, and jumps into her waiting arms.
"Let's leave Shikamaru-niichan alonenow, okay? He only just got back."
Inojiko gives a noise of assent before calling out over his mother's shoulder, "Bye, Shikamaru-niichan!"
Shikamaru only waves before returning to his bowl.
"Cute kid, Shikamaru," Kiba says cheekily when they're out of earshot.
He merely grunts.
Finished with his meal, he saunters up to his favorite cloud-watching hill, and isn't surprised to see Ino reclining there herself. In the distance, Inojiko is hurling his kunai at a target a few feet away. He misses, and Shikamaru can't help but wince.
"You let him keep the kunai?" he asks as he lies down beside Ino.
"Why not?" she murmurs.
"It has the Nara clan symbol on it."
"I noticed," she says with a smile.
He sighs. "My father's always doing things like that."
"Let him be. He's a bit disgruntled by this whole situation. I don't blame him."
He throws her a look. He never thought the day would come when she agreed with his father. They lapse into silence. While Shikamaru cloud-watches, she daydreams.
