Konohas Traitors (Book Two Of The YASAD Series)

Not So Useless

In Konoha, Shikamaru walked around with his hands shoved in his pockets, his head tilted up at the sky. He was on his way to Asuma's house for a game of Shogi, because Kruno was hitting his mind hard today. He sighed heavily as he arrived at the front door of his senseis house, and knocked on the door three times.

Asuma opened the door, a cigar in his mouth and he smiled at Shikamaru before he came outside with him, and they sat on either side of the Shogi board and began to play. It was an oddly silence game, which it normally never was with the two of them. Normally they found at least something to talk about.

"You doing okay today, Shikamaru?" He asked, and Shikamaru looked up at him with saddened eyes.

"Yeah, what a drag." He said quietly before picking up a piece, and placing it back down in a different spot. Asuma sighed softly, and looked at Shikamaru.

"It's okay to still be upset about it." Asuma spoke softly, and Shikamaru met his eyes slowly. Shikamaru let out a shaky breath before he shook his head.

"It's been three years, and I'm still sulking around about that troublesome woman like it happened yesterday." He said, closing his eyes slightly.

"Because you loved her Shikamaru. It is perfectly okay to be sulking around about her, because she was everything to you. Anyone could see that." Asuma said, before glancing down at the board, sighing softly. "I should have been able to tell that the ninja who said that to her wasn't you. I don't know how I was that stupid, and I am forever sorry, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked at his sensei with sad eyes, before smiling weakly. "It isn't your fault, Asuma-Sensei. She's... She's in a better place now. She's watching over us... and making sure that were okay. She's always going to be here with us... At least in memory."

"I know." Asuma nodded before he stood up. "I'll be right back." He said before disappearing into his house. Shikamaru glanced over at the clouds above the house, and smiled as the sun broke through the clouds and shined down on him. Maybe that was Kruno smiling down on them.

Asuma came back with a picture in his hand, and he handed it to Shikamaru. The tears welled up in Shikamaru's eyes when he first saw it. It was a picture of Kruno and Shikamaru standing on the training field together, Shikamaru had his arms around her tightly, pulling her closer to him and nuzzling his face into her hair. Kruno was laughing so hard her mouth was wide open, and she had her eyes shut. Her arm was around his waist lightly, and both of them held a blush on their cheeks.

The sad boy looked up at his sensei who was giving him a weak smile, his hand on the back of his head. "I found it the other day when I was cleaning my room out. I meant to give it to you sooner, but I just forgot." He said and Shikamaru nodded, flipping open a pouch on his Chunin Jacket, and slid the picture into it.

"Thank you, Asuma." He said, before Asuma sat back down across from Shikamaru and the two began their game again.

When the game was done, Shikamaru made his way back to his house, his hands in his pockets, and his head tilted up towards the sky as it normally was. He gave a sigh, and turned to where his house was, waking inside. When he walked inside, his mother looked at him with a small smile. Since the passing of Kruno, the woman didn't yell at Shikamaru as much as she used to. There were times that the woman would forget about how heartbroken her son was, and scream at him. But she would immediately apologize and hold him tightly in her arms.

Frankly, when Kruno first passed, his mother was there for him more than anyone else was. She would hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, and that she was in a better place now. And as much as Shikamaru didn't want to believe it, he knew that she was someone where she was loved now, and somewhere she wouldn't hurt, and she could be free.