partner project / you're nothing to me (shikamaru x reader)

chapter nine

This girl keeps coming in and flirting with Shikamaru, and he keeps taking it in! She's a medical ninjutsu trainee, she comes in every day to serve food and drinks when Yoshino doesn't and brings our medication. She'll come in, all cute and trying to show off her thin bony legs with her short skirt, sitting on the end of Shikamaru's bed and batting her eyelashes.

The door opens and she walks in.

Akira, that's her name.

"Hey Shikamaruuuu! What's up, Y/n?" She smiles at me sweetly, then faces back at Shikamaru. That stupid sweet smile! It's so annoying!

Shikamaru smirks oddly. "Nothing much. What do you have today?" He asks, tipping his head towards the trey she held in her hand.

"Rice porridge, fruit, and water." She said, bouncy and giddy. Her purple short two ponytail curls annoyed me, especially when she walked or jerked her head and they bounced. It was annoying, and it made me want to pull them until she screamed all the way to the Hidden Mist back in the First Hokage's days when the Leaf was just being built.

She served Shikamaru first, then brought my portions over.

"So, Shika, how old is a strong shinobi like you?" She cooed, showing elongation in the word "strong."

"I'm 12." He said.

"Ooh! I'm 13! Let me guess, you've just become a genin, huh? I'm actually getting my team of 3 soon! Maybe we'll be in the same team, huh?" She sits on his bed and leans close to him.

"A Nara, eh?" She ran her bony stupid pale fingers all down his uninjured arm.

"Anyways, enjoy your meal!" She winked at Shikamaru, then closed the door.

"Shikamaru!" I hissed, reaching over to hit him. "Y/n, I'm just messing around." He laughs as he came over to eat by me. "You're my best friend, Shikamaru. I can't lose you to some bouncy curl whore." I say sharply. We laughed together.

I begin to eat, and when it hits my throat, I hiss.

"It's freezing cold! That snide little-" Shikamaru shushed me. He dipped his spoon into the porridge and brought it to my mouth.

The flavor exploded, and it was actually warm, and heated my soul. not only did she heat up his porridge, she also seasoned his.

"Why is yours so good?" I said, crossing my arms, angry.

"She likes me. You're her competition." He chuckled as I huffed and drank a sip of my water. At least that was good cold. Shikamaru then tried a spoonful of my porridge, and sticks his tongue out in disgust.

"You're right," He says. "This is plain and cold, like it's been in the freezer for hours." He turns back for a bit.

"What a drag..." He stands up and walks to the back of the room, going and opening the door, calling for Akira.

She came rushing in, accidently shoving Shikamaru aside.

"Oh sorry, Shikamaru! What can I get ya?" She asked, her curls bouncing. Her close-eyed smile pissed me off, and I wanted to slap her all the way to the Lord Third's time.

"My soup was cold and unseasoned."  He said, bringing her my porridge.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry! I must of mixed up with a request to have it cold! I'll fix this one up and reheat up this one." Akira apologized, taking the whole tray back and shutting the door.

"You're so..."  I didn't know how to finish the sentence. He sighed and came to my hospital bed, putting the lap table aside and sitting at the chair by my side, clutching my arm.

"You're really important to me, Y/n. And she'll come to know that."

Time didn't seem to matter as we sat and waited. That's when I understood what a true best friend is.

Someone who cares about you, stands by your side, and does anything to protect you and make you happy. To cherish you as a person and a friend. To gain strength for not only as a shinobi but as your will to protect them as a person... I tried my hardest back there to save him, and he did as well. I could've easily teleported away to save myself, but I would never in a million years leave him to fight alone.

That is a best friend, and I wouldn't have it to be anybody but him.

Nara Shikamaru, you're doing something to me.

---

ONE WEEK LATER

I would have never imagined that my Genin team would be with Nakano Akira and Ryoko.

Apparently, since she's being doing a year of basic medical ninjutsu training, it's pushed her other genin skills back  to have her put in a team a year behind, which just so happens to be me, and her little brother, Nakano Ryoko. Fate has it that I'm with Akira and her year younger brother who's ruby red bowl cut is just as annoying as Akira's curls.

The partner project is over, too. But I believe Iruka-sensei was right. I did learn lots as a shinobi with this project.

I've also met my sensei. it's Kakashi-sensei's wife, Itsuki-Hatake Kozakura, known as the rumored Shadow Flash. She's dull, and she's blunt but I know she has a heart somewhere in her.

Me and Shikamaru talked to the Hokage after we were discharged. He told us that we should train to become chunin.

It was all good, until one day.

Me and Yamato and Lord Third sat down to talk. They said my sister was watching, and planning to attack and kill me.

They said I'm moving to the Hidden Sand to train and hide.

I will go alone.

I've always wanted to visit the Hidden Sand, but now, moving? Away from Yamato? Shikamaru? Yoshino? Koza-Sensei?

All of it, gone. Ruined by my dear rogue sister. She's not physically here, but still continues to ruin my damn life.

Sato. Sato Hana.

---

He sighed as I stood by the town gate.

"So, this is it." Shikamaru said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He looked on the floor sadly.

"Shikamaru, I'm sorry, I'll be back soon, I promise! We'll be chunin in six months, and, and we'll become jounin together! I promise!" I said hopefully. He laughed heartlessly.

"Don't kid yourself, Y/n. You don't know if you're coming back, and if you do, it won't be for a very long time." I let out a loud breath. He was right; was I coming back? I could only come back when they said everything was clear. Who knows how long that could be?

I opened my arms and held him in a tight hug. Close, for as long as I could. He stroked my hair while I breathed into the nape of his neck. I would leave him within the hour... gone... for a very long time...

We eventually let go and Yamato beckoned me to go. He would follow me to the Hidden Sand, then come back to the Leaf to rejoin his responsibilities as ANBU.

"Goodbye, Shikamaru!" I called.

He smiled. Then he turned away.

"What a drag..."