Time with You

1. Glimpse

"Bye guys!"

Naruto flailed his arms in the air, his usual wide grin decorating his face, bidding his teammates farewell. He stood there watching their figures fade as they got further away from the Hokage Mansion. The team had just been dismissed after reporting back to Tsunade, Kakashi long gone before any of them had even stepped foot out the room.

He turned, bringing his arms up, interlocking his fingers behind his head as he thought of where to go to next. He didn't want to head home. That place made him feel even lonelier than he already was. Wait. He shook his head, shutting his eyes as he thought,

I'm not lonely.

As he continued walking around the village, he noticed a subtle change in lighting. Opening his eyes he saw a lone tree placed upon a hill, it's green leaves blowing in the wind causing short-lived rays of sunlight to streak onto his face. He stared in awe, wondering how he'd never noticed such a place before. He grinned before making his way through the tall grass, slowly ascending the hill. Thankfully, the grass became shorter and shorter as he neared the top.

Finally, after a few minutes of stumbling and soft curses, Naruto reached the top of the hill. The tree he had seen before now standing tall before him. He walked over to it, placing a hand on its trunk. He smiled feeling the warmth of the bark under his palm. He sighed in content, turning and sliding down along the tree until he hit the soft grass below him. As he looked out at the village, he thought of how beautiful everything looked as the soft orange glow of the sunset shone down upon it. He looked up, staring out at the clouds. They seemed to crawl across the sky, Naruto was mesmerized. He continued staring thinking how nice it would be to have someone there with him, experiencing the moment.

As Shikamaru raised a hand up to his eyes in order to shield them from the setting sun, he squinted, trying to figure out who it was that was sitting in his usual spot. Well, other than the rooftop, but without Choji around the rooftop didn't feel the same so he found another place to do his lazing when the Akimichi was busy. As he moved a bit closer, he noticed the distinct yellow orange combo he'd grown so accustomed to. Not to say he and Naruto were in any way close, but he had become more aware of the others presence in his daily life. As his eyes finally focused on the blonde, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

There he was, sitting, back against the tree. His eyes were closed, a smile plastered on his face. That alone would've been fine, but it was the single tear slowly making its way down his face that surprised Shikamaru. Then, that one tear was followed by many others, smile shaky but still glued to his face. Shikamaru wasn't sure how long he stood there on that path, staring up at the boy, but when he snapped out of his trance he quickly squatted, taking cover behind the tall grass, concentrating to hide his chakra to the best of his ability. Wait, why was he hiding? Had he seen something he shouldn't have? He furrowed his eyebrows, eyes shutting as he processed what he had just witnessed.

"Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru opened his eyes, snapping his head up, seeing Naruto standing there staring down at him.

"Whatcha doin'? Are ya hurt or somethin'?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, arm a bit raised in case his friend needed a hand getting up.

"No, no. I'm fine."

Shikamaru stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the worn out path, not wanting to make eye contact. As smart as he was, he was also human, so saying the wrong thing was always a possibility.

Naruto stared at the lazy nin for a few seconds, before shrugging.

"Well if ya say so." He turned, resuming his position of placing his hands behind his head before walking off. He grinned and closed his eyes as he dreamed of the ramen he was going to devour over at Ichiraku's.

Shikamaru turned his head as he followed Naruto with his eyes, wondering if he had imagined the previous events. Was he not just crying..?

He shook his head, looking overhead at the now dark night sky.

"Tch, what a drag." He muttered as he turned on his heel, heading down the path in the direction of his home. His mind continuously drifting back to the image of a smiling, yet crying, Naruto. No matter how hard he tried to think of something else he just couldn't get his mind off the blonde.

Why was he crying? Was he hurt, from a mission? Being the idiot he is he probably rushed off into some battle and got himself hurt. That would explain the smile he had on, being proud of a battle scar sounds just like Naruto. Despite the justification Shikamaru provided for his explanation, deep down he knew, Naruto wasn't crying over a bruise or two. No, this was something deeper than that. Shikamaru just couldn't figure out the real reason, at least, not with the information he has now.

Shikamaru mumbled, "Why am I thinking so much about this. It's none of my business." As he reached the Nara compound, he quickly entered his home, kicking off his shoes. He leaned down, fixing his shoe placement, not wanting to be yelled at by his mother in the morning. He was about to take a step towards his room when he heard a voice coming from his side.

"Where have you been Shikamaru?"

It was his father, he'd been sitting on the living room couch looking over the newspaper.

"I was out watching the clouds. Enjoying my youth, as Guy Sensei enjoys yelling about." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, heading over to the couch.

"That's the spirit." Shikaku chuckled, continuing to look over the newspaper. Shikamaru looked at his father for a few moments before opening his mouth to speak.

"Dad, do you have any information about Naruto's personal life?" Shikamaru took a seat next to his father, resting his arms on his knees, slouching as he stared down at the floor. Shikaku glanced over at his son, smiling slightly as he flipped the large page.

"No, not really. Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru looked up and over at his father before standing. "Nothing, just wondering." He scratched his head, yawning. "I'll see you tomorrow. Night."

"Rest well Shikamaru."