Shizune walked to her bedroom in great fatigue. "Ahh... I'm so tired..." She collapsed onto her bed. A hard mattress met her head. “Agh!” she yelled, muffling into the bed, pulling her face out of the rough material. “Damn it! MOM!” She screamed. Almost immediately, her mother sprung into the room.
“Shizune, what’s the matter?” Her black hair tussled in her face. “BED SHEETS!…” Shizune began. She was kneeling now. “WHERE ARE THEY?!” Her mother only crossed her arms and slouched against the wall. “Is that all?” She laughed slightly. “I thought you were dying or something.” She beamed at her daughter. Despite her anger, Shizune managed to smile and sit in her bed, laying back on the wall.
“So… why did you put my sheets away”
“Oh…” Her mother smiled more. “You’re going on a trip, and I thought you might like something to remind you of home”
“A trip?” Shizune asked, crossing her arms the way her mother did. “I don’t remember any agreement on me going on a trip… where’s it to”
Her mother made a very suggestive face. “To go all the way across town, to see your favorite person…” The way she stressed favorite made Shizune eager to know.
“Who? Who?” She mewed, like newly born kitten.
“No one else but your dear cousin…” She turned to exit the room. “Shikamaru”
The name hung in the air for a while. Shizune found herself smiling. Though she knew that she should be bolting up to her closet and packing things for the trip. That she should be getting things together for the journey. That she should be eating and trying to rest for the bit of walking she’d have to do. But for some reason, she couldn’t help but sitting in her coverless bed, thinking of her cousin….

The cousin she loved.

The morning was dark and cold as night had been. “Dad it’s freezing… why do we have to go now?” Shizune whined, holding herself tightly.
“Because Shikaku wants us there for breakfast… he says the mountains are prettiest when dawn first hits them.” Her father said, strapping his bags to his back. Kanami Nara was none too different from his older brother. They were only a year apart, so it was expected that they looked alike. The same high ponytail, indifferent facial expression, and careless attitude was shared between them. These same characteristics were far away from lacking in Shikamaru. Being the splitting image of both his uncle and his father, he was loved as a son by the two of them. Shizune however, was neither a boy nor fond of sporting the high ponytail strangled to her head.

She recalled at one point, having taken a picture with Shikamaru when they were young. Her father had forced her to put her hair up in the awful way he wore it. It had never occurred to her that she was the only one out of her house who’s hair wasn’t tied up that way. Like a rabid dog on the loose, she tore away from her father and ran through the field. Still running, she came around to a tree, she tripped over a rock and cut her knee. It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. Like a stab with a kunai... or a slash from a shuriken. Tears streamed from her eyes as her wails echoed around her. It was then that she realized that she had run too far from her father. So far that she couldn’t remember the way back. Her tears went from loud to silence as she decided she was lost forever.

Just as all hope was gone in her mind, a soft hand met her shoulder. “What a drag… did you have to run this far out?”

Shizune looked up, the tears nearly blinding her. “Shi… Shi… ih, ih, eh…” She mumbled, burying her little face in Shikamaru’s stomach. “Shikamaru-kun!” “Alright, it’s ok…” He comforted her, stroking her black hair with his hand. “I can see why you don’t wanna put it up… it’s so pretty.” “Ah?” She looked up. Shikamaru had a light grin spread across it. She smiled sweetly. “Th-thanks.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, gently easing her over his shoulder. Shizune blushed. “Shikamaru, what are you doing?” “Hmm?… Oh, just putting you on my back.” He slid her legs around his waist and began to walk forward. “You didn’t expect me to just let you walk on that knee, did you”
Shizune suddenly remembered her cut. “Ah, it’s nothing. I bet I could’a went back with it.” Shikamaru snickered.
“What”
“It’s just… the way you were crying I thought you’d be half dead by now”
“Shut up”
When they made it back to the place where the pictures were taken, Kanami almost crushed Shizune with a smearing hug.
“Shizune! What happened?! Look at your knee!” He yelled.
“Er…” Shizune groaned.
“I’ll fix it.” Shikamaru interjected, tearing a piece of his shirt off and tying it around her knee. “It’s a little thin. But it should hold till we get the picture done.” He finished, standing up straight and dusting himself off. Kanami had no choice but to take the photo.
It was just as he wanted. Shizune and Shikamaru, hair the same, smile the same, together in a picture. Shuzu, Shizune's mother, smiled. "You two are so cute together." She whispered.

Shizune blinked away her memories as her father elbowed her. "We're almost there... I thought you'd be leaping with joy to see Shikamaru again." Kanami said, a bit concerned. Shizune kept her gaze on the clouds. "Sorry... I don't do leaps and hops." Her face was stern. "I'm not exactly the hop up and down type."

They reached the Nara house just as dawn broke. The colors made Shizune relax, sending her into a dream of light and sweetness, only to be interupted by the voice of her uncle.
"Hey... been wondering when you'd get here." Shikaku said lazily. He walked up to them and huged his little brother. "I'll take these." He offered. It was odd to hear Shikaku volunteer to carry things. He usually never wanted to so much as lift his feet to walk, much less lift bags that weren'this.
"You feeling ok?" Kanami asked, slipping his bag off and handing it off to Shikaku. "Yeah I'm fine. Just happy to see my brother..." He held the bags in his arms and strolled over to Shizune. "And his daughter." He kissed her forehead and went inside.
"HEY COME ON IN!" He called from in the house.

Shizune and Kanami entered the house through the front door. As they entered they looked all about the place, remembering the last time they were there.

"What?" Shikaku asked, noticing their stares. "Does it really look all that bad?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.
Kanami blinked. "Eh? Oh! No not at all! I just had a hard time picturing the way it looked the last time we visited." He explained. Shikaku sighed. "Good... cause I spent forever trying to make everything clean"
Shizune tilted her head. "You cleaned the house Shikaku?" she asked. The Uncle title wasn't stressed in her home. She actually called Kanami by his name if she felt like it. Not like it didn't make the both of them happy, dad and uncle made them feel pretty old.
"Did the best I could." He answered with a smile. "Say..." Kanami started, crossing his arms and looking to his brother. "Where's Shikamaru?" Shikaku stroked his beared slightly. "Hmm... That's a pretty good question." He looked to the ceiling, then the floor, then back to the window again. "He's probably in the backyard. He should be seeing Ino and Chouji soon, so you might wanna go say hi or else you might as well wait for dinner." He said in a rather groan-like voice.
"That's alright, I'll wait for later." Kananmi mumbled, walking on into the next room. "Shizune... you should go though." He offered.
Shizune pouted. "Why?" She asked flatly.
"Because Shikaku and I have to talk privately." He answered in the same flat voice.
"We do?" Shikaku asked, scratching his head.
"Yes we do"
Shizune rolled her eyes and walked in the opposite direction they were heading in. "Fine. I'll go." she snapped, walking through the slide door and shutting it behind her.

The backyard was pretty. Flowers grew on the side of the place and the sunlight seemed to make them glow. Shizune scowered the land for her lazy cousin.
'There you are.' she thought as she spotted a jetting black poof of hair in the middle of a patch of grass. She slowly walked over, and hovered behind him.
"Hey." He muttered softly.
Shizune sighed. She hadn't heard his voice in so long. It was soothing to hear it... like a meadow of white flowers dimly lit by the stars, waiting for the moon to make them shine. She began to tingle and had to shake herself slightly to make the feeling go away.
"Hey." she said equally as soft. She looked down and noticed that his eyes were wide open. He wasn't daydreaming like usual. He was actually awake enough to know what time of day it was.
"I didn't expect you to show." He said. Now he shut his eyes.
"Why not?" Shizune asked defensively.
"I know how much you hate surprises"
She looked at him oddly. "You mean... you knew"
"Yeah-aaah!" Shikamaru choked as Shizune grabbed him by the shirt.
"You mean you knew and didn't tell them it was a bad idea?!" She screamed.
"Whoa! Easy! Easy!" Shikamaru grunted, putting his hands on hers and making her calm down.
His warmth made her draw back instantly and sit next to him.
"Sorry... it's just..." She looked to the side.
"Just what?" Shikamaru asked. He layed back, placing his head in her lap.
She blushed. How long had it been since they were this close? It felt like an old need... one that had always been there, but had been lying dormant... had finally awakened... giving her the burning sensation she was getting then.
"Nothing..." She whispered.
He closed his eyes. "Well if your little 'nothing' isn't too hard to overcome... you wanna go see Chouji and Ino with me?" He offered.
Shizune blinked. "You're actually leaving the house?" "Amazing isn't it?" He replied, limply opening his eyes. "So you wanna go or not"
She smiled and leaned back on her hands. "Sure... what should I wear?" "Why not what you have on now"
"Well... I don't wanna look... you know... under dressed"
"I don't think I get it"
"I don't wanna look... improper"
"I still don't follow"
"Shikamaru." Shizune said in a stern voice. He brushed a hand through his ponytail. "Hm?" Opening an eye to her annoyed face, he understood. "Oh... you don't wanna look like a whore." He said bluntly.
"Ah?" Shizune's face went blank. "You... idiot..." She made a slight fist and bumped him on the head.

It was nearly nightfall when Shizune and Shikamaru met Ino and Chouji at the academy.
"It's about time!" Ino began, placing her hands on her hips. "Do you know how long we've been waiting?" Shikamaru gave her a lazy look. "Do you honestly think I care?" He asked, walking over to Chouji. "Sup?" he muttered, dropping himself down on the ground next to his friend.
Chouji swallowed from a bite of a potato chip. "Nothing much"
Ino growled. "Don't talk to me like that, Shikamaru!" He leaned up against Chouji's shoulder and yawned. "I was only kidding... take a joke once in a while"
Ino smiled lightly and looked down at him. "Sorry... but you're kinda hard to read sometimes." she looked up into the sky. "I can't tell when you're being serious... or when you're being sarcastic"
"Because sarcasm is so... hard to understand." He replied, giving her a blank look.
She bit her lip. "Eh... were you being sarcastic?"

"Ahem."

Shizune folded her arms and glowered down at her cousin.
Shikamaru didn't look at her.
"Shikamaru." She said.
He opened an eye to her. "Hm? Oh.. guys... this is Shizune. She's my cousin"
Ino looked to Shizune and bowed. "Hi. I'm Ino"
"And I'm Chouji." The pudgy cheeked boy said between munches.
Ino looked her up and down, noticing how even her hair was brushed neatly and how it fell shortly around her neck. Chouji noticed Ino's intrigue and eyed the girl himself. As he got higher and higher in her features, he blushed and looked back down quickly. 'I hope she didn't notice that...' he thought to himself.
Shizune blinked. "Hm? What's wrong? Do I look weird or something?" She asked. 'I knew I'd end up looking bad'
Ino jumped. "Ah... No! Not at all! That's not it... it's just"
"Just what"
"Well seeing you now... and hearing about you from Shikamaru... I... uh... Well I thought..." Ino shuffled in her shoes, looking at the dirt.
"We thought you'd be like him." Chouji interupted. "You know... tall hair, layed back attitude... unexplainable fatigue"
Shikamaru grunted. "It's nice to know my friends like me." he muttered.
Ino sighed. "It's not that he's gross or anything. And it's not like you're too perfect. We just... expected you to be well, different." Ino explained.
Shizune looked up at the sky, then rolled her eyes back down to Ino. "What do you mean"
Ino put her hand to her chin. "Well, maybe a little less... in the zone. Like... maybe a little sleepier. Possibly a bit shorter. But then again, there isn't a Nara I know that's short"
Chouji crumpled up his bag as he finished his last chip. "Maybe a guy..." He added.
"What!?" Shizune gasped.
"You only came up on certain occasions. Like once when Shikaku-san took us out for short ribs." Chouji said with a smile. He put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the wall. "As usual, Shikamaru ate 3 before calling it quits and laying back"
"Oh yeah. I remeber now. Shikaku-san was saying how odd it was that the three of us are best friends, just like our parents. Then he said something about his little brother... and then about his brother's child"
Chouji laughed. "Yeah! Then Shikamaru said, think him but with a different tone of voice"
Shizune growled. "So you mean you couldn't have mentioned that I was a girl?!" She shreiked, going over to Shikamaru. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up to eyelevel. "If I was gonna go around talking about my family I'd mention you were a guy"
"I didn't know I meant that much to you, Shizu"
Shizune blinked and dropped him to the ground. "Forget it." She whispered. She sighed and leaned up against the wall. "So what do you guys do around here? I doubt sitting down and talking about short ribs is a favorite past time"
Ino smiled. "Well... what do you wanna do"
"Me"
"You're our guest. You choose"
Shizune put a finger to her chin. "Hm. Well... I dunno... uh..." She thought long and hard. Soon, her eyes closed and out of habit, she put her finger tips together.
Ino grinned. "Just like Shikamaru!" She giggled.
Shizune's eyes snapped open. "Eh? Oh, uh... sorry about that. It's just something I picked up." She looked over to Ino.

"Is there... a lake around here by any chance?"

Afternoon air seeped into Shikamaru's nose as he stood by his cousin at the lake.
"So why'd you wanna come here"
Shizune made a slight frown. "You... you don't know"
Shikamaru paused. A state of confusion and worry took him. "Is there something I should remember?" he asked.
A slight wimper escaped her throat. Just as it evaporated, she turned her back to him. "If you don't know..." She put her head down. "Then I won't waste my time explaining it." She began to walk forward.
"Shizu..." Shikamaru said softly.
She came to a stop. "It's apparent that you don't wanna be here. I'll go home if you want. You can go to bed and I can... help Shikaku do something"
A soft hand met her shoulder. "Eh?" She whispered, turning around.
Shikamaru stood before her, his face a bit concerned. "What's the matter?" he asked.
She stared into his eyes. Eyes so much like her own, seperated by a single fate of parents. Looking into those eyes used to make her so happy, so relieved. But at this moment in time, she wanted nothing more than to run from those eyes. Especially now that her own were tearing up.
"I'm fine." She mumbled, turning her head to the side.
"Something's bothering you"
"And you care, why?" she said almost imidiatly.
Shikaru stared.
"If we go home and you're crying... My dad will give me grief... and so will yours." he took his hand to her chin and turned it forward. "So... tell me what's wrong already"
Shizune burried her head into his chest and let a few tears fall.
"I missed you... I worried about you sometimes. Not seeing you, not hearing from you... I missed you Shika-chan!" She sighed.
"What a drag..." He groaned, putting his arms around her. "You sound like you're about to die... It bugs me when you sound like that." He let her go and took his place, lying on the ground, gazing into the sky. Shizune sat next to him.
It felt odd... Even though she was close to tears, close to falling apart from memories past... Shikamaru was able to calm her with the least amount of effort.

As if on cue, Ino and Chouji reappeared with a black bento box.
"Sorry it took so long, Chouji got hungry when we got to his house and well... we ended up having to make all the rice balls from scratch." She half glared at Chouji. "I did anyway"
Chouji grinned. "When you're hungry, you're hungry"
Ino kept a pout on her face as she opened the box and lowered it to Shikamaru.
He reached in and pulled out two. Shizune was staring out at the lake when she felt a nudge on her cheek. "Mm?" She squeaked, turning around.
Shikamaru had his hand extended to her. "Here." He whispered. She took it from him with a sweet, childlike smile. "Thank you Shika-chan"
"Mm-hmm." He muttered biting into it. Ino smiled. "Aww... Shikamaru, you're so cute with your cousin!" She gasped as she had a burst of memory.
"Ah! Shikamaru! You should bring her to the festival!" Her voice carried like she was speaking of a royal ball.
"Festival?" Shizune repeated, brushing crumbs of rice from her face.
Ino gaped. "You mean you didn't tell her about the festival, Shikamaru"
He yawned. "Well Ino, she only got here this morning." He grumbled.