Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The scent of dust filled your nose as you sorted through the archives of the Konoha library. Being a part of the cryptanalysis team for about a year now equated to being a glorified librarian, your missions consisting of cleaning spider webs from the corners of bookshelves and the occasional checking in and out of books. But you enjoyed it this way; you have never been much for conflict and are glad to be of help to the village. In your spare time, you find yourself practicing medical ninjutsu, hoping to one day become skilled enough to act as support not only behind the scenes but also on the battlefield. But seeing as you were never the most skilled in the academy and after losing those closest to you at a young age in the Third Ninja War, you couldn’t imagine yourself in any sort of platoon.

Lost in thought of what could have been, you see your reflection in the window. Your hair is frazzled, and large glasses take up the majority of your face, lenses so thick you can barely make out your eyes. You couldn’t believe how much you let yourself go. It wasn’t like your job was particularly stressful; you just never had a reason to dress up for another day at an extinct library.

The chiming of the front doorbell catches your attention, snapping out of your thoughts you notice a sharp-eyed boy with spiky hair and a slicked-back ponytail. From behind a few bookshelves, you see him from the corner of your eye speaking with your boss about deciphering code and remember how Lady Tsunade notified you she would need assistance from the cryptanalysis team in deciphering the message Jiraiya left in his battle with Pain.

News of Jiraiya’s death has spread all across the village; you could hardly believe it yourself. You never knew him well but admired him as a ninja and an author; being a part of the legendary Sannin along with Tsunade, you couldn’t imagine the anguish she felt. You immediately could tell by the weight of the situation how important this message was for the sake of the village and dedicated yourself in the archives on your days off to find anything that could help decipher it. However you were at a loss, you could immediately tell this was something only someone close to Jiraiya could understand and heard your boss telling the dark-haired man the same thing.

You head over immediately and greet him, recommending people to start out with in getting information, such as the Hokage herself or even Kakashi. He nodded in understanding as he smiled to himself and looked towards me as he was about to head out.

“I’ll be back if I find out anything new then.” and he leaves as quick as he came in, leaving you dumbfounded after the short interaction.

I felt my face flush at the faint eye contact and the proposal of him coming back soon and immediately led myself to a mirror to check my staticky hair as my heart rate went up. My boss looks over at me, in a trance, fixing myself in the mirror. He offered me a chance to go home early, which I will never pass up. But much to his surprise, I told him I should stay just in case the mystery boy comes back.

That day I found myself at the library until seven, knowing we usually close at five. I was antsy for those extra hours doing anything to keep my mind occupied, whether that was wiping down tables or mopping the floors. I even got halfway into a novel, and when I realized I was at page one hundred, it was time to call it a day.

I sigh as I close up the heavy doors and look over to see a figure coming towards me in the distance. Freaked out, I leaned back against the door, hands in my dress pockets holding shurikens, only to find the same guy from the afternoon.

He was slightly out of breath and looked to be a little red from running. You couldn’t help but stare as he leaned forward, hands on his knees, locking eyes with you as he caught his breath.

“You guys closed already?” He breathed out.

"Well, usually we close at five, but today I stayed longer to close up as I had some extra work." You chuckled.

He looked surprised at my words and scoffed a bit, “Looks like we are both stuck working late, huh?”

You find yourself blushing at his words for some reason and nod. “Yeah haha. Uh you know if you have any new intel on that code, I don’t mind opening back up. I don’t live too far anyways, and—" You curse yourself for rambling in your head.

He cuts you off with a chuckle, looking up. “Nah, don’t worry about it; it’s already late, and a lady shouldn’t be walking alone at this hour. Plus, I am done for the day.” Putting extra emphasis on the done.

You raise your brow despite your nervousness. “Well this lady can handle herself, you know. Are you just offering so I don’t drag you back in to hear your findings?”

“Very funny. Trust me, if I had anything worthwhile, I would tell you, but so far nothing." his gaze turned down as he spoke.

“Ah, I see. That’s okay then; it’s late anyways, and we have tomorrow.” Well, no duh, you internally sigh to yourself.

“Yeah, but don’t worry; I have a friend who knew Jiraiya better than anyone; if anyone can crack that code, it's him,” he says with his arms crossed and a proud smirk. You immediately notice his veins pop from his forearms in the fishnets of his ninja uniform and avert your gaze to anywhere else.

His confidence rubs off on you a bit, and you chuckle, “Well, that’s reassuring. Thanks for dropping by anyways, though. I’ll see you tomorrow with your friend?”

“Yeah,” he said as he started to walk away until you blurted out.

“Which way are you going?” You regret the words as they come out.

“Left,” he said.

“Right, guess you can’t walk me home mister.” I say sarcastically. It has been too long since you have actually talked to a guy you think to yourself; you’re probably annoying him.

“Maybe next time. Are you sure you’re good on your own, though?" He asked.

Your eyes widen a little, and you look down at your pink ballet flats as you slightly point your heels up and down nervously. “Yeah, I've walked this route plenty of times. I may only work behind the scenes, but I’m still a kunoichi.”

He smiles at that. “Yeah, I have nothing to worry about. See ya.” He waves as he walks away coolly.

You nod and realize that you never caught his name once throughout your whole interaction. You internally panic thinking about how friendly you acted and didn’t even know his name. You wondered, though, why he was in such a rush to the library if he had nothing to report and why he seemed so familiar.

Chapter Text

One Year Ago

“Hey Asuma! How have you been? Haven’t seen you here in a while.”

“Ah, ____, good to see you. You’re just the girl I’m looking for. I need your help.”

“Well, your visit is definitely getting more surprising. I am not sure what I could be of help with to you, though.” You say with a chuckle.

“Nah, don’t sell yourself short; besides my student, you are one of the brightest kids I know.”

“Thanks,” you say somewhat sarcastically, not fully believing him.

“Anyways, do you know how to play shogi?”

This grabs your attention immediately. “I never knew you played shogi, Asuma; it didn't seem like your type of game. I do play, but it’s been a while; I don’t think I am that good.”

“Well, don’t worry; you’re definitely better than me. My student, he is probably a bigger brainiac than you; he’s been wiping the floor with me.”

You can see where this is going.

“Could you please play me?” He said with an awkward smile and his hands together. “It is embarrassing getting obliterated by a kid. I just want to be somewhat of a challenge to him.”

You smile to yourself at the power you see yourself holding in this situation. “Hmmm, I guess I can.”

He immediately grasps your hands and shakes them aggressively. “I always knew you were a good kid even if you can be a little snarky and—“

“If—” His eyes pop open a little.

“You teach me how to control my chakra. Not anything formal per se, but I want to be of more help, not just in deciphering messages. Learning medical ninjutsu takes a lot of precision, and it would be a huge help." You look down slightly red as you have never felt so vulnerable telling anyone your goal before.

“Deal.”

You are surprised he said yes immediately. The fact that he is already busy enough as a Jonin, a teacher, and he is even teaching you chakra control left you amazed as a wave of gratitude washed over you.

The bell chimes at twelve on the dot, and you hear familiar footsteps from yesterday along with an intense chakra.

“Hello,” the boy calls out.

You immediately stand by your boss in the presence of the spiky-haired boy from yesterday.

“Ah, hello—uhm.”

“Shikamaru.”

“_____,” you say with a polite bow; that name sounds familiar.

You see a boy with spiky blonde hair walk in behind him. This must be the friend he was talking about. You always see him in Tsunade's office when you head in to give reports. So this was Jiraiya’s student; you could immediately tell with his strong chakra. You could also see a sense of determination in his eyes to decipher the message his teacher left him. This rubbed off on you as you broke the silence.

“Okay, shall we get started?” You speak.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru says.

The three of us head to a round table, the photo of Jiraiya's code in the center. I repeat the numbers on the photo: 9, 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, 15.

“Well, does anything ring a bell, Naruto?” Shikamaru says

“Hmmmm,” the whiskered boy puts his fingers on his chin as he thinks. Well, the “Ta” in the beginning of all the numbers is confusing me.

“Ta?” I and Shikamaru both say in unison.

“Yeah, this might sound like a long shot, but Ero-Sennin always wrote his ta’s like a nine. When we would travel together, he always made me read his manuscripts for his novels, and that’s how they looked.

“Oh! So it’s a writing quirk only Naruto would notice.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru says.

“So if the ‘Ta” is recognized from his manuscripts, then maybe the numbers refer to page or word numbers from his books.

“That makes sense; the question now is which book. He has two published, doesn't he?”

“That would be Makeout Tactics,” a gruff voice airs out from the window.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto yells out. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I stop by this library from time to time and overheard the conversation. I figured you would need a Makeout Paradise fans' feedback after hearing talk about a manuscript.”

“I see. That is his newest book, so it would make sense that the manuscripts Naruto read would be from it.”

Shikamaru looks over to you in agreement.

“Well, you have the book, right, Kakashi?” you say

“Yes,” he says with an eye smile.

“Can you turn to page 31 and read the first sentence?”

“R-Read it? I am not sure about that. I mean," he says, stuttering, his redness showing from under his mask.

“Just hurry up and spit it out already! What is taking you so long!” Naruto yells impatiently.

Kakashi hesitantly reads the first sentences from each page of the book. An awkward air fills the room as the man seems deflated. I look over to Shikamaru, both of us deadpanned as we look over the sentences. I circle the first words of each sentence. The new sentence reads, “The real one isn’t there.” A bit cryptic but not completely unexpected. I look over to Shikamaru, Naruto, and a still red Kakashi, happy to have been of help in deciphering the code.

Immediately, Shikamaru gets right down to business. “Well, I should report this to Lady Hokage,” he says.

“Ah, can I join you?” I don’t even catch myself as this has been the most excitement I’ve had in the decryption team in a while.

“Yeah, thank you _____,” Shikamaru says casually.

“No problem.” I say with a smile.

We make it to the 5th's office and ask her what she makes of our decryption. I am standing to the side with my full attention on any details I should take note of.

I can immediately tell how exhausted she has been with news of Jiraiya's death. She congratulates us casually, and soon after, a toad begins to speak. The whiskered boy, Naruto, keeps berating the elderly frog as a pretty, pink-haired girl pushes his head down repeatedly, apologizing on his behalf. From what you understood over their bickering, that frog was Jiraiya's teacher who will be training Naruto in his battle against Pain. Amazing, you thought; there was so much determination in the room it gave you a sense of relief. You take your leave after their conversations come to a close and thank Kakashi along with Lady Hokage.

As you walk out of the Hokage's office, you realize you forgot to say bye to Shikamaru. You wanted to head back, but you told yourself he had probably already left and didn't notice, being a busy chunin and all. You sigh as you walk back to the library, realizing that will probably be the last time you are in a room with so many characters and admirable shinobi. Lost in your train of thought, you don’t hear your name called as you feel a hand on your shoulder. You turn around to see the person who was taking up thoughts on your walk home and in surprise squeal a little as you turn further to meet his gaze.

“Ah, my bad. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just noticed after Naruto and the 5th finished talking, you vanished.” He said, looking to the side with his hand on his nape.

You were surprised he even noticed your lack of presence. In the library, whenever you approach your boss, he still gets surprised. Maybe you should have been a stealth ninja.

“Ah, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to forget to say goodbye to you. It was fun having someone new to help decipher code with, and you were a great help. Thank you.” you say as you slightly bow.

He averts his eyes, and you swear you see a tinge of pink by his cheekbones, but you don't think much of it. “Ah, it’s no problem, not something you need to thank me for.” Is this his first time being thanked after a mission like this?

“Yeah, yeah,” you say with a slight smile. You look up as Shikamaru pretends not to have seen. “Ahem, well, which way are you going?” he asks.

“Left,” you say.

“What’ll you know this time? I'm right.”

You try to hide the slight hint of disappointment in your eyes until Shikamaru speaks up again.

“Eh, I'm not really doing anything for the rest of the day, though.”

You look up in surprise.

“Plus it’s sunset, so I don’t mind taking the scenic route.”

“Whatever you say, mister.”

As he is about to refute you, you speak up again. “Thank you though, again.” You smile up at him.

“He looks away with a bit of a smirk. “You thank people too much.”

“Do I? Maybe you just don’t thank people enough.” You say with a tinge of playfulness in your tone as the two of you start to walk home.

Chapter Text

You found your mind blanking on the walk home, walking almost shoulder to shoulder with Shikamaru. After your playful banter, the stroll turned pretty silent; you didn't mind though, as it was peaceful just being in each other's presence. Shikamaru didn't seem to find it awkward either, but who knew when you would get this opportunity again?

"So," you said, breaking the silence. "Have any plans after escorting me?" You say teasingly.

He looks over to you, the right side of his lips slightly upturned. "Nah, not really. When I can, I like to stay in, probably play some shogi with my old man.”

"Shogi?" you question. "I never met anyone around my age who voluntarily plays shogi."

"Really?" he says, equally surprised. "You play?"

"Yeah, casually, but not as much anymore." You say disappointed. "The only person I occasionally played with passed in battle. He would always come in talking about beating his student one day and would ask me to help him practice, but he was beyond me." You say with a chuckle, eyes getting lost in the bustling city area with the sunset gleaming over you. You turn your head around to see a shocked expression on his face.

"Asuma-sensei?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Then you realized the honorific Shikamaru spoke out at the end of his name. "No way! You were his student?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Yeah, never lost to him once."

"So you were the kid that would destroy him in shogi. I am surprised I didn't realize sooner."

"Kid? Last time I checked, aren't we the same age?"

"No, you're one year younger. Trying to act cool walking me home when I am technically your senior." You say with a laugh.

"Man, he never told me he practiced shogi on his own time, though."

"Asuma-san always talked about you when we played. He probably didn't want you to know the extra lengths he went through if he ever beat you one day." You said with a content smile.

Shikamaru smiled to himself, hands in his pockets. A comfortable silence gleams over the two of you. You saw a lot of Asuma in Shikamaru and couldn't believe how similar the two already were when he was only a chunin. The news of his death hit you and many others hard; he was beloved by the village, and you saw him not only as a teacher but also as a friend who made your days at the library more enjoyable. It has now been a few months since his passing, but you could tell the bond the two share was like no other.

Your train of thought is interrupted, however, as a passerby bumps into you. Your glasses fall off as you lose your balance, and you expect your body to be met with dirt when you feel sturdy arms catch you. You noticed the veins on Shikamaru’s forearms popping out as he caught you unexpectedly. The two of you both maintain eye contact for a few seconds, in a trance as the streets only become busier. It was only until you realized the situation you were in with Shikamaru's hands on your shoulder and waist that you jumped up.

Everything looks to be a blur after the initial shock of losing your glasses. You look like a deer in headlights as you wobbly escape his grasp to look down for your glasses. Shikamaru notices and grabs your arm to keep you from falling. He immediately finds your glasses and grabs them, dragging the two of you near an almost empty shop away from the business of the streets.

Without your glasses, Shikamaru immediately takes in your features. With your blurry vision, you keep your eyesight down, in turn making him notice your long lashes fluttering as you look around, trying to take in where you are. He noticed your brows that frame your face and the slight tinge of pink on your cheeks and nose from embarrassment. Has your uniform always been so flattering?

"Shikamaru?" you ask. Snapping him out of his thoughts. "My glasses?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," he says as he passes you the bulky eyewear. Your fingers brush against his own as you grab your glasses, feeling the ridges of slight scars on his fingertips from different missions he has had to take.

"Ah, that's better. I'm not sure what I would have done if I didn't have you with me." You sigh in relief.

You can see Shikamaru's face now, and you notice the same tinge of red from yesterday as he averts his eyes from you. You then remember how it felt when he caught you in the street; you soon found yourself wearing the same expression, hoping you didn't make a fool out of yourself.

"Ahem," you cough as you take in your surroundings. As you look around, you notice a fingerprint on your lenses from the Shinobi who saved your glasses and yourself from getting crushed outside. Usually any sort of mark on your lenses would annoy you, but you found your smile deepening.

"My place is right around here." He looks back up to you after hearing that as he lets out a sigh of relief that you didn't get yourself hurt back there.

"You sure you're good on your own? Especially after almost losing your vision," he says skeptically.

"Yeah, my apartment is not even a block away; I'll be sure to be careful. Plus, you helped me enough today, and it's already getting dark."

"It's no problem, no need to worry about me." He looks over. "I'll see you around then."

"Mhm," you nod. "I enjoyed our chat, even if I almost got stampeded by the nighttime rush. Feel free to stop by the library if you're ever bored or need a new shogi partner."

He smirks at that. "I'll take you up on that, but just know this kid is beating you first try."

You laugh, "Guess I will have to wait and see if your skill is just all talk." You turn your head around as you glance at Shikamaru. "See ya," you say with a wave as you walk over to your apartment.

He sends you a lazy wave back; when you are out of his vision, his back hits the wall. With another sigh, his mind trails back to catching you; embarrassed, he starts to walk the opposite direction back home, taking in the breeze. His dad is going to be mad he is late to their arranged shogi match. How annoying.

You fiddle with your keys, rummaging through keychains upon keychains as you open your apartment door. You are met with your cat brushing herself against your leg. The sound of purring envelopes the room as you pet her after yet another long day of work.

You drop your bag as you slide down the door, carrying your cat up to your chest. Your brain can’t stop replaying being caught by Shikamaru; as much as you enjoyed his warmth, you couldn’t imagine how silly you looked with your arms out looking for your glasses, like a lost fish, not even a cute deer, a fish.

You snap out of your embarrassment as you cannot go back in time; however, maybe this was a wake-up call for you to ditch the glasses. You cannot count how many times you have dropped them and almost broken them after all. Plus, it wasn’t like they were doing much for you.

It was decided. In case Shikamaru decided to come back to the library to take you up on that offer and just for the sake of your own pride, the first thing tomorrow morning you will be getting contacts.

The excitement of seeing yourself without your glasses got to you, as it has been a while since you have done anything like this for yourself. While you're at it, maybe you should get a haircut and get rid of a lot of those dead ends. Tomorrow went from contacts to your makeover day, and you know just who to call when it came to that.

“_____! What are you doing here?’ Your close friend Ino says overjoyed. Tomorrow has finally arrived, and you find yourself at Yamanaka Flowers. Ino’s dad being Inoichi, who is a part of the information department, meant turning in a lot of your reports through Ino, as the man never seemed to be in the office.

“Ino, you know how you are one of the most beautiful girls in Konoha, right? I mean, you know everything there is when it comes to femininity and beauty—”

“You finally want a makeover. I have been waiting for this day.” Ino squeals as she jumps out of her seat and immediately grasps your chin, examining your features. “Well before I dive in, what are you thinking?”

“I am going to go get contacts, but I am not sure which hairstyle will suit me.” I also want to get better at maybe learning a bit of makeup—”

“Makeup?” Ino interrupts you again. “Wow, what brought this on?” She gives you an all-knowing look.

“It’s not what you think. It has just been a while since I have had a self-care day.”

“Who is it? Come on, you don’t need to be shy with me.”

“No one.” Yeah, totally not your team member who you have known since you were a kid, who you always complain about for being a know-it-all and boring. Definitely not him.

You hear the front bell chime as someone walks in, and speak of the devil.

“Ah Ino, and ____? What are you doing here?” Shikamaru speaks out, immediately noticing you and Ino, her hand still on your chin, raising your head up. You escape from her grasp as you give Shikamaru a light bow and greet him.

You avoid Ino’s piercing stare as she gazes between the two of you, immediately noticing the shift in your demeanor at the presence of Shikamaru.

“Oh, nothing! I just needed Ino’s help with something.” You give Ino puppy dog eyes, pleading not to tell him about your makeover plans.

Just as he is about to ask, Ino chimes in. “and what are you doing here, Shikamaru? Need some flowers?”

“I am here to remind you about the report you have yet to turn in about our latest mission, not some dandelions. Maybe the pollen has gotten to your head, and that’s why you keep forgetting.”

You look over at the two bickering, amused. “Yeah, as if you need flowers. What girl would take them from you anyways?”

Shikamaru sighs, giving up on engaging. “_____ Please make sure she gets that report done after you two are finished with whatever you are doing.”

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Ino looks to you in disbelief. “Don’t listen to him ____, that’s not your responsibility; he is just too lazy to write the report himself.”

Shikamaru turns his back on a furious Ino and heads for the door. “Hokage’s office, 5pm tomorrow, Ino. See ya ____.”

Before you can say anything back to Shikamaru, you look over to Ino, who still has a look of disbelief on her face. “Out of all the nerds in this village, you choose him?” She looks at you, her eyes giving you the most blank expression you have ever seen.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You say feigning innocence.

“Sure you don’t, let’s just get this over with.” Ino remarks.