Chapter Text
Shikamaru was watching.
That in and of itself wasn't uncommon, Shikamaru normally watched the world around him. The very few civilians friends he had as a child used to call him weird for that very fact when he was young. That's probably why he had stopped hanging around them from such a young age. Even for a shinobi he was unnervingly observant, watching everything around him with such absentminded intensity that even some of the younger kids could notice it. Part of being a genius Shikamaru supposed.
The weird part was that he was watching Neji. Quietly, creepily in all honesty. But it wasn't entirely Shikamaru's fault- he had been here first.
Neji was training on ground 7, which happened to the closest training ground to the Nara woods, sharing a border with the clans lands. It wasn't like it was hidden knowledge, all shinobi were taught at least the basics of Konoha clan customs and lands. It was important to know where to respect and what not to do.
Shikamaru had been sitting near the edge of the woods. Saya was laying next to him, her soft black fur rubbing against his mesh covered stomach. The pair had been in charge of watching the herding a fawn who had wandered to far back to the clan compound. The Nara had brought the fawn back and decided that Saya and him could relax for a few hours. The small hill by training ground 7 was one of Shikamaru's favorite cloud watching spots.
Neji had come by a little after Saya and Shikamaru had settled down, and sure Shikamaru could technically move but that was such a bother. Its not like Shikamaru was doing anything aside from laying anyway- so he just stayed. and if his eyes had drifted from the clouds to the pale faced Hyuuga currently training that really wasn't anyone's problem.
The Hyuuga had finished his stretches and target practice a while ago, he was currently in the middle of some sort of meditation for his Byakagan. His companion perched on his shoulder, her tawny gold feathers fluffed slightly. Shikamaru didn't think he had ever seen the owl sitting so peacefully before, in battle she was always swooping around or tracking a sound. Shikamaru couldn't quite remember her name, Hisa maybe?
The Nara let his thoughts wander, leaning sideways to lay against Saya's strong neck. The large deer nuzzled her large snout against his leg in return. The black haired admired the soft sunlight trickling through the leaves of the trees above that seem to dance on Neji's pale skin. Giving the Hyuuga a soft glow as he sat in the middle of the training ground. His long hair swishing in the breeze, in the sunlight it was almost the same color as Hisa's feathers, the almost invisible gray striped patterns highlighted as he opened his large wings.
"Neji!" A cheerful voice called through the peaceful quiet, shattering whatever spell Shikamaru had put himself under.
Shikamaru shot back to sitting upright, a flush burning his cheeks as he realized just how intensely he had been staring. Saya tensing beside him as she turned her head towards the sound, large ears swiveling. Neji reacted similarly, his pale eyes shooting open as he pulled his wings back to himself. His head turned towards the sound as Hisa leapt off his head to circle silently in the air, her shiny black eyes watching the ground below her.
Shikamaru got silently to his feet as Lee and Tenten came into view, Aiza riding on Lees shoulder with Mei nestled in Tenten's hair. The Nara left Neji and his friends be, not wanting to intrude on the comrades. Saya slunk into the shadows, slinking back to Shikamaru's side and matching strides with her companion.
Shikamaru could hear the sounds of conversation behind him as he started back towards the compound.
Shikamaru didn't see the pale eyes trained on his barely visible back.
Neji had known that the Nara boy was there when he had come into the training ground. It would have been hard not to with the Byakagan, he had trained all his life to notice chakra after all, and Neji had memorized his friends chakra years ago. Not that Shikamaru was a friend obviously- Neji didn't do friends- Lee and Tenten didn't count.
Neji felt Hisa land softly on his shoulder, her soft feathers rubbing against his cheek as the Hyuuga stared at the black haired boys retreating form. The pale eyed boy stroked her feathers absentmindedly, he hadn't realized how much he enjoyed the Nara's lazily floating chakra until it had left. Lee slinging his arm around Neji's shoulder has the boy turning back to his teammates, forcing his fluttering heart to be still.
A fawn ramming into his side was a indicator that Shikamaru had reached the compound. The fawn shook her small head, straightening to glare at the Nara heir before realizing who it was and prancing around the young adult. Saya huffed at his side, lowering to herself to headbutt the baby gently in reprimand.
"Hello to you too Akina." Shikamaru sighed goodheartedly, rubbing between Akina's soft white ears. He could already see Ahmya chasing after her spirit. Akina had a habit of not watching where she was running, Ahmya had gotten very good at apologies.
"I'm so sorry Shikamaru-sama!" The young girl cried as she caught up to Akina, whispering harshly at her deer before turning back to the older boy and bowing lowly. Iruka-sensei's teaching Shikamaru mussed, he missed his former sensei at times.
"It's fine Ahmya-chan." Shikamaru placated, ruffling the younger girls hair as started to walk into the compound again. He could hear Ahmya and Akina run off again, probably joining the other fawns in whatever game the group was playing today. Shikamaru chuckled slightly, he remembered when he and Saya were that age. Shikamaru must be getting older if he was reminiscing on things like a old man, the Nara pushed the thoughts away as he reached his home.
The Nara head family home was a large traditional style home that was carved into one of the massive trees that made up the walls and structures of the compound. Most homes and buildings partially carved into trees that had been there for centuries. The Nara clan was old, in the time of the founders when the villages were forming the Nara had given part of their forest for the rest of the village to be built on in when they had joined the village. The elders had always said that the village had feared the Nara, that they other clans needed them.
But Shikamaru knew it was a bunch of shit. The Nara might be strong and wise but they were a small clan when it came to actual shinobi, Shikamaru figured it was because of the Nara's intelligence, they knew what it took to be a shinobi. While this saved the lives of civilians with enough chakra to be Ninja but not the mentality. It also meant that the Nara were a dying breed.
Shikamaru took off his shoes, Saya rubbing her hooves on the pad meant for animal companions, the pair stepped inside. Shikamaru slide the door shut behind him as Saya trotted away from him, off to settle next to Shoma if Shikamaru had to guess.
"Shikamaru is that you?" His mother called, peering around the corner as she wiped her hands dry on her apron.
"Yea Mom," The young adult said as he went to walk past her, halfway to the stairs before a fork sailing in inch from his face stopped him dead, he should really learn to remember that his mother used to be a shinobi.
"Is that anyway to greet your mother?" Yoshino snapped at her son, hands on her hips as Shinji fluttered around her head, chirping his head off like always. Shikamaru didn't know how his father had dealt with the woman for the last two decades.
"Hi mom." Shikamaru drawled turning to look at the woman. Shinji settled down, landing on Shikamaru's head and starting to preen his hair. The kestrel's sharp beak was always gentle with his companions son, despite all the screeching.
Yoshino relaxed slightly, a small smile on her lips as she watched her familiar. "Your dad said he wanted to talk to you." The woman said as she turned back towards the kitchen. Shinji gave a loc of Shikamaru's hair a sharp tug, yanking it from his ponytail before flying back to Yoshino. Shikamaru winced, glaring at the small bird before starting towards his fathers study.
As the Nara heir walked towards the room his father used for work, he absentmindedly looked at the carvings and paintings covering the walls, portraits of battles and carvings of deer with their human companions. When he was young Shikamaru would spend hours in these hallways, laying on a much smaller Saya and looking for every detail in the art. His father would come and sit with him. It was one of the few occasions he remembers spending time with his dad aside from training or shoji games.
Shikamaru paused before entering the room, bowing respectfully towards the large head of lady Shika carved into the wall above the entrance way, her large curving antlers reaching into the ceiling as her painted black eyes stared into nothingness. He always wondered what the clan founder would think of the tradition, if she was anything like her descendants she would probably hate it Shikamaru mussed, stepping into the room.
Shikaku was sitting at his desk, his hair was graying along his ears and beard, stubble on his cheeks from a few days of working. His eyes looked weary as they met Shikamaru's gaze. The room, like the hall outside, had carvings of deer running along the walls. Bookshelves were in every available corner, copies of their clans life work stacked in every nook and cranny.
Shoma, Shikaku's companion, was laying in one of the corners. a soft bed of moss and fabrics where Shikamaru used to lay when he was young. The buck was large, entirely black aside from a white clan symbol marking on his forehead and gray hairs creeping in that Shikamaru choose to ignore. Saya was next to the buck, her head resting on his flank, close as she could get without stabbing the older with her antlers. Her own dark pelt was broken up by her white legs and brown muzzle.
"Shikamaru." The younger Nara looked back up at the sound of his name, pushing away the distractions and too information that his brain always supplied him.
"Yes, dad?" Shikamaru settled down on one of the chairs meant for visitors. Shikaku rubbed at his temples.
"You know why your here?" Shikaku asked, looking at his son as he spoke.
Shikamaru knew why he was here. He had known for years what was coming but that didn't stop him from playing the fool as he always did. "Nope." Shikamaru didn't look up. Picking at his nails as he stared at the ground.
The young adult heard his fathers annoyed huff. "Don't play stupid Shikamaru. It's never suited you."
"That's never stopped you." The boy grumbled, scuffing his foot against the ground.
Shikaku ignored the childish comment. "I am getting older and you are reacting the right age to become the next clan head. Within the next few years you will be expected to take my place," Shikamaru didn't meet his fathers gaze. His eyes resolutely on the ground. "It's more then time you accept that fact Shikamaru." The young adult's hands tightened on his thighs, nails digging into his skin through his pants.
"The elders will expect you to find a partner, unless you want to be married off I suggest you find someone soon," Shikaku's voice continued on listing regulations and old traditions and a bunch of bullshit that Shikamaru had barely heard of let alone cared about. But his mind was stuck on 'married off' and Shikamaru might be a genius but Kami he was so stupid. He had though, foolishly, that in a clan as progressive and caring of its members one could not escape outdated laws. It hurt. For the clan, the family that he had been raised in and cared for would betray him like this.
Which was a stupid thought really- the herd its self wasn't to blame- keeping appearances, staying strong in the eyes of the village, these things came first. Shikamaru knew this, he knew this in the back of his mind for years and it had never really bothered him. Why should he care who he married? As long he wasn't nagged or bothered then he could be married to whoever the clan thought was best. But when he thought of being married to a random person pale eyes and golden brown hair filled his thoughts and- No. Shikamaru Nara wasn't in love with Neji Hyuuga. He wasn't. But that didn't mean he wanted to marry some random women- He couldn't- he-
A strong hand on his shoulder shook the young adult from his thoughts. His fathers dark eyes met his own, it was then Shikamaru realized he had been shaking slightly. The boy took a deep breath, inhaling his fathers soothing scent. Shikamaru slumped against his dad.
Shikaku stiffened slightly before relaxing and letting his fawn rest against his chest. The older Nara took out Shikamaru's hair tie, stroking his hair soothingly as he said, "I know Maru- I'm sorry that this is what you have to inherit. I will do everything I can to make this easier for you." Shikamaru let his ears droop, Saya coming over to the pair to rest her snout against her humans leg comfortingly.
Shikamaru felt small. He didn't want to be clan head, not when his father would always be better at then he was. He didn't want the man that had always seem so strong, so much bigger and braver and smarter than Shikamaru could ever be to be gone. His father would always be the clan head and Shikamaru would always feel like a clown in a role never meant for him. The Nara boy gave in and fully fell against his fathers strong chest, he had almost never done this as a child, the last time he had let made his father hold him was when Asuma died. And wasn't that a thought.
Shikaku ran one of his hands though his sons course black hair, careful around his antlers as the older man undoing the tangles that came from having your hair in a ponytail at all times. "I can give you a year, one year to find a mate and get used to the idea of leading but after that you will have to take on the responsibility of clan head."
Shikaku's voice buzzed against Shikamaru's head, the boy knew that this was the best deal he would get. Even a year was extremely generous, only made possible due to the fact that the village had just come out of a war. Shikamaru should be grateful and he was-
But he also had no idea what he was going to do.