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Chrysanthemum	By : AWickedMemory Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1189 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Title: Chrysanthemum

Author: D.A. Maxwell

Chapter: 04

A/N:

Okay, I'm an obsessive person. Here's Shikamaru's apartment: http://www.alo-draga.com/kirakira/floorplans/Shikamaru.gif

There's something exceedingly dissatisfying at times about how this chapter turned out, but I can't figure out what. So whatever. Here it is. ^^v
UPDATE: As the lovely pen_name informed me, in Shippuden, Neji is the jounin and Shikamaru is still chuunin. XD This going back to "I haven't seen/read it!" and fics being a scattering of all sorts of rankings, in addition to the character guide I was using apparently being wrong... in short, oops. But I'm going to leave it at Shikamaru=Jounin and Neji=Chuunin because this chapter won't make sense otherwise. *bows low in apology*
There's something exceedingly dissatisfying about how this chapter turned out, but I can't figure out what. So whatever. Here it is. ^^v

     Travellyr: XD I'm glad I can make you wriggle with happiness. I'm not actually satisfied with how I wrote Shikamaru, as I'm still getting a feel for it, but hopefully things'll improve. ^^v As an aside, you write the kind of fic reviews I often do-- building up of things I like. XD Thank you, and happy reading!

     Drivven Labyrinth: Thank you. ^^; My updates will probably get slower as the story goes on, though, because there's this annoying thing called Real Life. >_> But oh, well~

     pen_name: Wait, wait, wait-- Shikamaru is tone deaf? Really??? XD I actually have never seen that used in fanfics. (Insert reminder here that I haven't actually watched/read much Naruto.) Well, good to know! ♥ The drawing thing just kind of struck me out of the blue when I was musing on the chibi diagram. XD Thank you, though!

     solitare1: The more I can nudge you toward liking ShikaNeji, the happier a fic writer I'd be. :D Thanks, lovely~

--

     6:30 AM: The first to rise the next morning, Neji took a quick shower before folding up the blankets and setting them on the couch. He settled down with Shikamaru's artbook again, flipping through and examining each picture more carefully.
     7:45 AM: Once he'd gone cover-to-cover, he took a look at Shikamaru's shelves, selected a book, and curled up on the couch to read.
     9:50 AM: His stomach grumbled at the same time he rose again to put the completed book away. He pulled out another.
     10:50 AM: Finishing this shorter book as well, Neji returned it to the bookshelf. He frowned as he gazed outside the balcony, observing that it was now the middle of the day, and his host still hadn't gotten up.
     11:10 AM: Giving up after another twenty minutes, he took his pillow, entered Shikamaru's bedroom-- he'd left the door open, after all-- and eyed the curled up bundle of blankets. It's summer, what does he need a blanket and three sheets for? he thought with disdain. Walking closer, Neji tilted his head, examining the best angle. He lifted the pillow, weighing it thoughtfully-- then swung, smacking the sleeping ninja with it. "How late are you planning to sleep?" he griped.
     Jumping at the attack and nearly rolling off the bed in his tangle of blankets, Shikamaru glared sleepily at the Hyuuga. He narrowed his dark eyes, silent, but he hardly looked threatening with his drowsy head and sleep-mussed hair being the only things visible from outside of the blankets.
     "Well?" Unnerved by the non-reaction, Neji frowned and crossed his arms-- before the pillow was pulled from his loose grip by a hand-shaped shadow, and he suddenly found himself getting hit with it instead. "H-- you-- What?! Wh-- argh! Stop that!" Neji cried as he used his arms to block the pillow that continued to assault him, giving him no time to even make a seal of his own. He backed away from the bed several steps, but the pillow-barrage simply followed after.
     Then, without any further notice, the pillow dropped harmlessly onto the ground. Neji stared at it in mild shock, arms still upraised, and unable to fully comprehend the fact that he had just gotten viciously attacked to the point of defenselessness-- by a pillow.
     "Good morning to you, too," Shikamaru drawled as he finally untangled himself from the covers-- and Neji couldn't help but notice the fact that Shikamaru apparently didn't wear a shirt to bed, but good god, that man had better not be in the habit of walking around in his birthday suit-- enough to reach over to his nightstand, open the drawer, and remove a pack of cigarettes and some matches. Lighting the cancerstick, he leaned back against the headboard and yawned. "Might I ask why you felt the need to pummel me with my own pillow?"
     "Do you realize how late it is?" Neji demanded as he removed the wrap from his now-mussed hair, running his hand through the long, dark locks in an effort to smooth out the fresh mess before retying it. Although he wasn't nearly as fussy with his hair as people seemed to think, the struggle moments before had pulled half of it loose and spread irritating strands all over his face. "How do you get anything done if you sleep nearly to noon like this? And what do you think you're doing, smoking in your bed? The ashes will get everywhere!"
     Shikamaru shrugged one shoulder lazily, tapping the end of the cigarette against the ashtray on the nightstand. "You would make an alarmingly good housewife, Hyuuga," he drawled. "Perfect portrait of my mother right there."
     "Very funny," Neji snapped sarcastically.
     The other man rolled his eyes. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the blankets. "You always this grumpy in the mornings?"
     Neji shook his head, more of an exasperated gesture rather than actually in response to the question. "Aren't you even hungry? It's been almost twenty-four hours since we ate."
     "Is that what this was about? Missing breakfast?" Shikamaru let out a slow breath of smoke. "You're welcome to anything in the kitchen, y'know." A thought occurred to him, and he looked at Neji again. "How long have you been up, anyway?"
     Neji crossed his arms. "Five hours," he replied in a flat voice.
     Shikamaru gave a low whistle. "Crazy, why would you do that? Do you ever sleep in?"
     "Why would I?" Neji frowned. "Sleeping in is a waste of time when I could be doing more productive things. Besides, Hiashi-sama doesn't allow us to sleep past eight." He blinked at Shikamaru's horrified expression. "What?"
     "Has he... always been like that?" Shikamaru asked hesitantly. When Neji cautiously nodded, the older nin grimaced and motioned for Neji to come closer as he put out his cigarette and set it on the ashtray.
     Neji hesitated, intuitively not trusting what Shikamaru may do after that sort of reaction, but took a step closer. Shikamaru gestured for more, but this time, Neji stood his ground. "What is it?" he asked irritably. Shikamaru eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, then put his hands together. Realizing what he was about to do, Neji's eyes widened and he bolted to the side... but he was a moment too late.
     The shadows holding his arms suddenly lifted him bodily into the air before more took hold of his legs. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, struggling to writhe free of the jutsu. When he found himself being gently laid down on the bed, however, he froze and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Nara--"
     "Hyuuga," Shikamaru returned evenly, "shut up and go back to sleep." Letting go of the jutsu, he grabbed one of the blankets and dropped it around the startled ninja staring up at him. Neji tried to sit up, but Shikamaru pushed him back down with a frown and held the blanket in place. "Your uncle's not here. Go back to sleep."
     "I've been up for five hours, I'm not going to be able to just fall asleep in the middle of the day like that," Neji snapped, briefly pausing in fighting off the covers to eye the Nara as if he'd gone insane.
     "Then close your eyes and pretend. Rest and relaxation are good for you."
     "This isn't relaxing!"
     "It would be if you'd quit throwing a hissy-fit."
     "Get off me, Nara."
     "If you promise to shut up and try." Shikamaru smirked. "Can't do you any harm, can it? Stop thinking about training, or what your uncle would think, or missions, or whatever. Space out, let your mind wander, get rid of some of your tension-- it'll do you good. And that's an order."
     "You can't give me an order like that," Neji hissed. "You can't pull rank on my personal li--"
     "I can and I will," Shikamaru interrupted again. "If you're constantly stressing out and worrying about everything, being tense and edgy, it could harm your body, and that will impact your performance as a ninja. At the least, it'll fuck up your shoulder muscles in the long run, since I'm thinking that's probably where you carry your strain. You're one of the best chuunin Konoha has, and it would be a shame to lose you. So shut the hell up and go to sleep."
     Finishing his spiel, Shikamaru finally let go, tugged one of the sheets back over himself (at least he wore shorts to bed, Neji observed with relief), turned his back to his bedmate, and fell silent.
     A few minutes went by, and Shikamaru sighed. "You're thinking too much."
     "You're psychic now, are you?" Neji grumbled.
     "No, but you haven't moved at all. You can't possibly be comfortable frozen like that."
     "Pardon me for being distractedly hungry more than tired."
     Sighing again, Shikamaru sat up. Neji opened his eyes to glare at him. "What?"
     "Next time, you're sleeping in here so I can make sure you don't wake up at an ungodly hour again in the first place. Give me ten minutes, and I'll go make breakfast. Lunch. Whatever." Getting up, Shikamaru ambled over to the closet, pulled out some pants and a tank top, and dressed.
     Neji narrowed his eyes. Does he have no modesty whatsoever? "With a host as aggravating as you, who says I'm sleeping over again?"
     "Hmm... I'm thinking the line of o-miais that are inevitably headed your way pretty soon." Glancing back at him, Shikamaru smirked. "I've been having to deal with them, too. Why do you think I moved out? Mom was driving me nuts. But do as you please, Hyuuga-san." He exited the room, and a few moments later, there was the sound of running water from the bathroom as he washed his face. Padding to the kitchen, he pulled out a few ingredients, flicked on the stove, and began to cook.
     Meanwhile, Neji remained lying in the bed, brow furrowed. He hadn't in the past interacted very much with Shikamaru, but now that he had the opportunity, he kept finding himself surprised by him. Several things went through his mind: Shikamaru's comment on not everything being about getting better, his horrified reaction at the idea of regularly waking up by 8, the pillow fight, smoking, the strange sensation of being pinned down on the bed beneath h--
     Whoa. Okay. Bad train of thought, there.
     Sitting up quickly as he pushed off the covers, Neji stared down at the bed blankly. What the hell? Where did that thought come from? The jounin was exasperating at the very least, lazy to an extreme, with no ambition and no manners. Pushing the more uncomfortable thought aside, he focused on Shikamaru's worth as a ninja. Then how the hell did he rank faster than the rest of us?
     He spoke to instructors and other more experienced ninjas in the same flippant matter that he used with anybody of his own age, rather than using polite humility. He had terrible lifestyle habits, but he seemed fit as a fiddle. He could be horrifyingly direct at certain times, while completely ignoring conversation around him at other times.
     How did he have so many friends? Aside from his tendency to avoid doing anything more than the bare minimum of work, Neji couldn't remember ever hearing a single complaint about him. Still, he somehow seemed to have found a tactic that worked for him.
     And what was with the drawings?! They seemed completely out of place against everything he knew about Shikamaru-- which, admittedly, wasn't much. He wondered if even Ino and Chouji were aware of the fact; it wouldn't have surprised him if they, too, had been left in the dark.
     Like his shadows, Neji mused. He slips by unnoticed. Even when he should stand out, he's so casual about it that it doesn't even occur to anybody to wonder about what a strange person he is.
     Hearing sizzling from the kitchen, Neji lifted his gaze to the doorway and what he could see of the kitchen. The smell of french toast began wafting into the room, and Neji's stomach decided that it was time for a very loud reminder of its poor, deprived state.
     Getting up, Neji compulsively tidied the bed before heading out. He silently leaned against the entrance to the kitchen, watching Shikamaru cook with a frown.
     "You're welcome to fetch yourself a drink or something, you know," Shikamaru suggested without ever turning around. To his credit, he also didn't ask why Neji had lingered in the room for so long. Stirring from his speculative thoughts, Neji moved to do as suggested.
     The rest of breakfast went by without incident, and very few words were exchanged between the two young men-- Neji remaining lost in his thoughts and not one for conversation to begin with, and Shikamaru being himself. As Neji was preparing to leave, however, there was a knock on the door.
     Shikamaru stared at it for a moment before shaking his head and getting up. "Damn it," he muttered, increasingly tired of people coming to call. He opened the door and stepped automatically to the side to allow Hyuuga Hiashi in. They nodded in acknowledgement to each other.
     Hiashi caught his nephew's eyes, and the two stood in silence as Shikamaru closed the door and went to stand out of the way in the kitchen. Hiashi was the first to finally break the increasingly awkward silence.
     "Neji."
     "Good day, Hiashi-sama."
     "Why haven't you come home?"
     "I was just about to leave, sir."
     "Last night."
     "It was late. I didn't want to disturb the household coming in."
     "You're a ninja, you're more than capable of silently working your way in."
     "It seemed demeaning to have to sneak back into my own home. But as I stated, I was about to depart now."
     Hiashi cleared his throat, obviously not buying the excuse. "You'd best hurry, then. Moeko-san will be coming to visit with her husband and their daughter in two hours."
     Tensing immediately, Neji fought to keep his expression neutral. "..."
     "Neji, you need not act as if you're being sent to your death. How do you expect to find an appropriate lady if you keep refusing to meet with any of them? You're nineteen-- you're not a child anymore, and you must bear your responsibilities to your clan."
     Responsibilities? Neji mentally sneered. Right-- responsibility to fall into an arranged marriage and breed, produce offspring so that they can be branded with this goddamn seal and be forced to pander to Hinata and her children?
     Seeming to guess some of his thoughts, Hiashi shot him a Look, but continued anyway. "I can't say that I approve of every proposal that has come up-- or most of them-- or, really, any of them," he sighed. "But that was my mistake in not beginning the process last year. However, they're a formality that must be observed. You've left many mothers quite angry, Neji, and as a representative of the Hyuuga family, this is unacceptable. I'm not asking you to yield to every o-miai offer that's presented to you, but you've been behaving exceedingly disrespectfully."
     When Neji didn't respond, Hiashi stepped closer. He flinched when the older man put his hands on his shoulders, but when no reprimand followed, he looked up in confusion. Hiashi watched him with a concerned look.
     "Neji, right now, I'm not saying this as the head of the clan. I'm speaking as your worried uncle. You make no effort to socialize with others--" Pausing for a moment, he glanced at Shikamaru curiously before turning back to his nephew. "-- And yet, you don't yield to arranged meetings, either. It's your decision who and when to marry, but you're well of age, and the elders are becoming irritable with waiting. Hinata is bearing the same responsibilities you are, and it won't be long before Hanabi does as well. As the eldest, more is expected of you. We're not looking at you as a member of the branch house, as you seem to assume, but as a healthy, intelligent young man in my care who seems no closer to settling down."
     Trying not to overtly display his wounded pride at being lectured before Shikamaru-- they weren't even really friends, after all-- Neji lowered his head in shame. "My apologies, Hiashi-sama."
     Letting go of him, Hiashi crossed his arms. "... How about a compromise?"
     Looking up quickly, Neji's brow furrowed. A compromise? "Sir?"
     "I will be selective. If I say that you are to meet with somebody, you are to meet with them. There will be no questions, no avoidance, and no arguing. However," Hiashi added, "if I do not approve of a meeting ahead of time, then you will be free to do as you please, and I will make excuses for you. Is that agreeable?"
     He'll cover for me? A bit stunned at the thought, Neji nodded mutely. At best, he'd expected a rant on how he was shaming the family or behaving selfishly; at worst, being dragged forcibly back to endure every meeting. But aside from hand-selected individuals, he was being given the choice? Hiashi himself had said just moments before that he hadn't been satisfied with any of the eligible girls brought to him yet-- and the number was high indeed, considering what family wouldn't want to land a member of the Hyuugas? The highly praised, handsome cousin to the heiress, no less-- so it seemed that Hiashi had standards for him as well.
     Watching his silent peer, Shikamaru smirked. It seems that Hiashi threw him for a loop, he observed with amusement, taking somewhat of a sadistic delight in Neji's discomfort. Good. Maybe he'll relax a little. ... Nah, probably not.
     Sighing, Hiashi took a step back. "It's agreed, then. However, today's meeting is mandatory-- Moeko-san's father is a valued friend to our clan, and her daughter would be an acceptable asset to the family. You have the next two hours to yourself, but I expect you to be home and ready for a formal meeting before they arrive."
     Neji nodded again, belatedly adding a "Yes, sir" after a moment.
     Hiashi turned to Shikamaru and bowed slightly; after all, age or no age, the Nara was a jounin, and demanded a level of respect. "My apologies for intruding."
     Shikamaru shrugged casually. "It's fine. Clan politics, I know." Hiashi hesitated, and the younger man smiled. "And yes, I spoke to 'him'. Don't worry, the ball's started to roll."
     Returning the smile with a politely distant one, Hiashi bowed again before heading for the door; this time, Shikamaru returned the bow. Neji's musings on the young man came creeping back to him as he wondered again how on earth Shikamaru managed to succeed so well, and so effortlessly.
     Once Hiashi had gone, Shikamaru glanced at Neji and raised an eyebrow. Neji glared at him. "Don't you dare laugh."
     Smirking again, Shikamaru raised his hands in a peacekeeping gesture. "Hey, wasn't planning to. I told you, I've been dealing with the same 'arranged marriages' bullshit that you have. Not nearly at your level, I'm guessing, but... well, you've never met my mother."
     "From how you make her out to be, I wouldn't want to," Neji grimaced. "But you should be more deferential to her."
     At that, Shikamaru did laugh. "Are you kidding? If I were 'deferential' to her, she'd think I'd lost my mind. Dad's already completely whipped. But anyway, you should get going."
     "I know."
     "It was nice of him to compromise."
     "I... am in agreement."
     Shikamaru snorted. "Is it so hard to just say 'yeah'? Quit with all that formal speech fluff, Hyuuga."
     Neji scowled a bit as he headed for the door. "I'll speak however I damn well please."
     To his surprise, Shikamaru grinned as he followed to lock up after him. "Ah, that's much better. Assuming you survive this meeting, I'll see you around. Next time you feel like fleeing."
     "Don't count on it," Neji retorted as he opened the door. He paused in the doorway, then glanced back. "... But thank you. Aside from a few moments when I wanted to cut off your chakra points, it was an unexpectedly--" Surprising. "-- pleasant visit." he nodded in farewell, and Shikamaru waved back.
     Watching the chuunin walk down the hall, Shikamaru leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms. "... Hm. Well, that was strange." He yawned. But damn, Tsunade'll be expecting a mission report today, he sighed. There goes my two days of sleep. Shaking his head, he re-entered his apartment, shut the door, and returned to his quiet life.
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Chrysanthemum