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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.

Chapter List
- 5
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Title: Chrysanthemum

Author: D.A. Maxwell

Chapter: 06

A/N:

     This chapter's dedicated to BrevityOfWit because she asked about it. :D

     So, I'll be shooting for updating a chapter a week. I know I wrote the first five chapters in one week, but that's not something my schedule typically allows for. XD And man, did it lead to a lot of nights with not enough sleep! But hey, I needed my ShikaNeji fix somehow. :3 So I wrote Kitchen instead. :3 (By the way, thank you to everybody who read/commented on that! ♥ You make me a happy-- surprised, but happy-- fic author. ♥)

REVIEWS:

     SGOU: Thank you. ^^; Personally, I like mine better as well. XD That sounds horribly egotistical, and I don't mean to, but really-- if Kishimoto-sensei's gonna give a character such a cool power, let him really USE it! �(^o^)/�

     Travellyr: Something about "Go, deprived, defensive Neji-man, go! SLEEP IN!" makes me really giddily amused. =D It's a race to the... not doing anything. ^___^ Hee. Thanks for reading, lovely! ♥

     pen_name: Nope, it was total cluelessness. XD Dahaha. I can admit it. But yeah, I know what that's like... my cousin is really into anime, but is also insanely religious. So you can guess that yaoi ain't his thing. *sigh* Alas. ^_^ Thank youuuu for reading and reviewing! ♥ R&R makes the world go 'round~ :D

     luxeflex: ^_^ Thank you. I hope this satisfies your curiosity. =P

     SecretQuill: Hee. In time, my dear, in time. XD Thank you for reading! ♥

     Sasurto: ^____^;; Sorry, I'm gonna be disappointing you a bit. Like the fic summary says, the most I'm planning to include is innuendo. Writing sex generally bores me. XD

--

     "KANPAI!"
     Neji winced as glasses clinked against glasses. He could just imagine the mess that would be made if any of those glasses were to break, and took a moment to be thankful that the celebration wasn't taking place at the Hyuuga mansion.
     He and his friends and peers-- Rock Lee, Tenten, Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, and of course, Shikamaru-- were gathered in a cabin somewhere deep in the Nara forests. Abundant quantities of sake-- and some juice for Lee-- had been poured, and snacks were available on various platters scattered around. As the cabin generally served only as a resting place for clan members trekking through, there was no real furniture: they'd brought some blankets and cushions, but were otherwise sitting solely on the cold, wooden floor.
     It had taken some persuading of Yoshino to allow them to use the cabin, but Shikaku had eventually overridden her protests and given his son the go-ahead, even going so far as to provide the drinks. It was thanks to him that they were now bunched together to celebrate Neji's promotion to jounin status.
     The news had only arrived a few days before, when Tsunade had summoned Neji to her office.
     "Thank you for coming," Tsunade greeted.
     "Is there a problem?" Neji asked with a slight frown.
     "Oh, no, not at all," Tsunade assured in a dismissive tone as she held out an envelope. "This is for you. Go ahead, read it here-- I'll need it back in a second."
     Confused as to why he'd be given something only to have it be returned within moments, Neji accepted the envelope and opened it up. He slid out the letter inside and unfolded it, reading quickly over the contents.
     And then reading again.
     And again.
     "Well?" Tsunade asked, leaning back in her chair and tapping her fingers impatiently against the desk. "I'd imagine you'll accept?"
     "I-- of course," Neji confirmed with a nod, finally tearing his eyes away from the letter to stare at the godaime in confusion. "But I don't understand... why now?"
     Tsunade's fingers stilled. "Do you really not get it?" Neji tensed, a bitter taste in his mouth at the condescending words, but he held his tongue. Rather than scold him or take the appointment away, Tsunade eyed him in silence for a moment, then laughed. "I guess not. Okay.
     "We've all been fully aware that you've been working hard and giving it your all to become a jounin in the last couple of years. You've taken difficult missions, accepted one job after another, stayed late at the training grounds and arrived early to train... in short, you've been working your ass off. Don't think that we didn't appreciate it, but being a jounin doesn't mean you have to be a workaholic.
     "I'm not sure what's been going on in your life, but these last two months, you've become much more... well, relaxed."
     Neji stared at her, not understanding what this would have to do with his promotion. She sighed, then continued.
     "To be a jounin means to be a leader. To be a leader means to be in charge of the organization and welfare of a group of subordinates. A leader who is going to storm headfirst into battle and push everybody to complete a mission no matter what will only slip up sooner or later, and somebody will get hurt. Most likely sooner rather than later. In addition, while it's important to be firm with your team, working them to death isn't very conducive toward building group strength or raising morale.
     "Finally, a jounin is a model for others. If other ninjas see a jounin who pushes him or herself too hard, constantly to the point of exhaustion, overstressed and unsympathetic and unyielding, then either that's what they'll strive to be, or they'll lose the motivation to become a jounin themselves. Do you think that would make for a very good team of ninjas?"
     Neji swallowed.
     "Well? This isn't a rhetorical question, Hyuuga," Tsunade drawled.
     Neji quickly shook his head. "No."
     "There you have it," Tsunade finished. "You've mellowed out a little, don't put in ridiculous hours into training, and have been helping others train themselves more. Without so much strain in your body from running yourself ragged, your moves are smoother as well. You're not as standoffish as you used to be, and you have more patience than before, when the slightest mistake would have make you frustrated and upset. Rumour has it that you even smile from time to time. You've become a shining example of a strong, self-assured, mature ninja, and that's what we want to see in a jounin."
     "... I understand," Neji replied after taking a moment to realize that the woman before him wanted some sort of verbal response.
     "Good." Tsunade smiled, then picked up a pen and held it out. "Then if you'll accept the position, please sign along the line at the bottom. I'll notarize it, and it will be done. Congratulations."
     Neji took a sip of his sake, remaining quiet as the others chattered around him. Tenten attempted several times to hold his attention long enough for a proper conversation, but he kept distractedly zoning out and having to apologize when she'd snap him back to reality. She eventually gave up and scooted away to the opposite corner of the cabin to engage Hinata in conversation instead. (Much to her frustration, Hinata, too, proved to be a poor conversation partner, as she'd blush, duck her head, and take a mental vacation from reality anytime Naruto would so much as look at her. Which he seemed to be doing quite a bit.)
     Neji was happy, of course, even if it didn't necessarily show. He'd finally gotten the promotion he'd longed for, and then his friends had gone and thrown him a surprise party in congratulation. Ino decorated the cabin with flowers and an Omedetou, Neji-kun! banner, Sakura made some sweets, Chouji provided chips, Hinata ordered mini-sandwiches, Tenten brought vegetable sticks, and Kiba, Shino (who had been dragged by Hinata and Kiba, not really knowing Neji himself), Lee and Naruto had pitched in the money for the drinks.
     And then Shikamaru.
     Of course, the Nara stubbornly claimed that he'd done nothing. "You really think I'd want the hassle of organizing a social event? Come on-- all I did was mention the word 'party' around Ino, and she took off with the idea. Blame her," he'd insisted. Neji knew better, but didn't press him on the matter. The promotion was thanks to him, really.
     For the last two months, he'd found himself going over to Shikamaru's more and more often: once a week at first, then twice, then staying for a weekend, then spending a night at home just to come right back. He practically lived there, or at least it certainly felt like it, and Shikamaru made sure that he got enough rest.
     Neji smiled fleetingly at the memories, the expression change so subtle that nobody caught it.
     The morning after Satou, Momoko and the smoothies, Neji woke up at 6:30, as usual. To his surprise, he'd slept incredibly soundly, and for the first time ever, found himself somewhat reluctant to get out of bed. Still, the day called.
     As soon as he sat up, however, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. "What the--?!"
     "Go back t' sleep," Shikamaru mumbled, pulling his arm back beneath the cozy covers. His eyes were still closed, ponytail a mess against the pillow, bedding bunched up around him, but Neji shifting around on the bed had woken him, just as he'd expected.
     Neji frowned. "Maybe you should get up instead."
     "Or maybe you should go back to sleep."
     "I don't think--"
     "Hyuuga. Shut up and lie the fuck down. Don't make me pin you."
     Neji's eyes widened. He wouldn't... would he? Still, some part of him knew better, and after his confusion the last time he'd been bodily held against the mattress, he had no desire to experience it again. Really. The strange warmth had been from anger and embarrassment, of course, and the nervous unnerving flip-flop of his stomach had been due to being at a disadvantage. Naturally. After all, it wasn't as if he'd felt funny while he was pinned-- the physiological reaction had come after Shikamaru had already let go.
     But why was he overanalyzing it, anyway?
     Yawning, Shikamaru wriggled to his back and squinted sleepily at him. "Neji. Hiashi's not around. It's a Saturday. It's cold. You don't know how to cook anything for breakfast, and I'm not budging until noon. Go back to sleep."
     "How many hours of sleep do you think you need?" Neji griped, although he did reluctantly crawl back beneath the blankets to stare up at the ceiling. A voice at the back of his mind nagged him, reminding him repeatedly at how awkward the situation was: here he was, in the bed of the jounin, a man he barely knew, wearing his clothes, sleeping beside him. Despite that voice's arguments, however, he found himself strangely... comfortable.
     Shikamaru smiled, closing his eyes again and stretching before adjusting the covers around himself. Neji's eyes instinctively followed the movement of his arms, noting the muscles ripple as he moved around. "It's not really about sleeping. It's just relaxing. Admit it-- it's comfortable, isn't it?"
     Unwilling to submit so completely, Neji refused to acquiesce. "I'm not going to admit anything."
     Snorting, Shikamaru blinked his eyes open to eye his companion with faint amusement. "Very mature, Hyuuga."
     "You're the one who wants to sleep for fourteen hours."
     "I just said it wasn't about sleeping," Shikamaru sighed. "Look, it's not gonna hurt you to relax for a few more hours."
     "A few? You want to laze around until noon," Neji reminded. "That's five and a half hours from now."
     "Yeah. Three, five and a half, same difference," Shikamaru smirked.
     Neji turned his head to glare. "Sleep as long as you want. That doesn't mean I have to."
     "But you should. Exhaustion and stress are bad for you."
     "So are cigarettes." The words popped out before Neji could stop to think, and he tensed. Surely the Nara would interpret that as a dismissal of his teacher, an insensitive criticism, a--
     Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, dark eyes taking in the sense of guilt in the other man's pale ones. After a moment, he looked away and let out a deep, slow breath. "So if I try to cut back on smoking, will you try to rest more? At least while you're here, anyway. I'm not going to be monitoring your place or anything; you can stress out as much as you'd like there."
     Thrown completely off-guard, Neji propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at Shikamaru. "... Why would you do that? Sacrifice your smoking just so I... relax?"
     Shikamaru shrugged, an interesting feat considering he was still lying down with a pillow in the way of his shoulders. "Because you're right. It's terrible for me. I've only been smoking for a few years, but I get out of breath more easily, and cough more if I get sick. Then it's such a pain to deal with Sakura ranting at me for not taking care of myself." He grimaced. "Why are we having a conversation at six-thirty in the morning?"
     "Because I don't feel like sleeping. I'm not tired," Neji retorted.
     Shikamaru easily called his bluff. "Liar," he shot back simply. Letting out an annoyed breath and muttering something about being awake being such a waste of a Saturday, he rolled over, dropped an arm across Neji's torso, and pulled him down.
     Too startled to immediately fight, Neji lifted his head to stare down at the arm. "What are you--"
     "Shut up and go to sleep," Shikamaru mumbled, face buried against the pillow. Neji glared at him, fully intent on shoving him off, getting out of bed, and storming out of the room to prove that yes, he could in fact cook breakfast. (Theoretically.) Still...
     Something about having a warm arm draped comfortably over him like that felt... strange. Rather than feeling suffocating or cumbersome, as he'd always assumed the position would be, it was strangely familiar and... cozy. He thought that was the word for it, anyway; he couldn't really recall any other 'cozy' moments to compare against. Comforting, maybe. The other man certainly looked comfortable, at any rate, almost immediately starting to drop back off into sleep.
     He would push him off in a second. The bed really was nice-- mattress soft but firm, blankets fluffy, and sheets smooth-- what was its thread count?-- and the presence of somebody else sleeping nearby was unexpectedly soothing. He'd just lie there a few more minutes, then he'd get up... really... or maybe he'd just have a short doze... that sounded nice...
     That day, neither had woken up again until 10. They'd compromised: since Neji had slept in for three and a half hours, Shikamaru resigned himself to getting up two hours earlier than planned. They'd had a nice omelette for breakfast-- the first in what would become a series of cooking lessons-- before leaving the apartment, Neji to train and Shikamaru to go find a nice field to lie in.
     These days, Neji went home when he was needed-- either for an o-miai, or if he were to train with Hinata or Hanabi. Aside from that, he generally spent four or five days at Shikamaru's. Neither of them had ever discussed the arrangement, and at times Neji wondered if he was being burdensome, but Shikamaru never really seemed to care.
     That ambivalence was incredibly refreshing to the Hyuuga, who was used to a life of tension and formality and strict rules of behaviour and lifestyle. More than anything else, that was what he seemed to crave as he found himself at the Nara's doorstep time and time again.
     And Shikamaru always, always made them sleep in. Any morning that Neji tried to get up, Shikamaru would stir from his sleep long enough to drag him back down and, as he would put it, "talk sense into him." When they'd finally get up, they'd eat, then do whatever was planned for the day-- sometimes go to work, sometimes stay home and relax. Rarely did they go out together, however, as whatever sort of friendship they had seemed best maintained in the privacy of the apartment. After all, heaven forbid that Hyuuga Neji be seen socializing instead of training, and Nara Shikamaru was known to avoid the hassle of going out whenever possible.
     Neji had realized over time that for somebody so lazy, Shikamaru read a lot. Certainly more than anybody else he ever met. The books on his three bookshelves seemed to completely change nearly on a weekly basis, and it had taken several visits for Neji to realize that Shikamaru had a habit of borrowing and lending out books regularly with friends and neighbours. For instance, Satou-- who wanted to become a medic-- constantly borrowed medical reference books, and in return, she'd lend Shikamaru cookbooks or historical fiction.
     When reminded that cooking took more effort than he was usually willing to commit to anything, Shikamaru would point out that if he tended to only eat two meals a day and not bother with snacks in between, it was better to cook properly and have something healthy than resort to trash. Hence, he read cookbooks.
     Reading and cooking seemed to be right up there in hobbies with drawing.
     Speaking of which...
     "You never did show me that one picture," he murmured as Shikamaru sat down beside him, having grown tired of listening to Chouji and Ino bicker.
     Glancing at him, the younger of the two jounins gave him one of his genuine smiles, almost as rare as Neji's own any smiles. What an insignificant thing to remember. "You're right," he confirmed. "I got stuck on a part, so I tore it up and tossed it out."
     Neji almost dropped his plate, staring at his friend. The idea that Shikamaru threw away any of his drawings had never even occurred to him. "What? Why? You couldn't just fix whatever was bothering you?"
     "Nope. Didn't like any of it, really, so I started over," Shikamaru assured. Frowning, Neji thought of the white sketchbook and wondered which of the latest sketches it was. Guessing his thoughts, however, Shikamaru shook his head. "It's not in there."
     "I've never seen you draw anywhere else," Neji remarked in confusion. Really, with how often he was there, he'd have expected that by now...
     "Mmhmm." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Relax, you'll see it eventually. I'm stuck on another part, but the rest of it seems decent so far."
     "The rest of what?" Naruto asked, dropping down between them. Shikamaru gave him a Look, but he ignored it to pat Neji on the back. "Anyway, congrats, Neji! You've been working hard for this, so it's great! I kinda figured you'd get promoted forever ago, but who knows what Tsunade-baba's ever thinking?"
     Neji eyed him warily. He still didn't like how much time Naruto and Hinata seemed to be spending together lately, but he knew he should make an effort to be polite. "Thank you, Naruto."
     "Yeah, Hinata's way proud of you, too!"
     Effort, effort... "Really, now?"
     "Yeah, totally! She's who I heard about it from, after all!"
     The effort was giving him a headache. Shikamaru obviously trying not to snicker at him didn't help, and he cast the man an annoyed look. "Uh-huh."
     "She's really smart, y'know that? I guess it must run in the Hyuuga blood or something!"
     Maybe Sakura or Ino carried some aspirin on them somewhere. "I guess."
     "And the other night, we were having dinner, and--"
     "Naruto," Shikamaru interrupted. "You might want to shut up before Neji hurts you."
     Blinking, Naruto peered at Neji. "Huh? Why?"
     Neji scowled at him. "Do you really want me to grill you on your intentions with my cousin right here?"
     "Intentions?" The blond tilted his head in confusion, then shrugged. "I have nothing to hide. I like hanging out with Hinata. She's cool! And it's so cute whenever she blushes, and--" He stopped when he found a Hyuuga glare directed at him. "Um..."
     "You just called her 'cute'," Neji spat.
     "You don't think so? She's like a shy little kitten or something," Naruto continued on, not entirely oblivious to the older man's annoyance but not understanding it, either. "Even when she drinks milk, she takes these tiny little sips, and it's like a cat lapping at a--"
     "Okay, that's enough," Shikamaru cut in with a sigh. "Naruto, go tell all this to Hinata, make her day. Neji's not the one you should be gushing at."
     Naruto's eyes widened. "Wh-- what?! I can't, I--"
     "Sure you can. You just need to get some more sake in your system," Shikamaru reassured.
     "Nara!" Neji snapped, not at all pleased with the suggestion.
     "Hyuuga," Shikamaru returned, as unconcerned as ever. Naruto opened his mouth to jump back into the conversation, but when Shikamaru shooed him away, he reluctantly gave up and decided to leave Neji alone. He made his way straight over to Hinata, dropping down beside her and smiling when she went red and looked up with a shy smile.
     Once he was gone, Shikamaru turned to Neji again and raised an eyebrow. "Temper, temper," he chided mildly, smirking at the annoyed look he received in response.
     "Sometimes, I don't know why I stay with you," Neji grumbled under his breath. It was fortunate that nobody was nearby enough to overhear and misinterpret the words-- particularly any of the girls.
     Although they didn't go out of their way to keep secret how often Neji would visit, they never advertised it, either. Some of their peers had picked up that they seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time together-- Chouji and Hinata, for instance, realized very quickly-- but most of the other young adults were too caught up in their own lives to notice. They certainly weren't complaining.
     Rather than responding to the comment, Shikamaru poured him another shot of sake. "Enough bitching, Neji. It's supposed to be a happy day for you, right? Perk up."
     Neji looked around at the group. People were smiling, laughing, drinking and snacking, chatting with friends and catching up. Everybody was relaxed, everybody was comfortable-- everybody was happy. There was no reason to get tense or be snappish, no reason to try to maintain his rigid self-control.
     Two or three months ago, it wouldn't even have been up for debate. He'd have told Shikamaru to go to hell, kept his stoic visage, and remained stiff and tense until everybody was gone. But even he could admit that he wasn't quite the same person he was two months ago, and perhaps it was for the best. Tsunade, at least, certainly seemed to think so.
     Tipping his head back, he downed the shot.
     --
     It was 1 PM the next day by the time everybody had woken up, gotten over their hangovers, cleaned up, nibbled on remaining snacks, and left. Shikamaru and Neji dropped by the house long enough to thank Shikaku-- Yoshino was out at the market-- before making their way back to Shikamaru's apartment. They chatted idly along the way from time to time, but for the most part, they walked in companionable silence.
     When they arrived at the apartment door, Neji stood to the side to allow Shikamaru to admit them in. However, instead of unlocking the door as usual, Shikamaru fished around in his pocket, withdrew the key, then casually held it out to Neji.
     Neji stared at it blankly as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "... What?"
     "Take it," Shikamaru sighed.
     "Why?" Neji asked, brow furrowed in confusion as he held out a hand.
     Shikamaru dropped the key onto his palm, then took a step back and motioned for Neji to go ahead. Giving him a strange look, Neji did as directed. He unlocked the door, pushing it in and warily stepping inside. Nothing seemed unusual, so once he'd shut the door after the apartment's tenant, he shook his head as he handed back the key. "What was the point of that?"
     "Just wanted to make sure it worked," Shikamaru replied nonchalantly as he kicked off his shoes and walked toward the bedroom to hang up his coat, brushing past Neji without taking back the key.
     Neji stared after him as he disappeared into the room, then looked down at the key. Stepping out of his own shoes to not track dirt into the apartment, he followed after the other man. "Shikamaru, why...?"
     Pulling a pack of cigarettes from the nightstand on his way out and lighting it-- the first one that day, as true to his word, he'd been cutting back-- Shikamaru glanced neutrally at the older man. "You're tired of being locked out when I'm not around, right?"
     But you didn't have to... Unsure of what to say, and completely thrown off-guard by the personal gesture, Neji eyed the key again before slowly, cautiously, nodding once.
     "Well, then, there you go," Shikamaru shrugged as he sidestepped him to get out the door. "Sandwiches okay for lunch, or you want something bigger?"
     "Sandwiches are fine." Shaking his head to pull himself from his reverie, Neji trailed after him.
     --
     Twenty-five minutes later, they were seated at the shougi table now always kept set up in the main room. Their partially eaten sandwiches sat on plates beside them, mostly forgotten as their attentions stayed focused on the game.
     Neither of them heard the knock at first, but a second knock cut sharply through the trance-like atmosphere just as Neji set down a piece. Almost without thinking, Shikamaru immediately blocked it and captured another before getting up to answer the door, leaving Neji to stare at the board and wondering how the hell he hadn't seen that move coming.
     Shikamaru had hardly started to open the door before swung in sharply and Yoshino entered with a potted plant in her arm. "I can't believe you didn't even wait for me to come home first, just leaving like that while I was out!" she scolded, setting the plant on the counter to shrug off her coat and shove it at her son to hang.
     The black-haired young man stared at her. "... What are you doing here, and why did you bring that with you?"
     Yoshino shot him an impatient look before picking up the blue spider mum again and carrying it into the main room. "What sort of greeting is that to your mother? Hello, Neji, dear, and congratulations on your promotion. I was hoping you and a few of your friends were planning to stay over until dinner-- I was all set to make a cake for you, but to come home and find that the lazy brat had whisked you off--! And that my worthless husband had let him." She sighed as she set the plant in the corner of the room, fussing with its leaves a bit and dusting some imaginary dust from the slim petals. "Anyway, there was a woman selling some of these at the market, and I thought it would be just the thing to add some colour to this drab apartment. Especially after you shoved that poor fern out onto the balcony, honey-- it's going to freeze to death in the winter, and I don't trust that you'll remember to bring it in-- do you even water the thing?"
     Neji stared with a slightly open mouth as she slid open the balcony door and stepped outside to inspect the fern. The woman was quite nice to him-- he was convinced it was because he was a Hyuuga, although Shikamaru had tried to tell him that it was his proper manners-- but he never had quite become comfortable with her. Two months was not nearly enough time to get used to Nara Yoshino.
     Shikamaru quietly closed the front door, walking back into the room and lounging against a wall. He exchanged wry smiles with Neji before looking up as the woman came back in. "It needs water?" he asked drily, just to annoy her.
     Yoshino's eyes flashed at him and she put her hands on her hips. "Shikamaru! Honestly, haven't you learned a thing from me all these years?"
     "Mom, I don't need a plant. It's a hassle to care for."
     "You water it once a week! Is that so difficult?"
     "And change the pot as it grows, makes sure it gets the right amount of sun and warmth, don't over-water it or under-water it, prune it, get the right fertilizer...?" Shikamaru listed, rolling his eyes. "Besides, why a mum?"
     "Well, why not?" Yoshino huffed, crossing her arms challengingly.
     "It's a symbol of death."
     Yoshino dismissed the thought with a sniff. "Why on earth do you know something like that anyway?"
     "Ino."
     "Oh, the Yamanakas, that's right. It's such a pity you two don't have any interest in each other, though-- your fathers are such good friends, it would have been a lovely match." Yoshino complained. "In any case, it's a beautiful flower, so cast all superstition aside and just enjoy it. And if I come back here in a week to find it dead, you'll certainly be in trouble, mister! Neji," she said, voice suddenly light and sweet as she turned to the startled brunette, "do make him tend to the dear, will you? There's hardly any decoration in this place, it feels so sterile."
     I think it's fine, Neji thought, but he simply nodded. "Of course."
     "Good. Well, then, you boys will have to come visit soon and I'll make you something nice. You haven't had one of our puddings yet, have you? I--"
     "He has," Shikamaru interrupted. "Mom. Relax."
     "He has?" Yoshino turned to Neji with a stunned look. "Have you come over before when I wasn't around? Where on earth have you had our food before?"
     "Sh-- Shikamaru made it last week," Neji replied, swallowing at being on the receiving end of that demanding stare. "It was good."
     Yoshino spun around to give her son an accusatory glare. "You cook? You bake? Willingly? Why on earth did you always fight having to help me in the kitchen?! And behaving as if you didn't know what the ingredients were, or the next step..."
     "If I acted like I was actually learning from you, you would have made me cook more often," Shikamaru pointed out. "Mom, are you done yet? We were in the middle of a game."
     "You and your games! Honestly, sometimes I regret letting your father teach you shougi so young-- you push off so many of your responsibilities for it!"
     "And you taught me go," Shikamaru reminded.
     "And believe me, I regret that as well! Honestly, if that game kept you from getting better grades at the Academy..."
     "I didn't need better grades at the Academy. My marks don't matter once I'm graduated, so why should I put in the effort to do anything more than pass?"
     "It's that complete lack of ambition that's the problem with you, sir. Honestly, who would want to marry somebody as careless and unmotivated as you? You're just like your father!"
     "And you married him."
     "Well, that's completely beside the point."
     "No, it's not. Mom."
     Yoshino smacked the back of his head as she walked by. "All right, all right, I'm going. You're so impatient."
     Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I'm very patient. You're the one who never slows down."
     "Just what do you mean by that?"
     "That you're impressively active and efficient, and somebody as passive as him couldn't imagine managing keep up," Neji answered as he got to his feet and moved over to join the Naras. Shikamaru shot him a grateful look as Yoshino immediately took her attention off of him to sparkle happily at the Hyuuga.
     "Oh, Neji, darling, that's so kind of you to say! You're such a sweet boy, Shikamaru doesn't deserve a friend like you. I do hope you'll be a good influence on him, and that he doesn't just end up corrupting you."
     Too late, both men thought, recalling sleeping in until noon the previous morning.
     "Mom."
     "Okay, all right, I'm going!"
     "Thank you."
     Shikamaru handed her the coat she'd removed less than five minutes before, and she turned to make him help her put it on. He did, grimacing when she turned to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Now, take care, and make sure you're eating enough, and don't sleep too much, and don't keep Neji here too long. I'm sure he'll want to celebrate with his family, after all."
     Not likely, Neji mentally scoffed. His relationship with his uncle and cousins had certainly improved massively over the last few years, but there still was, and probably always would be, some distance between them. Still, he smiled politely and shrugged.
     They waved good-bye as Yoshino took her leave, waiting for her to be out of sight before closing the door, leaning back against it, and letting out twin sighs in unison. "I always feel completely exhausted whenever she's around," Neji complained.
     "Yeah? Imagine living with her. Can you really blame me for being the way I am?"
     "I guess not." Neji eyed the flower thoughtfully, trying to remember something, before giving up. He gestured toward shougi. "Your move."
     Returning to their forgotten food and less-forgotten match, they settled down and resumed the game.
--
A/N:

"Omedetou" = "Congratulations!" (informal)

The blue spider chrysanthemum: http://image05.webshots.com/5/0/79/27/80807927lTRybD_fs.jpg

Um, and to ward off any suspicion that might happen-- no, it's not going to be a deathfic. ^_^; The symbolism of the flower isn't exactly foreshadowing anything *quite* that extreme. XD

Thanks for reading! *mwah* Please let me know what you thought! ♥
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Chrysanthemum