[pre-chuunin exams]
"Sasuke won't hesitate. Even the Hyuugas can't match the Yamanaka bloodline, let alone civilians," Ino says as they lie on the grass. Asuma is late for training, which is the reason why Choji remembered Kakashi and the blonde got an excuse to start talking about one particular member of Team Seven. Shikamaru is silent and watches the clouds while Ino's gaze glares at his temple.
"I'm not prejudiced, it's just a fact. She has charmingly beautiful eyes, this is a fact too, but this will not help her become an Uchiha".
"Sasuke won't choose," he struggles with laziness as he says it, his tongue numb and his throat dry. Shikamaru has too many alternative answers in his head: "you're still friends, it's in your bones", "you're prejudiced", "the yamanaka bloodline is as incompatible with the uchiha as the hyuuga".
And, the most important: "Her eyes aren't beautiful. They are not emerald like dragonflies on Yoshino's casket, they are not even completely green. They are like a forest, asymmetrical, wild, at the moment when the amber sunrise fills it with light".
Ino's mood instantly changes for the worse, but she does not have time to show her anger. Asuma finally appears (on his cheek, just above the beard, lipstick is visible. The shade is exactly the same as Kurenai uses).
The weeks go along with the mere missions and Team Ten creates a nice routine. It smells of old papers in the Hokage's office, tobacco and barbecue. Ino doesn't talk about Sasuke, neither does Shikamaru, but they both subconsciously think about Sakura. Not like they'll admit it. Chōji only smiles knowingly and offers them lunch at the Akimichi clan.
And then the Wave mission happens and Team Seven comes back dirty, sweaty, sick and bleeding. The Uchiha has the sharingan, the Uzumaki has a thousand exaggerated stories to tell, and Haruno... Well, she's breathing and when Shikamaru hears the details of their mission from his father, he realizes that it's quite a success.
Naruto invites him to Ichiraku. When Shikamaru comes in, Sakura is already seated there. She is silent, but not in the "you're just another person who talked to me just because Ino wanted to" way. In fact, he's not sure if Sakura even noticed his presence. Naruto's monologue about the fight with Zabuza is emotional, but as he retells the part where Sasuke dies(not really), Shikamaru notices something flickering in Sakura's eyes (not like he was looking at her).
It's not the fear of losing the person you love. It's like guilt, thick, mixed with self-disappointment.
So stupid.
You'll never catch up with them.
But, why would you do that if you want to be the last Uchiha's housewife, which means having at least five children and staying at the estate?
Shikamaru feels like he's about to throw up. He runs out of Ichiraku and wanders the streets mindlessly as the sun sets.
"Are you okay?"
Sakura is right there, the wind throwing strands of pink hair into her face. She doesn't even tie her hair up like normal kunoichi.
"That is none of your business".
"Oh, I understand," Sakura took a step back.
"What are you doing?" Shikamaru wants to snap back. It's ridiculous to say so when you have no reason to make any kind of conclusion. "You just can't understand me," he thinks.
"This is the second time you've had to put up with my company just because we're both friends with a hyperactive blond"
Pure genius. Just shut up and cry about it right after you done spilling tears over Uchiha.
"So you call yourself Naruto's 'friend'? If that's the way you treat your friends, it's no surprise that Ino doesn't hang out with you anymore".
"Shikamaru, what-",
Her voice still sounds so sincere. The sunset throws red highlights on her hair and in that second, indignant, she clenched her hands into fists and bit her lip.
Thoughts come back to his head, and some of them are so rebellious (I won't kiss her, it's the dumbest thing possible) that he feels pain in his temples.
"What do I mean? You treat others, yourself included, like they're dirt at Sasuke's feet. It's disgusting."
It's her turn to run away.
Shikamaru's sure that she is avoiding him because they haven't seen each other in months. Before that, their paths crossed at least once a week.
However, if she made her choice towards Sasuke (and she'd made it, for sure), that's fine.
She would be eighteen (if the elders will wait so long) when she will be pregnant with her first child and then Shikamaru wouldn't see her for years. Locked up in that hideous estate with the ghost still roaming over.
And maybe she will beg for forgiveness because of the pink hair of the Uchiha children.
This shade is really awful. But it's alright. Now, It's none of his business.
(Shikamaru has no choice).