Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This fan fiction is not true to the main storyline. The idea of the story is mine, yet the characters an their original plot is not, as this is just a spin-off due to sudden inspiration.
Author’s note: Weeeelll.. I realize now that I cannot put up with writing long chapters.. as I tend to get tired of writing longs ones and then reading over them.. Harder to check, really… so I will update more often with short chapters, around the same length as the first… it would be better than updating once in a while with a long chapter… AND I would like to thank all my reviewers so far ^^ I’m glad you guys like it!
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Sandaime skimmed through the scroll marked with C’s tessellated on its outer layer. “Hmmm… a suitable mission… grocery shopping in the next village? No.. that won’t do.. Catching a large highly venomous snake.. No. Ah! How about.. finding a lost child, hmm?” He looked up over the scroll sternly at the 4 assembled before him. “Would it be too bothersome for you? His parents asked for this to be an important mission, as finding the child is an urgent matter.”
“No, it will be good.” Asuma took a large drag from his cigarette and perched it on his fingertips, a puff of smoke billowing from his mouth as he gazed lazily at the Hokage. “I’m sure they can manage it in no time.”
‘It’s just a bother.. maybe we can do it starting tomorrow..’ Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes skywards in his usual disgruntled way, hands stuffed in pockets, hip at a jaunty angle as he pushed his weight on one leg.
“If we find the kid do we get food?” Chouji didn’t even look up at Asuma for a reply, he just kept shoveling potato chips into his mouth. Ino mildly pondered where all his food went; surely his stomach couldn’t hold as much food as she sees him eat.
“.. Huh? Oh, yeah yeah, sure sure.” Asuma sidled the cigarette into his mouth and turned, slowly strolling out the room, hands crossed over his chest.
“Do you ALWAYS think about food? It seems like there is nothing more on your mind!” Ino verbally berated the blond boy as he contentedly stumbled out the room, following him to bother him more about his eating habits, and how he should cut back; labeled ‘typical bossy Ino behavior’ by Shikamaru.
“.. She always has to be in control.” Shikamaru sighed and followed behind the other 3 at a leisurely relaxed pace. Once again as he walked closer to the rest of his team, a waft of pungent perfume, tangy like fruits, teased his nose. ‘I really should tell her that she smells nice.. Gah.. she’s walking too fast, I’ll tell her later..’ He smiled and oddly, the thought put a rather enthusiastic bounce in his steps. Well, rather enthusiastic, for what Shikamaru could usually muster up concerning walking speeds. ‘Its odd.. I feel giddy.. Maybe her perfume is a natural upper..’ He snorted in amusement, amused at his thought of her perfume being a drug. Yet, in truth, it was a particularly potent, irresistible one for him.
*
An entire day had gone by, and still, no sign of the kid. Anywhere. The team would have already lost hope if it weren’t for Asuma; “faithfully” egging them on, telling them that he could sense the kid nearby, only to lean against the tree, pull out a new cigarette, light it and puff on it, not being a help at all.
Shikamaru and Ino were crouched behind the bushes, equally exasperated looks on their faces at their teacher’s “encouraging” words hinting omniscience. Chouji had gone elsewhere to look for the child, or rather, sit in a tree and eat ‘till his heart’s content as he scoped around for any sign of a scruffy haired kid or anything that looked remotely similar to a child.
“You know.. I just noticed something..” Shikamaru stopped searching to scratch his chin as Ino turned and looked at him half expectantly, hoping for him to come up with a brilliant solution of the child having wandered back to the village on his own, and did not need the escort of 3 chuunins and a Jounin. ‘How should I put this..’ Shikamaru frowned and turned away for a moment, making the girl anticipate a definite solution to their lost child dilemma. “Your perfume smells nice. I noticed it earlier, but I was too lazy to tell you.”
Ino could only sat down and stared at him in disbelief. Of all her wildest fantasies of him coming up with a brilliant plan, or saving the day by pulling the kid out of a bush, this was definitely a situation she was not expecting at all. “.. That’s.. it?.. That’s all you wanted to tell me?” The boy only smiled a little and turned to think of a way to find the kid again. “WHAT THE HELL?! I SUDDENLY GET MY HOPES UP ABOUT YOU THINKING ABOUT A PROBABLE BRILLIANT SOLUTION, AND YOU JUST TELL ME THAT MY PERFUME IS NICE?!” She flailed her arms to emphasize the urgency of her words, only to stop, blink and stare in sudden realization.
Shikamaru could only frown in annoyance. ‘Geez. I take time out of my life to actually compliment her, and she gets all bitchy-yelly at me.’
“Wait.. But you, you.. just.. Complimented me... Heh.. Um.. My bad.. Thanks.” She smiled cockily, throwing off the embarrassed look and blew a kiss at him. “I knew you’d eventually notice my sexiness, and would be swayed by it.” Ending the statement with a suggestive wink.
“Phfft. Yeah. Whatever. I just thought I’d let you know that it smelled nice, not that I’m going to throw you down and have my way with you right now because you are just ‘oh so sexy and irresistible’.” He rolled his eyes and began snooping though the bushes. Ino growled at this remark and shook a fist at him before turning away to shuffle through the bushes opposite the infuriatingly lazy and sarcastic boy.
“You three are pathetic, I can sense the kid right here! He’s somewhere around this clearing.” Asuma took a lazy drag out of his cigarette, then slid down the tree to lean on it while sitting. Shikamaru sighed with exasperation as he watched his teacher lazily smoke and grin in a silly manner, enraptured by his daydreams.
‘Probably daydreaming about something that I really would rather not know about... lazy bastard.’ Shikamaru pouted and then dove through the bushes, leaving Ino alone in the small clearing. ‘I wonder why she suddenly.. Nah.. Never mind.. I’ll think about it later. Got a mission to complete right now.’