#xshadowrising

It is a warm spring day and Reina sat outside of the school in the soft green grass. They were having an outdoor study period today, so she decided to sit underneath a tree with a book. Her back is pressed against the tree's bark, with an open copy of A Walk To Remember in her lap. The words on the page written in braille. Fingers softly skim the page as she sits. Her cane rests on the grass beside her.

YOSHINO. 愛

The Nara regent kept way more memorabilia from her life than what she was ready to admit to anyone. In the rare occasions she had a few hours to herself away from clan duties, meetings and gatherings with the other clan heads, she liked to go through the boxes and check all that past she had managed, somehow, to put behind her.

Nostalgia was an emotion Yoshino had discovered too young. When she was a girl, she frantically tried to shove it down deep, hoping it would die along with every other sentiment and finally liberate her of the pain she was always haunted by.

Nowadays, after taking on so many roles, so many burdens, she relished the few, spare, scattered moments she got to herself to reminesce. Too many, things and people alike, had gone, and while it was predictable, almost expected, of her to grieve all that she had lost due to wars and circumstances, her longing was akin to the gentle, misty sunlight of spring rather than the devastating flash-frosts of winter.

And (although it seemed pointless for Yoshino to remark, given how fundamental he had been for her wellbeing after his father's death) Yoshino had plenty to be grateful for and look forward to in the form of a pony-tailed, scruffy, somewhat withdrawn not-so little fawn.

She hadn't noticed Shikamaru standing in the doorway straight away, but when she dug elbow deep in a particularly large box, she heard a chuckle-sigh coming from the tall figure shadowing her bedroom threshold.

Shikaku was looking after his young son while Yoshino had a few days with friends in the Land of Tea. He was making them both some lunch when he realised that his son was no longer drawing on the paper in front of him. It took him a few seconds to realise what Shikamaru had done; rather than just mindless drawing on his face.

It was adorable.

      Finishing the last bit of his cancer stick, Sasuke tossed it to the dirty ground with an annoyed glanced down to his phone. He has been waiting for the other’s of the group to get here for some time now, they were all suppose to have a night of drinking together at this bar but so far only Shikamaru had showed up. There was a part of him that wanted to just leave, instead of heading inside to met the stag, but he didn’t have booze at home right now and this place had all he could ever need. So the decision was made, Sasuke turned on his heel with a sigh into the night air and headed back inside of the bar.

Shikamaru was at the front of the bar, sitting alone on a stool looking pretty interested in his phone so Sasuke stood by himself at the entrance with that same internal debate on what he should do. The two of them never saw eye to eye, never really had a need to and never really seemed to want to. They’ve known one another for a few years now, but only really hang out together due to the same friends they had and with Kimiko gone, there was no real reason for Sasuke to hate the dude. Seeing how quickly the spots away from Shikamaru were starting to fill up with people as the night got older and people started to fill in the joint, he walked himself the few feet over to the stag.