I'm here for you

Chapter 14

"...to"

"..ruto"

"Naruto~" 

Naruto was woken up by Shikamaru who was gently shaking him, he slowly opened his eyes, he blinked a few times before Shikamaru's face came into his view, Shikamaru had a gentle smile on his face,"Um..the dinner is ready."

Naruto looked around his surroundings and realised he was not in the wild anymore, he was back at the Nara compound, that explains why he had gotten such a nice nap, he was feeling a lot better, he sat up properly then his eyes laid on his own arm, he had bandages wrapped around them neatly and it didn't hurt that much, he looked at Shikamaru who sheepishly said,"I-I...put the bandages properly became it had came undone when you were sleeping."

Naruto smiled, not his usual one, a smile that came from his heart, a genuine smile,"Thanks." Shikamaru could feel his heart skip beats when he saw that smile, it was as if the whole room had brightened up. "Let's go and have dinner, mom called a while ago." He said as he got up from the bed, his back turned against Naruto and his hand unsconsciously on his heart, as if trying to calm his racing heart.

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The next day, Naruto woke up feeling fully energised, he remembered the talk with Nara family yesterday, how Yoshino was glad that he was safe and sound, how Shikaku was proud, and how Shikamaru was worried but happy that he was back.

It felt like home to him, it felt like he had a family, although there are many people who care for him like Iruka sensei who was like a father figure, Tsunade and Jiraiya as his godmother and godfather, Sasuke like his brother and best friend, he had them with him but it was not like he can spend all his time with them,  it was not like he could live with them and spend actual family time, they had their own life.

"What are you thinking about?" Naruto was driven out of his thought by Shikamaru who had just came out of Shower with only a towel around his waist, Naruto felt blood rush to his face when he saw Shikamru's toned body, he turned his face the other way, as he answered Shikamaru's question,"Nothing much just thinking about how nice your family is. I am going to miss them when I move out in a month."

Shikamaru hadn't expected that, he draped a shirt over his head as he said,"You know you can come over and stay anytime you want right?" Shikamaru walked infront of Naruto, now fully dresssed,"Me and my family are not going anywhere, you are always welcome here."

Naruto looked up and his eyes met Shikamaru's,"I know but someday you are going to marry Temari and I can't intrude on you." There was a silence  for a second, Naruto's heart ached at the thought, he got up from the bed, trying to ignore his heart,"So let's hurry and find a way why only  you can help me. I had made a appointment with Inoichi-san today. I will go there first and then at library to search for answers."

Shikamaru's heart pained at the thought the Naruto would be leaving him soon, he clenched his fist tightly, but his face still had his lazy expression,"Okay then I will wait for you at the library, we can search together, it would be easier that way and we can skip the books I have already read during the time you were gone on a mission."

At this Naruto raised his brows, he was surprised,"You went to library?"

Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck,"Yeah I was worried about you so I decided to--"

He was not able to complete his sentence because Naruto enveloped him into a tight hug, Naruto was a bit shorter in comparision to height, he hid his face in the crook of Shikamaru's neck, a lump formed in his throat, he said, his voice breaking,"T-thank..you..It means so much to me...I-I..."

Shikamaru was taken aback when Naruto hugged him out of nowhere but he was even more surprised when he felt Naruto's tears on his neck, he hugged him back and started to roam his hand on his back, in a attempt to soothe him,"No need to thank me, I am glad I was able to help you, I will always help you Naruto, you are someone I care about, someone I could do anything for." He pulled away and looked at Naruto's tear streaked face, he smiled gently, he cupped his face and started to wipe his tears with his thumb,"So please Don't cry~"

Naruto felt so much warmth in his heart that he felt like crying again despite Shikamaru telling him not to, he was just so happy, it was the first time he felt something like this. Shikamaru on the other hand felt the need to know more about Naruto, the real one, the one who was far from the war hero, a person who not just a knuckle headed ninja, the time he spent with Naruto made him realise that there was a lot to know about the blonde and he had decided he would find everything about him.

Kurama who witenesed everything was also happy for Naruto, he knew how much naruto craved for the comforting warmth, however he was a bit worried that what if it disappears and leave his kit alone?
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Author's Note:

How is this chapter? I really worked hard on it and worked hard to improve my vocabulary. Hope you love it, please vote and comment. Thanks for reading.