Book One- The Enemy

Chapter 11

The faint clicks of wood against wood echoed in the hushed gardens of the Nara home. The birds stifled their calls surging among the skies as to not interrupt the battle below. Even the wind stayed still when the match began, sensei and student sitting on either side of the handcrafted shogi board. A thick trail of smoke blew from the downturned lips of the master his student lazily waving away the cloud, one he didn't quite enjoy getting in his eyes.

"You really don't make this easy for me, do you Shikamaru?" Asuma sighed bringing his hesitant hand back to his chin stroking his beard in frustration.

"That or you just don't know how to play Shogi" Shikamaru yawned, his remark halfheartedly counted as a taunt, plan set in place and simply waiting for him to play out one of the possibilities. Asuma returned his move finally with a sure nod and stumbled as his king was cornered, cigarette hanging off his lip in his surprise "Checkmate, again" pulling at his lips a small smirk of victory then a sigh, beginning to fix the board "can't really call it a win if you're to distracted anyways" His sensei slouched glaring at him with a slight warning.

"I'm not distracted, I'm just thinking" he grumbled helping set the board to its original position.

"About what?" Shikamaru already knew the answer, that being the faint red tint on Asuma's lips that he'd noticed when he showed up for his training, he'd said nothing and didn't quite care to know details of his visit before he'd shown up, yet he knew it had something to do with Kurenai. Asuma had sensed the faint glance at his lips and absentmindedly began to wipe at them glancing down at his smudged hand with a faint blush.

"Listen Shikamaru" he began, with all intent to defend against it, and leaned back when his student raised a hand showing his disinterest.

"You don't have to say anything, better I see than Ino she'd never shut up about it" he muttered crossing his arms

"She is already onto me about all the flowers I buy" They both sighed at the thought. Ino the team's snooping kunoichi who would have had a heart attack at the sight before her. With a quick recovery Asuma smirked and held the narrowed look of his student "Shikamaru when a man loves a woman"

"I really don't need to hear this do I?" Shikamaru groaned turning his eyes down to the board as if that'd stop the rumbled chuckle from his master.

"Your what thirteen? fourteen now? You'll eventually take this advice" He blew a thick cloud out with a breath and waited until his eyes glanced back up "trust me some day you'll get it" Shikamaru's eyes rolled.

"I get it, I just don't care" he huffed pushing a piece forward for a new game "besides woman are too much trouble always nagging and demanding" he paused and grimaced "And loud. I don't get why you'd even want to be around them they are just too troublesome" he grumbled. Asuma leaned into the board with a faint grin

"Shikamaru, you need to understand that although woman can be tough, we men can't live without them" confident in his words as his student grunted as if not believing him.

"You sound like my dad" his muttered glaring down at the board and pushing his next piece with a huff.

"They make us men better people" his smile tugged wider and he chuckled "you see Kurenai makes me a better man" when his students eyes returned to him, the slightest bit of curiosity hid behind his narrowed look, Asuma smirked at him knowing he had his attention "I've seen a lot of things as a shinobi you know, things I'd never imagined would happened when I was your age" he moved his piece slowly after a hesitant pause and crossed his arms again continuing "I've seen my comrades lose their lives for the sake of our village, I've seen war and with the Sand having turned against us you'll see it one day too" he sighed shutting his eyes a moment and listening to the slow drop of Shikamaru's move his attention focused on him "She well" he rubbed the back of his head feeling slightly embarrassed as he spoke "When a woman loves you she'll be there to help take it away"