Two artists |Araya x Inojin/Shikajin|

13

It was the last day in the Sunagakure. Early in the morning boys were lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. They could hear Temari, who was preparing a breakfast for them. She was probably in a good mood, since she was singing cheerfully. Inojin knew that it was because she was eager to see her husband. She wouldn't admit that, but it was obvious. It isn't anything bad! Inojin found it kinda cute. He also missed his parents and friends, but at the same time he felt quite upset. He wanted to come back to his family place, but it meant that he probably won't see Araya for a long time. It is hard to deny that his feelings were strong. He couldn't think about anything else, even with Nara lying beside him. 

"What's wrong?" Shikadai asked, glancing at him.

"Huh? Why are you asking?" He looked surprised by that sudden question. 

"Your face. It looks like you're going to cry or get mad... Or both," he sighed, raising on his elbow. "So?"

"Everything is fine. Don't worry," he ensured with a fake smile, making the other boy furrowed his eyebrows. He could tell he was lying. "Let's have some breakfast." He sounded cheerfully, but he clearly wasn't. He sat on the edge of bed, so that brunet wasn't able to see his face.

"Inojin," he called, watching him carefully. "I can tell when you're telling lies. You're always smiling, thinking that it will work on the others. It might, but not on me. Quit it, it's pointless," he didn't take his eyes of him even for a second. It made Inojin uncomfortable. "I'm gonna repeat my question. What's wrong?"

"I told you I'm fine," he answered, clenching his teeth. He couldn't say that he felt despondent because of another boy. He didn't want to hurt Shikadai. He didn't want to hurt anybody. He prefered to pretend that everything is alright. He hoped that his feelings will disappear soon. They were just a kids, after all. He refused to consider it like something serious. He was too young for that. They should focus on trainings instead of that. 

Inojin stood up and left the room.

"You're not fine at all," Shikadai whispered to himself with a worried look upon his face. He was staring at the door, thinking what is bothering the blond one. Could it be his fault? Perhaps, it was too much for him. "Troublesome boy," he whispered helplessly and followed him. 

They both entered the kitchen and were greeted by Temari, who smiled at them. She immediately frowned, seeing how they both looked like. She already knew that Inojin caught a cold, but it was getting worse. His face was pale, even paler than usual and she could notice dark circles under his eyes. 

"Your mother won't be pleased with that," she sighed and approached them. She placed her hands on their foreheads. "You have a fever as well," she said, glaring at her son. 

Shikadai gulped, not knowing how to respond. His mother was the scariest woman he knew. She was the only person that could left him totally speechless. Seeing his reaction, Inojin decided to explain her why they both are ill.

"Please, don't get angry at Shikadai, Auntie Temari. It was my fault. Nights are really cold here. Yesterday we wanted to see the stars. Well, I wanted to and Shikadai agreed to go with me. Please, forgive us our actions. It won't happen again. I promise."

Temari raised her eyebrows hearing those words. Of course, she wasn't happy with their unresponsibility, but the soft smile appeared on her face. It's nice to see how they defend each other. "It's alright. We're going back to the Konoha tomorrow. I hope you'll fell better. Today you're not allowed to leave this house," she said with a serious tone and placed breakfast on the table. "Enjoy your meal. I'm going to get you some medicines," the blonde informed and left them.

Inojin bit his down lip, looking at the scrumbled eggs and toasts. He completely lost his apetite. He was so unreasonable and because of that he couldn't even see Araya. He didn't know when he will get another opportunity to talk with him. Sunagakure is far away from his village. He realized that it must have been someting more than just a crush. He has never miss someone that much before. He has never wanted to be close somebody before.