If usual days were for Shikamaru days to stay at home, today was even more so. His parents understood his sorrow, and he had politely asked them to continue with their normal duties, to disregard his mood, to stay away from his room, where he had locked himself up. Because of this, Shikaku and Yoshino Nara were not at home. They trusted his son, they believed that after a week he could handle the loss, they had helped him enough already, and the rest was up to him. If Shikamaru told them to leave him alone from now on, then they would do exactly that.
Alone in his room, Shikamaru lied on his bed, stared at the ceiling, still thinking of him. He had mulled over the entire situation a million times now, but there were memories that didn’t stop coming back to his mind, the time where Asuma-sensei took him as a student, the precious moments shared as a team. The four of them. Ino and Chouji were probably feeling as awful as him, and he had not dared to visit them even once. Both of them had come to try and console him, yet the request to his mother was absolute: she couldn’t allow anyone to enter, not even his best friends. More than once they had returned when his parents were away, they’d knock the door, but Shikamaru would do nothing. He didn’t feel like standing up and let them in, he didn’t feel like being consoled nor talk nor have anyone around.
And since that day he had shed no tear. It was curious; he was extremely said, and he admitted this, but he couldn’t’ cry again, not since the last time a week ago. This he found odd. Why wouldn’t tears come out? Maybe that wasn’t letting him to get over this grief, because all he was doing was to try to convince himself Asuma’s disappearance from his life would not have a big impact, that life could easily continue as before because they were already a grown up team, a trained team that didn’t need a sensei anymore. Right? But the next second he realized how wrong he was, that how different everything would be, how each day would not be the same. Asuma-sensei was the man who made him who he is now. How could his death change nothing?
Then he heard the knocks on the door. What? Mom? No. It was too early for his mother to get home. Way too early for Shikaku too. There were not many options though; besides them, only Ino or Chouji visited him, and well… Asuma-sensei before… So he concluded it was either of his teammates again, so he didn’t answer. They could stand outside for as long as they wanted, he would remain lying on his bed the whole day. He knew this was wrong, to ignore his friends, to make him worry for him more than they should, but he really didn’t want to talk to anyone. He would apologize later for his rudeness.
Maybe Temari was right. He was a crybaby after all. But who cares?
After the long wait Temari had been put through after knocking, not just once but twice on Shikamaru's door. The young wind nin couldn't help but huff and click her heels against the ground. Of course she figured that Shikamaru had been laying in bed. Probably sleeping off everything that had happened to him. Of course having his mentor die right in front of him was a lot for someone to handle -- but she knew that he would pull through, even if he needed a bit of help from her or anyone else.
The crybaby shouldn't have been shutting everyone out. Not when they were worried about him.
"Oi, wake up, fool. You can't sleep your life away. Not while I'm here. Now, don't let me stand out here in the cold. I brought you something to eat, I figured you would need it."
And possibly a shoulder to cry on as well -- that was as much as she could offer him, seeing as the sand nin really wasn't that great with comfort. It was rare for her to feel the need to comfort someone. The only person that usually received her affections was her younger brother Gaara.
Another huff retreated from the woman's form as she tapped her foot on the ground. Of course she was growing impatient with waiting outside, but she wasn't about to break someone's door down. That would be a bit rude -- even for the meanest ninja around.
"Tch.. Shikamaru? Please just open the door."
