Shikamaru wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

18 months had come by quickly, and he now had his past (future?) memories. They had began appearing since his birth, now he had regained them all. It was strange, having so much going on in his head, so he spent most of this time sleeping or just staring blankly at the wall of his room.

Luckily, that kind of behaviour was expected of a Nara.

I hope you aren't forgetting about me, Ino muttered.

She had become a presence in his mind again, though Shikamaru wasn't sure exactly when. Whether she had just been silent he had no idea.

He mentally sighed. He had the mental age over fifteen years older than of which his peers currently had, it was going to be even harder to socialise than before.

But there was a bigger problem he had to face.

Konoha wasn't just a memory anymore. It was a thriving.

Admittedly, it was still undergoing vital repairs due to the Kyuubi, but it was doing quite well in comparison to when the other villages had one of the 'tailed ten' unleashed upon them.

Shikamaru was glad he was an infant, as no one questioned why he sometimes burst into tears after staring at his parents for just a little bit too long.

It was becoming a problem.

Now he was one year and a half old, his father was upping his observation of him. This could be troublesome. Would his father notice anything about him? He couldn't deny that possibility - his father was incredibly lucid when he wanted to be. So Shikamaru tried to behave as naturally as he could for an 18 month baby.

He definitely failed that.

"Shika, why are you faking your behaviour? Don't try and act like you don't know what I'm saying." His father had said one day, out of the blue, rubbing a little at his scarred face. Shikamaru inwardly cursed, and forced on a sheepish smile. His father wasn't amused, frowning and eyes narrowing. 

"The other children think I'm weird when I act in any other way." He countered. This wasn't a lie, Chouji and Ino had visited within the last few months and Shikamaru could firmly say that he freaked them out. He had taken a little bit too much pride in that fact.

Damn right you have, Ino growled. My adorable self was so creeped out, idiot Shika!

Shikamaru's lips twitched at that.

I know, the infantilised Nara subvocalised, before cringing terribly. He had started talking to Ino by mouthing the words, after her 'death', and no one was really around to stop him, but now, he figured he must look a little strange.

Scratch that, he must look very strange, he thought, as his father's frown deepened. He swallowed.

"That's not healthy, Shika." The man coughed awkwardly. Whether he was referring to his answer or his subvocalisation Shikamaru didn't know. Perhaps even both. "Do you want to play some general's board game, and talk a bit more?" Shikaku suggested.

Well, he didn't really have much of a choice, what else was he supposed to do?

(That day Shikamaru let himself show his true skill, and beat his father at the game.)

----------NARUTO------------

He was almost 3 when his mother had caught him messing around with his chakra. Her voice had been sharp but concerned.

"Shikamaru! Baby, you shouldn't do that without Mother or Father, you could injure yourself." She had scolded him. Shikamaru struggled to keep a straight face. Nara's were mostly allowed to do whatever they liked, since most were simply too lazy to get into any trouble. Hell, they had even let him out of the compound by himself now, yet utilising his chakra was where they drew the line?

It had taken her a while to notice his antics, he could make his hands glow now. He felt a little drained, it seemed like his reserves weren't big enough to continue this for long periods of time quite yet.

Shikamaru was lucky that he was a clan child, his young body was made perfectly to live as a ninja. That was the main difference between civilians and ninja clans: the latter were literally made for the lifestyle. Because of this, his chakra pathways had already finished developing, just in time with his kneecaps. Ninja bodies really were killing machines; civilians' pathways weren't complete until they were at least 5.

Shika you should quit that, Ino interrupted his train of thought with a huff. And by the way, Your father's home.

As soon as the Yamanaka finished 'speaking', Shikaku walked in. He sent a calculated stare towards his wife and son, before flopping onto the couch.

"What have you done now Shika?" He sounded defeated, but all of them could hear the hidden mirth.

"He's been using chakra and nearly got burns." The female Nara sighed, playing along.

Had he almost burned his hands? Shikamaru looked down at the soft, small appendages and yes, they did look a little sore. He hadn't noticed.

"I guess they should be bandaged or something." Yoshino continued. Shikaku nodded his assent. There was silence for a moment. "I suppose I'll get the first aid kit then." The woman muttered, as if it was an afterthought. Dragging Shikamaru by the back of his collar, they went into the kitchen and she heaved him onto the counter.

"This might hurt." She said, as she sprayed and wrapped her son's hands in gauze. Shikamaru didn't even flinch, to her surprise. Most Nara's would have thought it a necessity to complain, even if warned beforehand. Nara's didn't like pain as a fact, couldn't handle it. They usually hid it behind apathy, not being able to deal with such intense emotions. The price of intelligence. "If you want to lean about chakra, your father or I can teach you, Shikamaru. No need to do this in secret. Chakra is a volatile thing, you need to take care, even if Nara's are known for their naturally good chakra control." She sighed, not for the first time that day. Shikamaru hadn't been a babe for long, he had grown up so quickly it seemed as though he had never been an infant. She traced his face and looked hard at the small scars that seemed to litter it. They had slowly started appearing as he aged, and Yoshino quite wasn't sure what to make of it. They were incredibly faint, she was glad for that, and one could only view them under considerably luminous light, but even then they were silvery and akin to spider-web material.

"I'd like that." Shikamaru replied with a lazy smile.

Yoshino decided to discuss early enrolment into the academy with her husband.

----------NARUTO-----------

"Absolutely not." Shikaku retorted, his voice a sudden contrast to his usual tone.

"Why not? He's bored to death at home, I can see it." Yoshino snapped back. She personally didn't want her child to go so soon, but it would be better than seeing him down each day because nothing was stimulating his brain.

"You think I haven't seen what starting the academy early does? That Hatake all the Yamanaka are worried about is proof enough that it damages more than it aides. Even the heir to the Uchiha clan is already showing signs of poor mental health due to the clan speeding up his learning!" Shikaku was adamant. He knew all too well how damaged shinobi who were thrust into the system too early became compared to those who started later, and Nara were more susceptible to this than most. Once again, their high IQ worked against them in this way.

"Oh come on Shikaku!" Yoshino wasn't about to give up. "He even beats you at the general's board game when he's playing properly! He needs to use the brain he's got for something!
...At least let him learn the base curriculum from home then." She tried to compromise.

After a few more useful points and witty counter arguments, one of them had to cave. It sure as hell wasn't Yoshino.

"I don't know..." Shikaku said, but he knew that he was defeated. Yoshino had a tired but triumphant smile on her face. Arguing with Shikaku for long periods of time and winning was almost impossible.

----------NARUTO------------

Shikamaru began 'learning' academy knowledge not long after Shikaku 'ok'ed it.

It was actually good for Shikamaru to go back and recap the things he had discarded because he hasn't needed them. It wasn't like those bits would come to be used, but he wanted to do something productive.

It was his 3rd birthday the next week. Truthfully, even before Shikamaru had had no actual friends, he had only properly interacted with Chouji in the academy, which neither boy had started yet. Shikamaru sighed. He would have to do something about that, as that had only occurred because the Akimichi was being bullied. Shikamaru rubbed his leg. The Shikibaku jutsu was imperfect, as most Suna jutsu were. Just like on his face, a scar he had received (this time from the fight against Madara) had appeared, just yesterday.

It ran dangerously near the artery. Lucky for him the once thick and ugly scar was nothing but a grey line against his soft skin. That he still wasn't used to. Soft skin. It was alien. Sometimes he spent hours rubbing his arms, remembering and marvelling.

----------NARUTO------------

He was 4 and a half years old when he gathered the courage to ask about Chouji.

"Mother can I go play with the Akimichi boy?" He had fiddled with a game piece. Of course Yoshino would say yes, but it was the thought that counted.

"Of course, but don't go playing the general's board game with him unless he wants to." She advised. Shikaku had taken to playing said game with Shikamaru a little too much since the time the boy had beaten him. Yoshino didn't want Shikamaru thinking that that was normal.

Shikamaru nodded.

Ino was excited. She and Shika hadn't seen the Akimichi in a while, because the Nara had either been asleep or studying, though as he had most of the textbooks memorised now, he probably would stop.

Shikamaru walked over to the butterfly compound, catching a scent of food even from far away. The two (visible) guards looked down on him searchingly, before one asked, "What brings you here today, Nara heir?"

Shikamaru replied, "I wish to play with Choji." He was polite in his speech and it paid off as the guards let him in with no complaint.

After a few more visits, the guards simply opened the gates as soon as they saw him, only sending out a wave of chakra to make sure that it wasn't anyone under a henge that were pretending to be him.

----------NARUTO------------

N e x t  c h a p t e r :
He was ready to enter the Academy.

----------NARUTO------------

You have no idea how troublesome this chapter was in deciding where to stop! I couldn't stop my ideas arising!

(If you see any mistakes please don't hesitate to correct me, I write on my phone and sometimes it messes stuff up.)

Thank you for reading ( ' ▽ ' )ﾉ

-Yoruki.