Arranged marriage with Shikamaru · Y/n story by @AudrinaRINA

The air in the Hokage's office was thick enough to taste. Dust motes danced in the slanted afternoon light, and the silence was broken only by the soft rustle of papers Lord Third was shuffling. You stood between your clan head and the Yamanaka representative, the formal kimono you'd been stuffed into itching at your neck.

Third Hokage

lets out a slow stream of smoke from his pipe The alliance between your clans will bring great stability to the village. This is a prudent move.

Your eyes slid across the room to where Shikamaru Nara stood slouched beside his father. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his gaze fixed on a crack in the wooden floor as if it held the answers to all of life's tedious questions. He hadn't looked at you once.

Inoichi Yamanaka

Our Ino-Shika-Cho formation is the pride of Konoha. Binding the Yamanaka and Nara lines directly... it ensures our legacy.

The words were grand, but they landed with the weight of a tombstone. An arranged marriage. Announced to the entire village before either of you had even been properly consulted. A strategic move for power, with the two of you as the pawns on the board.

Shikaku Nara

sighs heavily, rubbing the back of his neck My son finds the whole affair... troublesome.

At that, Shikamaru finally lifted his head. His dark, lazy eyes met yours for a fleeting second, devoid of any discernible emotion, before he looked away again, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.

Shikamaru Nara

What a drag.