Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.

CHAPTER 1 - Fleeting Attraction

Shikamaru, for the lack of anything better to do, settled in the hospital's rooftop. He was leaning crossed legged against the wall nearby the door; he gazed at the sky where countless stars were visible, the clouds covering the moonlight fleetingly, slowly passed by.

It was too troublesome to go home, he thought since his parents were away to visit a relative. He felt no need to hurry home and instead indulged himself in stargazing.

Besides, he could still hang out in the hospital for as long as he wanted. He visited Choji who had his intestines damaged due to uncontrollable consumption of potato chips. This was the second time it happened. And Shikamaru thought Choji learned his lesson; it seemed he hadn't.

On a relaxed stance, Shikamaru suddenly straightened up. His sense of smell not exceptional like Kiba's but still it didn't imply he's not capable of picking up a very familiar scent.

Sakura...

Since when did her smell become this familiar?

Not that he's implying she knew he was there. Maybe she needed a break and decided to visit the roof top. Just as the notion crossed his mind, she was already in front of him on her knees leaning onto him, blocking his good view of the stars. She clearly knew he was there.

Even in the dim light, Shikamaru could see the hesitation in her eyes. It gave him the impression that she was about to do something not heartfelt.

For a moment, Shikamaru forgot to react to the person crouched so close to him, he could practically hear her breathing, and feel her warm breath on his face.

"Sakura…" and then what he intended to say was hushed by the brushing of her lips against his, like a feather, so soft...

He did not know how to react or feel at this strange ritual that only lovers do. Her lips moved awkwardly against his, like she was trying to get used to the feeling. And moments after feeling shocked, Shikamaru found himself responding to her, his actions mirroring her own.

He knew nothing about kissing yet he tried. Sakura deepened the kiss and Shikamaru unexpectedly liked it. And so he responded with the same intensity, doing what Sakura did. Just as he was enjoying the kiss, she stopped. It must have been several seconds that their lips were connected, unmoving.

Shikamaru realized the need for air and Sakura did too. Their lips separated. She moved her head a little to the right, brushing her left cheek against his in the process. Her left hand was still around his neck, almost choking him but he didn't mind. He didn't even realize she was holding onto him that way, intimately.

There were a lot of questions swimming in his head. She was hugging him, which made it difficult for him to organize his thoughts. Her body was radiating warmth that extinguished the cold shivers Shikamaru felt earlier when he was alone.

"What was that?" he practically whispered against her ear. He did not dare push her away from him. He in fact enjoyed the feel of her warm body against his.

He didn't know a kiss could feel like... like a walk in the clouds or a one-mile run that would cause his heart to beat so fast.

He did not expect this from Haruno Sakura.

Yet this woman who was holding him tight, who had no special trait he once said, was making him feel emotions that were very strong, weird and new.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, when she failed to respond the first time he inquired.

"I'll.. .I'll go figure it out…" Sakura whispered back, her lips lightly brushed his cheek.

Just like that, she disappeared into the night immediately without looking at him.

Shikamaru was left alone, wondering if that was real. He can't seem to slow down the rapid heartbeat caused by what just happened.

Sakura burrowed herself under the blankets when the sun's rays greeted her unkindly the moment she opened her eyes. She can't believe she slept soundly through the night. There were no interruptions. She drifted into a continuous sleep with perhaps a bit of Shikamaru here and there in her unconsciousness.

She can't believe she did it. Her courage and boldness came from out of nowhere. It had completely overcome her; it made her blindly throw herself at Shikamaru and kiss him right smack on the lips at the hospital's rooftop.

Could she have picked a better place?

Who knew she had it in her? Was it wrong? Was it too much?

But no matter what, she just had to act before she got herself constantly disturbed by thoughts of him. To think, she can't even remember when this obsession started.

All that's clear was she had developed this silly liking for a man who finds it troublesome to deal with women.

Now, how will he deal with her after what happened? How will she react when she see him?

Did he enjoy it? That was the important question. What if he confronts her about it, what will she say? What reason could she have that he will accept?

She had none at the moment.

Panic.

And so there it went; all her courage and boldness flew out the window…

She thought she was through with panicking. After all, it's been a week. By now, she should have thought of a better way to at least explain it to him.

For a whole week, she avoided running into him in places which Ino told her he'd probably be. Sakura enlisted Ino's help with regard her current course of action which is 'fleeing'. She asked Ino to observe Shikamaru if there were any signs at all that he was moved by it. She needed an eye that will observe his actions, even the slightest or insignificant emotions. No matter how strong the urge was to spy on him, Sakura can't be the eye; she definitely can't spy on him.

Still lying in bed, what happened that night flashed before her, the memory of the kiss they shared sent shivers down her spine… he is a good kisser for a first-timer. According to Ino, it's probably his first time.

Sakura needed a plan. And that's just good excuse to prolong the confrontation. She cannot guarantee if the urge to kiss him will not overcome her when they meet again. Now she's sounding like a 'kiss addict.'

She cannot steal a kiss the second time around.

Perhaps, she could ask for Ino's advice regarding this matter. Ino had to have a better solution to this since she's the one to blame for what happened.

Ino made her do it. Her friend was the very root of this insanity, advising her to kiss Shikamaru.

At first, Sakura was completely against the idea of going that low to prove her assumption that this attraction or whatever was only a fleeting emotion which will soon pass.

But Ino had a point. "Sakura, anyone can tell whether it's simply attraction or is bound to be something more through a kiss," she said while arranging a variety of flowers in a basket. She said this as though it's a normal thing to throw oneself to anyone and kiss anyone.

They were in the flower shop, having a conversation about Sakura's predicament. It had turned into a habit for Sakura. She started sharing her thoughts about Shikamaru since Ino knew him better. After all, she can perfectly trust Ino.

Right, trust Ino to come up with the most sadistic and odd suggestions.

"How will I do it?" Sakura was clueless, and Ino finally looked at her, triumphant.

"It's up to you." Her smile was malicious.

"B-but I never do this kind of things, you know that," Sakura sounded like a whining child.

"You have to do it. Or you'll end up forever pining over him and miss the other opportunities life has to offer. You can't just stand there and do nothing."

"Honestly, where do you get that kind of idea? You know more than I do, I guess, so why can't you help me. Please help me Ino," Sakura was begging now.

"Let me see…" Ino tapped her index finger in her chin, thinking. "Maybe you can ask for Kankouro's help, ask him to control you using his magnificent strings of chakra; let yourself be thrown into the arms of Shikamaru. After that, act like it was an innocent accident. Shikamaru will accept that alibi; it would be too troublesome for him to argue about it with you…"

Ino was joking; Sakura could tell by the way she was trying hard not to laugh at her own silly joke.

For Sakura though, it was not funny at all. "Ino, you're not helping here."

"Trust me. You'll know what to do when you get there. Besides, plans don't work most of the time. Be spontaneous Sakura!" Ino's eyes glinted with naughtiness.

Why was it that Sakura had a bad feeling about this? It's as though she was being tricked into doing something she'll regret later.

"What if he threw me off, that'd be embarrassing," said a very anxious Sakura, still trying to buy her way out of it, though slowly, she's starting to be convinced that it's her only option.

"Shikamaru throwing you off? Nah, that won't happen!" Ino disregarded Sakura's doubts and went back to arranging flowers.

Sakura had the sudden urge to rip the arrangement out of frustration. Ino brushing her off like that was tantamount to telling her she's on her own.

"How can you tell it won't happen?" Sakura hoped Ino would at least give her a valid explanation so she wouldn't have to be surprised when Shikamaru indeed threw her off him. She needed a warning at least.

"Just do it. The sooner you act on it, the better. Remember, your questions will be answered. After that, you can move on and finally be rid of that fleeting attraction you were talking about for TWO MONTHS now." She gave emphasis to the months.

Sakura couldn't believe how the hell she agreed with Ino. If only she didn't listen to her, she won't probably be having these questions now. How troublesome. Now she sounded like Shikamaru.

She needed to talk to Ino again and get a dose of juicy information on Shikamaru's whereabouts.

With that decided Sakura got out of bed, straightened the sheets and walked to her door where her towel was hanging from. She needed a good bath to wash away the worries.

"A female ninja with no special trait…"

Shikamaru mentally laughed at his declaration seven years ago. Apparently, she has some special trait. A faint blush, unbecoming of him, crept its way to his usually impassive face. He's beginning to get used to blushing whenever he thought of her.

He sat across Ino and Choji while they ate breakfast at their favorite barbecue house. He's not sure if the emotion he desperately tried to hide was showing on his face because he could sense Ino's amused eyes trained on him. There was a knowing glint in her eyes which told him she knew something she ought not to know.

He met her gaze, as if challenging her to say something. Not provoked when most of the time she should have been, Ino resumed eating, pretending to find the barbecue more interesting than Shikamaru.

Maybe she knew something but just chose not to confront him about it in front of Choji who by the way was still busy with his non-stop intake of barbecue. He was amazed at how fast his teammate swallowed each piece without completely chewing it. There's almost nothing left for Shikamaru to eat.

Oh, well.

His thoughts drifted back to where it was earlier cut off by Ino's knowing look. He looked out the window instead, to conceal the different kinds of emotion, if they're even visible. Ino had a sharp eye for things like this and it bothered him that in the past, she never missed anything he wanted her to miss.

About the kiss which technically Sakura stole, Shikamaru struggled not to laugh at it. It was his first kiss… (Again, a faint blush crept to his face at the thought- at the age of nineteen he had never been kissed like that, never).

He was, to say the least, blown away by it. She seemed confident that he wouldn't push her away because the kiss lasted for more than just seconds but less than a minute. Well, for a second, he thought of pushing her away, but when her hand held him by the back of his neck and the other held his cheek to stop him from doing unnecessary movements, he lost the little intention he had to struggle.

He was lost.

He responded even to her kisses, which he knew nothing about how to do right. At first it was a simple brushing of the lips, it's not even a kiss, the likes which he saw Ino and Choji doing the other day.

Accidentally he saw his teammates entangled in a kiss which probably involved the tongue. They were doing it in the training grounds one late afternoon. Shikamaru kept his mouth shut or he'll never hear the end of it from Ino.

He looked away from the window and sighed. Putting on his impassive expression, he spared the two sitting across him a lengthy glance. They finished eating, finally. He felt eyes boring holes at his face. It's Ino's again he could tell. She looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. So far, Choji was oblivious to the happenings around him. It's strange that he still ate a lot and his weight reduced to almost 10 pounds over the years.

Whatever Sakura's reasons for doing it, Shikamaru needed to know. Sooner or later, they would have to have the talk that was long overdue. It had almost been a week.

Strangely, he can't wait for Sakura to do it again…

This was bad… Shikamaru never longed for anything, let alone anticipate when the next kiss will happen.

If Sakura already figured it out, Shikamaru was left behind for sure.

To be continued

A/N: Thanks for reading. Hope you will review :)