"Geniusly Compatible"

Summery: The sequel to 'More than a Genius.' Neji and Shikamaru decide to continue what had started on their last mission, but what exactly is one supposed to 'do' on a date with Hyuuga Neji? Shikamaru will have to find out the hard way...

This story is a continuation of 'More than a Genius,' to avoid confusion please read it first! This it is unbeta'd and full of errors, so please forgive the bad grammaticals. ;

WARNING! This story is full of yoainess, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Flames will only be pointed and laughed at for my own amusement by me and my buddy Captain Cutlas, so don't bother.

Ch.1 Sleepless Nights

With a startled gasp, Nara Shikamaru shot up awake.

"Dammit, not another one." He ran a shaking hand through his sweat drenched hair as he tried to calm the last wisps of his nightmare from his head. He tried to recall the dream, but he could only remember the terror he felt moments before he snapped awake. Other than the anxiety he felt whenever he dreamed, one other element had been consistent with his nightmares.

'Neji.'

The Hyuuga had never left Shikamaru's thoughts since the moment they departed ways three days ago, on the day he was released from the hospital. Neji had walked with Shikamaru back to his apartment, they discussed briefly on the result of their previous mission together. Neji talked briefly on his recovery and showed that the scars he had received had all but faded into thin white marks. Shikamaru would complain on the inevitable scolding that his mother would inflict upon him the moment he stepped one foot inside the Nara household for his post-mission parental meeting. When they had reached the apartment, the two shinobi experienced an awkward pause. Neji then mumbled a "see you around" and made his way towards the direction of the Hyuuga estate.

They had not seen nor spoken to each other since. In the three days that followed, Shikamaru's world had been a flurry of activity. Rather than visiting his old house to receive a scolding, his parents surprised him by knocking on his door later that same day. Shikamaru bore the brunt of his mother's fussing and chiding (which he knew was her own curious way of expressing concern) while his father would just roll his eyes and sigh. After such a close call on losing their only child on a mission, his parents were not about to let him out of their sight anytime soon.

In the end, his parents had insisted on Shikamaru to stay at their house, of which he grudgingly did. Then, after three days of helping his father out on the fields and enduring his persistent mother (thankfully Ino and Chouji had came over to rescue him for a few hours on one evening) he had finally returned to his quiet studio apartment.

Now there was nothing to do to occupy his time but sleep, and that is the one thing Shikamaru could not do at the moment. 'There's no way I can sleep now.' The Nara sighed and sat up. "I'll have to walk it off.' He dug around his dark room until he was able to find his Jounin vest, and headed out the door.

Outside, a half moon glinted dully in the misty autumn night, casting an ominous pallor over the sleeping Konoha village. Shikamaru had little to fear wandering in the dark in the middle of a village full of shinobi, and he allowed his mind to cloud over as he walked somewhat meditative repetition of his meandering feet.

It was instinct before thought made Shikamaru freeze at the unnerving feeling of eyes observing him.

Hyuuga Neji poked his head from above a roof. Shikamaru instantly relaxed. "Hey, Neji."

"Shikamaru." The Hyuuga leapt down from his perch to land soundlessly next to the Nara."Don't you usually sleep at this time of night?"

Shikamaru shrugged, avoiding the Hyuuga's eyes which matched the color of the moon. "I felt like I needed a walk. You?"

"Couldn't sleep." Neji replied.

Again, the awkward pause descended between them. Neji scratched the back of his head as he searched for more words to say. ""You...want to go somewhere?"

"Um...sure." Shikamaru looked away, suddenly a little ashamed that he had made no effort to contact the Hyuuga in the last three days. "What do you have in mind?"

Neji smiled. "How about I buy you a drink?"

The Nara held up his hand apologetically. "Thanks for offering– but I'm not much of a drinker."

The Hyuuga chuckled. "Then I'll buy you some tea. You drink that, do you?"

Shikamaru returned the smile. "That I do."

The Cackling Toad had all the smells related to any public restaurant open 24 hours to cater to both night owls and shinobi returning from missions. It permeated with the smells of rank smoke and sour alcohol, which induced bitter stomachs to customers unaccustomed to such settings.

The two young men entered the bar with a nod from the bartender, who recognized them as being within legal age. They chose a spot at the far end of the bar, away from the prying ears of the few scattered patrons that occupied the tables and stools. Neji immediately ordered sake for himself, while Shikamaru requested green tea.

"So," Neji took a sip of his warm sake from the ceramic cup. "Been busy?"

Shikamaru groaned. "My parents kidnaped me and I was held hostage in their house for three days! I only just got home tonight."

"Sounds brutal." Neji replied, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Yeah, it was. What did you do?"

"I trained." Neji replied as he refilled his sake cup. "I've been conditioning my body since the day we got back from our mission. My body is almost back to its full capacity."

"Oh." Shikamaru swirled the dregs in his tea. "That's good to hear."

The conversation lapsed into a heavy silence. When Shikamaru could not take it anymore, he sighed and placed down his tea. "Why are we doing this?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"After everything we've been through together, we can barely hold onto a conversation. We're acting like a couple of kids on their first da..." The unspoken word hung in the air. Shikamaru turned to stare at the graffiti carved into the table, which suddenly became very interesting. "Are we on a date?" he mumbled barely above a whisper.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Neji's voice was soft enough to only reach the Nara's ears.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, its..." his cheeks reddened slightly, and he kept his voice low. "I've never done this sort of thing before. I don't really know what to do."

"Is that so?" Neji propped a hand under his chin, now very interested in what his companion had to say. "You've never been on a date before?"

Shikamaru scowled and hunched over his tea. "Ino asked me out once long ago. I refused, but she dragged me along anyways. It was..." Shikamaru's eye twitched. "Horrible."

Neji's pale eyes widened. "What happened?"

Shikamaru shuddered. "I ditched her sometime during the movie we went to. She was on my ass for weeks until I got it through her head that I wasn't interested in her."

The Hyuuga looked as if he was trying to suppress a smile. "Sounds scary."

"All women are!" Shikamaru took a swig of his tea as if it were hard liquor. "Especially when they hold a grudge!"

Neji stifled a chuckle into his drink. "So you've never been out on an actual date?"

"I suppose not." Shikamaru poured himself more tea. "How about you? Have you been on many dates?"

"I've been on a few," Neji tilted his head as he thought. "Though not with anyone that I really liked."

"Then what are you supposed to do on a date?" Shikamaru leveled his eyes at the Hyuuga. "I won't go to any chick flick movies."

Neji snorted. "Do I look like the type who watches 'chick flicks'?"

"Sorry." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "So what does one generally 'do' on a date?"

"Hmm." Neji tapped his chin in thought. "Usually dates involve spending time together in order to become familiar with one another. Do you have any suggestions?"

The Nara shrugged. "I dunno, Shogi?"

"What, all day?"

"It's a great game!" Shikamaru scowled as he tried to defend his favorite hobby. "And it's a good way to stretch your mind."

Then something strange happened. A mischievous gleam seeped into Neji's eyes, and slowly, his lips curled into a devious smirk. "There are other ways to stretch, you know."

Shikamaru gulped, suddenly feeling like a mouse about to be pounced by a cat. "Oh, r-really? Like what?" he asked, already knowing the answer. He jumped when he felt his calf being lightly stroked by Neji's foot.

"I think you know what I mean." The Hyuuga's smile exposed his sharp teeth.

They were rudely interrupted by the double doors slamming wide open, and four familiar faces strode noisily into the Cackling Toad.

"Ahh, its nice to be in a bar where I can smoke again!" Sarutobi Asuma lighted one of his cancer sticks and sucked on it with relish.

"Uh oh..." Shikamaru's eyes widened with fear at the sound of his former teacher's booming voice.

"Yeah, that last mission was a bitch!" Shiranui Genma walked into the bar, and was followed closely by Hatake Kakashi (who was currently engaged in one of his Icha Icha novels.)

"Smoking is bad for your health Asuma-san, and it diminishes the power of your aura of YOUTH!" Maito Gai made a grand entrance into the bar, posing dramatically with flair.

"Oh gods, please no..." Neji stiffened at the sight of the familiar green spandex glistening in the overhead lights. The two young shinobi sat frozen in their seats, both desperately scanned the bar for any escape routes or hiding spots (of which none were to be found). Neither of them wanted to face a confrontation with their old Genin teachers, of which they had learned in the past only lead to baaaad things happening.

Unfortunately, Neji and Shikamaru were not about to be very lucky...

TBC

Uh oh...will Neji and Shikamaru be able to survive a terrible teacher onslaught?

Please R/R! I likes them good!