Second Chances

Summary: By all rights, they should be dead. Yet they weren't. They had been given a second chance at life. Lust couldn't see that, but he could. All they had to do was stop fighting the merging. He already had, but Lust wasn't ready to accept that she and Hinata were one and the same.

Pairings: None.

Warnings: Minor spoilers for Brotherhood/the manga. Also, Lust the Lascivious being lascivious.

A/N: This is based on the same idea as my Harry Potter/FMA crossover, that being 'the reincarnation (or something like that) of the Homunculi into another world.'

Much thanks to No Hugs Peach for betaing and Elisabeth-elicits for pointing out a spelling error.

Shikamaru was tired.

Not like that was any surprise; he was always tired. He wasn't, however, as tired as he had been before – the deep, bone-crushing weariness that had plagued him in his past life was mostly gone. In its place was a languid passiveness, drowsy indifference to the world.

His body wanted to sleep, but he was able to ignore the impulse, which was a pleasant novelty. He had never been able to disregard his body's lethargy in the past, which had resulted in several instances where he started dozing right in the middle of a battle. That had been a slightly irritating habit, as his opponents weren't willing to leave him in peace as he slept. In fact, they usually tried to attack him while he was 'vulnerable,' which was always a hassle.

Besides, at the moment, sleeping wouldn't be a good idea. Someone would be coming to see him soon, he was fairly certain. He didn't know for sure, but it was very probable. He didn't know what time she'd show up, but that was fine with him. He could watch the clouds until she did.

He stared up at the sky. Oh, there was an oddly shaped cloud. Clouds were so peaceful and relaxing. There was nothing troublesome about them. He let his eyes wander, absently noting the other interesting shapes.

He didn't know how long he had been lying there watching the clouds. Time passed, and he was content to let himself drift.

He ignored the approaching chakra until the Hyūga heiress sat down next to him, poking her fingers together. He could feel another headache coming on. She glanced at him, then looked away, blushing. "Um…S-Shikamaru –"

"No one's around. You can drop the act, Lust."

"Tch." Within a moment, the girl sitting next to him looked completely different. She hadn't altered physically, but her mannerisms now conveyed a distinctly changed Hinata. She crossed her legs and rolled onto her side, propping her head up with her hand. The swell of her hips was much more prominent now, something that she had done on purpose, he was sure.

"I knew that. I was just making sure you were actually paying attention." Her voice was a throaty purr that shouldn't have been coming out of a child's mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. So, why are you here?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"I'm a genius," he said simply.

"Mhm. You got lucky," she said. "You've actually got brains. Look at me. I'm stuck in this weak little body."

"Surely those eyes of yours have come in handy?"

"They are useful, I'll admit. But I'd trade them for my lances anytime." He rather suspected that she found her dōjutsu more useful than she let on, not that she would admit it. Lust was stubborn like that. She pouted and rolled onto her stomach. "I miss my…maturity." She crossed her arms, pulling the fabric of her shirt tight against her chest. "Look at this. Pathetic. How am I supposed to seduce people with these?"

"You're not. You're Hinata Hyūga, a shy, unconfident girl who can't even work up the courage to talk to her crush."

At the mention of the hyperactive blonde boy, her lip curled. "Naruto's annoying. He reminds me of the Fullmetal boy."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in interest. "Who's Fullmetal?"

"You don't remember?"

"Too much work."

She rolled her eyes. "Typical. Fullmetal was this midget chosen as a sacrifice. He had a temper, and was Hoenheim's son. He was also some kind of genius." She smirked. "In that way, he was different than Naruto. You're seriously telling me that you don't remember him?"

"I don't remember many people outside of the other Homunculi." He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter right now though."

"Of course it does. Your intelligence makes it easy for you to tell when someone's from our world. You need to know who the others were."

"Why?"

She looked at him like he'd asked a stupid question. "In case someone like Fullmetal somehow shows up here. That would be annoying, Sloth."

He felt a kind of nagging urge to correct her, and tell her that his name was Shikamaru. He let it pass, like a tingling itch, and his head gave a painful pulse. He almost gave in to the urge to sigh aloud. Not this again. He had assumed that he was past this by now; he had already accepted that he and the Shikamaru boy were merging, so why was he still having the headaches?

He watched her hands as they reached up to push back hair that wasn't there. "I hate this hairstyle," she muttered, in response to his look. "It's too short."

His gaze rested on her small fingers, taking notice of sharp, long nails. "You need to cut your nails."

"Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do. I happen to like long nails."

"They're not practical for a ninja's life. Not unless you can channel chakra to them to reinforce them, which you aren't able to do yet. Someone might notice and start questioning."

"I don't care."

She did. She'd cut them when she arrived back at the Hyūga compound, Shikamaru was sure. They sat in silence for a while until she reached up and stroked the side of his face, scratching gently.

"I'm bored." The childish way she declared it was at complete odds with the smoldering look in her eyes. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you?" Her lips tucked into a seductive smile. "Or to you?"

"You're joking, right?"

Her hand fell. "Of course I was. Mostly."

"Don't act like that."

"I'll act as I please when I'm alone."

"You're not alone."

She hummed in satisfaction, and there was a momentary softening of her eyes. She almost looked content. "That's right. Which reminds me, how is Gluttony?" she asked, with a sort of fondness that one would display for a pet.

"He's just fine, as you already know. He hasn't realized who he is yet."

"He will soon," she said confidently. "Until then, just keep an eye on him."

Shikamaru felt vaguely annoyed. "I have been. He considers me his best friend." And I him. "Why don't you befriend him yourself?"

"You know Hinata could never gather up the courage to talk to anyone, let alone make friends." She batted her eyes. "Besides, 'Father' doesn't approve of his daughter talking to those of lower class than her."

Shikamaru noticed that Lust still referred to the Hyūga girl as if she was another being, separate from her. So she was still fighting it then. That promised to be such a bother in the future.

She sneered, and pale eyes filled with cruelty. "I can't wait until I can drop this stupid charade. I'm so sick of acting like a stuttering little girl. I want to kill my 'family' first. Of course, it won't be as satisfying without my lances, but kunai should work just as well."

She stretched, arching like a cat and letting the fabric of her shirt ride up to expose a sliver of skin. "Did you know that they brand their Branch Members?"

"Hm. Like the Oroboros mark."

"Quite right. Imagine the looks on faces when their sweet little Hinata kills them all." Her pale eyes were alight with vicious glee.

"You have to wait, Lust," he cautioned her. "Remember, we're Academy students. We're children who have established personality patterns. We can't deviate from them."

"I know, I know. What gives you the right to act like you're in charge? You were just the dumb muscle. I was the one who planned everything back then."

And then you were burned alive. He frowned. I think. He couldn't really remember what had happened to her. Already, he had forgotten how he himself had died. A blur of blonde hair – the woman general perhaps – and pain in his stomach. There had been two men there, and another woman. Or something. His head pounded. Too much work to think about.

Lust seemed to be waiting for a response. "Things have changed," he said.

"Not for the better."

He didn't reply.

"Whatever." She waved her hand. "Just let me know when Gluttony remembers who he is."

"He's still Chōji for now."

There was an edge to his voice that he wasn't able to hide. Evidently Lust picked up on it as well, because suddenly scrutinizing eyes were regarding him. That was the problem with her having a kekkei genkai like the Byakugan. She could see every twitch that was too troublesome to hide.

Her eyes widened. "You've actually become friends with him, haven't you?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "What's wrong with you? He's not Chōji, he's Gluttony. The boy known as Chōji doesn't exist. Why are you making this harder on yourself?"

Shikamaru wanted to respond that Chōji did, in fact, exist. Lust didn't know the other boy like he did. She couldn't see his worth outside of being a Homunculus. Really, she couldn't see any human's worth.

But if he told her that, her reaction would be too much of a bother. Oh, well. She'd understand soon enough.

He shrugged and watched the clouds pass overhead. He could outlast her silence. It appeared that her new body made her more childish. She seemed almost impatient, less prone to rationalizing.

She sighed and turned toward him. "I'm tired of waiting."

"There's nothing we can do but wait."

"And that suits you just perfectly," she snapped. "You don't have to do anything."

"Exactly."

"You're hopeless."

"Hn."

"An Uchiha response?" Her voice was amused.

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I don't talk to Sasuke much."

"Ah, yes, the 'last Uchiha.' Such a quaint title."

"If you say so."

"Shinobi, especially that Itachi boy, have the right idea about killing. For humans, anyway. They still seem to keep some morals, which can be annoying." He winced when the pain in his head heightened. How troublesome.

"Don't let Sasuke hear you say that," he said.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" She turned angry pale eyes to him. "I'm not the Hyūga brat that I play."

You are, he wanted to say. You are no matter how hard you fight it. And that terrifies you.

She must have read his answer in his eyes, because she abruptly turned away.

"I'm not," she insisted, then grimaced and massaged her temples.

"Headache?" he asked.

She immediately dropped her hand. "No."

"Ah."

"I'm bored of talking to you," her voice was deliberately calm, her demeanor uncaring. "I'm leaving. You should get up soon. It's almost time for class."

"Wait," he called. "What happens when Chōji remembers that he's Gluttony?"

"What do you mean?"

"He'll develop a taste for human flesh." Even the idea was enough to send a shiver down his spine. How very odd. He knew that before, that idea would have been too bothersome to hold his interest, much less make him care.

She shrugged. "Then we'll have to find a fresh supply for him without alerting anyone to what we're doing. We'll figure something out later. Humans are so stupid anyway."

He couldn't keep silent this time. "And yet, one was smart enough to kill you."

She snarled and rubbed her arms before she could stop herself. Then her expression relaxed. When she spoke, her voice was superior, bordering on a kind of contemptuous amusement. "I really do have to leave, you know. You might not mind being late for school, but my 'family' doesn't tolerate such behavior."

She walked away with a sway to her hips that was more pronounced than usual. Troublesome woman.

He knew the reason that she was so abrasive. She was scared. She could feel her personality merging with that of the Hyūga girl and she was fighting it.

Shikamaru didn't fight it. That would be too much trouble. One day, he'd completely identify as Shikamaru, a shinobi of Konoha. Until that day, he'd deal with the headaches and troubles that came with this.

He had been given a second chance at life, a life where he wasn't burdened with such a heavy feeling of laziness. A life where he couldn't feel the oppressive need to do nothing all the time. No longer would he be defined by an overwhelming vice. He would have a name now. He would have interests, hobbies, friends. He would have a new life.

He wouldn't squander this chance. He'd allow himself to be different.

A/N: I feel bad for butchering Hinata's personality. I was toying with having Ino as Lust, so that way the Ino-Shika-Cho trio would also be Homunculi, but I thought it would be more interesting to have Hinata as Lust.

So, let me know what you thought of this. I would especially like feedback on the way I portrayed their characters in this story.