Okay so this is my first Naruto fanfic. I absolutely love Naruto and many of my favorite pairings deal with Sakura. This ShikaSaku is just one of them. For most of my stories, Sakura is more than likely going to have a very close friendship with Team 7 and Shikamaru, a brother-sister relationship with Kiba and possibly Genma, and be best friends with TenTen. Of course that's if I don't change my mind. But any way, on with the show!!!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but if I did, I'd be stinkin' rich!
FlashBack
Sakura sat along the riverbank, absently trailing her feet in the water. She was just waiting for him to show up. It would only be a matter of time and she knew it. Her heart was pounding through her chest, and she knew that soon the fact that she was still sitting here waiting on him would drive her completely insane. Despite her desperation to see him, she didn't feel like she was ready. She didn't feel like she was ready to let him go. She wanted to turn back. She wanted to turn back and run, so that way, maybe he wouldn't leave. Just as she'd made up her mind, she sensed his presence behind her. Her breath quaked with anticipation. She knew that at this meeting, she'd reveal to him her true feelings. This would be it; before he left, she'd finally tell him how she felt. She stood up and spun around quickly before she lost her nerve to say the words, but it happened anyway once she laid eyes on him. He was already prepared to leave for his mission and wore his black ANBU uniform. It fit tight against his figure and she could see every rippling muscle in his body-or so she thought. Just looking at him standing there made her want to pounce on him, kiss him, and beg him for just one night before he left.
"So, this is it," Shikamaru said as he stood in front of Sakura. '
"Yeah." she walked forward and gave him a tight embrace. '
Shikamaru cleared his throat. "Well, if there's anything that needs to be said before I leave. Now might be a good time."
"Yeah… well, I…..it's just…..um… please be careful Shika" she hung her head down in defeat. She couldn't do it.
Shikamaru looked almost pained. "Yeah……I will. So,…is, um,…. is that… all?"
"Uh, yeah. U-unless…you.. had anything to say?'' Sakura replied hopefully.
"No, no nothing at all. Just be safe while I'm gone." Shikamaru told her looking down at the river.
"Ok. Yeah I will. Goodbye Shika." Sakura hugged him one last time before Shikamaru left on his mission for Lord knows how long.
It was dark out, and the moon hung high in the sky. Seven months had passed since Shikamaru and Sakura bid farewell and she was still at that same bank he'd left her at. That same look of sorrow in her eyes. Those same unsaid words still caught in her throat. As he watched her quietly from atop a tree, it pained Shikamaru to see the pain and sorrow that she was going through, even if he wasn't sure whether or not it had anything to do with him.
"Sakura..." he whispered.
Sakura thought to herself. '"Sakura," She gasped at the sound of it. So familiar, so gentle.
'It can't be him it just can't be. He's gone, and when he returns, it won' t be to me at all, it'll be to Ino.'
"Whatsamatta Pinkie? All these months apart and you've forgotten my voice? What a drag. Here I was hoping you'd be excited upon my return." Shikamaru drawled truly upset by Sakura's reaction- or lack of one that is.
It was him! Her chest swelled with the excitement of seeing his face again, of feeling his touch. Before her brain stopped her, she jumped up and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He slipped his arms free and wound one around her back, and began caressing her salmon hair, where he buried his face and let the tears flow freely. And so did she. Her heart was so overjoyed at seeing him that she just couldn't contain herself.
"Oh Shikamaru. I've missed you so much."
"And I've missed you Sakura. So much." They stayed like that-in each other's arms- for many long, precious moments. Finally, Shikamaru broke the silence and said, "Can we…uh…well go back to your place."
"Huh?"
"No, I mean just to catch up you know. I kinda need to talk to you nothing that important but... So, um, whaddya say? Yes or No? Either way you answer, I need to be with you Sakura." Shikamaru suddenly regretted saying that last part. He didn't want it to seem like the only reason he was glad to see her again was for sex.
"Um, yeah. Sure. But…are you sure you should?" Sakura was confused. Wasn't Shikamaru with Ino. He had sounded uncomfortable asking her. Something he never would've felt if he was just looking to 'catch up and talk about nothing.' She shook off her doubts and led the way back to her apartment, Shikamaru following two steps behind.
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They'd finally arrived at her house. The entire walk there had been silent and somewhat tense. It made Sakura uncomfortable about what might come next.
"I'll put on some tea." she said to no one in particular in an attempt to be a good hostess and get a little breather. She headed into the kitchen as Shikamaru made his way towards her bedroom. Since they were such good friends, he had a habit of making himself at home instead of sitting on the couch with his hands to himself like he usually would.
Sakura's tenseness made it more difficult for Shikamaru to say what he wanted to say so while she was preparing the drink, he sat at the foot of the bed and thought of as many ways as he could to shatter the tenseness and finally say what had been eating away at his heart for the past seven months.
As he thought, he looked around in search of some 'inspiration'. Sakura's bedroom wasn't that fancy, he noted to himself. Although he'd been in there many times, he never paid much attention to the decorum. There was, of course, a bed that was about three feet from the wall opposite the door. The side of the bed was directly below a window that gave a beautiful view of outside. On the wall above her bed, there was a birthday gift that Naruto had given her a year ago. It was an extravagantly beautiful katana with a gold hilt and a black sheath with an exquisite picture of an fully bloomed red rose with the kanji for love below it. On the wall coplanar with the door, there was another, smaller katana, that wasn't as beautiful, but whose wood and colors matched perfectly with the other sword.
Beside the bed, there was a nightstand organized with all the things a girl would need to set on one. There was basically nothing more to the room except for the folding screen near her closet, the large decorative vase near the door, and another beautiful wall arrangement above her vanity on the wall of the closet that consisted of a small standing scroll with the kanji for peace hanging delicately above a mounted stone waterfall with two cream colored candles on each side.
When she finally arrived with the tea, Shikamaru still didn't have a plan. She handed him his cup and sat at the head of the bed and began sipping her tea- absently looking out the window. Shikamaru sat in his same spot and began pondering on how to tell her his true feelings. The moments passed so silently and slowly with just the sipping of their tea offering any noise. Just when Shikamaru thought that he couldn't bear it any longer, he felt the weight on the other side of the bed shift suddenly. He turned around to see Sakura leaning toward the window, her eyes bright.
"Snow!" She exclaimed. She loved the snow.
Shikamaru thought."Well Pinkie," said Shikamaru in that same warm tone that always made her melt. "Are we going or not?"
She squealed in delight as she grabbed his outstretched hand and headed towards the door.
Okay so there it was. The first chapter of my first Naruto fic! I hope you liked it. In upcoming chapters, there will be lemons, but I'll leave a Author's Note before chapters containg them. Please review and I'll update soon. By the way, no flames please, only constuctive criticism. Hasta: - ) xoxoxoxo