I'm cleaning up my drafts. This used to be the start of a "SI-OC as Yoshino" story that I'll never finish. As I read it again, I realized that with some cleaning up it did a good Yoshino/Shikaku one-shot, so here it is. As a consequence, Yoshino might appear a little OOC, but with the little we know about her it doesn't mean much.

A detail: I'm french and this isn't beta-ed. Sorry in advance for any mistakes. Send me a nice review with a correction if something bothers you.

Love wasn't a shinobi's priority, even less so during wartime.

Their first meeting wasn't a fairytale. It's a war story, filled with blood, screams and terror.

It's Yoshino's third deployment on the battlefront. She was part of the medical team in the base camp led by the famous Ino-Shika-Cho team.

The first time she spoke to Nara Shikaku, he has two open gashes across his face, and she ordered him to stop moving because he's wasting both their time. He barely glanced at her, but stayed still while listening to a chuunin's report. He's gone as soon as the skin is closed without a glance back at her. She didn't bother telling him that it will scare because of the poison, nor did she thought about what a shame it was to disfigure such an handsome face. There wasn't enough time to think about anything else than their work.

Nara Shikaku was a good strategist and a good leader. One of those who cared about his men's health, asked for the medics' report and listened to their suggestions. She respected him for that. Obeying his orders was done without a second thought. She had faith in his capacities.

Yoshino patched up each member of the Ino-Shika-Cho one time or another. She learned to work with the rest of the team hovering nearby, often speaking together like she wasn't even there. It didn't matter. They all had a job to do. Theirs was to find their next course of action. Hers was to make sure they were in a good enough state to do it.

Sometimes they thanked her distractedly. That was Choza most often; Shikaku was always lost in thought, contemplating their next move.

o

Their time on the battlefront came to an end simultaneously.

One week of rest, then five weeks of work in Konoha's hospital before she was sent back on the front. That was Yoshino's schedule, and she was perfectly aware that the hospital wouldn't be a pleasure trip either. As such, she spent her first week doing the least she could, including cooking.

It wasn't a surprise when she found several soldiers from her previous deployment at an Akimichi's restaurant; it was offering a discount to those coming back from the battlefront.

However, she didn't expect to be greeted warmly and invited to join them at the largest table, a low traditional one around which they sat on pillows.

When she received several pats on the shoulder and an Akimichi boasted to their waitress that Yoshino was one of the great medics that had repeatedly saved their lives, she blushed, pleased by the recognition. They all did their job so mindlessly that she nearly thought that no-one even noticed her anymore. She was glad to be proven wrong.

The seating arrangements changed a few times as people came and went. Yoshino ended up on Shikaku's right side. The jounin looked up from his glass of sake to acknowledge her presence with a nod. He was slouching with an arm over his raised knee.

"How was your first night back in Konoha, Yoshino-san?" He drawled.

"Short but blissfully quiet and uninterrupted. It's easier to deal with only five hours of sleep if I can linger in bed one more hour, then drag myself to the kotatsu for another hour of nothing to do, and then lounge in the sun on the balcony for another hour," she replied casually.

Shikaku snorted and nodded. "Agreed. Yet, I wouldn't have pegged you for the type to stay inactive."

She groaned. "I'm not, not really, but come on, give me a break. You know what we went through and I know what's waiting for me at the end of the week."

He laughed briefly. "We all deserve a break," he agreed before sipping his sake. "It's just good to see you let your hair down, doc." He gestured toward the long brown hair falling on her back instead of styled in her usual bun, but he clearly meant it literally and figuratively.

"It's now or never, isn't it?" She replied, resisting the urge to touch her hair.

He hummed in agreement and went back to his glass. A few seconds later, his friends caught his attention and kept it for the rest of the meal.

That was the first time she spoke to him about anything other than work, and she expected that it would be the last time, at least for a while.

Yet, when she stood up to take her leave, one of the last ones left apart from the Ino-Shika-Cho, he turned and looked up at her. "We're planning a party the evening after tomorrow at Choza's house. Join us if you're interested."

She froze and glanced at the Akimichi who gave her a friendly smile. Yoshino was from a small shinobi family, not a clan. She was a second generation kunoichi, from average chuunin parents. Her social circle had always been humble. To be invited at a clan's party was probably the opportunity of a lifetime.

She nodded.

o

For all that, Yoshino hadn't expected anything lifechanging from this party. Those occasions weren't really her cup of tea. She was an introvert, and she didn't have many friends. That's how she prefered it.

She had planned to watch, mostly.

She ended up in a guest room, playing shogi with Shikaku.

"Why did I think this was a good idea, again?" She grumbled, leaning forward with her chin in her hand.

Shikaku shook a bottle of sake.

"Oh, yeah, that'd do it." She sighed and stretched her neck, then changed position from cross-legged to seiza so she could lean forward, her weight resting on her hands in front of her, bringing her nose closer to the board.

"Do you see a solution better this way?" Shikaku teased with a smirk, patiently waiting for her move.

"No," she huffed. Straightening somewhat, she pushed back a strand of hair and finally moved her gold general, although without conviction. "I'm sorry. I'm not much of a challenge."

Shikaku shrugged lazily. "Still better than watching Choza's brother embarrassing himself."

Rubbing her face, Yoshino chuckled distractedly. "True… Ah. I really can't see anyway out of that one. I give up."

"You're stuck," Shikaku agreed with a nod.

They cleared the board quietly, their hands touching briefly.

They left the room in a comfortable silence and walked back to the party, where they discovered that a brawl had break out. Several tables were upturn. An Akimichi and an Inuzuka looked banged up. As the only medic around, Yoshino instinctively turned to check on them.

"Don't," Inoichi told her as he came to join them on the patio, his girlfriend by his side. "They're fine. A few bruises will remind them to find a better way to vent."

"Oh, wonderful, more training injuries for the hospital!" Yoshino joked, but she stayed by Shikaku's side.

"That's not what I had in mind," Inoichi replied with a smirk, adjusting his hold around Nadeshiko, an analyst working for Intelligence, five years older than him, elegant and friendly.

"Why do you think there are as many women as men tonight?" Shikaku drawled with half-closed eyes.

"Gender equality?" Yoshino replied. "I know, I know, wishful thinking on my part. Do you always plan your parties like a battle?"

Inoichi snorted. "Thankfully, his battle plans work better than this party."

"You know what they say: no battleplan ever survives first contact with the enemy."

"And who is the enemy in this scenario?" Shikaku asked, slouching with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, thankfully for you, not me, because you really need an ally." She turned towards him with a hand on her hip. "I can't tell if you just want a night together or more than that so I'll make it easier for you: do you plan to see me home tonight or not?"

Inoichi burst into laughter, leaning on Nadeshiko to stay upright, while his girlfriend hid her glee behind a slender hand.

Yoshino noticed this from the corner of her eyes, too focused on her eye contact with Shikaku. He seemed to have woken up at her jibe, staring at her with a spark of… something. Interest? Amusement?

"Yeah."

"Good, then let's go, before I have to play nurse for the rest of the night. Inoichi-san, Nadeshiko-san, have a good night."

"You too, Yoshino-san," Nadeshiko replied for herself and her boyfriend since he was too busy calming down to do so.

Shikaku followed her to the stairs where they had left their shoes. When he leaned down to grab his, his mouth was at her ears' level, and he murmured: "I don't mind you playing nurse if that's your thing."

She walked into that one, really, but it surprised her nonetheless. Her response was a knee-jerk reaction: blushing fiercely, she punched him in the shoulder… or tried to. He avoided her attack with a cheerful laugh and caught her hand in his before she could try again.

"That was too tempting," he admitted before raising her hand to his lips and kissing the back of it softly. He didn't apologize, unrepentant, but the soft smile he gave her appeased her nonetheless.

He steadied her while she put on her shoes but didn't relinquish her hand when she mumbled "let's go", her cheekbones still pink and her eyes lowered.

They didn't talk as they walked to her home. Yoshino led the way by giving Shikaku's hand a few tugs.

The evening was a little cool, but the wind was really chilly, and it rushed into the open hallway on the third floor of her apartment building. She shivered as she took her keys out of a pocket. Shikaku leaned against the wall nonchalantly, waiting for her to open and shielding her from the wind at the same time. What a casual gentleman, she thought, amused.

"You never answered my question," she pointed out as she opened the door and stepped into the genkan. "Are you here for the night, or for more?" She closed the door behind him and looked up as he stared down at her.

They were extremely close, but she didn't move. He was intently focused on her; to have his full attention was heady.

"Depends," he said, watching her lazily, "on if you're still interested after tonight."

"Good point," she admitted with a tilt of her head.

His eyes went down to her lips. She tugged on his kimono and that was all the encouragement he needed to lean forward and kiss her. He tasted of sake. His stubble rubbed against her skin softly, and his warmth seeped into her. It was… strangely comforting, probably because she hadn't experienced a touch which wasn't strictly professional for ages.

When the kiss stopped, his lips lingered at the corner of her mouth for a second before he went to nuzzle the soft skin behind her ear. She held onto his kimono to stay steady, breathing in his scent with her eyes closed. He smelt earthy and woodsy. She wouldn't be surprised to hear that he spent most of his free time in the Nara Clan forest.

She liked it a lot, and she wanted him in her bed, not on the floor.

"Shoes," she said. As soon as they were barefoot, she ignored the slippers and dragged him to her bedroom.

He caught her and pulled her back against his chest with an arm around her waist and his face against her neck. "Smell good," he mumbled.

Perfume was a bad idea during missions, and Yoshino didn't even think about it the rest of the time. However, her dress was smelling like the lavender she used to protect her casual clothes from moths (considering how little she put them on, it was essential).

Shikaku pulled on her sleeve, baring her shoulder. His stubble rubbing on her sensitive skin made her shiver. She raised an arm to bury her fingers in his hair, messing up his ponytail and getting a hum of approval when she gently scratched his scalp.

"Bed," she breathed when he nipped at her earlobe.

He followed obediently.

o

"I like your battle plans," Yoshino admitted an hour later after a quick trip to the bathroom. She slid back under the covers and snuggled closer to Shikaku.

He hummed and adjusted his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "A good ally makes it better," he replied, already dozing off.

She chuckled and spread her fingers above his heart.

"I assure you this wasn't enough to kill me," he teased her. His eyes were closed, but his hand tightened gently around her waist.

She huffed. "I know that, but my nightmares tend to make me forget." A little embarrassed to have admitted this so freely, she curled up. "Just go to sleep."

Merciful, Shikaku simply hummed his agreement.

In the middle of the night, she woke up with a start on the other side of the mattress. She managed two full respirations before the body behind her shifted and a hand came to rest on her hip. When she didn't react violently, Shikaku wrapped himself around her. His bare chest was against her skin, his heartbeat reverberating in her body. He didn't say a word. He simply kissed her neck. Slowly, she relaxed. She managed to go back to sleep without too much difficulty.

It was rare enough that she felt quite good in the morning. Good enough that a few caresses easily convinced her of the benefits of morning sex.

She watched as he stood up naked to retrieve his clothes. She stretched under the sheets and appreciated the view of his muscled back with half-closed lids.

He left for the bathroom with just his underwear on and came back a few minutes later with his hair pulled back into his usual ponytail. He sat on the corner of the bed to put on his pants.

Yoshino crawled to join him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm still interested. You?"

He turned his head to catch her eye and nodded. "Yeah."

"Dinner?"

"Tomorrow?"

"At seven. Sushi?"

"The restaurant between the library and the Naka river is good."

"Deal. Goodbye kiss?"

He indulged her without needing to be asked twice and she watched him leave with a pleased smile.