A/N: I was bored T_T... I didn't really plan on writing a story, but I had to pretend I was writing my research paper to ditch having to socialize with the weekend guests, so this is what it resulted in: scribbles for a highly unlikely Shikamaru x Kagura pairing. And I'm writing this note as an excuse for however this turns out.

I don't know how you found this fic, coz I honestly wouldn't have.. lol.

Chapter 1 - The Shooting Star

Shikamaru stared up at the most beautiful night sky he had ever laid eyes on for as long as he had been alive. Not even in his dreams had he imagined such a magnificent starry display, and right above Konoha too where the evening bustle was at its peak. The usual lights flickering from street lamps, colorful signages, and well-lit homes all seemed dull against the brilliance of millions of stars and galaxies hanging heavily in the air that night. The depth of colors, the silvers and midnight blues, bright purple laced with tender pinks, the soft greens and artful dusting of twinkling whites and yellows overwhelmed the shadow user as he took in as much as he could. It was alien and exciting to him, and it had been a while since anything really moved him this way.

He could hear Ino and Chouji gasping beside him, and it was as if he could physically feel the stress falling off their shoulders like a wet, heavy, stinky blanket slowly being peeled off. They had just finished an arduous five-hour debrief inside the Intelligence Division on a badly botched mission that even had its share of body counts. They had been positively drained on top of still feeling shitty about the whole fiasco, so it was understandable how eager they were to disappear into their own private nooks and brood in peace. But stepping out of the building and into the evening air, the trio now found themselves stupefied with eyes wide towards the sky and unable to step any further.

"This is..." Chouji attempted to articulate as he breathed in deeply. He couldn't quite find the right words so he closed his mouth and hummed instead, content to let silence take over and speak for him.

Ino on the other hand, didn't know when the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't sure if it was because of the child that had died in her arms yesterday or because she was suddenly overwhelmed at the thought that she was still alive. She didn't understand what the stars and the universe had to do with her currently disheveled emotions and why she was quietly falling apart now after seeing the night sky when she had perfectly kept a straight face throughout the whole interview. But maybe that was just it. The magnificent sky had gripped her heart with both gratitude and sorrow enough to squeeze out a few tears. Gratitude for being alive to see something so spectacular, and sorrow knowing the young boy didn't get a chance to. Ino quickly dried her eyes with the back of her hand and took a few lungfuls of cool air. She steadied her heart and turned to find Shikamaru with an expression on his face she'd never seen before.

"Shikamaru..." Ino whispered softly, carefully, like she was afraid she would break some sort of spell. His eyes were wide and bright like it was trying to drink in all the light from the stars and his mouth was partly open like he wanted to speak volumes but couldn't find the words. And was that a blush on his cheeks? He was so lost in it, in the vast, cosmic ocean, and oh, so attentive to it. It was as if nothing else mattered to him, not the mission, not the regrets, not the onset of troublesome paperwork, not even her finger that was currently poking his cheek. This is as far from bored and uninterested as she had ever seen Shikamaru be and the sight of it mesmerized her enough that she couldn't look away.

"Have you ever..." Chouji whispered again, and again couldn't seem to finish his thoughts with words.

"Never," it was Shikamaru who answered. His voice was a soft, awe-struck whisper. "I've never seen anything so beautiful.

Ino's breath caught. She scanned her brain for a single moment when Shikamaru had ever said anything was so beautiful before that night. She searched her memories for when he gave a tender smile like that, one of deep longing and fascination, and she found none. This was a new side to him that she had never been privy to, and her heart started to race.

"You idiot," she rebuked herself inwardly. "What is your heart doing racing like that? He's talking about the sky, not you, you stupid girl. Get yourself together, this is Shikamaru we're talking about. Once he takes his eyes off those stars he'll be back to the Shikamaru that thinks everything is troublesome and you'll get disappointed." This is what she told herself as she shrugged off the warmth and tenderness starting to build up in her heart for this certain lazy-ass childhood friend of hers. But she did keep some of it, the tenderness, wondering if one day he'd look at anybody the way he was looking at the sky. She was pondering about this when Chouji's stomach growled aloud to signal its desperate need to be fed.

"Way to ruin the moment, chubs," Ino was giggling despite her words. It was the first time she actually cracked a smile since the mission.

"Hehe, sorry.." Chouji mumbled and smiled sheepishly. "But I haven't had food in hours! I'm starving."

Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle as well. He spared a look at his friends. Just minutes ago, he was way too concerned that Ino and Chouji would be disconsolate because of the mission, but now, it felt like that was a worry from another lifetime. They're back to themselves and seeing them without those grave expressions on their faces instantly took away any lingering worry off his chest.

"Say no more, Chouji," Shikamaru wrapped an arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Yakiniku Q tonight. My treat!"

"Oh? You're being uncharacteristically generous!" Ino clapped her hands. "Are you just being extra nice coz you feel sorry for me and Chouji? We're not that fragile you know."

"You're being characteristically annoying, Ino," Shikamaru groaned and walked ahead of them. "Why would I feel sorry for you? As far as I'm concerned, it was a setup from the very beginning, so you guys coming back alive is already a victory." He looked up at the sky once more and was glad they were all alive for this. "Now quit spoiling it and let's go."

"You're right, why waste a lovely night!" Ino agreed and pulled Chouji over to Shikamaru. Soon they were languidly strolling through a very lively Konoha. The streets were filled with a warm, delightful atmosphere, people laughing and giggling, music playing in the background, lovers in each others' arms, children on their father's shoulders, friends enjoying meals in the open air, all admiring the night sky.

In no time, they were seated near the patio in Yakiniku Q, enjoying a well-deserved dinner. Shikamaru was mostly staring off into the sky than minding his food or his companions, however, and both Ino and Chouji knew he was itching to actually be alone to stargaze in leisure. He didn't even notice when Asuma arrived and took a piece of meat from his plate.

"Sensei, look at him, I never thought there was ever something that could make Shikamaru into a drooling idiot." Ino shook her head in mock despair before ordering another set of meat.

"Ino..." Chouji whispered in a reprimanding tone.

"Relax, he can't even hear us," she waved a hand. "But seriously, if he stares at the sky more like that, it might as well just come down and ask him to marry him."

Asuma just laughed. He really did look love-struck.

At around 10pm, the crowd in the streets started thinning out. It was a pleasant dinner all throughout, but Ino and Chouji noticed how distracted Shikamaru was. The sky was still glorious, and some had even laid out blankets in the open to stargaze. But tomorrow is another day for another mission for most shinobi, and they had started saying their goodbyes to call it a night. The evening breeze blew as Shikamaru waved Ino and Chouji goodbye, and the air, he noted, was a bit electric. He must have imagined it, but it felt like a soft spark touched his skin, making the hairs on his arm and neck stand. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable. It was even almost pleasant.

He made his way to his favorite grassy slope where he usually spent hours cloud-watching, and settled himself on the soft grass. He was a lazy guy who'd rather sleep than pull an all-nighter, but why waste a lovely night, right? Because, contrary to popular belief, there are other things that could interest Shikamaru enough to bother him to move other than Shogi and Go. Of course, anything new and unknown to him, anything that puzzled him that he can play with in his mind while exerting the least physical effort were his favorite things, but even once in a while, he was willing to lose sleep or go the extra mile for something extraordinarily rare that made him escape from his usual ennui. Because to someone who can figure things out quite readily, and to someone too lazy to seek out excitement, it's rather easy to get bored and all that is left to enjoy are the mundane and unremarkable comforts of life, like soft grass and untroublesome companionship.

All that being said, it was impossible for this night sky to bore him. This was simply the most spectacular thing he's seen in his life, and the occasional meteor showers even made him catch his breath. Unknown to most, beauty was something Shikamaru thoroughly enjoyed, especially if it was already staring right at him and he didn't have to go and seek it out.

At around midnight, Shikamaru felt the electricity in the air again, followed closely by another, and a few moments late, he felt it again, this time stronger. Shikamaru sat up, alarmed. Was this abnormal amount of heavenly bodies somehow making this happen? Is there foreboding danger? He heard from a distance, a number of surprised shrieks as the air around Konoha began to turn charged. Lighting sparked everywhere, the bolts finding their way to the metal lamp posts, generating a power surge that led to a massive blackout.

And then it happened. Fascination turned into dread as the sky above them began to rumble and screech menacingly. The vivid stars overhead began to swirl rapidly into a vortex that was immediately expanding, forming a dark hole right above Konoha. The air turned dense, cold, and strange, and although Shikamaru quickly stood up, his feet stayed planted where he stood, eyes transfixed at the phenomenon. He just hoped the night watch were already forming seals for a barrier to protect the village from this unknown force.

He felt it first, the forceful, heavy pressure that suddenly exploded in the atmosphere from the dark hole, before he heard the deafening boom that followed. A flaming blue meteorite had emerged from the hole, raging straight towards the village. Shikamaru watched stunned at the visible ripple in the air as the meteorite broke through the atmosphere, and in a split second, it blazed right across his eyes and crashed violently half a mile from where he stood in the direction of the east gate. The earth and the air shook, and there was dust and smoke from the impact. He looked up just in time to see the black hole sink into itself and disappear without a trace, and to his horror, he also noticed that the previously vibrant sky began to fade into normalcy. The power generators kicked in and light flickered back into Konoha homes. Dark clouds began rolling across the sky, covering the sidereal display, and a soft rumble warned of incoming storms.

Shikamaru was already processing the situation in his mind. Most of Konoha were awake by now and shaken, and there was much commotion, but he had to find out what fell out from the sky. It appeared to him that the falling star was the climax of this whole strange phenomenon. He was one of the first to reach the crash site. When the dust and smoke had subsided enough, Shikamaru found the entire gate had been destroyed and turned into a huge crater. The damage around it was severe, the impact force had pushed back heavily, leaving light posts bent, wood splintered, and concrete in pieces. A number of Anbu were already there, pulling out Izumo, and Kotetsu from under the debris.

Shikamaru fixed his gaze on the object sitting in the middle of the crater. It looked like a massive dying ember, like a huge, mangled lump of coal still hot to the touch. It was roughly the size of a person, and Shikamaru narrowed his eyes when he sensed movement within it. He heard the crackle and like a thick, dry scab, part of its outer shell fell off. He was taken aback in utter shock when the fingers emerged from the crack, raw with burn marks, bloodied.. small and slender. A firm grip held his shoulder right before he was about to step closer, and he looked up to see the Hokage staring intently at the alien object.

"No one go near it!" she ordered. "Secure the perimeter! Is there a Hyuuga around?"

"Hai!" Iroha Hyuuga jumped quickly to Tsunade's side, and without being ordered he concentrated his chakra to his eyes.

"Byakugan!" the veins around his eyes popped, and almost immediately, he gasped at his discovery. "It's alive! More accurately, there are two sets of chakra signatures. One is very faint, and the other almost barely noticeable. There are two... beings... inside. In critical condition," Iroha stuttered.

A desperate, muffled groan came from the fallen object, and a struggling, shaky arm slowly pierced through the burnt layer.

"H-help..." the small, wavering voice called. It sounded like it came from a female child. Sakura, who had recently arrived at the scene was the first to step into the crater, a little afraid but desperate to save the life of the one begging.

"Sakura, stop!" Tsunade stilled her. "We don't know if there are any dangers. Let Iroha finish analyzing."

"But.. shishou!" Sakura protested.

By this time, the creature in the meteorite had moved enough to chip away most of the outer covering, large cracked layers falling off her form, revealing a small girl in red tattered clothing, and skin riddled with blood and raw flesh. Her orange hair, though unburnt was partly soaked in blood and sticking to her face.

The onlookers tried to make sense of what they saw, and Shikamaru was the first to register that the gnarled mass wrapped around the girl's back were a set of large arms. He saw her gasp in despair, looking at something beneath her, and her shaky hands started to desperately clear away the rest of the burnt layers around her.

"N-no..." she whimpered, a shrill panic in her voice. "G-Gin-chan! W-wake up... Someone! Help him! Please! Please!" she snapped her head towards the crowd, eyeing the first person she sees: Shikamaru. Her eyes were the brightest blue he had ever seen, like the very color of the flaming meteorite that had brought her there. Tears were dripping down her face, washing away blood and ash. "P-please h-..." the girl didn't get to finish, as she fainted and fell forward with a thud.

"Shishou!" Sakura pleaded.

Tsunade clucked her tongue irritably and turned to Iroha. "Well?"

"There seems to be no immediate danger or any abnormality in the surrounding area. It should be safe to approach."

"Go!" Tsunade ordered Sakura. "Shikamaru, assist her! - Kuchiyose no jutsu!" she summoned a smaller part of Katsuyu, then turned to Shizune to order rooms to be prepped for the patients.

Recovering from shock, Shikamaru rushed beside Sakura who was clawing away debris from the bodies. He got there in time as she was lifting the girl off the embrace of the other person, who, as Shikamaru saw now, was an adult male of muscular build, his skin and body more severely damaged than the girl's, and he was unconscious, most probably already dead. Sakura felt for his pulse.

"It's faint, but he's still with us," her hands glowed green as she started examining the damage in his body. "This is..." she started, face paling, but digressed, and then turned to the girl, examining her the same way. Shikamaru was cradling the girl now, ready to carry her to the operating table. Tsunade was beside him now, Katsuyu splitting herself between the two unconscious bodies.

"We need to get her there in less than three minutes," Sakura, her palms glowing green on the girl's chest, didn't even bother to look at him. "I'll need Katsuyu and me to continue keeping her stable before we get there. I need to climb on your back while you carry her so I can concentrate. Can you manage?" He just nodded mutely as Sakura maneuvered to climb on his back, gripping his waist with her legs so both her hands can continue healing the girl in front of them. As soon as Sakura was settled, Shikamaru stood and sprinted towards the hospital, and the rain started pouring.

Not a minute had passed when the girl slipped into brief consciousness, wincing pain as Shikamaru landed on a rooftop and quickly jumped off again. "Gin-chan?" she whimpered. Most of the rain had washed away the blood and the dirt from her, and Shikamaru noted that her skin was like porcelain where it wasn't raw from burns and blue from bruises. His mind tried to wrap around the idea that this creature bundled in his arms had just fallen from the sky.

"He's being treated. Don't worry," Sakura was the one who answered, but Shikamaru noted the unease in her tone. "What's your name?"

The girl tried to focus her blue eyes towards Sakura and answered, "Ka-kagura.." she answered before recoiling in pain and thrashing in Shikamaru's arms.

"Shikamaru, we need to hurry!"

Katsuyu had to use a larger mass of her body to fully envelope the other patient. His life hung on a thread and Tsunade wasn't even sure he'd make it to the operating table. his whole back was burnt, bones shattered, internal organs bleeding. It almost irritated her that his pulse was still there, defying all reason. It's as if it was pure grit and willpower that was keeping him alive. It won't be a walk in the park to even try to keep him alive through the night.

"I saw everything" Shizune said as she ran beside the stretcher carrying Katsuyu and the patient. "Didn't they... Didn't they just fall from the sky? What's going on?"

Tsunade kept silent. She didn't have time to answer this question in the middle of her mental preparation for the procedures she needed to do as soon as the patient was on the table. She called an anbu to her side and listed names of medic-nins and specialists she needed for the operation. She didn't miss a beat and explained to Shizune in detailed sequence what was going to happen.

Shizune knew that look on the Hokage's face. It meant that she was determined to give it her all and go for broke to save a life.

The sun was already rising when Sakura was finally certain the girl was out of critical condition and is stable enough to be transferred to Intensive Care. Her team had successfully restored the girl's cardiac rhythm, healed most of her severe burns, aligned and mended dislocated and broken bones, and stabilized internal bleeding. She was almost surprised that all the procedures went so well, and that the girl's body cooperated completely to whatever ministration they subjected her to. The girl's chakra was definitely unique, as well. It felt vigorous despite her circumstance, and Sakura couldn't help but think that this had amplified her own healing jutsu, making everything relatively easier for a case that could've ended really bad really soon.

Removing her surgical mask and her gloves, Sakura directed her team and they started to clean up and wheel the girl out of the operating room. As the doors swung open, Sakura noticed that Shikamaru had fallen asleep on the waiting bench outside, and was awoken by the sound of the gurney. He stood up straight and his eyes followed the blanketed girl, her face now cleaned up, partly bandaged, and her orange hair sprawled on the white hospital sheets.

"She made it..." Shikamaru was pleased. Sakura smiled and nodded, slumping on the bench beside him. "Sakura, you're pretty amazing, you know that, right?"

"Thanks. I learn from the best... but tonight, I think I mostly got lucky," she yawned. "Why are you still here anyway?"

Shikamaru shrugged as his eyes continued to follow the gurney. "It's not really everyday I get to be part of the rescue of a shooting star... It's a bit troublesome, but I just felt invested and decided to wait for the outcome," he said softly. "I wonder if the other one made it, I went to check an hour ago and they're still locked up with him..."

Sakura was silent for a moment. "Amazing. When I first scanned his body, I was even shocked he still had a pulse. He had too many broken bones that I've lost count, and too many punctures in his internal organs, not to mention the third degree burns."

"Was that why you opted to save the girl first?"

"I honestly don't know what I could've done for him... I felt very incapable, so I left everything to Tsunade-shishou and Shizune-san," Sakura paused thoughtfully. "Who are these people, Shikamaru?"

He didn't have an answer for her.

"I guess we'll just have to find out, eh?" Sakura smiled faintly.

Shikamaru nodded. "Reports came in this morning," he started, changing his tone. "There was surprisingly no other major damage other than the gate and no casualties. Power's back up too."

"That's good," Sakura stretched her limbs.

"No unusual activity from other villages as well, and all our borders are secure," he reported. "At least at the moment."

"Why does it sound like that bothers you, Shikamaru?" Sakura observed.

He sighed. "Coz none of it makes sense. How can two people just come out from a black hole in the sky, crash from that height and still live? Are they sent here? Was it an accident?" he paused, and Sakura knew he wasn't even voicing out all the questions in his mind. "Nevermind, I'm just cranky coz I'm tired... Also, we've been instructed in the meantime to keep the fact that the meteorite was actually two live people, classified. All witnesses had already been briefed. It would just be too troublesome trying to explain to the village how two people just fell from a hole in the sky."

Sakura had to smile at that. "Kagura and Gin-chan, huh? they sure know how to make an entrance."