Chapter One

"Sasuke!"

I awoke with a start, quickly sitting straight up in my small bed and bracing myself with both arms. The images of my best friend's cold, dark eyes, his hair as black as midnight, came flooding through as my memories began to take hold of me. Once again, I pictured Sasuke's cocky smirk, which always seemed to compliment his constant shadow of over-confidence- the same quality that turned him against his village, his mentors, all of Konohagakure, and, most impertinently, me.

I scowled as I caught sight of Sasuke's old headband, which was hanging neatly next to my own. I had lovingly left it there as a sign that we would be together again, even though all evidence pointed to the contrary.

I hated being awake, since my thoughts, being mostly of Sasuke, haunted me throughout my days. But most of all, I hated falling asleep, because my unconscious thoughts reminded me of how much I still cared for Sasuke, and loved him above all things.

When I finally wrenched my mind out of it's fixation on Sasuke, I realized that I was going to be late for an important mission- the new mission set up by Tsunade, the 5th Hokage. Not only was this my first mission in a couple of weeks, but it was one where I had absolutely no idea who would be making up my team. Sure, I knew that Sai would probably be eager to team up with me- he was always calling me names to see what sort of reaction I expressed, asking me about various feelings and what they meant to normal people, and commenting on my…uh…manly bodily characteristics. Why he was so intent on pointing out my penis size on a regular daily basis was beyond me- all I know is, when he starts to poke and prod me in questionable places, that's where I have to draw the line.

Finally, I was fully dressed, mumbling words of encouragement to myself – "You're going to be great today, dattebayo!" and "Sasuke is closer than you think- believe it!"- my last move being to pull on my Konoha headband. I ran my thumb across the smooth surface as I surveyed myself in the mirror. I smiled at myself jauntily, observing my toothy grin and trademark whiskers with pride. I may not be as hot as his big brother, but how could Sasuke resist this loveable face? It was one of the questions that I planned on confronting him with when I eventually caught up with the traitor.

As I was rushing out the door, a glance at my clock told me that I was even later than I thought. Rolling my eyes, I became aware of the fact that this might be Kakashi-sensei's negative influence.

After quickly locking the front door of my tiny home, I turned around abruptly, only to find myself face-to-face with none other than Shikamaru Nara.

Shikamaru, a tall, boring guy who was the same age as I, was a slacker who became a Chuunin against all odds. He considered most tasks troublesome, and the only form of entertainment that he truly seemed to enjoy was watching the clouds blow slowly by on a breezy day. I believe that his life goal is to get by without feeling for anybody, doing anything extraordinary or noteworthy, or drawing too much attention to himself. Despite being almost the complete opposite of me, we have gotten along as good friends since we were young kids at the ninja academy.

Even now, Shikamaru appeared blasé and discontent, gazing sheepishly up at the light blue sky filled with morning mist. His attitude seemed to convey that he would rather be anywhere but here. He yawned lazily, scratched the inside of his ear, and was about to let out a second yawn when his eyes finally landed on me. As I began walking towards him, Shikamaru's face changed dramatically in an instant- he stopped mid-yawn, grinning slightly and immediately stood up straighter.

"Oy, Naruto! We were supposed to be at the 5th's office already. What's been taking you so long?"

I returned his grin with my own, laughing happily. "Ah Shikamaru- I was hoping that by the time I got there, Oba-chan would be dead so that I could become the 6th!"

Shikamaru responded to this with a short sigh- "And that cocky attitude is why you're still a Genin. Aren't you even the slightest bit interested in moving up in rank?"

I frowned. "I'm not gonna listen to someone who would rather watch the grass grow than be an awesome ninja!"

"You've got a point there," Shikamaru reluctantly admitted, as he began tugging on my bright-orange jacket, attempting to hurry me along.

We hurried off as only ninjas do- stealthily and silently. My stomach was hurting me from the start, I assume from the bad milk that I had used to wash down my dinner of ramen the night before. This caused me to move at a slightly slower pace than usual, and Shikamaru noticed this. He kept glancing sideways at me, becoming curious as to why I was moving so slowly. Every so often, he would move farther up ahead, then he seemed to think it was better to slow down and wait for me.

My sides suddenly shook with pain, and my lower body screamed for me to stop pushing it so hard. As Shikamaru didn't know about this, he had already started to keep quite a distance ahead of me, his eyes continually glancing back to give me a fierce look of what he must have been trying to use as a threat. We were about halfway to our destination when he absolutely couldn't take it anymore, and he fell back and came up beside me.

"Can't you speed up the pace?" he complained with an air of disinterest.

I finally gave in. "Shikamaru, just go on ahead. I'll catch up with you soon, but I can't go as quickly today."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at me, and I expected him to start laughing at me, when suddenly his look of annoyance changed instantly to one of concern. "Don't tell me…you didn't drink spoiled milk…again? Did you?" My eyes flashed, and Shikamaru let a soft chuckle escape from his lips. "Well I don't have all day, so up you go…" and with that, Shikamaru grabbed me by my waist and hoisted me under his left arm, and without stopping he managed to hold me securely.

"Wait Shikama…what the hell are you doing?!" But before I could protest further, Shikamaru had sped up his pace, and we were off- me, being carried expertly under the strong arm of my old pal.

Though I tried to reason with him, Shikamaru ignored my constant cries of "Put me down, now!" and "Shikamaru, you teme!," which made me realize that I was not going to be released until we were safely in Oba-chan's office space.

Tired of shouting and struggling, I gave in and began observing my captor. I noticed that the arm holding me up was a considerable amount larger than my own- Shikamaru's muscles protruded out from the burden of my body, but they were wonderfully flexed and toned. Looking down, I saw that his legs were equally proportionate to his body size, baring muscles that showed how disciplined Shikamaru actually was. He's extremely muscular for someone who dislikes hard work- I thought to myself. His height and strength even seem to surpass Sasuke's

Hold it! I shook myself from the thought and instantly blushed with embarrassment. What is wrong with me? No one is as well built as SasukeThank God Shikamaru didn't notice my disorder, since he was busy lugging me around and climbing over market stands, making their trek as short as possible. I fretted about my lingering thoughts about Shikamaru until we eventually arrived at the front door of old lady Tsunade's office.

Upon arrival, Shikamaru set me down with care, all the while making sure that he didn't press too hard on my stomach. "How are you holding up?" he asked, a look of sincere concern in his eyes.

I quickly stood up straighter, to show that I was better, but shrunk back again when I felt the pain once more shoot out of the crevices in my stomach. Shikamaru sensed my distress, and put one of his arms around me gently. With the other, his rapped harshly on the door, and then proceeded to hold me in his arms.

This is awkward, I thought. What was only a few seconds seemed like an hour, but Shikamaru didn't release his grip until the door opened wide and Shizune, Tsunade's closest assistant, took in the sight. "Ah, Naruto! What's wrong with you?! Come in right away!" and turning to Shikamaru, "Can you go in to Tsunade-sama? Everyone is already here, but she needs to explain everything to you before you go. It looks like we won't have a four-squad team, but it can't be helped…"

At that, both Shikamaru and I began arguing at the same time, only to catch ourselves.

Shikamaru began again. "Naruto just has a simple stomachache, and after he goes to the bathroom I bet he'll be fine." He glanced at me, and I nodded, adding, "There is no way I'm missing out on this. If anybody can bring Sasuke back, it's me. I'm sure of it." I promised Sakura-chan.

Shizune looked uneasy for a moment, then nodded and said, "Well, go and take care of yourself as quickly as you can, then come to Tsunade-sama's room. She's already stressed out, and you guys being late made her even more ticked off."

Shikamaru nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I take Naruto to the bathroom and make sure he's alright. It's troublesome," he glanced at me, "but I have to do it." I scowled, then smiled when I saw Shikamaru's sly grin.

Once I had taken care of my business, I came out of the bathroom, shouting, "Yah, I feel like a new man, dattebayo!" Upon hearing this, Shikamaru, who was leaning against the wall, looking as bored as ever, said "Thanks for the information, Naruto, but I really didn't need to know that."

"Don't mention it!" Now my smile was more pronounced, like it usually is, most likely due to the relief from the nauseating pain. "And, uh…thanks for carrying me all that way. You didn't need to do that…" I hoped that I wasn't blushing, but I could feel my cheeks turn a pinkish hue when I remembered Shikamaru's strong arms and how it felt having them supporting me.

Shikamaru surprised me with a rare smile, showing his full rows of teeth. I blinked, wondering if this was really the same Shikamaru who, when I used to beg him to watch me perform my Sexy no Juutsu, used to tell me it was too troublesome.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Don't mention it, baka. You're not that heavy, and who knows? Maybe it'll pay off for my training."

Shikamaru gently put his hand on my shoulder and held it there. He leaned in so close that I began to feel self-conscious, and I could feel his breath on my face when he started talking quietly. "Plus, you're the one suffering the most right now. You know, I don't care what happens to Sasuke. But if finding him will make you happy, I'll help you…even though it's way too much trouble for a guy like me." He removed his hand and rested it on his head, which he scratched absentmindedly.

As Shikamaru started to walk down the hall towards Oba-chan's office, I took in what he said. "Wait Shikamaru!"

He turned to look at me, his usual bored expression again plastered to his face. "Well," I stammered, not knowing the right way to ask him, "why are you going to so much trouble for me?" I dreaded asking him the moment the words left my mouth, but there was no turning back now.

Shikamaru's answer surprised me. Looking as if he'd rather not say, I half expected him to say 'forget it'. Instead he looked me straight in the eye. "Because…"

Because what?

"…you're the one I care about the most."

I stared in disbelief as Shikamaru, satisfied that he'd answered my question, turned around slowly and strutted lazily to Tsunade's office, opening the door and closing it behind him.

But I couldn't move. I stood there frozen, Shikamaru's words hanging in my head.

"Because you're the one I care about the most."

What did he mean by THAT?