"Hey, where are you Shika?" The teen girl yelled out into the field.
"Over here you troublesome girl," came the young man's response, his voice deep from maturity, "What do you want now, Nori?"
"I came looking for you to tell you that Lady Hokage wants to see you," Nori said leaning over the older male.
"What does she want now?" he asked, looking bored like normal.
"How am I supposed to know? It's between you and her, not me," Nori stated in her know-it-all attitude.
"Do you always have to be such a drag?"Shikamaru said finally standing up.
"Yep, just for you Shika," Nori said in a happy voice.
"Whatever, let's just go," he said as he started towards the Hokage tower.
"Wait up, that's not fair you started before me," Nori whined catching up to Shikamaru.
"You're just slow, it's not my fault," he said bluntly.
"Shika, you big meany," Nori stated sticking her tongue out at him.
"You're such a drag," Shikamaru sighed.
"I know, I know, it's just a gift." Nori took a bow as if people were applauding her.
"You're so troublesome."
"Will you stop saying that, you stupid boy." Nori was getting very annoyed at the male next to her.
"It's better to be a stupid boy than a crybaby girl," Shikamaru retorted.
"I'm not a crybaby; I'm just very sensitive ok. You know you don't have to be so mean." Nori's eyes weld up with water.
"See there you go again, crying over something stupid."
"You would never understand," Nori sobbed out as she dashed off down the road.
The real reason that Nori cries around Shikamaru and not anyone else is because she feels for him and he's mean remarks caused her heart to break into little pieces.
Nori ran all the way to the Hokage tower, she arrived only minutes before Shikamaru.
"There you are Shikamaru, I have a mission for you and Nori, you two will be heading out undercover to the sound village to obtain information on Orochimaru. You two will act as if you are a freshly married couple looking for a place to live. Make sure you look completely different then you do now just to take precautions, since Orochimaru was here at the Chunin exams, he knows who you are by looks. You are dismissed for now. Come back here once you are packed and I will brief you more on your mission," Lady Hokage informed them.
"This is going to be a drag," Shikamaru said as he and Nori walked down the road heading towards their houses.
"You need to stop being so negative Shika. There are good things to everything you just have to look to find them," Nori said before she turned to enter her house.
Looking different then she normally did was no hard task for Nori. She had her mother's clothes and makeup, which she never would wear before. Nori sat in front of the vanity in her room, letting her long black hair fall from its normally messy bun. No one ever saw her with her hair down therefore no one would be able to recognize her. Within ten minutes when Nori looked back into the mirror she barely even recognized herself. Nori quickly packed the things she needed before heading back to the Hokage's tower.
Once arriving there she saw what she thought was Shikamaru.
"Oh, Nori? You made it in less time than I thought you would be here," Tsunade said as she looked over Shikamaru's shoulder.
"Yeah, well Shika, you ready to go?" she asked trying to forget everything else other than the objective at hand.
Shikamaru finally turned around. Nori swore that Shikamaru's eyes were about to come out of their sockets when he saw her.
"Yeah, are you ready?" he asked composing himself to his normal board stance, but his eyes never left Nori's figure.
"Yeah, goodbye Tsunade-sama, we'll be back soon," Nori said after she scanned the scroll of the assignment at hand.
Nori and Shikamaru left and started down the path out of the village. It would take a few days before they would make it to where the sound village was.
"You know, Nori, you look beautiful," Shikamaru said his cheeks tented pink.
"Why thank you Shika, you look quite handsome yourself," Nori said her cheeks turning pink as well.
The two walked on a little further, an uncomfortable silence settled between the two.
"You know Shika, I only reason I cry around you is because of my feelings towards you," Nori said breaking the silence.
She wouldn't look at him out of fear of rejection.
"What kind of feelings?" Shikamaru asked looking at the female next to him.
"The strong kind. I've always cared for about what you thought of me and you never seemed to care. The words you said always wounded my heart and I would cry, but only in front of you and only by you. My heart hurts every time you doubt me and think I'm weak when I can easily be an ANBU, but instead I'm a special Jounin. Do you see Shika what I'm talking about?" She explained, putting her heart on her sleeve as she looked at her feet as they continued to walk down the path.
"Nori, you should have said something sooner," Shikamaru started.
"Save it." Nori shoved her hand into the air.
"Nori, I have had feelings for you more than a friend, but I have never been able to show them. I didn't want to be rejected so I was mean to you and I'm sorry. Nori, I love you."
Shikamaru stopped and grabbed Nori's wrist twisting her around and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her into his chest. His hand gently grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him.
"You mean it, Shika?" she asked, searching his eyes for any trace of a lie.
"Yes, I mean it, Nori; I love you more than anything in this world," He said pulling her as close as he could.
"I love you too, Shika."
Nori pushed herself up, connecting her lips with his. The kiss was passionate and shy, but still amazing.