The vein in his forehead widened as he pumped all of his strength into his jutsu. This man wasn't just big talk, he had the muscle and willpower to back it up too. This mission wasn't supposed to be this troublesome. This mission was supposed to be a simple escort. From one country to the next. But honestly, they should have expected as much. The man they were escorting did have many enemies, he wasn't liked too well.
But it seemed like Sakura and Kakashi had their hands full as well, so he couldn't really ask for assistance. One of the shadows snaked out, sharpening itself to a point. He pumped chakra into it and it struck like a snake, stabbing the man in the heart. He dropped like a rock. But before Shikamaru was able to pull the shadows back to himself to release the jutsu, a Demon Wind Shuriken flew through the trees, embedding itself into his chest.
He flew backwards, skidding across the ground. Sakura punched her foe, breaking most of the bones in his face, crushing it inwards. She looked up in time to see Shikamaru slide to a halt, a Demon Wind Shuriken half burried into his chest. She screamed his name and rushed to his side.
She lifted his head, pulling it into her lap. Sakura pulled the Shuriken out of his chest with one hand, already healing the wound with the other. He looked up at her, blood trailing down from the corners of his mouth. He smiled and his eyes glazed over as death stole him away.
"Kakashi!" she screamed.
Kakashi dispatched his own opponent and slid on his knees to kneel next to her. She held his head, already crying. Her healing wasn't helping. The wounds were closed, but he was still gone. She looked up at Kakashi,
"H-his heart stopped."
Kakashi watched the lifeless chunin, his mind racing. He built up a large amount of chakra, the chirping of the Chidori filling Sakura's head. He softened the edges, standing above him. He slammed his hand down into his chest, the Chidori wrapping around his heart. Sakura watched intently, trying not to cry. His heart started to beat again! It was sporadic and if she didn't act fast, would quit again.
Green light surrounded him as she healed the burns from the Chidori, and all the connections in his heart. She did what she could, and when his heart rate slowed and balanced out she let out a soft sigh of success. She held his head in her lap, waiting. Sakura patted his face.
His eyes opened quickly and he gasped for air. He groaned in pain, holding his chest, "Ow! What the hell happened?"
"You died." Kakashi said with an unseen smirk.
Shikamaru looked down at himself, taking in all his own features like he'd never seen them before. He looked up at them, suddenly very tired. He closed his eyes and Sakura looked up at Kakashi, panicked. Kakashi shook his head,
"Let him sleep. We need to get this information back to Lady Tsunade. She'll also be able to heal anything you missed."
Sakura nodded, shifting his head off her lap. Kakashi picked him up, letting his head sit in the crook of his neck. He shifted him again, nodding to Sakura. She picked up the scroll and they started back to the village. She'd helped him cheat death. He owed her one.