A/N: Alright, well, as some of y'all know, MissFaerieKaiti has been incredibly sweet to include my characters in her story, True or False. *feels speshful* xD So I thought I'd write a surprise tribute for her. xDD She's one of my bestest friends ever, and I've really enjoyed the privilege of getting to know her! ^_^ Kaiti's the definition of aweshum! xD I thought of this one night when I couldn't get back to sleep (I can be quite the insomniac o_o), and this is one of those stories that planned out WAY better in my head than it came out. -_- I'm really, really not pleased with the outcome of this story. I think I could've done much better. *facedesk* I'm so ashaaamed~ Dx

Anyway. Kaiti, it's probably not my place at all to write about your fandom couple xD But the idea formed after I read a particular Naruto manga. (Almost all the dialogue in this story is from the manga, so it might not line up with the show. Gomen!) But yeah. xD So I really hate how this turned out like I said, and if you don't absolutely love this story I'mma delete it, kays?

This is in Shikamaru's POV, which was a little difficult for me. xD; So I might not have portrayed him well AT ALL. And Kaiti, let me know if I was ooc with Kaida in any way! ^^;;

..*sigh* I dun even know why I'm uploading this. Shika, if you would do the disclaimer and thus begin this reign of failure.

Shikamaru:..What a drama queen. *sigh* Fine, what a drag... Listen up, because I don't like to repeat myself over troublesome things. Taylor doesn't own Naruto, anything pertaining to it, or least of all me in any way. MissFaerieKaiti owns Kaida. *smiles a little*

Thank ya, lovebird. :3 Alright...*goes all ostrich and sticks head into the ground* Read onward if you dare.

Kaida's always been one of my best friends, and Choji's, too. The three of us, we were the group back in Academy. Choji and I weren't that partial to girls back then, even though they were troublesome and "had cooties" or whatever. But for the most part, we kept to ourselves and stayed out of their way. There was an invisible, dividing line between boys and girls the first year of Academy, even though we were all nine and had progressed past the cooties phase. Well, I had, anyway. There were still some immature ones who stuck to that troublesome rule and made themselves look like sexist idiots in the long run. What a drag. Anyway, it was like some unspoken agreement: if they didn't mess with us, we didn't mess with them. Dare to make one move and they'll get all riled up, like a group of wasps; it was such a pain.

But Kaida, she was different. She was quick to venture past the untangible barrier and interact with us. Heh, actually, I even think she got along with boys better than she did girls. She earned my permanent respect after beating Choji in a food-eating contest and besting me in a who-could-spit-farther contest, girl or no girl. Gradually Choji and I accepted her into our group and we all became the closest of pals. Kaida got into mischief with us and even pulled the strings on a shenanigan or two. I'll be honest here, sometimes I even forgot she was a girl. She was just that cool. Now I'd never admit that to Kaida in a million years, because she'd find a way to let it go to her big head. Such a drag.

Anyway, but now you couldn't count on me forgetting, never. Why? Well, it's weird and a complete pain in the neck to think about. Even I don't really understand it, not really. And I don't even know how or when it happened. It just did.

I lost you, didn't I? This is such a drag... how about I start around the time where I first noticed it happening? I didn't come here to play storyteller, but I guess it can't be helped, troublesome as it is.

It all started stirring right after Dad and I had run into Naruto, Jiraiya, and back then our soon-to-be fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade..

I watched the trio hastily make their departure. "That lady's gonna be the fifth Hokage?" I asked Dad incredulously without taking my eyes off them. "Who is she?"

Dad leaned in close. "Shikamaru." He addressed me in such a serious tone that I turned to look at him in attentive surprise. Seeing the light grin on his face, I had a feeling he knew exactly who she was. "She's...the most powerful and beautiful woman alive.. and the only kunoichi in the Great Three Shinobi of Konoha." Well, I couldn't deny her looks, but Naruto had just told me the lady was in her fifties. And honestly, that creeped me out, with how young she appeared and all. I'd guessed she wasn't a day over thirty at the most.

"Oh, man," I groaned. "A girl Hokage? I'm not keen on that." Dad turned to look at me with a frown, but that didn't stop me. "Girls are selfish and loud...they act all uninterested, but they're all cliquey. I can't tell whether they're really friends or not.. and they always think they're in control." I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling my irritation grow. "Girls are just trouble," I concluded, primarily referring to Ino and Sakura. I'd seen their nasty tempers firsthand. And I know I'd sounded pretty sexist right then, but hear me out. I've grown up with a gripey, ill-tempered mom and I'd been trying to put up with squadmate Ino for over a year, the grouch. Can you really blame me?

By the time I'd ended, Dad had closed his eyes, lips twitching as if he was torn between amusement, agreement, and the good ole "you're just a kid, what do you know?" superiority. What a drag. Then he'd opened his eyes and given me a sideways glance, smiling a little. "Last I checked, you have a best friend who's a girl. And you seem to enjoy her company pretty well." He smirked as if he knew he held the cards in this thing.

I'd felt my face flush in embarrassment and indignance. He had me there. Strangely, I felt slightly traitorous. After all, Kaida fit into the female category, so I hadn't done her much justice when I slandered the girls. And I knew everything I'd said was the exact opposite of Kaida. See how I said I forgot Kaida was a girl on occasion? It's like she had totally slipped my mind while I'd ranted. "That's different, Dad. She's different. You know that."

"Do I? Because last I also checked, Kaida's a girl too, son. Is that what she's like?" Augh, I was being toyed with now.

I felt a scowl form. "You know what? Forget it. You couldn't possibly understand, anyway."

Dad kept his gaze leveled ahead. "Oh, I know more than you think." There was a perceptive edge to his voice, as if he knew something I didn't. When I didn't answer, trying to figure out what he meant, he started walking. He spoke over his shoulder without so much as a glance at me, his voice more serious now. "Shikamaru.. without women, men can't be born. Without women, men go to ruin. Even the hardest of women will show a sweet side to the men they love or respect." I could practically hear the smug smirk in his voice at his next words. "..You'll find out soon enough." Then Dad chuckled, which frankly annoyed me. What did he know? And what the heck was that supposed to mean, anyway?

I stared after him incredulously. That was the closest to humble my father had ever come. But I was still unconvinced. Coming from a man who can't look Mom in the eye.. whatever, Dad.

But his words stuck in my mind, as well as the feelings that'd rose to the surface at the mention of Kaida. It was something totally unfamiliar and unexpected. But I didn't want to go to the trouble of figuring it all out (even though I had the inkling of an idea), so I'd pushed the thoughts away and refused to dwell on them until the matter was brought up again not long after.

I'd just been promoted to Chunin, and Asuma-sensei had taken Ino, Choji, and I out to eat at our favorite barbecue place to celebrate. It was after dinner and when I was washing my hands that I heard Ino talking to Choji on the other side of the thin wall. "You're lucky, Choji. You can eat all you want and not worry about it," she was saying, probably her way of an apology. She'd jumped pretty hard on him about his eating habits during supper. "I gotta worry about dieting."

"Why?" came Choji's dumbfounded response.

"Seriously? You think this look is easy to keep up?" Please. The girl was a ninja. She could eat whatever she wanted and burn it off easily. She was probably thinking of Sasuke, the gank.

It was a while before Choji answered. "Not all boys like skinny girls."

Ino scoffed as if his words were complete nonsense. "Hmph... listen, most boys hate fat." She caught herself. "I mean, they like skinny girls." By this time I'd crept out of the bathroom and around the corner, unseen, watching them quietly. So I caught the sight of Ino's sneer as she leaned toward Choji. "And the opposite is also true, too." When Choji fell silent, Ino turned and started walking away, waving as she did. "Take care of yourself, Choji, or you won't get any girls."

Now by this time I was pretty ticked for my pal. Choji's eating habits were his business, after all. What right did Ino have to be so bossy and intrusive? I know for a fact Kaida would've never said such things. Determined to make Choji feel better, I stepped out with a chuckle. "Heh, she has no clue." His round, downcast face registered surprise as I emerged. "Guys don't like skinny girls as much as girls think we do." Here I smirked. "Actually, most of us like 'em a little more substantial!" Immediately Kaida came to mind. Even though she rivals both Choji and Naruto in a meal, she maintains a healthy ideal figure, not almost-anorexic skinny like Ino. I shook the thought, uneasy of their course.

I turned and stared after Ino with a grin before winking at Choji. "In fact, you know what?" He looked at me questioningly and expectantly. I puffed out my cheeks and stuck out my arms in a beefy imitation. "Ino should put on a few pounds instead of dieting. I bet she'd be twice as popular!" Choji and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was good to see him feeling better. He'd been glum and silent all through dinner after Ino's and Asuma-sensei's reprimands about his eating habits.

Choji looked deep in thought. "We were so close to having Kaida on our squad, huh?"

Had he been reading my mind? "Isn't that the truth." I shoved my hands into my pockets with a sigh. "I'd pick her over Ino any day." I reconsidered that. "Heck, I'd pick a squirrel over Ino anyday." Choji laughed again.

He stood unmoving as if in a trance. "Things change, huh, Shikamaru?" he murmured thoughtfully.

I thought about the swarm of new, confusing emotions that surrounded me at the thought of Kaida recently, how my heart sped up at the sight of her now. "You can say that again. ...Why, something on your mind, Choji?"

Choji gave a slight grin. "Nah, not really. But I can tell something's on yours." He knew me too well. He studied me with knowing eyes. "..It started when I mentioned Kaida." Choji let that hang in the air a moment. "..You like her, don't you?"

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I had slightly suspected it, but hearing the words coming from Choji's mouth made me realize how true it really was. All those feelings... I had fallen for Kaida. Hard. It all seemed so sudden, though. Had it been slowly blossoming all these years, or had it began when I saw her for the first time in nearly a year at the Chunin Exams? Hard to tell. But they were definitely there. I let my breath out long and slow. "Yeah..yeah, I guess I do."

Choji chuckled in amusement - and if I didn't know any better, truimph. "Remember when we were kids, how I always said you two were gonna get married?"

All too well. Because of my parents, I'd grown up wary of and adamant against marriage. But right now, the thought of Kaida Nara appealed to me. "Yep." I smirked. "You wouldn't even be able to tell where her hair ended and her face began." Kaida was a spunky redhead (I'd been calling her a ginger for years), and her personality matched her hair. I loved that about her. Wait, what now? ..Love..? Whoa, I was in pretty over my head here. Choji apparently sensed my unease and changed the subject. We talked for a little while longer, avoiding the subject of Kaida and my proclamation, before I turned to leave. "I'll see you. Gotta go; Dad's talking about showing me some new move or something. And I told Kaida I'd meet with her later today." The very thought of seeing Kaida gave me a fluttery feeling and I felt my cheeks flush. What the heck was wrong with me?

Choji's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Shikamaru."

"Mm?" I turned to look at him, hoping he wouldn't comment on Kaida. Choji smiled as if he wanted to say more than the moment allowed. "What, man?" I pressed when he didn't answer.

"Heh.. good luck with your training."

I inwardly sighed in relief. "Thanks." You're a good guy, Choji.

I'd taken two steps when he called my name again. "Oh, and Shikamaru?"

I stopped and turned, mentally bracing myself. Great, here it comes. What a drag. "Yeah?"

Choji's grin reached his ears. "You don't need to wonder if Kaida likes you back. She's a total goner."

I couldn't believe my ears. Before I could stop myself I was gawking at him. "Say what?"

"Close your mouth. You'll catch flies." Choji snickered. "I've known for a while that you guys are starcrossed. I just can't believe it's taken this long for you to figure it out. Kaida definitely likes you, even if she doesn't realize it yet. Trust me."

..So you mean to tell me you knew about my feelings for her back before I even knew they were there? All of this is so troublesome.. I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the update." I almost wanted to ask Choji how I should go about it and what I should do...and well, tell him thanks for that tidbit of information I needed to hear. But that would make me look ignorant, and it's not like Choji's such an expert, anyway. But he's the only one I would feel comfortable sharing this kind of stuff with. Guy-to-guy, y'know?

"Well, what're you waiting for? Go get her, tiger!"

I shook my head in dismay and started walking. Then, remembering something, I turned around and walked backwards as I called out to Choji. "Hey, don't worry, Choji. Girls will be lining up at your door before you know it!"

I saw the ghost of a smile cross his face before I turned and left.

Kaida had always been punctual, so I wasn't surprised to see her already in the town square waiting for me. She'd seen me before I'd spotted her, but just as I met her eyes, her gaze flickered to my new Chunin getup and she looked away. Something was definitely up.

I approached her, almost entranced at the sight of her long, vibrant red curls hanging around her waist and her hazel-green eyes looking anywhere but at mine. "So, a man in uniform now, eh?" she remarked. "You're not too grown up to hang out with little ol' me, a genin, now are you?" A teasing smile played on her lips.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, like I could ever outgrow you." I crossed my arms and penetrated Kaida with a hard stare. "Is that what's wrong with you?"

Kaida's eyes flickered in surprise, but she'd long since grown accustomed to my bluntness, so she was quick to retaliate. "No."

I took one deeper look into her eyes and knew. She'd always been a competitive sort, and she was a little put out that she hadn't made the cut as well. "Don't be jealous."

"Me? Jealous of you? Don't flatter yourself." Kaida flashed a smirk, more like herself now. But I knew her too well and for too long to be fooled. We both knew I'd hit the nail on the head with that one. "Well, Mister Nara, I'll have you know that I simply won't be outdone by the likes of you."

I played along. "You have to make everything into a competition, don't you, Kaida?"

"Yep. I'm troublesome that way."

All of a sudden loving, comforting words rose up in me and all but forced their way out. But respect for Kaida and our strong friendship, our bond, kept the words at bay and lodged in my throat. I really wanted to comfort her somehow. I knew that this whole thing was really troubling her. "Don't be so eager for a promotion. It's all just a big pain, really."

"You would think so." Kaida bumped her shoulder against mine.

I was suddenly reluctantly aware of the time. "I have to meet for a training session with the old man, Kaida." I turned to look at her, all the more aware of how even prettier she'd become in the space of a year. "But let's catch up sometime, ok?"

Kaida smiled, but I could see her disappointment at my quick leaving. But I also knew she understood. "Sounds good." She stopped and reached out as if to touch my arm in an apologetic gesture, but apparently decided against it and let the hand drop back to her side. "Congratulations, Shikamaru." Her voice lowered. "..You deserve it."

Just then I got the overwhelming desire to embrace her. I know I probably shouldn't have, but I acted on the impulse. I stopped to wrap my arms around Kaida in a tight hug, pulling her close to me. She seemed surprised but relaxed against me, nestling her head in the crook of my shoulder. And as I enjoyed the feel of Kaida in my arms, I knew right then that I wouldn't be the first to let go.

And right then also, I made a vow to myself. One I would achieve or at least die trying, as much of a drag as that would be. Even if it was asking for trouble.

..I was going to make Kaida Yukiten mine.

..Get the big picture now?

It's actually not as troublesome as I thought it'd be...growing to care for Kaida more and more has been.. dare I say it, fun. I find something new to love about her everyday.

..You think I'm too young to feel this way? Maybe I am. But when it happens, it happens. I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. And I don't.

You know, a single act of kindness or one good deed goes a long way. I've found that dropping hints to her by being thoughtful is the best way to go. I want to build the basis to a strong friendship with respect before I can even think about acting out on a relationship. Kaida's too precious to me for me to not treat her like the jewel she is.

A month or even a few weeks ago, if someone had told me I'd be saying all this mushy junk, I would've never believed 'em. Probably would've laughed or even thought it too troublesome to pay attention. But now it just comes natural.

Despite what Choji told me, I'm up to the challenge of winning Kaida's heart. Whatever and however long it takes. I'm determined to make it worthwhile.

Heh.. as much as I hate to say it, maybe Dad really did know what he was talking about, after all. Man, what a drag.

A/N: Well, there ya go. xDD I'm not even sure that's how Shikamaru would act on a crush (I didn't really know how to go about it with him - you can never tell with Shika), but I hope you guys enjoyed my epic fail anyway. xD Again, I'm not satisfied with how it turned out, but I guess it'll do. Annnd once again, this is a tribute to one of mah bestest friends, MissFaerieKaiti! I hope you enjoyed it in spite of it all, Kaiti! ^.^ Please, again let me know if I abused Kaida (or even Shikamaru) in any way, or if I messed up their couple-ness. xDD I would really appreciate some feedback, so pleeease click that cute li'l button down there. xD And if you for some farfetched reason liked this story, please check out more of ShikaKaida from MissFaerieKaiti's stories - they're incredible and waaay better than this one. x3

I'm out! BELIEVE IT! -D