So I figured I'd try my hand at a ShikaSaku fic (one of my OTP's). I suppose it depends on how many reviews/likes/follows I get if I'll continue or not. So I hope everyone enjoys the beginning! Let me know if you'd like to read more.
The only thing Shikamaru recalled was beeping, frantic yelling, and bright lights. He was hefted onto a soft mattress, only to be pushed through long hallways, which resulted in even more yelling. His face shifted to a grimace, and he almost growled out loud. 'Can that loud female shut up? She is driving me nuts.' It was a thought that he wanted to say to the people surrounding him, but the only thing that came out was a muffled groan.
That's when more frantic yelling began.
'Dammit. Was I the reason for that?' Shikamaru asked himself as he tried to shift his position, though there wasn't much he could do with the pain in his side.
"Don't move," He heard someone say, and he vaguely recalled that voice sounding familiar, "You'll only make your wounds worse."
That was the last thing he heard before he passed out again. The next time he woke up, he heard voices speaking in the distance, and he realized they were discussing him. He remained still, deciding that he should listen instead of interrupt, but he still wasn't sure about what was going on.
"… His condition is stabilized, but he can't be allowed visitors!" There was that voice again. Who was that? "We have to make sure he is mentally aware of who he is before we can let people in to see him. So, you tell Naruto to buzz off otherwise he'll have to deal with me!" There was a loud squeak of someone hastily agreeing, which he assumed was the nurse, and then there was silence.
'What the hell is going on? Why am I here? Where am I?'
A soft sigh knocked him out of his thoughts. "You can stop pretending to be asleep." That's when he finally opened his eyes and met a clear shade of emerald; which held a soft glow. He wondered briefly who she was, until recognition finally dawned on him.
"Sakura?"
"Oh good, you're aware of who I am. Do you know who you are?" She started checking his vitals, passing a flashlight over his eyes, which made him close them again. "Hey, you know the drill! Keep them open!"
Shikamaru groaned slightly, "If you want me to keep them open, then why are you blinding me with that flashlight? Troublesome woman…"
Sakura huffed with impatience, "Because this is standard procedure to make sure you're doing okay! Now answer my first question. Do you know who you are?"
For a moment, he wanted to pretend that he had no idea who he was just to mess with her, but he knew that wouldn't work. He already stated her name, so she would see right through his façade. "Shikamaru Nara." He muttered stubbornly, while Sakura placed one hand on his chest to check his heart.
"Where do you work? What date is it?"
Shikamaru squinted, "Konoha Police Station. I'm a Forensic Technician," He looked at her when she paused all of her movements before giving her the date. That's when she nodded as if confirming the information before she started writing things on the clipboard that was on his bedside table. Why was she being so secretive? What happened? Why was he in the hospital?
Without missing a beat, he grabbed her wrist, "Why am I here Sakura?"
She easily pulled herself from his grip and pushed his hand down to let it rest next to his side, "You were injured when you tried saving someone from being mugged. Are you saying you don't remember the accident?"
He stared at her briefly before memories flooded back into his head. After getting off work, he waved goodbye to his coworkers, and took the shortcut to his apartment. He lived nearby, so walking to work never bothered him. Besides, he enjoyed watching the clouds as he walked through the streets. He heard some shuffling going on in an alleyway next to his apartment building, which gave him reason to check it out.
That's when he was faced with a moral dilemma. Save this girl and be deemed a hero or leave like he never saw anything. He had considered all the possibilities—none of which involved him getting into a fight with the asshole mugging that girl, though that's exactly how it turned out. 20 different choices, but this one ended up with him in the hospital.
"I know that look. You're remembering everything aren't you?"
Shikamaru sighed, "I studied every position I could have chosen to intercept the situation. There were 20 options, each ending with me defending that girl without injury, but I miscalculated."
Sakura almost snorted, but she refrained from doing so, deciding she didn't need to tell him he was foolish for going after that guy in the first place. "The guy is in captivity and the girl is fine. You're the only one who sustained any injuries."
Knowing that nearly made him huff in annoyance. Of course, he was the only one who ended up with a stab wound. He should have called the police instead. Shikamaru wasn't weak by any means, but when a weapon came into play, he would lose every time. He must have stood there for too long. Calculating possibilities in his head took a bit, and he was running low on time in the first place. That meant the other guy had even more time to halt anything Shikamaru tried.
Was he spotted before he calculated every course of action he could take?
"Well you're lucky. He nearly got your kidney, but he missed by two centimeters. If you weren't brought to us when you were, then you probably wouldn't have survived. Did you calculate that Shikamaru?" Her tone wasn't aggravated, and there was even a hint of worry behind it.
Shikamaru recalled the thoughts that appeared in his head when he lied on the ground, bleeding and holding his side in pain. The girl had been shouting and then there were sirens echoing in the distance. The only thing Shikamaru wished for right then was to smoke. If he was going to die, then shouldn't he have been able to do something he enjoyed?
It was like his life flashed before his eyes the longer he laid on the ground; his wound bleeding profusely as more shouts echoed around him. His childhood—his first kiss—his first girlfriend—his first breakup—his parents fighting—playing shogi—the memory of his mentor dying right before his eyes—his failed almost marriage—and then many other memories that weren't important enough to recall in that moment.
Another sigh jolted him from his thoughts. "Other than the stabbing, there are many other medicinal issues going on in your body Shikamaru! We will discuss those later!" She straightened her jacket, "Besides, you have visitors waiting for you. I don't think I should keep Naruto waiting. But if he does anything wrong or if you reopen your wound, I will personally come in here and hurt you both!"
There was no doubt in his head that she meant every word. Even after all these years of not seeing one another, Shikamaru realized Sakura had not changed. She was still the ill-tempered pinkette that he remembered her to be. For some reason, that was a refreshing thought, though he decided to let it disappear as soon as it came. He was still recovering. Right now, that's what he needed to focus on.
"Shikamaru!" The voice of one of his best friends caused him to look towards the door, where Naruto stood with his pregnant wife in tow, barely able to keep up with him as he rushed over to him, "Oh man… when I got the call I almost thought you were—"
"It's good to see you awake Shikamaru," Hinata softly interjected, "Here, I made your favorite meal." She held up a tiny little bento box that was wrapped securely in a purple bow. He could smell the mackerel and rice from inside, which almost made his mouth water just by the aroma. He wasn't sure if he could eat, but he would probably try. Knowing Sakura, she would confiscate it before he could. Hinata placed it down on one of the chairs, gently placing his coat over it. Ah, so she knew who he was dealing with.
Naruto moved to stand next to him, "How are you feeling? I mean I know that may be a dumb question… but…" As the blond awkwardly shifted his feet and rubbed the back of his head, Shikamaru noticed the worry lines that had creased on his forehead. How long had he been here? He was almost afraid of asking that question.
Shikamaru slowly sat up, despite the protests of his wound, and thanked Naruto when he helped him finish his small mission. "I feel like the time when my mother nagged me for sleeping in until noon on a Saturday."
The Uzumaki's slowly looked at each other. This made him chuckle with a light shake of his head. "Annoyed and tired. That's how I feel right now Naruto."
This made both Uzumaki's to chuckle in response. "Well, you've been out for nearly eight hours. Sakura wasn't even on call! Since she is such a workaholic, she was already here. I guess she saw that it was you and just had to rush over here to work on you." Naruto gave Shikamaru his infamous smile, "Oh by the way! Choji called and said he was stuck in the airport at Kirigakure. He may not be here until tomorrow."
That was another one of Shikamaru's best friends. Choji was a well-known chef, usually travelling around the five countries to show off his food in either a restaurant or a show. It didn't really bother him that he wasn't here, especially because of how busy he could be. "He'll be relieved to know you're okay."
Shikamaru nodded to let Naruto know he understood the circumstances. After that, their conversation shifted to many things like the mugging or the weather. It wasn't until Sakura said that visitors were no longer allowed that they left, which gave Shikamaru the chance to eat the mackerel Hinata cooked. Sakura didn't notice, and even with the wound telling him it was a bad idea, he decided to do it anyway. When he finished, he placed the box back into his jacket pocket and returned to bed, an innocent look playing on his expression.
When Sakura walked in, her eyes were angry, and he glanced towards the machine he had accidentally plugged himself out of. 'Troublesome.' The male said inside his head while Sakura began the lecture of why he shouldn't be trying to move. While she did that, Shikamaru took that moment to study her appearance. She had a lab coat on, though the clothes she wore underneath it were not suitable for hospital attire.
He couldn't see her shirt, but since her jeans were tight enough to hug her calves, he assumed they were tight enough to hug her waist. That thought alone made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the drugs messing with his head.
"… and if you try to leave this bed I will make sure I tie you to it!" Sakura said, placing her hands on her hips. He realized he missed that entire conversation, but he tried playing it off.
Shikamaru waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not the submissive type Sakura."
The words came out before he had time to stop them. He noticed the blush that appeared on her cheeks and her eyes widening a little in surprise. Even Shikamaru didn't think about what he said, but he didn't feel embarrassed by them. He knew it was harmless, and so did she. He was injured which gave him the advantage to not have her hurt him for the comment. She would get him back for it later, though he would cross that bridge when he got to it.
She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath through her nose as she coughed into her hand, "W-well that's not my issue?"
It wasn't everyday that Shikamaru would see her so flustered. Besides, they haven't seen each other in years. There was nothing wrong with trying to be friendly with one another. "Weren't you off the clock?" He asked, deciding to change the subject to something else. That's when her eyes snapped open and she realized Naruto had told him what happened. Shikamaru's entire body filled with dread. If looks could kill, then he would probably be ash right then.
"I was, but you were… it was…" Sakura almost looked like Hinata as a teen with the way she was acting, "Even though we haven't seen each other in a while, I still noticed who you were. We may not be close, but I wanted to help you. We knew each other as children Shikamaru. We grew up right next door to each other. Seeing you lay there like that was a little disheartening."
It was logical. If he saw someone like her laying in a hospital bed, then he wasn't sure how he would react either. Even though he wasn't a doctor, he was still a Forensic Technician with the Konoha Police Department. That job was rough sometimes which resulted in him drinking himself blind in the bar across the street. Shikamaru knew there was a little emotion in her words, but that wasn't all it was. She was afraid for his life.
"Well, thanks for patching me up Sakura. When do you think I'll be allowed to go home?"
Her hands moved to hold onto her clipboard a little tightly as she regarded him with narrowed eyes, "A week at most."
'Great,' Shikamaru thought, 'A week of nagging when I don't do as the doctor ordered.'
What could go wrong?
