I just found out about this couple. And loved it from the moment I read one story about their totally unlikely pairing. ShikaSaku everyone, enjoy.
"Hn."
One more time. If she heard that blasted noise one more time, she would clock her teammate into the next century. Or should he be called, her ex-boyfriend and ex-teammate now.
"You didn't have to switch teams TEME!" Her other teammates deep voice growled beside her.
"Shut up DOBE!" The Uchiha snarled.
"You really are a selfish bastard!" Kakashi barked at the young angry man.
Sakura just shook her head; it was naive of them to think he had ever changed. It didn't stop the hurt raging inside her broken heart, just as It didn't stop the questions from bouncing around in her head.
"I need a team I can work better with, you all distract me. Especially HER." Sasuke grumbled in a completely uncaring voice.
He didn't care that he was shattering their hearts. Or that they had waited 6 years for him to return back to team 7. Nor did he care that he had just broken up with her a week ago, and instead of trying to at least remain friends he was walking out permanently.
"You really haven't changed." She whispered.
And with that Sakura turned, and walked away from the 'team meeting'
She wasn't sure where she was going, all she knew was she needed to get away from them. She needed time to think, and the peace and quiet to plan her next move. They didn't have a full squad now. Yamato and Sai had adopted members and had their own team now so even they couldn't even substitute. She had no idea what to tell Tsunade, she just hoped the rest of them wouldn't be separated.
She leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the gasps as the civilians on the street gaped at the most famous kunoichi in Konoha. After surpassing her mentor Tsunade, fifth Hokage and legendary Sanin, Sakura had gained the title of the world's most renown medic nin, not to mention all around kunoichi. Considered the next generation of Sanin, she, Naruto and Sasuke had put an end to the war. Eliminating Madara, together. They had been a team for the first time in 6 years. They all matched each other perfectly, their jutsu combining on the battle field, as their combat skills backed one another simultaneously. As if they had trained together since the beginning. Sakura not only charged the horde of zombies surrounding Madara, but she had actually tore them apart, clearing a path she could throw Sasuke and Naruto through with her inhuman strength. Together, they reformed Naruto's rasengan-shuriken and Sasuke's Chidori-current. They killed the Uchiha threat once and for all.
But it seemed now, that none of that mattered. Even Sasuke, asking her to marry him in the middle of the battlefield, amongst the dead and the injured, trying to hold onto her before she ran off to save the world without him. In a fury of emotions and adrenaline, she had said yes. And for the last 6 months they had been steady. Until he casually sat her down and told her there was someone else.
Her world had completely shattered. She hadn't even responded to him, just stared in complete shock,
Flashback
"I need heirs Sakura." His cold voice stated.
She sat there blankly, her mind registering his earlier statement. 'I have found someone else' reverberated in her head over in over. She was almost inclined as to ask WHO it was, but that would have done her no good. Still, his excuse was less than appropriate.
"Heirs?" she repeated stupidly.
"Yes. I need a woman willing to bear my heirs NOW," He said, unabashed. "You are not willing to give up your life as a kunoichi, nor will I be made to look bad. I don't want you."
And with that, she had left. She had stood up, her emerald eyes glazed over in shock. She was too humiliated to hear another word from the arrogant man in front of her. Without a backward glance, she left her past where it belonged.
End of flashback
Now she had lost him as a teammate. She was so angry; did he not think them capable? Were they not the legendary Sanin's own apprentices? Or did their accomplishments mean nothing to the bastard Uchiha?
She stopped on top of the Hokage monument, falling to her knees in utter shock. Her fear, pain, humiliation… anger, rocked her body in shudders. The urge to smash something ripped through her.
"SHANNARO!" She half cried, and bore her fist down. Only to find herself in a small crater, her jutsu thankfully not coming out full strength and breaking the precious mountain.
She lay down in the hole, letting sobs wreak havoc on her body. Her throat was burning, her chest heaving, her eyes swam with tears yet to be shed. She couldn't think properly, her mind a hazy cloud of emotion. She didn't even feel two strong arms picking her up, or her body rocking with the movements of a strangers walk underneath her, or when she was being carried over the rooftops of Konoha. She let her head lull back… and the darkness of unconsciousness take her.
She awoke in a very unfamiliar place. Deep green walls surrounded her, save the brown wall in her direct line of sight. She moaned uncomfortably, what on earth had she gotten herself into. She hesitated for a moment, whilst the room was completely foreign, there was something familiar about it. The smell tweaked her curiosity. She inhaled deeply and let her shinobi reflexes kick in. It smelt of cigarette smoke, cinnamon, and rain. It was heady, musky, a distinctly masculine scent. She had smelt it before, had appreciated it before…but on whom?
"Where did you find her?" A familiar voice asked quietly.
Sakura kept her breathing calm, and her heartbeat normal. She listened harder, trying to distinguish where she was.
"I found her atop the Hokage monument. Looked like she had been there for hours, she did some serious damage to the ground up there, but the mountains intact. Troublesome woman."
That word clicked in her mind, images of a certain lazy shinboi popped up in her subconscious. Shikamaru Nara. He was one of her friends, comrades. She had worked with him from time to time, borrowing his clan's medicinal scrolls, home remedies. Not to mention the herbs they handpicked from their compound. He was a fantastic shinobi, and elegant fighter, intelligence was his advantage in a fight. She had seen him stay so cool, calm and collected even as comrades fell around him. In the midst of death and blood and gore, of screams of terror and rage induced cries, he had stood fast in the war, plotting, barking orders in rapid succession. He had helped them push back the reanimated force, had pushed them close enough to Madara…
"Sasuk-"
"I heard Kakashi. What a prick." Shikamaru grunted
"They wasted a lot of time on him. She must be destroyed…"
Sakura was taken aback, her sensei was that worried about her? But-
"She is stronger than you think Kakashi." Shikamaru said in a small voice.
There was an awkward silence in the other room, before footsteps were coming in her direction. Her eyes sapped open, and she at once wrenched herself into sitting position, feigning a yawn. She heard the door click open at the same time.
"Good, you're awake." Her sensei's voice greeted her.
"How long have I been out?" She asked.
"12 hours."
"What took so long?"
"We couldn't find you."
"But Shikamaru did?"
"Hai."
"Wow sensei, your losing your touch. He's not even a teammate and he found me." She giggled.
Her mood was fluctuating every two seconds. Kakashi took note and regarded her intently for a moment.
"I'm fine sensei." She snapped, obviously Shikamaru's earlier statement hadn't registered with the copy nin.
"We should get going Sakura. Tsunade wants to see team 7… the three of us a.s.a.p."
She nodded, and got up, following Kakashi through the unfamiliar apartment. She stopped when she saw Shikamaru leaning against his counter. She regarded him wearily; he wasn't someone she took great notice of usually. They shared very few words, usually a hello and how are you. But after hearing that he had been the one to come to her aid. She found herself wanting to… know. She wanted to know why if anything.
Kakashi said something to the young man, and he answered. Sakura ignored their conversation, instead studying the Nara heir. He had grown a lot since their days at the academy. He towered over Kakashi, his shoulders broader than her sensei's. His skin, unlike many shinobi, was a beautiful honey-brown colour. The muscles beneath his flesh rippled in unconscious flexes. He was; dare she say it, attractive. Every female that laid eyes on him would agree though. He had definitely become one handsome man. His face was beautifully proportioned, chiselled jaw and angular cheekbones. His eyes were not the onyx she had once thought they were, up close she could see what colour they truly were. A deep dark brown, with flex of amber and honey scattered throughout.
"Ne… Sakura-chan." Kakashi's voice said, unsure of what she was doing.
She immediately snapped out of her trance, her emerald eyes flicking to her sensei. He was looking at her like she had lost her ever loving mind. Her eyes went back to the man she had just been ogling. And he knew it; a prominent smirk adorned his handsome features, his warm eyes glinting with a knowing look she wasn't sure she liked.
"G-gomen Sensei. Let's go."
And with that she turned to Shikamaru.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality." She said; her voice respectively polite.
Shikamaru blinked, and shook his head. "Troublesome, don't thank me Sakura. You're a comrade; of course I would do that for you."
Kakashi coughed, and both looked away from each other.
"Hai, sensei."
"Team 7 will still be functioning." Tsunade said decidedly.
Sakura stared at her, what on earth was she talking about?
"But there will be a new component."
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted.
Everyone was prepared for his reaction. Sakura sighed, while Kakashi took out his Icha Icha book. Tsunade grumbled, and Shizune passed her a bottle of Sake.
"YOU CAN'T JUST REPLACE SASUKE! HE IS A MEMBER OF THIS TEAM, FORBID HIM TO LEAVE!"
"Naruto, as Hokage I have an entire village of people to worry about. I don't need to sit here and have you nag at me. I have decided that it's better for both the Uchiha and you to be separated. You are shinobi, friends come and go and you must learn to accept the life you have chosen."
The blonde grunted, and turned his eyes to the ground. His face was angry, but you could tell he had nothing to rebuttal with.
"The newest member of your team is waiting outside. Shall I bring him in?" Tsunade nodded to Shizune.
But the doors opened without being touched. Naruto glared automatically at whoever it was going to be walking through those doors. Kakashi stared at his book, while Sakura kept her face composed.
A heady sigh was all they heard, before a certain raven haired Jonin walked lazily into the Hokage office.
"Troublesome."
"SH-SHIKAMARU? THAT'S OUR NEW TEAM MEMBER?!" Naruto laughed hysterically.
"Naruto! Mind your manners you baka!" She yelled at him. She ignored the surprise that coursed through her as well.
Shikamaru glared at Tsunade.
"You needed a member of the team that wouldn't clash in personality. Since Nara here doesn't seem to have one at all, and his teammates have both moved to different sectors (The interrogation unit had picked up Ino a while back, whilst Choji was in Suna, helping Gaara with the new Chunnin training trials). I figured he'd be the best choice. Plus, all three of you tend to act very impulsively; Kami only knows how you've all stayed alive. Shikamaru is a very tactful fighter, and I believe he will even improve upon your battle strategies." Tsunade said with a smirk on her face.
She left them with no room to complain. What would they do? Condemn an age old friend, reject him? It wasn't like it was Shikamaru's fault that Sasuke walked out…
"You are dismissed, the next month 3 weeks off. Train together; learn each other's strengths and weaknesses." Tsunade barked.
The four of them nodded, and walked out of the office together. She had her eyes fixed on his muscular form; a million thoughts ran uninhibited through her mind. Was it coincidence that he found her today? Did he agree to this, or was he being ordered? What did he think about this team? What did he think about her?
"Sakura stop thinking so hard. You'll give yourself an aneurism." Kakashi teased.
She stuck her tongue out at him. And he chuckled quietly. Naruto just grinned and looped an arm around Shikamaru's shoulders.
"Ne, Shikamaru, I think it's going to be fun having you around."
Shikamaru just looked bored.
"Let's go get RAMEN!" Naruto gushed; he took off toward Ichiraku's.
The three of them watched him go.
"How long before he notices we're gone?" Kakashi said sarcastically.
"His fourth bowl," Shikamaru answered automatically. "This gives us approximately 6 minutes to evacuate the area before he does notice."
Sakura laughed, before waving to Kakashi, who had started walking the other way. She watched as Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes closed as he muttered something about a troublesome team.
"So, what are your plans for this evening?" A deep voice broke her out of her musings.
She blinked; it took her a second before realizing what was being asked of her.
Shikamaru was staring intently at her, waiting patiently for her answer. She stared back, carefully reading his expression. There were no signs of awkwardness, no sign of mocking. She smiled, her pain ridden heart thumping unevenly. She shook her despite her bodies' reaction.
"I'm not doing anything special." She answered.
"Care to join me for a drink?" He murmured.
The automatic gut-wrenching wave of guilt crashed through her for a moment, until she remembered that there was no Sasuke waiting at home for her. She didn't have to worry about offending him; other men could ask her these questions now.
"Sure." She said quietly.
Shikamaru only nodded, and started to walk the other way abruptly. She stuttered where she stood, watching in exasperation as he walked away from her. Until he stopped, and turn his head toward her. That devious smirk played across his features, his eyes danced as he took in her still form.
"Are you coming Haruno?"
She shook herself awake, and smiled at him. She quickly darted to his side. She kept him in her peripherals as they walked. He was quiet, musing, mysterious kind of man, along with his looks… He gave Sasuke a run for his money. And now, she had all the time in the world to get to know this beautiful man inside out. And with any luck, become good friends with a truly good person.
Little did she know, fate was looking upon Sakura Haruno with favour.
