Sasuke walked to the front entrance of the Nara compound and flashed his chakra to alert them to his presence. He knew they sensed him when he had reached a certain distance from the gate; flaring his chakra was simply a formality. Two Nara appeared at the entrance of the gate, arms crossed and a skeptical look on each of their faces.

"I'm looking for Shikamaru Nara. There's something I'd like to discuss with him." Sasuke stated with boredom seeping into his tone; however the Nara knew if Uchiha was here and looking for Shikamaru, he was completely alert. They looked at each other before nodding. One shinobi disappeared while the other walked him to the middle of the compound where Sasuke assumed was the main household. The Nara escort knocked before disappearing, leaving Sasuke awkwardly standing as Shikaku answered.

"I'm surprised to see you here. Official business?" Shikaku leaned against the door post and appeared to be sizing him up. Sasuke was not the most loved shinobi around the village but he was far better than the revenge guided genin from long ago. Sasuke nodded, unsure of how much the Nara head knew and not willing to give more information than he had to. Shikaku stepped outside and walked towards the back of the compound, assuming the Uchiha would follow. Once they reached the residential edge of the compound, Sasuke looked into the fields, searching for the younger Nara. Shikaku pointed to a grassy hill where a figure could be seen lounging in the sun. Sasuke nodded and jumped toward the figure. He deliberately blocked the sunlight.

Shikamaru opened his eyes before groaning and sitting up. Out of habit he pulled a cigarette from his flak jacket and placed it in his mouth. He offered one to Sasuke but he refused. Shikamaru shrugged then nodded for the Uchiha to take a seat.

"I'm assuming you're here about her?" No ceremony was needed; they both knew why he was here.

"Hn." Sasuke responded. Shikamaru sighed and looked down at the grass. Sasuke silently studied the man beside him. He was slightly thinner than the last time they had crossed paths and dark bags surrounded his eyes. Shikamaru's shoulders were uncharacteristically tense showing that he was more alert than his usual self.

"Is she ok?" Sasuke could barely detect the strain in his voice, but it was there.

"She isn't a nervous wreck."

"That's good to hear." Relief flooded into his tone. Shikamaru had hoped he didn't damage her beyond repair, but at the same time he hoped he discouraged her from taking the ANBU exams; she would have to face those demons again in the second part of the mental and emotional test.

"She's stronger than we thought." Sasuke baited. Sasuke could admit that he was curious about the Nara's feelings. This was not his first pre-examination, so what was bothering him must have something to do with Sakura personally.

"Unfortunately. You and I know she shouldn't be in ANBU; she isn't like us." Shikamaru didn't need to complete his thought. Sakura wasn't cold or calculating or devious. She wasn't a murderer nor could she personify evil incarnate. She wasn't a temptress who could use her body to bring men to their knees. She was an outstanding medic yes, but that wouldn't be enough to save her from ANBU.

"Maybe we're underestimating her."

"Hard to be sure." Shikamaru looked to the cloudless sky. "I didn't—"

"You didn't treat her as an enemy would." Sasuke finished for him. Shikamaru nodded. Sasuke noticed a slight trembling in the other's hands as he twirled the unlit cigarette between his fingers.

"No. Would you have been able to…if she were Miyui?" Shikamaru turned to look at the Uchiha while Sasuke stared out at the grass. Would he have been able to? He honestly didn't know if he would be able to treat her like the others; to compartmentalize the action as a mission, as a process to make the village stronger. What Sasuke truly feared, was that he would be able to. Would that make him a monster? If he could brutally rape the woman he…loved? Did he love her? He knew he cared about her but he was uncertain if he knew how to love after everything with Itachi. Miyui never asked for love or affection; maybe that was why he had come to care for her, because she never asked for something he was not sure he could give or feel. Then something hit Sasuke. For all his ocular prowess, how could he be so blind?

"You love her." It was not a question but a statement of fact—a statement of fact that changed everything.

"Yes." The wind picked that opportunity to blow through them, scattering his admission to the world. Shikamaru did not fail to see the irony; the man he competed with for Sakura's affection, who had spent a majority of his life in the darkness of hatred and revenge, was the one leading him out of his time of darkness. Shikamaru and Sasuke sighed.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Sasuke picked up a blade of grass and let it dance with the winds.

"No, I've been trying to give her some space."

"Are you sure the space is for her?" Sasuke questioned. Shikamaru bit his lip. The space was for both of them. He need time to contemplate a plan; would he still ask to court her? He couldn't force himself on her one night then in the morning ask for consideration for marriage. Especially because courting was an expedited process with any ninja, even more so with ANBU, and more still with clan heirs; they did not have time to court for six months or longer. Both Sasuke and Shikamaru would exit ANBU soon; they had to start thinking of their respective clan's future. Many were surprised Sasuke even entered ANBU. There was no doubt he was an excellent shinobi, but death did not care if you were excellent or not. Death saw no difference in mediocre or talented, genin or jounin, shinobi or civilian. Death was the most impartial judge and the only certainty in their world.

"The space is necessary." Sasuke nodded his understanding.

"Many times we focus on fear instead of equipping those with the means to combat those fears. Since you worry she's not strong enough, train her, make her into a weapon, make her strong enough. Itachi feared I could not combat the sins of the Uchiha, so he made and gave me a weapon," Sasuke pointed to his eyes. "Make her stronger than our fears and our doubts." The two shinobi sat in comfortable silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts about their mission and the coming exams. They'd lost track of time in the warm sunlight, content with the other's company. When the morning sun turned into the late afternoon sun, Sasuke stood up and began to walk away. He turned back to the Nara with parting advice.

"She understands it was a mission. She's forgiven you; forgive yourself." With that the Uchiha heir vanished. Shikamaru did not move but digested the words. Self-pity would not get him anywhere closer to his goal. Shikamaru remembered when he asked Asuma if it was worth it to pursue relationships when shinobi lives were so short anyway; Asuma told him that while staying away from unnecessary risk was wise in the shinobi world, in the world of interactions with people never taking a risk was the surest way to an unfulfilled life. Shikamaru sat up and walked back to the main house.

His parents gave him worried looks but he shook his head. If he wasn't ok at this moment, he would be.


"Sakura. Sakura!" The pinkette shook her head to clear her lingering thoughts. She was being really rude but her thoughts had been so scattered lately. Ino had to practically drag her out of her office for lunch at a BBQ restaurant, which was rare since Ino always preferred lighter foods.

"I'm sorry, Ino, I've been out of it today."

"I'll say. You could have burned this whole place down if you let your meat stay on the grill any longer." Ino pointed her chopsticks at the well burned meat and picked up her own piece of lightly grilled beef. Sakura took the charred piece off and set another piece over the hot coals; hopefully she would keep better watch this time instead of losing herself to her thoughts.

"What did you want to talk about, Ino?"

"A girl can't just kidnap her best friend who works entirely too much and treat her to lunch?" If it was Ino, no. Whenever Ino literally kidnaps her from her shift at the hospital for lunch it always meant she had something she needed to say.

"Ino,"

"Okay, okay!" Ino placed a few sticks of carrots on the grill before looking up. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok. You've been overworking yourself lately."

"I'm fine, Ino." Sakura looked down while she fiddled with her meat. She felt bad that she had caused her friend to worry. Ino shot her friend a skeptical look. She knew something had to be going on.

"Sakura, whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone." Ino was the biggest blabber mouth next to Naruto, but when she told someone she wouldn't tell anyone, Ino took their secrets to the grave. Sakura bit her lip. It was taxing her to keep these secrets to herself, but she didn't want to see the look of shame on Ino's face.

"Did you apply for the ANBU exams?" Ino gave Sakura a strange look. What in the world did her applying for the ANBU exams have to do with whatever was bothering Sakura.

"No, I didn't." Ino shrugged. "I'm content being a jounin; I was even thinking about taking on my own genin squad. Why?"

Sakura sighed and bit her lip again. It was either now or never.

"I did. I applied for the ANBU exams." Ino's eyes widened in shock.

"You did?! When?"

"During the application dates, obviously." Sakura rolled her eyes. That was a pretty stupid question.

"Obviously but I mean what made you decide to take the exams?"

"I wanted to see if I was good enough for ANBU; I wanted to know if I have what it takes." Ino let her answer sink in.

"Okay, so what about that has you all crazed out?" Ino shifted slightly in her booth. Sakura chose that moment to look out the window and froze. Emerald met chocolate. Sakura and Shikamaru's eyes lingered on each other for what felt like an eternity. Her medic mind catalogued the differences in his appearance since the last time they had seen each other. His skin was slightly purple underneath the eyes and his body, while still delectably cut from training, was a little thinner. His eyes seemed to be telling her something, but she couldn't accurately read them. Sakura blinked and the connection between them was broken. Shikamaru nodded to her then continued on with whatever he was doing. Sakura turned back hoping Ino hadn't noticed. She had. Ino turned from the window to Sakura and her delicate blond eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. Ice blue eyes darted between her best friend and her teammate.

"What was that?"

"That was what had me all 'crazed out'." Sakura mumbled and took a sip of her tea. Ino's eyebrows rose even further and Sakura wondered for a moment if it was possible for them to blend into her hairline.

"What does Shikamaru have to do with applying for ANBU?"

"I guess there were a lot of applicants for ANBU this year and so there was a pre-examination to weed out unsuitable candidates before the actual exam."

"And?"

"And Shikamaru was the proctor for my exam." Sakura ran the words together before gulping down more tea.

"I'm still not seeing what has you bugged out so you are going to have to spell it out for me." Sakura sighed. She was trying to avoid spelling it out.

"The pre-examination was to see if the applicant could handle a possible situation while on a mission." Ino still looked confused. "Ino, remember that special informational kunoichi training you, Hinata, and I had after we turned 16 and were legally allowed to take seduction missions." Ino's eyes immediately sparkled with recognition.

"Oh my Kami-sama! Shikamaru rap—" Sakura practically jumped over the extremely hot grill to keep her friend from shouting out for everyone in the yakiniku to hear. The other patrons gave the girls strange looks before going back to their meals and conversations.

"Jeeze Ino! If I wanted the entire village to know I would have just told Naruto."

"Sorry but I was expecting you to tell me that your plant died or something. Not that you and Shikamaru did the dirty…again!"

"Seriously Ino?!"

"Well we can't ignore the fact that this is the second time." Sakura threw a raw bell pepper at her. "Sorry I'm being totally insensitive. Are you okay? Do you need counseling?"

"No, I don't need counseling. I'm coping with it. I know it's all part of being in ANBU, but it made me reconsider if I truly want to be an ANBU operative if that is something I have to prepare myself for whenever I go on missions."

"I know what you mean, but our sensei have been preparing us for this since we were chuunin. It's always a possibility for us." Ino gave her friend a sympathetic look. No one liked talking about this part of being a kunoichi, or a shinobi for that matter. They preferred to sweep it under the rug like it didn't exist. The jounin sensei did their best to prepare their students, but no amount of talk or training could prepare someone for a situation like that.

"I know you're right."

"Did you know it was him?" Silence filled between them. Ino was truly dreading her answer. She knew how Shikamaru felt about the rosette; she knew something was hurting him and if this was what had made him so miserable these past couple of weeks she couldn't blame him for shutting himself off.

"Yeah. He removed his mask." Sakura's voice dwindled to a quiet whisper. Ino's felt her stomach drop like a lead ball. She couldn't imagine how Sakura felt; she didn't want to imagine how she still must feel. Thankfully there hadn't been any Konoha 12 gatherings that would have forced them together before they were ready.

"Have you two talked about it yet?" Ino reached over the table and grabbed Sakura's hand, squeezing it gently for reassurance.

"No. I've been staying busy so I don't have to think about it, but at night I can't help but think about him." Sakura squeezed Ino's hand back as a silent 'thank you'. Ino was about to say something else but they noticed the time. Ino paid for their food and walked Sakura back to the hospital. The walk back was silent but was filled with their thoughts. Each girl so consumed they made no attempt at small talk. Ino pulled her friend in for a hug before they exchanged small smiles and went on with their day. Thoughts had kept Sakura busy at the hospital for hours and she had worked right through dinner. She was extremely glad she had decided to take the day off from training or she would have rudely stood up her training partner. A foot long brown snake appearing on her desk broke her concentration.

"Mamushi? What are you doing here?" The snake sniffed its surroundings before smiling up at her.

"Hello Sakura-san. Sasuke-sama sent me here to tell you that you have been summoned to the Hokage's office." Sakura sat puzzled for a moment. Why would Sasuke summon one of his snakes to tell her when Tsunade could have just as easily sent a messenger hawk?

"Thank you, anything else Mamushi?" the snake smiled and slithered up her arm and onto her shoulder. Sakura had long sense gotten used to the oddity of summoning animals, ones linked to her teammates in particular. Naruto's toads enjoyed sitting on her hair while Sasuke's snakes enjoy wrapping themselves around her or perching on her shoulder and were quite cuddly, considering they were snakes. Mamushi stretched up and kissed her on the cheek before slithering back down to her desk.

"That is from Sasuke-sama. He said in case you miss him too much. He is going to Suna for a few days and will be back shortly. Naga is at the compound if you do not wish to sleep alone."

"He didn't need to do that, but tell him 'thank you', Mamushi. Wait a minute, Suna? Is he going to visit Miyui?!" Before Sakura could get her answer, the snake disappeared. Sakura stuck her tongue out at Sasuke's infuriating attempt at keeping her from meeting Miyui. She neatly organized her work for tomorrow then disappeared only to reappear in the Hokage's office.

Once Sakura made it to her shishou's office she was shocked to see 12 other shinobi as well. Five ANBU operatives stood at various points around the room while Kakashi and Shizune stood behind the Hokage. Sakura recognized some of the most elite jounin in Konoha and summarized they must be all of the applicants who passed the pre-examination. A hidden ANBU member closed the door behind her and she fought the urge to jump. The ANBU operative stood close behind her for a moment and the woodsy smell of sandalwood invaded her senses again.

'Shikamaru.' She thought before the operative moved to another spot in the room. Today must have been his day off if she could smell his regular scent. ANBU operatives on regular duty used specially formulated soaps to remove the natural body odors to attribute to their secrecy. Smell was the most dangerous of the shinobi sense because smell triggers reactions in the other senses and can easily be tracked.

"Welcome." Tsunade spoke and everyone senses were on high alert. "You 12 are the only applicants who passed their pre-examinations and are permitted to advance to the actual ANBU exams. If anyone no longer wishes to be included in the exams, leave now!"

Everyone stood stalk still for a moment. This was do or die time. If Sakura wanted to back out now was the time to do so.

"If anyone is uncertain about whether or not they should remain, leave now! Uncertainty in these exams will only get you killed. However if you leave, you will not be permitted to take the exams for another year; there is only one exam a year unlike regular rank exams. Also, leaving will result in a failure recording, meaning it will be as if you failed the pre-examination; this will require you to take another pre-examination. If you fail the pre-examination a second time you will forever be disbarred from taking the ANBU exams. You have 30 seconds to decide." Sakura bit her lip. Some shinobi looked around at others, wondering if anyone would leave. One shinobi, a male from the generation before the Konoha 12, walked out of the door. A kunoichi followed shortly after. Sakura bit her lip even harder, tasting blood in her mouth. She would never forgive herself if she walked out without even trying. After the 30 seconds, only 8 shinobi remained. Tsunade nodded and an ANBU operative activated a barrier jutsu around the room.

"Now that we have weeded out the uncertain, we can get down to business. The ANBU exams will consist of three phases. The first phase is the physical phase; we will test your endurance and survival instincts as well as your abilities. The second phase will consist of mental and strategic obstacles. Lastly, the third phase is the psychological and emotional phase; your pre-examination was the first part of that phase. Any questions so far?"

"Will we be competing in teams or as individuals?" A purple haired kunoichi posed the question.

"Both. During the exam you compete as a three man cell but each candidate will be on their own. Two of your comrades will be ANBU members; one member will be a current ANBU captain. Candidates for ANBU will be acting captains leading their squads. At any moment during the exam the ANBU captain may fail you if you do not show the capability to proceed or desired morality of ANBU; their word is final. At any moment candidates may resign from the exam. You will not receive your squad assignment until three days prior to the exam. During the month training period before the exams, your squad members will be discreetly studying you. Any more questions?"

"Will the ANBU exams be held in the village? Are civilians allowed to watch?"

"Obviously the ANBU examinations will be held within the village." Tsunade rolled her eyes. Why would she have the exams for her elite operatives where possible enemies could witness them? "As to the civilians, due to the nature of the exams only jounin are allowed to spectate. Anything else?"

Everyone remained silent.

"Good! The ANBU examinations will be held a month from this date, two weeks after the Kurama no Hi-Matsuri. You will receive your squad assignments the week after the festival. Dismissed!" Tsunade brushed her hand in a dismissive manner and the ANBU operatives disappeared immediately. The remaining shinobi disappeared and as Sakura was about to make the hand seal, Tsunade stopped her. Shizune left but Kakashi stayed behind; they needed to discuss official business.

"Hai shishou?" Sakura was slightly anxious. What business did they need to discuss?

"Sakura, your examination will be slightly different than the others."

"Because I'm a medic?"

"Correct. Since I have already trained and tested you to the standards of an ANBU medic, you are exempt from taking that part of the exam. While you will in some situations be acting captain, your assigned captain may overrule you as medics are not combat first shinobi. You will not be taking the exams as a kunoichi but as a medic first and kunoichi second; remember that." Tsunade's warning was clear. Any insubordination or deviation could result in her failing the exams. Sakura nodded her understanding.

"Now that that's out of the way, tell me, are you familiar with Nara Shikamaru?" Sakura was shocked at the question. Tsunade obviously knew they were the same generation, that they had a mission together creating an extensive medical journal together, and that he was her pre-exam proctor. What was she really asking?

"Hai, I'm familiar with him. But then, you already knew that shishou." Sakura tried to keep the skepticism from her voice. From Kakashi's choked chuckle, she failed.

"How do you feel about him? As a shinobi and as a person." Sakura hesitated, thinking about her perception of the Nara.

"He lack motivation at times, but cares deeply for everyone in Konoha. He is a brilliant tactician, arguably the greatest in the Land of Fire. He and I have good chemistry and work well together." Sakura bit her lip to stop the naughty side of her brain from drudging up images of exactly how good their chemistry was. She had to get a handle on her perverted thoughts or she'd never have dry underwear again! "As a person, he is nice and well mannered. I don't feel the urge to punch him every time he opens his mouth so that's always a positive. He is the only person I can have truly intellectual and informed discussions with that are unbiased and interesting."

Tsunade took her answer in before posing another question. "Do you find him physically, personally, and sexually attractive?"

"I don't see how that matters shishou!" Sakura burst out almost instantaneously. The bright red blush on Sakura's face easily gave Hinata a run for her money. How could Tsunade ask her something like that, and in front of Kakashi-sensei no less? Her romantic life was none of their business!

"It does, Sakura, so just answer the question." Tsunade growled out.

After long moments of debating if she wanted to incur the wrath of her volatile shishou, Sakura answered. "Yes, I find him physically, personally, and sexually attractive."

"Hmm good." Tsunade nodded, seemingly pleased with herself. Sakura felt absolutely mortified. Kakashi shook his head, wishing the knowledge of his student's attraction was not permanently ingrained in his brain.

"May I go now shishou?" As soon as Tsunaded nodded Sakura bolted out of the office and towards the stairs, not even thinking of activating the standard transportation jutsu. Tsunade smiled. If Sakura was still attracted to him, despite what had happened between them, then Shikamaru still had a shot at the happiness he deserved.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not the last I'll have to hear of this topic?" Kakashi nervously glanced at the grinning Hokage.

"Because it won't be. I am going to insure that those two get together, and I'm enlisting a little help to make sure they stay on the right path." Kakashi sighed and shook his head at the gleam in his mentor's eyes.

"They've had enough of the Hokage's interference don't you think?" Tsunade thought about the situation she had knowingly and unknowingly thrust upon them.

"Fine I will give them a little time, but if it doesn't appear there will be a by the end of the ANBU exams, believe me, I'm stepping in and no one will stop me!"

"No one would dream of stopping you…Naruto." Kakashi mumbled and disappeared out of the office before the ceramic sake cup collided tragically with his face. Tsunade grinned, proud that she would aid the officially star crossed lovers in their quest for happiness.


Sasuke looked through the window out over the sandy dunes glowing bright under the moonlight. Despite the travel to Suna and rigorous activity, he could not fall asleep. His body had yet to adjust to chill of the desert at night and his mind refused to let him rest, instead replaying his conversation with Shikamaru. He did not know what it was about the ungodly hours of the night that constituted as the perfect time for him to rethink his humanity and purpose in life; couldn't he have deep thoughts during daylight hours? A slight tug at the warm covers caused Sasuke to glance at the stirring figure beside him. Sasuke felt his heart tug strangely as his eyes took in her waking appearance. Long brown hair scattered in every direction, the golden highlights glimmered in the moonlight cast from the window. Her tanned skin over toned muscle enticed him to touch her, and resume their earlier activities. A soft feminine groan slipped from kiss-swollen lips as she wiped traces of sleep from her vibrant violet eyes.

Miyui had occupied his thoughts, much to his annoyance, from the time after his conversation with Shikamaru about what they had done in the pre-examinations until he had reported to the Hokage before evening, then again once the Hokage had informed him that he was given a few days to take care of clan business specifically in Suna. How she explicitly knew his business was in Suna he would not speculate. Sasuke's thoughts were scattered when delicate feminine hands traced over the few scars dusting his chest and over the cut planes of muscle.

"Your body must be exhausted; you should be sleeping."

"I could say the same for you." Sasuke allowed a wicked smirk to overtake his lips.

"Hmm, pervert." She pinched his well-toned bicep.

"Hn, annoying." He replied.

"You know, I'm starting to think that is a term of endearment from you." Her giggle rang out in the silent room as she tried to stifle a laugh loud enough to wake the whole village. Sasuke smirked and shook his head at her antics. After the urge to let out a crackling laugh died down, Miyui examined her lover's taunt facial features. Many would miss the slight clench of the muscles in his jaw. They would not know the difference in the tension of his shoulders nor would they be able to accurately depict his moods. However Miyui prided herself on being able to read him after spending sufficient time with him and seeing him in situations ranging from diplomatic to intimate. She almost blushed at how intimately of situations she had seen him in, their current one a prime example.

"Something's bothering you."

"Hn." Miyui waited for him to continue. He liked that about her. While others would push him to talk, Miyui would wait patiently until he had found the correct words to say or time to speak. "Why do you allow me to come here?"

His question threw her off guard, but she guessed it was a good one. It had been almost a year since they'd met while he was on a diplomatic mission to Suna. She needed to drop some scrolls off to the Kazekage when she had nearly plowed into him as she opened the door to the office. He had looked at her with annoyance as if she were a bug who would not stop buzzing around him. She had been instantly star struck by his almost feminine beauty. His teammates seemed to be barely holding in their laughter as she blushed with embarrassment and practically slammed the scrolls on the Kazekage's desk before immediately bolting for the door. Gaara had called her back and assigned her as the envoy's tour guide around Suna. Over the two weeks that they stayed her thoughts had been plagued with the ever illusive Uchiha, always dark and brooding compared to his brighter and more conversational teammates. She had sworn she caught him looking at her a few times but she knew it could not be so; probably just her night fantasies causing her to see interest that was not really there. One of his teammates had suggested she take him to the training grounds for a spar while she and his other teammate went to look at the hospital and then a ramen stand. Miyui had been both happy and terrified; she would get to spend time with the stoic Uchiha, but dear Kami-sama she would get to spend time alone with the subject of her nightly desire. Hopefully she didn't make a complete fool of herself and proved herself worthy of her earned rank as a jounin of Suna.

The sparring session was challenging. His fire was superior to her wind style but she challenged his lightning style techniques. Somehow in their battle she had manages to get the upper hand and ended up straddled on top of him. They had both lost the ability to breath for what felt like forever. Her eyes locked onto his deadly sharingan and he could have easily disabled her, but he did not. His eyes melted back to their mysterious onyx and watched her, trying to discern her next move. Something had possessed Miyui to bend down and he didn't stop her. Her heartbeat in her chest and her common sense flew out the window. She leaned down further and placed a kiss onto his stone lips. Her brain screamed at her that if this was how she was going to die, she better at least make the most of it. To her shock and pleasure, he had kissed her back. His warm hands found purchase on her hips and held her steady as their tongues mimicked their forgotten sparring session. Through the fog of arousal, Miyui heard his teammates coming and pulled away. Looking into his eyes her short-circuited brain began to work again and she realized what she'd done. Mortified but not as much as she should be, she had blushed bright red and disappeared from sight. For the rest of their visit she refrained from looking at him or ending up in situations that could cause her to lose her mind again. She was relieved when he left; her mind could stop replaying their kiss over and over at night and she might be able to forget about the strange and hot attraction she felt to the Last Uchiha. She was saddened but relieved that she would never see him again and wouldn't be reprimanded for her completely inappropriate behavior to a guest. Until she did.

Six months later he returned on another mission and Miyui had nearly had a heart attack. She had tried her best to avoid him but he was anything if not relentless. She couldn't remember how he had found her home but she clearly remembered her shock when he climbed through her window the first night. He hadn't said a word as he stalked toward her and pushed her against the wall. Hadn't said a word as his calloused hands caressed her skin. Not a word as he dropped to his knees and lifted her leg onto his shoulder. If he'd said anything it was lost into her cavern as he devoured her. He hadn't said a word as he moved above her on the bed, bringing her to the gates of heaven over and over. He hadn't said a word as he kissed her before disappearing into the rising sun. The first words she could remember him saying was that he was leaving the next day after three days of bring her body pleasures she had not known existed. She had asked if he would come back. He said he didn't know. He did. Every time he was in Suna, which was relatively a lot since the new peace agreement between the villages, he would seek her out and bring her to new heights. Sometime between the time their tryst had begun and now she had given her heart to him, and he had gradually opened up to her as they spent hours just talking. She loved everything about him; that was why her heart was so elated every time he came back.

"It's not that I allow you to come back, Sasuke. It's that, well, if you are here with me…then I know you are not with someone else." Her voice tapered off. They never talked about feelings, more specifically she had never told him how she felt; she was unsure if she was just a way to release pent up tension. She wanted to believe that she was special, that he was coming all the way to Suna just for her and that no woman in his village would do, but she was not a genin with silly fantasies; she was a grown woman who had had her heart broken before because of unrequited love.

"Hn." Sasuke thought on her answer. Her words made him think of the first time Sakura had told him she loved him; she had plead for the smallest amount of his love, claiming she would be content just being around him. He had no idea what it was about him, or any man for that matter, that caused women to only accept the crumbs of affection.

"You would turn away from me, if you knew the horrors I have inflicted on others. You would dread my touch, if you knew the evil I was capable of." Sasuke turned from her and towards the window again. Miyui stiffened slightly and was shocked. A tear slipped down his face. Knowing him almost a year, she had never seen him cry or even bat an eyelash in regret. Not even when he talked about his brother; his voice had filled with emotion, but he had never let a tear fall. Miyui brushed the tear away and turned his face to look at her. He raised his hand to her shoulder, hesitating as if she would break.

"You told me ANBU missions were for the good of the village." They searched each other's eyes. He nodded. "Then I could never judge you for doing what you're Hokage asked you to do."

She said no more but pulled his lips down to hers. Sasuke went willingly, craving her to understand. She lay down further and he followed on top of her, shifting his muscled body over her smaller one. His fingers traced down the sides of her breast causing her to moan into his mouth. He swallowed her mewling sounds while continuing his perusal of her soft skin. They had to part for air but as the parted one way, he connected them another. Miyui could not believe he could drive her so absolutely insane every time they were together. They raced to the peak in a frenzy of movement, as if compelled by an ancient force. Sasuke searched for absolution within her as if only she could clean the blood from his hands. Her body moved with his every thrust, taking and begging for more. He could feel her tightening up; he had memorized her body's signals to him. He groaned as her muscles pulled him deeper into her, refusing more and more to let him pull out. His name was a mantra on her lips as stars danced behind her eyes and her body clenched feverishly and uncontrollably. Her nails scraped down him back adding to the sensation. Sasuke couldn't hold back with her body milking him like that. He surge into her one last time before releasing his seed into her.

Their pants mingled together and Sasuke could barely find the strength to roll off of her, less he crush her beneath him. He pulled her on top of his sweating chest and pulled the covers over them to protect them from the cold once their bodies cooled. He could feel Miyui's muscles turn to gelatin as his fingers stroked up and down the curve of her back. He breaths became slower and she lazily drew circles on his chest. After a time, he thought she was asleep and could feel his body coaxing him to follow her.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn." He could barely reply. The trip to Suna that he had made in a few hours when it should have taken at least two days, the toll from pleasuring her earlier, his thoughts plaguing him that were now silent, and sating his lust for her now all catching up to him. Miyui was so sure he was asleep.

"I love you." She whispered, feeling safe that he was not conscious to hear them, but lighter now that she had gotten the words off her chest. Sasuke felt his heart clench but he was too exhausted to reply. What would he say to her? He wasn't sure he could love, and even if he could love, did he love her? Thoughts better saved for another day. He did know for certain, however, that if his feelings were even half of what Shikamaru felt, that he could not have subjected Miyui to the brutality of the pre-exams.


Sakura walked towards Ichiraku from her meeting enjoying the somewhat unusually warm night. Her senses were still on red alert but she watched as shop owners closed up shop for the night and villagers began to head in with the newly risen moon. She knew Ichiraku would still be open due to many ninja frequenting the establishment after missions, namely team seven. A flare of chakra alerted her to a presence behind her and she was proud of herself for not tensing. She stopped and turned, waiting for Shikamaru to catch up with his leisurely pace.

"I thought you would have been home already." He fell into step beside her. Surprisingly there was no uncomfortable air between them. They walked in the direction of the ramen shop in relative peace.

"I skipped dinner because I was working at the hospital a little longer that I thought I was. Thought I'd get a bowl of ramen since I don't really feel like cooking." Sakura shrugged and Shikamaru nodded.

"Ino says you've been overworking yourself lately." Guilt undercut his words.

"Ino says you haven't been sleeping well lately, which is a big concern because you can sleep anywhere anytime!" Sakura joked with true concern in her voice. Shikamaru laughed and pulled the white flaps aside, letting her go into the village's favorite ramen stand first.

"Sakura-chan! The usual?" Ayame called from behind the counter. The kunoichi smiled and told the older girl that she would be having her usual. Shikamaru was a little shocked that Sakura had a usual and was so familiar with the waitress but then remembered Naruto practically breathed ramen and found it not so odd. Ayame smiled at Shikamaru and took his order before setting tea and two cups before them. Shikamaru picked up a tea cup and poured tea before handing it to Sakura and pouring his own. Sakura thanked him and took a slurp.

"How gentlemanly of you, serving tea to a girl." Shikamaru easily caught the amusement twinkling in her voice and eyes. It was easy to remember his previous thoughts on girls.

"My mother would kill me if I was anything but." He smirked and took a sip of his own tea. They made small talk about how the other was doing; avoiding the awkward conversation they needed to have. Ayame was so happy to see Sakura on a date with the Nara heir again. She had wondered, when they occasionally stopped by a few times together if they would begin dating, but time had passed and she guessed not.

"You sure didn't think that way when we were younger." Sakura thanked Ayame for her bowl and passed a pair of chopsticks to Shikamaru. He thanked her they waited until after they said the customary prayer and Sakura began eating to dig into his own bowl of steaming noodles and pork.

"I always respected women." Sakura rolled his eyes.

"You and I seem to remember your chunnin exams very differently." Sakura laughed as he blanched at the memories. Shikamaru was momentarily lost in the sparkling of her beryl orbs before snapping out of it and handing her a napkin as broth began running down her chin.

"That was different."

"Uh-huh."

"It was. I always got the feisty, spunky ones who could gut me in a heartbeat." Sakura nodded. He was right; Kin and Temari were fierce opponents and were practically the definition of feisty.

"Yeah, but I think I got your worst nightmare." Shikamaru agreed with her on that one. He would have never lived it down if he had fought Ino, didn't matter if he won or lost. They continued chatting about old memories, each simply enjoying the other's company. Shikamaru paid for their meal and walked her home. As they got closer, Shikamaru knew he needed to bring up the topic they were both dreading. Sakura could feel the shift in the air almost immediately. They stopped in front of her door.

"Sakura, I'm sorry for—"

"Don't, Shikamaru. It's okay, really I'm fine." She tried to give him her most reassuring smile. She didn't want him to continually apologize.

"You may pretend to be fine, Sakura, but I'm not." Shikamaru's voice dropped lower than she remembered it could go. He stepped closer to her and brought his hand up to her but not touching her. She flinched slightly and knew she had proved what he was looking for.

"The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me." He whispered to her and placed his hand on her cheek, running his thumb over her smooth skin. Sakura swallowed and looked away from his hand and into his eyes. She could so clearly see the pain that mission and her fear had caused him. Sakura wanted to alleviate that pain, but she wasn't certain she could; she couldn't say that she would never be wary of him again, but she knew he wasn't her enemy.

"I'm not afraid of you, Shikamaru, I'm afraid of what you can do to me."

"I would never willingly do that to you again." He almost begged her to believe him. If she thought he was capable of forcing himself on her again, he would be sick.

"Not what you can do physically, but how you make me feel." Shikamaru's face scrunched. He could understand that. The last thing a shinobi wanted to feel was afraid and helpless and controlled. He had made her feel all of those things.

"I understand."

"No you don't." Sakura traced her tongue over the marks she had made on her lip earlier from biting them. She needed to tell someone how she felt and he was as good as anyone. "Shikamaru, you made me feel things I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have felt pleasure; I shouldn't have wanted more."

Shikamaru stood, mouth gapping, a little shell shocked. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't know what he should do or say. Part of him wanted to ask if she still wanted him, the other part did not want to hear her rejection. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt droplets of water against his skin. Tears made a silent trek down her cheeks but she did not cry and stood proud before him. Her eyes were compassionate but steeled. In them he saw the woman he fell in love with after spending hours and hours by her side and was relieved that he had not broken her. Sakura had completely mesmerized him. When they were in the academy, he had not taken much notice of her, not that he was awake enough to notice much of anything. In the Forest of Death, he had been too afraid of the Sound ninja to truly take notice of her but he remembered the respect he'd had for her for protecting her teammates at the cost of her life. In her fight against Ino he had only seen her as an obstacle stopping Ino from advancing. When he had led the mission to retrieve Sasuke, he remembered her as a whiny brat who placed all of her burdens on Naruto. Her obsession with Sasuke, like many of the other girls, had been a complete turn off. When he had been assigned the mission to rewrite the Nara medical journals and update the Nara medicinal garden he had groaned at the tedious work with her. But she had quickly changed his opinion of her from a whiny brat to a bossy kunoichi like every other woman in his life; man did he only attract the bossy ones? The more time he spent with her, the more time he got to know her. She was extremely intelligent, not so much as him, but she was the only girl he could have a decent conversation with. She seemed to genuinely care about his opinions and he didn't have to waste time explaining different concepts to her; she had to explain more to him about medical ninjutsu than he had to explain to her. On a few of their days off they had played shogi together, and while her strengths were more book smarts and memorization, she wasn't half bad at strategy.

He didn't know exactly when he had been so drawn to her or who had made the first move; as soon as their lips met he was hooked. They had been good friends for two years until Sasuke came back and he feared she would revert back to the girl she had been when they were younger. She had surprised everyone in the village when she didn't fall at Sasuke's feet. A part of him remembered the satisfaction and triumph he'd felt when he had slept with her the night Sasuke came back. Satisfaction that she was in his arms, not Sasuke's. Satisfaction that no matter if she went back to Sasuke in the morning, he was her first, and she would always carry him with her in a way that Sasuke could never disturb. They had drifted apart, still friends, but other responsibilities. He still remembered the feel of her lips on his, her body moving under him as if they had kissed and made love in his room just yesterday. He had let her go once; he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Are you afraid of me?" Sakura's eyes widened with confusion as if she had never had the thought to be afraid. Shikamaru waited uncharacteristically on edge for her answer. He didn't know what he would do if she was afraid of him.

"No." She said incredulously. "I could never be."

Relief flooded to him as the hand on her cheek threaded through her long hair and the base of her neck. His other hand wrapped around the small of her back and pulled her flush against him. She could feel the warmth from his body seeping into her own. His smell of sandalwood and cinnamon invaded her senses and filled her with the familiar feelings of desire and safety that his scent and arms evoked. Shikamaru was all around her. He took a deep breath of her rose and vanilla scent; his body immediately responding to the familiar smell. Shikamaru looked deep into her eyes and it felt like he was searching her soul for the answer to some crucial question. Her hands rested on his chest, fingers curling around the soft but durable material of his flak jacket. The hand in her hair untangled itself and skated sensually down her back leaving pleasurable goose bumps until it wrapped around the small of her back.

"Good." His voice was deep and husky, resonating within her in deep waves. Her body told her that voice meant safety, protection, and another emotion she couldn't quite place. Something primal told her to latch onto his voice and to keep it within her.

"Because I intend to court you, in the hopes that you will agree to become the matriarch to the Nara clan. But more importantly, in hopes that you will become my wife." Shikamaru pulled her close and placed a kiss on her forehead. He held her closely for a few moments before letting her go and bowing to her as if she were a noble. His deep russet eyes stared deeply into hers, branding her and etching themselves on her memory.

"Good night, Sakura." He vanished into the night, leaving a stunned rosette in his wake.