The Nara compound wasn't exactly arranged like the other clan's territories in Konoha. Instead of having an official, semi-closed off district like the Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame and so on, their area was constructed so that it almost bordered on the normal civilian streets of the village. There were still obvious Nara homes that could easily be distinguished from typical housing, but it was a much different feel than the opposing and somewhat intimidating borders designated by other clans.

Sakura felt at ease as she walked towards Shikamaru's, a pleasant evening sky settling above her; still light outside, but the air cooling even more with the setting sun. She reached the sliding doors beyond the courtyard by his house and felt she was overstepping her boundaries slightly by letting herself in, but figured that it was a little more acceptable considering her familiarity with the place.

The living room was empty, and the lights off, so she figured he might not be here after all. She decided to check the other ends of the house anyways, knowing he could be sleeping or fixing dinner.

"Shikamaru?" She called out as she looked down the hallway leading to his bedroom, not wanting appear without warning and startle him. She didn't receive an answer, and when she nudged open the door, she found it vacant, the bed made. Brows furrowed, she pushed down the unpleasant feeling that his sparseness was triggering.

Making her way down the hall again, she heard what could have been a chair sliding across the ground somewhere outside. It sounded like it was coming from out back, so she scaled the living room and opened the sliding panels to step out into the courtyard at the rear of the estate.

There he was, sitting on the dark floorboards of the deck, leaning against the paneled walls and staring out into the night. The night had fallen quickly and he was shrouded in darkness, so Sakura couldn't see his figure quite clearly.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura quietly stepped over, coming to a halt directly in front of him.

Now she could see clearly.

"Hey, Sakura."

He wasn't wearing anything but a towel slung precariously around his waist.

"…Hey." Sakura picked up immediately on his peculiar tone of voice. He sounded strangely resigned. Given up about something, or fatigued. About what though?

And of course she also picked up immediately on his abdomen, taut with the framework of a six pack, his bare arms folded over his lap, his chest, his legs, his tan, olive skin and lean musculature, the dark smattering of hairs leading down his stomach and disappearing beneath the towel, and his hair pulled into its ponytail but still wet, a few strands sticking to the sides of his forehead and neck.

He was looking up at her with his normal expression; relaxed gaze, slight frown, the image of calm and competent and collected, without looking cold and arrogant either.

Sakura battled the heat that had begun pooling in her chest and stomach upon seeing him in this state without warning. Without avail.

"What are you up to out here?"

"It's just nice at night time." He stood up then, and Sakura was completely unprepared for the sudden, assaulting smell of pine needles and spice that wafted to her, as well as roughly three feet perspective below her becoming roughly six and above her. Sakura wasn't short, and Shikamaru wasn't overly tall, but she still couldn't help but feel that he towered over her even if he only had four or five inches of leverage.

"Cloud watching and what not." He tacked on after she hadn't replied.

"There aren't any clouds out anymore." She answered after a beat, her mouth fixed in a wry smile.

"You got me."

His face was completely devoid of humor.

There was another moment of quiet. She regarded him silently, and he returned her stare but came off as far away regardless.

She had spent enough time with him by now to read his subtle changes, unnoticed by most, of mood and demeanor. Something was up.

Sakura never liked playing mind games and wasn't about to start now.

"What's wrong Shikamaru?"

He regarded her but then averted his eyes, almost impatiently.

"Let's go inside." His gaze was focused somewhere on the deck ceiling.

He turned and started towards the door before Sakura gripped his bicep with enough force to stop him but not enough to come off as angry.

"No, Shikamaru," her voice was measured and firm. "We aren't going to have a relationship like this." She felt his arm flex, steely and hard, as she spoke. "What are you thinking?"

Sakura didn't even have a moment of eye contact before she was pressed firmly against the thin wooden column behind her, the wind knocked out of her completely as Shikamaru pressed his hard, long body into hers and removed any thought in her head by slanting his mouth over her own, pausing only a second before biting her lower lip and running his tongue over her teeth.

She reciprocated, feeling the pure want that he was displaying. His thigh wedged between her legs and she whimpered, a high, needy noise, as his tongue twisted around hers. He growled low and the noise vibrated against her chest.

He pulled back and she couldn't think of anything that had been happening before he was kissing her and touching her and turning her on to the point of feeling nothing but the overwhelming desire to remove what little clothing he had on and make him hers right here on the wooden deck at the back of his house.

"I saw you with Gaara today."

What the hell was he talking about? Gaara?

"I saw you with Gaara and I felt jealous like some stupid, possessive Neanderthal."

Stupid…possessive…Sakura tried to put her train of thought back on the right tracks. It took a moment but she successfully derailed the ones that involved Shikamaru moaning beneath her.

"You were jealous? Of me being with Gaara?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Why?" Sakura's tone was controlled, her temper was rising with what he was implying, but would be carefully held back while he explained himself.

Shikamaru closed his eyes. Sakura could tell that he was picking up on her agitation and was feeling disappointed in himself for causing it.

"I knew you liked him."

Sakura felt less upset and more sympathetic at the solemn sound of his statement.

She leveled herself.

"Shikamaru, who was I just making out with?" She smirked, trying to drawing him out of the reclusive zone he seemed to be hiding in.

He laughed humorously.

"I know. And that was wrong of me too."

Sakura tilted her head in confusion.

"I did that mainly because I wanted to feel assured. It was almost staking a claim."

To his surprised and slight annoyance, Sakura began laughing light heartedly. He eyed her and waited for some kind of explanation.

"You know this is normal behavior for a guy in a relationship, right? And sometimes even girls get like that."

Shikamaru didn't move, didn't change his expression, anything. Just stared with hooded eyes.

"You're upset because you felt jealous."

"Yes, because I had absolutely no reason to feel jealous." His voice was quieter, and more dangerous. "You're free to talk to whoever you want, and spend time with whoever you want. I shouldn't have felt that way. It was a complete disrespect of-

Shikamaru gasped and recoiled as Sakura stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his naked torso, sucking harshly at his neck.

"You felt something completely natural." She breathed into his ear. "Stop beating yourself up over it."

She was moving down his chest with her lips, pausing around his nipples. Her tongue flattened against his left, and he exhaled with a high tone of disbelief and heady arousal.

"What are-

She began lowering herself to her knees and licked down his abs, relishing in the groan he emitted when her fingernails raked down the sides of his stomach, stopping to grip his hips.

"Sakur-

"I'm not upset. And you shouldn't be either." She slid her hands up the backs of his legs and rose to her full height again. She whispered against his mouth, "What's important is you didn't deal with it the wrong way."

Shikamaru stifled the moan that threatened to emerge with the feeling of his erection pressed tightly against her firm, warm body.

He opened his mouth to counter her argument but was cut off again.

"Shikamaru, it's fine that you're possessive." She ground her hips roughly into his and his hands flew to them and gripped them like a lifeline.

"The fact that you got mad at yourself over this and not me is hot in a way that I can't hope to explain."

He raised his eyebrows, skeptical. She was right about that; he wasn't following that logic at all.

"But if you really feel the need to stake your claim," she emphasized the words heavily, "Why don't we go inside, and you can get rid of that sorry excuse for modesty already." She paused. "You won't ever have to worry about whose face I'm thinking of when I'm alone at night again."

At that final statement, Shikamaru groaned harshly and lifted Sakura up by the thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her through the doorway and inside, all thoughts of Gaara and his jealousy forgotten.