It's Wednesday again! :) I would like to point out that nobody is reviewing! I know you guys are reading, and I want to know who you are! Maybe, if you talk to me and I like you enough, I would even write a one-shot for you…. ;)

…

Kaie slowly came back to reality. She felt refreshed, but wasn't quite ready to open her eyes yet. She heard the faint sound of some show on the television, and felt really warm, and a bit sticky, but comfortable. She also felt a soft weight on her calf as she lay on her side. She opened her eyes to find the same anime she had watched earlier was still on, some kind of marathon. She sat up, leaning on one arm and running her fingers through her hair. She felt the weight leave her calf and looked to her feet, finding Shikamaru looking at her.

"Feel any better?" He asked.

"I guess." She said, sitting up fully, and facing him. "How long was I out?"

"I dunno. You passed out sometime around sixish, and it's past midnight now… So what? 6 hours?"

"I guess." She sat looking at him, the blankets pooled around her waist. "Got anymore of that fruit?"

Shikamaru sighed, started to say something about a bother, but stopped, getting up to hobble to the kitchen. He paused at the door, turning to say "And no trying to go to the bathroom alone. You'll hurt yourself. I'll be back in a second." He disappeared, and in a few minutes came back with a bowl of mango slices, and a couple packages of cookies and pocky.

"Ooh! Where'd you get those?" Kaie asked, picking a pack of strawberry pocky and opening it.

"I think Sakura brought them, there's also a lot more fruit. I think she had bananas too." Shikamaru replied, flopping onto the bed again.

"Well, we can have some of those later." She said. "So what happened while I was asleep?" she asked, pointing at the TV.

"Uhm, something about an evil guy and they have to fight him off now. I fell asleep for some of it, so I'm not completely sure."

Kaie watched the screen for a while, and began to think. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, and now that she was feeling a bit better, it was starting to bug her. What she had said about mixed messages was definitely true, as none of Shikamaru's actions seemed to make sense. First he kissed her, and seemed to enjoy it. Then he complains. He gets her sick, kisses her to wake her up, and then sits on her to ask about why she was angry. It all made her head hurt, and she realized once again that she had to pee. Hopefully her dehydration was beginning to get better, as she couldn't even remember how much she had drank in the last day.

"I gotta pee." She announced, tossing her package in the corner. "Am I allowed to try alone, or do I need my babysitter?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Well, I guess you can try to get there. You have been sleeping a lot… But, I'll go with you just in case." He decided, standing up and holding out a hand to her.

Kaie grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She stood, a slight headache appearing between her eyebrows, but took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I think I can do it." She said, taking another step.

Finally she made it to the bathroom, and looked over at Shikamaru. "This I know I can do alone."

"Well, you know I'll be in if I hear anything odd."

"Yes, because you seem to be my knight in shining armor lately." She said, closing the door. She managed everything by herself, but by the time she opened the door again, her headache had spread across the entire top front part of her head.

"I take it your head hurts?" He asked, seeing the pain in her eyes.

She nodded and he bent down, lifting her easily over his shoulder. "You know, that's not going to make my head feel any better." She said, as he dropped her back onto the bed.

"Drink." He said, holding out another glass of water.

Kaie took it and drank it thirstily. She set it back down and looked at him thoughtfully. "So why did you want to know why I was mad so badly?" She asked, squeezing a pillow.

"I didn't like you being mad." He said. "It's so much work."

"Yea, I'm sure it is…" she mused, leaning her chin onto the pillow in front of her.

Shikamaru looked at her thoughtfully. "You keep squeezing a pillow, and when you sleep you do the same. Don't you have a stuffed animal or something? I know a lot of girls do."

Kaie looked up at him, almost shy. "Well, I did, but, he got lost when I moved out, coming here as a genin."

"Oh." Shikamaru said stupidly.

Kaie turned to the TV, thinking again. "So what should we do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Well, something fun. But not too crazy. I'm just kind of bored."

"Well, I would suggest Go or Shogi, but I don't think you have it."

"That I don't." she said.

The pair sat, staring at the television for a while, until Kaie heard Shikamaru say quietly "I have an idea."

She turned to look at him and said "What is it?"

He sat, staring at the floor for a moment before saying "Close your eyes."

Nervously, Kaie conceded, feeling her eyelashes brush against her cheeks. "Is it a surprise or something?"

"Sort of." He sounded closer than before.

Kaie sat, wondering what was going on, her mind running rampant with ideas. She was just about to cheat, opening her eyes, when she felt pressure on the bed in front of her and warm lips crashing down on hers.

Her eyes popped open, and she found Shikamaru leaning in, his eyes squeezed shut. She pulled back an inch, and smiled slightly. He was still in the same position, with his eyes tightly closed, maybe waiting for a slap or something. To his surprise, Kaie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hard. His eyes popped open, but when she seemed to enjoy it, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

They stayed that way, glued together by the lips for what seemed like eons. It was passionate and taboo, as the two pressed their lips together, broke apart, and went in for it again. Kaie scooted closer, and soon, she was perched on the edge of Shikamaru's lap, twisted around to reach his lips. She pulled away, breathing heavily, and he took the opportunity to kiss her neck gently. Kaie closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet, sensual feel. As he moved, he found a spot near her collarbone that made her shiver and gasp. Smirking into her skin slightly, Shikamaru moved to suck gently on the spot, hoping for a bigger reaction.

Kaie took a deep breath, and placed a hand in the middle of Shikamaru's chest, fingers spread, before pushing him away.

"What?" He asked, looking at her, his breath slightly irregular.

"I- No." She said, adjusting her shirt and pushing him to the side. She crawled to the corner of the bed, pulling her skirt down a bit and grabbing a pillow again.

"What's wrong?" He asked, crawling over to her and taking her chin, turning it towards him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know… I just… can't." She said, turning back to the wall.

"Oh. Well, I promise. I won't do anything you don't want." Kaie turned to look at him, seeing sincerity in his eyes.

"Okay." She said, with a slight smile. "Let's see what is on now."

Shikamaru grabbed the remote and wrapped his other arm tightly around Kaie. She leaned her head on his chest, still gripping the pillow tightly. His laziness was returning, and after a while they had both fallen asleep, the oddly colored light from the TV shining on their faces.

…

AN: Originally, this was the break, but since I just love you guys so much, I decided to add a bit more.

…

The week continued, passing in a lazy haze of pajamas, too-big t-shirts, blankets and that anime that Kaie still didn't know the name of. It was the last day of their confinement, and Kaie lay across her bed, the blankets complexly wrapped around and twisted by her body parts, lazing in a large t-shirt and soft sweatpants. Shikamaru lay with his head resting on the softer part of Kaie's thigh, his half-open eyes almost trained on the TV.

The pair had managed to keep the apartment mostly clean, especially once Kaie stopped falling over. For a few days she was still weak, and almost constantly hungry and/or tired, but she could do a bit more. She managed to make homemade egg drop soup, which Shikamaru couldn't seem to stop eating, asking her to make more, even though he wasn't the sick one. She had jokingly told him to wait and see what she could do in the kitchen when she wasn't sick, and he seemed eager to find out.

The pair had spent most of their time sleeping and watching television, though they had tried to play cards once, which didn't work out too well. Kaie got irritated with her lack of wins.

Shikamaru hadn't tried anything since that time in the middle of the night, but he had kissed her nearly every time she fell asleep since then. No matter how exhausted Kaie was, she always felt him press his lips against her nose or forehead before going to do dishes or lying in his own spot on the bed. She hadn't opposed any of his signs of affection, and had begun to find herself cuddled under his arm or into his chest quite a bit. Occasionally, Kaie even allowed Shikamaru to sleep with her, trusting him to keep his lazy hands to himself.

Kaie had been laying in her bed, Shikamaru's head propped up on her hip for about three episodes of their new favorite show, and she was on the verge of sleep, sliding in and out of consciousness. It was about 7 at night, and she thought vaguely about Sakura and Tsunade, pulling the pillow in front of her tighter to her chest.

Suddenly, Kaie heard something bang in her living room, and she sprung up, glaring at the door, gripping an empty glass tightly in her hand. Shikamaru had done the same, and he stood in front of her, a kunai from nowhere gripped in his hand.

Sakura flounced into Kaie's bedroom in a swirl of pink. "What? Thinking I'm gonna attack you?" She asked, looking at the two in front of her.

"Why did I give you a key?" Kaie groaned, flopping backwards onto the bed once again, grabbing her pillow.

"Because you need someone who can check on you. Your family is still on the farm." She retorted, smiling irritatingly. Shikamaru had relaxed and sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall.

"Farm?" He asked, looking between the girls.

"So? How is our patient doing?" Sakura asked, ignoring his question.

"I feel a lot better, still a bit tired, but I should be good for the mission. What is it, anyways?" She asked, sitting up again.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Sakura told her, before turning to go. "Well, I just came to check on you, and tell you to be at the hospital by 9 tomorrow for your physical and breifiing." She stopped in the doorway. "You guys only have one more night. Be good." With a slightly devilish grin, she left, and they heard the door slam satisfyingly.

"Ugh, she is such a drag." Kaie said, stealing the boy's words.

"I know." He said, laying down, placing his head in Kaie's lap.

"Well, I guess that means I need to get this place cleaned up properly. And make sure I have my clothes for the mission." She said, with a long sigh. Kaie moved to stand and do said things, but Shikamaru grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back, so she lay on the bed and he could rest his head on her shoulder, an arm draped over her.

"But we were having such a good nap." He justified, his eyes closed.

"Well, we can't just stay in my apartment and take naps for the rest of our life." Kaie said.

"Says who?"

"Says me! This is nice, but it's one of those things you can't do all the time because if it's once in a while, it makes it special." Her mind was slipping back into drowsiness, and she was only mostly aware of her words.

"Well then, let's make this time even more special than the next." Shikamaru said, propping himself up to look into Kaie's eyes.

She cracked an eye to look at him apprehensively. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Ice cream." He said, a tiny smile tickling the corner of his lips.

She opened her eyes and sat up, excited like a little kid. "Chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"With Peanut Butter?"

"With Peanut Butter."

"And hot fudge?"

"Even hot fudge." He affirmed, watching her excitement with a smile.

"What about a cherry?" She asked.

"I'll make sure you get two."

Kaie squealed and glomped Shikamaru, nearly crushing his ribs in the process. "Yayy! Go Shika!" She cheered, releasing him.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, before standing and offering her his hand. "Well, let's go."

"Wait, now?" She asked, looking down at herself.

"Well, what better way to celebrate the release from our prison?" He asked, picking up a jacket.

"But I look horrible!" She said, seemingly shrinking into the blankets of the bed.

"What a drag," He muttered. "You look fine, besides, it's getting dark, so no one besides me will know it's you." He added logically.

"Fine." She pouted, giving in and standing. "But this better be some good ice cream."

They walked to the front hall and slid into shoes for the first time all week. Their feet slowly adjusted, and soon the pair headed outside, slouchy sweatpants and all.

The wind was blowing and Kaie's hair waved with the gusts, her arms seized up from the cold. "Man, when did it get so cold?" She asked, looking over at Shikamaru.

"Here." He said, tossing the jacket at her.

She managed to catch it and said "Are you sure?"

"That's why I brought it."

Soon, they came to a small booth, and Shikamaru steered Kaie into a niche in a wall, hiding her mostly from the wind. "Stay here."

Kaie was shivering, and nodded.

"Hi, I need two ice creams, chocolate, one with peanut butter and hot fudge, both with whipped cream and a cherry." Shikamaru ordered, looking into the deep tubs of ice cream.

"Here you go." The woman said a few minutes later, handing him two ice cream cones.

Shikamaru returned to Kaie and held one out to her "Here you go."

"Thank you!" Kaie's eyes lit up. No matter how cold she was, ice cream is delicious.

"Here." Shikamaru added, pointing the top of his ice cream at her.

She stared at him blankly. "What?"

"I said I'd get you two cherries."

"You're giving me yours?" She asked, not quite comprehending.

Shikamaru simply stood there, his ice cream still held out to her.

Almost shy, Kaie reached her hand foreword and plucked the bright red ball off the top of the fluffy cream. "Thank you Shika." She said, popping it into her mouth.

He nodded, licking a bit of the cream off the top. She smiled, and leaned in, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. He blushed slightly but only said "Let's find someplace a bit warmer."

…

Isn't that insanely sweet? ^_^ Pleaaaassssseeeee review. I wanna know how I am doing so I can make my stories better for you guys, and I like to know my readers! I wanna know who you guys are and what kind of stuff you write!

(Or at least PM me. Does anyone even use that anymore? I feel old…)
Also- How am I doing on tenses? I am trying to keep them the same, but things get kinda jumbled in my messy brain, so it's better to have someone else tell me. I know I have a lot of notes at the end. Don't hate me ;'(