Hey everyone! I just wanted to let everyone know that I started school this week, but I'm going to try to continue to update at least once a week. I have a bunch of ideas for this story so I plan to continue to write while my muse is still speaking to me (she refuses to let me be at the moment...not that I'm complaining). Again, I have to say thank you to everyone that is reading this, and I really hope you are enjoying it. And thank you to everyone who has favorited/alerted my story, you guys are awesome. Speaking of awesomeness, I have to give a shout out to AnimaniacXOX just 'cuz she has given me some pretty useful feedback which I am grateful for. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and btw I really would appreciate a review :)

Oh yeah, I don't own Naruto...le cry.

Check Mate

Sakura knocked softly on the front door to Shikamaru's apartment. She had finally gotten rid of her headache from that morning with multiple cups of coffee and a long hot shower, but she didn't want to risk making it come back with loud noises. Although she had been pleasantly surprised to wake up and find herself lying in her new bed, she had been less than thrilled when that first dull ache throbbed against the inside of her skull.

"Thanks a lot again for leaving me to deal with the hang-over," Sakura whispered.

Hey, I don't clean messes, I create them, Inner Sakura chuckled. Besides, I mended your friendship with Mr. Stick-In-The-Mud didn't I?

Sakura opened her mouth to let out a biting response, but quickly shut it when Shikamaru answered the door. To her dismay, he looked as if she had just disrupted his sleep. He was dressed in what she assumed was his normal sleepwear, a white wife-beater and gray sweatpants. "Did I come over too early?" she asked risking a glance at her watch. The time was 11:30.

I told you, you should have called the Lazy Bum first instead of just showing up at his apartment, Inner Sakura chided.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru greeted through a yawn, but opened the door wider to let her into his home.

I must say, Inner Sakura remarked, It's surprisingly clean in here. I bet the Lazy Bum has his mom come over once a week to tidy the place up.

Sakura resisted the urge to nod her head in agreement with her subconscious and followed Shikamaru into his living room. His apartment looked to be about the same size as hers, but he made no move to offer a tour of his place. Following his lead, Sakura settled down on the opposite end of the couch and turned to face the lazy genius. She nervously played with the hem of her black skirt that hung around her bended knees.

She had been dreading this moment, when she would be alone with the shinobi who masterminded the mission she had sole-handedly botched. She remembered how scared she had been when they had all returned to Konoha from the Land of Iron. Shikamaru had regarded her with a cold, hard look and simply walked away from her. She had expected him to berate her for failing, but what he had done instead had hurt worse than any tongue lashing she could imagine. His actions were speaking louder than words. He just simply couldn't stand to be anywhere near her.

Do you really think that has changed now? Inner Sakura asked. Sakura noted the physical distance between herself and her new team mate and wondered if he'd wished she had sat even further away from him.

"So how did your day with Neiji go?" he asked with an uninterested tone, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Fine, I think," she answered with a frown on her face. "He helped me move into an apartment, but then the rest…gets kinda fuzzy."

"What do you mean 'fuzzy'?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Umm, well," Sakura began, embarrassment evident in her warm cheeks, "I offered him a drink and-"

"You were drinking with Neiji!" Shikamaru cut her off, leaning in with sudden interest, a smirk on his face. "And I'd thought I'd never see the day that the prim and proper Hyuuga would engage in such a vice," he added shaking his head in amusement. "First you wipe the floor with Ino and then you get Neiji drunk. I have to hand it to you, Sakura; you certainly are full of surprises."

I like to be unpredictable, Inner Sakura smiled, pleased by the compliment.

"Well we're not going to do anything as exciting as a fist fight or a bottle of sake," Shikamaru continued, unaware of the inner-demon's pleasure. He leaned over the coffee table and pulled out a chessboard. As he began to set up the pieces, he explained, "We're going to play a game of chess. But since you seem to love living dangerously," he looked at her amusedly, "We're going to add a wager to this game. If you win, I'll forgive you for blowing the mission in the Land of Iron. If I win, you have to tell Kakashi-sama you wish to resign from the team."

"Okay," said Sakura slowly, as she moved to sit down on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. She frowned down at the game pieces before her, hoping that she would remember the rules of the game. It had been a very long time since she had played a game of any sort, let alone a game of chess. She had a feeling that she was about to lose to the lazy genius.

He may be a lazy bum, but he sure does know his shit when it comes to strategy, Inner Sakura commented. Oh and by the way, if you lose, don't be surprised when we switch places and I bludgeon the Lazy Bum to death with that chessboard. He can't cash in on the bet if he's unconscious right?

"Ladies first," said Shikamaru, snapping Sakura's attention away from violent head-bashing thoughts and motioning for her to make the first move.

After moving a pawn forward, she spotted a small bookcase against the wall with a picture of Team 10 during their gennin days. Asuma was in the back smoking a cigarette while his students crowded around in front of him. A smiling Ino, posed as if for a magazine cover, stood sandwiched between Choji while he stuffed his face and Shikamaru with a clearly bored look on his face. "How's Ino?" she asked, breaking her gaze from the image of her former friend.

"Still scared shitless of you," he answered moving one of his pawns forward.

As she should be, Inner Sakura commented.

Sakura winced at the nonchalant way he had answered and moved another pawn forward. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She's not in the crazyhouse if that's what you think," he replied, moving a piece forward and taking her pawn. "Careless," he commented.

"She's home then?" Sakura asked, regarding the game board critically before making her next move.

"She is," Shikamaru began, taking another one of her pieces, "But I wouldn't make an attempt to try to see her if I were you. She's convinced that you shouldn't have been let out of the hospital and that you'll betray us all again." He looked up from the game and stared at her meeting her eyes.

So Piggy has been telling tales has she? Inner Sakura seethed. I'd like to see her try to talk about us after I've cut her tongue out from that disgusting big mouth of hers.

"I don't know how she could get an idea like that," Sakura said, returning Shikamaru's gaze and silently telling her inner voice to shut the hell up and let her concentrate on the game. Without looking down, she moved another piece forward. "Your move."

Shikamaru glanced down at the chessboard and frowned. When had Sakura's game pieces gotten so close to his king? She had him almost cornered. He saw an opening in her approach, but decided to move his king forward, walking straight into her trap. "I lost, what a drag," Shikamaru sighed.

"You let me win," Sakura said, astonished.

Shikamaru shrugged, acting as if he didn't know what she was talking about. He had let her win, but that was only because he had forgiven her a long time ago. Besides, he was too lazy to hold a grudge for long. "I think it's sweet that you seem to be so concerned for Ino, but I think you should be more concerned for your old team mate. You know Sai is going to be the most difficult one to win over."

"I know," Sakura agreed, sadly. "I just don't know what to say to him. I don't think 'sorry' is gonna cut it."

"Maybe you should just let him do the talking," Shikamaru suggested. "After he's done expressing his feelings, you can decide what to do next."

Heartless knows how to express feelings? Inner Sakura chuckled. Now that's something I'd pay to see.

"I blame myself more than anything for what happened," Shikamaru said meeting Sakura's gaze again.

"Why?" Sakura looked away, unable to meet his gaze. "I was the one that ruined all of your plans."

"I shouldn't have asked you to be a part of the mission," he went on. "I should have considered your feelings for Sasuke."

"So you don't really blame yourself for the failure, you just blame my inability to control my feelings?" Sakura asked weakly.

"Troublesome, that's not what I'm saying at all," Shikamaru muttered trying to clarify. "What I'm saying is that as a strategist, I didn't consider all the factors that could affect the mission. I was just so intent on bringing Sasuke down that I didn't notice you were actually struggling with what I was asking you to do. I should have been paying closer attention to you."

Sakura smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry I was the unknown variable that screwed up your plans."

Shikamaru sighed. She still didn't understand him, but he didn't know how to be any clearer, not when Sakura was still blaming herself for what happened. He wondered if Sai would be able to help Sakura forgive herself, or if the emotionally handicapped shinobi would even be interested in doing such a thing. He was sure that if Naruto was here, he would be able to help her, better than anyone else in the village.

"Let me walk you home," Shikamaru offered, standing up. "I'm going to change my clothes really quick."

"You really don't have to, I'll be fine," Sakura said hurriedly, but he had already left for his bedroom, the tears in her eyes motivating him to hurry.

I don't think I've ever seen the Lazy Bum move so quickly before, Inner Sakura quipped.

While Sakura waited for Shikamaru to return, her attention was immediately brought back to the picture of Team 10, her gaze falling on the smiling Ino. A familiar overwhelming sadness clutched at her heart as she stood and grabbed the picture off the shelf. This was the same sadness she had felt that night she had decided to take her life. As she continued to look into Ino's smiling eyes, she couldn't help but feel as if Ino's amusement was stemming from the pink-haired kunoichi, as if she found something funny about Sakura's current situation. Before the medic-nin knew it, her sadness had turned into a fiery anger that threatened to tear its way out of her chest.

She threw the picture on the ground, letting out a sigh of relief after hearing the satisfying crack of broken glass. Bending down low, she picked up a broken shard of glass, staring at it fixedly. She held it up to examine it further and marveled at how the light refracted in small rainbows. Determining which side was sharpest, she ran the shard teasingly over the white scar on her left wrist, gently tracing it. She remembered back to that night, reliving the thoughts that plagued her as the kunai she had used bit into her dainty wrists. She gripped the glass shard tighter in her hand, poised to press down further and reopen the scar.

Look at her, Inner Sakura scoffed, snapping Sakura's attention to the photo and interrupting her actions. Look at how happy she is. She's laughing at you. Do you know why?

Sakura shook her head no.

She's laughing at you because she still has her team, and you don't, Inner Sakura explained. Team 7 is broken, unfixable. Sasuke and Naruto will kill each other, and you will be left alone.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sakura asked her subconscious dryly.

No, but I'm trying to make a point, Inner Sakura explained. You keep letting people hurt you. You're about to hurt yourself because of what the Lazy Bum said. When are you going to learn that instead of hurting yourself, you should hurt other people? That shard in your hand would be put to better use if you scratched out their eyes with it rather than slitting open your wrists. Try it. I guarantee you'd feel a hell of a lot better…

Sakura stared at the picture on the floor and the glass in her hand curiously. Slowly, as if unsure, she hovered the sharp end of glass above the smiling Ino's face.

Do it, Inner Sakura commanded.

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked quietly.

"Nothing," Sakura said quickly throwing the shard in her hand on the floor, trying to shake the feeling of guilt that chased back her subconscious's demonic voice. "I accidently dropped your team photo. I'm sorry." She added the last part hurriedly before quickly attempting to pick up all the broken glass on the floor.

"Don't worry about it," Shikamaru commented, heading for the door. "My mom will be here to clean tomorrow."

Sakura was sure that once Inner Sakura had stopped laughing, her headache would have returned.

"Have you talked to Naruto at all?" Sakura asked, as she and Shikamaru made their way down the street.

"Not since he left to go train with the Hachibi Jinchuriki," he replied, eyeing the crowd around them warily. He was noticing the way the villagers were eyeing Sakura with disdain, and to his amazement, he was starting to receive similar looks. "Do they really stare at you like this every time you go outside?" he asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yes, but I was only attacked that one time," Sakura explained. "I've been sticking to back streets and rooftops ever since, just to try to avoid crowds as much as possible."

"That's probably a good idea," he commented. They continued the rest of their walk in silence, Shikamaru at the ready to defend himself and his companion if the crowd decided to attack.

"Would you like some tea?" Sakura offered politely when they reached her apartment building.

"Thanks for the offer, but there is something I need to take care of," he declined. "However, I think we should all meet early tomorrow morning for a training exercise. I think exercise might help Sai work off some tension before the two of you attempt to resolve things between the two of you.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow morning then," she gave a small smile and turned to enter her building.

As Shikamaru watched her, he thought back to when he had seen her hunched over the broken team photo with a glass in her hand. He knew if he hadn't of said anything, she would have cut up that picture. The look on her face had given away her intentions, but it was an expression he had never seen her wear before. He didn't quite understand what was going on in her head at the time, but he was sure that there was something strange happening in there. He had heard her talking as if there was someone else in the room with her. That had raised an alarm bell, but he didn't think that it was just her acting crazy. Something else was going on. He began to make his way towards the Hyuuga Compound. He had to know if Neiji had noticed anything unusual about the medic-nin the night before. That is, if the pale-eyed shinobi could remember anything that happened once booze had become involved.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think...por favor!