What Now?

by JacksonKid3

Shikamaru and the rest of the gang all have a near death experience, and start to think about everything they never really wanted to. "I was this close to being erased. To being forgotten. My entire existence would have been entirely useless up to that point. But what scares me the most is the fact that I'm not sure if it even matters, or if it ever will."

6. Chapter 6

Hello everybody! I hope you're doing well :O)

Something I forgot to add into the previous chapter's A/N was that when you see bracketed text, more likely than not it's a text message. And, if there's un-bracketed text around it, it's probably someone talking/thinking.

Sooo, enjoy!

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The office was violent white. White walls, white light, white papers. White desk, white stapler, white coffee mug. White coat. It was as sterile as it looked. Even though no one was operated on within the confines of the small room, it was still sanitized compulsively, everyday, at the same time, like clockwork. That was something that had always continued to bemuse Karin every time that she thought about the small office, or in this case, every time that she found herself sitting in one of the comfy looking but actually uncomfortable chairs that faced directly towards the man who sat behind the big, white, desk. The man behind said desk was someone that Karin had come to depend on quite heavily, someone that she had come to care for, and someone of such great importance that she couldn't believe that she had dared to defy him, and without him even knowing. Well, that might not be the case now.

The red head had been at her usual desk duty, boredly picking at her nails and neglecting to sort files left by couldn't be bothered nurses that would give her the stank eye whenever they walked by her desk to see that she had not been scared into doing their work for them. That was when the thorn in her side intern had suddenly appeared in front of her, a gloating smirk on his lips, but uncertainness in his eyes.

"Karin-sama," Kabuto said, dipping his head at her. She only stared blankly at him. "Orochimaru wants you in his office immediately." Giving her another thinly veiled look of doubt, he quickly turned on his heel, and hurried off, no doubt to run more errands for his beloved Orochimaru-sama. Her lip unconsciously curled. He'll never want to keep you, kid. He'll drop you by this time next year.

Even though the encounter was long passed, her lip still curled. She knew Orochimaru was only interested in Kabuto because of his connections within the government and outside of the nation, but the naïve little fool had yet to pick up on that fact. He walked around as if he ran the place just because Orochimaru showed him a bit of favor.

Karin suddenly jerked her head up as she heard the door knob turn. She looked over her shoulder, and then slouched back into her seat. "Ah, Karin-chan, I didn't mean to keep you waiting. I just had something spring up that I couldn't get rid of – or rather, someone."

She threw her arm over the back of the chair and stretched her leg out in front of her. "You mean your springy new intern? You know, Orochimaru-no-danna, Kabuto does get in the way quite a bit." Her sudden smile was as sugary sweet as her words. "Why don't we just finally get him out of the way?" Orochimaru chuckled as he took his seat, folding his hands on the table top in front of him, a knowing smirk on his lips as his eyes shined in amusement.

"Now, Karin, you know why I need to keep him around. For now." He waved his hand dismissively. "Once his usefulness runs its course, his presence will have finally worn its welcome. Patience." He then opened up one of his desk drawers, and pulled out a single file. He laid it on his desk and regarded it a moment. "I went to check in on the Jinchuuriki earlier. It seems as if his vitals dropped again. And it is quite puzzling to me, considering the fact that he was beginning to steady back out but a few hours ago... It seems as if every time he is finally ready to awaken, he realizes the coming dangers and sentences himself into slumber once again." He continued to stare at the thin white folder in front of him. His eyes didn't look uninterested, but they didn't look particularly interested, either. "This is quite problematic . . . " He then turned his golden eyes to hers, and smiled. His eyes melted to liquid gold, and she found herself getting lost in his gaze.

"My dear Karin, I hope you don't take offense to what I am going to say next because I do care very much for you." His eyes narrowed slightly, as their color hardened slightly. She snapped out of it. "Do you have anything to do with this? Because I know how the discovery has affected you—"

"Of course not, Orochimaru-sama!" Her eyes were wide and filled with shock. She shook herself and calmed down. "I mean, of course not." Her voice was cool, her eyes half lidded. "I was shocked to hear about them, but I'd never let it get in the way of our plans." He stared at her for a moment, and then rose up from his seat and turned to look out his window.

"Karin, like you, my parents died while I was quite young. I was seven at the time. But of course you know this, being as our backgrounds are so similar." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Tell me again how your parents were killed, Karin-chan?" Slowly, her suddenly heavy eyelids fell half way closed as she stared at nothing in particular. 'He always does this. He always feels the need to torture those closest to him. ' "They were tortured to death for treason, Orochimaru-sama. They were part of the rebel squad within Uzushiogakure during the war, and were responsible for the assassination of the head of the village, Ozo-sama."

"And, forgive my sudden lapse of memory, but what became of you, my dear?"

"I was held for torturing, but was spared by attacking Grass shinobi who had come to attack the village, and escaped with their squad. I was taken in because of my abilities, and trained as a kunoichi of the Grass. But then I was betrayed and held captive as a science experiment." Her entire body was stiff, her eyes closed and fists clenched. She could still feel the burn of the toxic experimental chemicals being pumped into her body. They had tricked her. Made her believe that she could find a home, find love. They had instead knocked her out and tied her up, experimenting with her precious, famous, unparalleled Uzumaki blood. Over and over again, they injected her veins with more poisons, solutions, and made her fight. Made her heal. Made her into something dangerous, and legendary. And in doing so, they had created their own downfall. "And because of the extra power they oh so graciously granted me with, I killed them all and went off on my own. You found me, and the rest is history." She was putting it mildly. She had tortured them all.

She had made them scream, and bleed, and after healing them, made them do it again. To this day, Karin still doesn't know how long she kept them in that excruciating cycle. Her memory was hazy with blood lust and hatred. She does remember exactly how she finished them off, though. Slowly, and dramatically. She then did leave on her own, but not just to wonder around, like she'd told Orochimaru. She went back to Uzushiogakure to look for any survivor she could find. Her search was in vain. All that was left was destruction and ghosts of the past. And of course, and not to her surprise, either, not a single dead body was left lying around. Not even a single drop of blood. The people of her village were not naïve to their own abilities, and so to save those abilities from exploitation, all members born into the village were placed with special seals that sucked their bodies into a special burial ground, unknown to all save for a very select few. She had no idea of its whereabouts, and was thankful of that fact. Orochimaru had used one of his Yamanaka subordinates to search her mind when he had first brought her back to the village, and had told him that her knowledge was severely lacking when it came to her clan's secrets.

She flicked her eyes to his own. "Orochimaru-sama, I would never betray—"

"Karin, you know that I've been alive for a very long time, and so I've had a very longtime to observe humanity and its varying quirks, along with observing my own." He turned away from the window to stare straight into her blood red eyes. "I know the pain of losing family, Karin-chan. And I know that if I had suddenly come into contact with relatives of my own after years of searching, I would have jumped at the chance to bring myself to them, and to seek refuge with them." His eyes suddenly narrowed, and she was reminded of why his name was like death upon his enemy's lips as they spoke it. "If you are somehow messing with the Jinchuuriki as a way to keep him safe because he is of kin to you, then I would advise you to cease your actions. You do not want to get on my bad side, Karin. It will only bring regret."

She dropped her eyes from his and stared at the floor. "Orochimaru-sama, as I said before, I have not—"

"Karin, dear, look at me." Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to meet his, only to see that they were again warm and inviting. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "We both know that the Uzumakis would not want you around. After all, your parents are directly responsible for the fall of Kushina's clan. Had they not done what they did to your leader, they would not have been so humiliatingly annihilated." As he spoke, he slowly moved closer and closer to her side. He was now kneeling down in front of her, and reached his hand up to gently grasp her chin. His fingers were as cold as the icy chill in his voice.

"They do not want you, Karin. They hate everything you stand for and everything you represent. They hate everything you've done, and the person you have become. They will never accept someone like you. Now, my dear, knowing all of this, wouldn't it be better to continue to hide yourself from them? Wouldn't it be better to continue to act as if you never existed? Because right now, you are nothing more than an unnamed casualty and they think of you with a burning passion and love. If you were to define your existence, to reveal yourself for what you truly are, all of those feelings would disappear as if you had turned off a light switch." His smile was cruel and twisted, something out of horror movies that left her entire body littered with goose bumps. He began to caress her chin. "The only place you belong, the only place you will ever truly belong, is by my side." His hand paused, and suddenly it was clenched around the bottom half of his face, and his sneering face was so close to hers that a piece of paper wouldn't have slipped from between their noses.

"I have taken you into my care –fed you, clothed you, given you a place to call home, and you dare to turn and throw it back into my face?" His fingers tightened. "You will stop whatever it is that you are doing, or I will stop you myself. Stop believing these foolish dreams you have. The only place for you is here. But if you continue your actions, the only place for you will be on top of my lab table."

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The sun was high up in the sky, and the hospital was bustling busily. Citizens sat scattered around the waiting room, nurses fluttered about here and there, and tired doctors strode down the hall, hoping their next patient wasn't any worse than the last. And with all of this normal behavior happening all around, coupled with the balmy goodness of the cool afternoon, it was rather hard to miss the enraged blonde woman that flew past them. Not as if she were hard to miss, what with her long, signature pony tails, enormous chakra coated aura, and long green over coat.

And her humongous bosom.

Tsunade strode down the hall, all power and authority, and didn't stop to knock on the door she had been looking for, instead barging right through unapologetically, ignoring her underling's protests about rude behavior. She walked right up to the wooden desk and slammed her hands down, leaning into the unflinching man's face with a look so filled with hate that it could effortlessly wipe out a small forest.

"Where did you put them?" Any lesser man would have dropped to the floor in a humiliating heap and immediately begin to beg for their life, though considering the fact that this man had known her almost as long as she'd known herself, no one in the room was surprised when he merely cocked an eyebrow.

"Whatever do you mean, Tsunade-hime?" Orochimaru asked.

"The files belonging to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. Where did you put them?" she snarled. Orochimaru leaned back and put his elbow on the arm of his chair, resting his temple in the palm of his upraised hand. His voice was mildly curious as he answered her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Hime. We both know I am meticulous about my work. Perhaps one of those silly nurses flying about is more incompetent than we had hoped."

"We both know that you have them, Orochimaru. Do not play me for a fool. You will come up with those files, or I will come up with your head on a silver platter. We are both treading on thin ice as it is, and I will not be held responsible for your screw ups, Orochimaru. We already have enough problems to deal with, and you are not making it any better."

"You are worrying unnecessarily—"

"Unnecessarily? Are you blind, Orochimaru? There are cops in and out of this hospital on a constant basis, most Konoha's strongest and most important clan heads have taken a practically permanent stay here, which is including the new Hokage. And with all of this going on, you've decided to begin plan Saisei already? Just what are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking that I was foolish to believe that I could trust anyone besides my two closest allies with the delicate details of this plan, and because of that mistake, things are being forced into play sooner than is ideal." Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"You mean someone else is messing with the Jinchuuriki?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Karin." Tsunade sneered.

"If she wasn't so vital to our plans, I'd off her myself." Orochimaru closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head.

"I feel the same, but seeing as she is so vital, there is nothing we can do." He suddenly rose from his chair and began to pace in the limited space behind his desk. "But forget about her, she is but a minor inconvenience. Have you spoken to Sasuke? What did he say?"

The voluptuous blonde rolled her weight onto her right hip and crossed her arms. Behind her, Shizune adjusted the fat pink pig in her arms. "Yes, Shizune and I just came from there. He said he's still on board, but wants to wait a few months, just until everything calms down." She rolled her eyes. "But my money's on the fact that seeing his parents so worried about him is shaking his resolve. I think he's reconsidering and wants time to stew on it."

"Then we mustn't give him that chance. We must make him decide by tonight. There is no other way. He is a key factor in plan Saisei, and we cannot afford to lose him. Without Sasuke in the picture, we will never get him, the true prize!"

"I know. I have a plan, though. I would have already begun with it, but when the nurse in his room told me his files were missing, I hauled ass over here to see what you were up to." Her eyes narrowed. "You had better make sure that brat doesn't get in the way again, or I swear to Kami-sama, Orochimaru..."

"Do not worry about her, she knows her place. And anyways, I've got something to keep her mind off the Jinchuuriki. In the meantime, you work on Sasuke." He threw his white coat on and strode towards the door.

"Orochimaru!" He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and turned slightly to look at her over his shoulder. She dropped her arms to her sides and turned to face him. "You never said why you took those files." He smiled simply at her.

"Because I needed to take another look at them before the nurses did." And with that, he strode out of the door and down the hallway. The latch in the door clicked softly back into place.

"Tsunade-sama, what is he talking about?"

Tsunade's teeth were gritted so hard that they could cut through diamonds. "That snake."

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Sasuke was sitting up in his hospital bed, glaring daggers at the wall across from him, trying to tamp down the blush on his face, and ignore the kisses being showered upon him. He had woken up in the back of his father's car alone, except for the driver in the front. After seeing his charge awake, the driver relayed everything that he knew to the small Uchiha boy. After he finished his tale, Sasuke had immediately ordered him to take him straight to the hospital, though when he got there, he was not allowed to see any of them, and when he asked the nurses to tell him any information that they had, they simply said he was not privy to it and said for him to sit down like the misbehaving child they believed him to be. Nearly ten minutes later, his parents had burst through the door and ended up in his face so quickly that he had gone slightly crossed eyed. Upon seeing her son in that state, Mikoto had Sasuke in a hospital room so quickly that his head was still spinning. And to top it all off, his mother had alerted his God Mother to the fact he was there, and she was currently kissing every piece of his face that was visible, her arms around him like a vice.

"Oh, Sasuke-chan, I was so worried!" Kushina wailed through her tears. "After hearing everything that happened – And Naruto – The rest of the boys – So scared! – Those horrible criminals! – Almost died!"He tried to keep up with her, but her nonstop tears and blubbering made that task impossible, and adding to the fact that Kushina suddenly smothered his face into her bosom, Sasuke was focusing on nothing more than trying to escape death by suffocation.

Fugaku was staring at the scene with his eyebrow twitching, not sure if he should rescue his son from her over-loving clutches, or save himself the trouble. Minato saddled up next to him and offered a sheepish smile. "We're glad to see that Sasuke-kun is all right, Fugaku. Especially Kushina." They both looked over to the bed as Kushina's wails suddenly increased, as the now chagrined Mikoto had pried Kushina off of her oxygen deprived son. Minato scratched the back of his head, and Fugaku shook his.

"Thank you for that, Minato. We were both so worried. Any word on the escapees?"

Minato stood up straight and crossed his arms. "Nothing. I had Kakashi and Genma take two squads to comb the forest, but nothing so far. Whoever that fourth man was, he knew exactly what he was doing."

"That's exactly what's confusing me," Fugaku said with a deep set frown. He kept his eyes on his son as he spoke. "The ins and outs of the Uchiha compound are extremely complicated to bypass unless you are either a clan member, or have been informed of the proper passage by a clan member. Neither thing has happened in the case of those five people." Minato frowned at the Uchiha clan head, who was still staring at his youngest son.

"So, how could this have happened?"

"Only if an Uchiha had let them know. And I'm almost positive that I know who." Minato's eye brows lifted. "The only Uchiha that would ever allow those criminals to know would be the only Uchiha that is one of those criminals now." The Hokage sucked in a sharp breath.

"Itachi."

Fugaku gave a firm nod. "Yes. Uchiha Itachi, rogue Konoha Shinobi. It had to have been. There is almost no other plausible answer."

"But why would Itachi help those that were targeting Sasuke? Itachi adores him!" Minato whisper hissed. The pair had slipped out into the hallway as their conversation escalated, and the only people around was the occasional nurse.

"Obviously he used to adore him. For some reason, Itachi is now targeting his beloved little brother, and I have no idea why." Fugaku's fists were clenched at his sides, and his jaw was clenched even tighter. Minato moved in front of him and clasped his shoulder tightly.

"Whatever the reason, we will all do everything in our power to keep Sasuke safe. I can promise you that."

"Itachi is powerful, Minato. And he also has connections that he can call on more powerful than himself. We cannot take any chances. I already have guards posted." Minato nodded his head.

"I have more ANBU Black Ops posted around the hospital, as well. He'll be safe, for now. Along with the rest of the boys." Fugaku, who was finally beginning to relax his aching muscles, tensed again.

"How are they all? And Naruto?" Minato closed his eyes.

"Shikamaru and Kiba are fine, just some superficial wounds. Chōji got out of surgery at three o'clock this morning, and Neji was released from his a few hours ago. They're both stable . . ." He trailed off as his eyes suddenly became vacant. "Naruto is still in a coma," he whispered. "His vitals finally stabilized again, but we don't know how long that's going to last. Tsuande checked on him right after leaving Neji, and she was pretty confident that he should be waking up in a few days, but I'm not sure . . ." It was Fugaku's turn to put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You must have faith. Naruto is a strong boy. He'll be fine." He squeezed his shoulder assuringly, and then pulled the man into a quick, but fierce hug.

"I hope you're right." They both walked into Sasuke's room, and saw that the boy was once again being crushed into Kushina's breasts, and Kushina was trying to avoid Mikoto and her prying hands. Minato again offered Fugaku another sheepish smiled, and pretended not to notice his friend's sporadically twitching eyebrow.

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Kiba was staring impatiently at the red headed nurse behind the front counter, anxiously bouncing around from foot to foot, trying to keep himself from exploding. Tsume couldn't blame him. She was getting tired of being cooped up in the hospital, and it seemed that her sensitive nose was going to burn with the smell of antiseptic for weeks. She couldn't wait to haul ass and get home. She began to tap her nails on the surface of the counter, and they sounded like gunshots in the quiet waiting room. Karin shot her a filthy look.

"Just sign these papers and you can leave," she snapped. Tsume hastily wrote her signature, which looked even messier than usual, and then spun on her heel and hurried towards the front doors. Kiba was already outside the doors and started somersaulting down the walkway. Tsume grinned as she watched him.

"He acts like we had him locked away for months," Hana said affectionately as she smiled warmly at her little brother.

"Feels like it," Tsume said as she stretched her arms high above her head, reveling in the way the breeze caressed her, washing away the smells of death and grief from her person. She shook her hair out, hoping to shake the rest of the scent from her mind, too. "I'm just glad everyone's doing better, finally." She looked towards the lowering sun. As Kiba continued to stay ahead of them, the two women walked at a leisurely pace, wanting to properly stretch out their muscles and fully take in the scenery now that they were freed from the cramped hospital. Even Hana, who was used to being in such closed quarters because of her work at the clinic, was still just as cheerful as her fellows to finally be rid of the hospital. Tsume glanced at her daughter form the corner of her eye. "Did you hear that Naurto finally stabilized? Tsunade says he should be up and at 'em in a few days."

"Good old Tsunade," Hana said with a simple smile as she looked up toward the sky, squinting her eyes against the dying rays of the sun. "Where would we be without her?" Tsume pursed her lips as he regarded her daughter and the tone she was using.

"Do you not like Konoha's Head Doctor?"

"It isn't that. I mean, I'm completely grateful to her and to everything that she's done, and I respect her power and authority, but . . . "

"But . . .?" Tsume hedged impatiently.

"But I don't particularly trust her. Something about her presence just doesn't sit well with me." She shrugged and looked back towards the sky, trying to escape the burning curiosity in her mother's gaze. "I don't know."

"I know what you mean," Tsume replied calmly. "And I've noticed it in you for a while. But try to keep your emotions in check more when you're around her, ne?"

Hana simply continued to stare up at the clouds, comforted by the sound of her mother's steady breathing and her brother's joyous laughter. "Yes, Kaa-san."

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Kono stared down at her only son, studying his thin face. His very, very thin. Tsunade told her that it would take him a few weeks to get back to his original weight, and Kono assured her that her ever hungry son would enjoy every moment of the process. The chuckling blonde had left the Akimichi Matriarch to her own devices, and now the robust woman just continued to stare down at him. She flicked her eyes towards the door of the room as she heard a soft murmuring make its way closer and closer. She tensed, ready to get on the defensive, but just as soon relaxed when she realized who it was.

Akimichi Chōza quietly slipped inside, and paused when he spotted his wife at Chōji's side. "How long have you been here?"

"Not even ten minutes." Chōza made his way towards her slowly, and cautiously stood beside her. He then reached his hand out and caressed his son's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kono beat him to the punch. "He is fine. His blood sugar is low, but his IVs are slowly giving him nourishment." Chōza cocked an eyebrow as he looked towards the innocent looking bag of liquid attached to Chōji's arm by a thin tube. He opened his mouth again, but again Kono spoke before he could. "I already checked it for poison. It's fine." She took a steadying breath. "He's fine."

"Kono . . . " She gripped the guard rails attached to his bed tightly, and slightly rocked on her heels.

"My son is fine." Chōza gently turned her body to face his, and pulled her into a hug.

"My baby is going to live." He crushed her into his chest as she began to sob. He buried his face into her hair as his eyes began to water.

"It's going to be okay, Love," he gasped. "And I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. But it's okay now. It's all going to be okay." Her cries escalated as they gripped each other tightly, and the man outside with the long blonde pony tail smiled as he turned and disappeared down the hallway.

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The sound of the birds chirping had long died away as the sun set, only to be replaced by the sound of the summer's cicadas. The weather outside that night was cool, but not too cold, which was why the window in Shikamaru's room was allowed to stay open. He slowly opened his eyes as the sound of the cicadas slowly swelled, and he stared blankly at his ceiling as the sound died down again, melting back into the sounds of the night. He continued to stare at the ceiling, idly picking at the splint around his finger. The itching had finally stopped, but it was now just a habit for him to reach for the splint and play with it. And now that his parents had finally left him be, he could do it in peace and not worry about his mother nagging him to stop.

They had been the first of their large rag tag group to finally check out, and of course Yoshino had made an embarrassingly big deal out of it. Shikaku had immediately slunk off to the car to wait, leaving his bemused and defenseless son to fend for himself. Her fussing over him only seemed to intensify as they reached the Nara compound, but Shikamaru used the excuse of fatigue to worm his way out of his mother's excessive worrying. Even though that was always his excuse for everything, considering the previous night's extravaganza, Yoshino had dubiously relinquished her slightly crazed concern from his person, and allowed him to escape upstairs into his room, where he currently laid. He continued to stare blankly up at his ceiling, his eyes opened fully and his mind unusually alert. As he stared up, he caught movement in the corner of his eye, and when he turned his head to look, he saw the branches right outside his window shake unnaturally in the soft breeze. He sat up and his pocket knife was in his hand in almost the same moment. Silently he swung his legs out of bed and made his way to the window, and looked out. A face popped into view.

As Shikamaru focused on not going into cardiac arrest, Ino slid through his open window, landing on the floor like a cat, and just as silently. As she stood up, she shot him a curious look. His eyes were bulging out of his sockets, and a hand was over his heart, clutching at the material of his shirt. She continued to stare at him as if he were an idiot, and then turned to walk to his bed and plopped down. She stared expectantly at him. Deciding that he had had enough near death experiences, he finally controlled his breathing enough to make his way over to her side, and fell heavily down. He threw himself onto his back and laid an arm over his eyes.

"I almost stabbed you to death."

"Nah, you would've stopped before I died. You love me too much to actually kill me."

"We'll see. The night's still young."

With a small smile, Ino lay back on her side and wrapped her arm around his torso, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He turned and wrapped both his arms tightly around her, pulling her closer. She obliged happily, and they lay there quietly, listening to the cicadas as they sang harmoniously through the night. Shikamaru let his eyes close, enjoying the cool silence of the night, and the sweet smell of Ino's shampoo. It was dense and familiar and calming. He buried his nose into her hair. She adjusted her position slightly, and then ruined his peace.

"Chōji woke up." Her voice was completely neutral as she spoke, but the feeling of expectancy was left at the end of her sentence, and he knew that she was waiting for his response. He continued to smell her hair.

"Kōno called my mom a few hours ago, and my parents finally dropped off about half an hour ago. I took the bus and then ran the rest of the way." He never would have guessed that she had run all that way. Their compound was deep in the woods, so the bus stop was quite a distance away. And even after finally reaching the gates, she'd have to sneak in. He was sure that the only reason the deer around the compound had allowed her to pass was because they were so familiar with her and knew she meant no harm. And because she was so fit, she didn't have a drop of sweat on her. He tightened his grip on her.

"Kōno said that Chōji was asking for you specifically after getting settled in his own room – they moved him out of the critical care ward, by the way. He's on the same hall as Neji now. I hear Hinata's been keeping him company." Her voice was quiet, and still neutral, even though he knew she was using all of her control to keep it that way. He sighed and rolled away from her. She followed him. He threw his arm back over his eyes, and she maneuvered herself on top of him, resting her chin on the flat surface of his sternum.

"Why are you here?

"Why haven't you gone to visit, Shika?" Her voice was quiet, subdued. He knew it. As soon as she started talking, he knew exactly what she wanted with him. He still couldn't think of what to say. He knew what he should say, but he still couldn't think of how to say it. "Shika." Her voice was sterner now, reminding him of his mother. He resisted the urge to smile, partly because he didn't want to make her any angrier, and partly because he didn't want to smile at the thought of his mother laying on top of him like this. He frowned, needing to get that last thought out of his head.

"His parents should be the first ones with him once he wakes up. They should have their own private reunion." His voice was calm, with just a hint of concern to it. Her arms fell to his sides, and her fingers began to softly brush up and down the soft skin there. Irritation slowly bubbled up inside him because he knew that she knew that his sides were ticklish, and that he couldn't stand being tickled. She was trying to get a rise out of him.

"Why didn't you see him before you checked out? Before he even woke up?"

"He was still in the critical care unit. No one but family, you know that Ino. I mean, you are the one vying for an intern position."

"Exactly, which is how I know you're lying." Her fingers continued to slowly and softly go back and forth, back and forth, and Shikamaru wrinkled his nose, fighting the urge to laugh at the ticklish sensation of her nails on his skin. "Non related parties of the patient, not including spouses or God Parents, may enter the room of those within the critical care unit with the express permission of the related party of the patient. That was one of Tsunade's first changes that she demanded from the Board of Directors when she became Head Doctor." Not being able to take it anymore, he reached out and grabbed her hands in an iron lock that she didn't even bother to break out of. And while doing so, he accidentally caught her eye. "Why don't you want to see Chōji?"

He looked up to the ceiling and sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Only if you don't let me try."

"I don't want to tell you," he translated.

"And why is that?" She was getting impatient. That tone, and the fact that she thought she had the right to know really irked him. He jerked his torso so that she slid off of him, and then stood and walked over to the window. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her righting herself into a sitting position, and judging by the heat on his back, she was glaring at him as if he had just killed her first born son. He turned his attention to the window sill and popped the bottom pane open, grabbing its contents. He put one long, slightly thick stick into his mouth and lit the end. He took a long drag of smoke, and closed his eyes as it immediately calmed his fried nerves. He stood there, inhaling deeply, loving the way the smell of the night and smoke went so right together. Suddenly the smell of freshly shampooed hair poisoned the wonderful concoction, and the effect was lost.

"You can't ignore me forever, Shikamaru," she said quietly. Ignoring her, he took a long drag of his joint. From the corner of his eye, he saw her wrinkle her nose at him. He knew it irritated her to no end that he smoked, so he made sure to do it anytime she was around. It was like hitting two birds with one stone, considering the fact that he loved to smoke and loved to make her life miserable. "At one point you'll have to tell me." He purposely turned and blew the smoke into her face, and she immediately turned her face away. When she finished coughing, she turned to him with a frown. He turned back to stare at out of the window indifferently. She stared blankly at him for another moment, and then nodded her head and stepped onto the window ledge. "You're mad, or want to be alone, or are still shaken, or something right now, so I'll leave." She turned to look out at the sky. "You need to visit Chōji." She slightly adjusted her foot and loosened her grip on the sides of the window. "Goodnight." And she was gone. It was as if she hadn't even been there, and he tried to act as if that were true. But with her dense scent so thick within his room, he sighed and leaned his head against the window frame.

Why hadn't he visited Chōji yet? Because he was too scared to face him. He knew he was a coward, and knew that his friend knew him too well. He'd see right through his front and into the filthy, twisted thing that Shikamaru called his heart. He clenched the bridge of his nose.

He stood there for a long time, the joint in his other hand slowly burning away, filling his room and nose with its thick, sweet smell. Finally, Shikamaru put out the joint, put it back in its proper place, and then went back into bed. As he was laying down, he cursed himself for not closing the window, knowing it would get much colder as the sun went down. But as he pulled the covers up to his chin, Ino's scent attacked his senses once again, and he closed his eyes, hoping the open window would wash everything of the day out and away, leaving it with nothing more than the clear night and the sounds of the summer's cicadas.

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That was a pretty nice length (almost sixty-eight hundred words) though it took a little longer than I expected.

Well, that is the end of What Now?, and I must say that I am happy to see it end. Why? Because I will now begin working on the main story, Konoha General Hospital, so keep your eyes open for it. I might just post a new chapter letting you know when it's up. It'll probably be a couple months, so find some other stories to keep you busy until then, alright? Or just pop on over to my profile and read some of my other fics or my favorites.

You may have noticed that here, Karin has not come into contact with the Uzumakis as of now. This is how I want it to be. I went ahead and edited chapter four to fit with this new turn in the plot line. And, also as of now, no one else but Tsunade, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Shizune know who she is ( as far as you readers know ), and as you could see in a previous chapter, Shikaku is trying to put the puzzle pieces together, because she often disguises herself to hide her nationality. I hope that helps alleviate any confusion or concern that may have arisen :O) If you're still confused or concerned with anything, please feel free to leave it in a review, and I will be more than happy to accommodate you :O) And please expect changes in various characters because when I post the sequel, there will have been a time skip.

Thank you to all of those that have been reading and keeping up with this story, and hello to all of you that are new :O)

And if you're wondering, Saisei translates to "born again." I'm gonna let you stew on that and try to figure out what it all means. Lemme know your theories in a review ;)

Oh, and if there are any spelling or grammar errors of any kind, please do not hesitate to correct and/or critique me. I want to continue to improve and excel :O)

- Review review review. This helps to fuel my passion for writing. Ya'll come back now, ya' here? Pip pip for now!

Peace&Penguins