Gahh ! Sorry about the long wait, I've been super busy with it being summer and all. I've had to go to jobs, go to soccer, help out around the house, and hang out with friends and stuff. Sorryyy ! Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, remeber to review ! )


Anomoly - Chapter Seven.

Sakura was snoozing in the bed next to Shikamaru. Shikamaru seemed to be lost in thought, oblivious to the snoring Sakura was making.

'There must be some clues that I'm just not picking up on... And it's probably right under my nose, too. Sakura has to know more... She has too...' The young genius thought to himself, staring up at the white wall.

A soft cry of surprise tore Shikamaru away from his thinking; Sakura was having another nightmare.

"Who the hell are you... ow... coward..." Sakura moaned from her bed. Shikamaru sighed, she had been doing this for quite some time now. Her sleeptalking barely did him any good now, since she never seemed to cry out the name of her attacker.

'Oh, well,' Shikamaru thought. 'it will all be figured out in due time.'

Sakura's eyes silently fluttered open. She quickly looked to the left to her, and found Shikamaru was already up, sitting on his bed. She tore the sheets off of her tones body, and sat up.

"Shika, what time is it?" Sakura asked tiredly.

"The clock is over there." Shikamaru replied, pointing his finger to a clock above the door.

"I know, but I can't read it. I think my vision was impaired from the attack somehow..." Sakura said. Shikamaru froze.

'Wouldn't her vision be immediately effected from the attack, if it was going to be effected at all?' Shikamaru thought to himself. 'Or was she poisened?'

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Sakura, were you cut or injected with something when you were attacked?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Why?" Sakura replied.

"No reason. Just curious." Shikamaru figured it would be better not to tell Sakura that she may have been poisened while being attacked.

"Are you wondering if I was poisened or something?" Sakura asked Shikamaru.

'Of course... Sakura isn't as clueless as I may have thought she was...'

"Possibly. And the hospital may have never picked up on it. Didn't you fight someone once who used poisen?"

"Yes," Sakura began. "Sasori. I'm pretty sure I destroyed him, though. And I don't know anyone else who could have made such advanced poisens, unless they were a medic-nin or something of that sort."

Sakura paused for a moment.

"Shikamaru, can I ask you something?"

Shikamaru was about to reply with 'You already have...' but decided against it.

"Go ahead." He chose to say instead.

"Okay. Well, why are you so interested in solving this mystery?" Sakura wasn't sure if he would give her a straight-forward answer, but she gave it a shot anyway.

Shikamaru thought for a moment.

"I was kind of put up to solving it... But it is a very interesting mystery. It won't be easy to solve, I'm sure... Plus I would never hear the end of it from my dad if I quit on this." Shikamaru paused again. "And you've been a... surprisingly fun person to inquire."

'Surprisingly fun?' Shikamaru thought to himself. 'Way to go...'

"Oh, I see." said Sakura. "And you've been a surprisingly fun person to be inquired by." Sakura grinned. Shikamaru smirked.

"Oh, and it's a quarter past five in the morning, by the way." Shikamaru said, realizing he forgot to answer Sakura's first question.

Sakura yawned, stretching her arms and back. "Wow, that early? Oh well, I'm up now and I doubt I'll be able to fall back asleep again..." She said more to herself than to her roommate. Shikamaru grunted in agreement.

The was a long, akward pause. Sakura's heart beated faster and louder than the clock on the wall when she decided to ask Shikamaru another question.

"Shika, how have things been going with Temari? I mean, not to sound nosey or anything. Just curious."

Shikamaru almost laughed.

"Things are going fine, I suppose. We're really just friends though... We both agreed that it would be too akward to date after being such good friends..."

Yeah, and troublesome... Shikamaru said in the back of his head.

"Well that's good, I guess. That's kind of what happened to me and Naruto awhile back. But then, I hooked him up with Hinata and things are going well with them! Oh, but don't tell Neji about that, he wouldn't be very happy... He seems a little overprotective about Hinata, right?"

'Well, that means that he's definately single! And I'm single! But wait, what am I thinking?' Sakura thought. 'But he is really nice and doesn't have a bad body... not a bad one at all...'

'HELL YEAH!' Inner Sakura apparently agreed.

"Sakura, now can I ask you a question?" Shikamaru asked politely.

"Of course, Shika! Shoot." Replied Sakura.

"Do you still feel pain from after the attack?"

"Well... I have seemed to get constant headaches. And my vision is kind of screwed up too, I guess. And it annoys the hell out of me that I may not ever remember everything from my past." Sakura said, still thinking over her answers.

Shikamaru's blood began to boil. Someone caused pain to Sakura... pain that might last forever.

"Sakura, I swear I will catch whoever did this to you. Even if it kills me."

Sakura felt tears filling up her eyes slowly, but she blinked them back.

"T-thanks, Shikamaru. I really a-appreciate it. A lot."

Neither could really remember who seemed to act first, but somehow or another their lips met. It was soft, short, but the kiss seemed to be filled with passion. Instead of tasting the suspected cherry-flavored lips, Shikamaru instead tasted a sweet vanilla. Sakura wasn't exactly sure what she tasted, but she sure as hell liked it.

The nurse, who just barely saw the two break apart from each other's lips, smiled inwardly.

"Can't say I wasn't expecting that..." She said to herself, and hummed the rest of the way back to her desk.

KAWAII-KAWAII-KAWAII-KAWAII

Ino burst into Sakura and Shikamaru's hospital room singing a wordless tune to herself. Sakura and Shikamaru seemed to be enjoying a particularly interesting conversation, for they were both smiling and laughing.

"Hey Sakura! Shikamaru!" Ino greeted the two.

"Hi Ino-"

"Don't say it!"

"-Pig!"

"Dammit, Sakura. I don't call you forehead anymore!"

"Sakura's foreheard isn't big, not anymore..." Shikamaru said.

"Well, look who decides to finally speek up. So, anything interesting happen this morning, you two?" Ino asked, not knowing what happened hours earlier.

"No. Nothing at all." Sakura and Shikamaru said in unision.

Ino raised a curious eyebrow. "Alright, then."

"Anyways, Sakura, when do you get out of this place?" Ino asked.

"Friday. Same as Shika." Sakura replied, mentally kicking herself for using Shikamaru's pet name infront of Ino.

"Shika?" Ino's eyebrow heightened even further. Ino, however, continued. "Well we need to go out as soon as you get out! I'll throw a dinner party! Ahh, perfect! You can come too, Shikamaru!"

Sakura seemed happy to hear the news, and Shikamaru's expression hadn't changed at all.

"Yeah! Who's going to be invited?" Sakura questioned.

Ino thought for a moment.

"You, me, Shikamaru, Hinata, Temari, Tenten, Naruto, Kiba, Shino (as long as he keeps his bugs at home), Chouji, Neji, Lee, and maybe Gaara and Kankouro if they're in town that day. Ah, perfect! Well, I must be off to go plan! I'll see you two soon!"

Ino left, but not before flicking a small, folded piece of paper to Sakura.

Sakura opened the tiny message. It read:

Sakura,

I know you like Shikamaru! It's quite obvious... Plus, who wouldn't after spending so much time with a guy! I will make sure you have a DATE to the party, and it WILL be Shika, as you call him! Chow!

xoxo,

Ino

Sakura wasn't sure when Ino wrote it while they were talking, but she was sure Ino had her ways.

"What's that?" Shikamaru asked, pointing to the note.

"Nothing." Sakura lied, folding it up quickly and putting it in her pocket.

But not quick enough. Shikamaru had been able to read it.

KAWAII-KAWAII-KAWAII-KAWAII

Hinata was walking quietly down the street, approaching a well known boutique. Before she had time to open the door to it, a blonde figure quickly caught up with her.

"Hey, Hinata!" The blonde said from behind her, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"Oh, h-hello, Naruto!" She squeked, giving the young man a small wave.

"So, did you heard about Ino's dinner party?" Naruto asked her.

"Y-yes. I'm going are y-you, Naruto?" Hinata questioned him.

"Yeah! I hear a lot of people are going, mostly all friends of ours. And I hear that we had to bring dates, so... Would you like to go with me?"

Hinata froze. She felt as if her heart was about to explode in her chest.

"Oh, I would l-love to go w-with you, Naruto!" Hinata replied, smiling.

Naruto flashed his famous fox-like smile.

"Excellent! So I'll pick you up at 6? We'll walk there together! I'll see you then, Hinata!" Naruto said, waving goodbye.

"S-sounds good. I'll see y-you then, Naruto!" Hinata said, waving to him. "See you then!" She said to herself, nearly floating into the store.


Aweee, kawaii! I'm very glad I finally wrote this chapter, I need to catch up with my other story, too.

I hope you enjoyeddd! I will write the next chapter very soon, probably before I go back to school, because I'm EXTREMELY pumped for the next chapter! More fluff coming your way!

Please review! Reviews make me more inspired to write XD

Much loveeee !

-iiMNOTOKAY xoxo