A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited! I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update, I'm just having a bit of trouble getting into Cage of Shadows at the moment. Anyway, thanks for sticking it out with me, and while this chapter doesn't really have much in terms of actual events, it was necessary for character development and the broad plot-line, so I hope you enjoy it regardless! Let me know what you thought - as always reviews are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (for which we are all blatantly thankful ^_^)


Chapter 9

Neji paced back and forth across his bedroom, feeling nothing at all like himself. His usual calm had completely deserted him – not even meditation had helped to restore his equilibrium. For the millionth time he paused in front of the window to stare outside. The blackness of night was slowly giving way to dawn but time was passing much too slowly to suit him. Fuck it, he thought, wincing at the uncharacteristic curse – even if it was only in his own head, it brought home exactly how unsettled he was feeling – he'd always prided himself on being able to express his thoughts intelligently, without having to resort to crude language to get his point across. But, after a sleepless night of mulling over everything Tenten had revealed, he found he was just too fed up with his own thoughts to care. He had to do something. Now.

Abruptly he turned and headed for the door. Hiashi had told him to stay put but he was damned if he was going to spend another second in here waiting for the world to catch up with him. Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning he'd finally come to the conclusion that he'd been rather idealistic and impetuous in showing up and thinking that everything would turn out in his favor simply because he wanted it to. But, damnit, don't I deserve to have something working out for me for once? He took a deep breath. No, he didn't hold it against Tenten – she'd done what she needed to do – but that realization had done nothing to still the anger and jealousy whirling inside him. No matter how unfair it was deep down he couldn't help feeling resentful at the thought that while he'd been suffering through the worst kinds of experiences – for her! – she'd blithely moved on.

Still, once he'd passed through the entire gamut of emotions that had been awakened by Tenten's revelations – the sadness for the loss of his child, the disbelief, the anger, the hurt over Tenten's betrayal – he'd come to the conclusion that there was only one thing left for him to do. No matter what she had done it didn't change the fact that he loved her. So, for her sake, he was prepared to do the only thing he could for her. His presence in her life had only ever brought her pain. Hadn't he always known that she deserved far better? It wasn't her fault that he'd been too late in changing his life so that she would fit more comfortably.

The battle between wanting to be fair and wanting to be selfish had raged for hours until at last he could lie to himself no more. The cost to his pride would be nothing compared to her unhappiness. Once his pride had been all he'd had – all he could really call his own, the only thing they couldn't take – but it had been with a shock that Neji had realized that he would willingly sacrifice his pride a hundred times over if it made Tenten happy. So, there had been nothing else for it, he had to do the honorable thing, the right thing, and step aside like a gentleman. Even if every fiber of his being screamed at him to fight, to kill, to do anything and everything he had to do to keep that which was his, he knew he couldn't do that to Tenten. He didn't want to place her in a position where she had to choose…

He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. The decision had been made, and he knew what he had to do. Mulling on the unfairness of it all would help no one. He was long past screaming his rage at the uncaring stars, long past trying to change what couldn't be changed, but he could change the way he reacted to whatever destiny threw at him, and so he would have to clamp down on the anger before he reached his destination. Neji took a deep breath and deliberately emptied his mind. He ran silently out of the Hyuuga compound, keeping to the shadows as much as possible – all the while concentrating only on where he was going. Trying not to think of the inevitable conclusion he was hurtling towards.


The sound of someone trying to break down his door slowly brought Shikamaru back to consciousness. What now? he thought, groaning as he turned and buried his head in the pillows. It was still dark! The rest of the village seemed quiet so it couldn't be an attack. Shikamaru briefly considered his options. Maybe if he ignored it, whoever it was would go away and take their problem to someone else. Temari moaned, and turned over, nestling closer to Shikamaru, and, abruptly he was fully awake as he realized that he could not ignore them. What if they thought something was wrong and really broke down the door? Temari couldn't afford to be found here with him.

With a deep sigh, he levered himself up and out of bed, grabbing a shirt from the floor as he went. "All right, all right. I'm coming," he grumbled when the knocking intensified. Rubbing a hand through his disheveled hair, he yanked the door open, and nearly closed it again when he found himself face to face with none other than Hyuuga Neji.

"Ah, no, damnit. I've saved your ass enough for one day. It's late, or early, I really don't care which, and you can take your problems to someone else if it really can't wait till a reasonable time of day," Shikamaru growled, his thoughts already back on his warm bed and Temari's warmer body.

"I don't require your help," Neji snarled, obviously stung by Shikamaru's assumptions. "I need to talk to you, and it really can't wait." Not even waiting for Shikamaru to agree, Neji pushed the door open and let himself in. In bemusement Shikamaru slowly closed the door as Neji strode purposefully to the living area. He eyed Neji warily as he followed, and sat down, waiting expectantly. He had thought the old Neji had been banished in the aftermath of the battle against Naruto in the Chuunin exams – but the man prowling through his living room, like an angry tiger, had more of the volatile qualities of that younger Neji than he did the cool composure Shikamaru had come to expect from the older model.

Finally, Shikamaru lost patience with the entire situation – why he had ever considered a thank you might be forthcoming was beyone him - and gave up on waiting for Neji to speak first, "What did you want, Neji? Not to be rude, but I have better things to do at this time of day, so if you don't mind getting to the point I would really appreciate it." Neji whirled around, looking shocked. Probably not used to anyone daring to use that tone with the almighty Hyuuga Neji, Shikamaru thought, faintly amused.

Neji shook his head, and finally spoke, his calm tone completely at odds with the leashed aggression of his body, "I apologize. I should not have come this early, but I need to get things in order before everything goes too far." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he examined the cryptic words. Why did it sound as if Neji was planning to take off again? Reserving judgment for now, Shikamaru slowly said, "What do you mean 'goes too far'?"

Neji lowered himself onto the couch opposite Shikamaru, and stared intently at the carpet. "I spoke to Tenten last night. She told me everything." Shikamaru nearly groaned. Great, now he had to deal with jealousy too. He was faintly disappointed in Neji. Never would've taken you to be the type for that kind of scene, Shikamaru thought, steeling himself. "And what does that have to do with me?" he asked finally.

The long brown hair swung as Neji jerked his head up, his eyes flashing with some indefinable emotion, quickly reigned in. "It has everything to do with you, since I've come here to ask you to take care of her." Neji's tone was completely without inflection, but Shikamaru couldn't stop his eyebrows rising in surprise. Okay, never saw that one coming. "Excuse me?" he asked, nearly choking.

Impatiently, Neji shook his hair back, "You heard me. Tenten told me about your … relationship …. and I've decided to not stand in the way of that. She claims it was over months ago but you wouldn't have come rushing to help her last night if it was totally done between the two of you." Shikamaru was hard pressed to keep his mouth from swinging open in astonishment but Neji continued wryly, "Also, once I thought it through, it was fairly obvious that you'd had a hand in the plan Hiashi used to keep me from being summarily imprisoned. And I don't imagine that you were doing it to help me. So, putting two and two together wasn't difficult. I realize now that I was unreasonable in my expectations and if Tenten is happy with you then so be it."

Shikamaru hastily gathered his scattered thoughts, and nearly groaned, for an intelligent guy Neji was acting like a prize idiot. "You put two and two together, huh?" he asked dryly, "the only problem is you put them together and got five. It's not like that with me and Tenten. Haven't you ever heard of the concept of friendship?" he couldn't help lacing his last words with sarcasm, it wasn't every day that the acclaimed Hyuuga prodigy was at a loss, and he couldn't keep himself from taking advantage of that fact.

Looking startled, Neji stared at Shikamaru for a minute before replying uncertainly, "What do you mean? I thought …" Shikamaru sighed, "And I'm telling you that you thought wrong. Tenten told you the truth – yes, we did have a relationship. But it wasn't a deep romance or anything. She never once told me she loved me, Neji, if that's what's bothering you. You know why? Because she doesn't love me that way. She's only ever loved you. She needed a shoulder to cry on and it just got out of hand, and then neither of us had the will to deal with that so it just sort of dragged on." Shikamaru took a deep breath, holding up a hand to stop Neji when the other opened his mouth to argue. "Tenten is my friend, and I care about her and that's the only reason I helped her last night. No ulterior motive intended. And I can't believe that, if she told you the truth, you could ever believe that she would love anyone but you."

By now Neji looked thoroughly confused. This was not going at all as planned. Lately it seemed that everything he tried to do boomeranged on him, and he hated it. Hated feeling unsure and insecure. "What are you getting at?" he asked.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to smack Neji upside the head to knock some sense into him. He took a deep breath and held hard to his patience, "Neji, she endured everything – your defection, her captivity, even the miscarriage – without ever blaming you. She never once hated you for anything, no matter that the temptation must've been there. Instead, she clung faithfully to the idea that you'd had your reasons and that you would come back one day-"

"Captivity? What are you talking about?" Neji interrupted, his eyes narrowed. Shit. Guess Tenten left that part out. Smart girl. Shikamaru winced, he couldn't help it, "Um, you mean you don't know?" he asked, stalling for time. Think, damnit, think. Neji's eyes narrowed even further if that was possible, "No, I don't. Care to fill me in?" he said, in a low voice, clearly already catching on to the fact that he would not like what he was about to hear. Suddenly, Shikamaru had had enough. This wasn't his problem, damnit! And he was quite sure that he did not deserve to be looked at as if it was his fault that Tenten had been held captive! Maybe Neji did need to hear this, needed to see beyond his own needs and wants for a change – needed to realize that his actions affected others.

"When you left – the Hokage felt that Tenten knew more than she let on and so he held her for questioning for a couple of months. I didn't know about it so don't look at me like I should've done something. No one knew. This was before Tenten and I grew close and all anyone knew at the time was what the Hokage wanted us to – that Tenten needed medical care and rest. Of course we were all suspicious but what could we do? They didn't torture her, just questioned her relentlessly." Shikamaru nearly stopped his story right there when he caught sight of the horrified look on Neji's face, but then he ruthlessly suppressed the sympathy and finished the sorry tale, "That's what caused the miscarriage – the strain of being questioned, of worrying about herself, her child - and about you."

Shikamaru bit his lip – already he regretted telling Neji. It had been Tenten's secret to tell, not his, and the horrified look in Neji's eyes wasn't fading. If anything, Neji looked as if he might be sick. Uncomfortably Shikamaru wondered how to go about offering his sympathy. Knowing Neji, he wouldn't appreciate anyone being privy to his moment of weakness, but Shikamaru opened his mouth regardless, "Neji. I'm sorry." His mouth closed with a snap when he found he didn't know what else to say.

At Shikamaru's last words Neji seemed to jerk himself back from his thoughts. He shook his head, as if confused, and Shikamaru had to strain to make out the words he whispered, "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. God, I'm so very sorry." Neji buried his face in his hands as Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. "Don't tell me," Shikamaru said at last, "tell Tenten," he finished softly.

For a long time they sat in silence, each absorbed in his own dark thoughts. Then the muffled sounds from the direction of the bedroom reminded Shikamaru that he had every reason to try and get rid of Neji as quickly as possible. Tensing involuntarily, hoping against hope that Neji was too caught up in his own thoughts to have noticed, and praying that Temari would be awake enough to realize that someone else was in the apartment; Shikamaru had to fight to appear natural as he cleared his throat.

Before he'd so much as opened his mouth to urge Neji to be on his way, Temari came stumbling out of the bedroom. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, her hair a loose mass around her shoulders. And most damning of all, dressed only in one of Shikamaru's shirts. Shikamaru closed his eyes as he cursed inwardly. "Shika, when are you-" Temari's words were bitten off when she caught sight of Neji hunched over on the couch.

Neji looked between Shikamaru and Temari, raising his eyebrows, "Aren't you married?" he said, after a long, uncomfortable silence. Color flooded Temari's face but she raised her chin defiantly, "You're well-informed for a missing-nin," she retorted. Neji's eyebrows rose even further and he shot Shikamaru a 'rather-you-than-me' look before he returned coolly, "I wasn't living under a rock." Then he shrugged, as if he really didn't care one way or the other why Temari was half-dressed and in Shikamaru's bedroom just before dawn. Gratefully Shikamaru reflected that if they'd had to get caught, they could thank their lucky starts that it had been Neji. He really didn't care, and he wouldn't say anything. Quite apart from anything else, Neji owed him big time.

Neji got to his feet, and turning to Shikamaru he said, "Thank you. For everything." The obvious sincerity in his voice caught Shikamaru off guard, and not knowing how to respond to such heartfelt thanks, he merely nodded. Neji made his way to the door but before he'd opened it, he turned back to face Temari and Shikamaru who were still frozen in place. "There's someone at the door," Neji stated, calmly. Shikamaru slowly got to his feet and made his way over. What else could possibly go wrong now? He was so incredibly tired.

Shikamaru reached the door and Neji stood back so he could open it. The gap was just big enough for him to make out the long-hated features of the Wind Country's feudal lord, Jiku. Temari's husband.

"I'm looking for my wife," Jiku said, with no hint of a greeting. "On arrival at the Hokage's office they informed me that you would be able to assist in the search for her hotel." A slight pause while Jiku swept a derogatory glance over Shikamaru's disheveled appearance. "You are Nara Shikamaru?"

Wildly, Shikamaru wracked his thoughts. How in the hell were they going to get out of this one? "And you are?" he asked, finally, stalling would work as well as anything. Behind him he was aware of Neji motioning Temari to go back into the bedroom. She'd frozen in shock on hearing her husband's voice. Finally Neji had no choice but to grab her by the elbow and propel her out of sight.

"Who am I? I am Jiku, feudal lord of the Wind country and Temari of the Sand's husband," the man finally responded, looking highly affronted.

"Well, I am very sorry but it seems you have made a wasted journey. I do not know where your wife is staying but should I run into her I will be sure to tell her that you are here and looking for her." It took everything Shikamaru had to keep his tone polite.

Jiku sniffed, looking highly put out, as he recognized the dismissal in Shikamaru's words, and he said, haughtily, "See that you do find her, and make sure to tell her that I have accompanied her brother, the Kazekage, to the Hidden Leaf for the signing of a new treaty and that we will depart from here for the progress to save time, so she should come to the Hokage's office fully prepared." Without anything further, Jiku turned and walked away in a billow of robes.

Slowly Shikamaru closed the door. Not quite dawn yet and everything that could possibly go wrong had already caught up with him. He stared at Neji, a silent sentinel in front of his bedroom door, what on earth was he to do now? Neji cleared his throat to get Shikamaru's attention. "That man - I know him. He has connections with the outlaw organization I worked for," Neji announced into the silence.