Author's Note: All I really have to say for this one is...
*puppy dog eyes* Review? :)
Oh! And thanks to Repentless Wind, SasuTenLuvr, and fearless-sparrow for the reviews. :D
Enjoy chapter nine!

Chapter Nine: Distracted

We were back to our normal training schedule. Miyuki had finally been discharged from the hospital, and Hiroshi Sensei ordered us to meet at the training field bright and early to resume our training. He said we would have to train twice as hard to make up for lost time.

"Yuri! Snap out of it!"

My only problem: my inability to focus.

Thoughts of yesterday were whizzing uncontrollably through my mind, making it impossible for me to concentrate on the training session. I couldn't stop thinking about Shikamaru. I caught myself picturing the way he looked yesterday. The way his half-opened dark eyes sparkled in the bright sunlight as he looked at me, the way his lips moved into that sly, slanted smile of his when he found something particularly amusing… and every time I noticed myself daydreaming about him, I wanted to vomit. These pestering thoughts angered me. I didn't know where they were coming from.

A swift blow to my solar plexus was enough to wrench me from my trance. Great, I thought to myself, doubling over in pain as I tried to breathe, I lost against Katsu… why can't I focus?

Hiroshi Sensei raced to my side and managed to catch me before I dropped to my knees. "Sorry, Yuri," I heard Katsu say, concerned, but triumphant at the same time.

"You… really don't know your own s-strength, do you?" I managed to choke between ragged gasps for air. I forced a smile to let him know I wasn't mad.

"What's up with you today, Yuri?" Hiroshi Sensei wondered aloud. He wrapped his left arm around me, pulling me to my feet, and helped me walk to a spot in the shade where Miyuki was sitting. I sat down against a large tree and leaned my head back against the rough bark, my eyes shut tightly as pain shot throughout my entire body and restricted my breathing.

"I'm fine," I whispered, trying to calm my erratic breathing. Within a matter of minutes, the pain had subsided, and I was back on my feet challenging Katsu to a rematch.

Hiroshi Sensei quickly separated the two of us. "That's enough for now, you guys. How about a little lunch break?"

Katsu's eyes brightened. "Oh yes! I'm starving!"

Hiroshi Sensei stifled a laugh. "Alright, I'll give you guys an hour to go get some lunch. Meet back here so we can continue our training."

I was about to walk to the village with Miyuki when Hiroshi Sensei placed his hand on my shoulder. "You go on with Katsu," he said to Miyuki, "I need to have a little talk with Yuri."

Miyuki flashed me a sympathetic look before running to catch up with Katsu, who had already begun bouncing from vendor to vendor in the market in search for food. I was nervous. I knew that Hiroshi Sensei was going to want to know what was wrong with me, but I didn't want to tell him about Shikamaru. I had to come up with some sort of excuse…

"I think you know what I'm going to ask you," he said knowingly.

I sighed. "I'm fine, Hiroshi Sensei."

"Yuri," he started, "I think I've trained with you guys long enough to know that you and Katsu are pretty equally matched. He shouldn't have been able to win so easily."

When I didn't answer, he continued, "It's obvious that you're distracted by something. You can talk to me, you know."

"I know," I mumbled, kicking a dandelion and watching the white fluffs as they danced away in the breeze. Realizing that I wasn't going to get anywhere by acting like this, I cleared my throat and put on the most convincing fake smile that I could muster. "Don't worry about me, Hiroshi Sensei. I'm just… tired… that's all."

He looked suspicious for a moment, but patted my head and smiled. "Alright, Yuri. Go grab something to eat with your friends. Maybe that will wake you up."

I caught up with Miyuki and Katsu, who were seated in a booth at the barbeque restaurant. As the meat and veggies simmered on the hot stove, Shikamaru found his way back into my wandering mind once again. I remembered him telling me that he ate at this exact restaurant yesterday. I subconsciously wondered if I was sitting where he sat, and immediately scolded myself for it. That's ridiculous! What difference does it make where he sat? Gah, Yuri, get it together!

I ate my food in silence, and when we exited the restaurant, Miyuki and I walked back to the training field slowly, allowing Katsu to race ahead of us. She gazed at me for a moment and asked, "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," I replied.

She stopped walking and grasped my shoulders with both of her hands, forcing me to face her. My eyes wandered, avoiding eye contact with her. "I think I know when something's bothering my best friend," she smiled in a caring way, her face soft and sympathetic.

"It's… complicated," I finally told her.

I wasn't completely lying. Not even I knew why I kept thinking about that lazy-ass shinobi. I had known him for five years, and nothing like this had ever happened before. Why was I suddenly concerned with the way he felt? Why did I find myself smiling whenever the wind blew his scent into my nose? Why did I catch myself staring at him when we were together? All these questions haunted me, and I hadn't had a single answer to any of them. It was really beginning to piss me off.

Miyuki looked like she wanted to say something, but was debating as to whether or not she should actually verbalize it. Her eyes darted from left to right, and she licked her lips as she battled mentally with herself. She sighed, and finally said, "Is it Shikamaru?"

Nervous jolts shot through my entire body, causing my heart to skip a beat and then resume pounding faster and faster. My jaw dropped as I tried desperately to answer her without sounding suspicious. "No! Why would you think that?" I rolled my eyes to avoid her stare. I broke free from her grip and began walking back to the training field.

Miyuki's footsteps followed close behind me as she quickly caught up to me. "It's just…" she started, unsure if she should continue or just let it go. She continued after a moment of thought, "Katsu told me that he saw you and Shikamaru talking yesterday, and I thought maybe he said something-"

"Yuki!" I snapped, whirling around to face her, "I'm fine!"

We continued to the training field in silence, Miyuki staying a step behind me the entire way. My face was stone cold, but inside I was kicking myself for yelling at Miyuki, my best friend, who was only trying to look out for me. When we arrived, I turned around and flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Yuki… I didn't mean to… I'm just…"

Her thin lips curved into a small smile. "It's alright," she said, "you can talk when you're ready to talk."

I was so thankful to have a friend as understanding as Miyuki. Despite my many angry outbursts, Miyuki understood me, and she always forgave me. Like I said before, she's perfect.

I managed to make it through the rest of the day, somehow managing to keep that annoying Shikamaru from taking over my thoughts. When the sun had set and the stars began to twinkle in the night sky, Hiroshi Sensei dismissed us, telling us to meet him tomorrow morning for another session. I decided against training late, so Miyuki and I walked home together. We would have walked with Katsu too, had he not dashed off immediately upon his release.

Miyuki and I talked and laughed, and I was having a good time. I teased her about Sasuke, just as I usually did, and she threatened to beat me to a pulp, just as she usually did. Things seemed to return to normal in that moment. The fun soon stopped, however, when, from the opposite end of the street, Asuma Sensei's team could be seen returning from their training in the forest. Miyuki and I waved to the shinobi as they passed, but I quickly hid my face from Shikamaru. My cheeks began to burn, and I had no idea why.

It appeared to me that Miyuki hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, so I breathed a mental sigh of relief. When it came time for us to go our separate ways, we said our goodbyes and headed to our homes. The hard day of training had worn me out. I had passed out before my head even hit my pillow.