A/N: I know, I know, updates are few and far between. Remember the good old days, when I was updating practically every second day? Ah, how times have changed. Anyway, this chapter took me forever for no particular reason, so I'm feeling quite proud of myself that I finally finished it. There is a bit of swearing in it as well – as in one particular word that many people take offence to – but I kept it in there because I felt it was true to the character, and who really cares, anyway? I am definitely enjoying writing Shikamaru, because, let's face it; he's a cool guy. But I miss my Neji…hopefully we shall see a lot more of him soon.
Enjoy!
Know that I love you,
Know I don't care.
Know that I see you,
Know I'm not there.
--
Shikamaru saw Ino as he made his way to the Hokage tower. He raised a hand in greeting, still somewhat irate with the woman, but was surprised when her eyes widened almost guiltily before she bowed her head and walked hastily away. Shikamaru watched her go, feeling a bit confused. She was definitely hiding something, he decided.
"Ah, you're finally here," Sasuke muttered as Shikamaru entered the office. Naruto seemed absorbed in some papers on his desk – his face was frowning in concentration.
"Hey, Shikamaru," Naruto murmured distractedly, not even looking up.
"So, Sasuke," Shikamaru drawled, turning his attention to where the dark-haired man was standing at the window, "I hope you'll remember to shut your windows in the future." Sasuke sent him a withering glare, his mouth turning up into its customary sneer. He was very touchy about whatever the relationship between him and Naruto was – which was why one of Shikamaru's favourite past times in the office was to rile him up about it.
"At least I have a bed to go to, Nara," he growled. Naruto snickered under his breath as Shikamaru tried to think of a come back.
"Play nice, children," Naruto warned with a mischievous glance at the two men. Sasuke just sniffed, and resumed looking out of the window.
"New mission?" Shikamaru asked, pointing to the pile of papers on Naruto's desk.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, collecting up the papers and placing them into a folder, "Some rogue nin on the border are making nuisances of themselves."
"Who're you giving it to?"
"Ma…I already gave it to Neji and his team," Naruto said, placing his feet up on the desk and leaning back in his chair, "They're leaving this afternoon. Although, I'm not certain. New recruit, and all that. What do you think?" Shikamaru glanced quickly at Naruto, trying to see if the other man suspected anything. But he saw nothing suspicious in Naruto's face.
"Why send an ANBU out to do a jounin's job?" Shikamaru said, quoting a well-known Konoha saying.
"I'm doing it because I'm just sick of these guys, you know?" Naruto said, getting up from his chair in favour of pacing around the room, "Why can't they just piss off and leave Konoha alone? I'm sending out Neji because I want this dealt with once and for all."
'Fine," Shikamaru yawned, not wanting to seem overly interested but inwardly cursing his luck. "How long for?" he asked nonchalantly.
"A week," Naruto replied, giving up his pacing and going to stand near Sasuke.
"Why?" Sasuke asked, leering, "Are you worried about what will happen if you miss one of your precious shogi games with Hyuuga?" Shikamaru snorted, trying to appear indifferent. Kami, does everyone know? he thought to himself.
"By the way," Naruto said, slinging an arm causally over Sasuke's shoulder, "Kakashi-sensei wants you for this afternoon. He's in a terrible mood, though – you know what he's like after drinking." Shikamaru sighed, his mood suddenly darkening at the prospect of having to go and work for a hung over Kakashi.
"Right," he said, moving towards the door, "I'll go now."
"Oh, and Shikamaru-kun?" Naruto asked innocently. Shikamaru turned, immediately suspicious of the butter-wouldn't-melt expression on his face, "I told Neji-kun that you wanted to see him. Gossip spreads fast, you know? Especially when Ino's in on it."
Shikamaru closed his eyes momentarily, taking in a number of deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. Must. Contain. Urge. To. Kill.
"Shikamaru-kun?"
Shikamaru opened his eyes, and sent Naruto a sickly sweet smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for telling me," he said, bowing politely, before turning and leaving the room.
As he made his way to the ANBU headquarters, he was seething inside. He should've expected something like this to happen. He knew Ino too well to expect her to keep something like this to herself. But still, it wasn't an excuse for her behaviour. He made a mental note to abuse her as soon as he was done at I & T. What with Neji going away for a mission, Ino blurting out all his secrets and him being still somewhat hung over, Shikamaru arrived at the headquarters in almost a worse mood than Kakashi.
"Ah, Shikamaru," Kakashi said sarcastically as Shikamaru entered the I & T conference room, "Glad you could finally make it. Sit down." Shikamaru did as he was told and took a seat next to Sai.
"Hello, deer-man," Sai said, beaming. Shikamaru ignored him and turned his attention to Kakashi. While Sai was good at what he did – in that he felt no remorse for his actions – Shikamaru thought him troublesome and tried to communicate with him as little as possible. Plus, he really found that nickname annoying.
"Well, as I was just telling Sai," Kakashi drawled, vaguely gesturing towards a file on the desk in front of Shikamaru, "Kiba and his team have just apprehended an assassin from Lightning Country who they discovered trying to infiltrate Konoha. They immediately incapacitated her and brought her to us. So, find out who send her, why she was sent, etcetera, and then write it up in a pretty little report for me to read tomorrow. Pretty straightforward stuff." Kakashi got up from his seat and stretched. "I'm going home to sleep. Don't to anything I wouldn't do!" He transported away.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. Sai turned to him, still beaming.
"Kakashi can really be a fucking lazy cunt, can't he?" he said in an airy tone of voice. Shikamaru choked suddenly in surprise, causing him to break out in a coughing fit.
"Language, please, Sai," he said weakly after a moment, wiping the tears out of his eyes. Sai looked confused.
"Oh, I remember," he said, "I'm not supposed to say cunt, am I?" Shikamaru just sighed and stood up.
"Well, if you like getting beaten up, you can say it all you want," he said, reaching for the folder and flicking it open to find out where the Lightning nin was being held. "Come on, she's in A16."
"Yes, deer-man," Sai said with a mock salute, following Shikamaru out of the room. Shikamaru just sighed again, sensing that this would take longer than he had first anticipated. He thought of Neji, briefly, but then gave it all up. Neji was going on a mission, and that was that. There wasn't anything Shikamaru could do about it.
Shikamaru nodded to the guard outside the cell A16, who promptly released the seal on the door so that he and Sai could enter. Inside was a woman probably in her mid-twenties, with long blonde hair and an arrogant expression. Both her arms had been placed in special cuffs on the wall that sealed her chakra. She reminded Shikamaru of Ino.
"You have been caught trying to infiltrate the hidden village of Konoha without permission," Shikamaru said in a bored tone of voice, "This is an offence punishable by death under the Secrecy Act of the Second Ninja War. Under this act, you are obliged to disclose the nature and purpose of your mission. You must know that all your rights have been revoked. Co-operation will greatly increase your chances of survival."
The kuniochi just sneered at him, and spat at Shikamaru's face. He sighed inwardly. Definitely like Ino.
--
Five hours later, Shikamaru stepped out of the ANBU headquarters, looking up at the stars with a weary expression. The evening was cool, and Shikamaru shivered as he lit up a cigarette thoughtfully. He heard Sai come out behind him, and almost jumped as a hand snaked its way around his waist.
"So, deer-man," Sai said in his ear, "Why don't we go and have a drink somewhere? You know, to relax a little after work?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, turning to blow a cloud of cigarette smoke in Sai's face.
"My name is Shikamaru," he said, removing Sai's hand and starting off towards his apartment. He felt Sai's eyes on him, before the other man called out softly.
"Spoilsport."
Shikamaru just kept walking, and took another drag from his cigarette. Sai was so troublesome.
The Lightning kuniochi had been stubborn at first, refusing so much as to curse Shikamaru and Sai, which was unusual. But after bit of persuading, she talked like the rest of them. Shikamaru learnt long ago that confidence and loyalty could always be broken. Sai had said he would write up the report, so Shikamaru didn't really have anything to worry about. But Sai's interrogation techniques always gave him the creeps, and he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. He had a quick shower at his own apartment, before grabbing a bottle of sake and heading for Chouji's place. Shikamaru knew the other man would be awake, having probably slept for most of the day. And what better way to treat a hang over than with more alcohol?
--
Shikamaru awoke to a sharp pain in his neck, a thumping headache, and a raging hard on. After blinking a few times, he realised that he was in Chouji's living room, sleeping on one of his infamously uncomfortable chairs. Chouji himself was spread out on the sofa next to him. Shikamaru stood up gingerly, rolling his neck to try and alleviate the pain. He made his way into the kitchen, where he rummaged in Chouji's cupboards until he found some painkillers, taking them with a glass of water. Then, he walked to the bathroom, resolutely locked the door, and turned on the shower.
His dream, of course, had been about Neji, and it had been a rather heated one at that. He supposed he should be grateful that he was having these kind of dreams instead of the nightmares he usually had after an I & T session. He jerked himself off quietly, secretively – his mind filled with images of Neji from the dream – and had to stick a hand into his mouth when he came. He stood under the hot water for a while longer, feeling worse off than he had before after remembering that Neji wouldn't be back for another week.
After getting out of the shower, he tied up his hair quickly, not really caring what it looked like, before walking back into the living room and tapping Chouji on the shoulder.
"I'm going now, Chouji," he said quietly, watching Chouji blearily crack open an eye to look at him, before closing it again and turning over so his back was facing Shikamaru. Shikamaru smiled at him fondly before letting himself out.
He stopped by a café on his way home for breakfast, too lazy to make something himself. He reckoned that it was about 8 or 9 in the morning, which meant, technically, that he should already be at the Hokage's office. But Shikamaru knew that neither Naruto nor Sasuke would be there for about an hour, so he had some time to kill. As he ate his breakfast – slowly, enjoying each mouthful – his eyes fell on Hinata and Kiba who were sitting a few tables away from him. Kiba was talking animatedly to Hinata, who, in turn, was looking at him like he was the most interesting man in the world. Hinata said something quietly that make Kiba burst out laughing, leaning forward to quickly kiss her on the mouth.
Shikamaru sighed, disconsolate, not wanting to watch such personal moments. Being a pragmatic man by nature, Shikamaru never tended to worry about such trivial things as finding a partner. He just assumed that it would happen – as it had done with many of his friends. But Neji…Neji made it different, somehow. Not only because he was a man, but because Shikamaru felt that they had a real connection. And that unsettled Shikamaru somewhat, for he was also a man who held traditional views. He had always expected that, just like his father, he would find a woman, not too pretty and not too ugly, whom he wouldn't mind, and he would marry her. Together, they wouldn't be happy but they wouldn't be unhappy, and Shikamaru would desire her only in a physical sense, or for a purpose. They would have four children – two girls and two boys – who would be talented but not outstanding. Shikamaru then expected to die before his wife, having led an ordinary yet fulfilling life.
But, as strange as it seemed to him, Shikamaru could easily imagine spending many years to come in Neji's presence, playing shogi and talking and laughing. But he also desired Neji, physically and mentally, which he had not expected. Thus, Shikamaru found himself wanting something that he had previously just expected to happen. Neji had made him impatient, despite laziness being the overwhelming feature of his personality. And the more he thought about it, the longer the week stretched out before him, Neji's absence more keenly felt than his presence.
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder," Shikamaru murmured under his breath, idly twirling a spoon in his coffee cup. He shook his head suddenly and stood, not used to feeling so sorry for himself. After throwing some money on the table, Shikamaru left the café and made his way to the Hokage tower. Paperwork was always a good way of keeping his mind distracted, and there was definitely no shortage of it in Naruto's office.
--
And so, the week passed in a similar fashion for Shikamaru. The Lightning assassin that he had interrogated was, surprisingly, returned to her own country after a deal was struck between Naruto and the Raikage. There was little other activity on Konoha's borders, which meant that Shikamaru really had been immersed in paperwork. It was achingly, mind-numbingly dull, but it was the exact thing that Shikamaru needed in order to get through the week without either becoming a depressive recluse, or hiring a prostitute. One lunchtime, the work became too much even for him, and he escaped the tower through the window, leaving an irate Sasuke behind him.
He went straight to the Academy, where he knew Chouji would be on his lunchbreak. Shikamaru spotted Chouji sitting at a seat near the window of the busy staff room, and made his way over.
"I have had the most boring week you can imagine," Shikamaru said with a sigh, flopping down in an armchair next to Chouji. Chouji smiled good-naturedly, munching away on his sandwich.
"Oh!" he said through his mouthful, turning to Shikamaru, "By the way, Ino's here too. She went to get a bottle of water." Chouji, of course, knew everything that had happened, having been filled in when Shikamaru had stayed at his place. Shikamaru groaned, and, right on cue, Ino walked into the room. She saw Shikamaru immediately and froze, her eyes flicking to Chouji who just shrugged in a non-committal way. Then she sighed, defeated, and made her way over.
"You were going to find me sooner or later," she said as she sat down, pinching a sandwich triangle from Chouji's lap.
'Damn right I was," Shikamaru said angrily, "What were you thinking? Telling Naruto and Sasuke, of all people. I've already started getting strange looks from Hiashi-san, and god knows where he heard about it from." Ino looked accordingly contrite, but Shikamaru could see Chouji snickering out of the corner of his eye. It did not help his mood.
"But we're all so happy for you, Shikamaru-kun," Ino said pleadingly, turning her big, blue eyes on him, "It's not my fault that I can't contain my happiness for a friend, now is it?"
"But there's nothing for you to be happy about!" Shikamaru exploded, causing shadows to erupt from the corners of the room and cover the walls and ceiling, effectively cutting off the light. There was a stunned silence that lasted for a few moments, only broken by the muttering of a "troublesome…" somewhere over near the window.
Shikamaru closed his eyes and counted backwards slowly from ten, trying to reign in his frustration. When he reached 7, the shadows began receding back into their corners, and by 5, the room was light once more.
"Thanks, Shikamaru!" someone called, causing a collective chuckle to run around the room. Shikamaru didn't even look up, sure that his cheeks were blazing.
"Shikamaru…" Ino murmured. Shikamaru just sighed, and stood.
"I need a drink," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets, "Would anyone care to join me?"
"Shikamaru, it's 12:30 in the afternoon," Chouji said, frowning at him. Shikamaru just looked at him, not even bothering with a reply. Chouji sniffed, deliberating, before rolling his eyes and packing up his lunch.
"I don't have any classes this afternoon," he said, "I suppose I could spare an hour or two. Ino?"
"Well…" she said quietly, looking down at her hands, "I don't think Shikamaru really wants me to come."
"And he has every reason not to!" Chouji exclaimed, hauling her to her feet, "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Come on, it'll be like old times."
"God, Chouji, you sound like your father," Shikamaru said, listening to the predictable outbreak with something akin to nostalgia. As much as it pained Shikamaru to admit, Chouji was right: the days of the InoShikaCho ensemble were long finished. They never saw each other as much as they should, nowadays, what with Chouji's teaching and Ino's missions.
As the three of them made their way out of the building, Ino slipped her small hand into Shikamaru's just for a second, squeezing gently, as an apology. Shikamaru smiled slightly in response, letting her know that, for now, she had been forgiven. And for the first time that week, Shikamaru let out a big breath of air that he hadn't realised he had been holding, feeling comfortable and confident with both of his oldest friends either side of him.