Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

So sorry, this was a long time coming. Many many thanks to my reviewers once more (Fear the unicorn, me, LadyFelton1994, meeiwen, meantimegirl, Shikainoisthebest, charmedprincess101, CosmicBloomNinja, shikaino and Guest.) Also to the favorites and follows.

Sorry, for taking so long, I only can update my story once a month since I have been so busy with work. Thanks everyone for your patience and wonderful comments.

Next up will be: Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji

Yosh! I hope you can read and review. Sorry for the grammar errors. Still need a beta…

Sakura

"What do you think forehead?" Ino's voice sounded in her right ear.

The pink haired medic's arm rested her elbow in the table in front of her as it was already aching from holding her phone to her ear for the past hour. "Am I making sense?" Her platinum blonde friend confusedly asked.

"Yes, Ino." Sakura replied automatically for the fifth time.

Absent-mindedly, she brushed her temple and leaned back in her office chair. Ino was hogging all of her break time; she had the sudden urge to just put her phone down. But she knew, her best friend needed her, today.

Sakura frowned and sighed as she continued to listen to her friend, just as always she was portraying the role of a good best friend.

Besides that, she has enough problems of her own, but unlike the confused Ino, she knew what she needed to do. She just needed to forget the man that she was hung up on for the past years. It made logical sense that he didn't returned her feelings, and probably never will. It will be hard but she can get over that.

Finally, Ino eventually bade her farewell, saying something about accepting Chouji' s call on the other line. Happy that the call was done, she said her farewell and just told her they'll talk once she got home that night. Glancing at her watch, she noticed all of her break had been consumed and her shift was almost over. Rushing out, she hurriedly stood up and retrieved her white robe and proceeded to the admitting room of the hospital.

As she neared the room, Shizune approached her with a relief expression on her face, saying that she was happy to see her. She sneaked a quick look around the room and notice that the place was occupied by a lot of people more than usual. Grumbling to herself, she realized she should have ended her break earlier.

"Oh, good you are here." Shizune exclaimed and handed her a lab report. "Can you take this patient? I have an emergency right now. Thanks" The petite woman rushed out before she can even say anything.

Sakura gave the paper a quick glance, noting the room number, and hurriedly walked into the hospital's hallway towards the patient's room. She paused when she reached the patient's door. Knocking first, she announced her arrival. Waiting for a few seconds for an answer, she didn't get one, so she entered the room.

Carefully approaching the patient's bed, she noticed the steady breath her new patient permeates. His eyes were closed and he seemed as if he was in a dreamless sleep. Curiosity had overtaken her as she peeked at the man in the bed. What she saw made her softly gasped as she stared at the man's face. It was scarcely noticeable, but she recognized that features even from a great distance.

It was the almost the same version of a raven black hair and handsome pale face that had haunted her before. The man was clearly slightly older but his resemblance to the one she wanted to forget was undeniable.

It reminded her of him, an older version of Sasuke.

She felt her knees go weak from the shock. It took a bit before she can stop her hands from shaking.

"You can come closer." A man's voice told her. His voice was clear and calm; it has a distinct tone of softness in it.

Her feet moved without her realizing it and she approached the bed.

"Well?" The raven haired opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at her and Sakura knew that they had the same eyes.

He cleared his throat again and that broke her from her trance. Shaking her head, she looked back at him wonderingly. "Well..." She replied.

Not until he pointed to the papers on her hand, did she realize why she was there. Trying to hide her embarrassment she glanced again to the report.

"It said here you were suffering from long migraines for some time now." She kept her eyes on the paper, to avoid his gaze on her. "You have been here since yesterday and you have been given pain suppressants."

"Yes."

Finally, raising her head to meet his eyes, she asked him. "How are you feeling right now?" Her voice aired out softer than she meant to.

"I felt ok. Do you know if I can go now?"

Sakura, still absorbed by the man in front of her, nodded. "If you are feeling well enough, you can check yourself out." She furrowed her brows together. "Do you have someone that we can also call, so they can come get you?" She asked curiously and she noticed she held her breath, as she patiently waited for his answer.

"No, I have no one."

Sakura frowned at that thought. "I must insist that we should call someone. I can't just let you out of here, not knowing that someone will take care of you."

The man gave her a small smile. "Is that a policy?"

His response made her uncomfortable, "Umm..."

He chuckled as he sat up. "I am fine now. Thanks for insisting." His eyes pierced through her and it was much softer than the ones she had known. "What's your name?"

It took a while before she found her voice to reply as she watched his features interestedly. She just couldn't help comparing him to him.

"…. Sakura."

The man looked at her thoughtfully before giving her a kind smile.

"It's nice meeting you Sakura, my name is Itachi."

Hinata

"What did I hear about you being in a relationship with a boy?" Hiashi barked crossly at her. The clan leader had a deep frown in his face as he stood in the middle of the room.

Hinata remained seated in her chair, avoiding the hard stare that her father was giving her. Her back straightened as she held her hands calmly and placed them on her lap. The sunlight streaming through the big glass window was streaming in the room, hurting her eyes. The lavender haired girl was in one of the rooms of the Hyuuga mansion, specifically in her father's office; the legacy of the Hyuuga clan was all around her.

A facial expression of indifference passed over her, as she listened to her father's words.

She knew she shouldn't have come, but portraying the role of a good daughter won her over when she was debating over not to go. The call that she got from her father days after she met Ren in the hospital, could only meant trouble for her. She had known immediately the second she answered her phone. She was being summoned in the mansion to talk about her future with the clan.

Yea, right... well, there were things she would have rather been doing, than being here now.

But here she was, still, listening to her father as he pointed out how she proved to be a disappointment to the clan and especially as being his daughter again and again. It was the same old story for her that his word doesn't hurt her any more. It doesn't even matter; she had established a strong enough support group for herself and with her friends that she knew she can come back to her real life now, unscathed.

It must have been the look of nonchalance in her face that made her father madder at her in that moment.

"Are you listening to me, Hinata?" Her father bellowed at her. "Explain to me your relationship with that boy?"

Hinata sighed, as she looked away from her father's glare yet again. What does she need to tell him? When she doesn't even know how to answer that for herself. What was her relationship with Naruto?

It was true that she was in love with him, but as to what he felt for her, she knew he was lying,

Well, she can read him enough, having spent a lot of time admiring him from a distance when they younger, she knew Naruto would only see her as a friend. A special friend even, the one she is really to take. She can't thank him enough as it is that he had saved her already multiple times.

What puzzled her for the moment was how far was he willing to part take on a role, he the one had made himself a cast? She, however, could not forget when Naruto, gallantly, stood up against the man her father wanted her to marry and announced that he was her boyfriend.

She grimaced; she was not worried for herself. She was worried for him. Her father can be that intimidating.

Hiashi sat down in his chair and shook his head as she remained still. He was studying her, as if he knew that all of it was all just make believe, and that she was merely acting out a role.

"I have called Ren and told him that this was all a misunderstanding." His father concluded, watching her with piercing eyes. "It was a lie that you created just to spite me. You will call him at once and tell him that you are sorry and you will accept his offer."

Something within her made her snap and she fisted her hands together in her lap. "I will not!" She cried out with a hard tone, which also deeply surprised her.

The clan leader stared at her with demanding eyes."And why not?", he asked incredulously.

"It is not a lie.", she answered back. The confidence in her voice betrayed the fact that she wondered how far Naruto was willing to save her.

A moment passed as she waited for her father to speak and he laughed.

"You would actually go that far just to disobey me." Her father alleged, mocking her.

She should be hurt with his intonation but she was not. It was a challenge, and she was willing to accept it. She stood up and walked to his father's desk to lay her hands.

"Naruto is indeed my boyfriend.", she calmly announced, with much confidence she could muster.

Turning her back to him, she walked across the room, to exit his office, brushing off his dark stare towards her.

She will think about the consequences afterwards, as she moved deeper into the lie.

Ino

Ino rounded her car along the corner of the street. She peeked at her right side, minding the familiar road towards the apartment which was to be her destination. When she recognized that she was there, she carefully parked her red rover on the side of the street.

She waited for a couple of minutes before she got out of her vehicle. She just can't stop fidgeting, either by fixing her hair by slightly brushing it with her hand or by adjusting her blue blouse and white skirt. She doesn't understand why suddenly she felt uneasy when she was only going to visit Shikamaru, her best friend.

But then again, her encounter with him last time, made her head swirl with so many emotions, she had long ago abandoned. Leave it to the genius to always make her feel confused and confounded.

She sauntered towards the door and before she reached for the doorbell, she pulled out her phone first from her bag. Just as she suspected, Chouji left her a message with some last few minutes' instruction.

"Make sure he drinks his medicine."

Sighing softly, she knew it wouldn't be easy. Shikamaru was one of the most difficult people she knew when sick. She suddenly regretted agreeing with Chouji, coming here to take care of their friend because he couldn't come himself today. Then again, the three of them had been best friends since childhood and had been taking care of each other for the longest time.

She rang his door bell multiple times and pounded on his door, before reaching out for her own set of keys. She already knew how lazy the man can be, and he will never answer the door. Thank Kami that Chouji also gave her Shikamaru's spare key.

Opening the door, she entered his apartment and proceeded towards his bedroom. His room was so just like him, those tiny details that only made him unique. There was a shougi table by the window; few clothes littered the base and a bookcase full of strategy books on the wall. She smiled as she reached his bed; by the clock was a photo of them together when they graduated high school. It was a picture of him and her; she was happily smiling and him with his usual smirk. That cheered her up a little, when she noticed that Temari doesn't even have a picture in his room.

The lump on the bed, completely hidden by the brown blanket was undeniable the lazy man. She couldn't help but smile after such a long time his familiarity still makes her feel warm inside.

"Hey." She said, as she softly lifted the blanket away from his face.

It made her heart beat faster as she gazed upon his face. His hair was down and was not bound by its usual tie. The serenity on his face was the same as when he fell asleep during their cloud watching days in his favorite hill. She reached out and touched his forehead gently and felt him warm under her touch. Tentatively, she traced an invisible outline from his eyes, to his left cheek and to his jawline. As if he knew she was there, he grabbed her hand and slowly opened his eyes. The room became muddled once again as they stared at each other for a while.

The sudden vibration of her phone made her jump back and pulled her hand away from him. Looking at the caller, it was Chouji once again, checking if she was already there. She hastily answered that she was. After a couple of minutes, with Chouji's last minute instructions, she set her phone down.

Ino turned to Shikamaru. "Chouji told me you were sick. He sent me here.", she smiled as she tried to explain.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sat up from his bed, slowly. "You shouldn't have, I can take care of myself, Ino." He replied as he waved his hand away.

Ino stood up and sighed, the previous spell between them was broken and he was back to his stubborn self again. "Well, I am here so you can't do anything about it now."

Shikamaru shrugged the blanket off him and Ino turned around as he was suddenly half naked in front of her, her cheeks warming at the sight. He slept with only his pajamas and his well-defined torso was exposed to her now.

"Who's watching your shop?" He lazily asked as he stood up beside her and reached for a decent shirt by the bedside table.

"A.. Ami and Kaoru." She answered, mentioning the names of her two helpers, and cursing inside for stammering. Ino turned around and was glad to see he was putting his shirt on. "You can say thank you, you know." She demandingly said, placing her hands on her curvy hips.

Shikamaru smirked. "I didn't ask you to be here, troublesome woman."

"You can be such an asshole, you know that? Chouji was worried; we both knew how you can be such a baby when you are sick." She snorted as he frowned. "Naruto's not here, your girlfriend is in Suna, Chouji can't be here, right now. So it was up to me, and here I was being a Good Samaritan to help take care of you..."

As she was ranting, Shikamaru stumbled towards her, and she immediately took hold of him, his weight overpowering her. She steadied her feet to stand them both as he was closely leaning on to her. Wrapping her hands around him she felt his skin warm and hot. Her face flushed from his touch, she will never know if it was from his fever or the way he was inclined against her. His eyes closed and she found it getting harder to breathe as she could feel his breath on the crook of her neck. It was making her shiver not for the right reasons.

Shaking the thoughts away from her mind, she carefully maneuvered him back to bed. He distinctly followed her lead.

"See, you need me." She told him when he was once again resting on his bed. Her face broke into a smile.

Shikamaru chuckled softly, his face still pale and tired. Closing his eyes, he tenderly held her right hand.

"I know, troublesome woman."