Disclaimer: I own no one in this chapter except for the random guys and Seito, everyone else is the property of Kishimoto Masashi.

A/N: Wow, took less than two months to write this chapter. I'm really getting better. :D Well, no ways, sorry for taking this long. I just hope this is worth all the waiting.

The first parts of this chap were the hardest to write and I like them the less out of this chap. But I think Neji's POVs in the end came out well and I like them quite much though the ending was real hard to write. (I was switching between TWO different ending alternatives for half an hour.)

Enjoy.


Day 6 – Someone special

--- ---

"I'm glad you joined us, Neji-nii-san", Hanabi grins to Shikamaru.

"Why you even are here?" Shikamaru grunts. "Didn't you shop just a few days ago?" Oh how painfully clear that memory is to Shikamaru. The time when this whole switching hadn't mixed their minds at all, the time when he foolishly thought this would be an easy task.

"But we didn't find anything that day. So we had to come again. We need to find new dresses for the Kazekage's wedding."

"So you are invited too?" And the situation now is getting tougher every minute. All the feelings Shikamaru has mixed with this. He almost thinks it was stupid to admit his feelings towards Neji yesterday, even though it was only for himself.

"I think they invited half of Konoha and Suna. Hey, Hinata, do you like this colour? Violet would suit you well…"

But if he had not done that, he would be even more confused than now.

"It does look nice…"

Then, what about Neji? What is he feeling? Yesterday, at the graveyard, Shikamaru had let himself believe that the signs Neji gave, all the acts he did, that they mean he too feels something for Shikamaru.'But it was only 'cause the feeling at the graveyard was different… It felt like we were in a different world; in a world completely ours…'

Hanabi grabs Shikamaru's hand and pulls him towards where Hinata is trying out a kimono, then she leaves him to stand in front of the changing room while she exchanges a few words with her.

Shikamaru falls to his own thoughts when he feels the urge to look to his left. When he sees nothing but the shop they are currently in, he uses Neji's clan's eyes. "Byakûgan!" Without any problems he turns his unnatural sight to the right direction, immediately realizing what he had tried to see. Neji stands there in front of the shop, staring right into it. Shikamaru feels like they are next to each other, staring into their own eyes, but he knows it isn't true. Neji cannot possibly see Shikamaru through a wall.

Then Neji shakes his head and Shikamaru sees his face turn into an angry twist. All the strenght and courage in Shikamaru fades away and he turns off the Byakûgan as Neji rushes off.

"Neji you pervert!" Someone slaps Shikamaru. "Were you peeping on Hinata just now?"

Shikamaru holds his cheek and stares blankly at Hanabi. He barely understood what she said. Hanabi is glaring at him with her arms crossed. He turns to look at the direction where Neji went. 'The Hokage tower is that way…'

--- ---

Neji is angry with himself. He knows he doesn't know the real reason why, but he pretends it is because of yesterday. Because he let himself be careless around Shikamaru.

"Dammit!" He hits his fist to the door leading to the Hokage tower, breaking it. The two chûnins by the door look at him.

"You could've used a bit less power, y'know…" the one on the right says.

Neji says nothing as he charges inside the building. When he reaches the door to the Hokage's office, he gets stopped by another pair of chûnins.

"The Hokage doesn't want to see anyone right now."

"Tell her it's Nara."

The chûnins look at each other, hesitating.

"Just fucking tell her it's me", Neji hisses, scaring the two men.

"Wait a mo, I'll go tell her…" the taller one tries to calm Neji down before he disappears behind the Hokage's door.

--- ---

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama…"

"I said I don't want to see anyone right now!" Tsunade throws a scroll towards the chûnin interrupting her. He dodges easily.

"I'm sorry, but it is the Nara genius, and he looks ready to kill. I think it is urgent."

"Nara genius? You mean the pineapple head?"

"…yes." The chûnin flinches at the perfect description.

"Send him in."

The chûnin, Seito is his name, bows shortly and opens the door. Soon the 'Nara genius' steps in. Tsunade glares at him. "You haven't switched back, have you?"

Hyûga Neji shakes his head.

"Then, what do you want with me?"

"Missions." He crosses his arms and glares at Tsunade. "I tried the mission centre already but they said I have been banned."

"That's what you are." Tsunade examines Neji carefully. He seems to be filled with silent anger. "Banned until you return to your own body."

Neji glares at Tsunade. Shikamaru's dark eyes are on fire as Neji lets his anger be shown. "Why do we even have to act as each other? What good is it when we only have to lie to others?"

"It would be even worse to always introduce yourself as 'Hyûga Neji' and then explain the whole situation. It would only make everyone confused."

Tsunade and Neji glare at each other. Tsunade is ready to knock him down if he were to do anything rash. But Neji only turns around and leaves the office.

Tsunade buries her head into her hands. 'The next time I see them I'll push them from somewhere high, I swear. We can't afford to lose any jônins to insanity now.'

--- ---

"Neji-sama, you are asked at the door."

Shikamaru turns to face the servant behind him. "Lead them here."

The young maid bows and leaves. Shikamaru stretches his legs before him and waits silently for his guests. Soon Kiba and Naruto arrive loudly to the garden, breaking the silence around Shikamaru.

"Hey, Neji, what's up!"

Shikamaru raises his hand to greet them. Kiba sits to his right side and Naruto to his left.

"Why are you here?"

"Don't sound so sour! We're here to cheer you up." Kiba puts his hand to Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru can only think about how it isn't his own body's hand. Still, he doesn't push it away.

"You've just been sitting here like you're… some damsel in distress", Naruto laughs, then stops to wait for an answer.

The wind is only thing to make a sound around them.

Finally Naruto coughs to break the awkward silence. "Aren't you gonna snap at me or something?"

"Why?" All the time Shikamaru has been staring at his legs but now he turns his eyes to stare blankly at Naruto, then at Kiba.

Both are speechless. They share a questioning glance. "Neji, are you alright..?"

"No."

"Well, that explains a lot."

Shikamaru smiles to Kiba's meaningful voice. "What are you here for?"

"We were gonna ask you to come with us", Naruto starts.

"We're gonna go drinking to celebrate Gaara and Lee's last single days", Kiba finishes for him.

"You wanna come? 'Cause even if you don't, we'll drag you – "

"Who'll be coming?"

Naruto and Kiba shut up for a second to think.

"Lee and Gaara of course – "

"And Sasuke, we're planning to get him drunk all the way – "

" – Shino too, I'm gonna drug him if he's not willing – "

" – we tried to ask Shikamaru but we couldn't find him - "

At the sound of his name Shikamaru's heart makes a leap. He is both relieved to not see Neji's angry look again, but on the other hand, he can't stand being here without him.

"So, you coming?"

Shikamaru shrugs. "Might as well. I haven't got anything else to do."

--- ---

Neji screams in agony. He knows his voice is heard all around Konoha, but he doesn't care. Were someone to see him now, they would only see Nara Shikamaru hitting his fist to the rock before him until both are drowning in blood. No one would know it is Neji in reality, screaming because he doesn't know what to do, hurting himself to get rid of his thoughts of Shikamaru.

But it doesn't work.

Neji falls to his knees, his shoulders shaking from the loss of energy and blood. He wipes his face angrily to clean his eyes from all the sweat and tears there is. "Dammit Shikamaru, this is all your fault. If you just had not come to the cliff that day…" 'But maybe it was fate.'

Neji hits his hand to the rock once more. This time he can feel Shikamaru's bone cracking against the cold rock. "I don't believe in fate anymore." He stands up and starts walking towards the village. He takes Shikamaru's hairtie off, letting the familiar feeling of hair around his face comfort him.

--- ---

Neji's mind is a real mess right now. He doesn't know at all what to do and what to think of anything. The only thing he knows is that the less he sees Shikamaru, the clearer his mind would get. So first of all on his mental list of things to do is AVOID SHIKAMARU BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY, which he is doing a terrible job in because he is thinking only of Shikamaru and the cleaning of Shikamaru's room and on top of that he just realizes he has turned to the wrong way for some unknown reason and is now currently staring at his own body kissing with Uchiha Sasuke. If it even can be called kissing. Sucking or choking would describe it much better.

He can smell the alcohol all the way from the bar.

Shikamaru stops his 'activity' with Sasuke and laughs along with him, then, as Sasuke has turned to hang himself to the equally drunk Naruto he turns to look at Neji.

Neji tries to stop his heart from beating too fast, as he walks up to his body. Shikamaru tries to focus his eyes on him. "You… youh're me… Nehji."

Neji takes advantage of Shikamaru's weakness and grabs his hand. He pulls Shikamaru closer to him and hisses to his ear: "Don't play around with my body. It is me who people think is doing this all, so don't go around kissing just about anyone." Neji isn't even sure if Shikamaru is able to understand him in that state.

Shikamaru looks now a bit more sober than a moment ago. "So if I, if I… ish someone spechial, then…"

Neji tries to answer to Shikamaru. He really tries to say something, anything, even a little 'meep' would help him to be able to move again, but he just can't. The second Shikamaru lowered his head closer to Neji's the world around him went black and Shikamaru was all he could see.

Then Shikamaru mumbles 'you are…' and captures Neji's lips in a hot kiss that tastes of sake. Neji's mind is in bliss and he wraps his arms around Shikamaru's neck. A quick idea of this all happening just because Shikamaru is drunk enters Neji's mind, but he doesn't care. He doesn't want to let go of Shikamaru anymore because he finally feels right, he finally feels like no one can break him.

"Whoah! Whay to gho, Nhejhi! Wohooh!"

Neji lets quickly go of Shikamaru, immediately being hit in the face with the hard reality. Everything, the cheering of Naruto and the others, his dirty clothes, the bloody wound on his hand, the switch, everything. It hits Neji so hard that his head starts spinning and he has to lean to the slightly wobbling Shikamaru for support. "Let's go."

Shikamaru looks at Neji, his eyes unnaturally clear for a drunken person. "Yeah… let'sh go…" Neji tries to look at him, but it seems as if the alcohol has moved from Shikamaru to Neji, for he can't see clearly anymore.

"Bye bye, Neji-chaaaan. Let's marry other day, will we? Bye!" Uchiha Sasuke giggles and waves at them.

Shikamaru smiles stupidly at him. "Yesh… yesh, will do, bye…"

"Come on…" Neji mutters and pulls Shikamaru with him. He almost loses his balance but manages to avoid getting his head hit to the wall by hanging to Shikamaru.

So they start their long way home.

--- ---

Later that day, after he has put Shikamaru to sleep Neji stumbles to his bathroom. He gets to the sink without any major problems. He stares at himself in the mirror. 'I am drunk.'

Neji splashes some cold water to his face. 'But how? I didn't drink anything, and the kiss… the kiss could not definitely do this.'

A hoarse yelp leaves Neji's mouth as he stumbles backwards and falls to the floor. He stares horrifiedly at the mirror where he thought he had seen his very own face staring at him instead of Shikamaru's. His eyes as wide as plates Neji starts crawling away from the mirror, towards the door that would lead to the sleeping Shikamaru.

As Neji finally feels safe, laying there next to Shikamaru, he smiles and caresses his cheek softly. A trail of blood flows from Neji's right hand to Shikamaru's hair, sticking it to his cheek. Neji leaves his hand resting to Shikamaru's cheek, letting the blood make it's way to his lips, to his other cheek and all the way to his hair resting on the pillow.

"Your hair will be one hell of a mess tomorrow", Neji smirks and kisses Shikamaru's bloody lips. "But don't worry, I'll be here to help you with it." He closes his eyes with a smile on his lips.


A/N: So, what did you think? Worth the waiting or not? I really enjoyed writing those Neji parts, I just hope it shows and you can feel his feelings yourself.

Please do tell me if there are some reallyreallyreally freaky sentences that make no sense. I'll try to make them better, unless they are there to represent the insanity of that scene.