Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 21

"So..." Tokuma started suddenly when silence had fallen over the car. "What's up with you and that Nara guy?"

Neji raised an eyebrow and looked at Tokuma with a slightly amused expression. "My good mood has its limits."

"Heh," Tokuma grinned a lopsidedly. "Doesn't hurt to try."

Neji made a soft sound in agreement. It indeed didn't hurt to try and Tokuma tried a lot. And got away with it, which was the thing that stunned most people. There were only a few people that could get away with things where Neji was concerned. Tokuma was one of those people and it seemed that Shikamaru was becoming one of those people too.

"So, why did you ask?" Neji asked then, uncharacteristically curious. But then again, he had found that most things that had to do with Shikamaru made him act slightly out of character.

Tokuma shrugged. "Curiosity, I guess. Most people don't notice but I am around you often enough to notice some... changes. You're mellowing up, Neji."

Sighing softly Neji could only agree. "I guess I am." And while on the one hand he thought that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing with his family he didn't want to get too soft.

"I'm not saying you're getting soft. It's just that... with Itachi, with Hinata, you are much more agreeable than you used to be." Tokuma chuckled softly. "Although that's not necessarily a bad thing." He then paused and glanced at Neji, taking in the other for a few moments before softly inquiring: "So, what does it feel like?"

Neji furrowed his brow. "What?"

After a moment of hesitation Tokuma contributed: "Well, you know... being in love."

Neji blinked at those words and then laughed. Tokuma seriously thought that he was in love with Shikamaru? True, he did find that he liked the other quite a bit but to go for love... Even if he was, he wouldn't admit that to his cousin. "Love, Tokuma? If you're on drugs it's better I drive, you know."

Tokuma let out a snort and the corners of his lips curled up in amusement. "It's not beyond you to feel such human and trivial emotions."

Now it was Neji's turn to snort. "I didn't say that, did I?" He shot back. Because he knew that if he continued this thing with Shikamaru – whatever it was – for too long, he would get attached. And that would probably result in him falling for the other. Whether he wanted to or not. He could pull away now, of course, to prevent that from happening. But somewhere there was a part of himself that didn't want to. And so far, he had been rather obedient to that part of himself.

"I guess you didn't." Tokuma said and then shook his head. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you're not in love with him."

Neji raised an eyebrow at that. "How come?"

Tokuma huffed. "That guy isn't fit for the Yakuza-life."

Neji chuckled, thinking that Tokuma was probably right. But sometimes he saw flashes of something beneath Shikamaru's mask of boredom. Something that indicated he for some reason wanted more. "But he might surprise us. I have a feeling that there's a different side to him."

Tokuma blinked and shot Neji a look before turning his eyes back to the road. "Well, you would know, I guess." He shrugged and then added with a laugh: "But damn Neji, that guy is so boring it is almost painful. It's no wonder that Itachi doesn't like him."

Neji frowned at Tokuma's words. He was quite irritated that somehow Itachi had worked his way into their conversation again. But he was still surprised about his cousin's words and curious about what exactly they meant. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and inquired: "How would you know that?"

He knew that normally Itachi and Tokuma didn't talk to each other. Sure, they got along when they met each other but that didn't mean that they were friends. So how would Tokuma of all people know that Itachi didn't like Shikamaru? Because the way his cousin said it made it sound like more than a mere rumour.

Tokuma turned to Neji with a small frown. "He told me." He said and then when he turned his eyes back to the road continued: "He didn't tell you he came by the compound first?"

'What the fuck is going on?' Neji wondered. Either Tokuma knew something that he was forgetting or something was wrong. With Itachi Neji just didn't know what to expect, though. "Tokuma, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Didn't he come by?" Tokuma asked with a frown and then glanced at Neji. Upon seeing Neji's blank expression, he felt like he was in trouble. Something wasn't right... "Sometime after you took Hanabi to the doctor he came by. He seemed worried, well, as worried as Itachi can get, of course. So I told him where you were and he said he'd drop by there." Tokuma shrugged and then gave his cousin a lop-sided grin. "Take my word on it, if it comes down to it he is the better man for you."

"First off, I don't take your word on that." Neji said coldly, not wanting to be told what to do with his love-life or lack thereof. "And I didn't see Itachi." Neji said and then frowned. "Are you sure he said he would be going to the Nara-residence?"

"Yes, of course I know for sure." Tokuma said, a bit irritated that his cousin didn't trust him. "He said he'd go to the doctor's so he could finally see what the fuck you find so attractive about the lazy bastard. His words, by the way, not mine."

Neji frowned at those words. So Itachi had said he would come by. But he hadn't seen him and while Itachi wasn't someone that shared a lot of personal things, he didn't tell lies. Which meant that Itachi had done something in-between and was now on his way to Shikamaru's place.

"Oh my god..." he mumbled and his eyes widened. That meant Itachi was now at Shikamaru's place. Alone with Shikamaru. "Fuck, Tokuma! Make a turn, we need to get back to Shikamaru's house!"

Tokuma frowned in surprise and quickly pulled the car over, turning to Neji while demanding answers. "Neji, what the heck is going on?"

Neji's eyes flashed impatiently. "Itachi doesn't lie. And if he said he'd be going to Shikamaru's and I didn't see him there that means he hadn't gotten there yet. So we have to turn the fuck around and get back there before Itachi gets angry."

Tokuma paled slightly, understanding perfectly well what was wrong all of a sudden. Itachi wasn't a patient person. Not at all. And he didn't like Shikamaru. "Fuck," he swore. He then put the car into first gear again and turned around, speeding back to the Nara-residence.

When Tokuma pulled up in the drive-way of the Nara-residence Neji was out of the car before he'd properly parked it.

He knew that Itachi was a violent man. And while the other was usually in control of his emotions and didn't do anything he knew he shouldn't, right now nothing was certain. Neji didn't know how Itachi felt. Didn't know how angry he might be at Shikamaru for stupid reasons. And he also didn't know to what extent Itachi blamed Shikamaru for having been rejected.

Behind him, Tokuma shouted something – probably about him being a fool – but he ignored the other.

When he reached the front door he tried it, praying to find it unlocked, and when he lowered the handle and pushed the door it opened. Letting out a sigh of relief for the fact he didn't have to kick the door down he opened the door completely.

When he had a clear view of the hallway, he halted for a moment. Because there were two things he noticed that unsettled him. First, there was a gun. And Itachi was holding it.

Upon his entry both Itachi and Shikamaru – currently pressed against the wall by Itachi – turned to watch him. Shikamaru with a wary expression, skin pale and visibly frightened. Itachi's expression was almost as cold as ice yet when he saw Neji the smallest hints of surprise played up as well.

"Let him go and put the fucking gun away." Neji told his friend firmly, his lips set in a thin line and his eyes narrowed in anger. What the hell did Itachi think he was doing? And what was he trying to prove anyway?

A flicker of relief quickly passed over Shikamaru's face and Neji couldn't help but be amused. While he had so far tried to scare Shikamaru he hadn't succeeded in the way Itachi had. It made him wonder what it was that made Shikamaru so defiant when facing him. He'd have to ask the other some other time.

But Shikamaru's relief turned out to be too early because Itachi didn't lower the gun. Instead he watched Neji with an almost impassive expression and asked: "Why? Afraid I'll end up hurting him?"

Neji resisted the urge to sigh. Because it was indeed what he was afraid of. Deciding that perhaps now wasn't the time to think about his image, even though Shikamaru was around, Neji mumbled: "It wouldn't be the first time you end up hurting someone."

"I never do that without a good reason." Itachi replied while turning his cold eyes to Shikamaru.

Seeing Shikamaru's expression shift from relief to alarmed in a second, Neji took a step forward again. He could just step in, push Itachi away and take the gun from him. And while that was perhaps the thing he should be doing he felt reluctant. No matter what was transpiring in front of him and what had happened between them the past few days, Itachi was still his best friend. And while he didn't want Shikamaru to get hurt, he also didn't want to hurt Itachi and perhaps even loose him as a friend.

"Well, then lower your gun." Neji said waving his hand at Itachi's gun to strengthen his words. "Since it doesn't seem that you have a good reason to hurt Shikamaru."

A soft growl passed Itachi's lips and he glared at Shikamaru while advancing a bit, snarling: "You know I've got a very good reason to hurt this bastard."

When Itachi's anger flared, Shikamaru pressed himself a bit tighter against the wall while his hands clenched into fists. He knew that this man was a yakuza as well and he'd seen right away he was more violent than Neji. With him, at least. What reason he had to act like this Shikamaru didn't know but he did wonder why the fuck he was still holding that gun.

Neji sighed and glanced at Shikamaru. He could understand that Itachi was angry but he didn't like it. And he definitely didn't like the way Itachi was behaving like a jealous boyfriend.

He stepped forward and glanced at Shikamaru, giving the other a re-assuring nod before turning to watch Itachi. He grabbed the gun from Itachi's hands who let it go quite easily, and with a glare he angrily said: "I get what you're feeling, but for fuck's sake, Itachi! He won't even sleep with me. I think he's not doing anything wrong."

At hearing those words, Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk. So that was what this was about. Although the fact that the other would get this mad with him because Neji might like him did make him wonder what exactly it was that the other liked about Neji. Well, they were both Yakuza.

"What the fuck are you smirking at." Itachi suddenly growled, slamming a fist against the patch of wall right besides Shikamaru's face. His eyes flashed in anger and his jaws were tense while he tried to stare Shikamaru down.

Shikamaru tensed for a moment, a nervous breath passing his lips. Then, though, he straightened up a bit and with a wavering voice mumbled: "I just realized..." he started and then swallowed. Was he making a mistake? He thought. This man was worse than Neji was, but then again, Neji probably wouldn't let him be killed and the man – Itachi – wasn't holing a gun anymore. Aw fuck it, he thought, I'm not going to let my life be dictated by these bastards. "I just realized you're only human, too." He said quickly with an unsteady voice, before he could change his mind.

"You little shit, I'll –"

"Itachi!" Neji growled threateningly, a frown on his face and he roughly pushed Itachi back by his shoulder. He then turned so he was standing in-between Shikamaru and Itachi, glaring at his friend. He was afraid that if he didn't do that, didn't shield Shikamaru from Itachi, that this would never end.

By now he was certain Shikamaru wouldn't end up hurt. Itachi probably wouldn't do that with him around. But he still needed to get Itachi out of here. The other was walking on some sort of emotional edge and Neji needed to get him off of it before he ended up killing someone.

"Itachi," he sighed softly. "For fuck's sake, get real." He then waved a hand at Shikamaru and scowled at his friend. "He's not even a Yakuza, what kind of threat did you expect him to be?" He demanded angrily.

Itachi took a deep breath and gave Shikamaru a look over Neji's shoulder. Then he took a step back and coldly regarded Neji for a few moments. "He's a fool." He said and then turned around and walked out of the door without a word.

Neji didn't worry, though. He knew Itachi would be waiting for him outside.

Neji allowed a sigh to pass his lips when Itachi left and his shoulders slumped slightly. This was getting ridiculous, wasn't it? He thought to himself. And, he didn't only mean the way Itachi was behaving. He also meant that he yet again had to take care of something before being able to go home.

He turned around to watch Shikamaru and almost tiredly he asked: "You okay?"

Shikamaru seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before replying: "It's not like he would've killed me."

Such a cocky reply and yet he still looked paler than usual and his hands shook slightly. Neji wasn't sure what exactly went on in the head of Shikamaru Nara and right now, he was too tired to find that out. "A warning for next time. If he'd really wanted to, he would have." He coolly said. No-one should underestimate Itachi, certainly not when the man was angry.

Shikamaru blanched for a few seconds and then mumbled: "But you..."

"Yes?" Neji raised an eyebrow. He had a guess what the other was about to say, though.

Shikamaru swallowed and turned his eyes away. "But you like me." He eventually mustered, his voice soft and perhaps even shy.

"I do," Neji said yet this time it was without the smirk. He'd seen now that his feelings for the other probably ran deeper than he himself wanted them to. Why else had he cared so much about the other?

Shikamaru glanced up at Neji at the admission, which lacked its usual cockiness and flirtation. He swallowed at the Yakuza's slightly troubled expression and only then started to wonder what all this must be doing to Neji. As he had said, he was merely human after all...

"So he won't hurt me, because you like me. I mean, you're friends, right?" He asked, feeling that somehow he was missing something in this. And that something could very well be important to his own safety.

Neji pushed his lips together and huffed. "Something like that." He said. Because right now, he wasn't sure what Itachi and he were. "But that doesn't mean that he won't hurt you."

After a few seconds Shikamaru huffed. "Yeah, you're all pretty violent, aren't you?" He asked cynically. He hadn't even done anything wrong, for fuck's sake! He sighed. "Troublesome."

"Yes, it is." Neji said with a sigh and then stepped away. Time for his conversation with Itachi, he thought reluctantly. "Just be careful." He warned Shikamaru.

Shikamaru blinked at those words. He hadn't expected that. Hadn't thought that the other would care about that. About him. "Are you worried about me?" He asked with a smirk on his lips.

Neji resisted the urge to sigh. It seemed like he still had a lot of work to do when it came to making the other realize that by now his feelings were genuine. Looking Shikamaru straight in the eyes he nodded. "Of course I am."

"Yeah," Shikamaru snorted. "Wouldn't want the person helping you out to get hurt, right?" He asked.

Neji shook his head. "No, Shikamaru, I don't want you to get hurt." He said, his voice even and as calm as always, even though he felt his heart beating loudly in his chest. He was turning into a fool, he thought.

Then, without waiting for a reply he turned around and left Shikamaru alone. He had other things to take care off right now.

TBC.