WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recap

"I remembered something, that'd be even better." He reached a shaky hand into his pocket and pulled out the small, red box. Sakura was still confused, but said nothing. Shikamaru took a shaky breath and finally opened the box.

When Sakura saw what was inside, the angered flushed from her face and her eyes widened. New tears filled her eyes, but this time it wasn't from anger, but from nostalgic surprise instead.

"Do you remember this?" Shikamaru asked in a tender voice.

Sakura's head nodded slightly as she fought back the tears. Inside the box was a small ivory colored heart that she remembered from so long ago.

Flashback

"This one's perfect Dad." Eight year old Shikamaru Nara told his father as he picked up on of the detached deer antlers lying on the table.

Shikaku picked up the antler and carried it to another table where he once again set it down.

"Alright Shikamaru, we don't have much time before your mom gets home, so we need to hurry."

"Yeah, yeah Dad, I already know."

Shikaku reached for his knife when Shikamaru stopped him.

"Hey Dad?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can we make two of 'em?"

"What for?" Shikaku asked, confused.

"You know, just incase something happens to the other one before I get to give it two her. That way I'll have two." This wasn't really the reason Shikamaru planned on making two, but it was a good excuse. "I know we don't have a lotta time, so the second one can be real small-like pocket sized."

Shikaku just sighed. "Alright it's your gift, but that just means twice the work."

The young Nara winced at these words and groaned, "Aw man, what a drag." But decided to do it anyway.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Finished. You're mom's going to love her birthday gift." Shikaku sighed hours later as the two Nara men admired their work.

"Yeah, and just in time." Shikamaru said as he heard his mom coming in.

"Shikaku! Can you come here. I need your help." Mrs. Nara's voice rang out to her husband.

"I'll be right there!" he called back as he raced to answer his wife's call. "Clean up here will ya Shikamaru!" he called back to his son as he raced out the door.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. Then he picked up the two smooth hearts they'd just completed and carefully placed them in his pockets. The bigger one made his pants shift down a little from the weight, but he didn't mind-he'd be putting them up soon.

He walked over to the corner of the room and picked up a tarp in the corner. He opened it and lazily spread it across the table they'd just worked on.

"Finished." Shikamaru muttered lazily as he turned around and left the shed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mrs. Nara loved her present. She'd put it right in the front room, so everyone who came in could see what a wonderful son she had. The smaller heart, Shikamaru was now holding in his hand a day later.

He was lying on his back near the river as he absently ran his thumb over it. In his mind was racing the thoughts of a mature man: how easy it can be to please women sometimes (like by giving them a heart hand carved from deer antlers) and how other times it was just so darn difficult.

He pondered deeply on this for awhile and he didn't even notice the timid figure approaching him. It was only when her nervous voice spoke did he notice her presence.

"That's-that's very pretty." She stammered, nodding to the heart in his hand.

Shikamaru glanced over to look at the shy pink haired girl who was now standing a foot away from him, fiddling with her fingers.

"You like it?" Shikamaru responded lazily, no hint of interest in his voice.

"Uh huh, did you make it?" she asked taking a tiny step closer.

"Yeah, me and my dad did." He sighed back as his eyes followed the slowly drifting clouds.

"It'd make a beautiful necklace." She thought aloud.

"Hmm." Was all Shikamaru said back as Sakura tried her hardest to think up something else to say.

Shikamaru began getting nervous, and since he couldn't think of anything else to say either, he decided that it would be less awkward if she was gone.

"Here," he said tossing the heart at her which she caught in her two cupped hands.

"I can have it?" Sakura asked, slowly running her fingers across the smooth, cold surface.

"Yeah, yeah sure." He drawled waving his hand. Then he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Sakura stood there for a few seconds happily admiring the bone white heart she'd just received.

"Wow, thanks." She whispered so low it didn't seem like she'd intended for him to hear. Shikamaru said nothing in response, but just continued to 'sleep'.

He was beginning to think that Sakura wasn't planning on leaving when she suddenly shrieked out "Sasuke-kun!" and took off running calling out a final thank you to Shikamaru as she left.

Shikamaru sighed in relief. Not relief that she was finally gone, but relief that he'd managed to get that small bone heart to it's intended owner after all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All that week, Shikamaru became known as Sakura's boyfriend. She'd told her gal pals about the heart that her 'sweetheart' had given her, and the rest was history. Of course, this speculation annoyed Shikamaru-given he was a more sit, actually sleep, on the side lines kind of guy. At one point, he began regretting ever giving Sakura that stupid heart which she so faithfully clutched to her chest everyday.

Then one day, a few classes at the academy took a field trip into the Leaf forest to familiarize themselves with their surroundings, while simultaneously learning a few things about the wilderness. Sakura was hanging around with her usual bunch of friends-Ino and a couple of other girls- near the river.

"Ooh Ino!" Sakura called out. "Look at the pretty fish."

"I wanna see the fish Sakura!" a hyperactive young boy who had a crush the size of his energy on Sakura, called out as he ran full speed towards her.

"Naruto you idiot! Stop it!" Ino yelled out, but it was too late. Naruto tripped on his own two feet and fell right into Sakura, knocking them both in the river.

"Sakura!" Ino yelled as she ran towards her now soaked friend. The rest of the students had now crowded around the river and were laughing their hearts out. Ino waded out into the shallow, yet quickly flowing water and reached her hand out to help pull Sakura up.

"Stop laughing at her!" Ino yelled to the group of children, most of which continued to laugh. "Are you alright?" she asked her drenched friend.

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, then as if something had just bitten her, she pushed away from Ino and began desperately checking her pockets and patting her body.

"Is…something wrong?" Ino asked a little freaked by Sakura's actions.

"My heart! My heart! Where is it?!" Sakura was now splashing through the water searching.

"Oh I know where it is! It's in your chest Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled out eagerly. Sometimes he could be really dense.

"That's not funny!" Sakura barked as she violently slapped the top of his head, not realizing he was being serious. Tears were now streaming down her wet face as she continued muttering over and over, "Where is it? Where is it?"

"You'll have to find it another time." One of the senseis told Sakura dragging her from the water. "It's time to go back to the village."

"But my heart!" Sakura protested.

"Another time." The sensei reinforce as she dragged Sakura back into the village.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura searched for that heart everyday for two whole months. Shikamaru knew this because he secretly watched her.

"Tchh. What's the big deal, it's just a stupid heart." He'd scoff every time he'd watch her break down in tears at the end of yet another unsuccessful day.

Then, she gave up after she realized the heart was long gone. Shikamaru was secretly pleased by this. He was tired of seeing her stressing herself out over that little heart he'd given her-even if he wanted her to have it.

One day as Shikamaru lay near the river, his wandering eyes happened to spot something. Near the grass and muck of the shore, with only a little, tiny corner barely visible, Shikamaru noticed something smooth and whitish. To anyone else, it may have just seemed like a pretty stone, but Shikamaru -being the son of deer herders- knew that material as the same milky white color of the insides of the perfect deer antler. An antler precisely like the one he'd used to make the heart out of. He dug around the object, until he'd exposed it. Yep, it was the heart. He leaned forward and swished it around in the river, then wiped it dry on his shirt.

He pulled it back to observe it and pondered on whether or not he should give it back to Sakura or not. It was still in good shape. The coat was still even and smooth and there were no nicks on it. The color, stained from being buried in the mud, was now ivory instead of the bone white and was still as beautiful as before.

After thinking about what he'd do for a few minutes longer, Shikamaru eventually resolved on keeping it. He returned home, and placing it inside a small red box that he no longer had any use for, he buried it, and all the secrets for the one he truly cared for that it held.

Sakura struggled to hold the tears in-something she found herself doing a lot lately.

Shikamaru had now pulled the heart from the box. It was just like Sakura remembered, only ivory instead of white and it was dangling from a thin strip of black leather so that it was now a necklace, just like Sakura'd wanted. It was beautiful.

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "You see Sakura, Ino was helping me prepare for this. There's…there's something I wanna ask you."

Tee Hee!

See ya soon! xoxoxoxoxo