The next morning Choji had to wake Shikamaru up so that they had time to make it close to the village before dark. With about a days worth of walking ahead, they got to it quickly after eating a small breakfast.
Choji was surprised at how good of shape Shikamaru was in. He didn't really know what they had put him through the past few years, but what he had seen from the few minutes he was in the base, it wasn't anything nice. He noticed that Shikamaru seemed to have a stronger than what he remembered. There was something about his friend's chakra that seemed different although he wasn't sure what it was.
About halfway through the trip, Choji decided he should contact his friends. Luckily, Temari was in Konoha at the time. He was able to reach Ino and Temari. "Hey you two, I need you to listen up." He waited a moment to make sure they were both listening. "I need you to meet me at the gate at nightfall. We will need the Hokage and Sakura."
"Choji, did you find him?" It was Temari's voice. A few months after Shikamaru had gone missing, Temari admitted to his friends that the two of them were secretly together thanks to Ino's prying.
"Yes, Temari. I have him. We are on our way home." He could have sworn he could hear her crying.
"Thank you, Choji." She replied. Yes, she was definitely crying. He didn't know the woman was capable of such things until recently.
Ino squealed. "I am contacting the Hokage and Sakura right now!" She said before basically hanging up.
The pair continued their journey with almost no problems until around dinner time. They had stopped to cook a meal and were ambushed by a group of bandits who clearly didn't know who they were dealing with. "Shikamaru, stay back!" He wasn't sure if his friend should be fighting right now and his top priority was to protect him.
Before Choji knew it, Shikamaru stepped forward and his eyes began glowing like they had before. Shikamaru weaved a few hand signs and his shadow stitching jutsu appeared, but it was more intense than Choji had ever seen before. He had taken everyone out in one hit. When Shikamaru ended his jutsu, Choji spoke. "Oh my god, Shikamaru! How did you get so strong?" Shikamaru looked at him.
"Whatever they have been shooting me with...I think it was supposed to kill me but I've just gotten stronger." Choji was confused but nonetheless they continued their journey.
Shikamaru could feel himself getting emotional as they made their way to Konoha. He hadn't seen it in years. He hasn't even smelt fresh air in years. He forgot what the color green looked like and why it was his favorite. As they flew from branch to branch, he took it all in. At one point he even heard the sound of running water from a nearby river. He truly missed this.
As the evening approached they finally reached the great gates Shikamaru was so anxious to see. He was getting nervous about being back in the village. Not that he was excepting a welcome party, no that would honestly be torture for him. But he couldn't wait to see everyone.
As they walked through the gates they were greeted by Kakashi and Ino. Although, Ino wasted no time jumping up an hugging Shikamaru. "Careful, Ino. We don't know what he's been through. You don't want to hurt him." The Hokage said. Ino had tears in her eyes as she let go of her friends.
"I know, I just missed him." Choji then looked past the two that had greeted them.
"Uh, where's Temari?" Ino shrugged.
"She said she had to do something first." As if on cue, Temari come strolling up with none other than Yoshino Nara.
"Sorry we're late." The blonde spoke. Of course, Choji couldn't believe he forgot to request his mother. She had been devastated and acted so different than Choji or Ino had ever remembered. He was thankful for Temari.
Yoshino walked up to her son, already crying, and pulled him into the tightest hug Shikamaru thinks he had ever experienced. She moved away kindly so that Temari could have her turn. Yoshino was thankful for the girl. Temari walked up to him and they stared at each other before hugging as well. Shikamaru's eyes started to water has he had missed Temari the most over the years. He thought about her everyday he was being held hostage and he honestly believed that to be the only reason he stayed alive in there.
"You need a haircut." Was all she said to him. He smirked.
"I know." After the reunions, Kakashi stated that Sakura was waiting at the hospital for them. She had to make sure he had a private room and that all of her patients were taken care of so that she could focus on Shikamaru. She knew she would have to check his physical well being as well as his mental. Sakura was grateful for Ino being able to help with his psych test.
Once they arrived at the hospital, Sakura had said that only Ino, Kakashi, and one other person could go back with them for testing. Temari told Yoshino to but she insisted that Temari went. Yoshino stated that it might take awhile so she would use that time to get her sons room ready for him. She actually hadn't been in the room since he went missing, but she wanted to make everything fresh for him. Not to mention she wanted to go to the market and buy the ingredients for his favorite meal so that whenever he was released from the hospital she could cook for him. Choji decided to go home and rest before making his report of his mission.
So, the three followed Shikamaru and Sakura back. She lead them into a room and stated that she would be right back. She quickly returned with Shikamaru's medical file that had everything need to know about Shikamaru's health from two years ago. "Okay, so I need you to change into these shorts and only these shorts so I can examine you." He looked around the room awkwardly. "Yes, we will leave the room so you can change." He then gave an awkward smile as they all left. Shortly after, he opened the door and invited them back in.
"Does someone have a hair tie?" He asked. Sakura nodded.
"I do but I need to check your scalp for any injuries before you put your hair up." He nodded. She checked over his head and found nothing to be concerned about so she gave him the hair tie and he threw his hair up in a bun so that it was out of the way.
She then checked his face, grabbing it and moving it around. Shikamaru didn't really know what to do. Sakura opened his mouth and checked his teeth with a flashlight. "Well, you still have all of your teeth so that's good. How's your vision? Has anything changed?" She asked while shining the light in his eyes. He responded by shaking his head no. "Perfect."
Next, she made him stand up and put his arms out to the sides. "You look like you've gained muscle." Temari spoke. "That's strange for someone that's been held captive." Everyone nodded in agreement. He did look like he had bulked up a little. Temari was honestly expecting him to be frail and thin, but he was the opposite of that. She noticed when she hugged him that her arms didn't go as far around as they used to.
"You seem to have a few new scars that I need to document but so far everything seems normal. Are you feeling any pain anywhere?" He shook his head again. He was slightly uncomfortable with Sakura touching him in various places but he knew she was just doing her job. He just kept his stare on Temari who occasionally smiled at him. "Okay, Hinata should be here in about an hour and a half so before that why don't you shower and then we can start your mental examination." He nodded, taking spare clothes that Sakura had given him. It was a pair of grey sweatpants and a black shirt.
After his shower, Shikamaru walked back into his room and the only person left was Temari. She smiled at him, tears forming in her eyes. He smiled back. They hugged once again, this time not letting go. "I missed you so much." She said. He planted a kiss on the top of her head.
"I missed you. The thought of seeing you again is what kept me sane." She reached up and kissed his cheek and then he moved to kiss her lips. They pulled apart when there was a light knock on the door. Ino walked in smiling.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I brought scissors! I know you probably want a haircut before we continue this!" He nodded.
"Please, it's very annoying at this length." Ino made him sit on the stool then she started cutting. Temari watched in silence as she sat on the bed. "I feel like I've lost ten pound!" He spoke before putting his hair back up. Now that it was at its normal length Temari thought he looked more like himself. "Thanks, Ino."
"Anytime." She paused while sweeping up the hair. "I'm just so happy you're alive." He smiled and hugged his friend again.
"Me too, Ino. I can't believe I actually missed your shrieking." Temari laughed at that, Ino, however, did not.
"Remember who has the scissors..." He smiled and backed up.
"How long will the psych evaluation take? I'm exhausted." Temari rolled her eyes.
"What are you not?" He moved over to the bed and laid down. Temari remained sitting on the side.
"I honestly don't know. It depends on you. But I'm sure it will probably take awhile because I will have to go through two years of memories so I can figure out what exactly happened to you and what we might need to-" She was cut off by Temari.
"Uh Ino." She looked at the girl who was simply pointing at Shikamaru, who was fast asleep.
"Okay... I guess I'll go let Sakura know." She quickly made her way out of the room. Temari felt a hand grab her arm and pull her.
"Thank god she left. I didn't want to do an evaluation right now." Temari gave him the are you kidding me look. He pulled her down she that they were laying together. "Sorry I missed you and want to just spend time with you."
"You're an idiot. We need to focus on helping you get better."
"I'm fine, nothing to worry about now that I have you." Temari smiled at this but really was worried about Shikamaru, as they all were. There was no telling what they had done to him over the years. She knew how trauma could affect people and knew how people would try to hide it. She had been there personally and knew that they needed to do what they can to help him. But for now, they would sleep.
Thank you for the reviews last chapter! And thank you for reading this one! I hope it's going well. Please let me know what you think!
Stay safe out there! The world is crazy right now.