Chapter 23

"We should really stop doing this."

"Oh hush, that's what you said last time."

Kakashi watched from his bed as the kunoichi began dressing herself in her dirtied ninja outfit. Despite being all worn out and dusty from their days of travel, he admired the way her body still looked against the warm glow of the light on his bedside table.

Their little home dinner date turned into another moment of pleasure and ecstasy shared between the two. This time though, it was quicker, because after all, it was late and Naome was not allowed to stay over (though Kakashi heavily debated lifting that rule for tonight).

"Well maybe I'm serious this time."

Naome rolled her eyes at her sensei as she slipped on her top and readjusted it. She grabbed her green ninja vest and threw her arms in before turning to the man. "Being serious doesn't suit you, sensei. Besides, try telling me that next time you and your pervy thoughts run wild."

Kakashi scoffed as he stood up as well and solely pulled on a pair of boxers. "Just me? As far as any of our interactions are concerned, I'm sure you're just as perverted, if not, more perverted than me."

Naome gathered her belongings and made her way to the front door. "I'm not the one going around reading a porn novel in broad daylight."

"Touche." He said with a grin as he leaned against the wall. He watched as the girl pulled the door open and paused briefly. It seemed a bit awkward to say simply goodbye after what they had just done. He felt it would be more complete to at least give her a kiss goodnight, but he reminded himself that this was supposed to be a romance-free affair.

"Well goodnight then." Naome's eyes dropped. Kakashi didn't miss the slight disappointment in her expression as she spoke. So instead, he spoke his mind.

"Are you still up for training tomorrow?" He almost smacked his own forehead for that response. He had intended to come up with something that made him seem less like a heartless idiot, but alas, he only blurted out such a casual question. Also, they rarely trained the day after missions from the mere exhaustion they'd faced for the past few days. Yet for some reason, he was using it as an excuse to still see her the next day.

"Yeah, I'm down." A breath of relief escaped him when he saw her mood brighten up a bit again. She stepped out of the doorway and stood on the other side. "Well, goodnight Kakashi!"

"Goodnight." He waited until she was out of sight before he closed the door.

When Naome had arrived back at the Nara residence, the lights were off and the family had been sleeping already. Due to the fact that they weren't sure when the mission would be completed, no one really knew she was coming home that night. Trying to stay as quiet as possible she quickly made her way upstairs to her room. She dropped her belongings onto the floor in the corner and grabbed some clean pyjamas from her dresser. Just as she was about to head off to the bathroom, a voice stopped her.

"Welcome home."

A grin spread on Naome's face as she spun around to find Shikamaru leaning against the doorframe to her room. His hair was down and it looked like he had probably just gotten up from bed. "I didn't know you were coming home tonight," he said. "Did you eat yet?"

"Yeah. I got some dinner with Kakashi-sensei before coming home." Shikamaru ignored the small pain in his heart from hearing his rival's name. It was something he knew he would have to slowly get used to.

"Are you going to take a shower now?" He asked, eyeing the fresh clothes in her hands.

"Yeah." She nodded.

Shikamaru placed a hand on the back of his head as he looked slightly away from the kunoichi. A blush formed on his face as he continued, "Can I...join you for a bit?"

Naome had half the heart to reject his offer. Afterall, it was late already, and she was tired. She also didn't feel quite comfortable with Shikamaru seeing her body after she had just been with Kakashi even though she had always strictly monitored Kakashi's habit of marking her body.

In the end though, she couldn't bring herself to say no to the lazy genius. She missed Shikamaru dearly, no just because she had been on a mission, but also because he had been away quite often on missions of his own. They rarely had time anymore for the intimate moments that they used to share.

"I would love it if you joined me."

The two of them made their way to the bathroom and Shikamaru watched as Naome stripped herself of her shinobi attire. There was some grime and dirt, as expected after returning home from any mission, but what he only just noticed was that she had gotten a bit slimmer. He wondered if she had enough sleep, enough nutrition, or if she had been stressed. Maybe it had already been a while, but he didn't even know until now.

He saw that her hair had grown longer. She hadn't cut it in the past couple of months, and it's not that he had a specific preference, but he kinda liked the longer hair on her, especially when it was out and flowing loosely. He continued watching her as she made her way into the shower and started the steaming water. It wasn't that he was craving any sexual deeds tonight, as he wasn't, but it was the first time that he noticed the small simple changes in her, and he found himself falling in love with her even more.

A pang of jealousy hit him though, when he realized that another man was also seeing all of this too, and holding her in ways that only he used to do before. Did he have feelings of inadequacy from time to time? Yes. Afterall, it was Kakashi Hatake that she had begun developing feelings for. An older, more experienced, more skilled, and more renowned shinobi. A genius in his own right. Some nights, he wondered if she had begun to like Kakashi because he wasn't enough.

Shikamaru knew he deserved to be loved fully, but he didn't want it if it wasn't her. Which is why, despite all of his doubts, he found himself taking off his own t-shirt and boxers, and joining her under the warm water.

She had her back turned to him when he stepped in, rinsing her hair of the suds of shampoo. Once she was done,Shikamaru took some conditioner and began putting it in her hair, gently massaging from roots to tips as he went. He watched as her shoulders relaxed, slumping forward, and her arms dropped to the side. When that was all done, he allowed his hands to roam down her arms, and then wrap around her waist from behind.

She spun around and stepped closer to him, enveloping him in her own embrace. The warm water continued streaming down their bodies as she leaned her head against his chest. Both of them stood like this for a while, letting the water rinse away the stress and tension that had built up in their bodies and relationship.

Naome breathed in Shikamaru's scent, and relished in the feeling of his skin against hers. She knew she made the right choice tonight. She should have been ashamed. She should have felt embarrassed, defiled, and hated under his gaze, but all she felt was warmth and love. Afterall, he was her rock. He was her support, her safety. Shikamaru was home.

Looking up, they met eyes for the briefest period of time before they both leaned in and shared a deep and pure kiss. With no sense of urgency, and no need to turn things sexual, they just kissed because they knew they needed each other.

Shikamaru felt it then: a silent apology, the pain in her heart, and most importantly, that she still wanted him there. He had fallen so deeply in love with the girl in front of him, and this was more than enough to convince him to keep loving her.

Noticing how tired the kunoichi was getting, Shikamaru helped her finish washing up, massaging her sore shoulders and back as he went. He knew she always had troubles sleeping at night which often led to bad back, neck, and shoulder tension. If left for consecutive days, he knew that she would get major tension headaches. Part of him wondered if Kakashi knew these small little things about her.

After they were done showering, he helped her dry her body and hair before helping himself. Dressing her up in clean pyjamas, he carried her off to his bed and gently laid her on her side of the mattress. He went to clean up, throwing her dirty laundry in the bin, before returning.

Once he slipped under the sheets, Naome turned to him and snuggled closer to his body. "Thanks Shika."

He gently stroked her hair, giving her light kisses on the top of her head. "For what?"

"For everything."

He pulled her closer to him. "You're welcome. Can I ask you for something though?"

She looked up at him, her hooded eyes still showing a hint of curiosity. "Of course, what is it?"

"Tomorrow, do you want to go out with me?"

"Sure where?" She paused, "Oh wait...tomorrow morning I have training with Kakashi-sensei, but I'll be free at noon."

"Alright, I'll pick you up from training then. As for where...it's a surprise."

Naome looked up, a sleepy smile forming on her face. "A surprise? Is the lazy genius actually putting in effort to plan something?"

"You're right." Shikamaru replied, faking a yawn. "I am too lazy to plan. Planning is a drag. Next time then."

She let out a small chuckle and closed her eyes, letting sleep overcome her. "I'm looking forward to it."

Shikamaru drifted off to sleep as well with a small goofy smile on his face.

"You know...you kinda seem...a little bit out of it today." Kakashi said from his spot under the tree as he eyed the kunoichi who was standing on top of the river.

"How so?" She asked as she kept her eyes trained on the ball of air in her hand. She continued pulling in little droplets of water into the orb of wind until there was a small rain storm in the palm of her hand. "I'm doing what you told me to do, aren't I?"

"Well yes," Kakashi hesitated, trying to find the right words to describe his observation. "You're just acting a bit...weird. For example, you haven't snapped my head off yet for reading my novel…"

The orb dissipated instantly as she turned to glare at the forsaken book in Kakashi's hand. "Put that away!"

"See what I mean? Not the most observant. And you seem a little less distracted" by me, he meant.

She huffed as she formed another elemental sphere in her hand, starting all over again. "Well, I mean...I guess I need to improve as quickly as possible. The Akatsuki seem to be getting more and more dangerous. Who knows when we'll be caught in a fight again."

"Fair enough." Kakashi conceded. He tucked his book away and approached the river, standing on the slow current next to her. "Anyways, now that you've controlled the wind and water together, try focusing on the cold air currents around you. I'm not too sure myself if that's how...but if you get the right balance, snow or ice should start forming."

Naome had insisted she wanted to try controlling her elemental powers, especially after having lost control during Asuma's passing. She didn't want that to happen again, especially in front of Kakashi or Shikamaru. She could only imagine what damage would have taken place if Kakashi hadn't stopped her in time. She figured that if she could learn to control the two, she'd might as well try to use it to her advantage instead and create an ice formed jutsu. Though rare, both her Kakashi were determined to make it happen.

She had just succeeded in picking up the colder wind current when suddenly another figure appeared in the clearing.

"Still going at it?"

Naome jumped at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. She had been so focused on her ball of energy that she didn't even notice he had arrived. With a large grin on her face, she turned to show her hard work to the genius ninja. "Look! Shika, I'm starting to get the hang of it!"

The chunin eyed the tiny blizzard in her palm, and the frosted bits forming on her fingertips. "That's actually pretty cool!" His eyes lit up a bit despite his usual nonchalant demeanor. "Great job!"

"Yeah! It's all thanks to Kakashi." She said, smiling at her sensei.

Kakashi shrugged. "I just teach it theoretically. It's your hard work, not mine." He eyed the lazy genius, wondering what brought him to the training area. He checked the time on his watch. It was just a few minutes past noon, and he'd realized that Shikamaru was actually here to pick Naome up from practice which had just ended.

"Anyways," the older jonin said, "Naome, I guess we'll call it a day. I've got to head to the hokage's office to speak to her anyways about the information you gave me."

The air in Naome's palm evaporated as she looked up at her sensei in realization. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. I should probably come with you."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it, it's my job anyways." Kakashi sent a smile to Shikamaru. "You two have fun."

"Well...okay, if you say so." Naome murmured before she turned to Shikamaru. Grinning, she walked off the water and took his outstretched hand. "Where are we off to?"

Shikamaru gave her a swift peck on the lips, knowing fairly well the older man was still watching. "You'll know when you get there."

Kakashi watched as the two exited the training grounds hand in hand. The tightness in his chest grew almost unbearable as he witnessed the affection that Naome still had for Shikamaru. He was also jealous of the fact that the two of them could walk off freely without needing to hide anything from the world. Shikamaru saw him as a rival, but truly, he knew that Shikamaru would be the best option for her. So despite how much it hurt him, and how much it went against his heart and desires, he still pushed her towards him.

It didn't take a genius to find out where Shikamaru was bringing Naome for their date. He led her up a familiar uphill road, reaching a cement building. Climbing a few flights of stairs, they reached the rooftop that Shikamaru always hung out on since he was a kid. There, on the wooden platform and under the gazebo, was a blanket laid out with some pillows.

Shikamaru with a slight blush on his face, and a hand behind his head motioned towards the setup. "So um, I figured we'd spend the afternoon here."

With a wide grin on her face, Naome walked up to the blanket and took her shoes off. She set her swords and ninja equipment to the side and stretched out with a long groan. Looking up, she motioned for the lazy genius to join her, which he did. He dropped his backpack next to them and sat next to her on the blanket.

With relaxation washing over her, she looked up at the clouds above them. It seemed like a small gesture, but it was so typical of Shikamaru, and something that she loved to do as well.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, drawing her attention. "I uh...made us some lunch."

Naome quirked an eyebrow. "Made?" she emphasized. She didn't know whether to be touched or cautious as the male pulled the food out of his backpack. Shikamaru never helped out to make food at home, which made her wonder how on Earth he learned to make food for today.

Shikamaru pulled out two separate bento boxes and two other containers of side dishes. He watched nervously as Naome took the covers off of each of the containers, revealing the contents inside. Her eyes widened at each one of the wonderfully made dishes.

The bento boxes had some pieces of nigiri sushi, a small fruit salad on the side, some tamago, and some pieces of veggie and shrimp tempura. The other containers included some assorted onigiri with cute faces cut out of colourful pieces of veggies in one, and many of Naome's favourite coloured dango balls.

"Wow Shikamaru! This looks amazing!" Her eyes lit up at the elaborate picnic prepared by the male ninja. "How did you learn how to make all of this?"

"I had some help from mom this morning," he replied. A small grin formed on his face after noticing how much Naome liked his creations. "She figured I was making it for you, and wouldn't stop teasing me the whole time though. It was a little embarrassing."

Naome chuckled, "Can you imagine if your father was home too? Then you wouldn't hear the end of it."

He too, laughed at the thought. "Yeah. They're a bit obnoxious sometimes with the teasing."

"Well they did support us even before we were even together." Naome smiled fondly at the memory. "I'm sure they knew we liked each other before we even knew it ourselves!"

"That's because they've loved you too, from the very beginning." Shikamaru replied.

"'Too?'" Naome teased, catching his wording. "Did you just say you love me? From the very beginning?"

Shikamaru cleared his throat again and turned back to the food. He pulled a bento box onto his lap and handed one to Naome. "Anyways, let's eat."

Naome felt her heart warm at the shinobi's confession. Though he had mentioned his feelings before, it was the first time he had said he loved her. Setting the food aside, she leaned over and gave Shikamaru a quick kiss on the lips, making him freeze with food hanging from between his chopsticks.

"I love you too." She paused, learning closer to Shikamaru who accepted her with open arms. "I know I'm selfish at times, and I know it's been hard on you, but you have to believe me: I really do love you."

He pulled her closer. "I do believe you."

"Thank you, not just for today, but for everything." Shikamaru gave her one more loving kiss, memorizing every little moment they shared together.

"Anything for you."