Shizukana's P.O.V

After a very interesting dinner with Shikamaru and his mother, we called it a night and Shika led me to his room.

He opened the door to his room to reveal a very neat and tidy bedroom. Not what you expect from a very lazy person. He closed the door from behind me and place my bag on the floor.

He closed at me and gave me a closed eye smile which reminded me of Kakashi Sensei. He went to his cabinet and pulled out a Shogi board with all the pieces. He laid them on the floor and sat down next to it.

I just laughed. "With you, everything is just Shogi," I said; Shikamaru just chortled and made dismissing mothions with his hands. He placed the pieces on the board and motioned me to start.

I moved a pawn forward and he did the same. I kept moving pieces while he rambled on and on about how his team forced him to wake up early.

I carefully moved one of my Gold Generals towards his rook. He notices as he just moved his kind away from him Silver General. He cursed under his breath as I snatched his rook, leaving him with only 4 pieces left. The King, a Promoted Lance and two knights.

He shifted on his seat and made his thinking seal. He says it allows him to think. It can be very helpful as it helps one concentrate and also serve as a sign to not disturb. While he was thinking of a move, I kept thinking of a trap. I managed to snag all of his pieces except the four which he has. I haven't used them, but more for me.

He lifted his Promoted Lance and placed it two squares away from my King. I looked at him and saw that he was smirking. But then, I moved my Dragon King towards his King which effectively blocked his King from moving.

The smirk on his face vanished and he looked at me in disbelief. "How did you do that?" He asked me. He looked at the board and then at my face.

"You shouldn't have made the second move that way," I said making him scoff in disbelief. "You should have moved your knight to the left if you wanted to counter this technique but no matter." I stood up and stretched my toes.

Shikamaru pouted and carefully put the board away as to not disrupt the pieces. "I need a post Mortem." He said.

I waved him off. "Later," I said stifling a yawn. I sat on his bed and looked at him. He was staring at me.

I just narrowed my eyes at him and went to my bag. He pointed towards the bathroom where I could change. I gave him a thumbs up and left.

I changed into an oversized woolly sweater and some sweatpants. Nothing revealing. I braided my hair and neatly folded my clothes and put them in the bag. I looked at the mirror to find a pale figure with dark bags under their eyes. I blinked twice before stepping out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Shika was struggling with a futon. You'd think someone who likes to sleep would know how to handle a futon. After a few minutes of struggling, he finally managed to set up the futon. He stood up with a satisfied look on his face and looked at me with a bright smile.

I gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up to which he just rolled his eyes. I set my bag down and sat on the chair. Shika left to change.

After a few minutes, he came out with a green shirt and some pants. His hair was loose. I've seen him like that before. Hilarious. His cheeks were tinged in red. He avoided eye contact and I just chuckled.

He sat down on the ground next to me. His hair was just right in front of my fingers so I thought to have a little fun. I gently grabbed his hair and split them into three parts. He jerked his head at the touch but he settled down.

I loosely braided his hair and tied it with a band. His hands touched the braid and he laughed. I was trying to contain my laughter but I just let it all out.

After our little laughter fit, we got ready to sleep. I was about to take the futon when Shika gave out a choked sound. I looked at him to find him staring at me strangely.

"What?" I asked him.

"Take the bed."

"No Shika, I'll take the futon," I said shaking my head.

"Take the bed." He said sternly like how a parent would say to their child.

I glared at him and he glared back. We glared at each other for a minute or two before I sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll take the bed."

He smiled pridefully as I got on his bed and got under the covers. I shifted around until I got comfortable and looked at Shikamaru. He was staring at me. As soon as we made eye contact, he looked away and went to switch off the light.

With a click, the room was engulfed in darkness. I heard soft footsteps and some ruffling. "Good night." I heard Shikamaru say.

I sat on his bed and looked at the futon. The moonlight barely illuminated the room, outlining the shape of Shika.

"Thanks, Shika," I said and laid back down. I closed my eyes and after a few minutes, found myself drifting off.

Shikamaru's P.O.V.

I watched as she climbed on the bed and snuggled under the covers.

She looked like she had been through hell. I know she's hiding something from me but it's her choice whether or not I should know. I found myself staring at her while she moved around trying to get into a comfortable position.

Both of us made eye contact which made me look away. I quickly walked towards the light and switched it off. I made my way to the futon and laid down.

"Good night," I said. I closed my eyes but then opened them when I heard the ruffling if sheets. I looked at the bed to find a pair of glowing golden eyes staring at me.

"Thanks, Shika."

I smiled knowing that she couldn't see me. The world is cruel and it doesn't deserve anyone like Shizukana. She's just too pure.

I shut my eyes and fell asleep.

The Next Day...

Shizukana's P.O.V.

I slowly opened my eyes and winced when I was directly hit by sunlight. I groaned before sitting on the bed. I looked around and rubbed my eyes.

I looked down to find Shika. Sprawled across the futon with his mouth wide open. His hair was still in that messy braid. I smiled when he turned around in his sleep. I slowly got down and stepped over Shika and walked into his bathroom.

I looked into the mirror to find my hair back into being a bird's nest. One of the worst bed head I've ever seen. I washed my face and fixed my hair. Once I was done, I stepped out and made the bed.

Once I was done, I took one of the pension on his table and took a piece of paper.

Hey. I headed out. Thanks for everything. I'll see you later.

P.S. You look adorable when you sleep ;)

~Shizukana.

I left the note on his bed and grabbed my bag. I brought my hands together and teleported into my bedroom. The jutsu is kinda handy when needed.

I changed my clothes and locked the door before leaving for the hospital. I stopped by the library to get me some reading material. No topic in particular. Anything that would occupy a few hours of my time.

So I chose 'Schrödinger equation.'

It wasn't exactly called Schrödinger equation, but it had similar concepts on quantum particles can exist in a superposition of states at the same time and collapse down to a single state upon interaction with other particles.

The usual route that I always took was busy and filled with overenthusiastic Civilians and Shinobi. I held my book with my left hand and let my right hand hover over my weapons pouch. Just in Case. A crowded place is the best place to sneak an attack on someone.

After around 15 minutes, I reached the hospital and walked down the familiar halls. I decided to visit Kakashi Sensei first but I stopped by the door when I heard voices inside. Must be his Jonin friends. But I scratched that thought when I heard the familiar voice of an orange dressed blond.

I subconsciously smiled before knocking on the door. Everyone in the room looked at me, including a dazed Kakashi Sensei.

In the room was, Naruto, Jiraiya Sensei and two other females. Kakashi Sensei was seated on the bed. I walked in and Naruto lunged towards me. I simply sidestepped and heard a loud thud from behind me. I turned back and Naruto was seated on the floor rubbing his head while pouting at me.

"Shizukana-chan. That hurt." He whined. I smiled at him and gave him my hand he took it and stood up.

I looked towards Sensei and found him smiling at me. Well, his eye was crinkled meaning that he was smiling. I smiled back and turned to face the two ladies who I presume are Lady Tsunade and Lady Shizune.

Tsunade's P.O.V.

A knock was heard and I turned to look at the door. It was a girl with snow-white hair like Jiraiya and yellow eyes like Orochimaru.

She walked in with a smile but her eyes scanned the room. She seemed normal but her movement and expressions reminded me of Orochimaru. The way her eyes looked at every detail and how she walks with confidence.

Naruto's eyes brightened and he pounced at her. But instead of bracing for impact, the girl sidestepped and let Naruto fall to the ground with a thud.

"Shizukana-chan. That hurt." He said pouting. She turned around and helped him up.

So she's Shizukana. The one Naruto kept rambling about. She looked at me and Shizune before looking at Kakashi. Kakashi stared at her and gave her a closed eye smile.

"So you're Shizukana," I said breaking the silence. "Naruto has told me a lot about you."

She looked at me and then at Naruto. "Good things I presume?" She said before bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsunade-Sama."

"Aren't you polite," I said making her chuckle. She turned to Shizune and did the same. Shizune bowed back.

"Hey, kid. You didn't bow to me when we met for the first time." Jiraiya said making Shizukana give him an unimpressed look.

"You didn't give a good first impression. Plus, you were peeking into the ladies section in the Hot springs." She said bluntly making Jiraiya chuckle in embarrassment.

She turned towards Kakashi. "Its nice to see you up and ready." She said. Kakashi just stretched his arms in reply.

Naruto started rambling about the Rasengan and how he managed to hit Kabuto. I noticed Shizukana's reaction to Kabuto and Orochimaru's name. The way her eyes widened and then furrowed.

I looked at Jiraiya who was watching the interaction. He didn't seem to notice this so I just brushed it away.

Naruto paused when there was another knock at the door. All of us looked to find Danzo Shimura standing there.

Shizukana's P.O.V.

I looked at the door to find Danzo Shimura standing there. He had a walking cane and his right eye was bandaged.

He walked in and smiled at everyone. When his eyes landed on me, I gave him the dirtiest glare ever. He ignored it and smirked smugly.

I clenched my fists in anger and walked towards the window. It would feel very satisfying to punch that smirk out of his face and rip out his heart. But I knew I could never pin him to those files now. No. I had to wait until the perfect moment.

"Ah. Tsunade-Hime. I heard you came back. I wanted to meet you before the council did. It's a shame what happened to Hiruzen." He said. Lady Tsunade gave him a fake smile and proceeded to talk to him with Jiraiya Sensei. Naruto just watched the interaction.

I felt someone's hand on my wrist. I looked to see Sensei looking at me. My eyes went down to my hand to find it bleeding. My nails had dug into my skin and the blood started oozing out.

Sensei gave a concerned look and I shook my head. I made my way to the table and grabbed a napkin and dabbed the marks.

I felt Sensei's eye on me as I moved back to my spot near the window. I tried to focus on anything else but I kept finding myself glaring at Danzo. His presence just makes me want to rip my eyes out and boil them.

Danzo walked away from Lady Tsunade and walked towards Sensei. "Kakashi, I heard about the attack with Itachi Uchiha. I hope you get well soon." He said making Sensei just nod.

He didn't even try to show some sympathy. He then walked out of the room. Before anyone could say anything, Naruto started nudging Lady Tsunade towards Sasuke's room.

Lady Tsunade, Naruto, Lady Shizune and Jiraiya left the room to visit Sasuke. I looked at Sensei and smiled. "I see how Sasuke's doing," I said.

I took a few steps before Sensei called my name. I stopped and looked at him. He was looking at me in concern.

"What wrong?" He asked. I stared at him. Should I tell him? Will Sensei understand? I gave him a weak smile. I could feel my eyes burning, but I blinked my tears away and looked away from Sensei.

This caused him to stand up and walked towards me. "Shizukana. You don't have to talk to me now but just so you know. I'm here to listen." He said making me nod.

I shook my head and wiped the tears off my face. I put on a bright smile and just laughed. "Its alright Sensei. I promise I'll tell you one day." I said making him nod.

I heard Naruto's crazy yells. "I check on Sasuke," I said making him nod. He went back to sit on the bed and I walked to the door. I stopped there and looked back at him. "Nice to have you back Sensei."

He just waved before I left the room. I walked to the next room to find it empty except for Sasuke who was looking at me.

"How was the beauty nap?" I asked while smirking. He lightly glared before giving a light smile.

I did a double when I saw him smile but the second I looked back, it was gone. I eyed him suspiciously. "So where's everyone else?" I asked.

"They went to check on Rock Lee." He replied. I nodded and sat on the chair next to him. He was staring at his hands.

"You know, it was kinda stupid to face Itachi head-on like that," I said watching as he grimaced.

"You're one to talk." He said making me wince. I did do the same. Plus I was injured too. "What if he had hurt you? We aren't close but I suppose you've ..."

I didn't hear the last part. "I didn't hear you," I said leaning closer. He looked at me and a light pink tinge was covering his cheeks.

"I said, that you've grown on me." He said looking away in embarrassment. I smiled at that.

"Oh. Is the little Uchiha embarrassed?" I teased. When he looked away, I started laughing. "Oh Sasuke, you just made my day," I said wiping my eyes. These were not tears of sadness. But they were tears of joy.

He just ignored me.

Meanwhile in the Nara Compound.

Shikamaru's P.O.V.

"Shikamaru wake up. It's already noon." A voice yelled from downstairs.

I grumpily opened my eyes and stood up. I looked around to find myself on the floor. Shizukana. I remembered her and stood up.

I looked at my bed to find it empty except for a note. I walked towards it and read.

Hey. I headed out. Thanks for everything. I'll see you later.

P.S. You look adorable when you sleep ;)

~Shizukana.

I felt myself blush at the last part. Troublesome woman. Wait till I catch you.

A/N. Hey guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Anyways, what did you think of Danzo's arrival?

Shizukana is struggling at the moment mentally. Hope she solves all her problems.

Ciao...