I fixed the typo pointed out in the last chapter, thank you for seeing it.

I have been brought to realize (through the reviews, thank you) that I spend a lot of time in the character's heads. I am sorry to those of you that don't like such things. If I attempt another fic, I will do a better job of restraining myself. I guess it's because I have always appreciated characterization (if executed well) and I must have unconsciously wanted to try my hand at it.

Having said that, I looked at the next two chapters and laughed. Then cried. I did it again. But I don't think that these chapters are unnecessary, so I must ask you to bear with me. To satiate those that want this story to get a move on, I will add update one chapter more than I meant to, one that definitely gets the ball rolling.

Thanks again for all your reviews, I really appreciate them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…I'd have Iruka teach me how to use my chakra, and then I'd come up with a jutsu. What would it be?)

SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.

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Run From You

            By Doskoipanda

Chapter 5: Resolve

Sasuke determined that things were now getting out of hand. His behavior was absolutely ridiculous. Not unfounded, because someone did have to keep an eye on Naruto, but he was actually watching over the fool of his own free will.

Initially, he had called it arrogance. No one could do a better job than he could. But he knew that wasn't true; there were others that would give their souls to keep that dobe out of harm's way, and they were no less skilled than he was. Even if they were, their feelings about that idiot made up for it…

Well, it wasn't like he wouldn't feel the same—

There. Again with the weird behavior, again with the strange thoughts. This just had to stop.

Well…perhaps it wasn't so strange to feel a bit protective, because Naruto did mean a lot to him when he really thought about it.

He often wondered when that had come about. Perhaps it was when Shikamaru's team had brought him back to Konoha, when Naruto had turned to him and said so roughly, so obnoxiously "We're home, asshole. This is where you belong. Now go apologize to Sakura-chan."

Or perhaps it went back further than that, back to the training together, fighting with each other, stealing each other's personal belongings (who knew that Naruto collected that much manga?), all that time spent together in their teens.

Or maybe it had happened recently, after Sasuke had become ANBU and Team 7 was disbanded, only a year ago. Perhaps the shock of losing the daily presence of the loud, annoying usura tonkachi made him realize how necessary Naruto was in his everyday life, how vital it was that Naruto tell him, for instance, what he'd had for breakfast every single goddamn day and what he had planned for lunch to boot. Which was of course ramen and ramen with extra noodles.

It didn't even matter when, actually. What mattered was that Naruto had crawled into his heart somehow and had rooted there like a weed, ornery and stubborn and strong.

But it was only to be expected, right? They had shared so much; their lives, their hopes, hatreds and understandings of each other. It was logical to consider Naruto as a necessary being in his life, right?

That didn't seem to settle right with his "avenger" mindset. He was Uchiha Sasuke. He was not supposed to need anyone.

And yet, as often as he told himself this, it did not change anything. And he tried to be so careful not to show anything, as if by not acknowledging his feelings, they didn't exist.

But it was getting harder and harder to hide now. The things that he had been able to explain away long ago made less sense as the years went by. It was no longer thoughtfulness that compelled him to provide companionship; it wasn't arrogance that made him want to protect; not a desire for power that created the need for the usura tonkach—….for Naruto

He needed him.

But did "need" equal "love"?

And this was the barrier that Sasuke refused to cross, the edge of the cliff so to speak. Yes, he cared about Naruto deeply. Yes, he was willing to fight and die for him, as a close friend and comrade. But love….love was going too far. Unreasonably far. Ridiculously far.

It was impossible.

Hence his discomfort during Naruto's last field trial, where he had heard something innocent and unassuming and had instantly panicked. Naruto hadn't meant anything, and yet the moment had filled him with such…cursed…happiness…and then he'd freaked out…

Why was he so afraid?

Because everything that I had told myself to believe had been destroyed in that one second. He had the power to do that. Something in me had the power to do that.

It had to be suppressed.

Yes. He had to focus on reality. He was an Uchiha, last of his clan. He had obligations to fulfill.

But even that seemed to be a poor excuse in the eyes of some…

"What do you have in mind for the future?"

Sasuke did not look up from his bento. Lunch break was short, he had a long patrol scheduled and he was too hungry to waste any time not eating. "What's it to you?" he asked with his mouth partially full.

Hyuuga Neji, on the other hand, did not seem to care about food at the moment. His pale eyes seemed to watch something in the far distance. They were sitting on the rooftop of the jounin Academy, where Sasuke usually ate alone, but Neji had joined him today.

"Will you marry?" Neji asked abruptly.

Sasuke choked. Neji made no move to help as the usually composed shinobi hacked and drank half a canteen of water.

"What did you say?" Sasuke wiped his mouth. "What does that have to do with anything—"

"It is something that you and I must consider." Neji was taciturn as usual, but Sasuke did not want to just let things slide. "What are you talking about?" he asked, completely bemused.

The pale white eyes that distinguished the Hyuuga clan slid shut. "You and I are of advanced bloodlines. It is therefore vital that we produce heirs."

Sasuke sat very still. It was not a concept that he'd never heard before, but it was the first time that he had realized how significant it was to him. He had not really considered the future unless it involved Itachi; he had no other goals to work forward to save becoming an ANBU, and he had done that.

Was he then destined to become an Uchiha breeding machine?

He didn't realize that Neji had been watching him until the Hyuuga began to speak. "I see you haven't given it much thought," he said, a touch smugly.

Sasuke grew defensive. "What about you then? Why are you bringing this up?"

Neji turned his face away, staring at his hands. "I wanted to see what you wanted to do with your life."

Utterly lost, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

The pale-eyed ANBU did not look up. "If you were to marry, you would choose a woman of highest caliber and intellect, would you not? You would not only want to pass your bloodline through her, you would want to compliment it with the most outstanding traits that she could offer."

Sasuke nodded. Neji placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up only to stroll slowly to the railing of the rooftop. "I was introduced to such a woman today." He said softly.

Sasuke put his bento aside. "Your family is arranging a marriage?"

"The woman I met today underwent the Hyuuga clan's strict processing and passed with flying colors. She is intelligent, has formidable technique, and she's beautiful." Neji gripped the railing and braced himself against it, watching the empty blue sky.

Sasuke was quiet. It was all in what Neji did not say that said it for him.

He loves someone else.

Almost as if Neji could read the other's thoughts, he whirled around and pierced Sasuke with his penetrating stare. "You and I both used to think that power meant everything," he said almost fiercely. "Do you still believe it, as an Uchiha?"

            A blur of memories raced through Sasuke's mind. His dead parents. Sakura's laughter. Itachi. Kakashi's tardiness. Orochimaru. The war. Naruto's fox-slitted eyes. Darkness and then redemption.

            But…

            "Yes," Sasuke answered softly after a moment of silence.

There is no other way for people like us.

            Neji snorted. "You lie."

            Stunned, Sasuke rose and stared Neji in his pale eyes. "No one calls me a liar."

            "And yet you are lying," Neji's lips curved into a sneer. "You're lying to both me and yourself. I can see it."

            Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Where the hell do you get off calling me that?"

            Neji turned his back on Sasuke. "You have been around him too long to think that way any longer," he said quietly over his shoulder.

            "What?!" Sasuke exploded. "Who are you—"

            His voice stopped as he realized who Neji was referring to.

            The Hyuuga sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I regret listening to that idiot," he said reflectively.

            Sasuke regained his voice. "What are you talking about?"

            "I'm not really sure," Neji stared at the rooftops of Konoha, unstructured and mismatched and yet fitting against the blue sky. "It was so much easier when I didn't regard my own feelings. And then that fool opened my eyes…"

            Opened my eyes and showed me how to see myself in the darkness.

            "So what are you saying?" Sasuke asked warily. Neji turned slightly to regard the dark-eyed Uchiha. And after a moment, he smiled.

"I think I may try being an idiot," the Hyuuga mused.

            "What?"

"I'm going to refuse the marriage." Neji said patiently.

Sasuke was dumbfounded. "You mean…you're going to go against the Main House?!" he asked incredulously. "But that—"

"—won't be easy, I know. That is of no consequence to me. There is no situation I cannot handle." Neji's voice had regained its icy haughtiness. "I shall relish it as a challenge."

I will not give up despite what others think of me. That is what you taught me, Naruto.

And I will win.

Sasuke could not say anything, and instead let stunned silence portray his current state of mind. Little cotton balls of mist sailed slowly through the blue waters of the sky, and only the sun was heavier than the quiet. After what seemed like an eternity, Neji flipped gracefully up onto the railing and faced the rooftops of Konoha. "I wish you luck, Uchiha, in whatever you do," he said without turning around. "I hope you find a light to guide you."

And the Hyuuga leapt out into the golden afternoon.

All right, fine. Maybe Naruto did influence him; perhaps he did remind Sasuke of things that could not be compromised for power. But that did not mean that Naruto was one of those things.

Or, he was. He was vital to Sasuke. But he didn't love him or anything.

………….

He didn't. He couldn't. He wasn't that strong.

Because if he did allow himself to fall over the edge, if he let the floodgates of his heart open….who knew what he might do. Who knew how badly he would be hurt.

And he would be hurt. There was no possibility of Naruto harboring similar emotions, and the end result inevitably would be Naruto running from such a scenario. Running from him.

He was Uchiha, yes. But even he wasn't strong enough to take that. He could not afford to lose the only light powerful enough to overpower his own dark soul.

So he would watch over Naruto for now, and he would keep up his walls and defenses, and he would make himself impenetrable.

And if he fell…he would be the first to run instead.

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            Shikamaru, tensai of Konoha, was backed up completely against the back wall of Konoha's flower shop. Sweat stood out on his forehead as he licked his dry lips, his eyes darting around to seek escape.

            "You're not getting out of this one, Shika."

            The Shadow nin's eyes snapped forward to view his adversary, a blonde shinobi with a rather sinister smirk, who was not more than six inches away from his nose.

            From this distance, her eyes were even clearer, her face was absolutely perfect, like a heavenly tennyo—

Kami-sama, he HAD to get out of here.

He cursed at his stupidity; he had figured that Ino might have seen Naruto around, and so he'd asked after him. Shikamaru knew that Naruto was dealing with something because he was so quiet as of late, which was a mythical occurrence. He also knew that when Naruto was troubled, he'd usually pour his soul out to Sakura. Then Sakura would talk to Ino, and then Ino would know all sides of the issue and would have the most up-to-date information. Thus, Shikamaru figured there was no harm in asking about Naruto's state of being. Much as he pretended not to be, he was worried about the idiot.

But he should have worried more about himself. Now Ino was on his case, and he didn't like it when she was completely focused on him. It made him extremely nervous. Actually, it made him giddy with fear. He had the distinct impression that she could see through his mask of indifference and read what lay behind it.

He did not want her to know.

            "You know what, never mind. I gotta get going." Shikamaru made his voice as nonchalant as he could. "Gotta…you know…do…lots of things—"

            "You know something, don't you?!" Ino stepped even closer, making Shikamaru's insides compact exponentially. "You know something about this, don't you?!"

            Shikamaru swallowed, desperately trying to look annoyed. "What are you blabbering about now, dammit?" When Ino made no further comment, he made his lips curve into a poor smile. "This better not be about Uchiha again."

            Ino's eyes narrowed. "Stop trying to change the subject. Why in the world would you ask me how Naruto was doing?"

            Shikamaru opened his mouth to answer, then seemed to change his mind halfway. "No reason. Just making small tal—"

            "SHIKA!"

Refusing to let his countenance blanch, he tried to put her off once more. "Like I said, never mind. I really need to go—"

            He froze, partly in shock, but also partly because Ino had grabbed his face in her hands and it was hard to move his head. "How do you know??" she demanded.

            Cat was out of the bag now. Shikamaru sighed. Of course Ino's father would have told her about the warning from the Sand Country and that there were people after Naruto again. After all, his father had told him about it. Perhaps even the whole village knew.

            "Geez, Ino, how else do you think I'd find out? From my dad." The shadow nin snorted.

            He was totally flabbergasted when Ino released his head and clapped her hands to her mouth instead. "The whole….village…you're kidding…"

            "Well, it's probably for the better," he said quickly, puzzled by her distress but wanting to reassure her quickly. "That way, the whole village can keep an eye on hi—"

            "Better? This is the worst thing that could happen!" Ino threw her hands into the air. "What should we do?! Sakura will kill me, and that's the stupid part, I didn't say a word! And Sasuke-kun! Oh my gosh, if he thinks that I did it, he'll despise me for the rest of my life and beyond!"

Shikamaru forced another smile that came out more like a grimace. "I don't think Uchiha would care much about the village knowing."

            "Are you kidding me?" Ino's voice rose in scandalized tones. "I'd seriously care if something like that got out to the village!"

            "Ino, you make no sense. It's better that the village knows. We can watch over that dolt a lot easier this way."

            It was Ino's turn to look flabbergasted. "Who….do you mean Naruto? What do you mean, watch over him?"

            "Watch over. To protect, to guard, to keep from harm—"

            "That's not what I mean and you know it! What do you mean….like protecting him from Sasuke-kun?"

            "Why the hell would anyone protect Naruto from Uchiha—"

            "—I don't know, you keep bringing it up—"

            "Che!" Shikamaru began to rub the back of his neck, his physical indication of annoyance. "I don't understand a word you're saying—"

            "You're the one that makes no sense—"

            "See, this is why I told you to forget it—"

            "Forget it?! Do you know how much this is going to hurt Sasuke-kun?"

            Shikamaru was silent. Ino was about to launch into another lungful of scolding, but the heated words diffused out of her as she watched him, watched as something in him seem to fade.

            "Why do I even bother?" she heard him mutter. "Mendokuse." He stretched his neck from side to side and turned his eyes on her again. "This isn't about Uchiha," he said harshly. "I think if you want to help, we'd better concentrate on watching over Naruto—"

            "SHIKA, IF YOU DON'T EXPLAIN WHAT IN KAMI-SAMA'S NAME YOU MEAN BY 'WATCHING OVER NARUTO,' I WILL MIND TRANSFER INTO YOU AND FIND OUT MYSELF."

            This was the threat that always got him. For some reason that Ino knew not, Shikamaru was terrified of her using her jutsu on him.

            He had a great way of not showing it, though. In response, he rolled his eyes. "We have to watch over him because one of that snake-guy's men is after him, remember?" he explained patiently.

            There was a profound silence. Then the entire shop shook with the force of Ino's surprise. "WHAT?!" she screamed.

            "Crap," said Shikamaru. His father was going to kill him. NOW the whole village would know.

* * * * * * *

            After a lot of unintelligible muttering and screaming, Ino was informed of the situation.

            "But why?!" she asked, horrified. "Why are they after him again?!"

            "Dunno." Shikamaru slouched over to the reception counter and leaned against it. "But people are always after him, so it's actually no surprise."

            Shikamaru had gained a lot of respect for Naruto over the years, mainly because of the idiot's drive to excel. The tensai had never suspected that Naruto would be capable of such dedication when they were younger, but by now he had learned not to be surprised by anything his loud, annoying comrade did. Naruto was still an obnoxious fool, but he had shaken everyone's image of him over and over again. It was too troublesome to be surprised by his accomplishments anymore.

And yet, Shikamaru had never figured out what exactly was in Uzumaki that was wanted by so many others. True, Naruto had inhuman chakra stamina, and was taught by the legendary sennin Jiraiya-sama, and was a close comrade of Uchiha Sasuke…

Wait.

"Hang on…" he said aloud, slowly. "What if they're trying to get Uchiha again by using Naruto?"

"What?" Ino had also slumped into silent speculation, but now her eyes snapped back onto his face with alarming intensity. "What did you say?"

"Maybe they're after Uchiha again." Shikamaru's brow furrowed. "Maybe they're using Naruto as a ploy to make Uchiha careless…it makes more sense that they'd be after him because of…well…"

There was no point in saying it aloud because it was just painful for most ears, that Sasuke had once left Konoha to become a follower of Orochimaru. But Shikamaru and his hand-picked team had brought him back. That part of Sasuke's life was over.

Probably Orochimaru's cronies didn't see it that way, though. Now that Orochimaru was dead, they probably hoped to carry out his intent with Uchiha's body and make him immortal even though the source was gone—

Shikamaru almost screamed in shock. Ino was once again only about six inches away from his nose. "YOU DO KNOW SOMETHING," she thundered without raising her voice pitch.

He just about flew back to get some distance between them. "What the hell—"

"Spit it out, Shika!" Ino demanded. "Did Sasuke-kun tell you? How do you know?"

"Know WHAT, dammit?!" Shikamaru yelled back. "I don't even know what the hell—"

"THAT SASUKE-KUN REALLY IS IN LOVE WITH NARUTO!"

It was as if someone had sucked all sound out of the room with a vacuum cleaner. Both Shikamaru and Ino stood extremely still, as if they were trying to be images in a still-shot photograph. Chouji poked his head into the shop to say good morning as usual, noted the atmosphere, and decided to come back later.

"Shi…Shika?" Ino finally ventured. "Ano…I guess you didn't know…um…but…ah haha….don't…let's just keep this between us, huh?"

Shikamaru was silent. Ino's panic level rose. "Shika?"

"I'm sorry."

Ino blinked. Shikamaru's eyes were focused on her own, but they were cold and hard, not the soft deep grey that she had come to know so well.

"Sorry for what?" she tried to smile. He didn't smile back. Ino let her brow furrow in a puzzled frown. "Shika, you're being weir—"

"I'm sorry that he likes someone else." Shikamaru nearly spat the words from his mouth in a flat vehemence that felt very odd to him. So much emotion in his voice. He wasn't used to it.

"Why be sorry?" Ino cocked her head to one side. "It's not your place to feel that way."

She was even more confused when he gave a bitter sort of chuckle. "Yeah. You're right."

It's not your place.

Totally bewildered, and a bit nervous, Ino looked at the floor. "But I guess you didn't know, huh? I mean, the way you reacted—"

"Actually, I kinda noticed. You just confirmed it, though." Shikamaru raised a hand to run it over his hair. "They've always had a weird relationship, those two. Che….it's too troublesome to think about."

But it made sense, perfect sense. The small things he'd seen between the two of them were enough to alert even the dead, or at least he thought so. The hatred, the friendship, and then that terrible rivalry that had nearly ripped the two apart had only served to draw them closer to each other. Like a trial by fire, they were welded so tightly now that it only made sense that they would care deeply for each other, deeply enough to love.

And still this stupid, childish kunoichi that stood before him, this fiery, spirited girl still loved that goddamn Uchiha prodigy, even when she knew he'd fallen for someone else.

This beautiful, strong woman.

It really, really hurt sometimes when Shikamaru thought about how long it had taken him to admit that he loved Ino, that every time he had come to that conclusion he had pushed it aside because he was smarter than that. He knew better. How could he compare to her ideal? And yet the feeling had not died, it had only grown larger and more painful.

Men were truly masochists deep down. It was the only explanation that worked, that he enjoyed hurting himself again and again, because when he added up all the factors put into the soul-eating ache, it wasn't worth it.     

And yet…and yet…it was impossible to stop.

"Are you upset about it?" he asked directly.

Ino lifted her gaze to meet his, and saw something in his eyes that twisted her stomach in a strange way, not at all like the feeling that she used to get when her old heart-throb would happen to glance at her. It was a stillness that gripped her now as she faced that gentle, melting comfort that was clear in Shikamaru's eyes, but would never leave his mouth in the form of words.

He was such a frustrating person. Ino's jaw clenched in automatic response to her indignation. So frustrating, so hopelessly emotionless, so goddamn LAZY.

And yet she longed to believe in what she could see in his eyes. She yearned to rip off that scowl that hid his soul and behold the joy, anguish, anger and hope that lay underneath. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know him, so badly that it burned her guts. She wanted to confirm how wrong she was about him, she wanted to shake the image of her mind's eye and let her soul see him, see who he really was.

She wanted to understand what he was trying to tell her with his soul-deep gaze, the one that she was trapped in at that very moment.

Could it possibly be true?

            And as Ino opened her mouth to ask the forbidden question, the one that Shikamaru  always managed to avoid, cut short or sleep through, Chouji stuck his head back into the shop and shouted "OHAYOU!!" Then, as if on fire, he bolted. He could have waited, indeed, he had more tact when it came to the two of them, but he really had to get going to the academy to get his next mission.

            The mood completely interrupted, Shikamaru blew a sigh of relief and waved a hand languidly at Ino before slouching out the door. Ino did not wave back, but instead stared at the floor and clenched her fists.

            She did not know what to make of him.

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Thanks for reading, please review!