A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm going on vacation the latter half of this week and all of next, so I'm going to update at the beginning of this week, and then you won't hear from me for a while. I'll resume updating when I return. Sorry about this short chapter- check again tomorrow. Hopefully quick updates will make up for short chapters.

In the meantime, please read, review, and recommend to your friends.

The next day he was lying blissfully in the grass, watching the clouds from behind closed eyelids. He had worried for a little while about Ino on her mission, but figured that she would always do her best to come back. Thinking about losing her was the most troublesome thing he could imagine. So, he decided to think about nothing at all. Life had become increasingly complicated as he grew older, and he wasn't even twenty yet. It was hard to deal with, sometimes, but it wasn't like he had a choice. He did what he could to avoid troublesome things, but sometimes there was just no way around them.

"Hey," he heard a familiar voice say, and he looked up to see Chouji towering over him. Chouji was by far the tallest of the original genin twelve, with Shino a fairly close second. Lee was in third, and Shikamaru was completely content with his place in fourth, Naruto just a half-inch behind him.

Shikamaru propped himself up on his elbows. "Hi. I'm happy to see you," he said, but knew his face didn't show any such emotion. Chouji, luckily, knew that Shikamaru meant what he said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to take some of your time on your day off," Chouji replied, plopping down in the grass next to him.

"So what's up? I thought you'd be wedding planning or something."

"Naw," he said, pulling up a few blades of grass. "Our folks are doing most of that."

"Nervous?"

Chouji laughed. "A little, but not about the wedding."

Shikamaru waited, the silence filled with anxiety. "And?"

"I'm a ninja. Naomi's not. She wasn't raised in this sort of environment. She's been really supportive so far, but she doesn't understand how easily we die. I mean, you remember that one time…."

Shikamaru nodded gravely. The memory of when Chouji had nearly died retrieving Sasuke still haunted his dreams. He didn't know what he would have done if he had lost his friend. It made him feel nauseous every time he thought about it. "We're just tools, Chouji. You and I know that. Naomi knows that, too, and is willing to accept it. If she's okay with it, then you should be, too."

"Yeah, I know," Chouji muttered, still plucking at the grass. "It'd be easier if we had more permanent teams."

Shikamaru nodded. Sandaime had kept the ninja in the same teams, but Godaime liked to form teams based on the requirements of the missions. More often than not there was an increased efficiency in the completion of the mission, but the sense of teamwork dwindled as one rose in rank, with jounins being swapped around almost every mission. ANBU members had become the only non-genin force to work in set teams. "Well," he said, "you could always drop out and join the police force. Some of their members don't go on outside missions, like Sasuke, when he's allowed to work."

"Poor bastard," Chouji replied. "So, I heard they want you to join ANBU?"

He shuddered. "Yeah, but there's no way in hell I'd do it. I think part of the reason they wear masks is because they can't stand to look at themselves otherwise. The things the ANBU have to do. . . . The mask must help the psychological creation of an alter ego, so that they can rationalize their actions by assigning guilt to the fictitious personality. How else could a person be ANBU and have their soul remain intact?"

Chouji stared at him, his eyes wide. "Oh. Okay. Is that what you think about when you watch the sky?"

"No. I don't think of much when I watch the sky. When I watch, it's those sorts of thoughts I try to escape. Life is just such a bother sometimes. I need a lot of mental vacations."

"Is Ino something you try not to think about?" Chouji grinned slyly. "Something must be bugging you, because you never talk this much. It's usually too much trouble for you."

Shikamaru clenched his jaw, scowling as his face heated up. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh no? You looked pretty smitten last night. Don't blame you. She grew up to be really hot. Not as much as Naomi, but still good."

Shikamaru grunted. "Yeah, whatever."

"You like her, right?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Okay, a little."

"She always seems happiest around you."

"Yeah, that's why every guy in the village has been her boyfriend but me."

Chouji sucked in air through his teeth. "You're bitter. Ino's not loose, though. She's just looking for something. You can't be angry at her for trying to find it."

"Can, and will," Shikamaru snorted. "I'm always at the bottom of her list."

"Lost of people think that you don't like girls, or boys, for that matter," Chouji explained. "They think you're above sex or something. Maybe she does, too?"

"Bah, might as well be. Everything is such a hassle."

Chouji narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever even been with a girl?"

Shikamaru's scowl intensified. "Like how do you mean?"

"I don't know. Anything, I guess."

"Well, yeah. Of course."

Chouji's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide as he stared at his friend. "Who?" he demanded.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. "Don't you dare tell a soul," he growled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Who?"

He took another breath. "Temari."

"From the Sand?"

"…Yeah."

Chouji erupted into laughter. "That's great," he said, wiping his eyes. "I've heard she's as crazy as hell, but she's also fun. Oh man, you're in for a ride. You going to bring her to the wedding?"

Oh, right, like that wouldn't be a disaster and a half. That right there was the definition of trouble. Capital "T" for trouble, and for Temari, too. "Maybe I will," he replied. If he ran into her, he might consider it. It wasn't something he was willing to work for.

Chouji glanced at the sky. "Well, your secret's safe with me. I had better get going. Drop by when you get back from your mission, okay? Tsunade-sama's giving me short missions so I can be here for my wedding."

"Okay," Shikamaru said, waving at the large young man as he walked away, then enjoyed the rest of his day in peace.