Chapter 1 - A Troublesome Night

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Though Shikamaru was often called a genius and was able to figure out nearly every possible strategy an opponent could make, the forming of his relationship with Naruto managed to evade his complete understanding. One second they were barely acquaintances, and the next second... well, they were there, eighteen years old, in a bar, drinking beer like good buddies. It was nearly midnight, and Shikamaru was beginning to think Naruto had had too many.

"--And then Ero-sennin was like 'waait! wait' and chased the woman outside of the hotel, wearing nothing but some old boxers! You should've seen Sakura-chan's face when he came tearing through the lobby!" Naruto laughed very loudly. He then took a break and drank a long gulp from his tall glass of beer.

Shikamaru sighed and made a discreet sign to the bartender not to give Naruto anymore to drink. The bartender nodded. Shikamaru took a drink from his own much fuller glass and frowned a bit in displeasure. He never cared for drinking much. It was too much trouble. He really couldn't understand how Naruto had even gotten him to agree to something like this in the first place.

As if he had heard Shikamaru's thoughts, Naruto suddenly thumped his friend hard on the back. "I'm so glad you came here with me, Shikamaru! It's been sooo long since I've gone somewhere and just cut back and relaxed, you know?" Naruto laid his head down on the counter and smiled a very content smile.

"Didn't you and Kiba come here just last night?" Shikamaru reminded Naruto, shrugging Naruto's hand off as Naruto began to play with the side pocket on his shirt.

"Mmm, I suppose we did," Naruto said, looking thoughtful as if trying to remember. His arm lay limp on the counter where Shikamaru had pushed it. "But I didn't have nearly as much fun as I am now."

"According to Ino, who saw you and Kiba walking by her house wearing bags on your heads, you looked like you were having a ton of fun," Shikamaru stated dryly.

"Bags? I don't remember that..." Naruto rolled his head over and rested on his chin, looking puzzled.

Shikamaru sighed again. "Of course you don't. You never do. I'm really starting to think you have no self-control."

"Hey, now I have self-control!" Naruto said indignantly. "I have tons and tons of self-control! You take that back, you bastard!"

Shikamaru would've taken Naruto more seriously if it weren't for that fact that his head seemed to be permanently rested on the counter. "Whatever," he muttered.

Naruto glared at him then pushed himself off the counter and reached for his beer again. He drained the last of the glass down his throat. When he put it back down, he had a glum expression on his face.

Shikamaru spared a glance at his suddenly somber friend. "So when are you going out again?" he asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Naruto mumbled. The glossiness in his eyes dissipated a bit. "Secret ANBU mission stuff. Can't talk about it."

"I understand," Shikamaru said simply. He cupped his glass in his hands and studied the golden colored liquid inside. "Will you be working with Sasuke this time?"

Naruto made a face. "Yeah... the jerk."

Shikamaru nodded. "How long will you be gone?"

"A week."

They were silent for a while. Shikamaru took the opportunity to finish off his drink. Finally, Naruto spoke again.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Mm?" Shikamaru tilted his head towards Naruto to show he was listening.

"Why haven't you joined ANBU yet?"

Shikamaru was slightly surprised by the question. "Too much work," he stated in a tone of voice that said it should've been obvious.

Naruto rubbed a finger over the edge of his empty glass. "I want you to be in it. It would be nice. We could work together, then."

Shikamru shook his head. "Yeah, right. You just don't want to be partnered with Sasuke anymore."

"That's totally not true!" Naruto's voice was even louder then usual. "I don't give a shit either way! That guy means absolutely nothing to me!"

"No, of course not. That's why you've been drinking yourself into oblivion for the past week."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto stuttered.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Naruto's stubbornness. "Please, Naruto. We've all noticed how depressed you get right before a mission with him."

Naruto looked like he wanted to say several things at once.

Shikamaru interrupted before he could. "Just don't even try."

Naruto's mouth shut then opened again. "I really hate him," he said bitterly.

Shikamaru didn't particularly care for Sasuke, either, but he knew that what Naruto had said wasn't true. "Whatever..."

Naruto slammed his palm on the counter. "No, I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" He was saying this very fast and very childishly.

"Fine. Okay! Whatever... forget I said any thing, then," Shikamaru said in annoyance. This was so troublesome.

Naruto crossed his arms, stuck them on the counter, and layed his head in them with a frown. "Why does everything have to get so confusing and different, Shika? Hmm? Why can't things go back to when we were kids?"

"Because things just don't really work like that, I guess," Shikamaru stated.

Naruto looked away, his eyes had a far-off glint to them. "They should," he mumbled.

Shikamaru didn't bother to disagree.

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Shikamaru never understood why he did the things he did for Naruto. Naruto somehow managed to convince him to go against his nature, which is a trait he possessed that not even his best friend Chouji could master. It was just something about that crooked grin and insistent blue eyes. He was like a hyperactive puppy you couldn't ignore. Well, except for now. Right now he was barely able to stand, and he was starting to make Shikamaru's right shoulder ache from supporting him.

"Damnit, Naruto! Sit up and help me a little. I'm not going to haul your drunk ass all the way to your apartment," Shikamaru snapped to the stumbling blond, who's head kept smacking into his as he tried to keep up with Shikamaru's steps.

"S'm trying. Gimme a minute," mumbled Naruto. He tried to take his arm from Shikamaru's shoulder and sit down on the road, but Shikamaru would have nothing of it.

"Hey, now. Don't you pass out on me yet, you idiot. Honestly, what was I thinking letting you get like this?"

"Shikamaru, I loooove you!" Naruto chimed with a giggle. He planted a sloppy kiss on Shikamaru's cheek then tripped over his feet and nearly dragged him and Shikamaru to the ground.

Shikamaru fought a battle with gravity and nearly lost as he righted himself and Naruto again. He continued down the path they had taken, unsure exactly where Naruto even lived. He wanted to rub away the tingling feeling left over from Naruto's lips, but he didn't have a hand to spare.

"You are such a pain, Naruto," he said furiously as they made it past the flower shop.

"So he's drunk again, is he?" a voice suddenly ask from the shadows. Shikamaru's right hand went to his weapons' pack instantly which made Naruto lurch forward. A familiar shape leaped out and caught the inebriated blond before he fell. Shikamaru's stance relaxed slightly.

"Hello, Sasuke," he greeted coolly.

Sasuke nodded his greeting, shifting Naruto over to a more comfortable position in his arms. Naruto was still working on figuring out just what had happened. "Hey!" he said loudly, pushing his head up and blinking at Sasuke's face. His expressions crossed from mildly surprise, to alarm, to anger. "What the fuck are you doing, you asshole!"

Sasuke easily overpowered Naruto's feeble attempts to get away from him. "Shut it, usuratonkachi," he growled.

Naruto glared at the dark haired youth and yanked against the grip he had on his wrists to no avail. "Lemme go, bastard!"

"No," Sasuke said simply.

Shikamaru decided to intercede. "I was just taking Naruto back to his apartment," he explained. He tried to ignore the still struggling Naruto, who was shooting pleading looks in his direction.

"You've been going the wrong way. Naruto's apartment is south of here."

Shikamaru heaved a great sigh. "Tch. How troublesome," he said. He was never going to get to bed at this rate.

"I'll take him," Sasuke offered. His voice was even and his expression unreadable.

Naruto rebelled again. "Like hell! I can take care of myself, thank you!"

Sasuke ignored him. "I promise I'll make sure he gets home safely."

Shikamaru glanced from Naruto's flustered face to Sasuke's unreadable one. He knew that by allowing Sasuke to take Naruto home, he'd be in for a very loud, very annoying rant from Naruto the next day. But then again, by refusing he'd have to make the walk to Naruto's apartment himself, and that was just if Sasuke allowed him to refuse. Either way, he was in for trouble. All he knew at the moment, though, was that he needed rest. "Do what you like," he said.

"Traitor!" Naruto shrieked into the night. Shikamaru winced. Sasuke let the fox boy go and he promptly fell over into the road. Naruto struggled to pick himself up and didn't succeed until Shikamaru helped him along.

"This will teach you not to drink so much," Shikamaru said as he handed Naruto over to Sasuke, who was far less gentle and kept Naruto in place by gripping him in the back of the neck. Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm trusting you, Uchiha," he stated, looking hard into Sasuke's eyes. He was the main reason Naruto was like this, and Shikamaru wasn't about to forget that.

Something passed over Sasuke's face as he looked down at his much shorter companion. "Don't worry about a thing," he reassured Shikamaru.

A slight frown tugged at the edge of Shikamaru's mouth when Sasuke and Naruto left. Naruto was pressed in close to Sasuke, struggling like a mad badger to get away from him. That, and simply to walk straight. Sasuke was taking everything with the usual cold attitude that Shikamaru had always disliked immensely. There was just something about his cocky attitude that had irked him since their very first days together in the academy. He didn't quite understand why it was Naruto was so drawn to him in the first place. Then again, it wasn't like it was any of his business. He was tired and his home was several blocks away. It was better for him to start walking then contemplate anything else tonight that might annoy him.

'Naruto had better not blame me for anything else that happens tonight,' Shikamaru thought as he turned away from the scene in front of him and walked towards his house.

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