Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; Masashi Kishimoto does. So sue me!

Chapter 7: Welcome Home, Murasaki

Shikamaru had been running for approximately three minutes before he heard the sound of other people beating on something. Strange, Shikamaru thought to himself. It sounds like about three or four people beating on one other object. It doesn't seem to be a fair fight. I'd better step in before they kill whatever they're beating on.

He had just turned the corner to one of the alleyways when he saw a girl fall to the ground. A puddle of blood had formed on the ground, and he saw that there were four ninja beating up on her. Shikamaru stood behind them and yelled, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU GUYS!"

They each stopped and turned to face Shikamaru. They each shuddered in fear, and they took off running extremely fast. Shikamaru chuckled, and then turned his attention back to the fallen girl. She seemed very weak from the blood loss, but he situated her into a position to where she was leaning into his chest. She seemed similar to that of a Nara, but he swore he had never seen her before.

She opened her eyes slowly and painfully and looked at him. "Hello," she whispered lightly.

Shikamaru smiled. "You're awake now," he told her. "What's your name?"

"My name was Yumi Kusakabe, but I recently found out that my name is Murasaki," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Murasaki, you say?" he asked her with a bit of surprise in his voice.

The girl nodded before her eyes closed, but this time she stopped breathing. Shikamaru panicked as he picked her up and ran for his house.

The minute he reached the Nara household, the door was opened by Shino, who quickly moved out of the way to avoid being trampled. Shikamaru then laid the girl on the couch and asked, "Will you revive her, Dad? She's stopped breathing, and I don't have enough chakara for that kind of job. Please, Father. I'll explain everything later."

Shikaku nodded and placed a hand on the girl's forehead. Now in the light, Shikamaru could see the girl better. She had white skin, dark brown hair with remnants of black hair that was tied in a ponytail (she had obviously dyed her hair at one point), and was wearing a black muscle shirt, tan pants and torn up tennis shoes. She had many cuts and bruises added onto her appearance.

Shikamaru sighed. How could they do this to an innocent girl? Then it dawned on him. I've never seen this girl in the village. I know everyone that lives in this village, but I don't recognize her. She's a new girl. I wonder if there are any others like that.

Shikaku then took his hand off of her forehead. A moment later, the girl began breathing again. She started to struggle, but she was breathing. Her eyes shot open and they showed panic and fear. She quickly bolted into a sitting position. Shikamaru pulled her into a comforting embrace, which shocked the girl, but apparently calmed her down to the point where she became relaxed.

Shikaku looked at Shikamaru. "You owe me an explanation now, Shikamaru," he told his son. "Who is this girl and where did she come from?"

"I'm new to this village," the girl told him. "I came here after being banished from the Hidden Sand. Here's my new hitai-ate to prove that I belong here now." She pulled it out of her pocket. The hitai-ate had the symbol of Konohagakure on it. She then got another out. This one had the symbol of the Hidden Sand, but it had a slash through it.

"My name there was Kusakabe Yumi," she continued. "However, the Kazekage told me my real first name was Murasaki. He never told me what my real last name was. I have no idea what it could be, either.

"I was just walking around when these guys ganged up on me and started knocking the crap out of me for no reason at all. I felt like I was about to die. Then, this kid appeared and told them off," she finished, pointing to Shikamaru. "And that's the last thing I remember before I passed out."

"You didn't exactly pass out, girl," Shikamaru piped up. "You stopped breathing for a while until I brought you here and had my dad revive you!"

Murasaki stared and looked out the window. "You should've just left me there to die," she finally said. "There was no need for you to help me out."

Shikamaru smiled and hugged her again. "Hey, it wouldn't be right if I had left my own sister dying out in an alley of a village she barely remembers," he told her.

Murasaki gasped, pulling back from Shikamaru's grasp. "What do you mean, sister?" she asked him. "I don't even know you. Where do you get off assuming that I'm related to you? I live by myself here in this village. I just happened to run into you because you helped run those other guys off. So, if you don't mind, I'll be going back to the tent that I call my home!" She then got up and went out the door.

Shikamaru went after her. Shino then said, "I think I will be going home now. My mother will probably be worried about why I am gone. Tell Shikamaru that I said farewell, please." With that, he went out the door in the direction of the Aburame house.

Shikamaru caught up easily with the injured girl. "Look here, Murasaki!" he started. "I know for a fact that you're my sister. Just bear with me! We'll get a DNA test from our father to prove it! Now, come back home with me and wait until morning to go to your tent. You've already been through too much tonight, okay?"

Murasaki sighed, but gave in and followed Shikamaru back in the direction of the Nara household.

The minutes they entered the house, Shikamaru took Murasaki's hand and made her follow him up the stairs. He stopped in front of a door and opened it. He then turned a light on and revealed a girl's room. It was a young girl's room, to be exact. The bed was big enough for her current height, but everything else about the room showed the owner of the room had to be very young.

Shikamaru sighed. "This was your room before you got taken away nine years ago," he told her. Murasaki looked at him in shock. She then looked back in the room and dropped down on the bed, immediately falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

Shikamaru chuckled to himself. He couldn't resist giving her a kiss on the forehead and pulling the cover over her sleeping body. Before turning out the light, he looked over his shoulder and whispered, "Welcome home, Murasaki."

Cuteness. Good? Bad? Whatever? Feedback would be appreciated!