Okay, this chapter's about and a half pages long. See? Longer!

Chapter 2: A Changed Shikamaru and A New Mission!

"Hey, Naruto! Did you hear? The entire deal with the Sand was just a big mistake! There was no reason to go after them in the first place," Sakura called, running up to the ramen stand. Naruto and Hinata sat there, sharing a bowl of chicken ramen, Hinata's favorite flavor. They had been going out for a year and a half, and everyone had to agree they are the cutest couple in the village. Sakura is going out with Sasuke, leaving Ino with Kiba. Tenten and Neji are going out, too.

"Hn? You mean we had to kill all of those people for nothing?" Naruto asked, turning towards Sakura.

"That's horrible! Just look what it's done to Shikamaru…" Hinata added, joining the conversation.

"What about me?" a voice asked from behind them. Shikamaru looked different. He had the same hair and the same clothes, but there was something different. He had grown cold towards his friends, and barely ever talked. When he did, it was short sentences; sometime not even a sentence at all. Shikamaru's eyes burned with a fire of repentance and sadness, and there were dark circles around them (not nearly as dark as Gaara's).

"N-Nothing, Shikamaru-kun!" Hinata said, blushing and turning back to the ramen. Shikamaru came and sat next to his friends. Naruto and Sakura watched him.

"What?" he asked them roughly.

"U-Um…Tsunade-sama wanted to see you in her office, along with I-Ino-chan and C-Chouji-kun!" Sakura managed to stutter under his hard glare.

"Oh," he acknowledged, getting up. Without even saying goodbye or thanks, he left to tell his team.

"Phew! Glad that's over," Sakura said, turning back to Naruto and Hinata.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. No one had been able to get close to Shikamaru after he had been sent to kill the best Sand Jounin, not even Chouji – though they had no idea who the Sand nin was.

Hinata looked thoughtful. "Do you think…maybe…"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed, hugging the young Uchiha that now sat beside her.

"Hey."

"O-Oh! Sasuke-kun…I was wondering what would happen to a person if…if…they killed t-their best friend?" Hinata asked. Everyone looked at her, surprised.

"They turn really cold and distant; possibly evil. Why?" Sasuke asked Hinata, eyes narrowed. This reminded him of Itachi – but he was long gone. Sasuke had killed him.

Hinata looked down as the group caught on.

Sasuke: But…who…

Sakura: Could it be…

Naruto: You mean he killed Gaara's sister? That really rude, obnoxious, loud-mouthed…

"Yeah, sorta like you," Sasuke interrupted.

"I'll kill you!" Naruto said, lunging at Sasuke, who smirked as Naruto was held back by Sakura.

"We have bigger things to deal with! Let's go ask Tsunade-sama if Temari-san is dead or not. But I don't know why it would be her, I mean, she was practically worst enemies with Shikamaru!" Sakura yelled at Naruto.

"T-That's not true," Hinata told them as they got ready to leave. "When they were here in Konoha visiting and helping out, they spent a lot of time together. Like, almost all of their time."

"Really? Who'd you hear that from?" Naruto asked as they walked to Tsunade's office.

"Chouji."

"Of course he would know; he and Shikamaru have been best friends for like, forever," Sakura agreed.

(&)

"So…we're supposed to go to the Hidden Village of Sand because Gaara still isn't back from his mission and there's even a substitute Kazekage?" Ino asked Tsunade one last time.

"Yes. They need support, and since you are some of our best, we need you to go," Tsunade told them for the third time. "Are we finished here? I've told you three times," she asked them, shuffling papers.

"Yup! I think I've got it! You got it, Shikamaru?" Ino asked, looking over her shoulder at her fellow ninja. He nodded briefly and opened the door, walking out. Ino sighed and apologized to Tsunade for his rudeness, pulling Chouji out of the door and closing it behind her.

Just as Tsunade was going back to sleep, four ninjas burst in.

"What is it now?" she sighed, getting up slowly.

"Can you look through the death files of the recent…mistake?" Sakura asked quickly.

"For who?" asked Tsunade, dragging out a file.

"Temari of the Sand; the Kazekage's sister."

"Oh, I remember her. She was their best Jounin! I don't remember who went after her…"

"Shikamaru-kun…" Hinata whispered.

"I can't find her in here. She wasn't killed, that means," Tsunade announced.

"Not…dead?" Sakura asked, surprised.

"Huh? Is she supposed to be?" Tsunade asked, confused. She never got an answer, because the four ninjas were out of the door already. "How strange…" she muttered, falling asleep once again.

(&)

"So…Shikamaru thinks that she's dead?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, dobe," Sasuke said, glaring at him for being so stupid.

"And it also depends on what she said to him before she died," Sakura added.

"So if he promised her something, then he feels like he...can't fulfill it?" Hinata asked softly.

"Yeah. I just hope that he'll be okay when he find out she's not dead," Sakura answered.

"We're going to tell her?" Sasuke asked, draping his arm across Sakura's shoulders.

"No; worse: he's got a mission in the Sand. Apparently, Gaara hasn't come back from a mission and they've got a substitute Kazekage. No one knows whether or not Gaara's dead, and the Sand needs support badly," Sakura explained.

(&)

Miles away, Temari looked out of her window. "Jeeze…now I know what Hokage-sama feels like and why she doesn't do her paperwork. I feel sorry for…Gaara…" she looked down and held her head in her hands.

'Gaara, wherever you are, come back soon. I can't take it…'