Author's note: I didnt think the previous chapter would make everyone think that Shika was dead. Then I reread it and I realized "Wow... It did sound like he was dead!". But dont worry, our favorite lazy ass it still alive... For now. (insert evil laughter)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Shikamaru."

'Who…?'

Shikamaru's mind struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The explosion had thrown him off his feet and he was faintly aware that some part of his body had hit solid ground but he couldn't be sure which part. He remembered the fight they had and thought that everything must be safe now that this sweet voice was calling out to him.

"Shikamaru. Open your eyes."

'I… I… cant.'

The young strategist began to panic, for try as he might, he just couldn't open his eyes. 'Calm down', he told himself, forcing those words into his fogged thoughts. 'Just calm down'. He knew there was no use in panicking and in times like these, he always told himself to remain calm. Just like when he had fought the Sound ninja and it seemed like he was most certainly going to die, he forced himself to keep calm.

Shikamaru could feel something repeatedly pounding his whole body lightly, sending cold trails of liquid down his skin. Rain. He was shivering but he couldn't be sure if the icy droplets on his body or the sharp pain in his torso were the cause.

"You're going to be okay."

The voice returned. Shikamaru recognized the feminine voice. He wanted to speak her name but he couldn't as his throat was parched by the flames. His lips were badly cracked and caked in dried blood, he licked them lightly and tasted metal. His was dimly aware of her hands on his chest and the familiar hum of her chakra flowing into him. They had been on missions together countless times and Shikamaru was injured in enough situations to be able to sense Sakura's chakra from a long distance away. It felt warm and soothing.

'Sakura… Help me.' He thought desperately.

But despite that, the pain grew worse and Shikamaru could feel it spreading its dreadful tendrils deeper into his chest till it seemed that the pain came from the very core of his battered body. His breaths were ragged and it was becoming increasingly difficult to draw air into his lungs. Still, he was grateful that he was somewhat protected from the explosion since he was standing near the edge of the trap. The enemies must have been charred beyond recognition.

Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation rising from behind his throat and he involuntarily gagged, struggling to expel the offending liquid but he couldn't. He choked, and his chest began to spasm, his lungs and brain crying out for oxygen. Shikamaru knew he was drowning in his own blood and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed. "He's choking!"

She halted the healing and took her hands off his prone form. Supporting his head with her arm, Sakura logrolled Shikamaru on his side with Neji's help. Shino was keeping watch on their surroundings for any lurking enemies, but he couldn't help taking his eyes off from his duties to cast a worried glance at his injured comrade. His broken glasses had been discarded. The enemy leader had hit him in the face, leaving him with an ugly bruise on his cheekbone. He was certain that he had pieces of shattered glass in his skin and blood was trickling into his eyes. Neji wasn't any better off. He had a deep, long gash on his right arm and the bandages that were wrapped around that arm hung in long tatters around him. His blood was dripping on the ground, mixing with the rainwater and the mud.

A gush of thick, crimson blood spilled from Shikamaru's nose and mouth, as the shadow master coughed violently. He choked again and more blood came, drenching the grassy ground and dying it a deep red. Sakura held him in that position until she was sure his lungs were empty of blood, but she also knew that it wasn't long before it filled up again. The explosion had badly broken his ribs and they had punctured his left lung. Every ragged breath he took forced frothy bubbles of blood through the gaping wound in his chest. The female medic winced as she caught a glimpse of the white bone protruding slightly out of his torn jacket.

"Sakura..." Shikamaru managed to croak out her name.

His throat almost exploded in pain and he struggled to swallow. He accidentally swallowed the rain that fell on his face but to his mild surprise, the moisture brought some relief to his scorched airway.

"Shh… Don't talk." She purred softly, her expert training taught her that soft, soothing voices were vital to keeping the patient still while they were being treated. Sakura ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair. The leather strap that held his unruly locks in a spiky ponytail had come loose during the fight. She stroked his cheek and continued to speak reassuring words to keep him comfortable.

Shikamaru felt her fingers on his skin and his confused mind brought an image of pale yellow and blue. The two shades of color melted and seemingly exploded into a rainbow of multicolor hues. It was beautiful and it was hard to believe that such an infinite and amazing display of color could take place in the darkness behind ones' closed eyelids. Just two simple colors coming together, blending, joining in blissful union and creating millions and millions of different shades. He struggled to get up, to reach out towards the myriad of color. But he was held down by firm yet gentle hands. Shikamaru painfully forced his eyes open.

"Ino…" He said weakly.

Sakura was taken aback but the brief moment of shock was replaced by a wave of sadness and the young woman had to smile at his words. Her good friend was the one thing on his mind at such time as this.

"Ino…" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru. You'll see her again."

Sakura nodded firmly, a look of determination set on her beautiful face. She would certain of that, for she would do everything in her power to bring this man back to her best friend. Neji set the other man down on his back again and Sakura put her hands back on Shikamaru's bruised chest. She concentrated all her chakra on sealing the wound in his lung. She needed to work fast before the blood began to collect again or he would suffocate to death. Things did not look good for the young man at all.

Neji was at a loss. He had been appointed assistant team leader and though he was often touted as a genius himself, his strategic skills paled in comparison to Shikamaru's. They were still in Earth country territory but the border of their own country was near. He thought that once Sakura had Shikamaru's condition stabilized, they could then begin to continue on their journey home. Yet now he was uncertain if her abilities and training was sufficient. Could she heal his injuries well enough for him to survive the trip home? Neji didn't like doubting his own teammates' capabilities but even Sakura's worried look told him that even she wasn't sure if her medical skills could match up to the extent of damage Shikamaru suffered. She wasn't sure if he could move at all.

Even though the enemies had all been defeated, Neji was sure that others would become suspicious if they did not return and would sent out more ninjas to look for them. If traveling through enemy territory with ninjas hot on your trail was bad, having to care for a fallen comrade while doing so made it much worse. It would make them easier to track down because of the blood, easier to capture because they had to protect one of their own and they knew that both outcomes were unavailable to them. The information that they had in their knowledge made them dangerous to Takeshi, and he would stop at nothing to have them eliminated. Shino knew the thoughts that were running through Neji's mind for he felt the same too. Things would be less complicated if they were to leave Shikamaru behind but they were Konoha shinobi. And that wasn't up for discussion either.

Shikamaru opened his eyes again and turned his head slightly to face Neji. He reached out to his teammate and the silver eyed man held his hand out to grasp Shikamaru's outstretched one.

"Neji…" His voice was barely audible.

"Don't speak, y- "

Neji was about to silence the severely injured man when Shikamaru cut him off.

"Get back to Konoha." His words were strained but Neji didn't miss the firmness in them. "Get back."

"We will when Sakura…"

"There is no time." Shikamaru gasped. He remembered the promise he made to himself, he would never again fail to complete a mission. He had kept that promise until today and he wasn't about to break it. He wasn't about to let his sacrifice go to waste.

He gripped Neji's fingers tighter as if willing him to understand that at least one of them must return to Konoha at all costs.

"No time." He repeated.

But the longhaired man already knew that. He just couldn't bear to leave his teammate. Not like this, not ever. Still, he grew up learning that shinobis were tools and that they were there to serve a purpose higher than their own. Neji had never felt more torn in his life than in this fleeting moment of deciding whether to abandon Shikamaru to his death or to cause his village to fall into times of conflict and war.

'Is this what it really means to be a shinobi?' Neji wondered.

To be lifeless tools, to be used in whatever ways as long as we can say that we did as we were told? To be soulless vessels of accomplishing the dreams of others while ours remain forsaken and forgotten? To forget the friends we grew up with, the days of old in which we shared in laughter because we must do as we are ordered?

Is this what it means?

No.

It isn't.

If this is the fate of all shinobi, then you'll just have to make your own fate.

And Neji squeezed Shikamaru's hand in return. He looked into the other man's already glazed eyes and somehow without words, assured him that their duties will be carried out to its very bitter end.

Neji stood and looked in Shino's direction.

Shino knew what was coming.

"Neji, you can't expect-" He knew what Neji and Shikamaru wanted of him.

"Shino, you'll have to." Neji's voice was low but firm. Sakura looked up at him, her hands still on Shikamaru's chest, and she saw that Neji had a look on his face that seemed to defy description. Yet, even if she couldn't put what she saw into words, she knew what he was thinking.

"I can't." The dark man shook his head vehemently. "I can't do it."

"You have to."

"I won't! I will not be a traitor!" Shino yelled, his usually soft voice ringing out loud in the dim forest. His dark eyes were flashing with anger.

He could not believe what Neji was asking of him and that rage burned deep within him. How could he even think of it? Neji was asking him to leave his teammates to face the enemies alone. Asking him to desert the people that he had served with, the people that had saved his lives countless times. How could he do such a thing?

If Neji was surprised by Shino's sudden, out of character outburst, he didn't show it.

"You will be a traitor if you do not go back!" He yelled in return. "They need the information! You know that!"

He knew that.

"I could stay behind then. And you can go back." Shino countered.

"No." Neji replied. "You can move the fastest without being detected. You are best suited for this."

Shino knew that too.

"B… But…" He stuttered. And that torn feeling that all shinobi faced in hopeless situations such as these surfaced in his heart.

The success of the mission? Or the lives of his friends?

Neji understood what was playing on the other man's mind. He knew that feeling all to well himself.

"Despite what people might say, we shinobi make our own decisions. We are not mere tools." He spoke. His voice was softer now, warmer. He raised his gaze to meet Shino's uncovered eyes. Neji saw a wave of guilt in those dark orbs.

"What was your decision when you took on this mission, Shino?" Neji asked.

Shino was silent and he dropped his gaze to the ground, the rain dripped from his thick hair onto his feet.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

What was his decision?

"To serve Konoha." He looked up to look Neji into the eyes again. And the Hyuuga saw that the guilt that he saw a moment before had been replaced with a determined look. A smile spread across his face and the tall man nodded in acknowledgement and understanding.

"So was mine. But we will serve our country in different ways." Neji replied. "You will serve it by returning home, and I will serve it by protecting my teammates."

"I…" Shino hesitated.

Neji was an excellent ninja, and there was no doubting his extraordinary talent and his superb skills. But what chance does a lone shinobi have against a whole group of bloodthirsty murderers?

"Please… Shino…" Shikamaru whispered tiredly.

Shino didn't move.

However, Neji's mind was set and Shino also knew that there was no sense in trying to change that.

"Go. I'll watch over Sakura and Shikamaru."

Shino nodded and with a rueful backward glance, he leapt high into the trees, rapidly making his way towards the hidden village of Konoha. Soon, he had gone so far that he had even disappeared out of Neji's telescopic sight.

"Good luck, Shino" Neji whispered.

Shikamaru's eyelids closed over his dark orbs again and he was mumbling incoherently. The immense pain and loss of blood was clouding his mind. He couldn't get an anchor to his thoughts and it was a strange, foreign feeling. Sakura was oblivious to his murmuring as she focused all her on energy on stitching his cells back together but Neji heard his vague words.

"What is it, Shikamaru?"

He leaned closer to the man on the cold ground, putting his ear to his teammate's mouth, all the while being careful not to disturb the rosette haired medic's work.

"What do you want to say?"

He waited patiently for Shikamaru to speak again, but only heard the other man's labored breathing and the faint gurgling coming from within his chest.

"Shikamaru?" Neji strained to pick up any words that may have escaped the deer herder's lips together with his painful moans.

"Ino…" Whispered Shikamaru.

"I… I am yours." His tired voice was fading, but Neji could still hear clearly what he said.

"Now and forever…"

Neji blinked.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and slowly began to slip into unconsciousness. Then, he began to convulse again. His lean body became rigid and the muscles in his broken body tightened.

"Shit!" Sakura spat. In that short moment she was distracted, Shikamaru had grown worse. She increased her chakra flow into his torso.

"Stay with me! Stay with me!" She shouted, willing Shikamaru to follow her commands.

Shikamaru coughed up more blood than before and his lips had gone blue from the oxygen deprivation. His hands gripped the grass around his fingers tightly for a moment, as he struggled just to breathe, to draw in sweet air to nourish his starved lungs but no comfort from that feeling came. His thoughts spun crazily and again there was an urge to hurl everything that was rising in his throat. But before Sakura could do anything, the young man's body had gone limp, the tightness in his muscles a short moment before had disappeared.

"Damn! His heart has stopped beating!" Sakura yelled and Neji's silver eyes widened in anxiety and horror. The slim woman raised herself up to rest on her knees and pushed down on his chest hard. She didn't care whether she pushed his broken ribs further out of place, she needed to get his heart pumping again. She timed the repeated pressure applied to his heart to a steady rhythm but it didn't seem to work.

"Come on! Come on!" She pleaded, the tone in her voice was desperate and nearly hysterical. "Don't give up on me, you lazy bastard!"

"COME ON!"

Sakura's eyes began to well with tears.

She had lost men on missions before but she hadn't been very close to them. Their deaths had hurt, especially since she couldn't save them despite her expertise and extensive training, but she learned to move on because she wasn't attached to them. Shikamaru was different, he was her friend, her teammate, her companion, her confidante. Loss was so much more difficult to face when the person you lose has a big place in your heart. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying and for a fleeting moment, she pictured herself by his tombstone consoling a devastated Ino. Sakura shook her head hard to get that image out of her mind but warm tears had already made their way down her scratched cheeks.

Shikamaru was aware that someone was yelling and that someone had her hands on him, but all sensation in his body was slowly disappearing. He was no longer looking into Sakura's green eyes, no longer hearing her voice or the sound of raindrops on the ground, no longer tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth and no longer feeling the grass on his hands and neck. The pain remained but he was floating, floating further and further away from all that held him to this world, and he yearned to be free of that pain. The sweet feeling of nothingness, of abandoned darkness was slowly enveloping him and he wanted to let go and just to cease being.

A splash of yellow.

A flash of blue.

And as the swirling colors in his mind began to take shape, the last thing he saw was her smile.

Endnote: Ah... This chapter was hard to write because there isn't much action or any detailed ShikaIno. It's more of a transitional chapter and I didnt think the storyline would be smooth if I left this chapter out and just continued with the next. I'm sorry if you got bored... But please try to enjoy it anyways and review. Please? I'll give you cookies... P.S. The end is SOON.

1.) Graviola: Thanks! The fight scene took me a while to write because I wanted to think up of new jutsus for Shika instead of the usual ones.