Shanan and Kakashi spent the next two months working on the no-handed jutsu. Him being older made it more difficult for him to break his old habits and not use his hands.

He also knew so many jutsus, once he could do one with no hands successfully, there was always a transition period where he had to figure out how to switch to a new one, so it took some time.

And because Shanan had been so busy working with Kakashi the last few months, she hadn't had many opportunities to hang out with her friends. And that included Shikamaru.

They had tried to get together when they could, but since she wasn't allowed to go on any missions until she unlocked a new technique, he couldn't request her to join him and their timing just didn't seem to line up how they wanted very much.

They were finally able to get some time alone together, since everyone else was on missions and Shanan had canceled with Kakashi just to be sure to get time with Shikamaru.

"Alright, you have me all to yourself today," she told him as she opened the door for him to come in.

"Shut up," he said as he walked in, smirking.

Shanan laughed at him and shut the door and gave him a quick kiss.

He went and sat on her bed and scooted back against the wall.

"So what are we doing tonight?" he asked as she sat next to him.

"Talk. Drink. Fool around. I don't know, I feel like it's been awhile since we really got to hang out."

He put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder and they sat quietly for a few minutes.

"How's training?" he finally asked her.

"It's ok, still working on the no-handed jutsu. But he's almost got it down."

"You know, Tsunade would lose her mind if she knew you weren't working on your Sharingan yet," he said.

Shanan laughed a bit. "Yeah, thanks for not saying anything," she said to him as she looked at him, head still on his shoulder.

He looked back at her and smiled softly. "Come on, I'd never rat you out," he said sweetly.

"I know... Do you want something to drink?" she asked as she sat up.

"No," he said as he grabbed her hand and stared longingly at her.

Shanan looked at him a bit confused. "What's up?" she asked him.

He leaned his head back against the wall. "Come here," he said quietly.

She softened her expression as she looked into his eyes and could tell he was feeling really affectionate.

She moved closer to him and he put his hand on her cheek.

"Hey…" he whispered.

"Hey," she said nervously.

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, just looked at her as he seemed to be taking her in and committing her face to his memory.

Shanan couldn't help but smile softly at him as he did.

He continued to stare and caress her cheek as he started to speak. "I just want you to know…" he whispered, "if he's not back by the time you're eighteen, you're mine."

Shanan looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. She suddenly felt lighter for some reason as she smiled at him. She leaned her forehead against his and nodded gently before kissing him tenderly.

She never thought she'd feel this way about anyone else. But she did find herself missing him more than she missed anyone these days. He popped into her head when she least expected him to. And not just for messing around. She truly just enjoyed his company and he clearly enjoyed hers.

They continued to kiss each other and neither of them could stop smiling at one another between kisses.

She finally pulled away and sat up on her knees as she took her shirt off and straddled him. She looked down at him into his eyes as she put her hand on his cheek and kissed him softly again. She still couldn't stop smiling at him.

He put his arms around her and pulled her closer against him as he sat up and laid her down on her back. When he sat up to pull his shirt off, she sat up with him, she didn't want to stop kissing him, even for a second. Once he took it off, he leaned forward again and they started kissing again as they laid back down.

She opened her legs so that he could lay comfortably on top of her and she could feel him pressing against her. Not that she hadn't felt him before, but she was ready to feel more of him.

They continued to kiss as she reached down and started pulling her shorts off. She shimmied underneath him as he started removing the rest of his own clothes as well, until they were both completely undressed.

She opened her legs again as she ran her fingers up and down his arms and then back up again, and then up his neck to the back of his head where she pulled his hair down.

He kissed a trail down to her neck. His kisses were passionate, but still very tender.

She could feel all of his affection and warmth flowing into her and it made her realize that she could no longer make him wait for her and she didn't want to wait anymore either.

"Shikamaru," she whispered. He pulled his lips away from her neck to look at her and she pulled him back to her lips for another soft kiss before looking into his eyes again. She smiled up at him before speaking. "I'm already yours."

He couldn't stop himself from beaming at her before kissing her deeply again. "Finally," he thought.

As she got completely lost in his kiss, she ran her fingers up his back and rubbed her thigh against him as she adjusted her pelvis slightly underneath him.

He ran his hand down her side and caressed her thigh as he continued to kiss her. Then he grabbed a hold of his shaft and pressed himself against her before pausing to see if she was alright with going further.

She lifted herself slightly against him to let him know that it was ok and he pushed himself into her. It hurt a bit, but not enough for her to not enjoy it.

She squeezed her thighs against him as he moved up and down on top of her and dug her fingers into his sides pulling him further into her.

They were still kissing each other until she moved her lips under his jawline and started leaving her marks on him. He'd always liked that she'd left them, because he had actually been hers for a while now and he felt like it let everyone else know he was taken by her. He still couldn't believe that she even liked him or that she let him touch her in any way, let alone that she begged him to. Not that she had to after that first night. He'd wanted to touch her for so long, but truth be told, he'd really just wanted her to look at him the way she did Sasuke. And now he was sure that he'd finally surpassed him.

She moved her kisses back to his lips and concentrated on his movements and how he felt and was making her feel. It was like their bodies had been made for one another. Everything about what they were doing felt amazing. Her entire body was tingling just from being with him like this, but it tingled every time they touched. She got chills everytime she looked at him and even more so when he looked at her too. His eyes had always pierced right into her. And when they kissed, his lips were always so powerful, yet so soft. His hands always held her as though he neither wanted to break her nor let her go. Soft and firm. He was just so perfect for her in every way.

He was already getting close to finishing so he pulled himself out of her and sat up on his knees to rub his length against her spot. It still felt really amazing to him, but he was able to keep from finishing long enough to make her entire body start shaking. Which barely took a few minutes, she had been close too. As soon as she climaxed, he thrust himself back inside of her in time to feel her squeeze around him, which immediately made him erupt inside of her.

He didn't pull himself out of her until he was sure that he was done and even then he only did so hesitantly, because he still wanted more of her. She felt so perfect on him and he knew he'd never want anyone else.

He laid next to her and pulled her close to face him as he kissed her forehead and they caught their breath together for a few minutes.

"Are you really mine?" he finally asked her.

Shanan nodded slowly. "I have to let him go... And when you said eighteen, I just thought that I don't wanna wait that long for you… I'm ready to be yours now."

He smiled at her again before pulling her in for another kiss.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he lacked the courage to do so just yet, even though he was sure she already knew and felt the same.

That night, while Shikamaru was asleep, Shanan found the note Sasuke had given her before he left and took it outside to read it one more time, sobbing, before letting the wind blow it away.

Authors Note: Check my profile for soundtrack list. It adds so much to the story! 3