So Shikamaru obviously can't talk properly. His T's are now D's, and some of his Y's and all K's at G's.

He was wet. That was the first thing to register in his mind. There was cold water above him. With effort, he opened his eyes, only to feel panic grip him. He was under the ocean! Crystal blue water was all his eyes could see. He gasped, only to realise that that would be a stupid idea whilst submerged. He couldn't breathe! He started coughing, his body lifting from its lying position each time. The ocean seemed to move back, the blue darkening.

Something gripped his shoulder, pulling him up into a sitting position. The sun was in his eyes as something that felt like a hand patted his back before rubbing circles through his shirt… except it wasn't his shirt. It felt flannel, though thinner than his shirt at home. As his coughing subsided his mind started to clear. The sun was actually strands of hair, extremely yellow, spiky hair. It brushed against his nose and cheek, allowing him to feel how soft it was. The skin of someone's neck was next to his other cheek and was cool against his flamed skin. He pushed himself closer, his chin resting on the person's shoulder, letting loose a relieved moan. His nose was blocked, his face hot, his head clogged. His throat felt raw and bloody, his body cold, his chest heavy, the breaths he took sounded horrific to his ears. Instead he tried to focus on the person holding him, still rubbing his back soothingly.

Their hands were clumsy and small; their frame was small but solid and warm. Their warmth seeped into his body, reminding him of lying on the grass in the shade during summer. He moved more into the form, feeling it tense. They pushed him back into a lying position, his head spinning enough to make him close his eyes. The wetness was back, but this time he realised it was a wet, cool cloth. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see the same crystal blue, unnatural blue. It wasn't the ocean! It was a pair of eyes, staring down at him from a tan face set with worry lines. Naruto pulled the blankets up to Shikamaru's chest before lightly pressing the back of her palm to Shikamaru's cheek.

Her skin was soft. It reminded him of the silk kimono his mother had in her closet. As a child he had loved running his fingers over the material, even giving his mother extra hugs when she wore it just to feel the soft texture. He moved towards Naruto's hand, peppering lazy kisses over the surface.

"You're really warm!" Naruto stated, frowning down at him. She shifted her hip pressing against his side. He turned towards her form, wanting the warmth to seep back into his body. The wet cloth on his forehead slipped off, onto his pillow. Naruto picked it up, dabbing at Shikamaru's face. "Don't worry. I went and talked to Old-Lady Tsunade; she told me how to help and gave me some stuff too. I should take your temperature."

"A'm colda," he sniffled, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist.

"Right!" Naruto detached herself from Shikamaru and walked off, only to come back with another blanket which she put around the boy, tucking in the sides. "The old lady said that can happen even if you're hot."

He giggled, closing his eyes. "Hehe, goo ding A'm ho'd!"

Something bumped into his mouth. "I know you're hot. You're also red. Open your mouth, I have to take your temperature. Keep this under your tongue. Okay, Shikamaru?"

He opened his mouth for the thermometer, making sure to put his tongue over to the top. He giggled again as he rolled onto his back. "Goo say my name weirda. Mos' people say my name in dwo pards. Day drag id oud doo. Shika-maruuuu. Shika-maruuu. Goo don'd! Goo say id as one worda."

"I didn't realise I was pronouncing it wrong." Naruto dipped the cloth in a bowl on the night stand, ringing it out. She started dabbing at his flush face again as she returned to her position on the bed beside him.

"Goo're nod. I like how goo say id. Everyone says id da oder way. Shika-maruuu, Shika-maruuu. Naru-doe! Naru-doe! Hehe, yoor name has doe in id!

Naruto frowned. "I think you mean toe."

"My blogged nose dook my d's!"

"Hmm, I didn't realise that happened. I've never had a blocked nose."

"Naru-doe! Naru-doe!" He gasped. "If goo married me goor name would be Naru Nara! Naru-doe Nara."

"If you were an Uzamaki your name would be a mouthful." Naruto rolled her eyes, taking the thermometer from Shikamaru's mouth. She frowned at it before picking up a piece of paper off the nightstand. "Okay, you're not bad enough to go to the hospital."

"Shika-maruuu Uzamagi!" His eyes lit up. "Id is a mouff-full.

Naruto snorted, making the dark haired boy smile. She stood up, walking from the room. Shikamaru tried to sit up to see where she was going but found he had no energy to do so. Luckily she wasn't gone for long. When she came back she was holding a shopping bag. She started rummaging through it as she dropped back down onto the bed.

"So after I brought you here and talked to the Old-Lady I went and got the stuff she suggested. Tissues, cough drops, whatever this is… It's meant to go on your chest or something," she held up a small tub of something before looking at him, frowning, "you're doing that yourself! Oh, and I bought you chicken soup. The lady I bought it off says it's the best for flus. Let me know and I'll heat it up for you."

Seeing the unsure and insecure look on Naruto's face, which seemed so uncharacteristic, Shikamaru put his hand on her knee. "Fang goo. Chigen soup woulda be nice."

"Okay, I'll go heat it up. Here, encase you need any of this stuff." She dumped the plastic bag on the bed as she stood up.

When she had left the room Shikamaru removed the tissues, grabbing one to blow his nose. After that he looked at the little tub. It was meant to clear the chest and make it easier to breath. Taking the lid off he put a glob on his fingers, putting his hand up the flannel shirt to smear it on his chest. It felt warm but he could already feel himself breathing a little easier. Taking this moment, he evaluated his shirt and his surroundings. He was in an old flannel shirt that was frayed and faded. He laid in a bed in what he assumed was Naruto's bedroom, which was messy. There was clothing on the floor. Dirty pants, boxer shorts and… He sat up so fast that his head spun and black spots appeared again. He was able to stay conscious this time though. He studied the item before him, wishing he could stand up to prod it with his foot, just to see if it was real. It seemed so out of place. The item was white with a subtle orange flower pattern to it. The straps were nothing but orange lace, a deep orange, like that of a sunset. Although he was sure that Naruto was female it still never crossed his mind that she would own something as girly as the shirt he saw lying on the ground. He had no doubt that it was a girl's shirt. There was no doubt in his mind. That was a girl's piece of clothing!

He had no idea how long he sat and stared at that one garment but eventually Naruto walked back in with a bowl of soup resting in a tea towel. She handed him the bowl and the tea towel, keeping one hand underneath encase he lost his grip on it. He was able to easily move the bowl onto his lap, accepting the spoon that Naruto handed him. As Naruto sat uncomfortably on the bed again Shikamaru started eating slowly. It was actually nice soup and he could feel warmth returning to his body with each spoonful. He studied Naruto quietly as he ate.

"Why do goo loog so uncomfadable?"

"I don't actually know what I'm meant to do to make you feel better. I'm just hoping the Old Lady's suggestions are good enough." Naruto shifted before consulting the piece of paper on her nightstand again.

"Den why did you bring me here?" Shikamaru noted that he was slowly beginning to gain the ability to speak properly.

"You fainted in front of me and I couldn't take you to your place."

Shikamaru nearly dropped his spoon into his bowl out of confusion. "Why nod?"

Naruto looked at him as though he was an idiot. "I don't know where you live."

"Oh."

"When you are feeling up to it you can direct me and I'll take you home." Naruto looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Stop giving me a stupid look and eat! I'm not feeding you!"

Shikamaru hurriedly went back to eating. The soup worked better than he expected it to. He actually felt like he had enough strength for Naruto to take him home. First though, he questioned where his jacket and shirt were. In reply Naruto held them up before shoving them into the plastic bag with the tissues and other things she bought him. She did explain that they weren't keeping him warm so she had exchanged them for one of her flannel pyjama shirts. He hoped he could pass the blush on his cheeks off as fever from the flu. Whilst his net shirt didn't do much to cover him it was still embarrassing to know that Naruto had stripped him from the waist up.

After Naruto had put Shikamaru's empty bowl in the sink Shikamaru got up to go home. The whole walk there the blonde held tight to his arm. He would have made comment about how worried she seemed to be but her hand was the only thing keeping him up. The strength he had gained was quickly leaving him, especially in the late, cold air. He hadn't realised it was so late at night. There were only a few people in the streets, stumbling home from the pub. When he started to shiver at the breeze Naruto made him stop. Instantly the girl unzipped her orange jacket and forced Shikamaru into it. He tried to stop her but found he had no strength to do so, especially since her hand around his waist was the only thing stopping him from kissing the dirt. He put his head on Naruto's shoulder, burying his face in her black shirt as she slipped the bright material up his arms and onto his shoulders.

When she pulled away Shikamaru noticed how close their faces were. He could feel her warm breath on his face and could see the whisker like birthmarks on her cheeks clearer than ever before. He had, when younger, thought they were scars but he could see for certain now that they were birthmarks. They were too neat and perfectly symmetrical. He sniffled, watching as Naruto sucked in her lips before pursing them. He had noticed that Naruto did that at times.

"Don'd kiss me!" he suddenly yelped, leaning away from her as much as he could with her arm still around his waist.

"What?" Naruto frowned.

"Don'd kiss me! I can'd breaff frough my nose!" Shikamaru put a hand over Naruto's mouth as though it was the only way to stop her.

"Okay, I won't." Naruto's words were muffled against his palm but Shikamaru heard them none-the-less. His face heated up at the feel of her lips moving against his skin. It was short lived however, since Naruto rolled her eyes, moving the boy's hand away. "I hope the flu doesn't make everyone as loopy as you!" She grabbed him by the arm again and marched off in the direction Shikamaru had said the Nara estate was located.

"Narudoe…"

She sighed. "Shikamaru, I'm not going to kiss you!"

"No, nod dad. Why do you cross dress when you obviously like cloffing for your genda?"

"I don't really care about gender clothing." Naruto's eyes became slits, her grip on his arm tightening for a moment before she realised she was probably hurting him. "I buy whatever is cheap and durable. I don't buy clothing often so the longer it lasts the better. That's why I tend to wear baggy clothing too."

"So you do cross dress?"

Another sigh. "Yes, Shikamaru, I cross dress. Happy? What's with all the questions anyway? Why are you so interested in me?"

"I'm always interested in you." He leant into her before pointing ahead. "Dads my house."

"That thing is huge!"

"Nod really."

"Compared to my apartment it is!"

The lights were on in the house, which either meant his parents were up late talking like they often did or he was in big trouble. The moment he and Naruto stepped onto the porch the door flew open. Light from the doorway was blocked by the figure standing there. It was a woman with long brown hair, rather plain features and an apron covered in flour and cookie dough. There was a wooden spoon in one hand and there was a wild look on her face.

"Shikamaru, where have you been?" His mother's eyes travelled to the one holding her son up. "And why are you with… him?"

"Narudoe is my friend!" Shikamaru dropped his head onto the blonde's shoulder, giving his mother what he hoped was a hard look. "Sh-he helped me."

"He's sick." Naruto shrugged him off, fidgeting under the older woman's gaze. She turned to Shikamaru. "Next time you're going to faint do it at your house not the street."

"What is he sick with?" His mother asked, surging forward to put her hand to his forehead.

"The flu. He passed out and I didn't know where you lived so I gave him soup so he could walk." The words came out in a rush as she stepped away from Shikamaru.

He had never seen Naruto look so out of place before but he refused to let Naruto feel unwelcome in his house. When his mother started to usher him inside he returned to the blonde, leaning on her for support. His mother's bony fingers tended to hurt when she was worried. Naruto seemed to focus solely on helping Shikamaru to his bedroom and deposited him on the bed. She moved to the doorway as Shikamaru's mother pulled the blankets over him and asked him a number of questions. He tried to answer them but found himself muttering something that sounded like 'Shika-maruuu' as he fell asleep. The last thing he heard was Naruto.

"He's been pretty out of it since he woke up."

The only thing he remembered after that was what he described as the most confusing dream he had ever had. Naruto was standing in the hallway outside his bedroom, the door open just wide enough for him to see that her arms were crossed and a small part of her face.

"I know that look. Who did you lose?"

"My team. And my brother!" His mother's voice sounded pained and had a sharp edge to it.

"I'm sorry but it isn't my fault," Naruto snapped.

"I know."

"Then why do you hate me?" Silence greeted Naruto's question. "Don't try to deny it!"

His mother sighed. "I don't hate you. I'm afraid!"

"Afraid? Why?"

"Because my son is your age. My baby boy was in your year in the academy, he played in the playground with you, skipped class with you… my baby boy…" his mother's voice broke for a moment, "Shikamaru…. I can't lose him! You are dangerous. And I'm afraid that you will lose control one day and because Shikamaru is your friend he will be the first to get hurt."

It sounded as though his mother was crying, or at least close to tears. It made no sense though. How was Naruto dangerous? And how was she connected to his uncle? Didn't his father tell him that his uncle died during the Nine-Tails attack twelve years ago? Naruto would have only been a baby, or maybe not even born. Naruto was younger than him after all.

"Mrs Nara, my dream is to be Hokage but I swear to you that Shikamaru's life is more important to me than becoming Hokage!"

Shikamaru heard himself gasp, making him pray that the two females didn't hear, even if it was in his dream.

"I'm still going to worry but… I won't object to you spending time with Shikamaru. Just know that if you hurt my boy in the slightest I'll make you regret it!" His mother cleared her throat. "Now, you should return home and rest encase Shikamaru passed on his flu. Also, I made to many cookies so you better make sure you come into the kitchen to get some after saying goodbye to Shikamaru!"

He heard his mother march off before Naruto moved to the door. She opened it quietly only to see Shikamaru staring at her.

"Oh, you're awake." She paused. "How much did you hear?"

"Nodding," Shikamaru lied. "I jus woke up. Did I miss someding impordend?"

"Nope." Naruto smiled, walking up to the bed. She scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Well, I'm going to go. I hope you're feeling better."

"Waid!" he yelped when Naruto went to turn away. "You can kiss me. I don'd minda if I can'd breaff." The blonde frowned down at him. "Really, you can."

Naruto rolled her large eyes at him. Sighing, she bent down. Shikamaru tried not to breathe too heavily as she came closer and focused on not sniffling. He highly doubted the sound of his sniffles would encourage her to kiss him. Her lips pressed against his skin and he tried not to groan in disappointment. Instead he focused all his attention to his cheek, noticing how soft her lips were, how they weren't slippery like how Choji described Ino's, but they weren't dry or chapped either. He remembered Naruto sucking on her lips and realised it was probably due to dry lips. When she pulled away he had to put all his strength into not turning his head to take advantage of how close they were. He already felt guilty for kissing her when she was unconscious, taking advantage of her like that. The last thing he needed was a surprise kiss on his conscious. At least he got a kiss on the cheek and for now that would be enough. Naruto gave him a small smile as she straightened up.

"Dank you for helping me."

"Get better. You're weirding me out." With that she walked out of his room, making sure to close his door.

It was hard to tell if the darkness came from the lack of light from the hallway or him closing his eyes and falling back into sleep. He was enjoying the jacket he was wearing. It was warm and reminded him of the sun's rays. It smelt of the breeze, of warmth and strangely of ramen.

It's fun writing a dopey Shikamaru… I might have been enjoying it a little too much. What with him rambling a little in places. Naruto is completely clueless too. R and R.