HEY GUYS AND GIRLS. SORRY FOR THE WAIT AGAIN BUT IT WASN'T AS LONG AS THE LAST CHAPTER. HERE'S ANOTHER STUPID CHAPTER THOUGH SO HAVE FUN. THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT'S ACTUALLY SUPPORTING THIS STORY. I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD RECEIVE SUCH A LOT OF FEEDBACK SO THANKS.
HAPPY READING:)
"Are you sure that he just fell off the building?" That was definitely Sakura's voice. It sounded scared for some reason. He was just waking up so he didn't know what was really happening around him.
"Yes." Monotonous, unemotional, straightforward; Shino. He finally opened his eyes and was immediately attacked by the brightness in the room.
"Shikamaru, hey, are you okay?" Sakura appeared in his line of sight. From what he could tell, he was definitely lying on his back somewhere. It felt comfortable and soft so it was definitely a bed. He looked at Sakura and saw that she was in her hospital attire. Why was he in hospital?
"... can you hear me?" He felt Sakura's hand on his cheek. Now it explained why she sounded scared. She was worried about him. It was comforting to know that she really did care about him and meant everything she said. He still didn't like the fact that she was keeping things from him but he was glad to see that she was putting in the effort.
"I can hear you." He gave her a quick smile and his body immediately registered the pain he was in, mostly his head and back.
"How are you feeling?" She immediately began examining him.
"No matter what I say, you're still not going to let me go home."
"Don't be a smart ass. Once I allow you out of here then I am going to beat you up and make sure you end up right back here."
"That's one way of making sure that you see me everyday." He had to smirk at that as she had a feint blush on her cheeks before she composed herself again.
"One of you better explain what the hell you guys were doing that made you end up in here so spill." Sakura ordered them. Shikamaru looked at Shino who turned to him with an expressionless face hidden by his attire mostly. He knew that Shino wasn't going to answer her so it was up to him it seemed.
"I lost my concentration and ended up misjudging a jump. I tripped and fell off a roof and Shino found me then brought me here it seems." That was actually the truth no matter how you looked at it but Sakura clearly wasn't buying it. She looked at both ninja but they weren't saying anything any more.
"If I find out that there was something else that happened then I will put both of you in here without a second thought." Sakura said then turned around and stormed out of the room.
"Are you okay?" Shino asked him after a couple of minutes of silence. He probably wanted to make sure that no one was around.
"Yeah. My head and back are paining but I've felt worse."
"Do you remember anything from last night?"
"I remember you flying then me falling and suddenly you were by me. Want to explain how you were flying and able to get to me so quickly when you were clearly kilometres away from me?"
"What you saw was a new technique I've been developing. It creates a solid clone out of myself using my insects. The clone will be able to perform ninjutsu and because it is made out of insects, taijutsu attacks are ineffective against it. And it can fly." That was the first time he heard Shino sound modest; hell, this was the first time in a long time he heard Shino with a different tone of voice.
"Where were you controlling your clone from then?"
"I was on the wall surrounding the village. I detected your chakra then saw you fall."
"You were still far away from me." Shikamaru pointed out.
"It took 3 minutes to reach you. I found you lying unconscious which is why it probably felt like it was a couple of seconds to you." That cleared everything up for him.
"Why were you practising this new ability in the middle of the night though?"
"People would think that it is creepy to see a clone of me flying around the village. I also want to keep this a secret until I perfect it." He understood that all too well. He didn't show his shadow stitching ability to his father until he had perfected it.
"How far are you?"
"I'm testing out how far I can control the clone and I am trying to connect my senses to the clone's. Right now I can only direct it to places I can see."
"Shouldn't a clone be able to do that though?"
"That only happens when you summon a clone. I am creating one out of my insects."
"That is a predicament that you find yourself in, Have you tried asking other members' of your clan for help?"
"No."
"Maybe you should. There's no shame in asking for help. Hell, there's honour in admitting that you're not strong enough to do something on your own." Suddenly Shizune appeared in the doorway with Shikamaru's mother and Kurenai standing behind her.
"I thought I told you to go home and get some rest and not end up in hospital." Shizune was definitely angry and by the looks on the other female's faces, she wasn't the only one.
"What happened?" His mother asked as she went over to his side.
"Nothing serious. I just fell off a roof on my way home last night." He hoped that would be sufficient for his mother but her expression didn't change.
"What happened Shino?" His mother turned to the Aburame sitting quietly on the chair against the wall. He felt sorry for the Aburame because he knew just how badly his mother could question someone if she wanted the truth.
"Leave Shino alone mom. He's the one that found me and brought me here." He saw Shino stand up and allow his former sensei to have a seat. Come to think of it, he hardly ever saw Kurenai and Shino having a conversation that lasted more than couple of minutes. Shino was an acquired taste you could say. He was one of the best shinobi's Shikamaru had ever seen but he didn't really have people skills. He preferred spending that time talking to insects rather.
"I'm not finished with you yet." His mother warned him.
"Excuse me." Shino said then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"You scared Shino off." Shikamaru told his mom.
"You don't get to talk. You go off on a mission to different villages fighting unknown enemies and when you finally come back to the village then you don't even come to greet us. Instead you go work and somehow end up falling off a roof and landing in hospital." His mom was clearly angry but he could tell that her anger stemmed from her love for him.
"I'm addressing the Kage and the Daimyo this coming weekend so I needed to prepare for that." He knew that he was just digging himself a deeper grave but he needed his mother to work through this anger. It was the only way she was going to calm down.
"I don't care if you're addressing god himself; you always make sure you come home no matter what." There it was, he could see that his mother was okay now.
"I'll always come home. It might take a few extra days and a couple of visits to this place before I see you but I will always come back home." He gave his mother a smile but she refused to have a smile of her own even though he knew she wanted to.
"Mrs Nara, Kurenai-sensei, Shizune-sama." Sakura greeted them with a bow before she proceeded any further.
"Sakura, how are you doing?" Kurenai asked the young doctor.
"I'm okay. How are you and your little girl?" Sakura and Kurenai clearly had a better relationship than Shino and Kurenai.
"I'm doing great but she's proving to be a bit... troublesome." Kurenai let out a small laugh at that as she turned to Shikamaru who couldn't help but smile at that.
"Seeing who her father entrusted her to, I wouldn't expect anything less." Sakura replied as she made her way to Shikamaru again.
"Does it pain anywhere?" Sakura asked him.
"Only my head and back." Shikamaru truthfully answered her.
"Makes sense. How you didn't break a bone falling off a 3 storey building is a mystery to me though." Sakura gently lifted his head to examine it before setting it back down on the pillow.
"Shino did say that he found me unconscious." He pointed out.
"Where is that idiot? I still need to question him properly because I am not buying this story about you losing your concentration." Sakura stated then made him sit up much to his displeasure. "Concentration is your middle name so I know you're lying to me."
"I just came back from a 9 day mission and I went straight back to work. My concentration failing for a few moments isn't impossible you know." Sakura forced him back down on the bed and stared at him for a couple of moments.
"Isn't it a little hypocritical of you to be keeping the reason for you losing your concentration away from me?" Okay, she got him there. She was good when she was upset.
"Touché." He replied with a smile evoking a smile from her as well. "I can't tell you why I lost my concentration because it is not my secret to tell but if you can get it out of Shino then be my guest. I would actually want to see that."
"You're not leaving this bed today." Sakura informed him.
"He's supposed to be leaving for the Daimyo's Ball with Kakashi tomorrow though." Shizune told her.
"And I don't think that the Daimyo would appreciate me cancelling again. He might just have me thrown in jail." Shikamaru added.
"Good. At least there you'll be safe." His mother replied but he found it a bit amusing.
"Then I will go with them just so that I can make sure that he doesn't have delayed symptoms. A head is a very delicate part of the body to injure so he needs to be monitored." Sakura stated.
"Very well. I will inform Kakashi." With that, Shizune disappeared just like Shino had done.
"Have any of you ever spoke to the Daimyo before?" Shikamaru asked them hoping that the change of subject would relax them a bit. His mother certainly wouldn't relax until she heard Sakura's results of his whole body's examination.
"I met him after the war. He was strict and serious even when he was joking. You two should actually get along well then." Sakura smirked at the last part of that sentence. He could tell that she was challenging him but he didn't rising up to her challenge in front of his mother and Kurenai would be the best thing especially in the state he was in. He didn't feel like explaining his relationship with Sakura to the older female in the room.
"Sounds more like someone Kakashi would enjoy talking to." Shikamaru replied.
"Your father often dealt with the Daimyo so maybe he wants you to continue your father's role." Kurenai suggested. Why did everyone want him to be like his father? No matter how much he stated that he wanted to be different and that he is following his own path, everything was gradually pulling him to continuing his father's positions. It was irritating him to say the least.
"No thank you. I have enough on my plate as it is." Especially if everything went according to plan this weekend.
"You're just lazy." His mother gently hit his shoulder then turned her attention to the pink haired doctor as she lowered her clipboard.
"Well there is nothing wrong with him but I will be keeping him here for the day to monitor him. I would've recommended a couple of days of bed rest but that's not possible so when we come back from the Daimyo's ball then I am recommending that you be taken off active duty for at least a week. Knowing you, you would probably go to your office and overwork yourself so I will have Shizune monitor you there. Other than that, stay in bed today and don't do anything stupid." Sakura said stared him down as she spoke so he didn't bother putting up any sort of fight because he knew his mother and Kurenai would agree with Sakura anyway. Troublesome women.
"So stay in bed and do nothing, I don't I'm any good at that." He sarcastically replied but Sakura rolled her eyes at him in response.
"I have other patients to go see so I will check on you later. Goodbye Mrs Nara, Kurenai-sensei." Sakura gave them a bow again then walked out of the room.
"When are you marrying her?" Why did Kurenai stay on his case when it came to Sakura? Did she have a bet with someone that she needed to win?
"Sakura and I aren't like that. We're just close and my mom and the elders of the clan are supposed to arrange a marriage or something like that aren't they?" Shikamaru tried to steer the conversation to something else so this was a start.
"She's actually not a bad wife for you. She's an excellent doctor and shinobi, extremely knowledgeable and knows how to put you in your place. She's basically perfect for you. Maybe I should talk to her parents about a possible arranged marriage." Did his mother seriously just say that? What was wrong with the women in his life?
"Don't you dare mom."
"Why not? You guys get along..."
"So? That doesn't mean we want to get married to each other or are even on that level."
"When you guys are married then you can work towards that level."
"Tch... troublesome woman." Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling but heard Kurenai giggling so he turned his head to the side and saw his mother smiling as well.
"Are you even supposed to be walking around Kurenai? Isn't your due date soon?" This was a more aggressive approach to a change of topic for him but he didn't have any other choice now.
"I'm pregnant, not disabled." Kurenai shot him an angered look before speaking again. "I'm due the week after next."
"Have you found a place for you and your daughter to live yet?"
"Are you kicking me out?" Why did Kurenai have to be so difficult?
"I was just trying to make sure that you don't have too much to do once your daughter is born. I don't want you to stress a lot." His answer certainly softened her expression.
"I haven't found the perfect place for us but Konohamaru offered to let us live in the Sarutobi Compound since he is hardly there anyway."
"That's a good idea. It will give your daughter the opportunity to learn more about her lineage. She is a descendant of Lord Third so the compound would fall to her sooner or later."
"I know. I still have time to think about it."
"Not a lot of time."
"Kurenai and her child can stay with us as long as she wants to Shikamaru and that's final." Yoshino firmly stated.
"Okay." Shikamaru replied, afraid to say anything else in fear of his mother coming down on him like a ton of bricks.
"Kurenai and I will let you get your rest. I will pack a bag for your trip so you can come fetch it tomorrow before you leave."
"I guess I will see you tomorrow then."
"Goodbye Shikamaru. Tell Sakura to prepare herself for marriage." Kurenai teased him as she stood up.
"Bye Kurenai-sensei, take it easy." Shikamaru said then watched them leave the room. He was all alone so he could finally get some peace and quiet but his mind kept drifting towards Sakura. He knew he wanted to be with her but he also knew what was keeping himself from fully committing himself to her but marriage, he never thought that far ahead. Hell, he only began thinking of Sakura as a romantic partner recently so he really shouldn't be rushing into anything. Damn Kurenai, why did she have to bring this up?
"I need a break." Sakura said as she entered his room. It was nearly 9 o'clock that evening and Shikamaru was peacefully lying on his hospital bed just looking up at the dead lights.
"Isn't your shift finished?" He asked her as she came over to his bed then gently pushed him to the side so that she could also have enough space to lie on the bed.
"Yes but I have some patients that are critical so I need to be here in case something goes wrong." He admired her work ethic and her commitment to making sure her patients got the best treatment they could possibly receive. It was alluring as well.
"Your apartment isn't far from the hospital so wouldn't you want to sleep in your own bed?" He asked her as she got under the blankets next to him.
"I would but my bed doesn't have you in it." She was flirting with him now. He knew that she was bold and fearless so he shouldn't have expected anything less.
"It does have softer pillows and a comfier mattress." He clearly wasn't in the flirting mood.
"You suck you know that." She turned on her side and faced him while he lazily turned his head to face her as well.
"What did I do wrong now?" He asked her.
"I was trying to flirt with you."
"So?"
"So you were supposed to do the same."
"If you want to flirt then you can do so. It's just a waste of energy to me. If you want someone then why do you have to flirt with them to get their attention?"
"True. All you have to do is..." She immediately moved closer to him and planted her soft lips on his. He didn't have the energy to fight her off right now and he actually found himself wanting more. He deepened the kiss and began exploring her mouth as she began doing the same. He didn't care about anything in that moment; the only thing that mattered was her.
"So you're finally going to stop fighting me?" She looked him straight in his eyes as she asked him so that she could hear his answer. He knew that she wanted to know where she stood with him and honestly, he wanted to know the same.
"I'm not saying that I will stop fighting you but I just want to be happy and you make me happy you troublesome woman." He truthfully answered her. He didn't know if that was what she was waiting for or not but her smile was as genuine as ever.
"I'm your troublesome woman." Sakura stated then kissed him again. This time it was a deep and passionate kiss that drew them closer together. Her hands trailed up his bare torso until it reached his neck while his hands wrapped around her body, bringing her on top of him without breaking their romantic act.
"Doctor Haruno; Mr Amano needs you." A nurse announced as she opened the door. She didn't seem surprised or shocked at the scene of the young shinobi making out on the bed. Did doctors do that a lot in the hospitals? Did Sakura do that a lot?
"We'll continue this later." Sakura said then gave him a quick kiss before standing up then racing out of the room. Both females disappeared from his room and Shikamaru was left alone again. He didn't mind it but his body craved the feeling of Sakura against him now. The warmth her body provided was all he needed to survive the coldest winters. He wanted her no matter what happened between them.
He slowly fell asleep but he felt Sakura get back under the blankets that night so I gently wrapped his arms around her as he felt her kiss his cheek. They began falling asleep again but then he felt Sakura's body tense up. It was the same like before and he could tell that it wasn't natural. Something was causing it and he wanted to know what.
"Hey, go back to sleep. I just have to go check on something quickly." Sakura said as she got out of the bed again.
"Are you okay Sakura?" He quietly asked her.
"Yes. I will be back soon." With that, she left the room again. At least this time when she tensed up and ran away, she didn't use Naruto as an excuse. She just gave a vague one. Something was definitely up with Sakura and he wanted to know what it was but he knew if he questioned her about it then it would lead to a fight and would ultimately end the stage in their relationship that they found themselves in.
"Troublesome." He muttered to himself before deciding to close his eyes again and fall asleep.
OKAY, SOMEONE PLEASE NEEDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE ACTUAL F*** IS UP WITH SHIKAMARU AND SAKURA. ARE THEY TOGETHER? ARE THEY IN LOVE? LIKE WHAT THE F***? WHO HAS A RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS? IT'S LIKE THEY CAN'T BE WITHOUT EACH OTHER YET THERE ARE ALWAYS THINGS THAT ARE FORCING THEM APART. IT'S LIKE THERE'S SOMEONE DRAWING THEM CLOSER TO EACH OTHER THEN DROPPING AN EPIC BOMB ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND FORCING THEM APART JUST SO THAT THEY CAN BE BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN; OH WAIT, THAT'S ME. I HATE ME. I'M JUST ANOTHER STUPID GUY SO UNTIL NEXT TIME, SEE YA.