A/N: Awesome turnout for last chapter! Really glad you guys seemed to understand the point of that scene.

So, this chapter *will* have some NaruSatsuki, which is the main attraction for most of you, but the primary focus will be on Shikamaru and his little quest. He's about to have a fun mini-arc of his own.

I think it'll make you like him more by the time it's all said and done.

Time for Chapter 36

Enjoy!


Satsuki stared up at the ceiling blankly. It was pitch white, with a smooth texture baring down over her. The room was dim. She was currently laying flat on her back in a hospital bed. It was Thursday night. She had been stuck in her room for several hours since awakening from her unintentional slumber. Her sleep had been dreamless, which was a definite positive, and she had been almost entirely healed by the medical staff at the hospital. Her injuries had not been severe, but being free of them was convenient. She would be released the next morning. Her preparation would not be hampered.

Despite the good news, Satsuki's mind was far away from the final round. In fact, the looming competition hadn't been her focus in any way at all since her awakening. That honor went to something else entirely. Or rather, somebody. Curled up in a somewhat uncomfortable-looking fashion on a chair in the corner of the room was Naruto. He was asleep, and had been for at least an hour. His presence in the room had been a constant since Satsuki's awakening, though he had said very little. He had correctly deduced that the Uchiha girl was in no mood to talk. His ability to 'read the room', so to speak, was improving.

Even with their conversations having been limited, Satsuki had grown silently tense each and every time he had gotten up to stretch. Perhaps it was because she had feared he would leave the room, or perhaps she simply feared having to discuss what had occurred earlier that day. She had made a burden of herself, and she was deeply ashamed. Her own instability had derailed a day of training, and Naruto had suffered for it.

'They wouldn't even heal him. The bruises are still there.' the Uchiha girl lamented, her eyes momentarily shifting off toward her teammate's throat. Naruto had changed his shirt since noon, so there was no way to know for certain, but Satsuki was utterly convinced that the cuts from her nails were still raw on his chest. He had not complained. Not once. Not even while she was hurting him. Every word from his mouth had been one of support. Shikamaru had been more right about the Jinchuuriki than Satsuki ever could have predicted.

As it turned out, Naruto's lack of self-care extended far past combat. He had flatly ignored the pain he had been dealt by her. All being strangled and cut open had done was convince the blonde that his help was needed. Bruises, blood, emotional confusion, Naruto ignored it all. His only goal had been to help her any way he could.

"You promised me you'd try to care about yourself." Satsuki whispered bitterly. She was angry. Both with Naruto and herself. At the end of the day, it was her own fault for lacking the strength to control herself, but the Jinchuuriki's refusal to leave her to her pain was infuriating.

'I've dealt with it on my own for years. I don't need you or your help.' she internally hissed. A thousand nightmares had plagued her before today. She had come to the very same hospital she was in now for 'accidental' injuries to her arms and legs more than once. She was still alive, and she was still functional. Naruto had no right to invade her quiet world of dull aching. It was an insult.

If only she were so easily convinced.

It was true that she despised the feeling of being coddled, but she couldn't put that label on Naruto's actions in good faith. There had been no pity. No ulterior motive. Naruto had stayed because he cared. She had been completely honest when she had told him that his presence brought her a feeling of safety. Her request for him to stay with her had been genuine. She had feared her own mind. She had been spiraling. If anything, Satsuki herself was to blame for Naruto's refusal to leave when told to do so.

'I pulled you in a thousand different directions. First, I attacked you, then I made you stay and hold me, then I…tried to kick you out after making you bleed.' Satsuki listed off in her head. When laid out in order, her actions were utterly disgusting to think about. Abuse, reconciliation, ungrateful introversion. As it all set in, a fresh set of tears dripped out of the corners of her eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she whimpered quietly, biting back a sob. Tears were a rarity for Satsuki Uchiha, but she had cried more in the past three months than she had in the seven years prior. In reality, the only reason she had been able to remain so very stoic for so long was because she had cut herself off from the outside world. No contact, no conflict. No conflict, no new pain. Her abrasiveness was born of fear, and that fear was being realized.

Turning onto her side to face Naruto, Satsuki looked inward regarding him and his place in her psyche for perhaps the first time. At what point had he become more important than a simple teammate? At what point had she begun to seek him out rather than avoid him? Several candidates jumped to mind as potential answers. His near-death at the hands of Orochimaru had awoken a rage in the raven-haired girl only matched by what she had felt the night of the massacre.

His bleeding, lifeless body. His valiant effort reduced to what she had thought was a corpse. The burning fire she had thrown forth in his name. It nearly fit, but not quite. The moment had been an awakening of something that had already been there. Something less recent was to blame. Another memory popped into her mind. Dried blood crusted on Naruto's forehead, an awkward embrace in the dead of night.

'At least it wasn't me who made you bleed back then.' Satsuki mused sadly. The further she delved into the emotions she had felt at the time, the more certain she became that the night in question was the source. Where it all began. From that night on, an ever-growing piece of Satsuki had been fixated on him. Why exactly that was remained up for debate. What was clear, however, was that denying his importance would do neither of them any good.

With her tears now dried up, Satsuki sighed and studied her sleeping teammate from across the bland room. He was still out cold. How he was managing to sleep so soundly in a stiff chair was beyond her. As she stared at him, her inner anguish lessened just a tad. He was nothing if not committed.

'I wish I'd gotten to know you sooner. Before all of this.' Satsuki admitted within her mind, more to herself than Naruto. It was a moot point. There was no changing the past. Her current situation was all she had to work with, and it was far from ideal. The longer she gazed at her teammate, the harder she found it to control the very same dark feelings that had taken hold of her as they were sitting in her hallway. In particular, her eyes remained fixed on his throat.

Guilt was her instinctive emotion at the sight of his bruises, but beneath the surface, something far more crude was boiling up. With a shaky inward breath, Satsuki dug one of her canines into her bottom lip. She could make out the shape of her hand across his windpipe. She could so easily recall the sensation of his hot skin against her palm. The memories of her unconscious assault of the blonde were lost to her, but she could still feel the high of the dominance.

Before the unsavory fantasy could take hold of her completely, Satsuki snapped back to reality. Fully aware again, she found that her left hand was gripping her upper thigh, drifting inward. Pulling the hand back with a flinch, Satsuki slowly slid out from under her covers and sat up against the frame of the bed.

'I really am fucked up, aren't I?' she thought to herself grimly. Whether what she had nearly done was a result of the tattoo on her shoulder, her own repression, or a combination of both, the truth remained that she wasn't healthy. Not physically or mentally. Taking this fact to heart, Satsuki threw her legs over the edge of her bed and stood up.

'Hospital staff can bite me. I can't stay. Not with him in here.' she thought to herself firmly. Making her way over to the dozing Jinchuuriki in the chair, Satsuki cupped the side of his face and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. A gesture of warm gratitude

"Thank you for taking care of me. It's nothing against you. I just…can't be around you right now." she whispered to him. Naruto gave no response. He had not awoken. Nodding to herself and stepping away from him, Satsuki looked to the room's singular window, which was cracked open.

Within moments, she was down on the street walking home.


Haku adjusted her mask as she sat perched in a tree. It was approaching ten-thirty at night, and the sun had long since set. The past week and a half had been difficult, to say the least. Four separate assignments, two of which involved active combat, and relentless drilling. Finally, thankfully, her platoon had been given three days off. She knew precisely how to use them. The tree she was presently situated in was in the backyard of the Nara property. It was certainly a rather inconspicuous place to be, but despite having lived in Konoha for a number of months by this point, Haku couldn't help but approach navigation with great caution

'I should circle around.' she thought to herself. Old habits tended to die hard, but there were several that she would need to free herself of in order to be a functional citizen, avoiding the front door being key among them. Taking a deep breath, Haku dropped down from her branch, landing on the nicely mowed lawn quietly.

"For an Anbu, you're not the best at infiltration."

Whirling around in an instant, Haku launched a pair of senbon reflexively. The needles never hit their target. Stepping out of the shadow of the tree, the person who had blindsided the former huntress came into view in the moonlight.

"You're a good shot. Only a pro aims for the throat." said Shikaku Nara, the father of Shikamaru, holding up the two senbon Haku had thrown his way between his fingers. The Anbu's blood froze in her veins. As with her poor navigational habits, her intrinsic defensiveness had resulted in a horrid blunder. Bowing deeply with immediacy, Haku's mask fell from her face as her head whipped downward.

"Please forgive me. Force of habit." she apologized. Shikaku tossed the senbon aside and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'd be more upset if you'd hit the plants. Yoshino would have my head." he said dismissively. Breathing a sigh of relief, Haku stood up straight again after retrieving her mask from the ground. She then took a closer look at the man before her. He was truly the spitting image of Shikamaru. His face was the same shape with the same features, and his hair was the same shade. Though, it did appear that Shikamaru had inherited his skin tone from his mother, and his father was certainly broader and taller than he was.

"I suppose you'd like to know why I'm here?" Haku asked awkwardly. To her surprise, Shikaku shook his head and gestured toward the house roughly fifty feet from them.

"You're looking for Shikamaru. I'm more curious about why you're in my backyard." he replied. It was then that Haku realized that she had never heard the man speak before now. He had been entirely silent during her first visit. His voice was rougher than Shikamaru's, but the pitch and intonation were nearly identical. Both in appearance and sound, Shikaku Nara was a weathered man. Likely who Shikamaru was destined to become with time.

"I…don't have a good explanation." Haku admitted. Shikaku raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his flak jacket.

"Leaves a lot up to assumption, then. I could take that a few different ways." he said testingly. The former huntress shifted in place uncomfortably. Whether the man was serious, or simply pressuring her to watch her squirm was unclear.

"Like you said, I'm just here to see your son. Nothing more. I promise." Haku assured him. Shikaku remained silent for several moments. The former huntress quickly identified another similarity between Shikamaru and his father. They had the same eyes. Vacant on the surface, but endlessly analytical and calculating. Not a single detail was being overlooked.

"He's out of the house right now. He left just a few minutes ago, actually." Shikaku revealed after a time. Haku felt her mood dip slightly. Opting to hide her disappointment as best she could, the Anbu nodded cordially.

"Understood. If I may ask, did he say where he was going?" she asked politely. The older man shook his head and pursed his lips as he glanced off toward the road.

"He wouldn't tell me, but he said it was important." he said vaguely, clearly quite deep in thought. Haku tilted her head off to one side and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Do you have any guesses? You seem concerned." she inquired. Shikaku returned his attention to the girl. A smirk then pulled at the edges of his thin lips.

"Well, he came home smelling like a girl's perfume a few days ago. His mother kicked him out of the house the night before. Who knows? Maybe he found a home away from home." he said. Haku felt an angry heat build up in her chest. She quickly suppressed it, but her displeasure was easily caught by Shikaku.

"That was a joke. Calm down, kid." he said humorously. A wave of relief washed through Haku. As the redness drained from her face, the older man cleared his throat.

"In all seriousness, I think he's probably headed out to see one of his teammates. That's usually where he goes if he leaves the house at all. I had half a mind to follow him. Dead bodies have been popping up left and right lately." he clarified. Haku frowned deeply.

"Dead bodies? I've been out of the village most of the past ten days. Has something happened?" she asked. Shikaku drummed his fingers on his bicep.

"Five people have been found dead across the past two weeks. Two women, three men. All of them were crushed to death. The authorities are at a loss. We have no leads, and most people aren't leaving their homes after dark." he revealed. Haku's eyes widened.

"And you let your son take a late night trip knowing that?" she questioned, not bothering to be polite. The older man remained unflinching.

"He left before I could reason with him. He's pretty slow-going most of the time, but when he gets something in his head, he's stubborn." he said calmly. Haku briskly put on her mask and dropped into a crouch.

"Well, I'm going to shadow him." she said. Shikaku sighed heavily and slid his hands into his pockets.

"He can handle himself just fine, you know. He doesn't need a bodyguard." he pointed out tiredly. The Anbu shook her head.

"Even so, I'm not taking any chances." she shot back. She then leapt up onto the roof of the Nara household, preparing to take off in search of Shikamaru. Before she could do so, Shikaku appeared in front of her and cut her off. Stepping back in surprise, Haku held back a frustrated retort.

"Let's get something straight, girl." the elder Nara began, his voice containing a veiled edge behind its easy tone. Pulling her lips into a thin line beneath her mask, Haku kept her mouth shut and forced herself to listen.

"You aren't a friend of this family, as far as I'm concerned. You haven't earned that yet. I know who you are, and I know what happened between the two of you." he continued. The former huntress swallowed nervously. She had dreaded the conversation she was currently being forced to have.

"So, don't think you can call the shots. Not with my son. I don't trust you as far as I could throw you." Shikaku concluded. Haku removed her mask and set it down at her feet as a sign of respect and transparency.

"I can't make you trust me, I understand that. But please, let me do this. If not for my sake, then for his." she said. The older man stared down at her. He was far taller than she was, and as it turned out, he was more than capable of being intimidating when the mood struck him.

"Get going. Bring him back home before sunrise. I'll be waiting. Consider it an informal assignment." he ordered. Nodding curtly, Haku put her mask back on and vanished into a puff of smoke. Once she was gone, Shikaku took a deep breath, held it in, and then released it as he looked off into the distance.

'Good luck with this one, Shikamaru. You'll need it.'


The Hokage building being open twenty-four hours a day was normally a useless function. There was rarely a point in visiting it to begin with, unless a summoning had been issued. That rare occasion aside, the building was largely just a gathering ground for bureaucrats and foreign ambassadors. An appointment was almost always required to speak with Hiruzen directly, and the waiting list stretched on for weeks. Currently, however, Shikamaru cared little for the formalities of scheduling. He had important business to attend to, and he would have his meeting one way or another.

"May I help you?" asked the receptionist as the Nara boy pushed through the front door of the lobby. Shikamaru nodded and speed-walked his way to the front desk. The receptionist was a woman no older than thirty-five. She looked rather tired, which made a fair amount of sense given the hour. Opting to be polite out of respect for her sanity, Shikamaru calmed his nerves.

"I'm sorry for the late visit. I need to see Hokage-sama immediately. It's extremely important." he said seriously. The receptionist gave him an apologetic look. Before she had even begun to reply, Shikamaru fought back a defeated sigh.

"I'm very sorry. I can't send you through without an appointment. I would if I could." the woman said. The Nara boy forced himself to remain calm. It was not the fault of the receptionist. She was simply following protocol. She had a job to keep, and bills to pay. Leaning across the desk slightly, Shikamaru looked her directly in the eyes.

"Letting me talk to him now might save lives." he said bluntly. The receptionist gave him a bored look and leaned her cheek on her palm.

"I don't mean to be rude, young man, but I've heard that same thing three times today." she shot back, clearly in no mood to be argued with. A vein appeared on Shikamaru's forehead as his patience wore thin.

"Look, just–" he began. He was cut off before he could run his mouth any further by the sound of a door opening beyond the desk. Both participants in the squabble immediately turned their attention to the hallway behind the receptionist. Footsteps soon broke the silence of the lobby.

"Let him through. I'll hear what he has to say." said Hiruzen, who emerged from the hall into the lobby a moment later. The receptionist immediately shot to her feet and bowed.

"Of course, Hokage-sama." she said respectfully. The Hokage then motioned for Shikamaru to follow him. The Nara boy did as he was told and made his way around the desk. The elderly leader then set off down the hall, forcing the shadow user to jog to catch up. The pair then reached a flight of stairs, which they ascended. After another minute or so of travel, they reached the Hokage's office. Opening the door and beckoning him inside, Hiruzen stepped aside as Shikamaru entered.

Finding himself a chair, the Nara boy sat down and waited patiently as his leader settled behind his desk and folded his hands in front of himself on the wooden surface.

"You sounded quite urgent, so what do you say we skip the formalities?" Hiruzen suggested. Shikamaru nodded and gathered his thoughts. He had waited several days to pull the trigger on reporting the information he now had, but the time for hesitation had passed.

"I'm pretty sure I know who's been murdering people lately." he opened bluntly. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

"Do you, now? Our entire investigative unit has been thrown for a loop. What could a genin have figured out that we haven't?" he asked. Shikamaru held his ground.

"I found out by accident. It was a fluke. Plain and simple." he said honestly. The Hokage's expression remained skeptical.

"Out with it, then. Spare me no details." he said with a nod. The topic was clearly one of great stress for the old man, as his usual calm kindness was largely absent.

"Gaara. One of the genin from Sunagakure. It's him. I'm completely sure of it." the Nara boy said confidently. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite an accusation. I trust you have evidence to back it up?" he pressed. Shikamaru curled and uncurled his fists. The conversation was about to become significantly more difficult.

"His sister admitted it to me. I don't think she was joking, and the way people have been dying fits with what Gaara showed during the exam." he said, pausing to allow Hiruzen to process what he had been told.

"Elaborate on both of those details." he half-requested, half-ordered. As expected, more than a simple explanation would be required to convince the old man.

"I got kicked out of the house a few days ago, and Gaara's brother found me in the street. He told me that I'd get hurt if I stayed out in the open. He wouldn't tell me why, but he made me spend the night in their motel room." Shikamaru began, recalling the events as clearly as he could.

"I ended up talking to the sister for a while. I managed to get her to open up about why I'd been brought inside. She told me that Gaara was out in the streets, hunting people." he continued as Hiruzen nodded along. The shadow user then took a breath.

"I've been sitting on this for a few days, because I wasn't sure what I thought of it. The more I ran through it in my head, the more sure I became. There was a rumor that Gaara killed some people in the forest, and that their bodies had been smashed to a pulp. The exact same way the corpses have been." he said darkly. The Hokage stroked his bearded chin. He kept his silence initially.

"I can't deny that you make a compelling case in theory. It does make some amount of sense, as it would explain the lack of evidence. The issue is that, to prosecute him, we need physical proof, or undeniable circumstantial evidence. Even with your testimony, we have neither." he explained. Shikamaru clenched his jaw.

"I get that, but isn't it at least looking into?" he reasoned. Hiruzen sighed and leaned back in his creaking chair.

"He isn't a citizen. We can't access his public record without going through a process that would take more time than we have. As I said, we'd need to have him dead to rights. It doesn't help that he's the Kazekage's boy." he said. Shikamaru's brow furrowed.

"He's the son of a Kage?" he asked in disbelief. Hiruzen nodded and picked up his pipe from his desk, putting it between his lips.

"Yes, he is. It grants him a certain amount of protection. He's a political target in some places. Konoha isn't one of them, but the caution extends our way as well. If he's truly capable of such brazen murder, he's about as dangerous a killer as you'll find. He won't be easy to nail down with a charge, even if we have proof." he said. Shikamaru rubbed his temples and shook his head.

"What would we need to have him cornered?" he asked. Hiruzen blew smoke from his lips and set his pipe down.

"A clear motive, and probable cause to bring him in." he replied. The Nara boy took a moment to think. There was a way around the roadblock before him. There always was, no matter how complex the problem. As the wheels turned in his mind, an idea began to form. It was faint, but building itself quickly. Once he had a clear image of it, Shikamaru spoke.

"Could you parlay me reporting him into probable cause? All we need is to bring him in for questioning. Even if he doesn't say anything damning." he asked. Hiruzen's eyebrow curled upward again.

"What do you have in mind? I smell a scheme." he asked in response. Shikamaru stood up from his seat and put his hands on the desk.

"I need to think it through a little more before I explain it. Can you bring him in or not?" he said. The Hokage met the young Ninja's eyes and assessed him silently.

"I can have him in by noon tomorrow. I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish, but I'll trust your intellect." he said with a nod. Shikamaru relaxed and sat back down.

"Sorry. That was rude. Thank you, though." he muttered. Hiruzen waved a dismissive hand and went back to his pipe again.

"Your heart is in the right place. That's what matters to me. Is there anything else you have to support your case?" he asked. Shikamaru rubbed his eyes.

"Nothing that you could use in court." he replied. The Hokage nodded and looked at the clock on the wall.

"In that case, you should head home. It's late, and you have training to do." he said. The shadow user nodded and suppressed a yawn. Now that the raw stress of the topic at hand had numbed, he found that he was extremely tired.

"Thanks for seeing me so late." he said gratefully as he rose up to his feet. He then turned around and opened the door to leave.

"Whatever you have in mind, please be careful." Hiruzen called out, drawing the young Ninja's gaze back over his shoulder toward the desk.

"I'll try my best." Shikamaru said, closing the door a few seconds later. Choosing to not overstay his welcome, the shadow user hurried down the stairs and back out into the lobby. After briefly apologizing to the receptionist for his earlier rudeness, Shikamaru set his sights on the door he had entered through.

'Mom might kick me out again if I'm too late.' he thought to himself as he exited the Hokage building and stepped out into the open air of the night. The breeze was pleasant, and offset what was otherwise a rather sweltering evening. As Shikamaru took his first steps to begin his journey home, his peripheral caught a gleam of reflected light from one of the streetlights that bordered the grounds of the Hokage building.

Glancing across the space, Shikamaru saw something that froze him in his tracks. A pair of golden eyes peering out from the shadow of the overhang of a nearby shop. Though he could not make out the body the eyes belonged to, he knew in his gut exactly who was watching him from afar. Either he had been followed from the beginning, or his luck had simply run out. No matter which possibly rang truer, his situation was dire.

'Why does this crap always happen to me?' Shikamaru lamented in fearful exasperation. What he already knew was then cemented. Stepping out from the shadow, Gaara strolled out into the center of the small street the boys were occupying. He said nothing. He simply advanced with his eyes locked on Shikamaru. Though he was shaking and undeniably afraid, the Nara boy was struck by something positive.

If he were to be killed, especially in such close proximity to the Hokage building, Gaara would effectively incriminate himself. A sacrifice would be required, but the redhead would be without a single route of escape from the law. With this in mind, and seeing no other option, Shikamaru turned to fully face him and remained steadfast. It was still unclear what Gaara's intentions were. He was generally a fair bit smarter than taking his chance right away would make him seem, but something told the Nara boy that his state of mind was far from stable.

'Let's see if you've got some self-control.' the shadow user silently challenged his predatory fellow genin. Remaining still took every ounce of the shadow user's fortitude. Every step his foe took in his direction magnified his fear. Before Gaara could reach him, he stopped. Initially assuming that his common sense had gotten the better of him, Shikamaru prepared to retreat back into the Hokage building. Upon further inspection, however, the Suna boy's focus was no longer on Shikamaru at all. His eyes were glued above his head.

Cautiously craning his neck to take a look back toward the Hokage building, the Nara boy discovered what had likely halted Gaara. Standing on the middle ledge of the building's roof was a shadowy figure. He was afforded little time to analyze, as before Shikamaru was able get a solid look at the entity, it jumped forth from its perch. Landing between the two boys, the light of the street quickly revealed the identity of the new arrival without the need for any guesswork.

Though she was wearing her mask, Shikamaru instantly identified the person as Haku. Her hair in tandem with her uniform was a dead giveaway. Stumbling back a step, the shadow user looked on nervously as Haku faced off with Gaara. Not a single word was spoken, but the murderous intent in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Somehow, Haku's aura was equally disturbing in its contents to Gaara's.

The former huntress' hands were each loaded with senbon, and her posture was a forward lurch that indicated a readiness to strike at a moment's notice. She had come to fight, and perhaps kill, if necessary. For an unbearable stretch of time, Gaara and Haku waged a war of silent threats. Eventually, just as Shikamaru's nerve was about to give out, the Suna boy backed up a few inches. The victory was small, but it was decisive. Sensing that he had been beaten, Gaara took a full step back and vanished into a swirl of sand.

The moment he was gone, Shikamaru found that he could breathe comfortably again. The same seemed to apply to Haku, who visibly relaxed and retracted the horrific bloodlust she had been projecting. She immediately turned around to face him. Dropping her senbon to the ground with a high-pitched clattering noise, the Anbu made a beeline for him. Having half-expected to be hugged, Shikamaru was unprepared for the harsh slap across the face he received.

"What was that for?!" he demanded as he rubbed his stinging cheek. Haku pulled her mask from her face. She looked extremely upset.

"Why didn't you even try to run?" she asked rigidly. The Nara boy quit nursing his raw face.

"What point would there have been? He'd have tracked me down if he really wanted me dead." he shot back. The former huntress held her stern gaze and shook her head.

"You could have made it back inside. You had a way out." she insisted firmly. Shikamaru exhaled through his nose. It had been an exceptionally long night, and it was threatening to drag on even further.

"Can we not do this? I'm already tired, and arguing is giving me a headache." he said. Though she hardly seemed quelled by his suggestion, Haku put her mask back on and seized him by the wrist. Without warning, she leapt up onto a nearby roof with Shikamaru in tow.

"Avoid going out at night from here on out. I don't need you getting yourself hurt. Tonight was far too close for comfort." Haku said as they landed. The Nara bow frowned and tugged against her grip to no avail.

"You sound like my mom." he grumbled. The former huntress sighed and released him from her grip before turning to face him.

"Maybe you need a second mother if you're going to be so reckless. You'd be dead right now if I hadn't followed you." she said bluntly. Shikamaru quickly formed a snappy retort, but withheld it when a more prominent topic came to mind.

"How'd you even know where I was?" he asked skeptically. Haku gestured off in the direction of the Nara household, far in the distance.

"I'm off for the next few days, so I came looking for you back at your house. I found out you were out on an errand, so I followed you out of caution." she explained. Her wording strongly suggested that she had been aware of Gaara ahead of time. Details were missing, and that fact was not lost on Shikamaru, but he saw little reason to press her further. As she had pointed out, she had saved his life.

"Thanks for that." he muttered quietly. Haku removed her mask again, tucking back a strand of her hair as a gust of wind blew across the rooftop.

"We're even now. You saved my life, now I've saved yours." she said strangely. Shikamaru met her now-visible eyes. She was exceptionally difficult to read at face-value.

"Does that mean you're gonna leave me alone now?" he asked in response. The former huntress' irises momentarily gleamed with visible emotion.

"I wasn't aware you wanted me to." she said, her tone slightly dejected. Shikamaru kicked himself mentally. His wording had been poor.

"No, that's not what I meant. I was...actually asking." he clarified awkwardly. Haku seemed to relax at his words.

"Of course not. I like being around you. I figured you knew that already." she said. Oddly, despite his decidedly mixed feelings regarding the girl in front of him, the Nara boy found himself comforted by her intact dedication.

"I'm glad you feel that way." Shikamaru said under his breath. While his tone had been hushed, Haku heard him regardless. For the first time since their encounter had begun, the former huntress smiled.

"Let's get you home. You look like you're about to pass out." she said, sweeping him off his feet and slinging him over her shoulder. Squirming slightly, the shadow user was forced to trust her hold on him when she began to bound from building to building.

"I did not consent to this." he complained. Haku laughed a bit at his discomfort and patted him on the back.

"We'll talk about 'consent' some other time, Shikamaru-kun." she said, a suggestive undertone clinging to her joking words. Shikamaru groaned and rubbed his temples, which were growing sore from the whiplash. No matter where he went or why, he was afforded no peace, it seemed.

Regardless of his complaints, he was grateful to be alive, and by extension, he was grateful for Haku.


A/N: Honestly, I don't really like how a lot of this chapter turned out. It felt really clunky and awkward to me. Maybe you guys feel differently? I hope so.

So, yeahhh Satsuki is very mentally ill. Both because of the curse mark, and just because she's badly warped by trauma and isolation.

And yes, Haku backed Gaara off. She's very strong. Worth remembering that she was at least close to Kakashi's level on the bridge. She's a *lot* stronger than Team Seven right now.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review if you're able :)

I love you all

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