Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and probably Shonen Jump, with license to Viz Media
Dedicated to kaotic312. Your great storytelling and frequent updates of "Marry My Father Please?" have been a great pleasure to me for the past few weeks. Thanks for your review of this story too.
Between Waking and Sleeping
Shikamaru woke to the smell of jasmine and some kind of medicinal herbs. A towel clad Hyuuga Heiress kept him pleasantly warm. He shifted slightly and found that control of his body had returned. It must have been late evening. He guessed they had slept for three or four hours.
He could actually feel the normal flow of chakra though his system. He wondered vaguely if it was an after effect of the gentle fist attack. Normally it takes an almost meditative state to sense the normal flow of chakra in a state of rest. Perhaps he would ask Hinata when she woke up.
Her long hair was tangled and messily splayed over her shoulders and across his chest. Hinata's small hand was fisted in the covers and resting near his collarbone. Her position pulled the blanket almost up to his nose. Even in her sleep, she was trying to comfort him. She worried that he might be cold.
She stirred slightly as Shikamaru yawned and stretched his limbs with small movements. When it appeared that Hinata was going to stay asleep, Shikamaru decided to close his eyes and follow suit. He was still exhausted and in no hurry to get up.
He sighed. The light jasmine scent from Hinata's dark hair quickly eased him back to sleep.
…
Hinata woke to the sound of someone entering the house. Instinctively she activated her bloodline limit and saw Kurenai walking into the kitchen. Hinata wanted to get up and mildly scold her former sensei. It was almost midnight and much too late for her to be working.
As Kurenai opened a small leftover box from the local BBQ restaurant, Hinata realized that Chouji must have take her for dinner and walked her home. A quick scan of the outer building revealed the long-time friend of the boy Hinata was draped over.
...the boy she was draped over...
Hinata's stifled an embarrassed shriek by burying her head down. Unfortunately, this only served to bring her face in contact with Shikamaru's bare chest.
Shikamaru shifted slightly in his sleep. Hinata froze.
Embarrassment gave way to concern as she scanned his chakra system for the damage she had inflicted earlier. His chakra system seemed to have returned to normal.
Sighing with relief. Hinata embarrassment began to return when she realized she was wearing only a towel.
Before she could faint, Hinata recalled their conversation.
"Sometimes it is nice to be held after a…difficult mission." Hinata said quietly.
Shikamaru didn't know if she was talking about her mission or his own.
He concentrated and was able to shift slightly. Hinata took the cue and cuddled up to him. She leaned slightly onto his bare chest as he wrapped his arm loosely over her equally bare shoulder.
"We should rest for awhile." He said.
Hinata nodded and tugged the covers over both of them.
"While we can." She replied.
He was so…so kind to her after she attacked him. She shifted off the futon and quickly pulled on her sleeping yakuta and her underthings.
She sat by the futon and examined Shikamaru again with her family eyes. He was recovered from her earlier accidental attack, but clearly still exhausted.
Hinata smiled. She could relate. She felt as though she could close her eyes and sleep for a week. She sighed and silently prayed for dreams without blood or pain.
She prayed for both of them.
They were Chunin, trained shinobi and killers before they were old enough to read Icha Icha Paradise.
Hinata blushed at her line of thought. She returned her attention to Kurenai-sensei. It appeared that she was having tea before she went to bed.
Yawning tiredly, Hinata decided against talking with Kurenai tonight. Her former sensei never complained. But Hinata knew that Kurenai was a little overwhelmed by all the attention from Team 8 and Team 10. Although she was grateful, Kurenai still required privacy and quiet time.
When the baby came, both were going to be in short supply.
And Hinata was still exhausted. Her chakra had been sorely depleted when she returned from her mission. Attacking Shikamaru had brought her to her knees. Literally. She had been unable to stand up after she got him to the futon.
Using the Byakugan for the past few minutes wasn't helping either.
As she lay her head down on the futon, Hinata decided it was not too improper if she just lay down next to Shikamaru on top of the covers. After all it was her futon. She was a bit cold as she adjusted the covers to make sure Shikamaru would be comfortable.
With clothes and covers to separate them and protect their respective modesty, Hinata cuddled closely to the warm blooded Chunin.
Shikamaru slept on.
Hinata allowed exhaustion and the quiet lub-lub of Shikamaru's heart lulled her back to sleep.
…
Something cold brushed Shikamaru's shoulder. He opened his eyes and discovered the shy Hyuuga Heiress shivering next to him on top of the covers. He grinned as he retrieved his shirt and pulled it on. It was nice that she had stayed. Probably out of guilt and concern. He shifted her slightly and wrapped both of them in the blanket. He pulled the blanket up under her chin and held it there with his arm over her. He was loosely spooning her cold body. He felt her immediately scoot closer to him as she responded to his body heat.
He blushed at the close contact and reminded himself that she was asleep. He wondered vaguely if he should try to get up and leave before Kurenai woke up. He tried to will his body not to response to the very feminine form that was warming up next to him. The thought of a pregnant angry Kurenai yelling at him was enough to calm his teenage hormones.
He tucked Hinata's head of messy black hair under his chin and listened to her breathing.
It was awhile before he fell asleep again.
…
It was an hour past dawn. Hinata had been awake for several minutes. She was warm, comfortable and blushing a fierce tomato red. She felt a little guilty for enjoying herself.
Last night she had scrubbed her hands and body to remove the traces of blood and grime.
This morning, she felt like she was human again. A girl.
A girl sleeping with a boy.
A really nice boy.
She let out a gasp as she realized Shikamaru had woken up too. Hinata squeezed her eyes closed.
"Hinata, you're not mad, are you?" Shikamaru asked tiredly.
Hinata eeped. "N-No! Of course not!" She whispered. She clarified, "You should be the one who-who is angry." She paused again. "How to you feel?" Even though she knew there was no permanent harm from her attack.
"All better." He replied. "It was a legitimate attack. Don't worry about it." He yawned again.
"Thanks for staying to keep an eye on me." He added as he stood up from the futon. Shikamaru found it even harder then usual to get out of bed today.
Hinata stared blankly at the wall. "Thanks for keeping me warm." She replied, grateful that he was giving her an excuse for spending the night in bed with him.
They didn't need to speak about how good it felt to be held. They didn't need to speak about how nice it was to wake up with someone. They both knew that the small touches and scents and sounds of another human being repaired some of the psychological damage from their grueling missions. It helped keep them sane.
"Are you leaving now?" Hinata asked as she got up too.
Shikamaru paused in her doorway. "No. I'm going to make breakfast for Kurenai-sensei and you." He turned back and smiled at her. "I picked up some fresh fruit last night."
Hinata smiled back at him. "I'll make the eggs."
They exchanged a few words as they prepared breakfast together. Their friendship had deepened and lengthened in the months since Asuma's death. Growing just as they were growing up. Changing in unexpected but not always unpleasant ways. The casual comfort of friends returned easily after their strange night of intimate closeness. It had been an unexpected but welcome turn of events.
Except for the sixteen closed chakra points.
So a week later, Hinata was not entirely surprised when she woke up wrapped in the comfort of Shikamaru's arms.
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Author's Note: I still don't think this chapter adds anything to the one-shot but it was fun to write and I hope it is fun to read.
Special thanks to The Lightning Flash, Meruhen Wind, and kaotic312: Your thoughtful reviews of this story inspired me to take another look at the draft for this chapter and post it. Finally.
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