Dearest Readers,

There's a bit of a time lapse here…just as a heads-up.

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

Blossoming

In the 6 months that he's been with Akatsuki, he's found himself enjoying their company more and more. He did feel uneasy about a couple of them, but that's a very minor issue. As time passed, he became a lot closer to Itachi, basically spending every waking moment with him. He also realized that he was with Kisame and Deidara a bit as well, but he was with Itachi much more often.

He knew that they were capable of doing many destructive and terrible things, but he looked passed that and found that all members of Akatsuki were not as bad as he had been forced to believe. They were human and they had emotions…even though they try to hide them and they all had taken up Itachi's use of the word 'Child' when speaking to him and he found that he felt like a special, intricate part of the organization because of this pet name…but Deidara likes to call him 'Munchkin'. Even though he was the youngest, they didn't treat him too much differently than they do each other. Although, they do seem to be a bit kinder to him…in the sense that he wasn't threatened.

Even though he thought of the Leaf Village occasionally, he found that he didn't really miss it too much. He really enjoyed it here and he didn't want to go back to his old life. Whenever he would think of the village, he always chuckled a little bit. If someone from the village were to come across him, he bet that they would have to do a double take at him.

He changed his physical appearance a little bit…and he liked the change. His brown hair now hung around the middle part of his neck, parts of it falling into his dark eyes. A ring occupied his right index finger and he found that he had a habit of twirling it around his thin finger. It was discovered that the black cloak with red clouds didn't fit him in the slightest. He would always chuckle at the memory of it falling a good foot onto the floor and he couldn't see over the collar, even when given the smallest size. So they decided to dress him in black form-fitting pants and a fitting black halter top with red clouds…it was close enough. Shikamaru was so slim to the point where he couldn't even fit into the smallest clothes that they had. However, this inability to fit into one changed their perspectives about the cloaks and they decided to cast them aside and opt for what Shikamaru could fit in, except for a halter top…they went with a tank instead. After all…they wanted to wear the same thing so that they would be recognized when approached. His headband was now wrapped around his upper right leg, displaying the line that had been etched into it.

He doesn't regret leaving the village…at all. He felt wanted…useful being here with Akatsuki. He didn't want to go back to his old life…he couldn't.

A rustling of leaves behind him interrupted his thoughts and he turned, a smile spreading across his face as Itachi came to sit with him on the rock by the small lake. This was their favorite spot to sit and observe the nature around them. This was where they spent a lot of their time and this was the spot where they found that they've been growing closer to each other. The small lake was in front of them and the canopy of trees slightly revealed the clouds above them.

Shikamaru leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes as a breeze came and blew some of his hair into his face. Itachi watched him from the corner of his eye, marveling at the grace and innocence one person can possess. Ever since Shikamaru had been staying with them, he came to realize what he kept feeling every time he laid eyes on him. He realized why his heart fluttered at the sight of him, why he felt mesmerized by those dark eyes and enigma-like personality. He was feeling an emotion that he's never felt…one that he didn't want to feel…until now: love. When the word first entered his mind, he did his best to push it away, but it still came back. So he gave up and admitted it to himself: he fell in love.

Shikamaru let out a frightened yelp, jumping off of the rock and looking at it. Itachi gave him a questioning look, not letting on that he was startled by the sudden noise.

"What is it?" Itachi asked, not understanding why Shikamaru suddenly became frightened.

"There's…something over there…and it crawled on me." Itachi chuckled as he stood; walking behind the rock to see if he could find what Shikamaru was talking about. When he looked down, he shook his head with a light smile. He knelt down slowly, not wanting to scare the creature away.

"Did you find it?" Shikamaru asked as Itachi stood with a small white mouse in his hands. Shikamaru looked disgustedly at it as Itachi walked towards him. "Don't even think about it." Shikamaru said, taking a few steps back.

"You're afraid of mice?" Itachi asked, doing his best to keep the laughter from his voice.

"I'm not afraid of them…I just don't like them." Shikamaru said defensively, Itachi still walking closer. He sighed and locked eyes with him. "I'm not going to get away from this am I?"

"Of course not…just pet its head and then I'll let it go." Itachi held the small mouse in his hands, its small head peaking out from his fingers. Tentatively, Shikamaru reached out a finger and poked it on the head.

"I said 'pet' not 'poke'." Itachi said, smiling lightly. Shikamaru made a whining sound and brushed his finger across the mouse's head reluctantly.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Itachi asked, kneeling down and releasing the mouse into the woods.

"That was gross."

"How was it gross?" They walked towards the lake and Itachi dipped his hands into the water, washing away the traces of the mouse that he held.

"It felt weird." When Itachi turned around after wiping his hands on his pants, he felt himself melt at the sight of Shikamaru pouting.

"Don't be such a baby." He said, sitting next to him again. Shikamaru turned to him, his eyes bright.

"Tell me something: what is the Great Itachi Uchiha afraid of?" He stared deep into Shikamaru's dark eyes, seeing the sparkle of mischievous inside them.

"I'm not afraid of anything." He said, trying to disguise one of his greatest fears.

"So if you're not afraid of anything, then that means the sun isn't hot, right?" Shikamaru asked jokingly, poking him gently in the side.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Shikamaru shook his head.

"No way, now spill it." Itachi sighed and made eye contact with him again.

"I'm…a neat-freak…I get scared when things aren't organized." Shikamaru contained his laugh, not sure of how Itachi would reach if he laughed. "Go ahead." Shikamaru laughed next to him, not believing that Itachi was a neat-freak.

"That made my day; now I know that I need to make things relatively messy." He said, lightly hugging his arm, still laughing gently.

Itachi felt his heart stop as he felt Shikamaru hold onto his arm. He felt his soft hair against his arm and his slim fingers gently wrap themselves around his forearm. He stared at the top of Shikamaru's head as the Nara stared out at the lake. Shikamaru tightened his grip on his arm, laying his head on his shoulder.

He allowed his mind to wonder back to when Shikamaru first started staying with Akatsuki 6 months ago. He did his best to avoid the others' curious glances at him and Kisame's questions about Shikamaru, but he didn't want to avoid that any longer. Ever since Shikamaru arrived here, he felt himself become jealous and protective whenever he saw him being around Kisame, Deidara, or someone else. He didn't want to let him out of his sight for fear that someone would take him away from him. It was strange; he's never been this possessive of a person before…including Sasuke. But whenever Shikamaru was around another member of Akatsuki, he felt jealous…protective…possessive. He wanted Shikamaru to be his…and only his.

ItachiXShikamaru

The feeling of having Shikamaru holding onto him a week ago still lingered with him. He couldn't go to sleep that night, wanting to have the boy wrapped up in his arms…wanting to feel him against him again.

"You thinking about the boy?" A voice asked from behind him, making him turn. Kisame had emerged from a nearby room, evidently waiting to bump into him.

"What my thoughts consist of are none of your concern, Kisame." Itachi said coolly, continuing his walk. Kisame walked along side him, obviously not letting it go.

"What's up with you and the kid anyway? You've been…" Itachi looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"I've been what?"

"Well…different. Not a bad different, just…different." Itachi pondered this for a moment. Yes, he felt himself changing and he knew it was because of Shikamaru, but he couldn't confide that to Kisame. "Is anything going on—" Kisame was interrupted by a loud curse that came from the room just in front of them.

When they walked into the room, Itachi felt his heart flutter. Shikamaru was standing on his toes, reaching both arms above his head making his lower back and hips become visible as his shirt rode up. What is he reaching for?

"Damn it, Deidara. I'm going to kill you and make sure no one finds your body." Shikamaru hissed quietly, still trying to reach above the cabinet.

"What did Deidara do?" Itachi asked, making Shikamaru jump and turn sharply at them. Itachi felt himself become breathless at the sight of Shikamaru's sparkling eyes and slightly flushed face. Kisame saw Itachi's slight change in behavior at the sight of the boy in front of them. When Shikamaru turned back towards what he was doing, Kisame slowly and carefully left the room, leaving them alone.

"Deidara took something very special to me and threw it up here." Shikamaru said in a strained voice, trying to lengthen his body to reach what he was looking for.

Before he could think, Itachi walked forward, wrapped his arms around Shikamaru's upper legs and lifted him up. Shikamaru let out a yelp of surprise as he looked down at Itachi who was looking back up at him. He turned his attention back to what he was looking for and found it. Smiling, he leaned forward slightly and wrapped his fingers around the cool object. Carefully, Itachi lowered him back to the ground, his hands lingering on his hips for a short time before removing them reluctantly.

"What is it?" He asked and Shikamaru opened his hand and revealed a small light pink rose blossom attached to a thin silver chain.

"My mother used to wear it," Shikamaru said quietly, gently tucking it into his back pocket. "But I don't wear it."

"Why?"

"I don't want it to get broken." He said smiling lightly at him and turned to leave, but Itachi prevented him. He stared deep into his brown eyes, trying to find what he was hiding.

"What happened to her?" Shikamaru's eyes widened at the question and Itachi saw that they started to become glassy. He bit his lower lip gently and sniffed.

"She passed away about 6 years ago…my father's fault." He said quietly, trying to leave, but Itachi prevented him from doing so again. He gently pulled Shikamaru's arm, making him fall against his front. He held both of Shikamaru's wrists and brought their faces close together, their breaths lingering between them.

"What—" They heard footsteps come down the hallway and they stepped away from each other, Shikamaru wiping his eyes. Deidara popped his head into the room, smiling.

"Did you get it, Munchkin?"

"I did, but now it's dirty…thanks." Shikamaru said, pretending to be hurt; Deidara let out a bark of laughter.

"Hey, if you need someone to be a pain in the ass, just come find me." And with that, he left. Shikamaru looked down at the floor, running a hand through his hair. He walked towards to door, but Itachi didn't stop him this time. Shikamaru looked back at him.

"Are you coming?"

ItachiXShikamaru

The moonlight reflected off of the surface of the lake, casting a pale light around them. They sat on their favorite rock, silence falling between them. Itachi couldn't help noticing how close Shikamaru had sat down next to him, almost touching him. Stop being a teenage girl.

"My parents were complete opposites." Shikamaru started, breaking the silence. "But they both had…some type…of personality disorder." Itachi's eyes widened slightly as he continued to look evenly at him.

"My father had Narcissistic Personality Disorder and my mother had Dependent Personality Disorder. So my father was extremely self-centered and my mother did everything he told her to…everything." He saw Shikamaru glare angrily in front of him, his eyes glassy.

"What did he make her do?" Shikamaru slowly turned his gaze towards him, anger now gone.

"He told her that there was one thing that she could do to truly make him happy and content." Shikamaru stopped, remembering the event vividly.

"The one thing that he told her would make him truly happy and content…was for her to die." Itachi felt his heart stop. His father made his mother commit suicide?

"And she did it…hung herself from a ceiling fan." He sniffed and Itachi wrapped an arm around his slim waist, pulling him towards him. Slowly, he ran his fingers through Shikamaru's hair, marveling at its softness.

He sniffed again, feeling Itachi next to him…holding him. He felt Itachi run his fingers through his hair again, enjoying the feel of it. This was the closest they've ever been to each other…this was the most intimate they've ever been with each other. He figured out a long time ago what the feeling that kept welling inside of him whenever he saw Itachi was: love. He denied it at first, but then he caved as he realized that it was true. He'd fallen in love…with Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi looked down at him, admiring the way his skin glowed in the moonlight. He ran his fingers through his hair one more time and carefully, he ran a finger down the side of Shikamaru's face. When Shikamaru looked up, their eyes locked and that feeling they both had began to suffocate them. Itachi brushed the hair away from his face slowly, his eyes searching his face. He felt Shikamaru's fingertips touch his jaw line and move towards his lips. He gently grabbed his hand and pulled them together.

He invaded Shikamaru's mouth as soon as his lips parted, taking in every crevice he could. Shikamaru tightly wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck, causing the Uchiha to lean over him. Propping himself up on one elbow, his other hand found its way underneath Shikamaru's shirt, holding his hip. He broke away from the kiss and began to lay light kisses along Shikamaru's jaw line and down his neck. Shikamaru moaned quietly as Itachi gently nipped at the sensitive skin on his neck, making Itachi come up and capture his lips again. The fight for dominance was won by Itachi and he took full advantage of what Shikamaru offered him, making the Nara moan into the kiss. Reluctantly, they parted panting slightly.

Shikamaru stared up at the man above him, not believing all the horrible things that the village and Sasuke has said about him. He knew that Itachi massacred his clan, but he now knew that there was a completely different side to him that he doesn't let anyone see…except him. Passion had poured from Itachi, threatening to drown him. The man above him loved…possibly…loved him. But knew that the feelings that have been circulating through him for the past 6 months have been love and passion for Itachi Uchiha.

ItachiXShikamaru

I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, however,…it was necessary, yes?

Reviews would be dandy. ^_^