Dearest Readers,

This chapter could be considered confusing…but I'll try to make it clear, I swear.

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

Discovery of a Hidden Gift

"How did you manage to persuade Itachi to let you leave the base without him?" Deidara asked as he and Shikamaru walked through the woods, making sure that no one was near the base before heading back.

"I told him that if he didn't let me leave then I would put everything out of place and make him leave it there for a week." They chuckled quietly, Deidara still having a hard time believing that Itachi had let someone into his life in an intimate way.

He remembered feeling his body freeze with surprise…and happiness…at the fact of Itachi finding someone like Shikamaru. The Uchiha wasn't one that expressed any kind of emotion…ever. But even when the Munchkin came a year ago, they all saw the change in him…it was very small at first, but it was there. Granted, he's still calm and quiet, but now he was showing some emotions that they never thought existed within him. But all the members of Akatsuki knew one thing for a fact: if any one of them made a move on Shikamaru…they would die.

When Deidara first met Itachi, he knew instantly that he was someone you shouldn't mess around with…ever. He, like the other members of Akatsuki, was under the impression that Itachi doesn't form bonds with people…at all. Not with them and not even his clan, but somehow…Shikamaru changed that. He knew that when Itachi first brought Shikamaru to the base a year ago…things would change…for Itachi anyway. No one understood how the boy is able to impact the Uchiha in such a way…without even trying. He knew that something would happen between Itachi and Shikamaru…he and Kisame talked about it frequently, but ever since they found out about their relationship 6 months ago…his mind was frequently occupied with confusion and wonder.

"De-id-ar-a," Shikamaru said slowly, grabbing his attention. The blonde turned towards him.

"Yes, Munchkin?"

"Were you ignoring me or were you in La-La Land?"

"I'm sorry, Munchkin, but La-La Land is where the party's at." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly, a small smile on his lips.

Silence fell between them, carefully observing their surroundings. Deidara's ears perked when the silence was broken by a soft humming sound. He looked over at Shikamaru from the corner of his eye and relaxed: Shikamaru was just humming some kind of song. As he tuned in, trying to see if he could guess what he was humming, he felt a strange feeling come over him. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like his chest was being pulled away from his body towards the sky. What is this? His heart began to ache with a feeling that he's always tried to repress: emptiness. But when Shikamaru stopped humming, those physical feelings went away, including the emptiness. He turned towards Shikamaru, confusion on his face. His confusion mounted when he saw a gentle smile on the boy's face, seeming unaware of the feelings that he inflicted on him.

"How did you do that?" Deidara asked him, grabbing his attention and earning a confused look.

"Do what?" He…he doesn't know?

"N-nothing," he said, "let's head back. We've stayed out here long enough." Shikamaru nodded tentatively. What's wrong with him?

"Alright…are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't you worry about me, Munchkin."

ItachiXShikamaru

When they made it back to the base, Shikamaru went to his bedroom…his bed had been calling him all day. Meanwhile, Deidara went on the search for Itachi, hoping to get an answer for his question. He finally found him in the one room that was above the ground along with Kisame.

"Itachi, I need to ask you something." He said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. Itachi raised an eyebrow in curiosity…Deidara wasn't the kind of person who would seek any kind of advice…if that's what he is looking for.

"Yes?"

"Does Shikamaru…hum when he's around you?" Itachi's curiosity was now mixed with confusion. Does Shikamaru hum? Why would he ask something like that?

"That's a bizarre question, Deidara, even for you." Kisame said from his place by the window next to Itachi.

"Does Shikamaru hum? No, not that I can remember; why do you ask?" Deidara considered his response carefully.

"When we were walking through the woods tonight, he started to hum and…something…happened."

"What is this 'something'?" Itachi asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair, concerned.

"I don't know how to explain it, but…a weird feeling came over me when he started humming and when he stopped…the feeling stopped." Itachi's brow furrowed slightly in confusion. How can humming effect someone in a physical way?

"I'll see if I can get him to do it tomorrow…that's rather bizarre that something like that would happen."

ItachiXShikamaru

"Morning." Shikamaru said as he felt Itachi wrap his arms around his waist and nuzzle his neck.

"Good morning, Child. Come with me." He gently grabbed Shikamaru's hand and led them out of the base and through the woods.

Shikamaru looked at the ground, a smile on his face. Itachi liked to take him on walks through the woods…and he liked it too. Itachi eyed Shikamaru from the corner of his eye, trying to see and hear what Deidara talked about last night. Time passed and comfortable silence lay between them. Then Itachi's ears perked: Shikamaru started to hum. A strange feeling washed over him…like his chest was being pulled away from his body and up towards the sky. His heart began to ache with a feeling that he never felt at this kind of intensity: love. Is this what Deidara was talking about? He tried to make this strange sensation go away, but it refused to do so until Shikamaru's humming stopped.

"How did you do that?" He asked and Shikamaru looked up at him in confusion.

"You know, Deidara asked me that last night…what am I doing that would make you ask that?" Shikamaru asked, making them stop walking. Itachi stared into his dark eyes, seeing that Shikamaru really didn't understand what he was talking about.

"What song were you humming?" Shikamaru shrugged.

"Just something that I made up." He writes?

"When you hum…something strange happens…in a physical sense. Hum something different."

"Itachi, I don't understand why—"

"Please just do it." Shikamaru sighed and thought of something else he could hum and smiled slightly, continuing their walk.

Itachi's ears perked again as he heard that this song was darker…faster. A different sensation came over him: it felt like gravity was pulling harder on him…it felt like he was suffocating.

"Stop." He choked and instantly felt those sensations vanish. What the hell is going on?

"What's wrong?" Itachi looked down on him, truly not understanding what was happening.

"Let's head back…I have a feeling that there's something about you that even you don't know."

ItachiXShikamaru

"I see what you mean." Itachi said as he walked into the room with Deidara, Zetsu, and Kisame. Deidara stood; glad to know that he wasn't crazy.

"Do you know what it is?" Itachi sighed, shaking his head slightly; not wanting to admit that he didn't know what was going on.

"What are you two talking about?" Zetsu asked, looking between.

"Last night when Shikamaru and I were in the woods, he started to hum. But then…a strange sensation came over me."

"Like your chest was being lifted upward and your heart began to ache." Itachi added, looking thoughtfully at the carpet.

"Exactly."

"I asked him to hum something else…but that song produced a different sensation."

"So when the boy hums, whoever hears it feels a physical sensation?" Zetsu clarified, receiving nods. He stood and looked between them.

"Let's find him and allow him to demonstrate."

ItachiXShikamaru

"Child," Itachi said as he sat down on the rock by the lake next to Shikamaru who smiled at him, seeing Deidara, Zetsu and Kisame out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you guys need something?"

"We do actually, Shika. I have a question for you, can you hum us something?" Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes, looking out at the lake.

"What's the big deal?"

"Your humming causes physical affects." Deidara said bluntly, making the Nara look surprisingly at him.

"Does it really?" Deidara and Itachi nodded and made a confused look. "Alright…if you want me too…I will." He looked thoughtful for a moment, decided which song he wanted to him. He turned back to the lake, leaned back on his hands, and began to hum.

Deidara and Itachi felt the familiar sensation wash over them again and Kisame and Zetsu were startled by this new feeling. This must be what they were talking about…what is this feeling? The humming stopped and the sensation vanished. Shikamaru looked at them innocently, surprised to be receiving confused looks.

"Did it happen again?" They nodded.

"Child…you may have found a gift that you can use against others." Itachi said softly, the others behind them silently agreeing. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well that's awfully nice…don't know where it came from or how it got here, but it's nice."

ItachiXShikamaru

"Do you guys realize that it's been a year since Shikamaru left?" Ino asked thoughtfully, the others alright knowing that fact.

"Yeah, and we still have to wait another year before we can go look for him." Choji sighed, desperately wanting to see his best friend.

"I've tried so many times to persuade Granny-Tsunade to let us look for him now, but she's not budging." Naruto added, taking a bite of ramen.

"Do you think he's changed at all?" Ino asked, making Sasuke snort lightly.

"People don't change…they stay the way they want to and never budge from that persona." Sasuke said quietly, his dark eyes looking steadily at her.

"Sasuke's right…besides…knowing Shikamaru, no, he hasn't changed a bit." Choji added, making Ino sigh. What the hell was I thinking? Of course he wouldn't have changed; he's Shikamaru after all.

"I bet he hasn't trained since he left…probably gave up on being a ninja." Kiba said darkly, glaring at the table.

"That I don't doubt…no one's around to motivate him or force him to do anything, so why would he train in the slightest?"