Dearest Readers,

*WARNING* This chapter contains lemon. Don't like, then don't read.

Read on, Cherubs.

Over and out.

Into the Sanctuary

"Alright, Itachi, let's go." Shikamaru said, grabbing Itachi's hand and trying to walk them from the room. However, Itachi had other plans as he firmly grabbed the doorframe, preventing Shikamaru from dragging him from the room.

"I am not going." Itachi shot back softly, not loosening his hold on the doorframe.

"Will you stop being such a baby? Come on, we're going whether you like it or not." Shikamaru said, tugging on Itachi's arm again.

"Where are you two going?" Kisame asked, trying to hide the smile from his face as he watched the couple.

"We are going nowhere."

"We're trying to go to a nearby village to actually be around different people and to get away from here for a couple of hours." Shikamaru explained, tugging on Itachi's arm again.

"Why don't you want to go, Itachi?" Deidara asked humor evident in his voice.

"Because I am a rogue ninja and almost everyone knows of me and, quite frankly, I don't feel like dying today."

"That's a good point actually." Shikamaru huffed and released Itachi's hand.

"Fine," He whined, "I'll go by myself because I don't have a bad reputation…yet."

"Have fun…but no wild parties. Don't wander off with people you don't know, which is everyone. Don't tell people where you're from and—"

"I get it, Mother, thanks." Shikamaru said, smiling slyly at him and leaving the room.

"Protective, much?" Deidara teased as Itachi sat down beside him.

"Admittedly, yes. However, saying that kind of thing pisses him off."

ItachiXShikamaru

He smiled lightly and stretched his arms above his head, enjoying the feeling of being away from the woods and in an actual village. He decided to change his shirt before he left in case anyone would recognize what the black shirt and red clouds meant…he didn't feel like putting up with confrontation today. He also took off his ring and placed it in his pocket, not wanting to lose it…again wanting to avoid confrontation.

As he wandered through the village, a few of the villagers smiled briefly at him, which he returned. These people are nice. He knew he wasn't in one of the hidden villages, judging by the size of it…and how he was able to get in without effort. As Shikamaru observed the shops around him, he glanced into a produce store and saw a somewhat elderly woman carrying a crate of some kind of fruit towards the center of the shop. He walked in, seeing her have great difficulty with the weight of the crate she was carrying.

"Here, let me help you." He said kindly, lifting the crate from her arms.

"Oh thank you, Dear. Could you place it on that table to your right, please?" She asked, her voice soft and kind. He placed it on the table she indicated and brushed some dust off of his clothes.

"Thank you, Dear, you are very kind." She said, smiling widely.

"No problem, looked like you needed some help."

"Oh yes, very much so. What's your name, Dear?"

"Shikamaru."

"Well Shikamaru, my name is Satomi. You're not from this village are you?" Her smile widened with her eyes gleaming.

"No, I'm not actually. I've never been to this village before."

"Well I'm glad you're here. Now I don't want to keep you, but I'm going to give you a little care-package." She said walking to the other side of the shop and lifting a small crate.

"Oh you don't have to give me anything, Satomi, really." She shoved the crate into his arms and he saw that it was full with every fruit known to man.

"Oh Shikamaru, you are a Skinny-Minnie! You need something on your bones! Although, maybe fruit won't provide that, but it's very delicious!" She cried happily, making him laugh.

"Well thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Oh you're very welcome, Dear. Now go enjoy the rest of your day and stop by to see me sometime whenever you get the chance!" She called as he walked towards the door.

"I'll be back, I promise."

ItachiXShikamaru

"What the hell is that?" Itachi asked as he saw Shikamaru carrying a crate down the hallway.

"Its fruit that a very nice lady gave to me…she called me a 'Skinny-Minnie'." He said chuckling, continuing to walk.

"In the two years that you've been here, I have never seen you eat fruit."

"I didn't want to turn it down! That would've been rude."

Itachi reached over and lifted it from his arms, ignoring Shikamaru's protests. "I can carry an object, you know." Shikamaru pouted a coy gleam in his eye.

"I know you can, but I would feel better if you didn't."

"Macho Man, are we?"

"I have to keep my pride somehow." Shikamaru rolled his eyes as Itachi set the crate down on the kitchen counter and walked with Shikamaru outside towards the lake.

They sat on the rock, Shikamaru lying against Itachi's front, placing his face in the crock of the Uchiha's neck. Itachi had his arms wrapped tightly around the man on his lap, feeling safer now that he had him near him. He ran his hand up and down Shikamaru's back, taking a slower time on his upper back to marvel at the feeling of the softness of the exposed skin; he felt his warm breath brush against his collarbone and upper chest.

Shikamaru found his thoughts drifting to something that he usually doesn't think about: the Leaf Village. He thought of his former friends, teammates, and mentors…wondering if they changed at all. He remembers Ino's bone-breaking hugs, Choji's obsession with food, Lee's overly enthusiastic attitude about everything, Naruto's strong determination to surpass the greatest of ninja, and…Sasuke's hate towards his brother.

His mind then drifted to Asuma, his mentor. He remembers all of their games of Shoji and how Asuma would try to hide his frustration after losing every game. He then found himself thinking something that he never thought he would: he wanted to see them. Even after their harsh words, he wanted to see their faces.

"What troubles you, Child?" Itachi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Nothing." He said quietly knowing that Itachi would catch his bluff. Itachi made him sit up and face him.

"What is it?" Shikamaru thought for a moment, should he tell him? What if Itachi takes that as a sign that he wanted to leave?

"I was just…thinking about the Leaf Village." He whispered, not looking Itachi in the eye. Itachi felt his body run cold. The Leaf Village? He…he wants to go back? He repressed his anger; he knew that having someone like Shikamaru was a far off dream. But…he wanted Shikamaru to be happy…he had to let him go.

"You wish to go back?" Shikamaru heard the hurt and disappointment clearly in his voice even though he tried to hide it. He pressed his forehead against Itachi's making eye contact with him.

"No, I don't. I want to stay here, but I would like to go back someday to see the people I left behind." Itachi felt himself come back to life at hearing this. He wasn't leaving.

"I promise that I'll take you back there someday. Just tell me when you want to go and we will." Shikamaru's eyes shined and he placed a light kiss on his lips.

They sat for a little bit longer by the lake before returning to the base. Sticking with their routine that they developed, Itachi walked with Shikamaru to his bedroom to wish him goodnight. Itachi wrapped his arms firmly around Shikamaru's slim waist, pulling him tightly against him. As Shikamaru's arms wrapped around his neck, he felt something shift inside of him. He didn't know what it was, but he had a feeling that it was a good thing. Staring into those dark brown eyes that he loved, he felt a new mindset of possessiveness take over him. He knew he was possessive of Shikamaru…everyone knew that, but he was now feeling that possessiveness become stronger. He wanted Shikamaru to be his and no one else's.

He ran a hand up Shikamaru's back, burying his fingers in his dark brown hair. Shikamaru lifted himself onto the platforms of his feet to close the gap between them. Shikamaru felt electricity shoot through his body as Itachi invaded his mouth greedily. He gripped Itachi's hair between his fingers, trying to bring him closer. Itachi ran his hands beneath Shikamaru's shirt, wanting to feel more of him as Shikamaru grabbed the front of his shirt and briefly broke the kiss as he led them inside his bedroom.

He was barely able to close the door before Itachi had him pressed against it, attacking his lips again. He moaned as he felt Itachi run his hands up his sides, removing his shirt in the process. They briefly broke apart again as Itachi tossed Shikamaru's shirt aside, now free to explore his upper body at will. Shikamaru's fingers played with the hem of his shirt and they broke away again.

"Off." Shikamaru said shortly, not leaving room for disagreement. Itachi also tossed his shirt aside and bent down slightly, wrapped his arms just below Shikamaru's rump, and lifted him off the ground.

Shikamaru let out a sound of surprise and Itachi carefully laid him down on the bed, instantly hovering over him. Itachi was careful to not put too much of his body weight on top of Shikamaru has he kissed him again, feeling Shikamaru wrap his legs around his waist. He parted from Shikamaru and began to lay light kisses along his jaw line and down his neck, making the man beneath him moan lightly.

Itachi growled deep in his throat as he felt Shikamaru pull his hips up, brushing lightly against his. He felt himself becoming overwhelmed by passion as he grinded his hips into Shikamaru's roughly, making both of them moan slightly. Shikamaru slid his hands down Itachi's front and began to play with the top of his black pants, making Itachi break away from the kiss.

He stared down at Shikamaru, seeing his eyes shining with lust and assurance. He wanted this. Itachi suddenly saw the look of mischievousness gleam in his eyes as he used his body weight to roll them over. He straddled his waist and took dominance over him as he slowly undid his pants and slid his hand inside.

Itachi groaned deep in his throat as he felt Shikamaru wrap his thin fingers around his throbbing member, stroking it lightly. Shikamaru planted kisses down his body, sliding his pants off in the process. Itachi let out a deep moan as Shikamaru took him into his mouth, taking him in as deeply as he could. As Shikamaru began to slowly move, Itachi gripped the sheets in his hands, doing his best to not take a hold of Shikamaru's hair and force him down on him.

Shikamaru picked up the pace, making Itachi's head spin with pleasure. He almost let out a whine of disappointment when Shikamaru stopped and moved back up to his lips, kissing them gently. Itachi took the opportunity to roll them back over, pinning Shikamaru to the bed and kissing him deeply. He moved his hand down the front of Shikamaru's body and slowly undid his pants and slid them down, removing them completely. He then thought that he should let Shikamaru take control...temporarily since it's going to take him time to adjust. Itachi coated two of his fingers with saliva and carefully inserted one into his opening, making Shikamaru squirm slightly. Slowly, Itachi moved his finger in and out and carefully adding the second one which made Shikamaru squirm even more. This is going to hurt him a lot more that I thought. Once he made sure that Shikamaru would be relatively alright in taking him in, he rolled Shikamaru on top of him again, the younger man straddling his waist. Their eyes locked, Itachi silently asking him if he was sure he wanted to do this. Shikamaru leaned over and kissed him reassuringly, silently telling him that he was sure. Shikamaru lifted himself up as Itachi placed his hands on his hips and he positioned himself over Itachi…and slowly let him in.

God he's tight. Itachi thought as he felt Shikamaru's muscles tighten around him, making him see stars. Itachi's hands guided Shikamaru down on him, not wanting him to move too quickly in case he hurt himself.

This isn't going to work. Shikamaru thought as he felt Itachi fill him to the point of breaking. He felt his body burn and his eyes become wet as he tried to hide the pain he was feeling. Once Itachi was completely in him, he started to roll his hips, but Itachi stopped him. The Uchiha sat up and wrapped his arms around Shikamaru's slim figure, knowing that he was in pain.

The pain began to subside and Shikamaru rolled his hips, igniting the intense heat between them again. Itachi took hold of his hips again, making a steady rhythm. Their breathing began to quicken and become heavy as their rhythm became faster.

Carefully, Itachi pushed Shikamaru onto his back, making sure that he wasn't putting a lot of his body weight on him. He started a rhythm between them, slow and gentle at first, but it began to quicken and become harder as Shikamaru became impatient.

Shikamaru released a long moan as Itachi thrust into him, becoming rougher. He let out a gasp as he felt Itachi grab his member and begin to pump him in time with his thrusts. Shikamaru's breathing became quick gasps and his moans became louder. He clung to Itachi's sweat-drenched back, his loud moans mixing with Itachi's. Itachi pounded into him, making him see spots and he dragged his nails down Itachi's back, leaving angry red lines. Their pace became quicker as they both felt themselves reaching their peak.

"I-Itachi…." Shikamaru moaned, digging his nails even deeper into his back. Shikamaru arched his back and cried out as he came between them as Itachi forced himself in as far as he could and spilled his seed in him.

Both of them panted heavily, Itachi hazily looking for a place to leave his mark. He reluctantly removed himself from Shikamaru's warmth and brushed his teeth against his shoulder, biting him. Shikamaru let out a gasp as he felt Itachi sink his teeth into his shoulder, claiming him as his own.

Their breathing eventually evened out and Itachi lay next to Shikamaru, pulling him towards him by his slim waist and wrapping a nearby blanket around them. Shikamaru looked at Itachi's dark eyes and found them shining brightly with the look of passion within them. Those eyes only looked at him…only him. He was claimed by Itachi Uchiha and he didn't care if anyone saw the mark.

ItachiXShikamaru

I don't know if it's just me, but I felt REALLY dirty and perverted when I wrote this chapter. ^^;

Reviews please!

When-Rabbit-Howls