Gentle-Fist Massage VI: Night of the Dead

Part 2: "Together Again"

Naruto yawned, stretching his arms high above his head. He was beginning to wonder if anybody ever snuck into the creepy cemetery after dark, since he'd been wandering around the graves for an hour or two already and seen and heard squat. The blonde was starting to plan on finding Shikamaru. That way he'd at least have somebody to talk with so he wouldn't be so friggin' bored.

A frown touched his features at thinking of his friend and one time lover. The Nara hadn't been the same since Neji passed away; he knew that would be normal, but it was the way Shikamaru had changed that had everybody worried, not just the Uzumaki. Shikamaru had become so much more distant than before, talking very little and not participating in much of anything, which was saying something since the Nara hardly did when Neji was alive. Shikamaru was even barely speaking to Chouji, something that not only worried the plump ninja but also his fiancé.

Naruto blinked a moment. Perhaps that was why the Nara wasn't talking to his once best friend. He'd heard about the engagement between Chouji and Ino and was extremely happy for them, but the word on the street was that Shikamaru had been in the dark about the entire thing. As far as the blonde knew, the Nara found out after the proposal and seemed a bit… disturbed by it. After which he hardly spoke a single word to Chouji or Ino and kept mostly to himself within his house, Sai seeming to be the only lifeline to the world beyond the Academy.

The Akimichi had talked to Naruto about it, saying that he didn't want to tell Shikamaru he'd been planning to ask Ino to marry him because he didn't want his best friend to feel even worse than he already did. Neji and Shikamaru had been engaged, after all.

Naruto sighed heavily and shook his head. All his worrying in the world wasn't going to help the Nara and he knew that. Making a final decision, the blonde straightened his stance and began heading toward the Hyuga's headstone, for that surely was where Shikamaru would be. If anything, the blonde just wanted to be there for his friend, anything to remind him that his friends were still there and willing to be his comfort if he needed it.

As he started to move down the dirt path that ran just outside the graveyard, the Uzumaki heard a bit of rustling in the bushes beside him. A pleased grin grew on his fox-like features as he leapt silently into the tree next to the brush. 'Finally!' he thought. 'It's about time I get to jump some kids.'

"Where's the damn trail?!" a male voice said frustratingly as the bushes moved a bit more forcefully.

Naruto had to suppress the chuckle that wanted to erupt from his throat. 'All right! It's an adult! Maybe a good scare is what this bozo needs on Halloween night.' He silently reached into his holster and carefully pulled out a kunai.

The man burst from the leaves with a final grunt and a pleased sigh. "Here it is!"

The Uzumaki had only a fraction of a second to notice the similar blonde hair atop the man's head before jumping down from the tree branch, tackling the man down to the ground, who yelped in surprise, and Naruto straddled his waist. "This is sacred ground!" Naruto shouted, feeling important and proud. "What do you think you're…?" His question died on his lips as his eyes finally focused on the face of the man lying beneath him.

Blue eyes widened and his kunai slipped from his fingers to dig itself harmlessly into the soil. Naruto blinked several times, heart starting to pound madly in excitement and disbelief. "You're…."

Shikamaru struggled to keep his knees from buckling as he continued to gaze at his dead lover, standing only a few feet in front of him. He released a heavy breath and covered his face within shaking hands. His dark eyes stung with tears, but he refused to let them fall, not now. He breathed heavily for a few minutes, trying to calm his racing heart and overflowing emotions. Now was not the time to freak out.

Slowly, his brain started functioning again and the Nara calmly removed his hands from his face, giving the man before him a cold glare.

White chocolate eyes blinked and a slender eyebrow rose. "Shikamaru?" he asked in that silky voice he'd missed so much.

Shikamaru lightly growled. "Stop it! This isn't funny, Naruto! Drop the transformation!"

Neji blinked for several moments before chuckling. "You don't believe I'm real, Shikamaru?"

The Nara rolled his eyes. "Of course you're real, Naruto. The Neji act isn't. Nothing can bring the dead back to life, not even a full moon on Halloween; it's nothing more than a myth. So knock it off!"

The slightly taller man ran delicate fingers through his long hair. "I guess it would be hard for you to believe. It is true that Naruto Uzumaki could transform into me and could probably do a decent job of acting like the real Neji Hyuga, but…" he took the few steps separating them to stand only a foot away from the Nara, "there is one thing even the talented Naruto could not duplicate." With a beautiful smile on his face, the paler man gently grabbed one of Shikamaru's wrists and placed his hand upon the Hyuga's chest.

Immediately Shikamaru's eyes widened. He moved his appendage around the upper part of the other man's chest, trying to feel beneath the soft fabric against his skin. When that failed, he did the next thing he could think of. Shikamaru quickly bent down and placed his ear against the solid torso before him. He held his breath and silently counted the seconds as they passed around them soundlessly.

After about a minute, the Nara slowly pulled away and released a shaky sigh. There was no way Naruto could pull that off, he doubted anybody could. The man before him was breathing, slowly but still taking in air, and was standing on his own, moving and using his body, however…. "No heart beat," Shikamaru whispered, shocked dark eyes looking up into white chocolate orbs. "No pulse."

The paler man chuckled again. "Well, I'm already dead, Shikamaru. That's one thing I will never have again."

Tears pooled in his dark orbs as he threw himself at the Hyuga, tightly wrapping his arms around the other's neck and burying his face against a strong shoulder. "Neji!"

The deceased shinobi gently wrapped his own arms around the Nara and held him close.

Shikamaru pulled back a bit to press his lips against the soft ones of his lover, whimpering softly at how his heart seemed to skip a beat. A hot tongue slid into his willing mouth and the shadow wielder clung desperately to Neji, fearful that he might vanish at any moment.

The Hyuga left his love's mouth a moment later and carefully wiped away the tears streaming down Shikamaru's cheeks.

The Nara released a choked sob and hid his face against the older ninja's neck. "I missed you… so much."

"Shhh," Neji cooed, trying to sooth his lover by rubbing his back and gently rocking him within his embrace. "It's okay, Shikamaru. I'm here now."

A comforting warmth surrounded Shikamaru as he released a shaky sigh. The love of his life was back in his arms and he could hardly believe it. 'It must be a dream,' he thought, tightening his grasp on the Hyuga and silently wishing he would never wake. "Don't leave me," he found himself whispering against his lover's neck. "Please, please don't leave…."

"I won't," Neji immediately answered, one warm hand rising to cup the back of the Nara's head. "I'm not going anywhere for a while, Shikamaru. Calm down, love; it's all right."

The shadow wielder took long, steadying breaths before pulling back just a little to look into the white chocolate eyes shining warmth and comfort toward him. 'I have him,' his mind whispered. 'I have Neji again… even if for a short while.' Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shikamaru knew his lover would not be staying here forever. Neji was dead and, based on all the stories he'd heard when he was a child, his lover would probably be leaving him at dawn.

The realization made the Nara move his eyes away to gaze at the sky. "Sunrise?" he asked quietly.

Neji leaned in to gently nuzzle his love's cheek. "Sunrise," he confirmed softly, breathing into Shikamaru's ear. "But that's a ways off right now." He licked his lover's earlobe with his hot, wet tongue, eliciting a delectable moan from the other man.

Shikamaru instinctively tilted his head to the side, giving the technically older man more room as he nipped lovingly at his neck and jaw. Their lips met again in a steamy kiss that sent ripples of pleasure running up the shadow wielder's spine as tongues tangled together.

His love was right; morning was still a long way off and they needed to make the most of what little time they did possess. He moaned into the Hyuga's mouth, lightly thrusting his hips as a warm hand cupped his buttocks. Those soft lips moving sensually on his own was all Shikamaru really needed to make his arousal start growing.

Neji pulled away, his beautiful eyes clouding over with lust as he gazed at the Nara, who was slightly panting with flushed cheeks. His other pale hand rested on Shikamaru's face, and he instantly nuzzled the appendage. Neji leaned in close, their lips only millimeters apart, as he whispered in a breathless tone, "I want you to take me."

"Hello, Naruto."

Naruto immediately backed off the man he'd tackled to stand wide-eyed several feet away. "Y-y-you're…" he stuttered as the man he recognized slowly got to his feet. "You're him! Th-the…!" He stuck his hand out and pointed frantically to the Hokage Monument, just barely visible over the trees. "I-i-it's you!"

The man Naruto knew was supposed to be dead chuckled, deep azure eyes following his finger before giving the shocked ninja a sheepish smile. "Yes, Naruto. I'm the Fourth Hokage."

The Uzumaki blinked. "How do you know my name?!"

He chuckled again. "Who doesn't know the mighty Naruto Uzumaki? The greatest prankster and the number one knucklehead ninja of Konoha."

Naruto blushed even as a scowl touched his features. "That was a long time ago!" he practically shouted. "I'm a ninja now, a jonin as a matter of fact, and I deserve to be treated like one!"

"Okay, okay!" the Fourth relented, holding his hands up in front of him. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you." His eyes gazed up at the monument once more. "I must admit, though," he whispered, "whoever carved my face didn't do a real good job at it."

Naruto kept his own orbs upon the dead ninja as the other looked around. 'I knew it!' he celebrated within his mind. 'I knew it was possible on Halloween; take that Shikamaru!' As he continued to stare at the Hokage a strange pool of emotion began to swirl within his chest. The Uzumaki scowled in confusion. What was this? It made him feel… happy, yet sad at the same time and a single word kept echoing itself within his mind as the feeling grew. He didn't understand; the word made absolutely no sense!

"You okay, Naruto?"

The Uzumaki blinked and lightly shook his head, trying to clear it. "Uh, yeah… mister Fourth… sir."

A blonde brow rose on the Hokage's forehead. "Good. Would you like to walk with me for a while?" he asked, striding up to Naruto with a smile.

The living ninja nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, sir Fourth… sir."

The Fourth rolled his eyes as they began down the trail. "Man that's a lot more annoying than I remember it. You can call me Minato; that whole 'Fourth Hokage' stuff gets a little irritating."

Naruto walked at his side. "All right… Minato." The feeling within his chest grew at voicing the name and a hint of worry shot through his mind as the word would not back away.