Cassandra's POV

The hospital wasn't very busy when I arrived. Sakura, the pink haired girl I had met briefly on a few occasions, the one who's Lady Tsunade's personal apprentice, was the one who healed my side.

"So, can I ask what happened?" she asked when she was finished. Luckily it hadn't been infected and was healing nicely on its own, so she hadn't had to do much. She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, taking a short break.

"I pushed Shikamaru out of the way from a spear and I wasn't fast enough to avoid it myself," I told her with a shrug.

"Boys, always needing our help," Sakura replied with a giggle.

"Do you know Shikamaru pretty well? Can you tell me about him?" I questioned. "That sounds really weird. I'm just a little curious, I don't know many people your age."

"Shikamaru is a great guy; he's really smart. He's just lazy as hell. He, Naruto, Kiba, and Choji used to ditch classes at the academy all time. But he's a great leader and even though he seems like he doesn't care about much, he does care about his teammates and those he works with," Sakura paused, looking at me. "You don't have a crush on him do you?"

I immediately defended myself, claiming to just be curious. Sakura laughed and told me I was free to go whenever I pleased.

"Stay out of trouble Cassandra," she told me with a smile as she left the room.

I sighed once she was gone, thinking over everything she had said about Shikamaru. Interesting boy. As much as I hated to admit it, I was going to find a way to spend more time with him. Even though my mind was telling me it was a stupid idea to try and get close to him, something else inside of me was telling me I should.

Shikamaru's POV

After the crazy dinner with both of our teams, I had Ino give me a few flowers from her shop. I refused to answer her questions as to why I needed them and quickly got away to begin heading towards the hospital.

It was still early by the time I reached the hospital, the sun wouldn't set for another hour or so. I walked in, immediately spotting Sakura by the front desk talking to another nurse.

"Sakura!" I called to her.

"Shikamaru?" she asked as I walked up to her. I saw her look down at the flowers in my hand and smile. "Are you here for Cassandra?"

"Uh yeah," I replied, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. "How did you know?"

"Girls know everything," Sakura answered in her usual proud tone. "Cassandra isn't here anymore though, I released her not that long ago."

I cursed under my breath. I had no way of finding her now. "Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment. "I know she had to report to Lady Tsunade, but she's probably finished that by now. She might have gone to get something to eat or went back to her apartment. I have no clue."

"Try the graveyard," a new voice suggested. We turned around, seeing Lady Tsunade walking up to us. "The one by the east gate. She just left my office."

"Why the graveyard?" Sakura asked.

"Her team is buried there. It's not uncommon for her to go there after missions," Tsunade replied.

"Thanks Tsunade," I told her and hurried out of the hospital.

Luckily, I spotted her as soon as I reached the graveyard. She was sitting in front of a tombstone by herself, her back facing me. I stayed there for a moment, slowing my breathing after my mad dash to get here.

Eventually, I worked up the courage to approach her. I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I walked up to her and thrust the flowers into her face.

"Shikamaru?" she asked as she looked up at me. She definitely seemed surprised, but she smiled.

"I tried to find you at the hospital, but you weren't there. These are for you," I told her, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. My heart will still beating quickly. Damn this whole thing was a drag; I had no clue what I was doing. Seeing her smile was worth it though.

She took them from me, holding them in both of her hands. "They're beautiful, thank you. But why?"

"You saved my life and got hurt for it, I figured I owed you something," I answered.

"You don't owe me anything," she laughed. "Would you mind putting one in my hair?"

I nodded slowly and kneeled down beside her. She handed me a flower and I gently brushed the hair on one side of her head. I knew I was blushing now and I saw her smile at my discomfort. I wasn't used to being so close to girls like her, it's not my fault I was nervous.

Cassandra's POV

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked as he secured the flower into my hair. He took his hands away as soon as he could, and he was blushing furiously.

"Why are you so alive around me, but distant from everyone else," he countered.

"Uh…" I stumbled, completely caught by surprise. I stayed silent for a moment as I thought about it.

"I know I'm afraid to get close to people again. I mean, I could have joined the ANBU and avoided it entirely," I paused as I looked at the tombstones beside me.

"You reminded me of all of them, but you're also completely different. Maybe I like the sound of your voice, or the way you sigh when you have to do something you don't want to. Maybe I don't know you very well, but maybe I want to. Maybe I'm a little lonely." I stopped rambling and looked at him.

"You shouldn't have to be alone. You always have friends here in the village. I know you're afraid and all, but isn't it better to not be alone?" Shikamaru asked as he looked back at me.

"It might be, I'm not sure of anything anymore," I told him with a sigh.

"Then let me convince you," Shikamaru said.

"And how are you going to do that?" I smirked, looking back over at him.

"Uh…" he paused as his face blushed red, which was adorable. "Like this." He leaned closer to me and gently brushed a piece of hair out of my face. His lips gently touched mine, just briefly.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked once we separated.

"I wanted to make sure you don't disappear. Because I want to be in your life and I want you in mine. This is my trying and probably failing to ask you on a date," he said.

"You're not failing," I replied, smiling. I leaned forward, kissing him again. He smiled as he kissed back.

"At least now you can tell your friends you got a girlfriend first," I whispered when I pulled back.

"You heard that conversation?"

"Every word."

"Oh," Shikamaru blushed even harder, but I continued to laugh.

"Come on, it's getting dark. Why don't you walk me home?" I said, smiling.

"Alright." We stood up, and he grabbed my hand. I led him out of the graveyard, gripping it tightly. He smiled as he looked down at me and I smiled back. Maybe he was right, maybe I could at least try.