The L Boogie- So first, off…yeah that last chapter…it was a long one. Not that this one isn't…but it's shorter by at least 2 pages! Thanks for the review Picture, and yeah…I named them all like that because it would be troublesome. I think it's a good fit for Shikamaru. Anyhow, this chapter should provide a bit more back story. I will be taking some liberties, considering that Shippuden isn't even finished, but hey, that's why it's fan fiction. If you find any major discrepancies, let me know…I'll do my best to fix them. Until then, enjoy.

Legal Jargon- I don't own Naruto. The world, the characters, the…well…everything. Except for the Author Created stuff. So don't try to sue me, cause you can't get blood from stone.

The Darkhorse: A Naruto Fan Fiction

A Slice of Life

Leaping from roof top to roof top, the dark haired young man had barely made his getaway. In his own mind, his thoughts were spinning and confused, wrapping around well over a hundred different possibilities and out comes as to what had occurred. Seeing his own mother and Temari locked in some kind of combat in his kitchen was more than enough stress he would ever need in his entire life.

He was never one to resort to using tools or jutsu's to get out of a situation that was neither dangerous or required so by a mission, however he was thankful that he was still wearing his utility pouch that had the smoke bombs. There would be consequences later, however he figured he'd be able to handle it his own way if he could get a little space and time to think. After breezing through the village, a familiar figure caught his eye dining at the Ichiraku. He dropped to the streets below and entered under the tarp, sitting next to the tall young man with the long, fiery orange coat.

" Your being reckless as usual. You are aware that it's the middle of the afternoon and the sun is still high in the sky. If anyone see's you, you'll be in some serious trouble, Naruto…" Shikamaru stated with a sarcastic tone.

Naruto finished up his mouthful of noodles and wiped his mouth before turning to Shikamaru.

" Oh, you know me. Can't stay too far away from trouble. Of course, neither can you, but that's only because you find everything troubling." Naruto retorted with his trademark grin.

It had been almost a year since Shikamaru had actually gotten a chance to sit down with Naruto and chat. True, he did see him from time to time passing by in the village, however the chance to sit down with him was rare, due to Naruto's listing in the bingo book. Since Jiraiya's passing, Naruto had grown up quite a bit, and now was every bit the man his mentor was.

His blond hair had only gotten a bit longer and spiked out a little bit more. He still wore his leaf headband despite being considered a rogue ninja. Naruto's choice of clothed seemed to differ greatly too, as he traded his orange jumpsuit for an orange sleeveless long coat with black flames licking up the trim, a long sleeve black shirt with green prayer beads tied at the left elbow, and a pair of light grey pants that were of standard cut for a shinobi. In all, his style changed some, but the look was familiar.

" I don't think I need to ask what brings you here. I take it Sakura couldn't get away from her duties?" the dark haired ninja asked, taking a seat.

" Pretty much. So I dropped in on her at the hospital. This whole long distance relationship is tough business." Naruto complained.

" It's a shame your wanted. We could use some more man power around here. Haven't been many Jounin promotions in the last few years. I'm the most recent, but besides me from the 12 of us, it's just Neji, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, and Sakura. You and Sasuke could easily do it if they'd let you guys back in the village…and Choji could if he'd just get over that self confidence thing. Some days, I feel like I may be the only one who even has a clue as to what he can really do. Even more than himself, sad as it is." said Shikamaru, his voice reflecting a tone of annoyance.

" It can't be helped I guess. I did supposedly murder the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. The bureaucrats here are a little sour about that whole thing. I guess I don't blame them. We couldn't really prove that it was Orochimaru…or Kabuto…or whichever…impersonating him, kinda like how he did the Kazekage 5 years ago. But, it's either this, or he was gonna use his position in order to bury Konohagakure for good." the blond reasoned.

" It's sad. You've done so much for this village and no one recognizes you for it. If you weren't considered rogue, you would probably be the Hokage…That was your dream, right?" Shikamaru mused, lighting a cigarette.

" Naa. I mean sure, when I was younger. But when I fought alongside Sasuke that last time, it dawned on me that I wanted to be Hokage for the wrong reason. The Hokage shouldn't care about being accepted by the village, and to use the position for such ridiculous thing. All I want to do is protect the Village…and I don't have to be Hokage to do that." he spoke with a wisdom enough to floor even Shikamaru.

" You really have gotten a lot stronger. Oh well…I guess it means more work for me, and I've already got my hands full. Teaching at the Academy, working in Cryptology, training my Genin…now I'm doing the whole guide thing again for Temari, who was in my apartment for some reason fighting my mother. Not something a guy wants to wake up to." whined the dark haired Jounin.

" Oh? So you and Temari are already in that type of relationship huh? How'd you talk her into moving in, you sly dog…" teased Naruto with a big grin.

A light blush hit Shikamaru's cheeks, which he tried to stifle with a bit of anger.

" What are you going on about? There's nothing between me and Temari. We're just friends." he spat.

" Yeah right. More like this you mean..." Naruto teased again, holding out his pinky with a smirk, " You keep saying that, but I know better."

" …Troublesome…" Shikamaru quipped, glancing away as Naruto grinned in some kind of victory, " So how is Sasuke?

" Doing a lot better. As you know, we fought Orochimaru in the palace of the Land of Fire. Once the guards had been dispatched, it was two on one, and it truly took everything we had to put him down for good this time. As you could imagine, taking a direct hit from his Chidori, as well as my Rasengan at the same time seemed to be the only way to be sure that we'd have him. Unfortunately, Sasuke had already exhausted his chakra, so he had to force the technique. Luckily, he was able to pull it off, but the damage it caused him was severe. You remember all that time afterwards that Sakura took off last year, right?" Naruto explained.

" Yeah. I figured she was going to see you. I think her excuse for leaving was for some kind of missionary deal in order to hone her technique. So I guess it wasn't a complete lie, was it?" said Shikamaru.

" Because of her, Sasuke survived. Though he's gone through so much. He lost the use of his right arm. In fact, after he used Chidori, it was barely attached. Sakura had to amputate it on the spot. Since then, he used to have troubles walking or even standing. Even suffered from extreme bouts of vertigo, but as time has passed, it's been worked down to headaches, migraines, and sudden bouts of chakra shortages…but at least he's alive." the blond explained, taking a sudden glance around.

Seeing Naruto's eyes shift quickly, Shikamaru hid his glances about, detecting the presence of ANBU in the area. His eyes met Naruto's briefly, and he nodded to his old friend.

" Looks like they're on to you. How long have you been in town?" asked Shikamaru, devising a plan to get Naruto out without risking his own hide too much.

" About three days. Been staying at Sakura's, but it's kinda sucked that I couldn't leave her apartment. I mean, if I didn't want detected, then the ANBU wouldn't find me, but I don't wanna work that hard, or force her to either. But it was my time to leave anyhow. She's working the next four or five days straight at the hospital, and they're gonna be long shirfts…so it's not like we'd get any time together. Anyhow…I guess I better get running. Last time, it was Kakashi-sensei who caught up to me. We'll see who it is this time." answered Naruto with a wide grin.

" You sure you don't want help?" Shikamaru offered, despite his belief on it being troublesome.

" I'll be fine. You should go spend some time with Temari since she's in town. After the exams, you know it'll be another 4 or 5 months until you'll see her afterwards." said the rogue ninja, stepping out from under the tarp of the noodle shop, " See ya around, Shikamaru!"

Before the flap from the tarp shut, Shikamaru made a few quick hand signs, channeling his chakra and taking a deep drag on his cigarette. With the last sign, he exhaled a massive amount of smoke, enough to cover the whole stand, the street, and sidewalk in a thick smoke.

" There's yourself a head start Naruto. Why don't you stop by my place next time your in town. We'll have a drink…" the shadow ninja jested slightly.

Naruto shot him a wide grin of approval before the smoke completely concealed his form, even from Shikamaru's well trained eyes. Deciding not to stick around for any possible questioning by the authorities, he made himself scarce as well, trekking back to his apartment in search of sanctuary. Firstly, his head poked into the window on the western edge of his living room, taking an upside down peek to see if it was safe.

Sure enough, there was no sign of it being occupied. In fact, there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle. Creeping inside, he tip toed around and confirmed that there was no one inside. After fully sweeping the apartment, he came back to the odd package wrapped in tin foil that was sitting on his table. He unfolded the note attached while unwrapping the foil, exposing the plate of food.

Crybaby,

As I should have expected, you ran away with your tail between your legs. I suppose I can't blame you…that mother of yours is…troublesome, to coin the phrase. Anyhow, your father showed up rather quickly after you ran off and took your mother with him. Originally I had came by to make you something to eat, to thank you for coming to my rescue and carrying me back. I really do appreciate it, and if you have time later, stop by and see me at the embassy. We can catch up a bit over some tea and Shogi.

Temari

A smirk formed over his lips as he read the letter.

" Classic Temari. Nothing can be simple, even a letter of thanks." he said to himself, aloud.

Taking a look down, he saw a large noodle dish sitting before him, made with strips of braised meat and seared vegetables. Surprisingly enough, it smelled very good, and his stomach growled loudly at the prospect. Grabbing a drink from his refrigerator, he sat down and began eating and was shocked to discover that the meal was actually very good. He continued through the meal until a boiled egg appeared in the midst of his noodles, causing him to stop and stare at the dish.

I hate boiled eggs…and somehow…I get this feeling that she knows this…

He grumbled a moment to himself, holding his nose with one hand and taking the egg up with his other, swallowing it quickly to avoid having to taste it. Downing a portion of his drink to kill the remaining flavor, he finally continued through the dish until it was completely empty.

" Not half bad Temari…" he spoke quietly.

With a sigh, he stood up and took a look out the window. The sky was a crystal blue and had only a light cloud cover, just the way he liked it. Deciding not to stick around his dreary apartment, he leapt from building to building until he found a nice meadow out by the training grounds. It was slightly hilly and the grass was nice and crisp, sporting a deep green color. Sure enough, this was his favorite spot to cloud watch on a day like this.

Hours would pass as he stared up at the sky. It felt like weeks since he had such a lovely view hanging directly over his head. It allowed him to fully clear his head and push aside all other thoughts, which would otherwise be impossible considering how quickly his brain worked. The sun was finally beginning to fall into the western sky, alerting Shikamaru to the time. Still though, he wanted to stay put and watch it fully set before he would pay a visit to the embassy. Half an hour before the sun was preparing to set, a lone figure stood behind him, sauntering up in a lazy manner.

" Shikamaru…" the older man called out.

" What is it dad? No offense, but I'm kinda busy…" the younger Nara stated.

" You should be more respectful to your old man, boy." Shikaku spout, slightly frustrated.

" Sorry. It's just the first opportunity I've had in a few weeks to do some cloud watching. So what's up?" Shikamaru asked.

" I'm just checking up on you. I had to intervene in a scuffle between your mother and that woman of yours. It was pretty ugly, and they forced me to use my Shadow Possession Jutsu on the both of them in order to get them to stop fighting. Talking them down was getting me nowhere, and even after I had them both bound, they still didn't seem to want to listen. But after a couple of minutes apart, Temari seemed more likely not to try anything if I released her, so I did. I began to walk your mother out of the apartment, but they just had to exchange a few more words before I could get her out of there…" Shikaku explained.

" Jeez. They both have to be so damn troublesome. It was probably the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life…and I've seen too much as it is, if you ask me." whined the son.

" Hmm…you may be right. That woman of yours is just as stubborn as your mother…" mused the father, looking up towards the sky, " Do you know what your mother said about her, once I finally got her home?"

Shikamaru turned to his father, hearing that comment for the second time in their conversation.

" Hey. What's this whole 'Your woman' thing?" Shikamaru asked, pointedly.

" Isn't it true though? I mean…everyone in town has been talking about it for as long as I can recall…" recalled the elder Nara, closing his eyes in an effort to better recall the statement.

" No. No no no. She possesses no qualities I find attractive in a woman. She's bossy, she's mean, she way too rough…" Shikamaru spout, quickly flustered by his fathers comments.

Shikaku let out a powerful laugh, kneeling down next to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" It's the curse of the Nara men, Shikamaru. You say that about her…but is that really what you think?" he asked.

Shikamaru didn't answer, turning around and refocusing his eyes back up towards the sky. Shikaku gave a half smile, looking down over his son, then turned to walk off.

" You should stop by the house and see your mother and I a little more often. She worries about you, you know? Anyhow, I guess I'll leave you be."

" Wait a second…what did Mom say about Temari?" Shikamaru asked, the thought nagging him somewhere in the back of his mind.

" You really want to know?" Shikaku said wryly, turning around just enough to look his son in the eyes.

" Yeah, I do." he answered.

" She said she had never met another woman other than Tsunade-sama, who could look her straight in the eyes while she was angry…" answered the elder Nara with a smirk.

" So what's that supposed the mean?" asked the son.

" I think it means she approves. Afterwards she said you better bring her by for dinner some time before she leaves." finished Shikaku, prompting him to turn around and walk off.

Shikamaru growled low, before hopping off the ground turning towards his retreating father.

" I SAID THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK THAT?" he shouted in aggravation.

As he watched his father walk off, he turned and looked up at the sun. It had just set and was hiding beneath the horizon now.

There isn't something going on…is there?

Taking a few more minutes to be self introspective into the nature of the relationship between himself and the Suna ambassador, he came to the decision that he just wasn't sure and that he didn't feel like dealing with it right then and there.

" Either way…I suppose I should stop by and see her. In the very least, it'll be a good game of Shogi." he said to himself.

Fortunately, the embassy building was on this side of town, so the walk there was short. As he entered through the main entrance, he was stopped by the guards and given a routine inspection. This was standard procedure when there was a VIP staying, and with Temari being the Kazekage's sister and ambassador from Suna, she definitely qualified. As usual, he was forced to leave any of his tools in the main room before heading upstairs to the living quarters.

He proceeded up through the elevator, not wanting to bother to take the stairs. Either way, the elevator at his apartment complex never worked, so it would be a luxury he didn't want to miss out on. Coming out on the fifth floor, Shikamaru turned to the right and walked down the hall until he reached the door to the room Temari had used for the past two years. Of course…calling it a room was quite the understatement. It was, in fact, much larger than Shikamaru apartment by at least three times. Stepping up to the heavy wooden door, he pulled his fist back and knocked three times, with little enthusiasm.

A brief moment later, he heard the sound of the latch and the door opened inward, revealing a freshly showed Temari standing in a long bathrobe. He felt a blush come over him at the sudden thought of her in the shower, as a visualization came to mind soon after. In defense, he slapped his hand against his forehead and rubbed it along his brow and cheek to hide his blush. Temari perked a single brow with a slight grin before stepping aside to let him in.

" About time you lazy man. Here I thought you weren't gonna come, so I was just getting ready to settle in for the evening." she teased.

" Were you planning on dragging me all over town or something?" he asked dryly.

" Please, I wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea about us…" she shot back with a smirk.

" Too late I suppose…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

" What was that?" Temari asked, taking a step closer.

Her hair was still wet and hung down. It was a rarity for him to see her like this. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her with her hair down, but he didn't mind it. Really, he didn't mind anything about her looks, however it did bother him that she was getting a little too close while still wearing that bath robe. By the way it was draped over her, he surmised that she wasn't wearing much of anything underneath it…and that wasn't helping him one bit. As she brought her face closer to his waiting to hear what he muttered, he took a defensive step back and turned around completely.

" I said I suppose…" he answered flatly, not really doing a good job of hiding his mixed feelings.

She shrugged it off, deciding not to pursue the matter any longer.

" Why don't you go sit down in the living room and I'll be out in a few minutes." she called out, heading towards her bed room.

With a nonchalant " Yeah.", Shikamaru sat down on the sofa and relaxed. Letting his thoughts flow as they always did.

Damn, this must be some kind of set up. She just had to be wearing a bath robe. Only a damn bathrobe. This is so troublesome…

He took a moment to inspect himself while he was laying across the couch.

And I haven't even taken a shower yet. It's been like two days…I've worn these clothes for about as long. I probably should have taken care of all that when I got home this morning…but I was just too tired. Carrying Temari on my back and running the whole way from the border was exhausting…

He was fairly wrapped up in a mix of introspection, criticism, and recollection that he failed to notice Temari had entered the room. She wore a simple black sleeveless T-shirt with a gray pair of pajama bottoms. To his surprise, she had her hair pulled back into a single ponytail, instead of into the four ties he had been used to.

" Hey…you alright?" she asked, holding a small box.

" Oh…yeah. Sorry, I'm just realizing that I haven't showered or anything yet. Sorry." he apologized, however felt like an idiot for just admitting it.

" I'd say go ahead and use mine…but I don't have any clothes here for you to wear. I did buy a shirt for Kankuro, but I think he wears a larger size than you. Either way, I don't think he'd appreciate you wearing it before him…even if you two are friends." she answered thoroughly.

" Yeah, I wouldn't want to hear him whine about it. So what's in the box?" he asked.

" My Shogi set. I brought it out from Suna on my last visit cause the one provided by the embassy is old and you can't tell what half the pieces are anymore." Temari stated, handing it to him.

He opened it up and peeked around inside, examining the pieces and the board. They were well made with excellent workmanship in the details of the wood carving.

" It's nice. You sure you want to bring something like this all the way out here? Hell, this isn't really your room. Some stranger could occupy it at some point in time and lose the pieces." reasoned the shadow ninja.

" True. Maybe I'll take it back home with me when the exams are over. I have some tea ready, so how about you get the board set up while I grab the drinks." she said.

He gave a nod in approval and she headed off towards the kitchen. Shikamaru slid the Shogi board out of the box and out onto the table. Assembling the pieces quickly, he sat back awaiting his friend and opponent. Thankfully for him, he wouldn't have to wait long, as Temari stepped into view quickly, holding a pair of tea glasses, and set them down on the table.

" Let's see…what's the record so far?" she asked teasingly.

" You're really proud of your seventeen losses, aren't you?" he jibbed.

" Seventeen losses and…" Temari alluded with a grin.

" And one win." he stated dryly.

" Hey, I can't beat you if I don't play you…" her voice slightly annoyed.

" Alright…so I won last time…you go first." he spoke.

The first couple of moves went on in silence as Shikamaru watched the way she moved. Her typical habit was to move up three pawns to shield her rooks so they could advance. The simple way around this was to cut her off with a few well placed pawns.

" So, I've heard you're Genin will be participating in the Chunin Exam as well? Guess we both get out of proctor duty this year. Thank god. Makes me want to keep them Genin for the rest of my life…" he joked.

" Are you still sore about two years ago? That wasn't that bad…." she shot back.

" Wasn't that bad? Are you kidding? I almost lost my arm! That idiot kid thought it'd be alright to just wing those paper bombs attached to Kunai all over the place. I was lucky to have saved that girls life." argued the shadow ninja.

" Oh, boohoo you big cry baby." mocked the blond.

He had been leisurely moving his pieces around, forming a block defense while positioning his Knights and Bishops. This wasn't his favorite way to play the game, however he wasn't terribly focused on it, so he just did it as a quick and easy defense. Of course, having been partnered with him so many times over the years, Temari had a fairly intimate knowledge of Shikamaru's body language and moods.

" What's wrong?" she asked bluntly.

" Nothing, why?" he answered.

" Because you're not even playing. So come on, spill it."

He sighed and took a look up towards the ceiling. He reached for a cigarette, but was stopped in mid stride.

" No way. Not in here." she warned.

" Troublesome…" he said, sighing.

A smile touched her face at the sound of him being more honest. She motioned for him to follow her out to the balcony, and so the pair stepped outside. As he lit up, she pressed onwards with the conversation.

" So what's wrong, Pineapple Head? Is you brain swelling so big that it can't fit inside that gigantic skull of yours?" she joked.

" Jeez, why do you have to be so mean?" he said with a smirk, " Look, nothing's wrong, I'm just a little bothered by this whole thing with you and Otagakure. Especially with the exams coming up…it's just a lot of trouble. And to make matters worse, my dad interrupted me earlier while I was watching the clouds. First chance I've had in weeks and it's practically ruined. I probably won't get another chance for another month at this rate…" he whined.

Listening with a frown, she took inventory of everything he said. Watching him smoke, she felt a dull pain in her chest, knowing full well he wasn't telling the entire truth.

He only smokes when something is bothering him.

" I'll let you go with that for now. But don't think that you will get away with it." she said.

With a smile he turned to her and put out his cigarette.

" Thanks Temari. I appreciate it." he spoke evenly.

Heading back inside, they took their seats back on the couches and continued the game, picking up at her turn. Taking a moment to think, she pressed one of her Knights forward in an aggressive manner. Seeing this, he stopped in mid sentence, puzzled as to what his next move should be. After a moment or two of thought, he couldn't come up with anything on the fly, and so he assumed his typical position with his fingers tips touching in the shape of a square. This usually meant that Temari was going to lose before too long, so she had decided to utilize new strategy to counteract it.

" Well, as you know, it is time for the exams. So I'm going to need your help with the paperwork. And while I know you have your duties to the academy and the cryptology and your Genin…however I'm only one woman and I've got a mountain of paperwork to attend. I'll make it easier on you this time around since you have your responsibilities too, but don't forget that you double as my aide. I'll do what I can to get you out of what I can, but I can't do it alone." she stated with her eyes closed, not worried about a response.

His brow twitched as he tried to focus more on concentrating on his strategy. Temari watched with a glimmer of delight as his concentration was being broken. Her smirk turned into a grin as she continued her verbal barrage.

" So I need your opinion on a certain matter. You see…as their older sister, I need to watch over Gaara, and to more of an extent Kankuro. I know, they're both old enough to take care of themselves, but it's not so much a physical matter but instead an emotional one. Gaara I know is at least level headed, and he does have Matsuri…but Kankuro…he's what you might call reckless with women. Anyhow, I'd like to find him a good woman, but that's not going to be easy with his personality." she continued.

" So, I thought that since you're such a manly man, that you would know of a good woman here in Konoha who might be a good match for a guy like Kankuro. Either way, you guys are such good pals after all…"

" Jeez you have to be such a god damn pain in the neck." he said, moving a single piece before folding his arms over his chest, " This'll do for now. And in response, no, I don't want to help you with the paperwork though I know whatever I say is meaningless and while I find it strange that you need to interject yourself into the love affairs of your younger brothers, I must say that I'm sure there is probably someone in the world for Kankuro, and I'm sure she's right here in Konoha." he said aggressively.

Her grin widened as his concentration had been broken and the playing field was more evened out now. His move was much more aggressive, however it seemed almost unimportant in the way he moved that single pawn. They continued trading off movements until Temari found herself in a position where she either would have to give up a pieces, or start trading pieces. She liked neither option, however allowing him to freely take her pieces was far worse. They began a game of trading piece for piece, and as it continued, his strategy seemed more convoluted.

I don't get it. What the hell is this tactic? Trading pieces sucks, but he's losing rooks to my pawns…

With a sigh, he finally moved up a single bishop, forcing her into a position of check. Of course, she had to move her King again, and wound up finding herself in the line of fire as she realized his plan. Though he lost his rooks and a bishop , he had pawns covering enough of the board to block any of her other pieces from directly intervening. In every move she attempted, the end result was futile. Her King was surrounded, and she was running out of room to retreat. With a sigh of defeat, she allowed herself to fall backwards against the couch with her arms spread out.

" Damn it. I thought I had you." she stated with an exhausted breath.

" Did you? When was that?" he asked with a laugh.

" When I got you to tell me to shut up. I thought I might have broken your concentration." she answered.

" Nope. I already had a plan." Shikamaru revealed, " All I needed was for you to think that it was a little more convoluted than it really was. And then all I had to do was just cut off your routes with simple pawns and let you walk yourself off the cliff."

A pillow found itself hurled into his face when he turned his head to shrug at the end of the explanation. As he pulled it from his face, he was quickly overwhelmed by a second pillow being pressed into his face by the blond, forcing him backwards against the adjacent couch.

" You big jerk. That makes eight in a row now." Temari shouted, putting her weight behind her palm to keep him pinned.

" Hey! Stmmmph….you damn wommmph!" Shikamaru choked out in bouts of muffled speech.

He tried to fight her off, but she was rather strong, especially for a woman. Before too long, he found himself face down against the seats of the couch with the Sand Kunoichi seated atop the middle of his back.

" There. Checkmate. " she stated proudly.

" Damn it woman…get off!" he shouted, doing what he could to try and wiggle free.

" What's the magic word?" Temari asked with a cheeky grin.

He stared up at her for a moment and couldn't help but smile at the sight of such a happy grin. But then a pain began to well up in the small of his back from where she was seated, forcing him to finally shake her off to release the pressure.

" Ow jeez. That was almost as bad as that time Choji ran me over…" he said as he stood up and began to stretch.

" What does that mean?" she asked with a flaring temper.

" Nothing…you win." he resigned, deciding not to fight this battle.

" I thought so." she said, rotating her left shoulder around.

It gave a loud popping sound and caused her to grimace in some pain. Shikamaru stopped his stretches and gave her a slightly puzzled look.

" That didn't sound good. Are you alright?" he asked, eyeing her shoulder.

" Yeah, it's just that when I was on the run, I got cut along my shoulder and it still aches a bit. Tsunade took care of the wound…but it's still kinda sore." she spoke, lightly rubbing it.

" Mind if I take a look?" the shadow ninja questioned.

" Sure thing, Doctor Nara." the sand ninja mocked.

He stepped behind her as she settled back in on the couch. He pressed his hands gently against the back of her neck and ran then down along her shoulders, closing his eyes and channeling chakra into his palms and fingertips. At first, she shuddered at the touch, partially being that he was a man, and partially because there was this nagging feeling about him from somewhere in the deepest realm of her chest. Shikamaru began tenderly massage her shoulders and upper back area, pinching and kneading her skin and muscle to work out knots and sores.

" God…I didn't know you could do something right…" she said, feeling her body relax more.

" Well, I thought it would be a good idea to learn some medical jutsu's just in case, so I've been having Shizune teach me. Oh, but if you want a really good massage, go see Hinata. That Byakugan along with what she already knows about medical jutsu works nicely." he stated.

" Oh? So is she your personal masseuse or are ya just friends?" Temari asked with a barb of sarcasm.

" It was a little over a year and a half ago, just after the Chunin exams…you remember that really strong Grass team?" he asked.

" Oh yeah. I heard two of them became Jounin already." she recalled.

" Anyways, I got sent on a recovery mission along with Choji and Hinata. I ended up taking about a dozen senbons in my left leg and two in my knee. I couldn't walk properly for weeks. Hinata was responsible for my rehabilitation, once the wounds had finally healed." Shikamaru revealed.

" You never mentioned that to me before? You dummy…you should have told me." scolded Temari, turning around quickly to glare.

" I survived, that's good enough. No reason to worry you over it. Besides…what does it matter?" he asked in a nonchalant tone.

" It does matter. I care…" she started to say, but stopped as her heart raced for a moment.

The pair looked between each other for a couple of moments in silence, until Shikamaru took a step back.

" I guess it's getting late. I should probably get going…" he said, shoving his hands nervously into his pockets.

" You want me to walk you home?" she teased.

" It'd be a nice change of pace I guess. But then I'd have to walk you back home and that wouldn't get either of us anywhere." he joked.

Sharing a brief laugh, she walked him to the door and was even kind enough to hold it open for him.

" Hey, thanks for stopping by. I had a good time." she said, with a smile no less.

" Yeah, sure. Anytime. There I something I wanted to ask you actually…" he responded.

" Sure, what's going on?" asked the blond with a quizzical look.

" I've got my Genin tomorrow, and I'll be running a training exercise. I would like your help with this, since they're used to my abilities, as well as some of the other Jounin and Chunins. I figure that it will help out since you're a complete stranger to them…" he asked.

" Funny actually…I met the three of them a little earlier." she admitted.

" Oh? So what do you think?" he asked, changing questions.

" They're…something else. I'm surprised you have to girls in the squad. They don't typically pair them up in that fashion…" she remarked.

" True. At first I thought I was just being cursed. But they're dedicated. Kasumi is a real thinker, and has a lot of talent. Karin isn't quite the thinker, but she's the strongest when it comes to Taijutsu. She has a strong fighting style, but I have to leave most of her training in that regard to her mother. A dual fan style is not quite part of my expertise. I know how some of your techniques work, but emulating them with her hasn't been very successful. I was actually going to ask you if you would take some time and work with her a little. Maybe teach her a trick or two." he asked.

" I don't mind I suppose. I'll be free in the afternoon around two. What's the exercise?" she asked.

" Then meet up by the targets in the western training field. I want to hold a hostage exercise, and you will be the aggressor. I'll play the hostage and it'll be their job to free me safely." Shikamaru explained.

" That's fine. Should I bring my fan?" she suggested.

" Definitely. You don't need to hold back too much, They may just be Genin, but they are no pushovers." he stated with a smirk.

She let out a laugh.

" Fine. Tomorrow it is. Now get out, I gotta get some sleep." the blond sand ninja yawned.

" Yeah yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." he said, stepping out of the doorway with a wave.

She sent him off with a smile, and watched him walk down the hallway before he disappeared. Afterwards, she shut the door and leaned up against it, rubbing he hand over the back of her neck and shoulders. There was a warm feeling there, still lingering from the chakra he had used on her. Letting out a gentle sigh, she brought herself upright and headed for the bedroom.