A/N: Like I said, three updates before winter break is over. Heck, I mgiht even update a fourth time if I can fit it in. So, Happy New Years! My last story update of 2008, coming at you.
Read and review, like always. -heart heart-
"Sakura, please… come home?"
I looked into his face, seeing someone that I've known for so long. "Kiba," I said, knitting my eyes together, confused.
"You're the only one… Look, it's been disastrous without you."
He had changed, in every sense of the word. He was taller now, I could tell just by looking at him. But then again, everyone I knew seemed to be taller than me, save for Ino. His shaggy brown hair had grown out since the last time I saw it, and I was surprised that he could still see. It looked like his teeth had somehow gotten sharper, and he looked a lot more muscular than I remembered. His hair was dripping wet and it almost covered his eyes completely.
But what struck me as most different was the look in his dark eyes. He looked worried and nervous, like something really wrong had happened. And I guess, something really wrong had happened.
"He's gone, Sakura, and we don't know where he is. I know you think I don't care, but hell. We're family. Distantly connected, but still. If he doesn't come back like people say, then I won't have anyone to talk to at those damn reunions. And Ino is falling apart, too. I mean, she might not show it, but you were really her rock, you know? Even Hinata is off without you, and I can't stand to see her like that. I know that she misses talking to you, and you won't come back, and now Shikamaru's gone, and it's just like icing on the cake. Sakura… please?"
I just stood there, taking it all in. He was worried. About so many people. So many people I had affected.
"Kiba…" I said again, just staring. He looked back at me, staring me in the eyes.
Naruto must have poked his head into the room, because Kiba looked up, looked back at me, and then did a double take. I could see the shock in his face as he must have been staring at the blond behind me.
"Yo, Kiba!" Naruto said, most likely grinning.
"Hey, Naruto," Kiba said back, still semi-shocked to see the number one hyperactive kid in the place I was staying.
"Get in here! I bet you're freezing and wet. Geeze, Sakura, just let the poor kid stand in the rain why doncha?"
I moved aside, ushering Kiba inside and taking off his rain soaked coat. He walked over to Naruto, who had asked one of the cooks to get something warm for Kiba, and a maid had run off to find a blanket or something. He sat on one couch, and Naruto and I sat on the opposite couch, looking at him.
"So, err, Kiba, what brings you here?" Naruto asked, looking between my blank stare and his slight glare.
"She," he said, pointing at me, "needs to come home."
"Ah."
We sat in silence for a bit, Kiba still glaring at me. Naruto was sensing something again, and I could tell that his over-protective side kicked in.
"Hey, Kiba, stop that. Stop glaring at her," he said, his voice drenched in authority. I placed my hands on my knees, and stared pointedly at the ground.
But I could still feel his eyes on my, accusatory. "So, this is it, huh?"
I continued to stare at the ground.
The cook brought out warm drinks, offering one to everyone. Kiba and Naruto accepted, and started drinking heartily. I accepted, but only because the cook had gone through so much trouble, and placed the drink on the table.
"You know, he has this picture of you. It was taken sometime this year, probably by Ino. Maybe he even took it himself. But you're sitting on the railing of your back porch, watching the sunset, and your face is illuminated. You look beautiful, Sakura." I couldn't tell where Kiba was going with this, but I knew that picture.
I remembered that day. Ino had gotten a new camera, and was trying it out. I hadn't been paying attention to her at the time, and then she took it. Ino has always been obsessed with photographing people when they aren't posing, because she says it bring emotion and character into the photo that just isn't there with a pose picture.
I had to admit, it was a good picture.
Naruto stiffened beside me, and I knew that he was basically asking Kiba where he was going with this.
"Don't worry, Uzumaki, I'm not here to be hitting on Sakura. I already have a girlfriend."
My eyes shot up, piercing his own dark ones. He seemed taken aback, very slightly, at my gesture.
'Even Hinata is off without her, and I can't stand to see her like that.'
"You better not be taking ANY kind of advantage of that girl," I hissed, putting the puzzle together.
He glared right back at me, his jaw clenched tight. "I would never do that to her. But you're one to talk… Think of what you've done to Shikamaru."
My expression changed from accusatory to stunned, and I felt like someone had pushed me back a good half a foot. My mouth opened slightly, and I just sat there. Stunned. Shocked. Lost. (A/N: I'm startled. Are you startled? -Giant hamster appears, but the pan flute bands save the day- To anyone who gets the reference, you win. xDD)
"Here you are, with Naruto. He's held on to you! He still cares! And yet, here you are. Just another Sasuke situation-"
"Don't you even PRETEND to have been Shikamaru's friend when Sasuke was in the picture," I growled, narrowing my eyes and forgetting my stunned-ness.
"Then don't you pretend that you actually care about him!" Kiba stood up, and walked over to where I was sitting.
Naruto stepped in once more, putting his body between the Inuzuka and me.
"Even got your little boyfriend fighting your battles now, huh? Geeze, poor Shikamaru. He cared too much about you. Should have forgotten you when he had the chance."
"She cares about him," Naruto said. "She cares about him more than she cares about me."
"Oh, don't even bullshit me, Naruto. Don't defend her."
"You're sounding a lot like Sasuke right now, Kiba," I said sourly.
The dog lover just sent a chilly stare in my direction, but he didn't say a word, nor did he sit down. He just glared at me.
"Why are you defending her, anyway, Uzumaki? Because you two are in love?"
Naruto's expression hardened. "No. I'm defending her because she's my friend, and that's what friends do. Friends don't come in here, making assumptions about someone because they're gone. Friends don't automatically assume that other friends don't give a shit; because they weren't there to hear her cry every night she woke up dreaming of him. Which she did, often. Friends will wait to hear her side of the story, wait to hear her tell them that sometimes when she looked at me, all she could see was him."
My cheeks burned red as I listened to Naruto tell Kiba about all the things I had just assumed he ignored or didn't see.
"I've seen her resist the urge to break down in a new school when she met the top of the class. I've seen her turn down offers from a lot of guys. I've seen her stare at his photographs. I've heard her ask Sai to draw a quick sketch of this guy she used to know. I've seen her refuse to eat a food because it reminds her of him. I've seen her read a book she hates by an author she detests and smile, because it was one of his favorites. I haven't heard her say a word about him since she got here, until tonight. I just saw her cry her eyes out, thinking that he could die."
My mind was skimming over all the memories he brought up; most of them were painful. Like the most recent one; here we were, arguing, and Shikamaru could be dead.
"Sakura…" Kiba said, looking from Naruto to me and back again. "I… I didn't… I mean, I just thought because you wouldn't see him that… But you were just as bad off as he was. Figures," Kiba said, a grin playing on his surprisingly handsome features. "You two are exactly alike in the strangest of ways."
"Yeah, well, this should teach you not to assume," Naruto said, tone still cool.
"Whatever, Uzumaki."
Kiba looked at me, and went to sit back down. Naruto sat back down, as well, but kept a keen eye on Kiba. I looked over at him. He was less agitated now, but I could still see hints of worry all over him.
"What do you want, Kiba?" I asked warily, looking him in the eye.
"Remember how I said that there was the photograph of you? The really, really good one?"
"Yeah…?"
"Well, Shikamaru was the one who has the photograph. I hadn't ever seen it until the day he left. See, I saw him before he decided to go on this little journey. He was in his driveway, standin' outside his car with a bag on top of it, and he was looking at something. So I called out to him, right? And he looked up, blushing a bit, and I got curious. I walked over to him, and that's when I saw it. He tried to hide it, but I took it from him and looked at it, and he looked away from me. 'Go ahead. I'm not going to need it where I'm going.' Which is why I came, Sakura. I think he's around here somewhere. I think he's coming to see you. Why else would he say that, huh? So we need to go find him."
"And how am I supposed to help you with your search, Kiba? It's not like I have some magical Shikamaru sensor shoved in my brain," I said, crossing my arms across my chest and looking toward the door.
All the while, my mind was rushing, jumping, flying to new heights. A picture of me? Blush? Hell, that was the best news I'd heard all day. Of course, the only other news I had heard today consisted of Naruto telling me that Shikamaru had run away and Jiraiya telling me a depressing story.
"But that's just it, Sakura. I think you do. You always have the best sense of where he is. Even better than Chouji. It's like your mind can just lock onto his brainwaves or something."
"That is possibly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, Kiba," I said, rolling my eyes a bit.
A Shikamaru sense? Geeze, I'm not some superhero.
But you do seem to know where I am all the time. Remember at that party, when you didn't take your eyes of Tayuya because you sensed something? Or when you found me in that crowd at school every day. Or when we were little, and we'd play hide and go seek, and you'd always find me.
The Shikamaru-in-my-head seemed pretty intent on making me feel like I actually had this so-called sense. It also seemed pretty intent on making me go.
"Sakura, comeon… Don't be like that. It's worth the try…"
I could be dead.
"I'll do it," I said suddenly, looking Kiba straight in the eye. His mouth dropped open a slight bit as he became incredibly confused.
Naruto was staring at me, too, sputtering. "B-b-b-ba-b-buh…"
"What, Naruto?"
"It's RAINING! And you can't just go out on a rainy night with some dog loving pimp! And you were just opposed to the idea! What's wrong with you today, anyway?"
'Geeze, the troublesome caretaker is getting on my nerves. What an idiot…' the Shikamaru-in-my-head complained, putting a hand to his forehead and waving Naruto off.
But Kiba didn't question my resolve; in fact, his confusion turned into a dead on grin. "Good, I knew you'd help me. And I am not a pimp, Naruto; I have a girlfriend, remember?" His angry eyes were turned on the blonde sensation, who immediately jumped away, scared as I turned on him also.
"Yeah, and we don't want to be calling Kiba a pimp when he's with someone as sweet as Hinata," I said, an angry gleam in my eye.
"FINE FINE I GIVE IN. Just go with him and don't kill me, either of you," Naruto said, already at the top of the stairs.
Kiba looked from the place that Naruto just was to where he was now, and then looked at me. "How did…?"
"I don't know. He just does that sometimes. It's like he's a superfast ninja or something." I shrugged, and then looked back at the door. "So are we going or are we going to sit here?" I asked, my voice thick with excitement and worry.
"Right, let's go," he said, coming over and pulling me up.
We walked toward the door, and Kiba got his coat, watching me as I walked outside into the cold night air.
"Hey, Sakura," someone said, drawing my attention back into the house. Jiraiya was standing there with a very warm looking coat of mine. "You're going to need this if you're going to do what she couldn't tonight," he said, a grin on his face. I nodded, and he threw me the coat.
"Do what she couldn't… Sakura, what in the world is he talking about?"
"Nothing, it's nothing," I told him as I caught the coat and slipped it on. "Ready?"
"Yeah," Kiba responded. "Let's go find us a lazy genius."
We set out walking toward the driveway, and my entire body was anticipating seeing Shikamaru again. Would he look the same as the one in my head does? Well, I guess he would have changed, but was it drastic? Did he have a tattoo? A scar? Maybe he cut his hair or something.
I noticed, quickly enough, that Kiba wasn't stopping to get in a car or pulling out any keys or anything of the sort.
"Kiba, where is your car?"
"I don't have one…" He said, looking back at me. "My parents weren't going to get me a car, since me sister lives close enough and she lets me drive hers. But she needed it tonight because she was going to check on a patient."
"So you walked all the way here?"
"No, are you crazy?! Who would walk here when it takes at least three hours to get here by car?! I rode the bus, and walked from the bus stop."
My eye began to twitch. "You know, if you had asked, I could have got Naruto to take us."
"Eh, it's only a fifteen minute walk from here to town. And the town isn't that big, you know. So I'm sure that in no time, we'll have found Shikamaru, and then he can take us to Jiraiya's house. I've got it all planned out, you'll see," he said, a signature confident smirk on his face.
"And what if he doesn't want to see me, Kiba? What if… What if he refuses to take me home, and then you two leave? It's raining outside and I don't know the way from town to Jiraiya's house," I mumbled, staring at the ground.
Kiba stopped, waited for me to catch up with him, and then wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I wouldn't leave you out there. If he wasn't going to take both of us, he's not going to take either of us. Anyway, I highly doubt he'd leave you, Sakura. The kid adores you."
He pulled the hood up over my hair, which was admittedly getting very, very wet, and then we trudged on in a comfortable silence. Well, as comfortable a silence as we could scrounge up on a pouring night walking on slippery asphalt.
Around 15 minutes later, the neon sign of a ramen shop, a brothel, and a liquor store greeted us.
"Your uncle sure picked a weird place to live."
"He likes women, alcohol, and food. He's a freak, I never denied that," I said, looking around at all the other shops coming into view as we walked into the hard to see town.
We walked down street after street, running into only a few people on our way. I didn't feel safe walking around here, just the two of us, because this town had a bad reputation on Friday nights for having drunk people near bars. I guess Jiraiya thought Kiba would be a good enough escort, but I wasn't convinced.
"'Ey there, girlie. You got an odd shade o' hair. Didja dye it, or were ya born with it?" I felt myself stiffen as I heard the voice of some drunk guy behind us. Kiba turned, growling slightly. "Oy, shut the dog up an' come wiff me, eh Pinky?"
"She's not coming with you," Kiba said. I started to feel kind of like I was in a bad teen novel, and I was determined not to do what the main character always did, and try to pick a fight. So, I ran.
"Hey, Sakura, where are you going?!" Kiba yelled after me as he took off as well. The good thing about seriously drunk people is they have a habit of passing out drunk, so we didn't have much to worry about him following us.
"Getting away from the bar!" I yelled, still running. The rain was falling directly into my face, and I was squinting to keep my grip on reality.
Kiba caught up with me, and we ran down some back streets, coming up at an abandoned warehouse.
"Oh yay. Now all we need is a creepy noise, and we're all set to be the victims of a horror movie," Kiba said sarcastically.
"You're the one that decided not to bring a car," I said, glaring at him. But my glare brought something into view that made my heart stop. I recognized it. It was more familiar to me than a lot of other cars. Hey, besides my parents cars, it probably was the most familiar car to me.
"I already told you—Hey, Sakura, where are you going now?!" Kiba said as I ran toward Shikamaru's car. I stopped about 20 feet away, still staring. Kiba was suddenly next to me again, looking at the thing, as well. "Oh," he said simply, recognizing Shikamaru's car. "So… are we going?"
I was split in half by his question. One side of me wanted to go up and see Shikamaru. The other side of me wanted to run back to the drunk guy or Jiraiya's house. Anywhere but here, with a guy that hates me.
Kiba grabbed my arm and pulled me forward, and slowly we made our way to the car. Slowly, we got there. "You go on first," Kiba said, pushing me forward.
"But I don't want-" I protested, but my eye caught Shikamaru, lying down in the backseat of his car.
I felt my entire body burn and my heart froze for a second before leaping up about 10 feet in the air.
He looked different; that was for sure. His hair was out of its usual ponytail, and it was lying haphazardly around his face. His jaw had become much more pronounced and manly looking since I had last seen him. He looked very similar to his dad. I could see the two earrings that he always wore still in his ears, and he looked so peaceful, sleeping.
"Oh, comeon, the kid didn't even have the decency to wear a shirt," Kiba said, looking in on him, as well. But I didn't mind. I never really remembered Shikamaru as being muscular, but he was. Not overbearingly so, but enough to get my heart racing faster and faster as my eyes travelled up his torso.
I felt quite inadequate looking even being near this god-like man.
"Yeah, well, I don't think he expected visitors," I pointed out, looking over at Kiba.
"Still, it's a public place! Anyone could be looking in on him if the wandered back here; what the hell was he thinking?!"
"I don't know, I'm not a mind reader," I countered. We were in full arguing mode right now, completely oblivious to all that was happening around us. Such as, oh you know, Shikamaru getting up, putting on a shirt, and coming out.
"Your troublesome arguing woke me up," a lazy voice announced, interrupting our argument.
Kiba and I both turned to look at the now fully clothed and not-asleep Nara, embarrassment rightfully taking over our features.
"Hey, there, Shikamaru," Kiba said, grinning nervously and scratching the back of his head. "Nice to see you here and all. What a coincidence, right? I mean… heh…"
But Shikamaru wasn't looking at Kiba. He was looking straight at me. I felt fear overtake me as his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, Sakura?"
"I…I… Kiba… he…" I stumbled, looking away from Shikamaru and toward the abandoned building.
"She came here to talk to you, and get you to come back home," Kiba said, letting Shikamaru's eyes be drawn to him instead.
"Troublesome," he stated, and then opened the door to his car. "I'm going back to sleep."
"No, Shikamaru, wait!"
I surprised myself even by talking straight. He stopped, but didn't look at me.
"We need to talk. Come back to Jiraiya's house with Kiba and I. We can talk, and you can sleep in a bed tonight."
He looked like his was thinking about it. "No," he replied.
"Fine then." I sat down on the ground, and then laid fully on the wet concrete. "I'm not moving from this position until you agree to come to Jiraiya's with us."
He got in his car, and Kiba just stood there, probably looking between Shikamaru and I.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked.
"No, but I figure eventually some kind of damsel in distress instinct will kick in, and he'll come out to get me."
"Are you sure it will?"
No response let my mouth. In fact, I wasn't sure that he would come out and get me. For all I knew, he could just leave me out here until morning, and then take Kiba home. By that time, Kiba would have probably given up on his both or none principle, and left.
I sat on the cold, wet, uncomfortable and hard cement for I have no idea how long. The rain kept on falling right in my face, and I was freezing. But I didn't budge. I wasn't going to until he came out and said he would come home with me.
Finally, his car door opened. "Nyah, you troublesome woman, you're going to get sick if you sit there for-"
"ACHOO!" I sneezed, sniffling a bit as I finished.
I didn't feel so hot.
"Come on, Sakura, you need to move. You're sick," Shiakmaru said, his head coming right into my vision and protecting my face from the rain. He was giving me his 'lazy and tired' look, but I didn't move.
"Are you promising to come to Jiraiya's house and stay?"
He didn't say a word, but looked over at Kiba. "Kiba, get her in your car and take her back," he commanded.
"I didn't bring my car," Kiba said, grinning nervously again. "It wasn't raining when I left, so I didn't think I'd need it. And anyway, my sister has it."
"Troublesome," Shikamaru said, looking back down at me.
I just glared back up at him, feeling another sneeze coming. "So? Are you just going t leave me out here?"
He sighed, frustrated. "A man can't just leave a woman out here, while it's raining, with a dog boy who is useless," he mumbled, but I knew what that meant. It was a yes.
He picked me up, bridal style, and I couldn't help but notice how strong he had become as he placed me in the backseat of his car.
A few seconds later, Kiba had gotten in the passenger's side, and Shikamaru has the car all started up and moving out.
"You know how to get to Jiraiya's from here, right Kiba?" Shikamaru asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
"Yep," Kiba said, and he began giving directions to Shikamaru.
After another sneeze, I drifted off into a sickness induced sleep. But I was happy. Things would be better tomorrow, I could feel it.
I had seen Shikamaru.
And he looked incredible.
A/N: Hope you liked it!! I liked it. And I think Kiba was actually pretty funny this chapter. You know, it's kind of great; I ended up writing 4 different ways that this chapter could work out. It was either going to be Shikamaru, Kiba, or Sasuke at the door. I chose this one after having a good friend of mine read it and pick the one she thought would work best into the storyline. APPARENTLY, my ShikaSaku fluff wouldn't have fit as well. I was sad. But if anyone wasnts to read the fluff chapter, just tell me, and I'll send it to you. Or post it as an alt. Chapter later on.
On another rant filled sidenote, that same friend was talking to me about how one of her loyal reviewers had ended up making a devinatart picture for a story of hers. She kept on asking me if one of my fans had, because, "They all seem to love you so much!" I said they hadn't. She was just trying to get on my nerves, I know, because Plan Sasuke Ino Breakup was more popular than her own. She was just being mean and picking on me. Isn't she cruel? And when she reads this, she'll know that I was talking about her, and it'll make her feel bad for picking on me, because I love all my fans, even when they don't give me art. Because art isn't all that a fan does. So there -nameremovedforhersake-. WHAT THEN?! XDDDDDD
Told you I would do it. ~Rai