When Tsukidori awoke, Shikamaru was still sleeping against the tree. Her knee ached to hell and back. She knew if she had any hope of healing, she would need to put it back in place. She gripped below her knee, and braced herself. She closed her eyes tight and just before she went to jerk her leg into place, she felt gentle hands on hers. She opened her eyes to see Shikamaru was crouched in front of her looking at her leg decidedly.

"Let me help." He said, handing her a large stick. "Bite on this."

She looked at the stick with wide eyes.

"Don't be such a girl and take it."

She narrowed her eyes at him for the comment, but complied and bit down on the stick.

"Ready?"

Tsukidori shook her head yes.

"On three." Shikamaru warned. "One." And with that, Shikamaru applied force to her leg and with a loud snap, it popped back into place. Tsukidori screamed through gritted teeth, and bit down on the stick. Her hands went for her knee and she fell over in pain.

She looked up at Shikamaru, infuriated. "I thought you said three! That was one!"

Shikamaru turned and shrugged, "You would have tensed up on three. I needed you to stay relaxed."

Smart, but she should have expected nothing less. Sighing, she tried to stand but her knee was still in a lot of pain. It felt numb and she found herself unable to walk. She went to give him an apologetic look but found he had turned away already.

He was looking ahead in the forest. They needed to get moving but he couldn't remember exactly how far away he had seen the river they were traveling near. He needed to get a better look.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

Tsukidori watched in disbelief as he leapt into the trees with ease. He was in bad shape last night, how was he fully recovered already?

Shikamaru grunted in pain as he landed on the branch. Maybe he should rest more? He carried on, high into the tree until he came out on top. His eyes searched for the river he saw early, finding it north just as he recalled. The long tendril of water snaked adjacently to the road they were originally on. It shouldn't take them more than a day and a half to get back to it, but then they'd have to find the rest of their squad, hoping they were able to keep Yun and Norinj safe.

Tsukidori watched as Shikamaru rejoined her on the ground. She admired his strength and resilience. She hadn't realized how much Shikamaru had grown as a ninja. She remembered him being especially lazy. She even remembered him saying he wanted to be a ninja so he could do whatever he wanted, which was nothing. . She smiled at him without realizing it.

Shikamaru caught Tsukidori smiling at him. He returned the smile, but it made Tsukidori freeze and look away. Did he do something wrong?

Tsukidori tried to stand again, but her leg was useless.

"You can't walk yet. We should rest a while longer to build up strength. We have about a day and a half if we don't stop."

A breeze blew through and ruffled the foliage above them. A shiver ran down her back and she pulled herself in for warmth.

Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag."

He sat next to her and draped an arm around her, offering warmth.

Tsukidori awkwardly scooted a bit of distance between her and Shikamaru a little.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. If she didn't want his help then he wouldn't give it.

Her thoughts went back to the battle. Anger and uselessness enveloping her. She felt like a failure. It was her fault they were here and the mission's success was in jeopardy. She scowled and pulled her legs into herself. She'd been working and training hard to prove herself. She finally gets an opportunity to do it and she fails miserably. She shook her head roughly and rested it on her knees. How was she going to prove her worth if she couldn't hold up in battle? Suddenly, she growled in frustration and punched the ground. She could feel herself shaking and the urge to cry bubbled up in her stomach. A metallic taste invaded her mouth. She closed her eyes tight and shrunk herself into a ball.

Shikamaru jumped. He had been watching her internal battle but hadn't expected her outburst just then. He pursed his lips and put a hand to her shoulder. She flinched at the touch but did not move otherwise. "It's no use getting upset now."

She looked up at him. Her eyes were red and her eyebrows drooped from exhaustion.

"Mission isn't over yet. You need to focus on it."

Her eyes widened at his word. Then furrowed them in determination. "Sorry if I startled you before. If you've rested enough we should go now."

Shikamaru smirked, he felt a warmth grow in his stomach.

"Alright, it's a drag but you're right." He said, and with that he got down in front of Tsukidori.

"Heh? What are you doing?" Her mouth twisted up in confusion.

"You still can't walk. You'll just slow us down." His words came out matter of factly, and they bruised her ego.

She felt Shikamaru come to a stop just as they emerged from the woods. His grip on her relaxed and he let her down. The wind had picked up out in the open. Her hair whipped wildly and threatened to tear off.

"What are we stopping for?" She asked, looking around. From here Tsukidori could see the vast open fields looming before them. And beyond that, another line of trees began. Bodies of water and rivers snaked through the open wilderness like arteries. Somewhere out there, the road they'd been traveling on as well their squad members and their charges.

"Your hair is annoying." Shikamaru's voice drew her from her thoughts. She looked at him, his hand out stretched with a little white band between his first finger and his thumb. "You should put it up so I can see." She looked at his face and stared, her eyes wide and her eyebrows near her hairline. His hair was down! This was the first time Tsukidori had ever seen his hair down before and she had to admit to herself he looked pretty handsome. Not that he wasn't handsome before, but it was different. The difference was so shocking it forced her to really see him.. and she found herself liking what she saw.

"Would you stop gawking and take the tie." His voice held a hint of irritability but there was a smile dancing in his eyes.

She hadn't realized her mouth was open. Embarrassed, she regained composure and took the tie. "You know what? I'm surprised your hair isn't stuck in that pineapple position." Was her retort. He sighed at her, "Could you be more troublesome?" Her face fell. She knew he didn't mean it maliciously but it hurt. She wasn't expecting a comeback of that magnitude. Her ego was still bruised from her earlier internal battle followed by having to be carried by him. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes as he turned his back to her. She put her hair up as Shikamaru crouched down in front of her. She climbed back on his back and they began to make their way down the cliff.

She thought about what Shikamaru said as he leapt from ledge to ledge. She felt like a burden, and her arms around his neck relaxed in defeat. Ugh! They came to an edge that was hard to leap down from. He gently set her on the ground and climbed down, then outstretched his arm toward her. She slid herself over the edge within his reach and he grabbed her waist to help hoist her down. As her feet touched the ground, her hands came to rest on his shoulders. He looked her in the eyes.

She blushed. Why was he staring? His face softened, and he groaned in defeat, "You're not annoying. " He admitted reluctantly.

"O-oh." She faltered, then recovered, and in false bravado, she retorted, "I know. " She pulled away from him and stuck her nose in the air. Shikamaru wasn't going to live this one down.

He groaned again, "Let's get going. We need to find the rest of the team."

By the time they reached the bottom of the cliff, it had become obvious to Tsukidori that Shikamaru was becoming fatigued. She offered to try to walk with the support if his shoulder but he shrugged it off. This was 'easier.' He ran through the field briskly, clearing it within an hour or so. The sun had begun to set on the horizon, but it didn't make a difference, the forest was shrouded in darkness, the leaves like a roof that let no light in. They stopped just at the tree line.

"We should stop and rest for the night. We aren't going to make it anywhere all tired like this." Tsukidori suggested.

Shikamaru yawned in agreement. With Tsukidori leaning on him, they trudged a little further into the woods before setting down in a small clearing. Shikamaru advised against starting a fire. They didn't know who could be lurking in the shadows. Instead, he produced a blanket from a sealed scroll. Tsukidori cursed herself for previously losing her bag. Unfortunately for Tsukidori, that meant freezing, for the sun had set and taken any lingering warmth with her.

Shikamaru leaned against the tree, his blanket draped lazily over him, and was already drifting off to sleep. Tsukidori stared at him. How could he go to sleep so easily? She sighed, and limped over to take a seat next him. She held herself tightly and shivered, pulling in her knees close. It was so cold!

She felt a movement from Shikamaru's direction, an arm snaked around her shoulder and pulled her close. She heard a zipper unzip. She stiffened and blushed. What was happening?!

"Relax, it's my vest." She heard a hint of amusement in his voice. She relaxed and let him pull her into his warmth. He had unzipped his flak jacket because it would be easier to generate body heat the closer they were. The vest wasn't big enough to zip up around her, so he held her tightly, and pulled the blanket over them. She straddled him, and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt her cheeks become hot. It was such an intimate position.. A feeling her stomach, like she was falling, alarmed her. Why did he make her feel this way?

"Relax." He said again, this time a bit annoyed.

So, he could feel her heart racing. Funny.. she hadn't noticed. She tried to relax her muscles and slow her heart. She tried to let herself melt into him.. but she could hear his heart beating, too. It matched her own. Was he scared?

That feeling of falling again her stomach only worse. She snaked her arms inside his vest and around his sides and squeezed tight. It was a risky move, but she was okay with risks, sometimes. Perhaps, in her exhaustion, she wasn't feeling quite herself. If she was being honest with her, there wasn't much for Tsukidori to go on, but she also could say she was sure Shikamaru wasn't in the habit of holding random girls close like that. Much to Tsukidori's relief, and delight, he returned the squeeze and then, she melted into him.

The sun peaked through the foliage. The dappling warmth rested on Tsukidori's face, waking her. Her eyes fluttered open. At some point in the night, they had shifted to stretch out on the grass. The flak jacket had been discarded and blanket was wrapped around Tsukidori's legs. She was lying next to Shikamaru, resting her head on his arm. Shikamaru was still sleeping heavily. For a moment, she studied his face. He was sleeping so soundly, it felt like a crime to wake him up. However much she didn't want to wake him, she had to. She shifted her weight to peel herself off as subtly as possible. She sat up, shedding Shikamaru's blanket, and tested her leg. The pain has subsided significantly. Delighted, she stood up and bounced. Yes! She fist-pumped quietly, now she could hold her own weight.

On the ground, Shikamaru stirred, but stayed sleeping. Tsukidori kneeled next to him, leaning over his face. "Hey, Shikamaru. Hey." She prodded him gently, and he brushed her away.

"Don't want to." He slurred in his sleep.

She pushed him roughly and he recoiled in defense. "I'm awake now!" he exclaimed. "Troublesome woman." He grumbled, rubbing his eyes. His body was still sore and her roughness wasn't doing him any favors. He surveyed Tsukidori, who was perched on her knees. The sun was still young, the nip of the cold night was lingering. "It's so early." He observed through a long yawn.

"Yes, but we need to get going!" Tsukidori excitedly rose to her feet, pumping her fist above her head.

"You have too much energy for me right now." He complained and laid back down. He found himself warmly comparing her enthusiasm to that of Rock Lee.

Tsukidori squatted down and prodded him again. "Hey." She mumbled. "Let's go."

Shikamaru sighed, "If we must."

Tsukidori nodded.

And with that, they rose to their feet and, with grace, leapt from tree branch to tree branch.

The small journey back was mostly quiet. That was until Shikamaru noticed Tsukidori's gaze. She appeared deep in contemplation, so much so, she didn't notice Shikamaru stop in front of her and she barreled into him. They tumbled to the ground below the branches, Shikamaru once again breaking Tsukidori's fall, this time unintentionally.

"Don't you watch where you're going?" He growled, rubbing his head.

Tsukidori moved and sat up, looking at him, "Sorry. I was lost in thought."

Shikamaru didn't move, the effort wasn't worth it in that moment. He sighed. "Staring at me?"

Tsukidori blushed, and blurted defensively: "I just happened to rest my eyes in your direction. I wasn't staring at you." She wasn't going to tell him what she had really been thinking about. The night they spent together… How do they explain that? It wasn't intimate but it was close and she felt like it meant something. But did it? Did they need to talk about it? Was there anything to talk about? She felt incredibly awkward, as though there was an elephant in the room. She wanted to address it, but didn't know how. Honestly, she was afraid of rejection, but she wasn't sure what of.

Shikamaru chuckled, "Sure. You like what you see!" He teased lazily. His words followed a yawn. "It's a drag, but we need to get moving again."

It was a few more hours of silence when they came to the road they'd previously been at. They were further up the road than where the fight ensued.

"We don't really have any way of telling where they are." Tsukidori scanned the horizon in the direction of the Leaf village.

"We should assume they continued on. Either they would need to seek medical attention or they'd continue the mission." Shikamaru stared in the opposite direction of Tsukidori, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"They wouldn't try to look for us?"

"It's a drag, but yes. Orders are orders." He said, shrugging before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Besides, they wouldn't know where to look or if we were even alive. Their best bet would to have been to finish the mission."

"Assuming they lived as well."

Shikamaru uttered an audible, "Hum." before moving in the direction of the village.

Tsukidori sighed. Her and Shikamaru trudged on in the direction of the village they'd been sent to. Hopefully, they'd catch up with Choji and Ino soon.

On the darkening horizon, Tsukidori thought she saw figures walking. Her heart skipped a beat. It'd been almost three days. If these were her friends, she didn't know what she'd do! She was ecstatic. Her paced quickened, leaving an annoyed Shikamaru behind her. When the figures came into focus, Tsukidori's heart dropped. They weren't her friends. She called out, "Hey!" and waved to call attention to herself. The figures stopped and turned around. They were just civilians, probably traveling between villages. Tsukidori came to a stop in front of them.

"Yo!" She greeted. "I'm Tsukidori from the Hidden Leaf Village."

An older gentleman stepped forward and extend his hand for a shake, "Greetings Tsukidori, my name is Shiu. Hidden Leaf Village, you say? You have the same headband as the other group of ninja that came through here about a day ago."

Tsukidori's heart soared! "Yes! They came this way? There were four of them?"

The old man nodded, confused. Shikamaru had just begun to catch up when Tsukidori took off.

Shikamaru sighed, "She means well. Thank you and safe travels." He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, but it was becoming annoying how much energy she had. He took off after her.

"Maybe they already completed the mission? Maybe they're on their way back, now?" Tsukidori suggested through breaths as Shikamaru caught up with her. He didn't say anything, but he did look at her before looking back ahead. The sun was almost below the horizon at this point and he was thinking they could probably make it to the village within the hour. Either way, they'd see what came of their friends somehow.

Tsukidori gasped, "I see Choji!"

Shikamaru focused, and sure enough, several meters ahead Choji and Ino were standing, waving at them.

"Ino! Choji! Boy, am I glad to see you?" Tsukidori smiled wide as she came up on the two. She bent over and panted for a second before looking at Ino with relief.

Shikamaru fell into place next to Tsukidori and waved cooly at Choji. "Yo."

"What happened to you guys?" Ino asked. "You guys fell into the ground and disappeared? We couldn't even sense your chakra."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow, "Tsukidori got herself dropped through some sort of transportation jutsu."

Tsukidori frowned and looked at Shikamaru with wide, angry eyes. "So did you! Ugh, forget it." Shikamaru seemed unphased by her response. "Ino, tell us what happened after we disappeared."

"Well, you see, I got Norinj and Yun out of the way and came back to help but you guys were gone. The big, Kyoji or whatever, was knocked out cold. And without him the twins didn't see to know which way was up and which was down. They hightailed it out of there, so Choji and I did as well." She paused and rubbed her sheepishly, "Sorry we didn't look for you. We thought Shikamaru would want us to complete the mission."

Tsukidori reached over and put a hand on Ino's shoulder, "Did you?"

"Yeah, Norinj and Yun are safe back in the village. We'd been looking for you all afternoon. That's why we're out here." Choji explained.

"I supposed we'll stay in the village for the night before heading back home tomorrow?" Shikamaru drew lazily before yawning.

"I'm so ready to be home now!" Tsukidori groaned.

a/n: I'm trying to keep all the chapters around the same word count, but this ran longer than intended, so if it feels cut off thats why, lol. Also, I know the summary says this is a ShikaxOc fic and thus far has been built up for that, this chapter included, but I have written ahead already a few chapters. And some of the scenes with Kiba - well I'm just liking them better and gaining more muse for KibaxOc, so I'm sorry if this ends being a love triangle or KibaxOc fic when you might have been looking for a ShikaxOc fic, lol. Anyways, fav and review ;