MORE MORE MORE. Sorry It seems as though I will be up writing all night long. The story just wont stop flowing through my mind. Ill be honest I wrote another completely different chapter.. But i just decided that I dont want to move too fast with this couple. I feel like Sakura and Shikamaru arent just a hot and heavy pair. Oh well, ENJOY, MUCH LOVE.
She leaned against her front door heavily, letting her facade drop instantly. What was she doing? Shikamaru didn't need to be wasting his time on a girl like her. She was too far gone, to broken. He needed a nice, complacent wife with a nice, normal family.
She had no family. She was the last of the Haruno's. Hers was a path stricken with death and dispair. She was contantly involved in death defying battles, constantly on missions, working 14 hour shifts at the hospital. She thought she was just looking for a friend, but the more she stood in the Nara's presence, the more besotted she became
"Get a grip girl." She scolded herself.
Sasuke had walked out on her just a week ago. 7 days ago she had been engaged to the love of her life. She would not use Shikamaru as a rebound, that was wrong. What the hell was wrong with her? She never should had kissed him like that. She never should have drank that much infront of him. He probably thought she was an idiot and had just entertained her with his presence. She wanted to cry.
"No, you will not cry Sakura. Get you ass up and get to bed. He is just another man in your life, thats all. A friend." She soothed herself as best she could.
But as she lay down in her bed that night, she had this strange feeling. Usually, she drank to sleep. She drank to escape the ghosts of the ones she couldn't save. The faces that haunted her every night. When she drank she would usually fall asleep with a blank mind. But tonight... images of him swirled around in her hazy imagination. His smile, his eyes, the warmth that radiated around him. Like his own personal aura. The man of shadows, how wrong they were. Shikamaru wasn't dark, the opposite, everything about him was bright, and so so warm.
She smiled softly. It must be the alchohol, but she didn't fight it. She let herself be lulled to sleep, with the image of a certain cloud watching shinobi ever present in her mind.
"Whats wrong with you this morning Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, his voice laced with worry.
She cocked a perfect pink eyebrow at him.
"What on earth are you talking about."
"Don't hit me Sakura-chan, but usually your not a morning person at all. By now I would have already gotten punched twice. What did you do last night?"
A snigger behind her made her stiffen. They had been training for 4 hours together, and it was one hot day out. She hadn't been able to lose her temper, which was where most of her inhumane strength displays came from. She was just so... content.
"I don't know Naruto. Maybe for once I fell asleep happy." She crooned.
She regreted the words the moment she said them. Surely he would feel terribly awkward now? She peeked at him through her eyelashes, only to receive a wink from the shadow ninja next to her. How odd.
"How about we cool off? There's a sprink aprox 2k from here. Its a short trip." Kakashi's monotone voice cut in.
"That sounds so nice." Naruto groaned.
She watched as her team mate wiggled out of his tshirt. Naruto was the only other shinobi she knew that was so tan it made her feel albino. She coulnd't exactly dismiss the realiztion that Naruto had indeed become a handsome young man, but his musculature could not match the man standing next to him that was also- Oh kami.
Shikamaru shrugged out of his flak vest too. She swallowed hard. No, she had jsut broken up with Sasuke a week ago. It was wrong to look at other men so soon.. was it? Did she not proclaim she had every right to in the bar last night? Where had her sudden courage gone? She shook her head. She had every right to be very inch the woman she wanted. And with that, she stood up and joined them.
She stripped off the white shirt she wore overtop her short black spandex shorts, and pulled over her red tshirt, luckily she had worn her red sportsbra overtop her wrappings today. Ususally she just went shirt of bindings. She shook out her long hair, before pulling it up in a high pony tail intop of her head, letting her straight bangs fall into her face. It felt so good to finally be free of her hot clothing.
"Wow, Sakura." Naruto said.
She turned to him, perplexed.
"Its just... have you been working out? Last time I saw you this naked was 2 years ago at the beach... why do you hide underneath those clothes? You beautiful."
She smiled at him widely, before hugging him. He was such a nice guy. Her best friend.
"Uchiha's an idiot." Shikamaru comment, walking by the two after Kakashi; who had yet to take anything off.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and poked Sakura in the ribs.
"Think Nara thinks your hot." He laughed.
She slapped him playfully, but heated up at the comment. Surely he was just appreciating a barely clad woman? Then again.. she had been working out. So much for her modesty.
"C'mon Sakura. Hop on, I wanna work my legs a bit." Naruto said, his quiet baritone rumbling against her back.
She smiled, and lightly perched herself on his back. She knew he loved to do this, not to build his strength like he said. It was so he could feel as if he still had family. He wanted to hold onto his other best friend. She could never leave Naruto. Though he had Hinata now, he still held Kakashi and herself close, constantly inviting them for dinner. Always trying to get them to move closer to his apartment. Trying to spar with them at least twice a day. Sakura felt her heart pang, she loved Naruto so much. She just hoped that he would get over Sasuke leaving soon, more so she hoped that Naruto would find a new friendship with Shikamaru. He and Kakashi got along pretty well already, having gone on a few missions together in the past. After last night she felt as if she knew him a bit better and really like what she had found. Naruto seemed okay, but he really needed a guy friend to be around. A good influence that could handle him on a bad day and push him to excel on a good one.
"I like Shikamaru, don't you Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, as if guessing her thoughts.
"Yea, hes a nice guy." She smiled against her friends neck.
Yes, he was a nice guy. And she was well on her way to being great friends with him. Something was missing though, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it...
