Chapter six: No rest for the weary!

I would like to thank my reviewers. I'm glad to read how happy this story makes you. 3

This chapter is a bit short since it is sort of just fluff.

Enjoy?

Disclaimer: If I owned it, then I wouldn't need to write fanfiction.

...

Akina sat down on Shikamaru's bed, pulling his fat cat onto her lap. "Oh? So your team had to take that test as well, huh?"

Shikamaru shrugged and sat down next to her. "Yeah, guess so."

"A vague answer, as usual." she mumbled while petting the cat.

The boy laid back on the messy covers and placed his hands behind his head. "It wasn't a hard test."

Akina snickered. "Tell that to Sasuke."

Shikamaru sat back up, looking to the girl in surprise. "His highness had trouble with a test that easy?"

"His highness has a problem working with others." She replied, slightly annoyed. "Sakura and Naruto also failed."

"Jeez." Shikamaru flopped back down. "I'm really glad I'm not you."

Akina grabbed a pillow and smacked it down onto Shikamaru's face. The boy grumbled from beneath the pillow about how much it hurt. "I wish I had been placed into your team. I would even be willing to deal with Ino over this mess."

Shikamaru removed the pillow and rolled his eyes. "Is it seriously that bad?"

Akina nodded. "Yeah. None of us get along at all. It's impossible."

There was a long moment of silence, one Shikamaru was oddly uncomfortable with. "So... are you going to see Hinata?"

"Hmm? Yeah, probably."

"Want me to come with you?" Shikamaru asked

She stared at him. "What, and force you outta bed? I haven't got a chance!" she laughed.

Shikamaru grunted and turned away. "I'm serious."

Akina giggled a bit more. "If you want to I won't stop you."

Again the boy grunted. The girl stood and took a few steps away. "Coming or what?" she then turned and smiled down at him.

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah."

Akina stuck her tongue out and walked over to the window. "Hurry up then, lazy bones!" she then jumped down.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before following via the stairs.

Ms. Nara was outside sweeping in front of the door. "Leaving already, Akina? I'm making pickled plums and rice balls to go with dinner tonight."

The girl smiled and waved. "Sorry Ms. Nara. Shika's scolded me. He says all I do is eat whenever I'm here."

"Hey! When did I say that?" Shikamaru shouted from behind the girl, hands in his pockets.

Akina laughed. "Oops! I didn't expect you'd actually get out of bed!"

He glared down at the short girl.

"Well, gotta go." The girl waved, grabbing the boy's arm. "We're visiting Hinata."

"Come back later and I'll give you some pickled plums to take home." Ms. Nara called after her.

"Will do! Thank you, Ms. Nara!" she said as she walked off, dragging a disgruntled Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's mother smiled as she watched the two run off. "She's such a sweet child. Reminds me of myself when I was younger."

...

The two walked slowly on their way to the Hyuga compound, hand in hand. Akina watched all the people who were busy doing their daily things around the village. Shikamaru simply walked along, appearing to be bored. It didn't take long before they reached their destination and the girl stood there a moment before walking inside, carefully looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

"May I help you?"

Akina turned around quickly, smiling nervously at the young woman. "Um…is Hinata home yet?"

"Lady Hinata? She should be back soon." The woman replied politely.

"Thank you." Akina bowed to the Hyuga woman and walked away from the house. She sat down in a nearby patch of grass to wait for Hinata to come home. Shikamaru joined her on the ground. After only ten minutes the girl became bored. "I wonder what's keeping her?" she sighed and laid her chin on her knees.

"Maybe she's busy with her team. Not everyone has so much free time." Shikamaru replied with his own sigh. The girl elbowed him.

"Akina…?"

"Hmmm?" said girl looked up at the voice and jumped up in shock when seeing Hyuga Neji standing there, staring at her. "N-Neji…"

Shikamaru sent a glare towards the older boy, standing up and taking Akina's hand in his own.

Neji narrowed his eyes slightly at their reactions. "What are you doing here?"

Akina snorted. "We are waiting for Hinata… obviously."

The Hyuga boy continued to stare down at her, not so much as saying a word.

Unable to take it anymore she glared up at him. "Quit staring through me! That creeps me out!"

Neji closed his eyes and turned away. "You guard yourself well, as usual."

Akina growled and glared at him. Shikamaru grabbed her shoulder and held tight to her hand, stopping her from starting a fight. The last time she had fought Neji she had been in the hospital for a week.

"A-Akina?"

Akina, Shikamaru, and Neji turned to see Hinata walking toward them. She stopped short when she noticed Neji. "O-oh. H-hello…big brother, Neji."

"Lady Hinata." Neji gave a curt bow to his younger cousin. "I was just leaving."

Akina snickered. "Of course you were."

Shikamaru pulled on her hand. "Akina, let it go." He whispered harshly.

Neji gave the Mizuto girl a smirk as he walked past her. "Next time, Akina."

Hinata blinked. She was used to her best friend and her cousin fighting, but this time Neji seemed to have somewhere to be.

"Your middle name is trouble." Shikamaru scolded the violet haired girl.

Akina ignored her friend and smiled reassuringly to Hinata. "Hey! How did your team do?"

Hinata blinked again. "H-huh? My team? Oh! We had a test."

Akina laughed.

Afterwards the three sat down for tea, chatting about their respective tests and after that they talked about random things. It didn't take long before Shikamaru was falling asleep and his head ended up in Akina's lap. Hinata blushed every time she looked at them. Akina would giggle at her and absently pet the boy's hair.

"So how is it, being paired with Kiba and Shino?" Akina asked, sipping her tea.

"O-oh. They are very nice to me. O-or rather Kiba is nice to me and Shino is just quiet and keeps to himself." The Hyuga girl answered.

"That's good. So long as you can get along with them." Akina smiled. Hinata was like a little sister to her, so she liked to know that the girl would have good friends to watch over her. Apparently their sensei was also very kind.

The two continued to chatter, but something seemed to be eating at Hinata. "Hey... What's the matter?"

"O-oh... it's n-nothing." Hinata pressed her fingers together nervously.

"Come on. You can tell me anything, Hinata." Akina urged.

The dark haired girl looked away before speaking. "U-um... It's just... h-how is." She paused, blushing. "How is Naruto getting along?"

The Mizuto girl sighed in relief. It was just about Naruto. "Well... Naruto is Naruto. He's doing just fine."

"And... you and Naruto get along?"

Akina blinked at that question. "I would say we are buddies. We orphans need to stick together after all."

"I see... That's good. Naruto could use a friend." Hinata smiled.

"Naruto has more friends than he thinks he has." The violet haired girl giggled.

...

It was late when Akina and Shikamaru finally left Hinata's. The boy yawned like he hadn't been sleeping for half the visit.

"Do I need to carry you home?" Akina joked, elbowing the boy.

He pulled her hand, which he had been holding while they walked. "Nah."

She glanced at him curiously. "You're oddly silent."

"Just tired." He replied, though not very convincingly.

It wasn't long before they reached Shikamaru's house and Akina followed the boy in to retrieve her plums.

"I didn't think you'd forget." Ms. Nara smiled when she handed Akina a jar of pickled plums. "And in thanks of bringing my son back home safely." She also handed Akina three wrapped up riceballs.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his mother.

Akina laughed. "Well, thank you for the plums and riceballs, Ms. Nara. Aunt Mai will love them."

The woman smiled. "I hope so. Be sure and tell her I said hello, okay?"

"Right! No problem. Bye, Shika!" Akina waved and left.

Shikamaru waved back, watching her until she was out of sight.

His mother nudged him on her way back into the house, smiling knowingly.

Shikamaru just snorted and turned away, hiding the slight color on his cheeks.

...

Akina got back to the house a while after sun set. Sasuke was sitting outside on the doorstep.

"Hey, it's late. What are you still doing here?" The girl asked, feeling slightly annoyed at her cousin's recent habit of sticking around to wait for her.

Sasuke merely snorted at her. "You were late…Mai asked me to stay until you came back."

"Did she now?." The girl gave him a skeptical stare, then sighed, turning her gaze away from him. "Well, you didn't have to."

Sasuke stood and walked up directly in front of her. "What's that?" He tilted his head towards the riceballs and plums she carried.

"They are gifts from Shika's mom." She answered curtly, attempting to move around her cousin.

The boy merely blocked her path.

Akina glared. "Move, Sasuke."

The boy leaned forward, smirking, then he plucked one of the riceballs from her arms and passed her. "My reward for waiting up for you." He then stopped only a few feet behind her, turning to watch her reaction.

"Jerk!" Akina shouted before walking off into the house, leaving Sasuke to stare at the closed door.

Akina sighed once she reached the kitchen, setting the plums and riceballs on the counter. "I would have given you one anyway, you jerk..."

"Akina, is that you?" Mai called from the other room.

"Yeah! I have gifts from Shika's mom!"