Author's Note- Alrighty, here we go! I've got a new and exciting chapter that I hope you will enjoy. The Akatsuki decide to make another appearance. Don't forget to R&R!

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Chapter 8

The month had gone by kind of quick. It was still a drag, though. We basically watched the Akatsuki during that time. At the moment, all the older ninja were off in a huddle having a deep discussion. That left Naruto, Neji, and I doing nothing. I was just sitting, toying with Yumi's necklace.

"What's that, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked. I showed it to him.

"Isn't that the Tagawa clan's crest?" Neji said. I nodded.

"It's Yumi's. She told me to protect it and bring it back. Just like the last Akatsuki mission I went on," I explained.

"So why do you have it?" Naruto asked.

"Because they're together, you idiot," Neji answered.

"Watch it, Hyuga," Naruto replied darkly.

"Relax, guys," I injected. "I say we're more than just together. When we get back, I'd like both of you to be groomsmen." Naruto stared at me, shocked.

"You and Yumi are getting married?" he asked, the pitch of his voice rising. I nodded. "That's awesome! I wouldn't miss it! You really want me to be a groomsman?" I nodded again. "Even more awesome!"

"What about you, Neji?" He nodded.

"I believe that I would be going even if I did not wish to. Tenten would make me. So as Naruto said, I wouldn't miss it. Also, I accept. It would be an honor to be a groomsman, Shikamaru." I turned to Naruto.

"Hinata is Yumi's maid of honor," I told him. His cheeks instantly got red. I laughed and turned to Neji. "Tenten is a bridesmaid, too." He only nodded, but I saw his cheeks get pink.

"Naruto! We need to speak to you!" I heard Inoichi call.

"Be right back, guys," he said as he got up and walked over.

"I'll need to give my thanks to Yumi when we return," Neji said. I looked at him, a bit confused. "The reason Tenten and I are together is because of her. Tenten told me that she convinced her to tell me her feelings. She didn't want to because she feared my rejection. And it seems that the way I act would have made that worse. But I am very grateful. To be honest, I love Tenten. Very much. And I have your fiancée to thank for it," he explained.

"Congrats, Neji," Naruto said. Neji flushed a bright red.

"You were not supposed to hear that, Uzumaki," Neji growled. Naruto shrugged as he sat down.

"Shikamaru! Neji!" my dad called. We got up and walked over to the older men.

"What is it, Dad?" I asked. He rubbed a hand over his tired face.

"Naruto refuses to return to the village. He says he would rather help here than go home and do nothing. Do you two think you can convince him to leave?" he explained. Neji shook his head.

"Once Uzumaki puts him mind to something, he will stay with it," he answered. Yumimaro stared at us.

"So you're saying he's not leaving. Not even if you explain that if he gets captured, it could mean the end of the village?" Yumimaro asked. We both shook our heads.

"I guess he's staying," Choza said. "It's getting late. Shikaku, Inoichi, and I will be on watch. The rest of you, get some sleep."

After that, I walked over to a somewhat isolated area and laid out my bedroll. Just as I lay down, Yumi's dad came and sat beside me. I sat back up.

"Is there something you need, Tagawa-san?" I asked politely.

"I'd just like to talk to you. It's never easy for a father to give away his daughter. Especially when she is his only child. But you, my boy, have made it much easier for me. I've watched my daughter grow up. I've seen how much she cares for and loves you. I know you will take good care of her. So thank you, Shikamaru," he told me.

"I swear on my life that I will," I said. He smiled and patted me on the back.

"Of course you will. Now get some rest," he replied. He got up and walked back towards the others.

Nothing happened for a long time. It seemed like the Akatsuki weren't going to do anything. That is, until one night when I felt hands slithering around my throat. Luckily, I had a kunai tucked in my bedroll. I sliced across the hands and jumped up just in time to see them slither back into the ground.

"We're under attack!" I yelled. Everybody, even the ones who had been asleep, sprang into action. Through all the commotion, I came face to face with Itachi Uchiha.

"Ah, a Nara. How interesting," he said. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Next thing I knew, he was in front of me holding a kunai to Yumi's throat and I was frozen in place by his jutsu. I wanted to run and strangle him with my bare hands for even trying to use Yumi to trick me. I took a deep breath to calm down.

'Trying to show me my greatest fear, huh? Too bad I already know your tricks too well,' I thought. He couldn't fool me into to thinking that Yumi wasn't safe at home in the village. 'Damnit. This genjutsu is too strong for me to break. No snapping a finger like the last time I was stuck like this.' Suddenly, Yumimaro was beside me.

"Your tricks won't work, Itachi. This boy is too smart. You and your band of misfits might as well go," he told the sharingan user.

"Always barking orders, huh, sensei?" Itachi sneered back.

"I am no longer your sensei. That time ended long ago." The image of Yumi disappeared but I was still frozen.

"Very true, Yumimaro. I was weak then, but my power now far surpasses you own. Time to die!" Itachi lunged at Yumimaro and the genjutsu was broken. I saw the others fighting around me and I noticed that Yumimaro wasn't moving. I couldn't let Yumi lose her dad. I jumped in front of him with my kunai up to block Itachi's. There was a loud 'clang' as we clashed.

"You are in way, Nara!" Itachi yelled.

"Your fight is with me, not him," I replied calmly. I shoved him back with enough force to get him on one knee. He got up and came right back at me. I put my kunai up to block again but he grabbed my arm. There was enough power in his grip that I heard the bones crack and I bit back a cry of pain. He threw me through the air and I smacked into a tree. I could hear and feel some of my ribs break. I slid down the tree and hit the ground. By some miracle, I managed to get back up. It hurt to breathe and my broken arm hung limply at my side.

"How pathetic," Itachi remarked. He started to come at me but was soon frozen in place. I looked over and saw my dad with his shadow attached to Itachi's. Suddenly, Itachi started to scream. My dad let him fall to the ground as he convulsed in pain. Yumimaro was standing next to my dad, his hands shaped in a sign that I'd seen Yumi use before.

"This fight is over!" Yumimaro called out and soon all the Akatsuki were in convulsions. Itachi stopped first. I was standing above him with a good grip on the collar of his coat.

"What do you want with the Leaf Village?" I asked sharply.

"We don't want anything with that puny village. We want the boy with Nine Tails," he spat back.

"Itachi! There is no reason to reveal our plans! We are not defeated!" one of the Akatsuki yelled.

"Silence, Deidara! They will not be able to defeat us when the time comes. I am taking mercy on them and letting them know their fate," he replied. Then, he looked back to me. "We will collect the other jinchuriki. Then, we will be back for the boy and once we have him, we will destroy the Leaf Village as well as the others. The Akatsuki will reign supreme with Lord Pein as ruler of the new shinobi world. And all of you, every last one, will perish beneath us," he finished. Suddenly, he was gone and the other Akatsuki members were too.

"Transportation jutsu," I said to myself. I stood up and pain shot through my arm and torso. I felt myself falling and then the world went black.

When I came to, I got a face full of spiky blond hair. I started to lean back and instantly regretted it. I let out a grunt of pain and Naruto turned his head.

"Hey, Shikamaru! You're finally awake. Don't worry; we aren't very far from the village. You'll be at the hospital soon," he said.

"Why are you carrying me on your back? I can run on my own," I replied. He shook his head.

"Your dad said not to let you down. He carried you most of the way. The jonin are going straight to Granny Tsunade while I take you to the hospital."

"I'll be going with you as well," I heard Neji say. I turned my head to look at him.

"Could you go let Yumi know that we're back and where I am?" I asked him.

"Of course," he answered.

"Thanks, Neji."

"Hey, look! I can see the gate," Naruto shouted. I looked up over his head and saw the village getting closer and closer. I was getting closer to home and closer to Yumi.

"Ouch. Sakura, that hurts," I complained. She kept wrapping the bandages around my ribs.

"Be quiet, Shikamaru. I have to do this so the cracks and the broken ribs will heal right," she replied.

"Does it have to be so tight?"

"Yes." The door to the examination room opened and Yumi stood in the doorway with Tenten and Neji. She walked over to the examination table as Sakura finished wrapping my ribs.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she replied quietly. She took my hand as Sakura put a sling on my broken arm. "C-can I hug you?" she asked.

"I may be a little broken but I'm not made of glass," I answered. She carefully wrapped her arms around my middle and hid her face against my bare chest. I could feel her trembling. I looked at the others. "Can we have a minute?" They nodded and left the room. "Your hair's down. That's odd," I said. She looked up at me.

"It's two in the morning. Plus, when Neji said you were at the hospital, I panicked," she answered. I brushed some hair away from her face, bent down, and pressed my lips to hers. I felt her relax as her lips moved against mine. By the time we pulled apart, we were both struggling for breath.

"I've been waiting to do that for two months," I whispered. Her cheeks turned pink.

"Me, too. I've missed you so much, Shika," she whispered back.

"And you can't imagine how much I've missed you." I pulled off her clan necklace and handed it to her. "I brought it back as promised," I added. She smiled.

"Neji said that Naruto came back with you." I nodded.

"He brought me here and then went straight to the Hyuga estate to see Hinata. Although, I'm not sure how well her father's going to like a boy sneaking into his house to see his daughter in the middle of the night," I replied. She laughed.

"Do you think we should tell the others they can come back?" I nodded. She poked her head out the door and the others followed her back in. Sakura got some pills out of a cabinet and handed them to me.

"Take these twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night for pain. And make sure you rest for at least a couple days. Yumi, I need you to make sure the bandages around his ribs stay tight. He needs to limit his showers, too. Try not to take off the sling or the bandages as much as possible. Everything should be healed in a few weeks," she instructed. We both nodded and I got down off the table. Yumi managed to help me get my shirt back on.

"I don't know about you, Yumi, but I'm ready to go home," I said as I took her hand. She smiled up at me.

"Me, too."