2. Sunlight

"You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun." — Shaun Hick

The survivors were led to the field hospital, while the dead were gathered in another section of the area. The focus then shifted to setting up actual camps, where people could rest and recover. Everyone knew the village needed rebuilding, that almost nothing had been spared, but they tackled one thing at a time. When Shikamaru had his tent set up, he shared with two other others, Chouji and Ino, but both of them had other responsibilities: Ino continued helping at the field hospital, while Chouji volunteered to help identify the dead. Shikamaru had been helping gather the corpses, at one point, but after darkness swept over the camp, he became one of the many focused on resting. He should have been resting, at least.

Instead of retiring to his tent, Shikamaru went back to the field hospital to check on Neji. The man had been in good enough condition, stable condition, so Shikamaru never expected to find the man in the midst of a seizure, surrounded by medics.

"What's going on?" He asked them all, but none of them responded. "Is he alright? Is he going to be alright? Damn it," he swore, trying his best to get more than a glimpse of his friend, his fellow fighter. He saw Neji convulsing, the man's limbs violently shaking, and he had to turn away. It took a few minutes for the seizure to pass, and the medics slowly made their way away from the cot. Three medics remained, assessing him and treating him.

"He had a bad reaction to the medication," Ino explained. Of course Ino was one of the ones treating Neji, and Shikamaru was thankful someone actually remembered his questions and provided him some sort of answer. "It could happen to anyone." She sounded exhausted, and she mentioned afterwards that she finally had time enough to sleep, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the pale flesh of Neji's chest.

The Hyuga looked absolutely drained. Neji's clothing had been exchanged for a hospital gown, but the medics had ripped open the chest portion to try and check on his heart. They mentioned something about him being stable, but Shikamaru couldn't agree. When he'd seen a patient in similar condition, the boy had died, barely lasting through the night. Ino seemed to notice her former teammate's inner struggle, so she placed a hand on his shoulder. The two of them watched as a medic continued to work on Neji. The woman replaced the drugs in Neji's IV and moved on, as if she hadn't been there at all.

Another medic came over to replace Neji's hospital gown, so Shikamaru turned away, muttering about how the hospital seemed like a real drag. Ino really wanted to punch him, but she restrained herself. She had to snort to keep from laughing, and Shikamaru almost caught himself smiling. But a somber moment fell over the two.

"Thanks," Ino whispered.

"For what?" Shikamaru inquired.

"For keeping me straight on the field. When the tower exploded," Ino paused, swallowing hard, "I felt like I wanted to explode along with it."

Dangerous. The topic was dangerous. Shikamaru clenched his fists, his short nails digging into his palms. He couldn't stand to think the thoughts that swirled around his mind, but Ino kept talking, saying things he couldn't handle. He didn't want to think about his father anymore. He needed to focus on something else, on someone else, and he'd chosen Neji.

"Naruto and Sasuke were released a few hours ago," Ino said and smiled, though it was a forced smile. Anyone could have registered the hurt in her eyes, but she tried her hardest to hide it away. They were both just hiding away.

"I'll find Naruto later," Shikamaru nodded. Neither one of them needed to approach the subject of Sasuke. He had no interest in seeing Sasuke. He held no grudge, but he had no real desire to see the man. There was no reason. "The seizure," he began.

"We're waiting to see if he survives the night. He hasn't woken up again."

Ino's words hung in the air, long after she had left. Shikamaru thought about them over and over again, but he couldn't find any hidden meanings, any further promises. Neji had a fifty-fifty chance, basically, and Shikamaru hated the odds. He wasn't a gambler, but he felt as if he'd been forced into a round. Everyone knew his hand, except for himself. It was only fitting that Tsunade brushed past him, finally making her presence known. He'd assumed that the Hokage had nothing left to offer, but she surprised them all just by standing. Chakra exhaustion hadn't ruined her stubborn nature.

"Hi-na-ta," a voice spoke, the name broken up into pieces as if the whole thing took too much energy. Shikamaru wasn't stupid, so he wasted no time looking around. He moved closer to the cot and stooped down to Neji's level. The man had a hand outstretched, feeling for someone's presence, so Shikamaru took the hand in his own.

"She's fine," Shikamaru answered. "She was treated for exhaustion, but she's resting in her tent," he continued on, knowing the more of an explanation he gave, the better the chance that Neji would remain on the cot.

"Shika?" Neji tried to get out the rest of the name, but he dissolved into a violent coughing fit, one accompanied by blood. At once, Shikamaru jerked to his feet and called out for Ino, but the girl was on the other side of the tent, too involved with another patient. He dropped back down to Neji's side and wiped the blood away from the corner of the man's mouth.

"You're too much trouble," Shikamaru frowned, trying his best to be playful in a bad situation. He deduced that the blood would be normal, at least until Neji's body fully recovered, so he gave up calling for further assistance. As it was, no other medic was available. They needed rest too.

"Did we win?" Neji took his time when he spoke, his breathing labored. He looked up at Shikamaru with such hope that Shikamaru couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," Shikamaru smiled, "yeah, we won."

At once, Neji relaxed, his body finally at peace. Shikamaru had to wonder if Neji had accepted death; instead, it seemed as if Neji was simply more inclined to sleep. He stayed with Neji for another hour, but he left after that, silently vowing to check on the man once the sun rose. He returned to his empty tent and curled up in his sleeping bag, but his mind continued working, pursuing more and more possibilities. It was a miracle that they had survived, and yet he didn't believe in miracles. It was a tragedy that so many people had died, and yet he chalked it up to weakness. But some of the survivors were weaker than the perished ones. His mind went in circles, rotating faster and faster, but the endless questions went unanswered.

By dawn, people around him had left their tents. He tried to sleep, but there was no use trying to force the fitful sleep he'd had overnight. He slid his body out of his sleeping bag, fumbled with a few scrolls, and then ate a couple of ration bars. He'd changed into sleeping pants and a shirt, so he emerged in the same. A group of people had left to survey the damage and come up with a plan, the Hokage and the remaining higher authorities being among them. He had to wonder why Tsunade hadn't asked him to join the party, but he assumed it was because she had "more than enough brats," as he'd once heard her say.

"You look like shit," Sasuke said, since the two of them met at one of the entrances to the field hospital.

"You look worse," Shikamaru countered. He looked over the blood-soaked attire adorning the Uchiha and he had to agree that his comeback was correct. The man looked absolutely destroyed, especially with the fact that both of his arms were in casts. "Your arms are broken," he stated, not bothering to ask useless questions.

"Shattered," Sasuke replied with a nod. "Naruto's legs were broken, but we both know about his healing abilities."

"Unfair," Shikamaru joked, earning the smallest of smiles from the other man. They both lingered there, ready to continue their conversation, but the sight of Neji sitting up on his cot automatically destroyed any chance. "I need to check on Neji."

"I heard about what happened. He sacrificed his life for Hinata and Naruto. He didn't have to," Sasuke said, his voice lowered so that the words stayed between the two of them. Shikamaru looked Sasuke in the eyes, a shocked expression on the Nara's face. "You didn't know," Sasuke frowned.

"No," Shikamaru said, a frown on his own face, "I didn't."

"He's a hero."

"We're all heroes now."

They parted ways by Sasuke nudging his fist against Shikamaru's arm. There were no further words. Shikamaru was left to his thoughts, once again, and he accepted them. Neji had sacrificed his life to save his friend and his cousin, while Shikamaru had buried his own grief behind words of determination, dragging his former teammate down with him. Shikamaru acted brave, but Neji really was brave. They had differences between them that he couldn't deny. As Shikamaru approached, Neji stopped staring out at the sky and focused in on his visitor. Neji had already seen Hinata and Naruto, and both visitors had left him feeling exhausted, so he wasn't prepared for someone else. He was pleasantly surprised when that someone else turned out to be the Nara.

"You saved my life," Neji greeted him.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled to himself. Sadly, his words were heard by Neji, and Neji let out a bit of laughter followed by a rather violent coughing fit. "Don't die on me now," he said as he leaned over and patted Neji's back.

"That would be a terrible way to go," Neji agreed.

Shikamaru wasn't a man of many words, so the conversation dissolved as fast as it had begun, replaced by a comfortable silence. Neji swung his legs over the side of the bed and made to get up, but Shikamaru placed a hand on the man's shoulder, easing the eager patient back down onto the cot.

"I need to get out of this place," Neji frowned, looking around at all of the occupied cots. "I'm well enough," he argued. Neither of them could deny the fact that Neji was in a better position, but he'd recently had surgery and suffered a terrible seizure.

"Stay here," Shikamaru sighed. "I'll go find a medic."

Shikamaru had to weave his way around patients, visitors, and cots, but he successfully navigated his way through the field hospital. The medics were gathered around some of the worst patients. Shikamaru made out the layers of bandages covering the bodies, but he couldn't identify any of them. Shikamaru hoped it wasn't anyone he knew, but then he realized the selfishness in his silent request. He amended his thoughts to include a hope for a speedy recovery. He spotted Sakura leaving a patient and he intercepted her before she had a chance to locate another more critical patient.

"What do you want?" She was crabby, at best, and he couldn't really blame her. As far as he knew, she was on hour twenty-three, relying on other medics to follow her instructions and distribute the amount of chakra she no longer contained. "Shikamaru?" Sakura snapped her fingers in front of his face to draw his attention.

"Neji wants discharged," Shikamaru blandly spoke, his lack of interest clearly there.

"Another day, at least. Tell him," Sakura sighed, "tell him I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do."

The sunlight cast long shadows into the field hospital, its bright light shining on the numerous faces assigned to the cots. As Shikamaru made his way back to Neji, he couldn't help but notice the number of children in one particular section of the hospital. They were young, yes, but they'd obviously been above genin level to have been present. Still, he had to stop and stare at them. Their bodies would retain the scars of war. They'd never overcome their losses, however big or however small. Not even the sunlight made the day any brighter.