In case of confusion, I did delete the first chapter. I'm sorry guys! It's just I had way too many people reading it and not reading the rest...

I think I'm doing well with updates now… What do you guys think?

So just a bit of a heads up, my OC, Reena, can get angry pretty quickly and she does have a way to get on Shikamaru's nerves. Also, reminder: Reena does have the five tails in her :D

Anywho, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Tried to by the rights of Naruto on ebay, didn't work...so I still don't own Naruto -sigh-

Sora slowly opened her eyes. She was lying down on a bed, with blankets on top of her.

"Hey, our little princess is waking up!" said a familiar voice.

The girl turned her head to see Reena sitting in a chair beside the bed with a book on her lap.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

The black hair girl didn't answer. She touched her sore shoulder where she had been hurt. Her friend noticed it

"Don't worry, they healed your shoulder. You shouldn't feel any more pain."

"Yeah, they didn't have a choice, now did they? I think they were scared that you were going to rip off their head if they didn't help her right away," said another familiar voice in a very annoyed tone.

That's when she saw him. Beside the window, Shikamaru was standing there, looking outside.

"Maybe, but you don't need to be so rude about it," replied Reena in a childish voice. She then added with a frown, "Besides, what's wrong with you anyways? You've never had issues with my ways before. Ever since that test happened, you have changed and that is certainly not a compliment."

The last part seemed to set off the boy. He turned around and walked up to Reena to face her. The white hair girl got up, crossing her arms with a dangerous expression on her face. Her five tails' instincts instantly flared up. They both seemed very pissed off. Even the atmosphere in the room became very cold.

"Maybe if you hadn't given her a scroll for such a dangerous technique, she wouldn't have tried to kill us all," he said in a low dangerous tone.

"How was I supposed to know that she would have used it before we had any time to practice it safely? It's not like I didn't warn her!"

"You could have taught it to her right after you gave her that scroll!"

"Oh for god's sake, get real. She was still mentally exhausted from her day. Guess what? She's a HUMAN BEING. I actually thought you were smart, damn it!"

As their argument continued, they kept talking louder and louder, which was really surprising from Shikamaru's part. They were at the point of yelling when Asuma finally came in the room.

"That is ENOUGH! We can hear you both from the main entrance of this hospital. If you guys want to fight, do it somewhere else!"

His presence seemed to have brought both of them back to reality. Feeling bad, they turned to look at Sora. The girl was sitting in her bed, looking down at her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks. Frustrated that he could have caused that, Shikamaru let out a sigh and walked out of the room without saying anything.

"I'm really sorry Sora… We both know better than that…" Reena apologized softly.

The black hair girl remained quiet as her friend walked out of the room.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Asuma.

"Who cares…" finally said the girl while hiding her face.

Shikamaru was walking up a hill. It had been now over an hour that he left the hospital. He knew that she would be there since her and Sora used to go there whenever they were upset about something or simply wanted to get away from everything.

As he arrived at the top, as expected, he saw Reena. She was sitting there, her chin resting on her arms that were crossed over her knees, looking at the village.

"What do you want…" said the girl in a tone that seemed so… depressed.

The boy scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "I'm here to apologize. Gee, I don't know what was wrong with me."

"I apologize too. I should have known better," she answered.

Walking up beside her, he asked: "Can I sit here?"

"Yeah...sure."

They sat there in silence, staring at the village quietly. From where they were sitting, they could see all the activity going on through the streets and even on the roofs. This relaxing sight made Shikamaru promised to himself that he would accept Sora's next invitation to come relax here. She had bugged him so often about coming here but having already found his favorite spot in the village, on one of the roofs, he had always refused her invitations.

"So… did she manage to really pull it off? The technique, I mean," Reena asked, breaking the silence.

"Heh, yeah. It was really terrifying how well she performed it, if you ask me."

They fell silent again. Being friends back at the academy had been great. Even when he had discovered that one of his childhood friends had the five-tails demon inside her, he had remained calmed, deciding that she was still the one whom she has already been. It was the same situation than Naruto, when he thought about it. The exception, really, was that she was more relaxing. So when she and Sora hung out together, it didn't feel as much as a drag to be around her.

"Hey Shikamaru…"

"Yeah?"

"Keep a close eye on Sora."

What she said definitely snapped him out of his thoughts. He stared at her, studying her expression carefully. Something was bothering her.

"What's making you say that?"

"Well… um… how can I say this…" she started, twisting her fingers together uncomfortably.

"If it's related to the five-tails, just go ahead."

Reena looked at the boy in confusion.

"Sora told me," he answered her silent question.

"Gee, that girl tells you way too much!" she said while rubbing the back of her neck.

Shikamaru laughed. He realized that the girl did tell him a lot. He just never really realized it.

Reena sighed.

"Look. It doesn't happen often but my instincts are buzzing. I can sense that something nasty is going to happen. I just can't tell what. The best that I can get out of it is that it might be related to Sora… But it's only a maybe."

"And why do you want me to look over her?" asked Shikamaru.

"Well, for several reasons. First, I received a C-rank mission and I'm leaving tomorrow. Second, you're on her team. And finally, I can't tell you the other one because it's a secret," she finished with a huge grin on her face, thinking about her friend's secret.

"Gee. What's up with you girls and secrets? Such a drag…" said Shikamaru.

"Hey!" shouted out Reena pouting.

With a light chuckle, he got up.

"If I want to look over her, I better start now and head back to the hospital, I guess. Are we okay?" he asked to make sure.

Reena laughed lightly, "Yeah, we are!"

"Well, I'm going now!" he finally said while walking away, waving a hand in the air for his friend.

When Shikamaru arrived at the hospital, he headed directly for Sora's room. Little did he know that the girl had already left, until he reached her room that is. Seeing it empty only made him more confused. Walking back out, he headed for the main office.

"Hey, I'm here to see a friend but she's not in her room anymore," Shikamaru told the receptionist.

"Her name?" asked the woman.

"Sora. Sora Tonbo."

While shuffling through her papers, the woman mumbled the name several times.

"Ah! Tonbo! Yes, it would like she has left not too long ago," said the reception is gleefully.

"Already?"

"Yes, yes! It would seem that she has requested to leave despite the doctor's medical opinion."

"Damn it, Sora..." mumbled the boy turning around to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, he remembered his manners, turned around and thanked the lady who, thankfully, hadn't seem offended at all.

Once he was outside, the boy started to think about where the girl would go. The only valid conclusion he came up with was her house. And so, he was off to go see her.

Sora unlocked her front door of her house and walked in. Looking around, she quickly realized that there was nothing to do. She let out a sigh and decided to go to the living room. Sitting down on one of the sofa, she brought her knees up against her. She felt awfully depressed. In fact, she wanted to be disconnected from the world for a while. She wanted to be alone where people wouldn't fight over her stupidity.

Crossing her arms on top of her knees and putting her head down on it, she started to cry. She hated herself more than anything. Even worse, she had no one to talk to, no shoulder to cry on, no mother's warm caresses... no more family. It was one of those moments where she wished she had perished with her parents. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

She was quickly brought back to reality when a knock on her door was heard. Sora hesitated. Finally, without lifting her head, she shouted: "who's there?"

"It's me," simply said Shikamaru, knowing she'd recognize him.

It was starting to be dark outside. He knew he'd be late for supper but he would find a good excuse to tell his mother so she won't break his ears.

"Go away."

He hadn't expected that. He had thought that she would open the door, talk to him so he could apologize to her, and go home happy. He sighed. Guess things were going to be a tad more complicated.

"Sora, open up. I want to talk to you."

"I said : go away!"

Her voice had come more clearly this time. He had never heard her sound like this and unsure what to do, he finally decided not to try again. Maybe just a good night's sleep would make her feel better.

"I'll come back tomorrow..." he finally said.

He then walked away, never getting an answer.

"Shikamaru Nara. You are late," said a man when he came in.

"I know dad. I had some business to do," he answered, annoyed.

"What kind of business?" asked the man in a strict tone.

Shikamaru looked down. Truth was, he had been so busy thinking about the girl that he had finally forgotten to make up an excuse.

"It was related to Sora," he finally admitted.

"By the face you're doing, I'd guess that it didn't go as planned," said his dad, softening his voice at his son's expression.

"Yeah, she refused to let me in her house to talk. Girls are too complicated. First they want attention, then, when you give them some, they make a huge drama about it!"

His dad laughed which made the boy even more annoyed.

"Think of it, what could make her act that way?"

Shikamaru felt a shot of guilt run through him. He knew all too well the answer.

"If you want my advice, go back there tomorrow. Stay the whole day if you have to."

"But that's such a drag..." the boy replied lazily.

"If you want to win her heart, you'll need to start making some sacrifices."

His dad's comment caught him by surprise.

"I don't..."

"Shut up and take the damn advice."

Shikamaru sighed and looked outside with mixed feelings. What did he feel for her?

Woah, end of the chapter! Double update in the same week? Sweet, isn't it?

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