Chapter 7

"N-Neji!" Shikamaru spluttered, trying – and failing – to discreetly wipe sake off his vest. "You're here!"

"Yes," Neji replied, looking annoyingly concerned as he glided towards the table in his white robes. "You invited me, remember? Gods, just how badly were you concussed?"

"Not badly enough to make this less awkward." Shikamaru jokingly said, trying to calm his own nerves.

But that was a difficult thing to do when Neji looked so damn good. He was wearing his summer robes, which were thin and loose around his torso. And unlike his winter robes or his ANBU uniform, they showed off just enough of his smooth, muscular chest to illicit a reaction from Shikamaru.

Plus, it seemed like he was fresh out of the shower, his long brown hair damp and darkened to black from the moisture. He smelled of something light and fresh, green and tantalizing. Eucalyptus, Shikamaru thought. The scent suited him.

Conscious of Shikamaru's scrutiny, Neji felt his cheeks glowing pink as he averted his gaze. "I… should apologize again for this morning. It was horrifyingly unprofessional of me. I even hurt you in the process."

"Hm, yeah, wildly unprofessional. Negative ten badass points." Shikamaru refilled his cup. "Very uncool. I'll probably never get over it."

Neji slid his gaze to Shikamaru's face; uncertain as to whether he was joking, or just drunk.

Shikamaru noticed his expression and raised one sardonic eyebrow, his lips smirking around his cup. "Wait, you are apologizing for waking me up early, right?"

Without realizing he was doing it, Neji smiled, leaning towards the table. "Oh no you don't, Nara! You were already awake when I arrived. I won't have you blaming me for my cousins transgressions."

"But Hinata is so delicate," Shikamaru replied without missing a beat, downing his sake. "It's much easier to blame you than to watch her flail about. Besides, I was talking about you sneaking around in my garden last night. It was past midnight, ergo morning. Early-ass morning."

Neji almost laughed, his lips twitching as he said, "Always such a martyr. I'm sorry to have caused such suffering."

Shikamaru snorted. "You should just be grateful that I had the wherewithal to put on some clothes before coming to capture the intruder. Nothing more insulting than getting beaten up by a naked guy."

"You sleep naked?" Neji asked, his eyes momentarily slipping down Shikamaru's form, remembering the way his naked torso had gleamed in the moonlight. "Oh, and you didn't beat me up."

"Well, the rumor I've been spreading around suggests otherwise." Shikamaru drawled, thoroughly enjoying their banter. "Apparently I pinned you down and put pigtails in your hair. With ribbons! Truly a shocking turn of events, which always makes for excellent gossip."

Neji visibly tensed. "Gods, Nara, please tell me you're joking."

"Of course I am." Shikamaru said, his voice growing softer. "Relax man. I won't tell anyone about the pigtails."

"You're unbelievable." Neji marveled, watching Shikamaru refill his cup yet again, shaking the last drops of sake out of the bottle.

Shikamaru laughed. "You have no idea."

Neji shot him a withering glance, but was caught off guard by the potency of the look Shikamaru was giving him. It wasn't joking at all, but heavy and scrutinizing. There were traces of that dangerous look he had given Neji earlier etched into the corners of his mouth, churning in the deep shadows of his eyes.

The sudden entrance of the waitress saved Neji from that depthless gaze. His mind felt fuzzy as he directed his eyes towards the table, breathing slowly to try and combat that writhing mass of heat that had reappeared in his chest. He was vaguely aware of voices as Shikamaru chatted with the waitress. He must have said something clever because the waitress laughed flirtatiously, brushing Shikamaru's arm before picking up the sake tray and flouncing out of the room.

"Nice girl." Shikamaru remarked, lounging on one elbow as he stared towards the door. "Wonder if she'll give us some free drinks. Oh, sorry for finishing the bottle before offering you any. Hadn't realized it was so far gone."

"I don't drink, remember?" Neji replied faintly, struggling to form words around the hammering pulse in his throat. He looked up at Shikamaru, noting the faint red glow in his cheeks and the hair falling loose of his ponytail. The dark strands gliding over his neck as the genius turned his head towards Neji. "Besides, I think you've had enough for the both of us."

"True enough," Shikamaru mused. "But I plan on drinking enough for the three of us. It's been one of those weeks."

Neji frowned again, still concerned for Shikamaru's health. "I sincerely apologize for any part I had to play in -"

"Don't." Shikamaru cut him off, his tone darkening again. "Stop apologizing. It's not like you."

"How is it unlike me?" Neji scoffed, slightly offended. "I always apologize when I am in the wrong!"

"Yeah I know you do, just…" Shikamaru glanced away. "Not with me. You don't have to be that way with me."

"What way, Nara?" Neji demanded.

"You know!" Shikamaru frowned, gesturing around heatedly. "Mighty Captain Hyuga, King of Decorum, Lord of the Stick-in-the-Ass Clan! I'm not one of those people that you need to put on your armor for."

"Those people?"

"Yeah Neji, those people." Shikamaru hissed. "I am not, and will never be, one of the people tugging at your "leash". So quit trying to keep me at arms length by being such a dick all the time."

Neji's hand instinctively shot towards his forehead, but he stopped himself. His hand lowered slowly as he glared at Shikamaru, the skin around his milky eyes tight with anger.

"I will let this slide, Nara, just this one time." He said in a low, dangerously steady voice. "I will blame it on the mixture of alcohol, exhaustion, and head injury. But you will never talk about my "leash" ever again, or I will fulfill your wish and put you to sleep permanently. Understood?"

He continued to glare at Shikamaru, who calmly returned his scathing gaze, waiting for him to speak.

Shikamaru sipped his sake slowly, considering his next words carefully.

"You're right, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Sorry." Those dark eyes shifted, mapping Neji's expression as Shikamaru continued. "But I care about you. Sure, you're an annoying pain in the ass but you're…Neji."

Neji's eyes widened. He struggled to find a cohesive response. "I also, um, you are – I mean, compared to others, you -"

"Thanks man, that's real sweet." Shikamaru drawled, that smirk reattaching itself to his lips. His eyes drifted away from Neji's embarrassed face towards the door as the waitress returned.

Once again, Shikamaru slipped easily into a relaxed and friendly guise, not letting any emotion sneak into his expression as he chatted with the woman. He was a perfectly controlled and calculating tactician; able to change his skin like a chameleon.

He inquired after her night, the other patrons in the bar – were any of the Konoha Eleven causing her trouble? If so, she was to report to Sakura. The waitress giggled and preened under his potent gaze. She gave them their bottle of sake for free.

As she turned towards the door, she winked at Neji, who was too busy staring at Shikamaru to even notice.

"I think she likes you." Shikamaru said once she was gone, raising an eyebrow in Neji's direction.

"Hardly." Neji scoffed, reaching over to grab the bottle roughly. Shikamaru watched with wide eyes as Neji filled his cup to the brim and drank it all in one gulp. He refilled his cup immediately. "You certainly don't seem to have any trouble with women."

Shikamaru snorted. "Very funny."

The lights flashed in Neji's eyes as he blinked slowly, trying to read Shikamaru's expression. "It wasn't meant as a joke, but I suppose I'm glad that you found it humorous."

His thin eyebrows meeting in confusion, Shikamaru sat up straighter to get a better view of Neji over the table. "Wait, you're serious, aren't you?"

Neji nodded fractionally.

"What a drag." Shikamaru muttered. "I thought everyone knew."

"Knew what?" Neji urged, annoyed and confused by their entire conversation.

Shikamaru swirled the contents of his cup, studying the small whirlpool he created as he replied, "I'm gay. I mean, seriously Neji, have I ever shown any interest in women?"

For a moment, Neji stared at him in shocked silence. And then, a wave of embarrassment at his ignorance washed over Neji, his pale cheeks turning slightly red and his pulse quickening. He swallowed nervously before asking, "How long have you…"

Shikamaru didn't glance up, his voice slightly stiff as he said, "How long have I known, or how long have I been 'out'?"

"Both, I suppose."

Letting out a slow exhale through his nose, Shikamaru continued to stare into his cup. "I'm not one of those people who claims that they always knew. For the longest time, I just didn't care. Girls were troublesome. Guys were troublesome. Honestly, there was so much else going on that I hardly cared about that kind of thing. But I guess, eventually I noticed that guys had started to seem a little less troublesome to me. Only a little, though. You'll notice that I'm not exactly in a committed relationship."

Shikamaru paused to sip his sake, grimacing slightly as the strong alcohol glided over his tongue.

"And as far as how long I've been out, well…only for about two years."

"Why did you keep it to yourself for so long?" Neji asked.

"It was the most logical decision." Shikamaru drawled. "We were already at war by the time I realized I was gay. When the people around you are dropping like flies, and you could die at any moment, your sexual preferences hardly seem to matter."

"But surely your friends would have liked to know." Neji said. "If only for the sake of knowing."

Shikamaru smirked. "Honestly, nobody really seemed surprised when I told them. Ino said she'd known for ages, but she never said anything about it. Choji too. Apparently Asuma knew as well."

Neji hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose it's a good thing that people around here tend to be open-minded. Nobody should feel ashamed about who they are."

"I'm not ashamed," Shikamaru replied, the skin around his eyes tightening. "It never really seemed like a big deal to me. But the thing is, being different is…exhausting. For the longest time, I kept it to myself because I figured I was different enough already without adding more to the list."

"Sound enough reasoning." Neji said gently before taking a sip from his cup.

Shikamaru glanced towards him. "No offense, Neji, but I'm a little surprised that you're taking this as well as you are. The Hyuga's are all pretty conservative, so I thought that maybe…well, it would be a drag if you felt weird about this."

Neji smiled bitterly. "Is that why I'm the last one to know? Honestly, Nara, my Clan and I rarely have compatible opinions."

"I know." Shikamaru replied, his voice soft. "I'm sorry. Next time I have a big secret, you'll be the first one to know."

"Honored, I'm sure." Neji muttered, taking a grimacing swig from his cup.

"I thought you didn't drink?"

"Things change."

Shikamaru hummed thoughtfully in response, watching Neji down the rest of his drink and promptly pour himself another. He gestured with the bottle towards Shikamaru's cup, which he refilled when Shikamaru held it out for him. For a time they simply sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they sipped their drinks.

Finally, Shikamaru cleared his throat. "So, since we're in a sharing mood, can I ask you something?"

Neji exhaled hotly through his nose. "By all means. You seem determined to barrel through all my boundaries tonight anyways."

Shikamaru laughed awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"No, you're not."

"I'm really not, you're right."

"Ask your question then, Nara." Neji said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Okay, sure." Shikamaru sat up straighter, crossing his legs as he placed his cup down on the table. "Listen, this question will probably be way too intrusive and troublesome, but it's been in my head for years so I have to ask."

Neji sighed. "Fine, we'll add it to the list of things we're never going to discuss again after tonight, which I'm betting on you being too drunk to remember anyway."

Shikamaru smiled, his right cheek dimpling. "Not likely, Hyuga. I've been drinking since I was fifteen. Only way to make my brain slow down a bit."

"Your question, Nara." Neji encouraged, idly wondering if Asuma-sensei had sanctioned this alcohol-induced stupidity in order to help his genius student sleep.

"Right, okay," Shikamaru shifted nervously. "During the war…obviously everything was a complete mess, and there was so much happening, but I was stationed in the control center and they were monitoring everyone's chakra. And for a moment there, I mean, everyone thought – they were sure – that you were…we thought you died, Neji."

Neji sipped his sake calmly. "And your question is?"

"My question is…what happened, Neji?"

Frowning, Neji slowly placed his cup on the table, studying the wood surface. "They weren't wrong, Nara. I did die. I was dead. And to be perfectly honest, I was happy to go. After a life of pain and servitude…I was free."

Shikamaru shut his eyes, momentarily thrown back into the war: into the moment of intense, shattering emotion when Shikamaru first heard that Neji had fallen. Shikamaru shook his head, trying to distance himself from the memory of that pain as he whispered, "But you're here now. Alive. What happened?"

Neji was silent for a long time, his eyes staring blankly. Finally, he reached up to pull his hair over one side of his neck, the long strands pooling on his lap.

"Naruto." He said. "That's what happened."

"What? He saved you?" Shikamaru asked. "But he was nowhere near you."

"I didn't understand at first." Neji continued, ignoring him. "I thought I was hallucinating. Especially since Naruto looks so different in the veil. But of course, his Sage powers allow him to exist between worlds. He was really there, and he saw me, and he…convinced me to go back."

"How?" Shikamaru asked, dumbfounded.

"I would prefer not to say." Neji replied gently. "It was rather emotional for me. When I woke up, one of Naruto's clones was with me, his energy healing my body. As soon as I was stable, he disappeared. The war was over not long after that. I suppose, in the confusion, everyone else forgot that I was supposed to be dead. Everyone but you."

"And Hinata." Shikamaru said softly. "She was devastated."

Neji's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, well."

Silence fell again, Neji's words having filled the room with a heaviness that neither of them knew how to lift. Neji once again found himself studying Shikamaru; the way he wrapped his fingers around his cup, the sharp angle of his shoulder as he leaned on his palm, the mystifyingly unreadable expression in his eyes. He was sharp and dark, dangerously intelligent and alluring in the most effortless way.

Confusion once again filled Neji's mind. Was he attracted to Shikamaru? He was secure enough to acknowledge that Shikamaru was handsome, irritatingly so, but to be attracted to him would be something else entirely - something new and exciting and frightening, since Neji had never been with a man before.

And Shikamaru…

"With looks like that," Neji mused. "There's no way he's a virgin."

Just as this thought began to pull Neji's brain in dangerous directions, the sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway drew their attention. With pausing, Sakura barreled into the room, her eyebrows meeting in a deep frown as her gaze locked onto Neji.

"I need you guys. Now." She barked.

Both men rose to their feet immediately.

"What's up, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"I…" She paused awkwardly, not meeting their eyes. "I don't know the details yet. All I know is that Kakashi-sensei is in the hospital and needs Neji and I right away. And Captain Yamato is asking for you, Shikamaru. I hope you aren't too drunk."

"Never drunk enough to make this job less of a pain in my ass." Shikamaru grumbled as he pulled on his shoes. He snuck a glance at Neji, but his hair was hiding his expression. "Tell us, Sakura. How bad is it?"

"Bad. It's bad." She whispered. "The diplomatic mission Kakashi-sensei and Yamato were leading was sabotaged. Their team and the politician they were escorting were all killed. Kakashi got taken down, he's in pretty serious condition."

By this time the trio was on the move, weaving as quickly as possible through the crowd. As soon as they had finally shoved their way out into the refreshing night air, Sakura turned to them and said gravely, "And the worst part? They were ambushed by shinobi wearing the Hidden Mist's crest. It's possible…we might have been betrayed."

"Or someone is trying very hard to make it look that way." Neji offered as they made off down the street at a run. He shot Shikamaru a meaningful glance. The strategist shook his head.

"There's no way Kirigakure has left the alliance," Shikamaru said. "Not the entire village, at any rate. There's no way they could pull that off without the Kage knowing. And Naruto -"

"Doesn't know everything." Sakura bluntly stated. "He's powerful, sure, but he's not omniscient. It's not unreasonable to think that there are things going on that even he doesn't know about."

"Which is great for your sex life." Shikamaru mumbled.

"What did you say?" Sakura hissed, rounding on him.

"Do NOT start this now, I don't want to know anything about this." Neji interrupted. "Honestly, it's like being stuck with a couple of genin."

"Hey Neji, ever gotten your ass kicked by a genin?"

"We're almost there," Shikamaru said. "You can kick Neji's ass later. Make sure you invite me along to watch."

"I hate both of you." Neji said.

The three of them flew up the stairs, throwing open the hospital doors and making their way down the hall as fast as they dared. Yamato hovered nervously outside Kakashi's room, his large eyes fixing on them from the other end of the hall. He gestured wildly.

"Finally! Please hurry!" He called before flitting into the room.

They stopped abruptly in the doorway, watching in shock as three medical shinobi held down a violently convulsing Kakashi-sensei. Sakura ran to assist them immediately, barking out instructions and asking questions without missing a beat. Neji activated his Byakugan, stepping towards the bed. He frowned deeply.

"Captain Yamato," His deep voice carrying over the commotion. "What happened? Who did this to him?"

"Ah, one of the shinobi that attacked us." Yamato said as he hovered around nervously. "And then, forgive me, I think he tried to reverse the effects himself."

Neji's expression hardened even further. "Sakura." He said, stepping forward purposefully. "Keep him as still as you can. I need to be able to see."

Sakura nodded before relaying more orders, calling for this drip or that drip, but her voice passed over Shikamaru's ears. He was staring blankly at Neji's proud profile, watching his eyes as they studied the convulsing Kakashi.

It wasn't possible. Surely it wasn't possible. For the Hidden Mist to betray the alliance would be madness. They simply didn't have the strength to defy the other villages alone.

"But what if they aren't alone?" Shikamaru thought, his mind racing. "The sneaky lady - is her being here a coincidence? Could Akatsuki be involved after all? What if some of the other villages are involved in this? Definitely not the Sand – Gara is in love with Naruto, after all - but the others? How strong are our ties to them? What could they gain by betraying Konoha? Land, resources, power? Unreasonable! Troublesome! There's no way a coup that size could happen in the main villages without us knowing."

"Gods," Neji said, chakra glowing on his fingertips as he leaned over Kakashi. "That shinobi reversed the flow of his chakra. And when he tried to fix it blindly, Kakashi-sensei disrupted the blood flow to his heart. Sakura, he WILL die if I don't fix this right now!"

"Then do it!" Sakura replied heatedly.

"I can't do anything until he is completely still!" Neji explained. "I have to momentarily block the vital tenketsu around his heart to avoid damaging it any further. Pump him with whatever drugs you need to, just make him stop seizing!"

"But in the smaller villages, or the Feudal cities?" Shikamaru continued to muse, Neji and Sakura's conversation barely a buzz in the background of his thoughts. "It's possible. Entirely possible. Just how high could this thing go?"

He paced towards the corner of the room, eyes unseeing as he fell deeper into his thoughts, the medics running past him to retrieve the drugs Sakura was calling for.

"But the biggest question is why? There's nothing to gain from making an enemy of Konoha. An enemy of Naruto, of all people. Something troublesome is going on here, and when I find out what it is, I'm going to kill whoever is responsible for this fucking headache."

"Sakura, we are running out of time!" Neji yelled.

"We have no choice but to wait for the drugs to work!" Sakura replied, her eyes shining with emotion as she stared down at her sensei.

Shikamaru stepped forward, hands already flashing nimbly through familiar signs. "This is going to hurt him, but it'll keep him still. Good thing he's in a hospital, I guess."

Before Sakura or Neji could grasp his meaning, the shadows beneath the bed rose up like vines cut from the night sky. They wrapped around Kakashi's body before pulling down tightly. The silver-haired man went unnervingly still, save for his eye, which continued to shudder violently beneath the lid.

"Excellent work, Nara." Neji praised as he tore back what was left of Kakashi's shirt and vest. His skin looked strangely blue and mottled above his laboring heart. "Sakura, prepare yourself to revive him. Depending on how severe the damage is, you might need to perform surgery on his heart."

"Understood." Sakura said as she stepped away from the bed, somehow managing to look confident and terrified at the same time.

A hushed silence fell over the room as they all stared at Neji. Seemingly unfazed, he examined Kakashi one final time and then, with a curt nod, his arms became a blur of speed. His fingers, glowing with chakra, jabbed rapidly around Kakashi's heart before dancing down the rest of his body, sending jolts of chakra into every major point to restart the natural flow. Finally, Neji jabbed the inside of Kakashi's elbows with finality, before one again opening the tenketsu around his heart.

Kakashi's eye flew open immediately, his chest rising sharply as he sucked in a deep breath. Panting and disorientated, he struggled against Shikamaru's jutsu, forcing his damaged body against the shadowy restraints. But as soon as Sakura stepped into view he relaxed, his eye softening as she leaned over him.

"Easy, Kakashi-sensei." She said in a soft voice. "Just take deep breaths. You're safe. Hush now."

She sat on the bed, smoothing the silver hair away from his sweaty face before taking his hand. And then she looked up at Neji expectantly. After a moment of careful examination, Neji deactivated his dojutsu and nodded.

"No extensive trauma. Regular chakra healing will be enough."

"Hear that?" Sakura said, still in that gentle voice. "You're going to be fine."

She waited until Kakashi had nodded slightly before pulling her hands away from his, a green chakra glow appearing around them as she went to work on his exhausted heart. Kakashi's eye never left her face as she leaned over him, laboring over his wounds.

"That went well." Shikamaru said lightly as he released his jutsu. The shadowy tendrils snapped back beneath the bed. "But now the question is -"

Shikamaru was interrupted as a medic ran into the room, his face drained of colour as he said quietly, "Uchiha-sama is here, and he looks -"

Before the man could finish speaking, the door burst open again, and Sasuke stormed into the room, covered with a gory spray of blood. He went straight to Kakashi's bed, staring down at his former teacher with blazing red eyes.

"Sakura, Hyuga," He said in his cold voice, "Naruto would like a full medical report by the time he returns. And Yamato, he expects a detailed mission report as well."

"Returns?" Sakura looked up from Kakashi's chest. "From where?"

"The scene, of course." Sasuke replied flatly. "He needed to get a feel for it himself, examine the chakra traces, see if it was anyone he knows. I believe he also intended to search for survivors."

"You let him go alone?" Sakura hissed.

Sasuke laughed humorlessly. "Sakura, you know better than anyone that you don't "let" Naruto do anything. He does exactly what he wants, when he wants it. I'm just following orders."

He looked down at Kakashi again, his frown deepening. He looked pale and agitated under the humming hospital lights. "Naruto was…distraught when he heard the news. I am truly glad to see you well, sensei."

When Kakashi had nodded to him, Sasuke rounded on Shikamaru.

"Nara, once this is done, go home and get some sleep." He ordered, sharingan eyes gleaming with emotion. "And take Hyuga with you. One thing's for sure: the real target of this attack wasn't the politician or his envoy. It was our shinobi. Specifically Kakashi-sensei. Someone out there is attacking our inner circle, and we are going to find out who and why."

"Inner circle?" Neji chimed in. "Who else was attacked?"

Sasuke ran his hands over his face, looking thoroughly exhausted. "I was attacked as soon as I left Naruto's side. Shino and his team were ambushed during their patrol, and Sai was attacked in his home. Shino and his team got away without injury. Sai was stabbed, but nothing fatal. He's staying at our house tonight. Sakura, I suggest you stay here with Kakashi. Yamato, I need you to round up the rest of the Konoha Eleven and explain the situation. No one is allowed to be alone until we get to the bottom of this."

They all exchanged serious looks.

"We are going to find out who did this." Sasuke repeated venomously. "And I am going to fucking destroy them."

A/N: Writing drunk dialogue is fun. Also draaaaama!