Troublesome Hormones

by naruko75

All Naruto wanted was to have some fun, nothing wrong with that right? Wrong. She never realized that sneaking around with one lazy bastard will come with its own set of consequences, especially when falling in love is the least of her troubles.

17. Chapter 17

Shikamaru took a deep breath before knocking on Naruto's door. His fingers twitched slightly on his side; he tried not to fidget as he waited. Was it bad for him to feel a little excited? Especially with the impending conversation they were about to have.

He just felt that this talk was long overdue. Well, at least for him. Being with Naruto, he realized, just felt right. At first, it was just lusting then came the mutual understanding between them; she was the only one he could hang around and let his mind just rest.

He truly believed there was something between them worth exploring.

He let out a chuckle; if anyone had told him two months ago, he'd feel this way for Naruto Uzumaki, The Number One prankster in Konoha, he'd have yawned in their face and promptly ignored them for being delusional.

Unfortunately, he knew, things were not that simple with them. Naruto was a stubborn bull, and he was... well, a mess. He hadn't come here expecting Naruto to share his feelings so that together they'd share their lives until they died of old age (or more likely from a mission; what with their profession).

He just needed to know where they both stood with each other and...talk about the other thing he was trying hard not to think of.

"One thing at the time, Shikamaru," he muttered under his breath. He knocked again when there was no response from the apartment.

He frowned, trying the handle and finding the door open. His frown deepened. Inside the apartment was shrouded in darkness.

"Naruto?"

There was a muffled sound from the direction where he knew Naruto's room was located.

He could only sense Naruto's immense chakra signature, which she could never successfully suppress entirely, but he still took out his kunai from his pouch. Good thing he decided not to change out of his jounin attire.

After the meeting at the hokage tower, he had been called at the administration office to deal with a few things. It took him the entire day; he hadn't been able to go meet with Temari like he'd planned. He could have gone to her after, but… well, he just wanted to get one thing out of the way first before dealing with anything else.

"Naruto, are you okay?" He called, ambling toward the bedroom, his bare feet silent on the wooden floor.

Another muffled sound was his response.

Shikamaru squinted his eyes in the room's darkness; he could barely make out a ghost shape on the bed. He let his hand drift around the wall until he found the light switch. He flicked it on.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto was sitting cross-legged in the centre of the bed, her whole body covered in a pale blue sheet except for her face.

"Brooding." Was the sullen reply.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know 'brooding' was part of your vocabulary."

Naruto only gave him a baleful glare.

Shikamaru frowned in concern, walking carefully towards her, afraid he'd get snapped at if he made any sudden wrong movement. "What's wrong?"

Naruto sighed removing the sheet from her head letting it drape around her shoulders, "Nothing." She said in a tone that meant something was definitely wrong.

Shikamaru inwardly rolled his eyes in exasperation. Oh, how he hated when girls did that! Why don't they ever just say what was bothering them? Why all the pretence that would just take more effort and energy for both of them? Troublesome.

As if sensing his thoughts, she grimaced, her tone a little apologetic. "I just don't think it's something you can help me with."

"You're hungry?" Shikamaru asked, taking a guess and her wide eyed expression told him he was spot on. "And I'm guessing the reason you haven't already eaten is that you can't eat… but I'm guessing there's something else bothering you too?"

Naruto gaped at him for a moment before letting out a breath of disbelief. "Nice guess, genius." She looked at him with a little smile tugging at the corner, "I didn't know you were psychic too, I always knew you were amazing."

Shikamaru hummed, sitting on the corner of the bed. "I know you're just trying to change the subject, come on, out with it." He urged, but a part of him already suspected what the problem was. If he was right then what she was feeling was normal.

Unfortunately, he wasn't knowledgeable about these things.

"It's just," Naruto bit her lips, before letting out a sigh, "I just feel so horrible about everything. I'm so hungry, yet I throw up all the food I eat. I'm tired, but I can't sleep because of my hunger pangs. Everything pisses me off and I don't even know why!" She finished with frustration clear on her face.

"It's the hormones."

Naruto stared blankly at him, "What?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru took a deep breath, deciding to be the one to acknowledge the elephant in the room before there was any chance of ignoring it. "It's the hormones acting up because of the… pregnancy."

Naruto gasped in shock; her hands covering her mouth. Her eyes had widened to comical size, her face pale, she looked completely horrified; you'd think he'd told her she had a terminal virus or something.

Shikamaru had to admit that a huge part of him felt disappointment at having his suspicions confirm so visibly. The other part of him that seemed to have accepted these crazy circumstances as his reality just let the revelation settle in him.

In the tense silence that settled, Shikamaru wanted to say something, at least to make Naruto feel a little better about the situation.

But somehow he doubted words like 'it's okay' will help, because things were not okay. They were in so much deep shit. And 'I'm sorry for getting you pregnant' would not be appreciated, he was sure.

So instead he stood up, tugging Naruto by her hand along with him. "Come on, I will make you something light to eat."

Naruto said nothing as the sheet dropped on the floor, didn't even resist, as she let herself be pulled.

Together, they left the bedroom to Naruto's living room. Shikamaru indicated Naruto sit down and then went to the little part of the apartment that was the kitchen without looking if she complied; she was probably too in shock not to, though.

Shikamaru opened all the cabinets to get himself the feel of the kitchen. He was surprised to find variety of ingredients in one of them, somehow expecting to find nothing but ramen. What surprised him most was the amount of food stored in the freezer which suggested that Naruto cooked; which he had completely no clue she could do.

Without wasting much time, he got his abysmal cooking skills in gear. Making sure it was something Naruto could handle without throwing up.

Being surrounded by chatterbox women sometimes paid off. At least he wasn't completely clueless about pregnancies.

He tried hard not to think about the weirdness of this whole situation. He could just imagine his late sensei Asuma rolling in his grave.

Troublesome.

...

Naruto was biting her third finger nails before catching herself. She tapped her feet nervously on the ground, but decided the sound was grating to her nerves. She wanted to stand from the couch, but she felt too tired and draining to do so. Not to mention dizzy.

The way she kept getting tired was ridiculous. She wasn't that far along-well, obviously, since her stomach was showing a trace- yet, she already felt like a couch potato. Make a huge couch potato.

She rolled her eyes, kicking her hair irritably over her shoulders.

Come to think of it, she didn't even know how far along she was. She didn't even know when they'd conceived (that word was just weird coming from her). She tapped her fingers absent-mindedly on her thigh as she wondered about... what was she supposed to call her circumstance? Calling it a mistake just felt wrong, and the B- word made this whole situation too real. An embryo? It should be an embryo by now, right? What size was it anyway? Was it breathing yet? Ugh, this couldn't possibly be happening to her; she kept expecting to open her eyes and wake up from all this.

She shook her head, her blond hair falling on her face again. Absently nursing a few strands from her eyes, Natuto frowned thoughtfully. She needed to find out when it happened (was it even okay to call it an 'it' while she had no clue what gender it was?); while it was true she and Shikamaru had sex without a condom a few times, she remembered taking precautions afterwards, though. Unless those after-morning pills were just lies. This was why she never trusted medical stuffs. It was never hundred percent guarantees.

Hm, if she calculated from around the last time they had sex without precautions then she shouldn't be over two weeks along, but one of the pregnancy kit she bought showed she was over four weeks pregnant. She and Shikamaru started sleeping together two months ago.

Wait, shouldn't she calculate this in terms of her last menstruation? When was that?

This was confusing, she thought in frustration, running her hand through her tangled mess of hair. She studied the tips momentarily distracted. It was getting longer than her acceptable length, she noticed. She usually liked to keep it just past her shoulders, but now it was almost reaching the middle of her back. She was just about to consider cutting it when Shikamaru called her name.

Naruto hesitantly looked up, having avoided to look at that side of her apartment while he'd been busy.

It was weird seeing him stand there in front of her stove. Using her utensils, cooking with… Naruto blinked when she noticed the yellow apron he had on. She had to admit the sight was appealing to her eyes. Her stomach flipped, making her swallow before reluctantly standing up.

He was serving food in a bowl. Naruto sniffed and her stomach growled in approval. She could feel her mouth already salivating.

"Come sit down," He said softly, indicating at her little table and chair that she'd had since her genin days (and which she should've really changed for something more her size, but sentiments won't allow her), as he put the bowl on the table.

Naruto silently sat down, her eyes avoiding his. He'd made rice with omelette on top and vegetables in a little bowl on the side. She remembered him saying that eggs and rice was basically the only thing he could make, apparently he could make vegetables too.

Naruto didn't care as long as she could digest it without throwing it back up, and so far the smell alone was tolerable to her stomach. She said a silent thanks for the food before digging in. She took a small bite at first, and when her stomach didn't rebel at the taste, she ate a more generous amount of the rice and cooked eggs. She signed contently, already feeling herself energized by nutrients in the food. She looked at the bowl of cooked vegetables skeptically, before shrugging and mixing it with her food. She had to admit, it was delicious; the food tasted even better knowing Shikamaru had cooked it for her.

Naruto was halfway done with her food when she noticed Shikamaru leaning against the sink and watching her.

"You're not eating?" She asked looking at him with a frown.

Shikamaru shook his head his lips tugging up slightly, "I just made enough for one."

Naruto's frown deepened, she looked down at her half empty bowl. She was still hungry, but it was rude to eat while another person watched. She bit her lip in regret, her hands gripping her bowl and chop stick tightly before sighing in resignation.

"You can-"

"Naruto, eat." Shikamaru said, "don't worry about me, I'm not hungry."

"If you say so," She shrugged after only a second of hesitation, she was too hungry to protest further.

Shikamaru watched in amusement as Naruto inhaled the rice and egg without any break. He briefly wondered whether he should have cooked more in case that wasn't enough for her, but then decided that eating a lot was probably not the best for Naruto's stomach right now.

And speaking of which, "You probably should go to the hospital tomorrow."

Naruto froze swallowing the food in her mouth. "For what? I'm not sick."

Shikamaru looked at the ceiling in exasperation, "Naruto…"

"I don't want anyone to know about this, okay?" She snapped pushing her empty bowl away, grateful that she was done because she no longer felt like eating. "If it was up to me you wouldn't even know about it."

In the shocked silence that followed Naruto refused to meet his gaze.

"What?" Shikamaru's calm tone didn't hide the anger and hurt brewing inside, "You were going to hide the fact that you're pregnant from me?"

Naruto's gaze stubbornly fixated at the wall across from her. "Yes."

Shikamaru took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Naruto was just scared and her judgement was bound to get affected with something as life- changing as pregnancy. She wasn't selfish, surely, she would have told him about the pregnancy when she was ready.

It was the only right thing to do. Right?

But as he looked at Naruto stubbornly refusing to face him, face her problem, he wasn't so sure.

"Were you ever going to tell me at all?" At Naruto's silence, his heart sank in his stomach. "Don't you think it was my right to know?"

Naruto stayed silent for moment before sighing, "I just thought you didn't need to know about it."

Shikamaru walked around the table to face her, fed up with looking at the side of her head. "Why not?"

Naruto's blue eyes met his briefly before skittering away again, she shrugged. "It's none of your business."

Shikamaru couldn't stop the disbelieving laugh that burst out of him. "Excuse me? How is you being pregnant with my baby not any of my business?"

Naruto scowled at him for using the B-word so easily. "It's not a b-b-a person yet and-and what makes you think I'm keeping it?"

Shikamaru gave her an odd look. "Of course you're keeping it."

Naruto sputtered standing up. "You can't tell me what to do with my body, It's my decision!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, crossing his arms impatiently. "I'm not telling you what to do with your body and yes, it is your decision to make. But I know you, and I know you haven't even considered aborting until now."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naruto said glaring, she refused to admit that he was right. Since she found out she was pregnant, all she'd been thinking was how to handle pregnancy on top of everything else she still needed to do with her life. Not once had the thought of adoption ever occurred to her.

He shrugged, "It's just what it is. I know you will keep it. You won't allow yourself to do otherwise, that's just who you are."

Naruto's eyes widened, she studied Shikamaru's face for a moment before letting out a sigh that seemed to take away all her energy. Shikamaru was partly right about her. She couldn't imagine herself deciding on straight up terminating the pregnancy, the thought was just so morbid. But a part of her believed that it was probably because she'd just found out about the pregnancy; she hadn't had time to think about any other options regarding the future.

She walked over to the couch and threw herself on it, wincing when the hard edges hurt her side. Another thing that needed replacing.

"To be honest I have no idea what to do." She admitted softly after awhile, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I just keep thinking that I'm not ready for this and I wish it wasn't happening."

Shikamaru felt relieved that Naruto was now ready to open up and talk about this, instead of just playing the defensive card.

He walked over to the couch, nudging her up so that he could sit next to her since she only had one couch. "But it is happening, so you can't just ignore it and pretend it isn't."

Naruto snorted, "I can't ignore it even if I tried." She glanced at him curiously, "How did you know, though? I didn't think I was giving off any signs already."

It was Shikamaru's turn to snort, "Trust me, you gave off plenty of signs that I'm still beating myself up for not figuring it out sooner." He paused a moment, before admitting softly, "I'm also not ready for this, you know."

Naruto nodded sullenly, "I know."

Shikamaru bumped his knee gently with hers, smiling. "But we'll figure it out. Together."

Naruto looked at him and saw the sincerity in his expression, she nodded gratefully. "Yeah."

At least two people was better than one in this situation. She knew for one, that there was no way she would be able to do this alone, and that was saying a lot coming from her.

She trusted Shikamaru. He might be lazy, but he was also smart and responsible about things. He would be able to help her figure things out but…

She looked down at her hands, biting her lower lip uncertainly, "I wanted to spare you from all of this, you already have enough on your plate with your clan and Temari." Her eyes flicked up to look at him under long pale lashes. "I didn't want to burden you further."

Shikamaru was silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "I won't lie to you, this whole thing has got me on edge. The thought of being a father at this age has me really terrified, I'm as clueless as you are right now. Hell, I'm still figuring out my own shit." He said with a rueful smile, he then took a deep breath, "but I promise you I will help you and be with you every step of the way no matter what decision you take regarding the pregnancy."

Naruto swallowed hard, moved by the sincerity in his words. She didn't know how to feel, too many emotions were running through her this instant. Anger, sadness, relief and a little something she couldn't quite put her finger on, and which only surface when Shikamaru was around-maybe fondness?- a little bit of lust too. For some reason, him sitting next to her dressed in his jounin uniform and talking to her in his calm drawl was turning her on. But that was probably something she shouldn't be thinking about right now.

"I don't want an abortion," She admitted softly.

Shikamaru's face softened, reaching out to brush the hair out of her face. "I didn't think so."

Naruto smiled briefly before frowning, "Things will not be easy. With your clan, with the council and," She hesitated a little, "With Temari."

Shikamaru swallowed, "We'll figure it out." He said more calmly than he felt.

Naruto studied him for a moment, blue eyes dark under the low light. "Okay."

They both felt into a pensive silence, watching each other. At some point, Shikamaru reached over to run his fingers through her hair.

Naruto closed her eyes, her breath catching. Nothing was solved, not by a long shot. There was so much more they needed to discuss, but Naruto was happy to leave things here tonight. A yawn suddenly broke out before she could stop herself.

"You should go rest, I will see you-"

"No, wait." Naruto said touching his thigh and keeping him from standing up to leave. "Stay."

He looked at her in surprise, and she blushed. "I mean, could you stay a little bit longer, just-just until I fall asleep?" Her blush intensified, "But if you can't, it's really fine too." She quickly added, snatching her hand back.

Shikamaru smiled. "Sure, I don't mind staying."

"Okay," Naruto smiled, a little shyly.

They both went into the bedroom in silence. Without talking about it, Shikamaru was the first to climb on the bed and Naruto followed suit, climbing on top of him and immediately laying her head on his chest.

Something felt different between them, Naruto couldn't quite put her finger on it. But lying here on Shikamaru's chest listening to his heartbeat with his arms wrapped around her, she could just feel the slightest of change around them and within herself. She was just not sure whether it was a good change or not.

She lifted her head to look at him, and their eyes met. Her body flushed at the intensity in his dark eyes.

They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Shikamaru lifted his hand to brush strands of hair away from her face, he liked to do that. And Naruto liked that he liked to do that, especially when it was randomly.

The back of his fingers then brushed her cheeks gently. Naruto closed her eyes shuddering a little when one of his fingers touched her lips, lingering there.

"I," Naruto opened her eyes, swallowing because her throat had suddenly gone dry, she tried again. "I want you to know, I don't regret any of what happened between us."

Shikamaru's eyes was inscrutable as he watched her face. His hand slowly ran down her body to her stomach. "Even after this?"

Through her shirt, she could feel the heat of his hand, her whole body responding to it. "Yes," She whispered, "Even after this."

And it was true, no matter how much she wished the pregnancy didn't happened. That things happened differently, she couldn't bring herself to regret it all. Yes, they could have been more careful about all of this, and yes their foolishness was bound to hurt and disappoint many people. But still Naruto couldn't bring herself to be regretful of the time spent between them. Shikamaru had brought a side of her she never knew she had. Around him she could let herself be vulnerable and it didn't annoy him like you'd expect. And together they'd learn things about each other they never knew in all the years they've been friends.

Before they were friends, but now she could easily say they were best friends. What was there to regret?

Shikamaru's face softened considerably as he smiled. "I'm glad." And he really was, because he was starting to think that he screwed up his chance with Naruto. But he knew now was not the time to talk about it, whatever was forming between them was so fragile he needn't ruin it.

So instead he closed his eyes hoping Naruto took the invitation. She didn't disappoint. A moment later he felt soft lips touch his.

He immediately invited her in his mouth, his hand going behind her neck. The kiss grew deeper and hungrier in an instant. Naruto grasped at his hair, he moaned in her mouth because he couldn't help himself. He ran his hand down the length of her body, feeling her shudder on top of him.

He could feel himself growing hard really fast, his body wanting more than their mouths could deliver, but he didn't want to assume. This could end up being nothing more than just a kiss.

He needn't worry though, because the next thing he knew Naruto's hand was traveling down to cup his groin. She rubbed his dick through his pants with purposeful strokes.

Shikamaru gasped, his eyes widening, a groan of pleasure escaped his lips as he squeezed her ass.

Naruto bit softly on his jaw then lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes had darkened in pleasure. "I know this is probably wrong, but will you have sex with me once more?" Naruto asked in a husky voice.

Shikamaru made a sound in his throat that sounded a cross between a whimper and a groan but was actually meant to be a 'yes'. Because Naruto looking down at him with half-lidded eyes and asking him to have sex with her in that sexy tone would make any man forget how to speak.

He would have sex with her as many times as she wanted him to.

Luckily Naruto got the message, or maybe she intended the question to be rhetorical? He didn't care either way.

Naruto sat down next to him on the bed; without breaking eye contact with him she slowly lifted her shirt up and took it off leaving her with shorts. His eyes immediately latched on her erect breast. She tried to look at them through his eyes. They probably looked swollen and little bigger from the last time he'd seen them, another effect from the pregnancy it seemed. She tried not to let it bother her, but she couldn't help the slight anxiety creeping in.

That thought quickly flew out the window when he brought up his mouth to suck on one of her tender nipples. The pain and pleasure was so unexpected, Naruto let out a loud gasp, her nails digging into his shoulder through his flask vest. They both groaned.

Shikamaru nipped, licked and sucked expertly almost driving her to the edge. He slowly trailed kisses to her neck, biting at the sensitive spot there.

Naruto tilted her head back to give him more access. He kissed her lips once before lifting his head and whispering, "You're so beautiful."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you." She wondered if she'd ever thanked him before whenever he said nice things that went straight to her stomach. He made her feel good about herself.

Shikamaru's eyes were dark. "Will it be okay if I fucked you hard?" He asked, voice thick with need.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, she licked her lips nodding eagerly, unashamed if she appeared desperate.

Shikamaru sat up and was about to remove his jounin vest when Naruto's hand stopped him. He looked at her in confusion, praying that she hadn't changed her mind. Of course, he would back off immediately if she had, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be disappointed.

Naruto's cheeks was pink, her expression turning a little shy. But there was a confident gleam in her eyes that made his breath catch. "I want you to leave your clothes on."

Shikamaru's frown deepened. "Why?"

Naruto gave him a sultry smirk. "Because you look nice in them."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, he grinned a moment later, pleased despite himself that Naruto found him 'nice' in something. That meant she found him attractive. He brought down his mouth to kiss her, "Just nice?"

Naruto laughed slightly, amused that he was trying to fish for compliment from her. "Really nice."

Shikamaru growled. He trailed small kisses down to her stomach pausing there, he glanced at Naruto to see her watching him. He placed a lingering kiss on her stomach.

Naruto swallowed, closing her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips.

Shikamaru pushed Naruto gently on the bed so that she was laying down on her back. He spread her legs so that he was kneeling in between them. He couldn't wait any longer, he could feel his desires, pushing painfully against his pants.

One at the time he lifted her leg to remove her shorts and underwear, then put her legs over his shoulders. One of his hand went over his pants, unbuttoning and pulling them down a little, just enough to free his aching dick, his underwear followed suit.

He looked at Naruto for permission, giving her a last chance to back away.

Naruto stared at him under half lidded eyes, biting her lips and squirming under his gaze. She lifted her hand to tucked a few strands of dark hair that have fallen out of his hairband behind his ear, nodding. "Do it."

Shikamaru didn't waste anymore time as he thrust into her. The idea of looking for a condom not even crossing his mind. Even though he'd said he was going to fuck her hard, he still made sure to gently breach her. He didn't want to hurt her, after all.

Naruto gasped loudly, biting her lips hard to keep from moaning. Shikamaru panted on top of her, capturing her lips in a deep sultry kiss. He didn't waste time, already moving inside her.

Shikamaru was good on his word as his relentless thrusts brought her intense painful pleasure.

"Shit, Naruto," Shikamaru groaned pausing to kiss her to which Naruto eagerly reciprocated, her legs clenching around him causing both of them to moan.

Naruto gripped his vest, loving the feel of his chest under them. "Shikamaru!" She cried out, pushing her hips forward with every thrusts trying to match his rhythm.

Her hands went to her breasts fondling them, a moment later Shikamaru's left hand covered hers, she immediately grabbed it and squeezed it. He kissed her inner thigh.

The whole room was a cacophony of sounds and moans.

"Naruto," Shikamaru groaned, thrusting so hard the bed moved with him.

"I-I'm-" Naruto's eyes widened, white spots appearing in the corner of her vision. Her body felt like preparing for flight, she could feel herself going high, high, high then…Shikamaru stopped.

Naruto whimpered, Shikamaru brought down his mouth to give her a nice long kiss as if in apology. She bit his lower lip softly and moaned. He lifted his head to stare at her, propping his hands on both sides of her head to support himself. "Don't look away, don't close your eyes." He ordered, his brown eyes so dark it was almost black.

Naruto almost came right there and then. Shikamaru had never looked more hotter. She quickly nodded, because she would do anything for him as long as he relieve the pressure building in her stomach.

Shikamaru moved inside her, his body thrusting forward slow at first gradually increase the speed. All the while watching the play of emotions on Naruto's face, enjoying the pleasurable sound coming from her sweet pink lips. Her blue eyes telling him what her mouth couldn't.

"Shikamaru," Naruto groaned.

Shikamaru grunted because he could feel it himself. The pressure in his stomach begging for release. He slowed down before thrusting hard one last time.

Naruto tensed, eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream. Her body shuddered, sinking slowly back on the bed. Her legs falling from his shoulder on the bed.

Was it bad of him to think that was one of the most beautiful thing he'd ever witness?

Shikamaru closed his eyes, his body giving up on him as he sank on top of her still inside her, his head in the crook of her neck. They were both panting heavily.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before Shikamaru remembered that he was laying all his weight on top of a pregnant girl.

He lifted himself, giving her a lingering kiss before removing himself from inside her and dropping on the bed next to her. He was too tired to fix his pants.

Naruto immediately turned to look at him, smiling. "That was intense."

Shikamaru's lips lifted lazy smile. "It's always been intense between the two of us."

Naruto stretched her legs pleasantly, feeling much more relaxed then she'd felt in days. "Yeah, but this felt a little different," She frowned for half a second before grinning up at him. "I like it."

Shikamaru nodded, completely agreeing with her. He always lost control when it came to Naruto, and he liked that she let him. Even encouraged him.

They stared at each other smiling like idiots for who knows how long before he leaned over and kissed her.

Naruto sighed in his mouth her hand running through his now loose hair.

They pulled apart and Naruto laid her head on his chest, Shikamaru put his arms around. She fingered his vest for a moment before sighing softly.

"I really like you in your uniform." She said softly.

Shikamaru chuckled, "I knew you couldn't resist my sexiness."

Naruto snorted, hitting him lightly on the chest.

They both felt into silence after that, both going into their own thoughts.

Shikamaru knew that what happened between them was bound to complicate things further between them. Especially with Temari still in the village. But he didn't have it in him to regret anything. This just confirmed more than ever that he had feelings for Naruto. The way she made him feel, was unlike anything and it was not just because of the sex. Her presence her just soothing, she brought out a different side of him.

She was always on his mind more and each day. Her body was as addictive as a drug, her smile stayed in his mind even when they were apart. He'd never felt so drawn to somebody like that. Not even with Temari.

And he couldn't help wanting to explore this feeling more.

But he knew things were not so simple, especially with Naruto being pregnant now. If she wasn't then it would have been different, it would have just been a matter of him proving himself he was good enough for her. With Naruto pregnant he needed to do more than prove himself, he needed to change for himself. Because he was going to be a father.

Holy shit, Shikamaru was going to be a father. Shikamaru swallowed heavily, the revelation slamming into him like a brick.

He hadn't wanted to think too deeply about it when they'd been talking about it with Naruto. He hadn't wanted her to see how scared the whole thing made him. She was already feeling bad enough on her own.

He ran through all the pros and cons of expecting a child so early in their lives.

Cons:

-His clan will have a field day when they find out he was expecting a child out of wedlock (it didn't matter that his clan was more laidback, the law was the law)

-His mother will kill him (shudder)

-Naruto wouldn't be allowed to be Hokage if they knew she was expecting (perfect excuse to keep her home to make powerful babies)

-they were young and inexperienced (he should've probably put that as first on the list but he felt their age was the least of their troubles)

-Temari (in a case that things got worse for her, he didn't think he had it in him to watch her get shipped off to marry some douche-bag, he would need to make some sacrifices)

-And last but not least, they were absolutely not ready for it

Now the pros of expecting a child…Unfortunately Shikamaru couldn't think of anything. Yet.

Shikamaru ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, kissing the top of her head. Her breathing had even out a few minutes ago, unsurprisingly since she'd look really exhausted.

It didn't matter now though, that things have gone the way they had. They will just find a way to adapt.

Wasn't it what life was all about? Adapting to changes and overcoming our trials. Oh man, that sounded like something Naruto would say, Shikamaru frowned.

Careful not to wake Naruto (though he doubted even a gong sound will manage to wake her now). He got off the small bed and undressed himself heading for the bathroom. He quickly stepped into the shower, and turned on the water, luckily this time it was hot. Naruto must have had it fixed.

When he was done and dressed back into his clothes. He quickly cleaned Naruto up with a wet cloth, she didn't even stir the whole time. Shikamaru smiled amusedly because Naruto was like a cute little girl sometimes. Naruto was anything but a little girl though, he thought, as the memory of what occurred between them a few minutes ago resurfaced. His eyes involuntarily ran down the length of her naked body, feeling a renewed longing for her. He shook his head standing up and walking back to the bathroom, feeling a little like a pervert.

After returning the cloth back in the bathroom, he looked at his reflection for a moment, wondering what to do next.

He could either go home or stay the night. Temari was still in the village, tomorrow he'd need to see her before she left for Suna with her brother. He still had no idea what to do regarding him and her. He cared about her and felt great responsibility for everything that was happening to her even though he knew he shouldn't.

On one hand he had Naruto who he was starting to form a deep bond with, and who was carrying a part of him in her. On the other hand there was Temari whom had always been there for him and helped him, and whom a part of him still loved. Now she needed him to be there for her as well.

He let out a deep breath making his decision.

Making sure Naruto was covered and comfortable, he switched off the light and left the room then left the apartment.

…

Blonde lashes slowly fluttered open. Naruto yawned, sitting up feeling somewhat pleasantly sore but well rested nonetheless. She smiled as memories of the night before assaulted her, stretching a little. She realised with surprise that she couldn't feel dirty and sticky like she usually felt after their night….activity. Shikamaru must have cleaned her, Naruto's smile widened, was she that tired that hadn't woken up during the whole ordeal?

Naruto laid on the bed staring at a ceiling for awhile, trying to make sense of all her feelings. Just two days before, she'd made up her mind not to tell Shikamaru about the pregnancy and staying away from him while he patched things up with Temari. But then Shikamaru found out about the pregnancy on his own, and she later invited him in bed with her.

Naruto snorted, she more than 'invited' him. Naruto covered her red face with her pillow as she remembered the feeling of Shikamaru inside her, even now she could still feel him. His muscular body on top of her, his musky scent, his lips everywhere on her body. His eyes…Oh his brown eyes darkened by desire unravelling on top of her.

She suddenly felt hot as a pool of desire appeared in the pit of her stomach.

Naruto groaned into her pillow, what the hell was wrong with her?

"What are you doing?"

Naruto gasped as the pillow was removed from her face. She sat up abruptly covering her still naked body with the sheet.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "I'm pretty sure I've seen everything there is to see about your body," he then smirked, "I've tasted it too."

Naruto's face that was already red darkened further. She huffed crossing her arms over her chest, "I thought you were someone else. I thought you left last night."

Shikamaru stared at her intensely. "Did you want me to leave?"

Naruto avoided his gaze for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'm glad you're here." She said smiling a little shyly.

Shikamaru smiled, pleased. "I'm glad you think so too, because I made you toast bread."

Naruto's eyes widened as shikamaru produced a tray with toasted bread with a glass of orange juice. "Oh, Shikamaru, you shouldn't have." But the moment it was on her lap, she didn't waste anytime biting into a slice.

"Really." Shikamaru said in amusement.

Naruto just grinned with full mouth and all.

Shikamaru chuckled, shaking his head. He watched as Naruto ate in record time before downing the juice.

"Thank you," she said when she was finished. "Damn, I was hungry."

"You don't need to thank me. I told you I was going to take care of you and I meant it." Shikamaru said patting her leg before lifting the tray and leaving.

Naruto quickly stood up and put her pyjamas on, then followed him.

"Just leave them at the sink, I will wash them later," She said when Shikamaru was about to open the tap.

Shikamaru shook his head, "It's not much, I can do them."

Naruto leaned against the door watching him for a moment until she couldn't take it anymore. "What's next?"

Shikamaru stayed silence for a moment before glancing at Naruto thoughtfully. "Next, I think we should find out how far along you are. Though I have my suspicion."

Naruto wasn't surprised that he'd figured out how long she was, this was Shikamaru after all. She just had a little issue about what he said. "I don't want to go to the hospital."

Shikamaru turned to look at her fully, his expression a little exasperated. "Naruto you need to see someone, how will you know how to take care of yourself and the baby if you don't consult a professional?"

Naruto glared, "The hospital has my record, if I go there everyone will know that I'm pregnant."

"You can't hide a pregnancy for long, especially when you start showing." Shikamaru pointed out.

Naruto frowned, not ready to think that far yet. "I will tell them eventually, but now I…I just want to keep this between us. Please." She added after seeing he wanted to protest.

Shikamaru looked at her thoughtfully, he really didn't mind keeping the pregnancy quiet for now, in fact it would benefit them both that way. It meant more preparation on their sides. He was just worried about Naruto, pregnancy required some kind of professional to help through the process and to receive medical updates on the growing womb. Without all that information it would be like going in blind.

How were they supposed to know what to expect during the different stages of pregnancy? There were some things not even books on pregnancy would be able to tell them, especially if problems occurred.

But there was no ways to convince Naruto short of dragging her to the hospital, and to be fair he wasn't ready to encounter Sakura's or the hokage's wrath at the hospital so soon. Shikamaru decided that an alternative needed to be thought of.

He quickly finished washing up then wiped his hands. He could feel Naruto's increasing impatience behind him.

"Well?" She prompted.

"I have an idea, but it needs more thoughts." He walked over to stand in front of her, "I have a distant aunt she's a doctor, she works at a civilian clinic to the north east. She used to be a med-nin but retired once she got married to work as a regular doctor."

Naruto frowned, "She's your aunt, won't she say anything to your clan members?"

Shikamaru shook his head, "She's bound to secrecy because of the doctor and patient privilege. She won't tell anyone, not even the Hokage. Plus, she married out of the clan so we almost never see her."

Naruto nodded, a little relieved. Glad she hadn't turned Shikamaru's offer to help down, he was already doing wonders for her stress levels. She was about to thank him for wanting to do this with her when the urge to vomit assaulted her.

Groaning, she quickly ran to the bathroom and threw herself over the toilet, grateful that Shikamaru had left the toilet sit up. She barely made it too. A second later she felt her hair being pulled up, away from her face.

"'m fine," She said after a minute, waving him away. But then a new wave of nausea came causing her to empty herself once more.

Ugh, this was another level of humiliation.

Shikamaru rubbed circles on her back like his mother used to do (still did on occasions) when he was sick, as Naruto threw up all the food she'd eaten since last night.

Naruto was going to see his aunt as soon as possible, he decided firmly, surely there was medications to help with these vomits.

Several minutes later, when Naruto had finished to empty all the contents from her stomach, she slowly stood up on shaky legs.

Shikamaru smartly didn't try to help her, knowing she would have rejected him. She hated being seen weak like this. He watched quietly as she went to the sink.

Without looking at him, she muttered, "I'd like to take a shower."

Shikamaru nodded, without speaking he left.

Naruto emerged from the shower feeling much better, she found Shikamaru outside the balcony, smoking.

She wrinkled her nose, "Those things will kill ya."

Shikamaru glanced at her, he quickly took a last drag before throwing the bud away.

"I think your neighbour heard us last night," He said in amusement, walking over to where his jounin vest was laying on the floor. "She was out there giving me dirty looks."

Naruto's expression was apologetic. "Sorry, I completely forgot about my walls being too thin."

Shikamaru gave her a lopsided smile, "If you're apologizing about that, then I guess I should apologize for not having forgotten that you walls were too thin." His eyes had a mischievous spark in them.

Naruto smiled, she absolutely love the mischievous side of Shikamaru on the rare occasions he allowed it to surface.

"You're leaving?" She watched him tie his hair with his back to her, still holding her small towel in place. After moment of hesitation, she let the towel drop.

"Yeah, I have something that I need to do, but I will be…" He trailed off as he turned to see Naruto standing there in all her naked glory, her skin still flushed hot from the shower, "…back." He finished swallowing.

Naruto bit her lips, she resisted squirming under his hungry gaze. A spark of excitement shooting through her. "You're leaving?" She repeated with a knowing look.

Let it just be said that Shikamaru was by far not a weak person, he could very well resist any kind of temptation, especially the sexual kind. But Naruto might just be the exception to that, he realised as he closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the waist and smashed their lips together.

Naruto moaned into his mouth, her arms snaking around his neck. They broke apart a moment later, "Well?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Shikamaru smiled, still holding her. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it read nine o'clock. "I think I can stay a little longer."

Naruto grinned stepping out of his embrace. She gracefully walked to the bed, if she had a tail it would have been swaying left and right, Shikamaru thought.

Naruto climbed on the bed and laid on her back. "Then what are you waiting for? You're not the only one that has places to be." The smirk on her face was a little challenging.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, walking forward. He paused, clutching the hem of his vest. "Do you want it on or off?"

Naruto gave him a once over, a little conflicted. Him in that uniform was making her all sort of dizzy. It was turning her on in various ways even though Naruto was sure she'd seen Shikamaru in that jounin attire many times. But she knew with them off she'd be able to feel more of him. Sighing in resignation she waved her hand in indicatuon that he should take them off.

Shikamaru didn't say anything as he promptly discarded all his clothes. Not minding one bit the double work of wearing them again later.

He joined Naruto on the bed his large body covering her petite form. "How about we do it even louder this time?" He whispered kissing her jaw, his hand traveling down her body and resting on her stomach.

Naruto tapped his nose playfully. "Hush, you will give me a bad reputation." She was grinning though, her legs snaking around his hips and pulling him even closer then they already were.

When Shikamaru finally entered though, they both simultaneously covered each other's mouth to keep the sound from escaping.

They both smiled under the each other's hand. Together, they started moving their bodies into a rhythm; succumbing into mind-blowing pleasure.

…

Shikamaru tried not to groan aloud at his current predicament. How the hell they'd gotten here, he had no idea. All he knew was that he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Naruto, did you put down some weight?" Kiba's voice sounded above the chatter, he was looking at the aforementioned blonde with a confused frown.

"Idiot, that is not something you ask a girl!" Sakura glared at him, "especially in public."

Naruto looked up from where she sat, patting Akamaru, somehow they'd managed to sneak him in the restaurant. The enormous dog's head was laying on the sun-kissed blonde haired's lap. "Yeah, Kiba, even I have more tact than that." She said smirking mockingly, but Shikamaru could see a little anxiety in her eyes, but that was probably only because he was looking for it. He didn't blame her though, he himself felt a little nervous.

They both hadn't anticipated they'd find themselves gathered here with their whole entourage of friends.

Somehow all of them had managed to fit into one of the compartment they'd rented in the restaurant. When he said all of them, he meant all of Konoha twelve plus Temari, Gaara and Sai…Oh and of course Kiba's huge furry partner Akamaru. The place was tightly packed and noisy; everyone kept speaking at the same time about various topics.

That wasn't the reason why Shikamaru was nervous tthoug. Well, it wasn't the only reason. The other reason being that, he was sitting next to Temari. Ino being across from the tatami table glaring at him, and Naruto who sat in between Sasuke and Gaara (he didn't know how she made that work, but she somehow did), completely refused to look at him. Not that he wanted her to stare at him or anything, but he felt that her ignoring him was even worse than if she had been staring. Because he could somehow feel her attention on him even though she wasn't looking at him. Or maybe he just wished she give him some attention.

Shikamaru felt a little trapped, and it didn't help that the Uchiha kept sending him knowing smirks. When he wasn't brooding, that is. He must have been brought here against his will. Poor guy was sitting between Sakura and Naruto; both of them kept pulling him into conversations it seemed he'd rather choke on his food than participate in.

"So what do you think of my new idea?" Naruto was saying elbowing Sasuke in the ribs and ignoring the dirty look he gave her. "My new seal creation can completely turn one's body against them by giving them a running stomach."

"I think it's a complete waste of talent." He said flatly, he rolled his eyes. "Instead of making things for your useless pranks, you should be creating asset weapons that would be useful in combats."

"I think a seal that can give a running stomach is quite useful," Sai said nodding knowledgeably, he didn't notice the sneer Sasuke sent his way or chose to ignore it. "It would be really fascinating to see enemies abandon the fight because they need to go relieve themselves."

"Right?" Naruto said, pleased with herself, her smile quickly faded into a pout a second later, "although I haven't manage to make it work on a moving target yet. The person has to stand on the drawn seal for at least five minutes before it works."

"You could always do what you do best, talk to your enemies about their evil ways until your seal is active." Kiba suggested with a smirk.

Naruto narrowed her eyes, pointing her chopsticks at him. "Or I could just use you as target practice to perfect my seal, what do you think?"

Kiba straightened, "the Hokage would never allowed that."

Naruto's lips tilted up, her eyes a little predatory smile. "Who's going to tell her?"

Shikamaru caught his breath as memory of the same look she'd given him last night, he had to fight the arousal it brought on.

Kiba rolled his eyes, "you're broadcasting it to everyone here. Plenty of witness to report you, right guys?"

At the sudden silence, he looked around him to see everyone looking at him with varying looks of pity and skeptism.

"Come on, guys, really?"

"All I know is, if Naruto were to suddenly target you with her pranks you'd be totally deserving of it." Tenten said with a little wicked laugh, clearly having a grudge against him for something he must have done or said. It wouldn't be surprising considering the guy had no filter. "I just wish to witness it when it happens."

"Aw, man, seriously?" He whined, looking around him in betrayal, "all of you feel that way? Even you, Chouji?"

Chouji who sat next to Shikamaru shrugged in apology. "I like Naruto and I respect her skills. I wouldn't want her coming for me next."

Naruto grinned so wide, her eyes almost closing. "Thanks, Chouji! And don't worry I would never prank you."

"I appreciate it."

Kiba threw his hand in the air, "I see how it goes here. Traitors, all of you! At least I have my buddy Akamaru here." He reached over to where Akamaru was enjoying Naruto's administering strokes, but the dog sank further into the blonde's lap.

Kiba's expression might have genuinely been horrified when he said, "Did you just convert my dog against me?"

Everyone at the table that had been following the discussion laughed. Shikamaru only had eyes for the small slender hand running repeatedly through white fur.

Could it be possible to get jealous over a dog?

Everyone returned to their food after that, except for Naruto and Kiba who were still bickering.

The table was littered with various food choices such as: rice, vegetables, steamed shrimp, grilled pork and noodles with miso soup. He was secretly relieved when he'd noticed Naruto choose the rice and vegetables. One, because it was healthy, and two, because it was less luckily to make her sick. Probably.

Shikamaru tried not to think too hard to the fact that he was actually monitoring Naruto's food. So instead, he lifted his cup of sake and downed it in one go. At least one person was smart enough to order an entire bottle.

This all started after he left Naruto's apartment way later than he intended. Making sure he wasn't seen by anyone they both knew, he made his way to where Temari was staying with her brother. Feeling hopeful and less stressed, he'd been determined to face Temari and end things with her for good. After last night's talk with Naruto and what happened afterwards, he'd made up his mind. And he was confident that this was the right decision for everyone. As hard as it was to admit to himself, his feelings for Temari had dimmed in the two months they were separated; somehow his friend with benefits (for lack of a better word to call their relationship) had slowly gained his affection without his knowledge.

The pregnancy just made him more determined in his decision. He didn't want Temari to be caught up in his uncertain future. She deserved so much more than that, especially now.

As he'd walked to the inn, he saw Temari standing outside with Ino, Sakura and Tenten. He'd assumed they were trying to invite her to lunch.

Upon seeing him, Temari had somehow managed to rope him into joining. The only reason he'd agreed had been because Chouji had approached them after seeing them standing and had asked to come with.

They'd been walking around, looking for a restaurant to eat when they met with team eight. The trio had plus Akamaru had just returned from a mission, and were also looking for a place to eat. So they all just went around the village until they found a good Izakaya that suited their tastes.

They decided to rent a compartment instead of choosing a table. Sakura then decided she wanted all the members of her team to be here as well; Tenten, who didn't want to be left out, had left with her to go search for the rest of their team members.

Less than thirty minutes later, they'd managed to get everyone together.

And now Shikamaru was getting a headache.

"There's something different about you," Kiba was insistent, leaning over the table to squint at Naruto, "Is your hair longer?"

Naruto shrugged, her hand running through her loose hair. "Yeah, I guess," she said a little perplexed.

"Do you mind not talking right in front of my face?" Sakura pushed him hard with her hand on his face causing him to fall backward on the floor. "And leave Naruto alone, you dickhead."

Kiba grumbled from the ground.

Shikamaru served himself more sake, and downed that as well. He ignored Chouji's concerned gaze, instead, he let his eyes discreetly wander to where Naruto was sitting, laughing unabashedly at Kiba's plight.

He had to agree she did look different. She seemed less stressed and a little well rested, her long blond hair fell in waves around her heart-shaped face giving her a regal look. She was so beautiful. The post-orgasmic air she still sported only enhanced her beauty more. He would be lying if he said he wasn't pleased that he was the one responsible for her good mood.

He fingered his cup absent-mindedly as his mind took him back to Naruto's apartment. The feel of soft silky hair in his hand, the taste of her smooth tan skin, the sweet scent of honey and cinnamon overpowering his senses as he explored every inch of her. It was strange how different she smelt every time he was with her. But he liked how inconsistent she always seemed to be, her unpredictability was both one of her most infuriating and alluring traits.

"You're too quiet, is everything okay?"

Shikamaru blinked, refocusing his attention around him. He couldn't believe he'd been daydreaming about Naruto with everyone around them, he was further embarrassed when he noticed he had a hard-on.

Shit, he was really losing it. Naruto was making him lose it.

He turned to find Temari looking at him in concern. He cleared his throat slightly. "I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the cup in his hand before lifting her eyes back to his. "You haven't eaten anything."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I'm not hungry."

"So, Temari, when is Kankuro finally going to take a break with his dolls and come visit?" Ino asked suddenly from across the table.

Temari gave him a last searching glance before turning her attention to Ino. "He wanted to come with, but someone had to stay and deal with the paperwork." She said, before taking a bite of her pork cutlet.

Ino smirked, "I bet he was overjoyed at that news."

Temari snorted, "Hardly. I will be surprised if he hadn't tried to kill himself by the time we return."

"I think it's admirable that he's willing to help in your absence," Tenten, who sat next to her commented lightly, she gave a sideways glance at Neji across from her, "I mean it's just nice to know that there are guys that are strong on the battlefield as well as responsible sitting behind a desk."

"Yeah, I agree that it's really hot when a guy is strong and has a brain." Ino said, a wicked gleam in her eyes, "unfortunately we don't get that here in Konoha. We only get the ones with the stick up their asses."

"That would be Sasuke here!" Naruto chirped, throwing her arm around the Raven-colour haired boy next to her.

Sasuke so very carefully, lifted her arm and dropped it on the table with a distasteful look on his face. "I would appreciate it if you didn't touch me, I don't know where your hand has been."

There was a moment of awkwardness around the table, because people still was not unsure of how to act around the Uchiha sometimes. Especially when he was being intentionally rude to everyone's favourite blonde.

Naruto was unaffected though, rolling her eyes and throwing her hands in the air. "See, what I mean? The guy is a hard-ass and not in a good way if you know what I mean."

There was a chorus of awkward laughs, and then everyone moved on to other topics. Unfortunately, it ended up being politics.

"Naruto, when do you think the Hokage should be able to give you the next in line tittle?" That question came from Shino, "I hear the council is giving you a hard time."

The awkward silence this time was laced with exasperation. Apparently, Kiba was not the only one without tact. Any normal person would know that this was a touchy subject for the sun-kissed blond haired.

Gaara glanced at Naruto, his forehead slightly scrunched in a way that told everyone he was frowning. "Why is the council giving you a hard time?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly, but to anyone that knew her it looked forced. "I guess I haven't given them a good reason to consent yet," her smile turned reassuring, "but don't worry though, I'm going to win them over in no time."

"Yes, I believe if it's you, you will surely make it happen," Neji said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Plus, it's the Hokage that makes the ultimate decision, those old geezers hardly have any influence with the state of affairs anymore. We'll support you no matter what," Kiba reassured her, Akamaru lifted his head from Naruto's lap and licked her hand as if in support of his partner's words.

Naruto smiled genially, scratching behind the dog's ear. "Thanks guys."

Kiba grinned, Shikamaru had to do a double-take when he noticed the pink colour on the other's cheek. Interesting.

Naruto then straightened up. "You guys don't need to worry, sooner than you think you will be taking orders from me." She said it with so much confidence that it didn't leave any doubts in anybody's mind about their faith in her.

Shikamaru too straightened from his seat, because wow, this girl was carrying his child. Oh fuck.

For a moment, their eyes connected and Shikamaru could have sworn that his heart stopped. Because in that one glance, she seemed to tell him: We can do this.

…

Later, when they were all done eating and catching up, everyone stood outside the restaurant. They were all wishing the Kazekage and Temari farewell.

Shikamaru had to admit he was really proud of his friends and a little grateful. None of them had acted awkward at all with the sand siblings, especially knowing the reason behind him and Temari's break up. None of them brought up the topic. He knew a part of it was out of consideration for them, but a major part was probably because they were smart enough not to discuss what was becoming a political affair between Konoha and Suna. Especially in front of Suna's ruler.

They probably put two and two together after seeing Gaara. Shikamaru was just grateful he didn't have to deal with that under everyone's scrutiny.

"I wish you could have stayed longer," Naruto was saying to Gaara, her lips frowning a little, "I only ever see you once every ten years."

Temari rolled her eyes next to her brother, "exaggeration much."

Naruto just stuck out her tongue, then grinned, "it's all true!"

Another person that had impressed him today was Naruto. Despite everything that was going on with her, his shits with her included, she hadn't shown any type of odd behaviour around everyone. Her acting skills were really on point, if he hadn't known what was going on with her he'd have believed that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Especially with Temari, not once had she shown any type of hesitation when talking to her. Or any signs that might cause anyone to suspect anything. Another thing to add on the list of things he didn't know about Naruto:

A good actress.

After bidding everyone else goodbye, Shikamaru approached them.

"Is it okay if I could walk you to the inn?" He asked Temari but his eyes was on Gaara. Despite Temari being the older one, Gaara was the Kazekage and a powerful figure, even Temari usually referred to him for decisions.

Gaara inclined his head slightly, his lips quirking at the corner. "Go ahead, I need to go see the Hokage for a few matters before we need to leave." He glanced at Naruto, "Will you walk me?"

Naruto nodded immediately, "Of course, let me just say bye to everyone." She quickly left to do just that.

Shikamaru refused to look after her. One, because there was no ways that Gaara and Temari wouldn't notice, and two he was starting to feel like a pervert around Naruto. His eyes tracking the blue-eyed blonde's every move was starting to feel a little stalkish.

Instead, he nodded goodbye to Gaara, then left with Temari.

"How's your mom?" Temari asked after five minutes of walking in silence.

Shikamaru shrugged slipping a casual hand in his pocket. "She is fine, she's always trying to keep herself busy with things," he glanced at her, "She's always asking me about you, she missed you."

Temari's eyes widened in surprised, "Really?" Her brows furrowed slightly, "She knows about us, right?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, but what happened between us has nothing to do with her. My mom really likes you, you know that right?"

Temari shifted uncomfortably, "I thought she liked me because I was dating you, and now that we're over…" She shrugged carelessly, "I thought it would be invasive if I went to visit her."

"My mom would be so insulted if she heard you say that," he said with a rueful smile, "especially when she kept nagging me to go after you in Suna. Because according to her if a girl breaks up with her boyfriend then he must have been the one that fucked up." He winced, hoping Temari didn't take it as accusing as it sounded to his ears.

Temari was silent for a moment. They were just passing a group of women that stood talking while they kept an eye on their children playing at the park, when she spoke again, "why didn't you?"

He knew what she was asking him, he guessed this conversation couldn't be avoided any longer.

"Could we sit for a bit?" Shikamaru said, tilting his head to one of the benches in the park. "I need to talk to you."

Temari studied his face and he tried not to flinch under her scrutiny. "Will I like what you have to say?"

Temari was a really smart girl. A tactician in her own right. It wouldn't surprise him if she already suspected that something was going on with him, not like he tried very hard to hide it. She must already know where this conversation would be going.

"Probably not." He said with a sigh.

Temari hesitated a little before giving a reluctant nod.

Together they heading over to an empty bench. By the time they sat down, Temari's demeanour had totally changed. Her face was expressionless and her body tense. She wouldn't even look at him.

Shikamaru hesitated at that, he was already starting to regret this whole thing. He just hoped she didn't make a big deal out of this, but he doubted even that prayer would be granted to him.

Temari took a deep breath, "You're about to end things for good, aren't you?"

Shikamaru bit back another sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Temari, I'm sorry."

The sandy-haired girl closed her eyes, her hands clenched on her lap in fists to stop them from shaking. For some reason this felt like no surprise to her, a part of her had noticed that something had shifted in the two months that they've been separated. She opened her eyes to see Shikamaru watching her carefully, she couldn't remember ever seeing him looking as nervous as he looked now.

There was a scream and both shinobi turned to see a group of children playing hide and seek at the playground. They watched them in silence for a moment as Temari focused on breathing calmly. It was not over yet, there was still hope, she told herself.

After she was more calmer, she turned to find Shikamaru looking at her sadly. She looked away again. "If it's time you need, I can give it to you and you don't have to worry about space because I live miles away."

Shikamaru shook his head slightly, letting out a sigh, "I don't want to give you false hope, Temari."

Temari glared at him, "You said you loved me and cared about me. Was that all a lie?"

"Of course not, I did feel all of that. I still do."

Temari let out a bitter laugh, her leg was starting to bounce. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "I just don't understand! If you still have feelings for me then why don't you want to fight for us?" She closed the distance between them, taking his hand in hers. She gripped them tightly, "I know I screwed up, I said I was sorry. I promise you'll never have to worry about the topic of marriage ever again. Please."

Shikamaru's face twisted as if in agony. "Temari…none of this is your fault. It's all me, I fucked up, okay? I thought I could forget about you for awhile and…and…"

Temari stared at him, Shikamaru could see the gears clicking in place. Her face had gone pale and her hand slack in his as realization dawned on her. "W-what did you do?"

Shikamaru looked away for a moment before holding her gaze, because that was the least he could do. "I was having sex with another girl while we were separated."

The shock left her reeling, she was glad she was already sitting, otherwise she would be on the floor right now. The tears that she'd been trying hard to hold back finally broke free. She turned away from him, because he didn't deserved to see her tears. Luckily nobody at the park was paying them any attention. There was a void that was growing inside her. Her hands were shaking, her legs were shaking, her whole body was shaking. She belatedly realized that her tears were flowing like rivers now. She was sobbing. The effort to calm down only seemed to fuel the tears.

A hand on her shoulder made her tense. Hating herself for being so vulnerable in front of him, whom she had put all her trust and love into, she hated him for witnessing what he was doing to her. How much wreckage he was doing to her heart.

Shikamaru's hand fell from her shoulders, she still refused to look his way. She quickly wiped her tears as rationality started creeping in. Her mind started to find justification for his actions. She had broken up with him, he must have been hurt and felt a little betrayed. In his vulnerability he must have needed a way to quit hurting. She too had tried to find a way to stop thinking about him.

Except, she hadn't gone to look for a Shikamaru-replacement to fuck.

"Temari, come on, at least talk to me." Shikamaru pleaded next to her.

Temari clenched her fists tight enough she could feel her nails digging in her skin. It didn't matter if what he did was not technically cheating because they had broken up, the pain she felt was just as real and unbearable as if he'd cheated. They'd been dating for three years! In which, she conceded, they had understandably fought a few times. A long distance relationship was not an easy thing to maintain, especially with their choices of profession. It was hard to try and make it work with their only means communication being mostly through letters. As Shinobi, they were bound by duties for their respective villages so it was understandable that they only got to see each other a few times in a year. But they made it work, because their relationship was filled with love and trust. That was all that was needed. Until now.

There was of course a little part of her that had been worried that he would find someone here in Konoha, and realize how much better and easier it was to be with someone that lived so close. She knew Shikamaru was, despite his lazy character, a physical person, at least sexually. She'd worried that one day, he wouldn't be satisfied with the amount of sex he was getting in their relationship. But that was why communication was always important in a relationship, she'd been silently hoping all these years he'd let her know so that they could discuss about taking the next step. She was willing to ask for a transfer to Konoha just for him. To leave her home, her brothers and the little friends she had to be with him. Because home had been with him, tucked in his arms.

But now she knew that all those fears and doubts were founded, at the first chance he got, the bastard had thrown away the three years of trust, love and understanding they've built.

Now, Temari was no longer sad and hurt. She was pissed. Unfortunately, this public park was no place to express her anger.

She levelled a hard stare at Shikamaru, feeling a spike of pleasure at his flinch. "I assume the reason you're ending things is because you want to stay with her, right?"

"I-I," Shikamaru stammered, his expressions looked so open and regretful. It made her heart clench.

Temari hated the part of her that held her breath hoping he'd say no; that he still wanted to be with her. Surely, they could still make it work. She could somehow get past his betrayal and… just be with him.

"I'm really sorry," Shikamaru said shaking his head, his eyes shifting from her face to the ground.

Temari's jaw clenched as she felt her last hopes vanished as fast as it came. She could feel her fist shaking, wanting to punch that sorry expression off his face. Clearly he hadn't been sorry when he'd been inside whatever floozy had managed to take his attention off his stupid clouds. She was being mean and petty but she didn't care, he certainly didn't care that she'd be hurt. She took a deep breath, standing up.

"I guess we have nothing more to discuss then." She didn't know what she might do if she stayed here any longer, better leave with her dignity intact.

"Are you just going to leave?" Shikamaru said incredulously, he got up and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving, "let's talk about this."

If looks could burn, Shikamaru's body would have been unrecognisably scorched. Temari wrenched her hand out of his grip, crossing her arms to her chest.

She sneered at him. "Talk? What exactly is there more to say? That you're a liar and a cheater?"

Shikamaru frowned slightly, "I didn't cheat on you. We broke up and-"

"And what? Does that make it okay to go and fuck the next hole you see?" She mocked, she saw hurt flash in his eyes before it disappeared in a perfectly blank mask. She didn't care, his pain was nothing compared to what she was feeling right now.

"Temari-"

"Or what?" She continued, feeling incensed now, "You want me to be happy and give you my blessings so you can go on your merry way with your new whore?"

Shikamaru's voice was infuriatingly calm. "Will you please calm down, you're gathering attention."

Temari looked around and saw a few parents were looking their way, a mixture of curiosity and disapproval in their expressions. Probably because she was cursing in a children's park, with children around. She forced herself to calm down, because despite her emotions in turmoil, she was still an exemplary Shinobi of Suna. Fighting with her boyfriend around children and their parents was not the kind of image she wanted to portray to her village's allies.

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his neck. "I don't know what to say, except that I'm sorry, I know I hurt you and-"

"Hurt me?" Temari let out a little bitter laugh, she shook her head sadly, "Shikamaru, you broke me. While I was going through hell with the council you were my only hope, I kept thinking that with you by my side I can take it all. I didn't just lie to you about the council because I wanted to trap you or to get out of the situation, but because I wanted to spend my life with you. Nobody but you." Her voice broke a little at the end, she blinked furiously to keep from tearing up again.

She looked at the frozen form of her now ex-boyfriend who for once looked anything but laidback and bored. "You said you loved me, but that was a lie all along."

Shikamaru shook his head vehemently, "That's not true I did-"

"No you didn't, Shikamaru, because if you did it wouldn't have taken you two months to see me." She shook her head when he opened his mouth, not interested to hear any excuses or explanations. "Do us both a favour, don't come looking for me-oh wait," she gave a brittle laugh full of self-mocking and bitterness, "why would you? You've already moved on, it seems."

With one last bitter-filled gaze, she vanished in a swirl of sand leaving the pineapple-shaped haired shinobi frozen in place.

Shikamaru sank back on the bench, he took out a cigarette mechanically from his pocket, he lit it then started smoking.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, by the time a familiar voice called out his name, the sun was setting behind the Hokage mountain.

"Shikamaru, are you still alive?"

He sighed, glaring at the figure standing in front of him. "Go away, Ino, I would rather not deal with you right now."

Ino huffed, and walked over to sit next to him. "Do you really need to be rude all the time?"

There was a moment of silence, his voice exhausted even to his ears when he asked her, "what do you want, Ino?" They haven't spoken since that day at the Akimichi's compound. He admitted he might have been avoiding her a little. What she'd said that day about his father had struck a deep chord, since then he'd been wary to see her alone especially this soon. There was only so much guilt he was willing to harbour.

He turned to look at her, and whatever she saw in his face made the edges on her face softened.

She sighed, looking away. "I was walking by when I saw you, I wanted to see if you were okay."

Shikamaru snorted disbelievingly, throwing the end bud of his cigarette before taking another stick from his pocket. "You came to pry, is what you came to do."

In the corner his eyes he saw her hands clench into fists on her lap. "Stop it." She said her voice trembling.

Shikamaru paused, having heard more than just anger in her voice. He met her glaring gaze with mild confusion and a little irritation. Whatever drama Ino was bringing him, he wasn't in the mood for it.

"Stop what?"

Ino lifted her chin, he noticed her lips trembling a little. "Stop pushing me away."

Shikamaru scowled, "what are you talking about? I'm not pushing you away."

"Yes you are!" She cried a little too loudly, "every time I approach you, you keep brushing me aside like we didn't spend years building our friendship. You keep hiding things from me, from everyone. I want to help you but you want let me in."

Shikamaru looked at her flatly, "if I remember correctly the last time I opened up to you, I became a subject of rumours. I still am."

Ino sighed, her body slumping forward. Her next action threw him by surprise. Literally, because he had to give up on his cigarette and grip the bench to keep from falling when she threw herself at him. It took him a moment to realize she was hugging him.

"Ino?" His voice a little hesitant, he asked, "are you okay."

"Shut up, idiot," she mumbled in his shoulder, "just put your arms around me. Please." She added when he didn't move.

Bewildered, he hesitantly obeyed her wondering what in the hell she'd been drinking or eating. He regretted leaving Naruto's apartment that morning, his day had been anything but simple ever since. Troublesome.

"Now just lean on me." Ino's voice reverberated against him.

"Wha-?" he tried to pull away but Ino gripped him harder.

"Just trust me, okay?" She said softly. "I promise it will be okay."

Shikamaru was still wearing his jounin uniform from yesterday, so it was uncomfortable between them, but he still tried to follow Ino's instructions.

Gradually, despite himself, he could feel his body relax into the embrace. As if possible, Ino's grip around seemed to tighten further. He didn't know what was going on with her, but this sort of felt…nice. He hadn't realized until now how much he'd missed her. He breathed in her gentle lavender scent.

"I missed you," she said as if reading his mind.

Shikamaru smiled slightly, because he was sure Ino was unknowingly sensing his thoughts. She tended to do that when she was feeling emotional and the subject of her turmoil was directly in contact with her. She'd come a really long way with her powers. Easily surpassing what her father could do.

They hugged for a few more minutes before pulling away. Shikamaru glanced at his abandoned cigarette on the floor, trying to decide if it was still salvageable. With a forlorn sigh, he stepped on the still burning bud before looking up to meet his female best friend's embarrassed face.

Ino gave him a hesitant smile before her expression turned serious. "I'm worried about you. I'm always worried about you. I know I tend to get carried away sometimes with no thoughts to the consequences, but I really care about you." She was quiet for a few seconds. Shikamaru waited her out knowing she wasn't done, and she obviously needed to get something off her chest.

"I know these few weeks has been rocky between us, and I own up to the fact that it was partly my fault. But, Shikamaru, you're so stupid sometimes it's infuriating." She said with frustration evident in her expression.

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose, truly not expecting that.

Ino snorted. "Don't act surprised after the way you've been acting lately," she shook her head when he tried to protest, "just because your IQ is high doesn't mean you're not stupid. You go around doing things on your own, taking burdens for yourself to carry. Have you forgotten what friends are for, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru felt a slight shock, his eyes dropping to the space on the bench between them for a second, when he looked up again he felt more tired than he'd ever felt in his life.

"Sometimes I forget that I can rely on you guys." He admitted softly, with a sigh he turn his body straight forward and lifted his head to stare at the sky. "You get so used to looking out for others, finding ways and tactics to shield them from dangers, you try so hard to be the pillar they need, but you forget you're only human. The thought of failing just fill you with so much terror, the thought of disappointing those that follows you keeps you up all night. You forget that people have different strength, that most often what you lack is compensated by someone else's fort."

He could feel Ino's heavy stare on him, he tensed when she took his hand in hers, squeezing it.

"What are you so afraid of?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "failing mostly, disappointing others and…not living up to anyone's expectations."

There was a moment of silence before the sound of quiet laughter filled it.

Shikamaru looked at her disbelievingly, "I'm pouring my heart out to you and your laughing?"

Ino's shoulders shook further as she tried and failed to stop her amusement. "Sorry…it's just," she shook her head, brushing her bangs to the side to reveal the mirth still in her eyes, "it's just a little relieving to know that you are not as unflappable and unbothered as you always seemed to be. It's good to know your laid-back personality hides some insecurities as well."

"They are not just insecurities, ya know," but he was smiling despite himself.

Ino studied him for a moment, her expression suddenly serious. "You do know that nobody expects you to be perfect at everything, right?" Her lips quirked slightly, nudging his ribs playfully, "despite what your ego may tell you, we do expect you to fail more often than you may realise."

Shikamaru chuckled, looking up at the now dark sky. Clouds were approaching from the East indicating that rain was coming.

"So," Ino said after a few seconds of silence, Shikamaru's guard went back up knowing what was coming next, ""ya know", huh?"

Shikamaru bit his lips, realising he might have picked up on Naruto's verbal tick unintentionally, just when he thought she couldn't get under his skin any further.

"Are you guys…serious?"

He wanted to tell her it wasn't any of her business and to drop it, but they were finally making progress between them. Shutting down on her now would not be beneficial for either of them, plus, he wanted to tell someone. Sometimes, he and Naruto felt more like a dream than reality.

"We're just having sex," he finally muttered, albeit reluctantly.

There was a pause as if she expected him to say more, when he looked at her with a deceptively blank expression, she rolled her eyes. "But you want it to be more?"

Shikamaru frowned before shrugging a little, craving for another cigarette. "I…don't really know what I want."

Ino hummed softly, before snorting. "I don't think you believe that." At his raised brow, she shrugged, "the way you were blatantly eye-fucking her today, I'm pretty sure you know what you want."

Shikamaru could feel a flush of embarrassment crawl up his cheeks, he was thankful for the fact that it wouldn't be obvious under the lamppost light a few feet from the bench. "I wasn't eye-fucking her, she just…fascinates me." He said, thinking of Naruto's mannerisms, the way she threw her head carelessly back when she laughed. The way she bite her lips when she seemed uncertain of herself. The way her eyes sparkled every time she was passionate about something, or even when she was being mischievous. Not to mention the strength and confidence she exudes without trying.

"Uh."

Shikamaru blinked to find Ino gawking at him. He sat a little straighter, "what?"

Ino shook her head, she gave him a wry smile. "Everything sort of make sense now." Her brows furrowed slightly, "does Temari know about you?"

He studied her, wondering what she meant by 'everything sort of make sense'. He shook his head. "Not really, but I decided to indefinitely end things between us."

Ino gave him a sad smile before nodding in understanding, which surprised him a little to be honest. She caught his expression and huffed.

"Even I know when a ship has sailed."

Shikamaru nodded slowly, looking back at the sky as if all the answers laid on those darkening clouds. "She said I never loved her, she must be wrong, right? Because how does someone stay in a relationship for years and not love?" He reached out in his pocket to take out his packet of cigarettes, but a small hand on his stopped him. He met Ino's sympathetic gaze.

"I think sometimes we get so comfortable in our roles that we start believing in them." Her voice so soft it might as well have been a part of the wind now blowing.

He nodded slowly, because her words sort of made sense. Especially in his situation. How many times had he settled in roles that was given to him until he'd started believing that it was what he wanted? In this situation with Temari, he'd just wanted to see if there was potential between them.

It was an instant click. they had so much in common, he enjoyed her company and the confidently calm presence always surrounding her. The attraction was there as well, so he'd decided to give a relationship with her a shot. As time went on, he'd grown really attach to her and breaking up with her had never been an option. Despite the niggling doubts between them, the arguments and the stress courtesy of dating long distance. He'd wanted to make it last as long as possible with her, except when ideas of committing indefinitely came; then he wanted to avoid her as long as possible. Thinking back, maybe he just wanted to make the relationship last because everyone expected them to last. As he mentioned before, he was afraid of not living to anyone's expectations.

Everything sort of made sense now.

He glance at Ino whose face was partly shadowed, she gave him a little quirk of a smile. Ino who must have figured him out way before she'd even approached him. How had he forgotten how smart she could be sometimes?

He smiled back, feeling a little more lighter.

"Well," Ino said standing up, "if we're done with all the blue moods than I suggest we get the hell out of here before I freeze all my balls off." She gave an exaggerated shudder as she turn to leave the park.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, standing up and following behind her. "You don't have balls, Ino."

"My tits then," She threw back. "Just hurry your lazy ass, I would rather be in my beautiful apartment when this rain starts."

Shikamaru sighed exasperatedly, but he was smiling. For the first time in a long time, he felt a little more in control. Things would definitely get better from here on out.

….