Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ New Bloodlines ❯ Life sucks, but what else is new? ( Chapter 2 )

Authors notes: SPOILERS Ahead Cap'n! Steer to port! Steer to port! Just a little timeline info to clear some things up. The Gaara/Akastsuki incident has happened, but Sasori never told Sakura about the meeting at the bridge, so Team 7 never left after that. Kakashi is mostly recovered, and Sai will soon be declared the Sasuke replacement, but not yet. But as you can see, I'm having Fun with the time line from this point on. As in, I get to call the shots now and I'm not even going to glance at the manga for reference from now on, save in the interest of keeping folk in character as much as possible. But just to warn you now, Shika is going to become increasingly OOC, but the reasons will be made clear before- or after-hand; I'm not just going to make a Shika shaped original character without reason.

~*~*~

Why am I not really surprised to find them all still here? Tsunade mused as she viewed the crowd of young shinobi in the hospital lobby. Ten young faces turned in her direction as she entered and ten sets of eyes begged and/or demanded information on the status of their missing comrade. Often this group was called the Rookie Nine plus Team Gai, but Tsunade often thought of them as the Proud Eleven. The twelfth, obviously, was missing.

 

But that didn't really matter; the Eleven were more than enough to bet the future on, and so far her usual betting luck hadn't come into play with this one. Each of the Eleven were proud, strong shinobi, each striving to better his or herself in his or her own way. But the thing that really made her proud of them was the unique characteristic that they were displaying right now. Their unity and care for one another.

 

Naruto, typically, led the charge, followed immediately by Chouji and Ino. Tsunade held up a hand to forestall the inevitably barrage of questions before the Eleven had the chance to start.

 

“He's fine; he's going to be just fine. He's sleeping right now so you can't see him. If all goes well he'll be released tomorrow or the next day. I don't see any reason why all shouldn't go well and if he somehow isn't released tomorrow you may of course go visit him.” She took a breath, “Any other questions?”

 

Neji raised his hand and cleared his throat softly, “Yes, what precisely happened to him?”

 

“Good question; here's the answer: Konoha has a new Katoku-jutsu user.” She said, and grinned slightly at the barrage of `whaaaat's' and `you're kidding's' and `how the heck's'. It was actually rather amusing, to say the least. “Shikamaru was somehow able to force an Ascension and now the Nara's are the newest Bloodline.” She didn't miss Kiba's expression of rueful jealousy, but she also didn't miss the way he firmly struggled with himself to keep it under control. “So what that means is, Chouji-kun, Ino-chan, is that you're going to be minus a teammate until Shikamaru gets a handle on his new abilities.”

 

“What cool new abilities does he have?” Naruto asked excitedly, clearly happy that his friend had gotten a power up. She smiled at him.

 

“I have no clue, except that he used one of them earlier when he forced his Ascension.” Tsunade was slightly surprised when the spontaneous blonde suddenly pouted; although she wasn't as surprised by the unease of the others who had been there.

 

“That Sound bastard knocked me unconscious, I didn't see it.” He sulked falsely. Kiba, Shino, Hinata and TenTen looked confused and curious, they hadn't seen it either. Team 8 had been out on a mission and TenTen had been in another part of the battle.

 

“You- you didn't really miss much…” Ino trailed off.

 

“Shikamaru admitted that he wasn't too happy with what happened either, and given the stress of that moment, I'd like to file that one down as battle-induced, temporary insanity.” The Hokage told her.

 

Relief spread throughout the group, well-trained shinobi all knew about battle madness and knew that at times even the sweetest tempered could commit the unthinkable. Shikamaru's ruthless slaughter of the Sound Three would now be filed away as something their true friend hadn't really done. Someone else who merely looked like the Shadow User had done it instead.

 

“Are you all done interrogating me now? Well?” No one said anything; they just stared, “Alright then, shoo! Be gone! You're taking up space and scaring the other visitors!” The group started to scatter. This time, everyone looked amused, rather than alarmed. They learn fast. “Oh, Neji, could you stay for a moment? I need to talk to you.”

 

The young Hyuuga prodigy paused and nodded graciously.

 

“And Naruto, I need to talk to you later,” She said, narrowing her eyes at the boy, “Much later.” The blonde grinned foxishly at her then ran off, chatting amiably at Sakura and Kiba. The Hokage watched him for a moment fondly before turning her attention to the young Jounin before her. Fortunately, he had also been watching Naruto with a kind expression on his face, so he didn't begrudge her the wasted time.

 

“What is it you wished to speak to me about?” Neji asked.

 

“Come to my office first.” She replied, “While this isn't a top secret matter, I wish to keep it as quiet as possible.” He nodded and followed her to her office in the hospital silently. She analyzed him the entire time.

 

While outwardly completely calm and at peace, inside he was still seething with emotion. There was very little negative emotion present in his eyes however. The surface-most emotions were curiosity, and a little worry. Underneath, she thought she read ambition and two other things that were too deeply buried to see properly. If I had his eyes, I might be able to read these things, but I think I can guess as to one at least.

 

Resentment. While Neji no longer resented his younger cousin, Hinata, since she was so clearly guiltless, but the rest of the Main House was not so guiltless. And Neji honestly resented them. Kakashi had reported his speculations as to why Danzou had wanted Neji to be the observer, and she agreed with his assessment. It wasn't fair that Neji be held back by a pack of insecure idiots, but the Hyuuga prodigy was still the best choice to observe Shikamaru, for many reasons.

 

Yes, he was familiar with the young genius so he was more likely to spot abnormal behavior in Shikamaru. But more than that, Neji was a friend of the other boy, and so was more likely to forgive temporary frustration- and hurt-based behavior, whereas an older Jounin would declare the Ascended youth insane. And furthermore, I can easily predict that Shikamaru is going to need his friends by him sooner rather than later. Having Neji stay here to watch him is the perfect excuse to keep a friend near him.

 

She opened her office and gestured for Neji to precede her before she closed the door and made her way to her desk. The Hyuuga boy waited until she had sat down before he did so himself.

 

“So what is it you wish to discuss in private?” He repeated.

 

“It's about Shikamaru,” She said, leaping straight in, “But first, what rumors about him can you report to me?”

 

The young Jounin grimaced slightly, “There are several rumors floating around, and few of them are complimentary.” He said, “People are afraid, and I can't for the life of me understand why.”

 

“Oh, can't you?”

 

“…” he sighed, “No you're right, they are afraid of his potential power, they are afraid that he might go insane, wielding his new, unpredictable powers. And they are simply afraid of the fact that he's different now.”

 

She nodded, “This is why I'm assigning you to watch him, because much of the council is afraid of him as well.” Neji sat up straighter, his face carefully blank. “The council is concerned over the fact that we simply don't know much about Ascended Bloodlines, and we don't know what it is that causes them to go insane with such distressing regularity. So they urged that a Jounin observe his behavior, and it was recommended that you, a Hyuuga, be the one to observe him, what with your perceptiveness and all.

 

“I agree with having you observe him, but for different reasons. Of his friends, you are the only one who is a Jounin, and as a friend, you are more likely to spot aberrant behavior and will be able to judge if it is simple disorientation over all that's happened or a sign of something worse.”

 

Neji nodded, “I have come to know him well since that one mission…” he admitted.

 

“And I know that you want field experience for ANBU, which is why I'm upping this assignment a little.” She grinned as her Jounin eyed her warily, “Right now, no one has a single clue as to what Shikamaru is currently capable of. Your additional assignment is to help him figure out his new abilities and train them to their full extent.” So far, not ANBU worthy field experience. “This falls under the category of experimental Jutsu, and is potentially dangerous.”

 

Okay, now ANBU worthy. There was a crater the girth of the Academy just east of the city where a lightly tweaked Katon no jutsu had had more dramatic effects than had been previously expected. Kage no jutsus were more likely to be less… dramatic, but from what Neji had seen of them, they were no less deadly.

 

This assignment was shaping up to be a very tricky and stressful assignment: observe (and the unspoken; restrain if needed) Shikamaru's mental state, help train the potentially unstable Chuunin, help said Chuunin experiment with potentially highly dangerous unknown jutsus and somehow keep the fact that the first part was occurring at the same time a secret for as long as necessary.

 

Tsunade smiled lightly as she watched Neji's mental gears whirl; put into this new light, the Shikamaru Observation mission was at least B-level, but more like A-level in potential lethalness. And now she was going to up the stakes just a touch more.

 

“To add yet another layer, I'm going to include another person that needs watching over.” She said sweetly, earning a light glare. Compared to what Naruto and the long missing Sasuke were capable of, this glare was nothing. “Naruto is going to be kept to Konoha grounds for a while, and I know that he is not going to be happy about it. Do try and keep him from retaliating, would you?” Now the mission was A-level. Trying to keep Naruto of all people out of mischief…

 

But it could be done, especially if Neji was clever about it. Tsunade could think of a number of ways that the Hyuuga prodigy could help Shikamaru and keep the blonde out of mischief at the same time. And if she could, the young Jounin, who knew both better than she did, definitely could.

 

“I accept the mission,” he said graciously, “but I expect for you to spin this in my favor for ANBU.”

 

“Gleefully,” The Hokage said calmly, “the branch of the council that's in Hyuuga's pocket expected this mission to thwart your goal of becoming ANBU. Using their own ploy against them is one of the few politicaling joys I get.” The youth nodded, then stood and bowed his way out at her dismissal. She had thought that the kid's mental gears had been working over-time before; that had been nothing compared to what was going on behind his eyes now. But then again, she'd given him plenty to think about.

~*~*~

Many, many miles away, only a few hours after the Godaime's interview with Hyuuga Neji, a silver-haired, bespectacled figure received a report from his operatives in Konoha. He scanned them briefly and with mild interest. At some parts, that interest became sardonic amusement. Orochimaru-sama will enjoy this; Kabuto mused. He glanced at the sun briefly to judge the hour. His master would be in the petitioning chamber at this time, good.

 

Orochimaru didn't exactly hear petitions, per say, but he did hear news and requests regularly. The Snake Sennin was old and wise, and he knew that a Hidden City didn't run itself, it had to be run. And if he was to keep direct control over all aspects, he had to hear what was needed, what had gone wrong, or right, what needed changing, etc.

 

But it was also a good time to hear what was happening with his enemies, and new potential prey. Kabuto came to the door of the chamber where Orochimaru would listen to one petitioner at a time and moved confidently to the head of the line. Some people glared, others grumbled, but most just accepted his position without comment. There were distinct benefits to being one of the Master's favorites after all.

 

The current individual inside finished explaining the difficulty he was having over the lack of fresh greens, received his response and left quickly, walking backwards while bowing his way out. Wise, very wise, Kabuto decided as he entered and knelt carefully a set distance from where his Master was enthroned. Beside him, as always, was Sasuke, kneeling on a raised cushion beside Orochimaru's throne.

 

“Well?” Orochimaru drawled calmly. From this, Kabuto understood that his Master was in a good mood. Good for me, hopefully I'll improve his mood further.

 

“I've received reports of interesting happenings in Konoha, Orochimaru-sama.” Kabuto said, “The Nara boy has survived the Ascension process and is currently recovering comfortably. What skills and abilities he may have are still unknown, but I'll receive that report as soon as anything substantial is learned.”

 

“Interesting,” The Snake crooned, idly stroking Sasuke's hair in the same way one would a cat's fur. An appropriate comparison, for the Uchiha brat is certainly Orochimaru-sama's pet. “Do you have more news?”

 

“Indeed,” Kabuto answered, “apparently the bulk of the council, lead by Danzou's faction, is most- displeased with the Ascension. According to my sources, someone even demanded that the Nara boy's chakra be sealed, least he do something regrettably. The Yondaime's lackey, Arashi, led the counter to that, so instead of anything dramatic being done, Nara is merely going to be put under Jounin observation.”

 

“By his sensei. Asuma, wasn't it?”

 

“Asuma is his sensei, yes, but the observer is going to be Hyuuga Neji. And according to my sources, both Nara and Hyuuga are going to be kept within the city until Nara has control over his new powers.”

 

The Snake Sennin grimaced and dug his fingers into Sasuke's hair while he mused over the information, the action causing the youth to wince slightly. Kabuto noted that Sasuke had dropped his eyes, hiding them. Also wise, the medic nin bore no fond feelings for the Uchiha and would eagerly report anything that could be viewed as disobedience. Angry, resentful eyes were viewed as disobedience.

 

Ungrateful brat, he has no notion of the kind of gift he's been given. He's been given the opportunity to be one with the genius that is Orochimaru, and he rebelled against that. He gets to be a part of our Lord's quest to gain all jutsu, something I would do anything for. All I may do is lend assistance, a thing any might do. I will be forgotten in a few short generations, but not Sasuke.

 

Was Kabuto resentful? Oh, a tad.

 

“Patience…” Orochimaru thought aloud, “I'll simply have to be patient. Hyuuga is too useful to be kept penned for long, and Nara will probably become the same. Sasuke-“ the Snake Sennin turned to his pet, “What do you know of Hyuuga and Nara? Can they be converted as you were?”

 

Sasuke turned his wince into a blink and looked up obediently, clearly thinking hard. “I'm- not certain.” He admitted finally, “I know very little about either. Hyuuga Neji wasn't in my class, so I didn't notice him much until the Chuunin exam, and Nara Shikamaru wasn't important, always sleeping whenever he got the chance.”

 

He half-lidded his eyes in thought, “The rest that I know of either is what I over-heard during the Chuunin exam. I had heard that Shikamaru was particularly clever during his tests; and that Neji had been exceedingly brutal in his fight against Hyuuga Hinata.”

 

He glanced appealingly up at the Snake. “Hyuuga Neji might be the best bet if you wish to convert either, his resentment against the Main House is strong, from what I heard and from judging his fight. But with Shikamaru, I don't know. It would depend on his loyalty. I've never heard him declare loyalty to anything, you might be able to sway him, but I honestly don't know.”

 

“Well enough,” the Sennin said, turning his attention back to Kabuto, “What more news do you have?”

 

“One other thing that may or may not concern your acquiring of Hyuuga and Nara. It has been said that Uzumaki Naruto will be sequestered to Konoha city-limits for a period of time. Probably until the Godaime can come up with a good reason to send him back out.” Kabuto shifted his glasses. “By all reports, both Hyuuga and Nara view the Kyuubi brat as a good friend, and if the three of them are bound to Konoha for a long time, that bond will undoubtedly deepen.”

 

“How… irritating!” Orochimaru growled, clenching his fist in Sasuke's hair, causing the youth to stifle a yelp of startled pain. Kabuto hid his smirk with an effort. “No help for it, stronger actions must be taken. Have your operatives try and convince people to have the two sent out as soon as possible. The less time they spend in that wretched boy's presence, the better. He has the disturbing ability to corrupt perfectly good tools with distressing regularity.”

 

The Sennin relaxed himself with an effort and cupped the back of Sasuke's head in as near an apology as any would get. Kabuto snarled to himself, why was the boy worthy of such gestures when he, Orochimaru's right hand and most loyal follower, was not?

 

“I'll send the message as soon as I leave.” Kabuto said instead.

 

“Good,” The Snake rose gracefully, forcing the medic to hide his hungry gaze, “I've had enough of this farce for today.” He sighed, gliding towards the door, “Sasuke, attend me.” The youth rushed to stand just behind and to the left of his Master's side, moving with far less grace to Kabuto's biased eyes, although the observers outside the chamber would have said that Sasuke was the more graceful and elegant.

 

But the illusion of elegance was completely ruined by the sudden fear and despair in the boy's half-mad eyes. Everyone knew that Orochimaru's tastes ran to just-nubile boys; and Sasuke was a favorite of the Snake's… Just one more thing for me to be jealous about. Laying with Orochimaru-sama can't be nearly as bad as that idiot makes it out to be.

~*~*~

The hospital doors opened and Shikamaru staggered out, then went over to lean against the wall for a bit. He'd finally been released after over 24 hours of further observation and Tsunade judged that he was fit to be released. When she had declared that, she had also informed the young Shadow User that he was going to be on recovery leave for a week. Then she expected his to work his butt off to figure out his new abilities. While she had been say the last, she'd been glaring. She knew his reputation as the laziest shinobi in Konoha, and she was determined that he didn't live up to that reputation right now.

 

Huh, like I'm actually going to work just because she wants me to. Right, me thinks she doesn't know me as well as she thinks she does. The thought of actually working and training left him feeling less than thrilled, especially right now. Tsunade had also been so kind as to explain some of the changes that had occurred inside him. The most notable and obvious were his chakra channels. They were now 100% larger than they had been.

 

Oh, the implications. There were a number of things that having larger chakra channels meant. One of the more immediate effects that Shikamaru was noticing now is that it took more chakra for him to feel recovered. The amount of chakra that his body had right now would have had him at 80% recovered if his channels had remained the same size. Currently, that meant he was only 40% recovered and that's how he felt. He had to have twice the amount of chakra flowing inside him to feel up to snuff.

 

It's as if my blood vessels suddenly doubled in size but I still had the same amount of blood. I feel anemic, dizzy and weak, but I'm not, technically. But that was just now, while his body was still reeling from the Ascension. Once he recouped more, his body would generate more chakra more quickly and would have a much larger area to store it. The body could only hold so much power, even though chakra was generated constantly. Excess spilled out of the body in the same way heat spilled from fire. Having larger chakra channels let Shikamaru hold onto more of that `heat'.

 

But the channels weren't the only thing that had changed. There were also minute little alterations in his brain; not his mind, but his brain. The Shadow User hadn't been too keen on that when he'd been told, surprise, surprise, but there was nothing he could do about it. He simple took as much comfort as he could in what Tsunade had said, that none of the alterations were in the parts of his brain that seriously affected personality. Most of the alterations, in fact, were in the parts of his brain that affected his chakra control and his physical body.

 

In a word, everything inside him was a little different, and he felt it. Everything felt just a little off, and his Empathy did not help in the slightest. Feeling other peoples emotions just seemed wrong to him, like an invasion. It was one thing to gauge a person's emotional state from physical cues and facial expression, anyone could do that, with enough training and perception. But it was another to feel things no one else could in a way that no one else could control.

 

Looks like I'll be training after all, Shikamaru thought, scrubbing at his face with his hands, I want to get a handle on this Empathy thing and figure out the ethics of it. He grimaced, ethics, gah! What a subject to be thinking about in my first full week off since I graduated from the Academy! But, I've got no choice. People are shoving their feelings up my nose, so I know that people are uneasy around me now. If I can tell them even a little bit about my thoughts on my new powers, they relax a little, `cause it'll be clear that I've thought on it.

 

He sighed suddenly and leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the clouds. It hadn't just been the hospital staff that had been uneasy, it had been his friends, teammates and even his father that had felt… anxious, apprehensive. Even a little scared.

 

Asuma had brought Ino and Chouji in to inform the final team member that they had to go on a mission and leave him behind. Chouji and Ino had been plainly unhappy that they had to leave Shikamaru behind. But, there had been an edge to the discussion… like they had been confronted with something that they both had thought they knew… but they weren't so sure anymore.

 

Asuma, being more experienced and worldly-wise, hadn't had as much of that edge to his emotions. It was there, but stifled. He feels an instinctive dis-ease to the unknown, and right now I'm an unknown quality. But, he knows me, he knows what I'm like. He's like a second father to me, and I know that the bond is reciprocated. Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment in deep thought, in fact, I think that next to Gai and Lee, Asuma and I have the closest Sensei-student bond. Huh.

 

And because of that bond, Asuma trusted his student not to lose himself in what had happened. That was the other, much stronger emotion that Shikamaru had felt from his sensei, trust. But there was also a great deal of calculation whenever the older man looked at his other two students. Shikamaru hadn't needed to use his new Empathy to read why, just an exchange of glances and a half shrug sufficed.

 

Ino and Chouji had come to rely on the third member of Ino-Shika-Chou a little too heavily. Whenever an incident occurred, Shikamaru would come up with a plan, pass it to Ino, then let her become the driving force while Chouji supplied the muscle. That's how it always worked. But the times that Shikamaru had been sent on a separate mission after he'd been promoted had left Chouji and Ino in a lurch. The three-man body was suddenly without its brain.

 

Shikamaru's projected long absence from the team would force his teammates to think for themselves, something that they needed. Another exchanged glance had informed the Shadow User that his sensei expected him to work on his muscle and drive at the same time. Great, another call to train. What is with people and this hassle to train. I don't wanna! The childish thought brought a faint smile to Shikamaru's lips as he returned his gaze to the clouds, but the next thought killed it slightly.

 

Team 10 wasn't the only one leaving. Team 8 was already gone. Hinata, with a silent shadow of Shino, had come halfway into his room to apologize for the fact that she and her team were leaving on another mission and wouldn't be there to witness his recovery.

 

Shikamaru had taken great care to reassure Hinata that he knew that he had her good wishes. He'd always been fond of the quiet girl, it was hard not to like her in fact. She was the only female in his acquaintance that didn't drive him up the wall. Not that he wanted to date her or anything, he wasn't about to challenge either Kiba or Shino for that right, even if he had been interested.

 

So, my team and Team 8 are gone, Team Gai's off somewhere too, Lee proclaimed that loudly enough, the Shadow User thought, rubbing his still faintly ringing ear. His father had a mission too, and that visit had… hurt. A lot.

 

(Shikoto) had come in, radiating anxiety and fear, amongst a cocktail of other emotions. The man that had once been the son's hero had grown more and more distant after that one botched mission. (Shikoto) had tried to be there, but missions had always gotten in the way. The distance between father and son hurt, and Shikamaru didn't know what to do about it. Especially now, when Asuma trusted the young shinobi more than the real father did.

 

Arg, enough delaying, I have to go home, he gulped as he pushed way from the wall and faltered a few steps forward, home, to face Mom. By myself, with no Dad to act interference. Not something that Shikamaru looked forward too, he'd always been intimidated by his redoubtable mother.

 

But first, there was another problem. Shikamaru had stopped to not only gather his thoughts, but to re-gather his little strength. It hadn't helped much, he still felt drained. Getting down the stairs to the street was easy enough with the rail to cling to, but the walk after was hard. Shit, I really don't have much left do I? The brunette made it a rule not to drain himself on a regular basis, but he was definitely drained now. Walking took all his concentration.

 

After a little ways, he was grateful for that, since it meant that he couldn't focus on the emotional states of the people around him. What little he did notice was an echo of what he'd felt in the hospital, only the echo was louder than the original shout in this case. The people around him who recognized him were afraid of him. They were afraid of him! No one, not once in all his life, had ever been scared of Nara Shikamaru. Oh, people had been scared of the Konoha shinobi who was too damn clever and persistent for his own damn good, but scared of the boy he really was?

 

Never. Why should they? He wasn't a threatening figure, and it was clear just by looking at him that he'd rather go take a nap than get in a fight. So the fear that was pressing into his senses, as people stared, gossiped and spread the fear further... Gods, how could anyone bear it?

 

Shikamaru paused to lean his side against a blank wall to catch his breath and try to wall his mind away from the fear. While he was doing that, he felt a ripple. There was someone out there behind him that didn't care that there was an Ascended Katoku-jutsu user in the area.

 

It was just a simple normal person, someone who was thinking about things that made him slightly frustrated and angry, and just a little depressed, all emotions that were firmly under control. There was a strong undercurrent of resignation… but all of that got washed away with a small start of surprise and then a happiness that overwhelmed everything else. This person practiced being happy above and beyond everything else. He, for it was definitely masculine, was racing closer to him. Much closer.

 

“Oi! Shikamaru!”

 

#Pounce!#

 

#Thud!#

 

Ack!! I've been glomped!! Naruto tackled Shikamaru to the ground and hugged him thoroughly while proclaiming happiness and relief that he was out of the hospital finally. The blonde was also thoroughly ignoring the brunette's loud protests at being pounced and glomped.

 

“Will you get off already? Off! Off you madman! This is indignifying”

 

“Aw, since when have you and dignity had more than a passing acquaintance?” Naruto laughed. There's something wrong here, that was way too smart for Naruto. I better check for Henge, or maybe one of the Yamanaka's possessed him. Shikamaru smacked him upside the head, making the blonde yelp and give him the teary-eyed, lower-lip quiver. No, that's the right response, guess it's the real deal. And who else would be shameless enough to pounce someone in public?

 

“Knock it off already, it's too troublesome to deal with you like that.” Shikamaru said, attempting to get to his feet. Naruto succeeded in rising, and, after the brunette's forth attempt, helped him get up. He next offered his shoulder when Shikamaru started to list sideways, which was gratefully accepted.

 

“Hey, you alright?” Naruto asked when Shikamaru slumped against him like a dead-weight. Am I alright? I just got up from three days of fever, my brain's been turned inside out, my chakra channels have exploded, my body is warped, I have no resources left and I just got pounce by this idiot, who weighs probably thirty pounds more than I do. Am I alright?

 

“Fine, just tired.” he said, “Really tired, and I want to go home and sleep for, oh, a month?”

 

Naruto snickered. “You're always tired, `cause everything's just too troublesome for you, right?”

 

“Humph.” The brunette responded, turning his head away in mock offense. Inside though, he was basking in the unforced happiness and affection Naruto was generating. There was a lot of worry there too, but that was fine. Naruto was worried because he cared, and after all of the sharp fear that the Shadow User had been forced to sense, simple positive emotions felt… good.

 

“So, uh, which way's home?” The blonde asked. Shikamaru blinked.

 

“Eh?”

 

“You look like shit, no offense, so I'm gonna help ya' home, only…” Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, “I don't know where you live.”

 

“Baka,” Shikamaru stated, then pointed, grateful beyond words that he was getting a hand, “That way.”

 

The boys headed off in the direction of the Nara compound. While far less prestigious than the Hyuuga or abandoned Uchiha compounds, the Nara compound was by far the largest of any of the clans thanks to the extensive deer herds that was the passion of most of the clan. Because of this, the compound was at the outer edge of the village. So at the end of the walk there, Shikamaru had ample reason to be heartily grateful for Naruto's ungrudging help, he simply wouldn't have been able to make it on his own.

 

“Wow,” Naruto stated when they got there. He wasn't staring at the house, a simple, homey, two-storied building like hundreds of others in Konoha. He was staring at the vast fields that were behind it.

 

“Help me over to the fence?” Shikamaru asked anxiously. One of the reasons that he hated to go on long missions was on the other side, and he needed his fix after nearly a week in the hospital.

 

“Uh, sure.” When Naruto and Shikamaru got to the fence, the brunette leaned over, placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. And answering whistle, more like a bugle, came from just over a distant rise. A few moments later, a small herd of deer raced over, vaulting whatever fences lay in their path with ridiculous ease. Naruto's eyes bulged.

 

They bulged even more as the herd approached, these beasts weren't the small puny things one normally thinks of when one hears the word deer. The leader of the herd slowed to make his way to his master in stately grace and… posed when he noticed the stranger. The rest of the herd was less dignified, swarming Shikamaru with nudges while shamelessly begging.

 

“Shi-shi-shika?” Naruto stuttered, “Wha-wha-wha- Huge!”

 

“Hm? Oh, I know.” the Shadow User replied off-handedly, “Yakul, stop posing and get over here! We already know you're gorgeous!” The great beast obeyed and glided over, lining up against the rail. Shikamaru pulled himself onto the stag's back with practiced ease and got his deer-fix. The day that a Nara can't sit on his riding elk is the day that the coffin needs to be ordered. Naruto's eye's were now fit to fall out. Shikamaru took pity on him. “These aren't normal meat-and-antler deer, they're a project I've been working on. Yakul and his herd are War Elk.”

~*~*~

Fix, Deer-fix: I just recently went on a two and a half week vacation… Without my pets. Permit me to assure you, when your pets are your babies, you need your cat/dog/horse/bird/etc. fix regularly. Yakul is Shika's baby, he needs his deer fix daily if not more often.

A.S.: I'm Not Dead! I swear to the gods I'm not! I just got stuck on one scene and…

Shika: Quit lying.

A.S.: Yeah, yeah, alright. I suffered from burn out. End of semester, too much work, too much family and too many fics demanding attention and… yeah. The other problem lies elsewhere. My muses are my main charas and they have not been helping lately. Sasuke's sulking since I made Shika the main chara here and not him. Shika's no help, he's too lazy-

Shika: With all that you're forcing me to do here?! I have a right to try and be lazy!

A.S.: Right, Naruto is-

#Distant explosion#

#equally distant voice# Naruto: I didn't do it!

A.S.: Ahem, Itachi's also one of my muses and he's-

Itachi: #silently hands A.S. a small sheaf of papers#

A.S.: #Quickly scans# EEP! Dammit Itachi! While you quit trying to get into Shika-kun's pants?!

Shika: #sits up# Gulp! #bolts into nearest closet and barricades the door#

A.S.: Yeah, that's what `Tachi's trying to do, he liked being a main in “For Love of my Brother”, and for some bizarre reason he likes Shika-kun as well, and he keeps trying to make me write a fic that lets him do the dirty. And he simply won't listen when I tell him no more fics.

Itachi: You do not assist your cause with your Yaoi Fangirl fantasies.

A.S.: #Beet red# Wha-wha-whatever are you talking about?

Itachi: #Holds up two books of `Love Mode(notorious yaoi manga)#

A.S.: Ack! Where'd you get those? How'd you get those? Those are mine!

Itachi: I have my ways.

A.S.: Pilferer! Thief! Damned raven!

Shika: Is it safe to come out yet?

Itachi: #sexy purr# Of course it is.

Shika: ….. That means no.

A.S.: Gimme my manga!