• I could have found a better way
    You know I never should have stayed
    I could accept the things I believed were wrong
    (You know you’re wrong)

    It’s funny how love works. In most cases, you know right away, but for one Nara Shikamaru, it caught him completely off guard.

    He was known for being a genius, a strategist, and always knew what to say. So why couldn’t he say anything in front of Sakura without his tongue tripping over words? It irritated the hell out of him.

    When he told Chouji about his problem (without telling him who the person actually was), Chouji just laughed. “It probably means you’re in love.” Upon hearing this, Shikamaru spit out the water he had been drinking.

    “Yo…you’re wrong,” he stammered, wiping furiously at his face. Chouji gave him a skeptical look and shrugged. “You have to be wrong. There’s no way I could be in love.”

    “That’s what I thought too, until Ino proved me wrong,” he pointed out. He smiled, remembering that day when he had finally come to terms with his feelings for their blonde teammate and promptly asked her out. She had accepted, a small blush staining her face. They had been dating for a little more than a year now.

    Shikamaru just shook his head. There was no f***ing way he was in love with Sakura. For one thing, she was way too emotional, no thanks to the still missing Uchiha. Second, she was still in love with the b*****d. He frowned and stood up from his seat, paying for the water he had wasted. How troublesome. He walked away, giving his best friend a small wave, inclining his head to look at the darkening sky.

    He stopped walking when he heard a voice calling his name. He looked around and finally saw who it was talking to him. Crap…

    “Shikamaru-kun!” it was Sakura. Of all people that could’ve been talking to him, it just had to be her. “You heading home?”

    “I…uh…um, no. N-not yet.” He instantly cursed inside his mind. Why the hell am I stammering? There’s no way. Not with her. His inner turmoil stopped when he felt her cool hand against his forehead. His breath caught in his throat as Sakura leaned closer.

    “You feeling okay? You’re red,” she said, pressing her forehead against his. “You’re a little warm. Are you sick?” She backed away and he finally remembered how to speak.

    “I’m f-fine. Just perfect,” he said through gritted teeth. Just leave, dammit!

    She frowned slightly, “You’ve been acting really weird, Shikamaru-kun,” she shook her head, “but anyway, I have a mission for you. Tsunade-shishou asked me to do it for her.”

    He nodded stiffly and looked away, “What type of mission is it?” he hoped against hope that it would be a solo mission that would take months to complete. However, it seemed that that would not be possible.

    “We have to go to Suna on a diplomatic mission,” she smiled, reading from a piece of paper that the Hokage had given her. “Apparently, the Kazekage is getting married to Matsuri and we have to be there as Konoha representatives.” She looked up at him and she could’ve sworn that she could see his soul leaving him. She waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him back to reality.

    “I…have to go…with you? Just us two?” he seemed mortified by the idea, which for some reason made Sakura angry.

    “That’s what this paper says,” she said dryly. “For a genius, you’re acting pretty dumb right now.” She fixed an icy glare on him, “Oh, and you can’t back out on this.”

    How’d she know what I was thinking? he thought, swallowing nervously and nodding again. “Wasn’t planning on it.” Yeah right.

    She arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow, the small gesture saying that she didn’t believe him. “We are to leave tomorrow at sunrise.” With that she walked away, not giving him a second glance.

    He stood there for a few minutes in a daze, as if someone had hit him in the solar plexus with a giant iron pan. A mission with Sakura? JUST Sakura? He cursed his luck, his life, and finally the Hokage. Basically it was Tsunade’s fault. Couldn’t she have picked…Naruto…or for heaven’s sake, even Sai? He sighed and continued to walk to his house.

    When he finally arrived, he slumped straight into his couch and brought his hands to his face. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” His thoughts instantly remembered what Chouji had said at Ichiraku. It probably means you’re in love. No way. Women were a pain, troublesome, and so hard to deal with. Yet why couldn’t he stop thinking about the rosette-haired kunoichi?

    He spent the rest of the night thinking about it and was worse for wear when morning came around. But he had packed and was at the gates when he saw the object of his anguish coming towards him. He sighed and tried his best to look blasé. But the moment she smiled warmly at him, his façade crumbled. He turned away from her, feeling the blood on his face. “Is there…anything else I should…uh, know?” He quickly controlled his composure and looked at her again. She was giving him an odd look, but shook her head.

    “Not that I know of,” she responded, walking past him to give Kotetsu and Izumo their traveling papers. They looked at the work order and then grinned in such a sickeningly sweet way that Shikamaru could feel the blush coming back.

    Izumo did his best not to laugh when he handed the papers back to Sakura, “Have fun, you two.” His voice cracked at the last word, stifling laughter. He stopped laughing when he saw Shikamaru’s murderous glare. “Ahem, you’re all set to go.”

    Both chuunin nodded and left. But the minute they were outside the gates, they heard the howls of laughter coming from the gatekeepers.

    Shikamaru grimaced, “Remind me to kill them when we get back.” He peeked over at Sakura, surprised when she actually agreed.

    “Sure thing. It’s not like we’re a couple or anything,” she said, looking up at the sky. “I wish Sasuke-kun was here.” she said it so quietly that he almost missed it.

    She’s still thinking of him, he thought. For some reason, it angered him. What’s so great about an arrogant, self-centered, pompous p***k?” He suddenly realized that he had said it out loud and clamped a hand over his mouth.

    Sakura glared at him, “Why are you badmouthing him? He’ll come back, you’ll see!” she promptly stomped ahead, clearly pissed off.

    He growled and caught up with her, snatching her wrist aggressively, “You still believe he will come back?” He tightened his grip, “He betrayed our village, Sakura. And you still believe that he’s going to come back?”

    “Shika…maru, you’re hurting me!” she cried, but he paid her no attention. His grip tightened even more, causing her to cry out in pain.

    “He doesn’t deserve your love, Sakura. He’s not suited for you,” he finally let her go, ignoring the pained look she was giving him as she rubbed her wrist.

    “I suppose you know who I should be with?” she hissed, grabbing him by his vest. She dragged him towards her, putting her face close to his. “Do you know who I should be with?”Her verdant gaze burned in his onyx eyes. “Who do you think you are?” He didn’t answer, just looked away from her. She snorted in disgust and let him go, dropping him listlessly on the ground. “Forget it. Forget it all.”

    He looked up at her retreating form and all his reason snapped, “I do know.” He stood up and caught her arm again, but more gentle than last time. “With me.”

    She stiffened and glared at him again. “You’ve got to be f***ing kidding me.”

    He shook his head, “Look at me. I don’t kid around.” His face was once again red, but at this moment he didn’t give a s**t about it. “I don’t mess around when it comes to love.”

    She pulled her arm away from him, “After all those things you said, did you actually think I would accept your love? You’ve got some nerve. All I care about is completing this stupid mission and go back.” They hadn’t even been gone for an hour. “I don’t want you to speak to me until you apologize. And I want a sincere apology, you a**.” She walked away again, and this time, he made no move to stop her.

    Now you’re saying it’s too late
    It doesn’t matter what I say
    You know you’re just another one of my mistakes
    (Ahhhh)


    Next Chapter: Chemicals