They aren't friends, not at first; when Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara are in the academy together, they spend some time together, but it is not as friends, and neither one is particularly fond of the other. They both like to slack off and cause trouble, so they're often in trouble together, and that is all there is to it. Shikamaru is close with Choji, and no one else, and Naruto has his issues making friends in general.

And, once they graduate and go their separate ways with their separate teams, they don't see each other much at all, and what little bit they may have bonded in detention is easily forgotten, and they hold nothing for one another but contempt. At least, that's where they are when the Chunin exams begin, though, due to Ino and Sakura's odd relationship, the teams are brought together more often than they'd prefer.

The Chunin exams brought a lot of Genin closer together that year, and they're friends before they notice it happening. For instance, Naruto never expects to wake up in the hospital to find Shikamaru watching over him, and though he claims that it's simply because he got bored visiting Choji, there's really no reason for him to have sat there, watching over Naruto for so long.

The experiences that follow with Gaara, the things that they see and that they share, solidify the bond they have been forming, and from that point on, there is no denying that they are friends. Naruto latches onto him, and Shikamaru can't be bothered to try to shake him, and that is how things stay for quite some time.

~X~

It's a busy time, and the forces in the village are stretched rather thin as everyone is made to work where they fit best. With that in mind, it's difficult to pull together a full team to carry out a minor mission, but they manage, no matter how random the assignment may seem to be.

Shikamaru and Ino are still available, but they need two others to complete their team, which is where Naruto and Rock Lee come in. They won't be gone for long, but there are quite a few nights where they stay out together, and enough downtime that they have a lot of time alone together as a team. Naruto never noticed any special connection between Lee or Ino before; hell, he didn't even notice them getting closer during the mission, but one night, the two of them have disappeared, and he is alone with Shikamaru.

"I can't believe she's throwing herself at him like that," Shikamaru mutters, completely out of context.

"Huh? Who's doing what now?"

"Ino," he says, "who else? Come on, she's been making eyes at Lee this whole time. I don't know when all that started, but I knew she was way too excited about this mission." Sighing, he shakes his head. "She's such a pain, I swear."

"Wait, Ino and...and... what ?!" Naruto's eyes widen in disbelief, as Shikamaru's words finally sink in. "There's just no way !"

"Yeah, well, apparently there's some way," he replies. "I don't know what started it. Maybe she's just desperate."

"Maybe...I always thought he was into Sakura, so I don't know when he switched over like that. I guess he just has a type?"

"What? Girls who are loud and a total pain in the ass? If so, they don't seem to be in short supply," Shikamaru mutters, and Naruto isn't sure whether he should laugh, or make some attempt to defend Sakura.

"Seriously, though, you really think that she...that they…?" Shaking his head, Naruto says, "No way, it's just too weird! I mean, you know how Ino is, she would never...would she?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I don't pretend to understand women ."

"You're the genius here, though!"

"So what? That doesn't mean anything where they're concerned, and you know it," he says with a sigh. "Honestly, I think they just get more complicated all the time. I'll never understand them, so I've given up. You should too."

"I wanna try to disagree with you, but Ino is totally crazy. I don't know how you put up with her all the time." Naruto gives a shudder, imagining how the hot headed blonde would wring his neck if she heard him talking like that. "And Sakura's great and all, but I've known her for years and I still can't figure her out at all! Maybe you're right about that."

"Of course I'm right. Women are like a totally different species, and Ino and Sakura are some of the most extreme out there. It's better to just keep your distance so you can keep your sanity, and let them do whatever they want, and just not question it."

Naruto thinks about what Shikamaru has said, and nods to himself. There's a lot of truth to it, even if he does judge girls pretty harshly, especially where Ino is concerned, and even Sakura. Lately, Naruto has all but given up on trying to win her over. It's been hard enough getting their team to pull itself together, and after all these years, though they've grown closer and are a fully functioning unit, he's made no progress on wooing her, and there are times when he thinks that she and Sasuke are getting closer without him.

Well, no point moping about that now. It's a nice night, and he and Shikamaru are watching the stars together- something that the other man says is almost as nice as cloud gazing- and he doesn't have anything to worry about. It's nice to have friends, particularly ones like Shikamaru, that he really enjoys talking to.

"So, what about you? How have you been doing lately?" he asks, wanting to fill the silence.

"Everything is the same as ever, of course. That's how I like it, though, don't want things to get too complicated," Shikamaru replies. "Things are busy, but the missions are easy and kind of mundane, so that's nice."

"Man, I know what you mean! 'Course, Sasuke and Sakura both have their own things to do, so that's why I got stuck here. It's kind of unfair that they've been so busy. I mean, teams are supposed to stick together, right?"

"Right, but we all have our specialities, and sometimes it's good to be able to be versatile," Shikamaru says. "Besides, our teams, and Team Kurenai, and Team Gai...things are different for us. We all have a pretty special connection, or at least, we all work together really well. You could throw together any combination based on what specialities were needed for a mission, and I think we could pull it off."

"That's definitely true." Naruto grins, thinking about all the friends he's made over the years. Some were more difficult than others, but he treasures each and every one of them. "I'm glad we met, Shikamaru."

"Whoa, now, where's all this sentimentality coming from?" he asks with a chuckle. "Taking a trip down memory lane?"
"Maybe. I'm just thinking about how we all kind of couldn't stand each other back in the day, but then everything changed. Remember when you visited me in the hospital? And we were gonna tease Choji?"

"But then we ran into Gaara trying to kill Lee," he says, with a shudder. "Man, I still get the creeps thinking about that."

"But he changed," Naruto adds, "and for the better, too. You'd barely recognize him as the same person now! Him, and his brother and sister."

"Man, don't remind me of that sister of his," Shikamaru says. "Speaking of troublesome women…"

"Aw, come on, don't worry about that right now! It's just us guys, right? Just you and me, old friends!" He laughs. "I really like talking to you like this, Shikamaru."

"Same goes for you, Naruto."

Both are quiet for a while after that, just enjoying the near silence of the peaceful night, both laying out in the grass, side by side. When they hear approaching footsteps, they both jump up, but it's only their teammates, returning from wherever the hell they disappeared to.

"Oh!" Ino says, looking more than a little guilty. "I didn't know you two were still up."

"I could say the same for you, but I noticed you were gone," Shikamaru says, giving her a look, and Naruto nods.

"Yeah, we're onto you two! Tell us where you were!"

"We were only taking a walk!" Lee insists, his voice earnest as ever. "On a beautiful night like this, I had to-"

"It's none of your business, actually!" Ino protests, clenching her fists. "So, if you know what's good for you, you'll drop it!"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Naruto mutters to Shikamaru.

"Oh, yeah," he says. "So not worth it."

The rest of the mission passes similarly, and whenever they have down time, Ino and Lee are usually nowhere to be found, and Naruto and Shikamaru discuss this, as well as other things, anything that is going on in their lives. They return to the village, feeling closer than ever before, and unable to define just what it is that's changed.

But then it's back to business as usual, and they aren't even able to see each other in passing.