TWO YEARS LATER

"I wish I could say that I can't believe it, but this is Kiba we're talking about. He really got kicked out of hot springs in every country?"

Shikamaru nodded in confirmation. "I had deal with an irate client this morning. This marks the first one in Lighting Country."

Sakura laughed delightedly and he felt a thrum of pleasure run through him at the sound. It had taken a long time for her to laugh again after her second mission to retrieve Sasuke. The Uchiha had managed to kill his brother (though Shikamaru had his doubts and thought perhaps Itachi had just died from sheer boredom thanks to Sasuke's monologuing), but then refused to return to Konoha. Tsunade hadn't declared him a missing-nin only as a mark of favor toward Naruto and Sakura.

She smiled at him, eyes bright with humor and leaned against his shoulder where he was sitting back to the tree, to their tree. They had spent last couple of years meeting here to talk or look up at the clouds and the stars. Shikamaru realized that they only ever interacted in here, only sharing civilities (on his part) and warm smiles (on hers) in public. He didn't know when he had started wanting that to change, but recently all he could think about the next time they would talk, what he would say to her, if she would bring him those mackerel onigiri she had made once when he said it was his favorite food. He just wanted more of her time, constantly. He decided to go for it, whatever it ended up being.

"You should have lunch with me tomorrow."

"What? Why?"

"Because Choji took his genin team out on a mission and Ino is still working weird hours with her dad and Ibiki. I don't want to accidentally bump into Temari, either. She's the most troublesome woman I have ever had the misfortune of meeting."

"So I'm a last resort, eh?" She nudged his side playfully. " You know, Temari's not so bad. You should just tell her you're not interested. I'm pretty sure she thinks your dad's hotter, anyway."

He sputtered at the idea, terrible thoughts running through his mind. Sakura grinned at him. "You're too easy to rile, Shika-kun! But sure, I'll have lunch with you, as long as it's not ramen." She grimaced and said, "The next time I see a bowl of that will be too soon."

The next day, Shikamaru was strangely nervous about his lunch meeting with Sakura. The morning both drags on and goes far too quickly as he worked through the annoyingly large amount of paperwork that the Chunin Exams required. He wondered, not for the first time, why he was chosen as a proctor. Was it a punishment? Did the he offend the Godaime at some point? That woman was entirely too temperamental.

All too soon, it was time for lunch. He pushed away from the cramped desk in relief and sauntered through the tower and into the part of Konoha that Yakiniku Q was tucked away. Though he tried to walk as slowly as he ever did, he still arrived before Sakura. Shikamaru slouched into a booth by himself, waving the familiar hostess back to her crossword book. "I'm waiting on someone, we'll order when she gets here."

He sat there with his arms on his head, getting steadily more anxious as the minutes ticked by. Did she forget? Maybe she didn't want to have lunch with me and I pushed her into it. Maybe she just wanted anyone to talk to at all and I was just convenient.

Shikamaru's increasingly pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by Sakura's cheerful greeting at the front of the restaurant. He straightened and saw her speaking with the same hostess, pointing towards his table. She walked quickly toward him, looking harried.

"Shikamaru! I'm sorry I'm late!"

He dismissed her apologies. "It's okay. The only thing I have to get back to is more paperwork. I think I should have declined that last promotion."

She gave him a wry look but didn't reply as the waitress took their order. When she left, Sakura explained her tardiness. "I had to distract shishou while Shizune moved her sake stash and I should have used a topic other than Jiraiya, because that certainly put her in a mood. Now I'm the one who needs a drink!"

Shikamaru laughed and wondered why he had been nervous at all. This was Sakura - since they began this strange friendship, she had always been able to put him at ease and he was always hyper-conscious of her moods. There was no need to doubt her genuine interest in him as a person, at least. He hoped, in the quietest corners of his heart, that maybe it would morph into a more romantic interest some day. He was willing to wait it out and just enjoyed being her friend.

Food arrived and the two of them ate leisurely. The conversation flowed as smoothly as it ever did when they were by themselves and Shikamaru reveled in her quiet laughter and teasing commentary. This lunch couldn't be going any better.

"Hey, Forehead!" Ino's loud voice shattered his illusions and he groaned as she sidled up next to their table, a worrying smile on her face. "And Shikamaru, huh? Why are you two so cozy over here? Am I interrupting your date?"

He propped his head up on one hand and sighed, wondering how to deny it without being defensive and giving Sakura the wrong impression. To his disbelief, she spoke first.

"I didn't know Shikamaru had to vet his dates through you, Ino-chan." Sakura smiled at the blonde, the edge a little vicious. He registered a split-second of surprise on Ino's face before a more calculating look took place.

"Well, Sakura-chan, if I had known you and Shikamaru were together, I wouldn't have kept trying to see you up with that cute chunin from T&I. You know, the one with the hair?" She made vague hand motions toward her head, indicating something that only she and Sakura would understand.

"Yeah, Ino-Pig, I know that one. All your buddies from T&I have been through the hospital at least once and now that I've seen them naked, the mystery is gone." At this, Shikamaru choked the tea he had just sipped and Sakura grinned at him without remorse. Ino eyed the two of them suspiciously, but didn't comment. An evil thought seemed come to her and Shikamaru watched a mischievous smile light her face. She clapped her hands together decisively.

"Now that you're dating, you just have to come to our next clan dinner and meet everyone!" As usual, Ino ignored Shikamaru's pained expression.

Sakura just muttered to herself, realizing she was fighting a losing battle. "We've known each other since we were five, Ino, I already know your family."

Ino waggled a finger at her and said, "Ah, but you don't know Shikamaru's family! Or Choji's, and really, if you're going to join the Nara Clan, you need to get along with everyone!" Shikamaru felt the conversation slip out of "awkward" territory and plummet directly into "extremely dangerous". He made an attempt to say something, anything to clear up Ino's misconception, but she just looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. "Oh, I'm late! Ibiki is probably going to test some horrible jutsu on me if I don't get my ass back." She rushed out the door, but not before shouting over her shoulder, "Dinner's next Wednesday, Sakura! You'd better be there!"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before she burst into giggles and Shikamaru immediately felt some of the tension ebb out of shoulders.

"Ino-Pig is the same as ever, always scheming about something."

"She's only gotten worse since she started working with her father. It was a bad day for everyone when Ibiki accepted her application." Sakura snorted indelicately and took a sip of her now lukewarm tea and grimaced. He offered his still steaming tea and she smiled at him, their fingertips touching as they exchanged cups. "You don't have to go, you know."

"I'd like to, regardless." And really, what could he say to that? Shikamaru was not going to say no to more time spent in her company, though it did mean that he was going to be heavily interrogated by his mother. He wasn't sure what was going on now; with a few words from Ino, their friendship had morphed into some sort of strange almost-dating limbo.

He'd think about it later. For now, he wanted to know about Sakura and the naked chunin. He said as much and she burst out laughing. "Shikamaru, I have probably seen most of Konoha in varying states of undress at this point. It's pretty hard to faze me. I'd be a terrible medic if I were ogling every attractive patient."

He accepted this statement reluctantly, as her logic was entirely sound. He was still disgruntled at thought of her touching said attractive "chunin with the hair". They finished their tea and Shikamaru insisted on paying, to her surprise.

"Shikamaru, we can split the bill. I don't mind."

"No, I asked. Plus, I have to pay you back in advance for being subjected to my family next week, if you're still intent on going." She rolled her eyes good naturedly, but didn't protest again. Once outside they squinted at the bright sunlight and took their leave, with Sakura cheekily promising to be on her best behavior at dinner next week.

Shikamaru strolled back to the Hokage Tower with a smile, astonishing Temari when he arrived at the desk he shared with her.

It was already nearing sunset when Shikamaru was able to get away from his damnable paperwork, jumping on rooftops to meet Sakura at her apartment before dinner. He had managed to avoid his mother the entire week, easily aided by the fact that he had been too tired to do anything but fall into bed every day when he returned home. His stomach was in knots with conflicting emotions. He was happy that Sakura had agreed to come, but dear god, Yoshino was going to interrogate the girl and probably scare her from him forever.

Shikamaru arrived at Sakura's door and it opened just as he landed, her proximity seals alerting her to his presence. She waved in greeting and busied herself locking and arming her protection traps. She had dressed in civilian clothing for the night, her slim capri trousers and oversized mint sweater making her appear delicate in the bright rays of the setting sun. He scoffed at his meandering thoughts. Being on the receiving end of just one of her punches is enough to cure anyone of the idea that Haruno Sakura is a fragile blossom.

She finished activating her last seal and he bowed and offered his arm in a mockery of a gentleman's escort. Sakura just laughed and took it anyway. They made their way down the street toward the Akimichi's Clan compound, not needing to exchange banal pleasantries.

"You know if I had known that the Akimichis always cater your clan get-togethers, I would have tried to weasel my way into them years ago."

He huffed in amusement. "I didn't take you for such an opportunist, Sakura."

"Pft, I'm a kunoichi. That's practically in my job description."

"Speaking of, would you like to switch jobs? I think I would rather deal with Tsunade's drinking problems instead of Anko's bloodthirstiness. She and Ibiki are getting far too creative with their exam suggestions. I had to remind them more than once that we actually need some of these kids alive by the end of the Chunin Exams."

Sakura laughed hollowly, her eyes sad. Shikamaru cursed inwardly, knowing that he had inadvertently brought up bad memories of that damn Uchiha. He was a spectre that seemed to hang over Sakura at the oddest of times. Sasuke had sent sporadic messages to Naruto over the past year, mostly insults that had made the blonde strangely happy, but not once had he contacted Sakura after Itachi's death. Shikamaru still wasn't sure what her feelings were towards the Uchiha; it was the one thing that he couldn't bring himself to ask her about and she never brought it up once in all their whispered conversations in the dark of the forest.

He was afraid that he had screwed up their evening before it had even began and tried to apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

She cut him off with a watery smile. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault Sasuke-kun is such an asshole." He's startled by her words and her impish tone, at odds with her solemn face. She squeezed his arm lightly and he let it go, understanding that her former teammate was a complicated subject.

They arrived at the main house in good time and Ino was the one who opened the door to greet them. Shikamaru suspected she had posted herself there until they had turned up.

"Hey love birds, about time you showed up!" She turned around and shouted to the large gathering behind her. "Shikamaru and his girlfriend are here~!" He could see nearly everyone perk up at her words and his shoulders slumped in defeat, wondering if it was too late to convince Sakura to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. He heard that Snow Country was beautiful this time of year. Sakura just patted his arm in support, the sad shadows in her eyes being replaced instead with amusement at his expense. At least something good has come of this.

He could see his parents in a far corner of the large open room, with Yoshino looking ready and eager to metaphorically (and perhaps literally) pounce on them. He hurriedly placed a hand on Sakura's lower back and steered her in the opposite direction towards the food. He threw a somewhat desperate glance as his father in mute entreaty. Shikaku leaned down to murmur something to his mother with a look of glee that let Shikamaru know he had only been granted a temporary reprieve.

Choji and his mother were overseeing the absolutely groaning buffet table filled with food that Shikamaru was used to seeing at these gatherings. Sakura eyed everything with delight and tugged Shikamaru over to strike up a conversation with the two.

"Hi Choji-kun, good evening Akimichi-san! Thank you for having me. This all looks incredible."

Choji's mother beamed and said, "Oh, you must call me Nobuko! I don't hold with formalities here." Sakura smiled and they chattered happily about the food and Nobuko's shade of lipstick and Sakura's beautiful hair color as Choji just gave Shikamaru a look that let him know he's going to hear about this later. He had never told anyone about his and Sakura's late night jaunts in the Nara Forest and suspected it was the same for her. At first, he didn't mention it out of respect for her privacy, figuring she would never take him up on his awkward offer. Later, he had just wanted to keep their time together to himself, something precious that was only his.

"You're looking better than ever, Choji-kun! I bet your new genin are excited to have you as their sensei. How was your last mission? Shikamaru mentioned it a few days ago."

Choji was startled out of his staring contest with Shikamaru, surprised to be addressed. "Oh, uh, yeah. The kids did well for their first C-Rank out of the village. They're a good team." Sakura smiled at him and made a joke about her own first C-Rank, a story that had far surpassed rumor, turning into somewhat of an urban legend in the village. Nobuko gave Shikamaru a knowing look, though he wasn't certainly exactly what she knew.

Ino appeared out of thin air and dragged Sakura away mid-conversation, muttering something about "girl talk". Shikamaru watched as she manhandled her friend into the garden outside, fervently wishing he could leave too.

"So, Shikamaru, best friend of mine." Choji was stacking empty platters, not looking as he spoke to him. "I didn't even know you and Sakura even spoke to one another, let alone dated."

"Yeah, about that …" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "We were just having lunch last week and Ino saw us and drew her own conclusions. You know how she is."

"Yeah, I do, but I also know you. If it was just a lunch thing, you wouldn't have brought Sakura tonight. Not with your mother here." Shikamaru frowned and thought longingly for the days when Choji was too single-minded to be so perceptive.

"Look, I like spending time with her. We have gotten to know one each other pretty well the past few years."

"News to me," Choji said, looking a little hurt.

"It wasn't a secret, it just wasn't my place to discuss it. She was having a rough time and I happened to be there. That's all."

"Uh huh," Choji nodded knowingly. "That's all." Shikamaru scowled at him, about to defend himself when he felt an arm thread through his. He looked down to see pink hair, Sakura already engaged in conversation with Nobuko again. Shikamaru felt warm at her casual touch, comfortable with her presence at his side. Choji just gave him a flat stare and returned to the kitchen, taking the empty platters with him.

He saw his mother making her way over toward them and groaned inwardly. This is not going to be fun. His father trailed Yoshino, clearly in it for his own sick amusement at his son's misfortune.

"Shikamaru! You've been here for an hour and still haven't introduced us to your lovely girlfriend."

Before he could correct her, Sakura stepped forward in greeting and bowed slightly. "I'm Haruno Sakura, Yoshino-san, Shikaku-san. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about both of you from Shikamaru."

Shikaku's eyebrow rose at the idea of Shikamaru talking about them at all.

"Such beautiful manners! It's a wonder my son would ever garner your interest. You wouldn't happen to be the same Haruno Sakura as the Godaime's very talented apprentice?" Shikamaru knew very well his mother knew who Sakura was. He wondered at her game.

Sakura demurred at the compliment, though Shikamaru knew it was well-deserved. "Tsunade-shishou is an excellent teacher. Anything I have done is thanks to her instruction."

His mother was shining with approval, to his confusion. "Tell me, Sakura-chan, how long have you and my son been dating?"

Shikamaru felt panic grip him. Sakura had kept tacitly agreeing that she was his girlfriend and now she either had to lie to his mother (a bad idea) or tell the truth (worse!)

She just smiled and said "Oh, it's hard to really pin point. We have been friends for a few years now. Sometimes it feels like forever. Shikamaru has been a great comfort to me after ... everything."

Shikamaru was impressed at her genuine non-answer and he could tell his father was as well. Perhaps Sakura would be able to weather Storm Yoshino after all.

"Oh my! So no anniversary dates for you?"

"Well, we're both active duty shinobi. Every day is important to cherish. Plus, I think we both know Shikamaru would never remember an anniversary!" She and his mother both laughed while he felt a little grumpy that she was ganging up on him with his mother, of all people!

His father just rolled his eyes and pulled him off to the side. "Your mother is already planning your wedding. I hope you actually ask her out soon."

Shikamaru didn't bother asking his father how he knew what was going on; at some point in his early childhood, he had just assumed Shikaku was omniscient and had never been able to find proof to the contrary.

"She's never indicated that she was interested in dating me before agreeing to come here when Ino bullied us into it. I was just as surprised as everyone else." His father grinned at him, sipping from his choko of sake. He slapped Shikamaru on the back, but didn't elaborate on his private joke.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Inoichi answer the door to a member of ANBU, who held out a written missive. He nodded once and shut the door, making his way over to them.

"Sakura-chan, this just came for you from the Hokage."

She looked resigned, but unsurprised and opened the note, scanning through it quickly. Shikamaru moved closer, hand on her back in pretense of peering over her shoulder to read, only to see that it was coded. She glanced back and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. Looks like I have to leave. Duty calls."

"I'll walk you to the Hokage Tower." His mother smiled in approval at his words, but he was just pleased to have a valid reason to escape her clutches while still spending as much time as possible with Sakura. They said their goodbyes quickly, with everyone understanding the unconventional schedule that active duty placed them in. They were ushered out with a large plate of food that Nobuko had pressed into a delighted Sakura's hands.

"Is it urgent? Should we take the rooftops?"

Sakura laughed as they set out down the street. "Urgent in that I have to get shishou a bottle of sake before we get there."

He stopped. "You're joking."

"Not in the slightest. If she's still at the tower this late, I am not going there without a bribe to ease the way. No matter what mission it is!"

"Ah, the joys of being in such an esteemed position." Sakura jammed her elbow into his ribs, her hands still holding the food reverently.

"C'mon, let's go back to my apartment, if you're so intent on walking me everywhere. I procured a case of sake the last time I was in Rice Country and I have been doling it out when needed."

"A whole case? How did you manage that?"

Sakura eyes lit up. "I won an arm wrestling tournament. They were all civilian businessmen who wanted to test their strength against a "real ninja lady". The pink hair fooled them, as it does with everyone else."

"You are a dangerous woman."

They quickly navigated through the emptying streets and arrived at her apartment, where she undid all her traps and ushered him in. "Sit, sit. I have to change and gear up for this mission before I report. I'll be back soon."

He leaned against her kitchen counter and looked around. It was the first time he had been here and he noticed that it looked just like his place - neat and minimalist. The only thing out of place was a bundle of medical scrolls haphazardly thrown on the small table. It was a surprise to him that Sakura wouldn't have an apartment that looked a little more lived in, but he realized that she was probably rarely here. He knew that she kept herself busy with hospital shifts and missions after being recently promoted to tokubetsu jonin, still trying to prove herself useful after all these years.

Sakura appeared from her bedroom in a familiar red vest and black shorts, strapping a kunai pack to her leg. She flipped open a sealing scroll and activated it. She selected one of the bottles out of the revealed wooden crate and cradled it in her arms like a baby.

"Are you sure Tsunade-sama is the only one with fondness for that stuff?"

Sakura grinned ruefully. "You can't work with shishou and not enjoy sake. I'm pretty sure she hid that in my apprenticeship contract somewhere."

She locked up and they headed toward the Hokage Tower.

"Do you know the mission details?"

"Not the specifics. I was told to leave tonight for an escort trip from Suna back to Konoha." They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. Shikamaru tried to think of the best way to ask her about what was happening between them. "Sakura, about what you said-"

"SAKURA-CHAN!" She was nearly tackled by a blur of orange and only years of practice allowed her to stay upright with an unbroken bottle of sake. Shikamaru just sighed at another lost opportunity.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?"

He was fairly vibrating with energy. "That asshole got himself injured and captured in Suna! He's finally agreed to come home! We're supposed to go as a 'diplomatic envoy', but I think Gaara just wants to hang out."

Sakura and Shikamaru both froze at his words. "Sasuke-kun is coming back to Konoha? To stay?"

Shit. Shikamaru thought. Just what I needed.

Naruto nodded and then dashed ahead of them, off to Tsunade's office. "C'mon, Sakura-chan, the faster we go, the faster we can drag his ass back!" He disappeared inside and they could hear Tsunade's unhappy greeting and Naruto's enthusiastic reply.

"Sasuke-kun's coming back." Sakura nearly whispered it, her tone a little broken. He touched her shoulder lightly in concern and she glanced up at his troubled face and reflexively smiled. "I can't wait to punch him in the face."

He snorted. "It would only be what he deserved." Shikamaru felt uncertain, but he had to know where he stood before she met up with the Uchiha. "Look, Sakura, I realize this is a bad time now, but-"

He was cut off by her soft lips on his, entirely surprised. She rose up on her toes and wound her arms around his neck, managing not to smack him in the head with the sake bottle she still carried. After a stunned moment, Shikamaru gave himself over to the sensation of having exactly what he wanted, opening his mouth to her surprisingly aggressive kiss. She pulled back a bit and grinned at his slightly slack face. His arms had circled around her waist without his memory of it.

She toyed with the ends of his long hair and made no move to step back, so he felt justified in pulling her closer against his body.

"Why now?" he blurted, immediately regretting the inane question. Who was he to question his good luck?

"Because I wanted to. Shikamaru, you have to know how I feel about you."

"I do?"

She slowly shook her head and leaned against his chest. "I swear, you're the dumbest genius I have ever met."

He would be insulted if it weren't turning out to be true.

"So the whole girlfriend thing ...?"

"That was me trying to subtly bludgeon you with a clue."

"Why didn't you just say something?"

"And possibly ruin the a good friendship with all my troublesome feelings? I was waiting to see if you'd come around. Guess all I had to do was throw myself at you." She looked up at him and quirked her lips and he had nothing stopping him from kissing her again.

So he did.

She hummed in approval.

"Sakura-chan, hurry-" Naruto's call was cut off by a choking noise as they were startled out of the kiss, having momentarily forgotten where they were.

She slid her arms down from around his neck and smiled ruefully. Sakura leaned back up to place a short peck on his mouth and whispered, "He has the worst timing, I swear." Naruto was shouting about being ignored in the background, so Shikamaru went right on doing so. He reluctantly removed his arms from around her waist and she stepped back.

Naruto looked between the two of them. "What about Sasuke-bastard, Sakura-chan?"

She waved her hand airily and then fixed him with a dirty smirk. "You can have him, Naruto."

Sakura left Naruto sputtering outside the office as she went to greet Tsunade with her ill-gotten sake. Shikamaru made his way home with hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.