I have two weeks of late schoolwork to finish yet here I am writing fanfiction.

This was a difficult chapter, so helpful criticism is HELPFUL!

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Chapter Eight

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[Asset-san]

Sasuke comes flaying out of Genos's control like he'd been dropped from the top of a building. Cold pavement of consciousness hitting him a hundred miles per hour.

[Asset-san, Mission Override was initiated during mid-disassociation. The sudden switch in control appears to have affected you emotionally.]

"Ha," he chokes, curled in an upright position and swallowing against the sudden clog in his throat.

He spends a long moment collecting himself. This had to have been one of the worst 'switches' he's ever had with Genos. A hammer to the chest would have been more pleasant than this.

A few minutes of meditative breathing passes, leaving behind a sleepless night exhaustion that weighs on him like sandbags.

Resigned to what had happened, he takes a second to inspect where he was. Curled up on a mattress near a window-laced wall shoulder height. In a small, immaculately clean bedroom. Every wall besides a tiny study desk held crowded bookshelves. Genos beeps away, cataloguing everything to memory while Sasuke turns to his right. Peering through the open window to a lawn bordered by thick, dark forest.

He looks up into moonlight. Star named after his mother winking back at him.

"Where…" he frowns, something about this place felt familiar. "Are we at Shikamaru-san's?"

[Affirmative]

"Why?"

[The adults did not want to leave you alone after Uzumaki-san's attack]

Attacked by the Dobe? Sasuke scowls down at his hands clamped tightly around his knees. Never. It was a stupid prank like he said.

[The prank hurt you]

"Am I bleeding?" Sasuke hisses.

[You don't need a physical wound to be hurt, Asset-san.]

"Shut up," he growls, hands clenching into fists. "Stop spewing such hearty crap."

[I'll stop once you're better at managing painful feelings instead of ignoring them until another panic attack arises]

Sasuke sighs up at the ceiling. "Where's the Dobe now?"

[In the next room getting lectured by Yamanaka-san]

"My therapist is here?" he blinks, turning to stare in mute horror at the closed bedroom door. "God, why?"

[Allow me to recap what occurred after we 'switched'. Preceding my takeover of control, Yamanaka-san along with the rest of Clan Heads unanimously decided it would be best if we were were to stay at Nara-san's house. Ino-san, quite loudly and viciously wanted us to stay at her place. Seeing as Yamanaka-san is your therapist, staying there for 'monitoring' would have in her mind been ideal.

Politically however, that would have been a neatly packed disaster.]

Sasuke was about to ask how exactly, before thinking better of it. He was too worn out to indulge in head-splitting political talk that he wouldn't even be able to comprehend.

[The Clan Heads knew that and, as it stands Shikamaru has known you the longest. Ergo, we're staying here for the next seventy-two hours until you prove sound of mind.]

"How does Dobe fit into all of this?"

[Uzumaki-san has no parents to explain to him what he did was wrong. Yamanaka-san and Shikamaru-san's mother are taking care of it as we speak.]

Right, he's an orphan, Sasuke nods, absently wondering why he needed parents to teach something that was so obvious. Bombing people's apartments full of paint was just not something nice people do.

[What's obvious to you Asset-san, might not be as obvious to someone else. Everyone's situation is unique and as such affects them uniquely.]

Sasuke groans. "I told you to quit spewing – "

[Shikamaru-san is approaching the door. ETA ten seconds.]

He shuts up, turning to gaze into the forest.

Reflecting in the windowpane's glass, Sasuke could see Genos. Yellow wrapped securely around his iris and burning of life.

Shikamaru nocks once and opens the door. Sasuke turns back as though he weren't expecting him. Balanced in the boy's hand was a plate with a [tomato and tuna mayonnaise sandwich].

For a moment of their eyes connect.

Shikamaru half-grins in relief.

"Ah, you're back."

"I'm awake, yeah," Sasuke grunts. Eyeing the sandwich hungrily.

"Right," Shikamaru snorts. Closing the door behind him and walking over to hand Sasuke the plate. "No crumbs in my bed," he warns. "They tickle."

"Hn," he bites into the bread. Cocking his head when Shikamaru seats himself down near his curled up legs.

"Dad and Ionoichi-san want you to stay here for the next couple days." Sasuke feigns confusion. "The paint's still setting in your house," Shikamaru shrugs in excuse. "Uzumaki's here, by the way."

Swallowing he asks, "He staying here too?"

"Maybe," Shikamaru hums, jumping down to reach under his bed and pulling out a shogo board. "Depends on the adults. Do you play?"

"Once," Sasuke bites again, chewing through the sudden dryness of his mouth.

"Nii-san," his four-year-old self whines, "You said you'd go easy."

"This is me being easy Otouto. You just need to practice so you can beat me next time, hm?"

'Next time' never happened.

Shikamaru seats himself down again, opening the box to its fullest and pouring out white and black rocks from a tiny pouch besides it. Sasuke watches silently as the boy organizes everything.

"White first." He gestures for him to go.

With slight reluctance, Sasuke does. Genos humming little suggestions to him now and then that visibly bothered Shikamaru.

He's surprised to find that after some time, sandwich finished and moon somewhere else in the sky, that he's beating Shikamaru.

Did you play with Saitama-sensei?

[Saitama-sensei preferred books over mind games. No, Dr. Kuseno introduced me to the game after he saved me. We stopped playing once my mental processors began advancing and I could simultaneously calculate and apply strategic manoeuvring that would enable me to win any match begun.]

Couldn't you have just, stopped?

[Negative] Genos's whirring sounds heavier. [Turning off a portion requires me to turn off everything. Playing shogi is no longer an option.]

Seems to me like you miss it.

[Playing with Dr Kuseno was enjoyable while it lasted.]

And all of a sudden, Sasuke finds himself incredibly unhappy.

"Hn, Shikamaru-san?" The Nara glances up, chin rested on entwined fingers. With resolve he offers, "…Let's do this more often?"

"I'd be upset if we don't," Shikamaru smirks lopsidedly.

A warm whirr has Sasuke supressing a grin.

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During Konoha's early beginnings, the Nara Clan built their houses out of the trees they cut down. Similarly so with the rest of the dismal population. While time passed and housing production advanced into brick and cement, the Nara's methods stayed put. As did their houses.

So it made for an interesting experience walking through Shikamaru's home. The last time he was there, he was nothing but a toddler with pitiful spatial awareness to acknowledge such beautiful architecture.

It has Fire Hazard written all over it.

[Not if we're careful]

What's that supposed to mean?

"Uchiha-kun," Shikaku greets him from the couch as Sasuke and Shikamaru enter the living room. "You just missed Inoichi."

Good, he doesn't say.

"Finished the food my wife made you, I see," Shikaku watches as Shikamaru walks past him and disappears through the door with Sasuke's empty plate. "To your liking?"

[It was adequate]

"Yes," Sasuke stuffs his hands into his pants pockets. "Thank you."

Shikaku gestures for Sasuke to take a seat opposite him, "Aah, you should thank my wife tomorrow, she'll love the compliment."

Sitting on the couch, Sasuke glances down at the coffee table to see what the man was doing.

[Processing…Files consist of Mission reports from T&I Division and an updated file on Uzumaki Naruto's living situation from his ANBU Watchers]

Sasuke sat there blinking for a moment in dumb shock. He knew from Genos's past field observations that ANBU watched over Naruto (not giving it much thought because he honestly has more important things to worry about), but why the heck would Shikamaru's dad have a file on him? The Jōnin Commander?

Is the Dobe really that important?

Genos makes a noise entirely unlike him.

Sasuke's eyebrows climb his forehead.

Genos. Is he?

Does it have something to do with that foreign energy in his stomach?

[You really are ahead your age level in deductions...Involving ourselves in this matter shows a high percentage of danger, Asset-san]

I just wanna know.

The firm [Don't] startles Sasuke.

Genos…

"Aah," Shikaku stacks his assortment of files to hide their titles. "Work doesn't simply end at the office, unfortunately."

Sasuke looks back up at the man, holds his gaze for a split second – unnerved by the intensity of it – and glances over to the door where Shikamaru disappeared behind. Hoping he would come back sooner rather than later so he wouldn't have to sit through this uncomfortable conversation.

And provide a distraction from the sudden hurt he felt.

Genos shifts in his head.

Shikaku yawns and slacks back against the couch, "My wife is busy dropping Uzumaki-san back home. He was here, Inoichi scolded him. I think the kid wants to apologise."

Sasuke can't help but snort. "Hn. No need."

Shikaku cocks his head, "Oh? Not hurt at all?"

His chest pangs at the memory of seeing the place he's managed to call home just…ruined in mere seconds. Again. "Forgiveness is earned."

"Haa, fair enough," the man gives an approving look. "So until the brat shows just how sorry he is, you won't accept. Am I getting that right?"

Sasuke half-shrugs.

"Cunning. Who'd you learn that from?"

"Tch. No one worth mentioning."

[Asset-san]

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Sometime during lunch the next day, Yamanaka shows up with Naruto in tow. Sasuke was busy feeding deers at the forest's border with Shikamaru and ignoring Genos to notice the approach.

Shikamaru sighs. Content to lying against a dozing Deer and soaking in the afternoon sun. He looked half-asleep and almost cat-like.

"Not that it's any of my business," Sasuke's friend (?) says. "But did you argue with my father last night?"

Sasuke faces Shikamaru. Twitching slightly at the cool snout of the deer prodding his handful of grapes. "No."

"Then why're you so blue?"

"Tch. I'm not."

Shikamaru's eyelids slip open with a look of profound scepticism.

"You got the same face Ino made when she and Sakura got into a fight over ribbons."

[Asset-san] Genos says for the tenth time today and Sasuke's palm locks into a fist. Bursting the plucked grapes and causing their warm juices to dribble down his arm. The deer he had befriended rears back and skitters over to Shikamaru. Dropping down with its back to him.

"Oh yeah," Shikamaru's eyes roll upwards to the cloudless sky. "So not cool."

"Shut up," Sasuke flushes, flicking the skin of grapes off and wiping his sticky hand against his borrowed green t-shirt. "It's none of your business."

The boy snorts, "You seriously don't know how friends work, do you?"

[Asset-san]

"Shut. Up already."

Shikamaru gapes, obviously hurt before converting into eerie understanding. "Ooh."

A suspecting chill dives down his spine - which Sasuke quickly shakes his head at.

Impossible.

[Attention, Asset-san. ]

He flinches in shock at the severity of Genos's voice.

[...Uzumaki-san is behind you]

Sasuke whips around so quickly he almost stumbles. Coming face to face with the approaching orange form of Naruto.

"Teme," the boy greets. Lips curls into a half-hearted attempt at stopping himself from snarling out the words. "The girly man told me I hurt your feelings or whatever so…you know. Sorry that you're such a pussy and stuff."

Sasuke's eyelid twitches.

Shikamaru whistles low. "Damn Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes swipe between the Nara and Sasuke, scoffing. "You look fine to me, dunno what they went on about last night."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke glowers and wiggles his fingers. "Bye bye."

Naruto's face slackens.

[Data reports a 10% increase in anger levels]

"I don't like you," Naruto says. "You get everything you want without even tryin' and when I try, try to make people laugh I get shouted at."

Shikamaru winces. "Uzumaki – "

"No listen to me!" Naruto shouts. Sasuke backs a few paces from him on Genos's warnings. Naruto notices and stares at him in disbelief. "Why're you so afraid of me, huh? Like them."

"It's different," Sasuke looks away.

"How? Fear is all the same and it's all because of me," Naruto cries. Expression awash in helplessness. "And the one group of people who didn't treat me like some poisonous bug you take away. Make them hate me and stuff for being-I dunno what I am!"

Sasuke stares. Disbelieving.

I did what?

"Uzumaki," Shikamaru interrupt calmly. Sitting up from his languid position. "Sasuke didn't do anything like that."

"The hell he didn't. The moment he sat with you guys was the last time I did," Naruto turns away from them, as though they were the ones doing the attacking. "I saw the way you guys talked and stuff an'…you all seemed to happy without me."

Sasuke frowns in silence, glancing over to Shikamaru who had this pained look in his eyes.

Did I seriously cause this?

[Asset-san we did not know. Uzumaki-san had a sparse relationship with them, I simply assumed…wrongly. I assumed wrongly. An error upon my part not yours]

"Sheesh Naruto, that's so not the truth."

"But it is, ain't it?" Naruto sniffs. "You stopped speakin' to me after he started hangin' out with you guys." An uncomfortable tension plagued the space between them. "You all just forgot about me."

"We didn't," Shikamaru stresses, standing and looking like he wanted to shout. "Naruto, you were the one who stopped showing up. We all just thought you got bored and ran away like you usually do after hanging out with us for a long time."

"You're blaming me?" Naruto screeches. Whipping round to glare.

Sasuke glances between them. Feeling disturbingly out of place until Naruto shoves a finger at him.

"He's the one who's afraid of me and brought you all on his side. Now you all hate me because of him!"

"We don't hate you, Naruto," Shikamaru groans. "And he isn't afraid of you, you just…" Shikamaru's face pinches, seeming as though he was measuring his words. "Your anger triggers him."

[…Ha?]

Sasuke stares fixedly at Shikamaru. Wondering if he had heard correctly.

Naruto's anger riles under the weight of confusion. "T-Trigger? What the heck's that?"

Shikamaru pointedly does not glance over at Sasuke's warning gaze, instead he takes a deep breath and grumbles, "You remind him of the asshole who murdered his entire damn family, Naruto. Of course he avoids you, whenever you see him you're angry and that's just so not okay!"

An oppressing chill whips the air silent.

A thick clog forms in Sasukes' throat at the mention of that.

[Asset-san, would you like me to activate Mission Override?]

Naruto, pale, shoots to Sasuke. Misunderstanding visibly falling into overwhelming place – but the thing was Shikamaru was so off the bat Sasuke wanted to scream. "I-I what?"

No. No I can handle it.

"I remind you of a murderer?" Naruto's voice pitches in horror.

"Could we not," Sasuke forces out. "Speak about this please?"

"Oi I'm not fin…" Naruto's anger slams shut when Sasuke takes another step back. "Dammit I'm not gonna hurt you, alright? Sure I'm angry but I have good meaning to or…" thoughts swirl maddeningly across his face. "Or, I did – ugh I'm so confused!" He throws a second finger at Sasuke, eyebrow twitching. "You're confusing me, Teme!"

"Finally using your head," Shikamaru sighs in relief. Plopping back down against his still zonked out deer. Naruto awkwardly follows, and feeling the odd one out so does Sasuke.

After a second of pondering silence Naruto turns his gaze back on his supposed enemy. Disturbingly desperate. "You don't actually hate me? Or fear me?"

Admittedly, "I don't."

"You're just weird about me 'cause I remind you of – "

"Naruto," Shikamaru quickly hisses. Admonishing.

Naruto frowns but shuts his mouth, clearly confused about just how damn awful Sasuke feels when he's reminded of…

Dammit. Calm down

Genos thrums around him in comfort.

"...Hn."

"Huh," Naruto's eyes glaze over. "So…you never really did anything wrong and I hated you because…"

"Of something he can't manage right now," Shikamaru tries to keep his voice low so only Naruto could hear. But because of Genos, Sasuke picked it up like a scream.

He tries not to grimace.

This is humiliating.

[It's a strong cover story and could potentially tame Uzumaki's anger]

Er, he's not a threat anymore?

[Some recent intelligence has made that…inconclusive. Though my warning remains in tact. Do not befriend the boy]

No problem there.

Naruto groans, ears turning red. "I- I bombed your apartment with paint because…I just wanted to get everybody's attention back. I thought it would be funny and everyone would like me again…but you fainted and - "

"I what?!" Sasuke's shout slips out of his mouth before he could stop it.

The two boys blink at him.

[Switching during dissociation was...difficult]

Shikamaru hums.

"For like a couple seconds, yeah," Naruto shrugs, frowning. "You, er, don't remember that?"

The Dobe was staring at him as though he thought Sasuke was loosing it.

"Dad fainted once after returning from a mission," Shikamaru says without care. "He didn't remember either."

"Oh."

They slip into silence again, though this time with less tension and more understanding.

Well, Sasuke thinks grumpily, for them at least.

Genos sighs [Asset-san - ]

Yeah, yeah.

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Yamanaka is positively glowing in happiness when Sasuke and the others return inside. Nobody arguing only Shikamaru catching Naruto up on what he's missed out these past couple of months. On the way up Sasuke catches Naruto wanting to help re-paint his apartment.

It makes Genos thrum uneasily.

Shikaku walks onto the small patio where Yamanaka was sitting languidly in a weaved chair, munching into a slice of fresh cheesecake.

"Shikamaru, how were the deers?"

"Good pillows."

Shikaku accepts the lack of observational effort with a nod and sits next to Yamanaka.

"Where's my slice?"

"You've got legs, old man. Use them."

Yamanaka pouts. Straightening when Sasuke steps onto the wooden platform. Eyes extracting anything he could. "Everything go well?"

"Hmph," Sasuke narrows his eyes. Not happy about the fact that he threw Naruto at him so suddenly like that.

"I know what I did was risky," he bends close to him. Gently earnest. "But be honest Sasuke-kun, would you have sought out to fix this problem yourself or chosen to ignore Uzumaki-san for as long as you could?"

Sasuke grimaces, knowing the answer all too well.

"I didn't like it. He…" kept on bring up Itachi.

"I know -" does he? "- don't you feel better though? That he no longer resents you and is remorseful? Understanding?"

It was so very irritating how the man was exactly like Genos with using logic against him.

"Tch."

Yamanaka straightens again and waves at Naruto and Shikamaru as they pass. Naruto bends awkwardly, glancing between them before whispering Shikamaru a question he nods at.

"Ah! So you fix Teme's head, yeah? That's awesome!"

I'm gonna kill him.

[Now, Asset-san]

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NOTE: You may have noticed that Shikamaru was being incredibly unreasonable to Naruto in this chapter and guilt drove him to being nice. Ahh Naras. Even at a young age they know how to manipulate situations and people don't they? (budding kid shinobi are terrifying)

To explain: Shikamaru was hurt, really hurt by a friend suddenly ditching him and the group. A friend which sporadically hung out with them since before the Academy and learned to love. As a kid, you would be hurt too. And Shikamaru really freaking VALUES friendship so when that person up and leaves with no explanation and then comes steamrolling in pointing fingers at a new friend whose so very broken and just watched their family die? Say he HATES the new friend who he's watched disassociate, switch personalities and hide panic attacks? Naruto bombed this kid's new house with paint and to Shikamaru, whenever he gets angry Sasuke freaks out (not knowing that it's cause Genos senses Kyuubi) and he thinks 'oh dang he's seeing Itachi'. Aww man, you gonna bet this little Nara's pissed.

How Shikamaru went about dealing with Naruto and shoving the blame on his leaving the group i do not think is healthy. But my dudes, even tho he's a genius he's still a dang kid and he's gonna do and say stuff wrong. If they were older you bet they would have had this conversation in a totally different and healthier way.