Watching Clouds and Birds

The Resulting Hangover

Neji was standing in one of the training gardens – a rectangular space of just grass and a couple of trees at the end – sliding through movements his characteristic sleek, graceful manner

Neji was standing in one of the training gardens – a rectangular space of just grass and a couple of trees at the end – sliding through sets of kata in his characteristic sleek, graceful manner. Left hand in front, move in smooth arc to the side, duck upper body with it, right foot moves through the dirt, body curls as his left foot skips…

He knew Hanabi was watching the movement, knew she was trying to be discrete because it was improper for a Main House to learn from a mere Branch member, genius of not. Yet Hiashi-sama had not been in combat for many years now, and while he was still skilled and strong, his movements lacked the fluidity and practise Neji's held.

The Hyuuga Main House members were taught by tutors who were experts in the traditional movements, the traditional styles, so that every fighter was skilled in the Hyuuga way. Neji was not Main House. Neji had learnt his own way – a bastardised form of the Hyuuga style. Neji, however, was a genius, and his bastardised method was better suited for combat – something the Main House would rather die than admit.

But Hanabi knew. And Hanabi wanted to be the best. She hadn't quite worked up the determination to crush her pride by asking him directly to train her, but she could watch and make note and perhaps gain some of his skill through her observant eyes.

And the end of his sixth set about five minutes later he stopped, keeping his body tense and in position for some moments before allowing himself to relax. His body was covered in a light sheet of sweat, his heart racing regularly and his breath coming quicker than normal. There was a burn in his muscles and adrenaline in his blood, and it was times like this that he felt most alive.

"They weren't as easy as usual."

Hanabi's analytical, slightly scathing voice cut through his peace like a lightning bolt through the clouds. Neji grimaced. "Excuse me?" He asks, voice haughty and icy.

"They were still good, no mistakes or anything. But they looked more…forced than usual."

Neji realised she wasn't going to go away. Worse, she was acknowledging that she'd been watching, and had watched before. She would only make such an admission if there was something in it for her.

Feeling like he was walking straight into a trap, yet knowing there was no way around it, he pivoted on his right foot slowly.

There she was, standing tall and proud, the perfect Hyuuga. And yet, still a child. Still only eight years old, still only a young girl.

Too damn perceptive for a child.

"Would you like to explain yourself, Hanabi-sama?"

If Neji felt any sort of negative emotion for addressing someone six years his junior as 'sama', he was careful not to show it. Not that he especially cared. In Hinata's case, it was because he truly respected her. Hanabi? It was a subtle tease, and they both knew it. He changed her suffix depending on his mood and how annoyed she was.

She scowled. Still too young to know when to hide emotion. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!" And Neji was amused to notice she was emulating his tone of voice almost exactly – haughty and cold, and yet with the frustration that showed she had a bit of way to go yet.

"I'm not sure I do," he said, tone mockingly bewildered and innocent. He hid his amusement as her fists clenched.

She ground her teeth, seemed to be debating something with herself, before finally bursting out with, "There's something bothering you!" Then looked surprised, as if she hadn't meant to say that at all.

Neji, on the other hand, blinked, genuinely bewildered this time. Oh, she was right, he knew that. He shouldn't be bothered, but that didn't stop him. However, Neji had experience at hiding things, and was surprised Hanabi had even noticed. Let alone cared enough to mention it.

He stared at her, then sighed. She wasn't going to go away. "It's silly," he admitted. "It was an accident, it's meaningless, and I'll forget about it. It's just…going to take a bit of time."

"You've had five days," she pointed out.

Neji startled. "How do you know that?"

"Please." She snorted, distinctly unladylike. "Unlike some people, I'm not an idiot." Neji wondered who that was a jab at, him or Hinata. "You've been weird ever since you went out with your friends."

He grimaced, irritated that his attempts to forget that night were being thwarted by an eight year old. He hadn't seen Shikamaru since then. He was tempted to pass it off as the other being busy with missions and training, but the places Shikamaru usually relaxed in had been suspiciously absent.

That made Neji feel paranoid. Oh, sure, he was uncomfortable with the memory and unwilling to address it or its implications. But he was perfectly willing to put it and the unwanted feelings it invoked behind him. But…what about Shikamaru? Before this, Neji would have put money on Shikamaru not caring - after all, he wasn't one to get worked up over nothing, and he had no problems with the concept itself.

But what if Neji was wrong? What if Shikamaru did have a problem with it, and was avoiding him? What if one stupid, drunken mistake destroyed their friendship? And what did it matter if it did? Neji didn't need Shikamaru, didn't need anyone. Their friendship wasn't necessary for his survival. Why did he even care? So what if Shikamaru never spoke to him comfortably again…never watched the sky with him again…never sat eating takeout and laughing at their friend's follies again…never-

"Neji! Hello! God, did your brain decide to take a holiday or something? Hey!"

Neji jerked as Hanabi's foot connected with his knee, hard. He looked blankly at the girl, who was staring at him as if he'd gone insane. Which he probably had.

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded.

He blinked, then shook his head abruptly. Turning around, he mumbled a, "Nothing" before leaving the garden.

Oh yeah. He didn't care at all…

"Shikamaru! Get up right now! I won't tell you again!"

The boy currently being yelled at groaned, turned over and tugged his pillow over his head. "Go 'way, mum. Sleepy…"

"You're always sleepy! Now get up, it's already eleven and you are not spending the whole day in bed. Shikamaru!"

A low groan was her only answer.

When his bedroom door slammed shut, Shikamaru thanked the gods that the dragon had finally given up. He was just dropping off again, seeing deer jumping over clouds, when he was thrown into reality in the worse way possible.

Icy cold water hit him full in the upper-body and face, making him yelp and sit up with a jerk. He felt it drip under his shirt and into his pants, and shuddered. He gaped at his mum, standing there with an empty bucket in her hand. "There is something wrong with you!"

"Wrong with me?!" She yelled. "I'm not that one who decided to sleep for thirteen hours, and wanted to sleep for longer! Get up, unless you want to go to sleep in a wet bed."

Shikamaru considered it, but his body was already shivering, and it would probably be more trouble than it was worth. He didn't see what was wrong with wanting to sleep in on a day with no missions – he got hardly any of them nowadays.

Yoshino watched her son obviously trying to decide between two evils, and sighed. Carefully sitting down on one of the few dry patches, she eyed him.

When Shikamaru noticed, he gave her a wary glance before looking at the bed. "You know this means more work for you, right?" he asked wryly. She glared and considered bashing his lazy, disrespectful head in with the bucket.

"Quiet!" She paused, then steeled herself. "What's the matter with you?"

"What?"

"Don't give me, 'what', brat!" She snapped. "You may be lazy, but even you aren't usually this lazy. All you want to do is stay in your bed and sleep! You don't even seem to want to watch the clouds. Are you sick? Injured? Come on, we're going to the hospital, they can take a look at you and –"

"Mum!" He interrupted. "I'm fine, so stop clucking."

"Then tell me what's wrong!"

Shikamaru sighed, exasperated, and avoiding her gaze, looking around the room for escape routes.

"Shikamaru…I'm your mother. I'm meant to help when something's wrong, you know that, right?"

He nodded reluctantly. She may be an evil dragon who snacked on white knights and damsels in distress, but she usually had his well being in mind. Well, sort of. Even so…

"You can't help with this, mum. It's personal."

She opened her mouth, about to argue, when she took a closer look at him. He was sitting in soaking wet clothes, water dripping down his face and hair, shoulders drooped and hands limp in his lap. His eyes were downcast, and he looked so despondent and pathetic she just didn't have the heart to yell. He was so smart and mature, already a capable Chuunin, sometimes she forgot that technically he was still a kid. Still her little boy.

Reaching out a hand, she rubbed his head, ignoring his futile jerk away. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just remember, nothing is as bad as it appears. And whatever happens, you'll always have your father and I."

Shikamaru blinked, feeling slightly choked. "Thanks mum," he mumbled.

She nodded, then stopped rubbing and used the hand to slap him round the head. "Now get up, get showered and get dressed, you lazy brat!"

Yoshino walked out the room with the bucket, smiling as she heard his muttered insults and curses. Whatever it was, he'll figure it out. He always does.

"Yosh! Time for another exhilarating and enjoyable training session!"

"That is correct, Lee! Together we can enjoy our youth!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Neji tuned them out. He'd learnt early on that if he didn't want to end up in prison for two counts of murder, he'd listen to Gai-sensei and Lee as little as possible.

"Oh God, are they doing it again?"

"They are occupying the same space, Tenten. Of course they are doing it again."

He looked over to his teammate, noticing she was spinning a kunai with one finger while glaring at the two celebrating buffoons. With the arsenal of weapons and scrolls placed in easy reach, as well as those hidden, she looked deadly. Neji had always appreciated her as a teammate, and never put her in the same category as other kunoichi. Unlike the rest, Tenten had always focused on only training.

Even better, she had a genuine love for what she did. She spent days working on seals and scrolls, investing in the best ink and paper. Tenten was a reliable and strong teammate.

Sometimes Neji had to be reminded that she was also a girl.

But, if she had so many good points, why did he look at her as only a teammate and at Shikamaru as…

…no, not going there.

Then he realised he was still staring at her, and she was now staring back with an eyebrow raised. "What? Is there something on my face?"

He shook his head. "No. I just have something on my mind."

She gave him a searching look. "Shikamaru, right?"

"How did you know?" he demanded, shocked. What was with people being able to read him lately?

She laughed at him, ignoring his irritable expression. "Oh, come on. You left with him after the party, then you were weird the next day. Now you two are avoiding each other. Something happened between you." She saw the look he was giving her, and waved her hands about hurriedly. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I don't want to know. God, do I ever not want to know. Just…you two are good friends, right? You're happier when you're with him. I mean, I don't get it, but I suppose it makes as much sense as you getting along with Lee…So, whatever the problem is between you two, sort it out."

"Tenten…"

"No, Neji." She twirled the kunai warningly. "Don't be a wimp in this. Whatever is the problem, it's nothing compared to your friendship. You're supposed to be strong and brave, right? So stop being a coward and go talk to him. It's not like you have the excuse of not knowing where he is, Mister-Byakugen-user. Or I'll set those two on you."

Neji looked at Gai-sensei and Lee, and imagined them putting their energy and insanity into mending Neji's 'youthful, glorious bonds with his precious person', and gulped. Maybe it would be better to just do as Tenten says.

After being kicked out the house by his dear, loving tyrant of a mother, Shikamaru was ambling around trying to work up the motivation to go train. So far he'd managed to avoid encounters with anyone he knew, including a near miss with Ino after seeing a bright yellow blur bobbing around in the distance. He shuddered at the thought of her catching him.

Later, Shikamaru would blame it on his distracted state, and not on his failure as a shinobi. But when an arm slung itself over his shoulders, it came out of nowhere and almost gave him a heart attack.

"Wha-?"

He looked to his right, where Kiba was now hanging off him, weak with hysterical laughter. "You – haha - totally didn't - heh…oh, that was funny…"

Shikamaru controlled the urge to stick something pointy in Kiba. Barely. He sighed, exasperated. "What do you want, Kiba?"

The boy in question snickered. "Well, you see, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a few days now, but I got distracted, what with that stupid escort mission, then Kuromaru had pups and-"

"Kiba."

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba dropped his arm and moved to stand in front of Shikamaru, leaning in obnoxiously close. By now they'd stopped in the middle of the street, and Shikamaru was just grateful it wasn't busy. Kiba grinned wolfishly, fangs showing. "So, you fucking Hyuuga?"

Shikamaru's mouth fell open. "What? Kiba, have you been sniffing things again?" Why on earth would he be doing anything with Hinata?

Kiba glowered. "No, and don't play innocent. You two were all over each other."

Try as he might, Shikamaru couldn't remember a time when he had even touched Hinata, let alone been 'all over' her. And surely Kiba should be acting more protective than this? "Kiba," he said firmly. "I haven't done anything with Hinata."

"Huh?" Kiba blinked. "Who's talking about Hinata?" He scowled. "You better have not done anything with her, because if I find out you've even looked-"

Shikamaru drowned him out. If Kiba wasn't talking about Hinata, then that meant…Neji. And if they had been in a compromising position, then Kiba must be referring to…oh, god. "I thought you were too drunk to remember!" He snapped, cutting Kiba off mid-threat.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I was."

"Then how do you know?"

Kiba gave him a look. "You sure you're a genius? Akamaru wasn't too drunk. He told me after that your two's smells were all over the other."

Shikamaru thought fast. "Of course it was. Neji fell down, and pulled me down with him. I ended up landing on top of him. That's it."

"That's it?"

Shikamaru nodded, not liking the speculative look in his friend's eyes. He liked it even less when Kiba burst out laughing.

"Then how come both of your pheromones were through the roof? Must have been some fall to get you both so worked up!"

Ahh. Inuzuka's nindogs could smell hormones. That was a problem. Shikamaru looked into Kiba's gloating face, and realised the other wasn't going to drop it. He might have to give a little to get him off his back. But which part to give?

"So?" Kiba prodded him out of his thoughts, literally. Shikamaru glared half-heartedly. "You fucking Hyuuga?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "No." He stepped around Kiba and began walking again, ignoring the other's protesting cry.

"Hey, hey, wait up! Then what? You just fooling around together?"

"We're not fooling around."

"Then what? How far you got? What you two done tog-"

"A kiss!" Shikamaru glared at the annoying pest stalking him. "We just kissed, just once."

Kiba blinked. "That's what the smell thing was all about? A kiss?" He looked disappointed. "Jeez, that's nothing."

"Exactly."

Shikamaru kept walking, but Kiba stopped for a moment, looking at his friend, before bounding to catch up. "I don't get it. If it was just a kiss, why're you sulking?"

"I'm not sulking," Shikamaru argued, trying to stay calm. His patience was rapidly running out and he was about to focus all his confusion and anger onto Kiba.

"Sure you are. You're what, wandering around town doing nothing? Avoiding contact with people? You're totally sulking. Why?"

The Nara twitched. "If I tell you, will you go away?"

Kiba grinned, victorious. "Sure."

He thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out the best way to word this. He couldn't help but feel he was confessing to something. "It was only a kiss. Maybe…maybe I don't want it to be nothing."

Blinking, Kiba looked at him in complete bemusement. "What? You…you don't want the kiss to be nothing? Oh!" He had an epiphany. "You want it to be more than just a kiss! Oh, I get it. So, what's the problem?"

"You're kidding, right?" Kiba looked blank. "You know Hyuuga Neji? Serious, traditional, just as likely to rip open your circulatory system than touch you?"

"Yeah, yeah. The Hyuuga's a stupid, ice-cold, stuck-up prick. I get it. So, you two kissed when you were drunk, you want more but are too much of a wimp to confront Neji about it. That sums it up?"

Shikamaru was slightly annoyed at his mental turmoil being summed up in one sentence, but nodded anyway.

"Damn, are you sure you're sure you're a genius? 'Cause you don't seem like one to me."

Shikamaru blinked at the convoluted sentence and raised an eyebrow at Kiba. "Care to explain?"

"Look, you want something with him, you need to talk to him about it, 'cause he certainly won't. You want to play safe and keep your friendship? You still need to talk to him. The only thing sulking is going to do is screw things up worse."

Shikamaru stayed silent, thinking it through. As much as he hated to admit it, Kiba had a point. He sighed. "How come I can think of 80 ways to beat a stronger opponent in a fight, but couldn't think of that?"

Kiba burst out laughing and threw an arm over his shoulder. "Not so smart when it's personal, are ya?"

"Yes, because being horribly beaten and killed by an enemy shinobi isn't personal," he answered dryly. Then he shot Kiba a suspicious look. "Why're you so calm about this?"

Kiba snickered. "I had my hysterical 'Shika's lost his mind' panic months ago, when you started hanging out with the prick. Shino basically told me to stop being such a fucking moron." Shikamaru doubted Shino used those words. The Aburame didn't strike him as the type to swear. "Then he set his bugs on me. Besides," Kiba shrugged. "If you can get to Neji, better chances for me, yeah? Maybe you could even stop him was kicking the shit out of me."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Doubtful. Assuming you even get a chance with Hinata."

"I will," Kiba said confidently. "And if Naruto comes back before then, I just have to kick him out the village again."

Snorting, Shikamaru shook his head. Those three lived in their own little fantasy world.

"Anyway," Kiba removed his arm and started moving down the street next to them. "I need to meet up with the team. Training, something you should be doing." Kiba was unsubtle as always. As he walked away, he yelled over his shoulder, "Good luck! Have a good fuck!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes and flushed red as he felt people turn and stare at him, and start whispering to each other. Damn, he was going to kill Kiba.

"Oh, this looks nice, doesn't it?"

Neji glanced over, and raised an eyebrow at the plate Hinata was looking at. "Hn." It was a plate. They weren't even buying crockery!

He shifted the basket from one arm to the other, looking in it. They'd bought most of what they needed and only needed to pick up some tuna and mushrooms. Neji couldn't understand why they were here instead of a servant, but Hinata claimed she liked the atmosphere of the market, and wanted to try making some of her own meals. And had turned bright red when he'd asked whom she was planning on cooking for.

To be honest, Neji suspected all this was a ploy in order to talk to him. With his missions and training, it was rare they found a moment to just converse. Neji wasn't sure what to think when he realised he missed those quiet moments.

All through this shopping trip she'd been throwing cautious glances at him, as if trying to find the courage to breach the topic. He was about ready to snap at her to hurry up and say what was on her mind.

But he wouldn't. Even after two years, their relationship was still delicate. The slightest hint at anger sent her stuttering and twiddling her fingers obsessively. Not that he blamed her. Still, sometimes he got the guilty urge to shake her until she relaxed around him, until he realised how irrational that was since such an action would be highly counter-productive.

Why were relationships so complicated?

Sometimes he missed the days before Naruto, when he was isolated and alone and content as such. People confused him, irritated him and, frankly, scared him – not that he would ever admit it. Somedays he thought it would be easier to just stop trying.

He wouldn't, of course, because the little things made it worth it. Tenten rolling her eyes with him at Lee and Gai-sensei's antics; Lee grinning triumphantly at him after a successful mission; Hinata's smile as she blocks his attacks in a spar; Hiashi-sama's muted pride when he completes a new technique; Gai-sensei's not-so-muted pride; Shikamaru's…

…well, Shikamaru. But Neji wasn't going to go there.

Hinata bent down to inspect the mushrooms and Neji concentrated on not thinking about a certain problematic shinobi. As much as he was loath to admit it, Tenten was right. Still, it was one thing to say 'sort it out', and another to actually do it. What was he supposed to do, tie Shikamaru up and make him listen?

…hm.

"Neji?"

He blinked, looking at Hinata slightly startled, then flushed red. God, he did not just think that!

Hinata was looking at him in concern. "Are you alright? You're not getting sick, are you?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead and Neji fought the urge to flinch. "You do feel warm."

"I'm fine," he said weakly, removing her hand. "Really. Perfectly fine."

She looked unconvinced, but turned back to the mushrooms obediently. After choosing a couple of the mushrooms she murmured too nervously to be casual, "Because, if…if there was something wrong, you could…could tell me, maybe. I'd listen."

He blinked at her back, and she slowly turned round, not quite meeting his eyes. "That's what sisters are for, right?" she whispered.

And something warm and golden and soft lit inside him, making him smile softly and fondly. For a second he forgot about Shikamaru and hormones and wondered what he'd done do deserve a cousin like Hinata.

Then he remembered again and gloom overcame the warm, fuzzy feeling. Damn.

"Well," he started, about to dismiss his problems, when he realised that Hinata might know how to help. Not that she had experience in these matters…she better not have any experience! If Kiba was stupid enough to think he wouldn't go through on his neutering threats…"I may have a slight problem."

She smiled. "Okay." Turning back to the mushrooms, she gave his space to speak on his own terms.

Quickly, he sorted his thoughts so he didn't just start rambling idiotically, trying to pick one concern to express to Hinata. "Something happened that may threaten a friendship I value."

Her back to Neji, Hinata beamed, ecstatic her cousin had bonds he valued now. Then she thought it over. She doubted anything could affect Lee's friendship, and Tenten had seemed fine when she'd seen her earlier. Then again, Hanabi had said Neji'd been strange since the party…which meant it had to be…

She swallowed her gasp, and hid the shock from her voice. "Did you want this thing to happen?"

"Well…initially, no. I have no post-event misgivings, however. Apart from the negative affect on our friendship."

Shikamaru? But he was the most laid-back person she knew. What was so terrible that could make him avoid Neji? Or…not terrible? Neji was very carefully avoiding giving any hints to what actually happened. A drunken activity that could ruin a friendship… "What does the other person think?"

"I…have not spoken to the other party. I do believe they are avoiding me, though."

She didn't have enough information! Surely…surely Neji and Shikamaru didn't…It wasn't possible! Neji said he hadn't minded it! Did that mean…did Neji like Shikamaru? "Would you like to do the…thing again?"

"I have no preference either way."

Not liking then, just not disliking. Indifferent. Well, yes, she wasn't really surprised at that being Neji's reaction. But if he didn't care, then was the interest coming from Shikamaru? "So…you need to tell the other person that whatever happened doesn't matter. That h- erm, they are more important." Hesitantly, she turned around and saw Neji looking thoughtful rather than annoyed.

"What if they want something more?"

Hinata smiled. "If this friendship means as much to him as it does to you, he'll understand your feelings, I'm sure."

He nodded, then looked about distractedly. He looked down at the basket, then awkwardly back at Hinata. "Would you mind…?"

With a soft laugh she shook her head and took the basket from him. It wasn't too heavy, and she was a kunoichi. Neji took two steps away before pausing and looking back at her, realising something.

"How did you know it was a male?"

Hinata couldn't help it; even as she flushed red she started giggling. "Go…go find Shikamaru, Neji."

Neji stared at her for a few seconds, making her nervous, before shaking his head with a rueful smile. "Thanks Hinata-sama."

As he disappeared into the crowd she hugged the basket to her and smiled softly. "You're welcome."

"Aren't we supposed to be training?" Shikamaru asked dryly.

Asuma blew out a cloud of smoke, ignoring Shikamaru's irritable cough and waving hand. "Well, yeah," he said, unconcerned. "But Ino's training with the Godaime and Sakura, and Chouji has a stomach ache." Shikamaru snorted. "Besides, I need to pick up some stuff for tonight."

Shikamaru threw him a sideways glance. "Planning a special dinner?"

Asuma coughed, looking slightly flustered. "None of your business." He took another drag and changed the topic. "Besides, why're you following me?"

"I thought we were going to train and you're my sensei?" Asuma looked unconvinced. "Okay, maybe I wanted your opinion on something."

"You're coming to me for advice? I'm honoured."

"Haha." Shikamaru hated it when Asuma-sensei teased him. It only made him feel slightly better knowing he could beat him at shougi. Mostly.

Asuma stopped by a meat stall, considering which to get, while Shikamaru let his mind wander. The market was busy today – there were a lot of out of uniform shinobi. That was good – it meant the village wasn't as overwhelmed with missions as it had been. It looked like it was finally recovering.

He normally didn't like the market – too much hassle and noise and rushing, it wasn't worth bothering with. His mum usually dragged him to help with the carrying though, and he complained every step of the way. Shopping was woman's work, damnit.

He smirked, thinking how much Ino would hurt him for that comment.

A swipe at his head knocked him out of his thoughts, and he saw Asuma was already a couple of steps ahead of him. He moved to catch up, asking, "So what did you get?"

"Chicken. I was thinking of grilling it – maybe yakitori."

Shikamaru scrunched up his nose. "That's not very fancy."

Glaring, Asuma said, "I'm going for casual, not fancy. You going to tell me what's on your mind, or just keep harping on about my choice of food?"

Did he even know what was on his mind? Kiba had sort of helped, in his not-very-helpful way, but he still didn't know what to do. Besides, Asuma-sensei would never stop teasing him if he told him the truth. He sighed.

"I'm not sure whether I want to settle for being just friends with somebody."

Asuma grew thoughtful. This was…curious, to say the least. There were lots of people Shikamaru could be referring to. He hadn't noticed Shikamaru's feelings towards Ino or Chouji changing, but Shikamaru was smart – if he didn't want someone to know, they wouldn't.

"You friends now?"

"Yeah." He hoped so. Had these past few days destroyed that? Had the kiss?

"Felt this way for a while?"

Shikamaru opened his mouth to agree, then paused. Had he? He'd grown close to Neji, but so far it had just been deep friendship. He'd felt something lying on top of Neji, certainly, and he found it hard to get the feel of his lips out of his head, but…were all these feelings just coming from the kiss? Was this all just superficial? Or had he just not noticed until now?

"I…I'm not sure."

"Something happened to make your feelings change?"

Shikamaru nodded.

Silence fell while both tried to sort out their thoughts. Shikamaru couldn't help doubting himself. Maybe it was just lust, an attraction stirred up by a drunken kiss, and something that would fizzle out once satisfied. If that was so, then it wasn't worth risking a friendship over.

But what if it was something more? What if the friendship had evolved into something deeper? How was Shikamaru supposed to be able to tell the difference between the two?

Asuma sighed. Damn teenage hormones. It was easier when all the kids had to worry about was killing enemy shinobi and not dying on missions. Emotions were a whole different ballgame. He was tempted to tell Shikamaru that these feelings were bad and he should remain asexual for the foreseeable future. But it hadn't worked with Ino – she'd laughed in his face – so he doubted it would work with him.

"If it means something, you'll keep feeling this way. If it doesn't, it'll fade. Just remember that friendship is more important."

Shikamaru thought about it for a couple of seconds, head down, before nodding slightly.

While Shikamaru was mulling over the new advice, Asuma spotted a figure in the crowd and had an epiphany. Then felt immensely stupid that he hadn't spotted it before. Oh well, at least he didn't have to warn Shikamaru about condoms and unexpected pregnancies. He couldn't wait to see Gai's face.

He patted Shikamaru on the shoulder, and pointed him in the Hyuuga's position. "Now's your chance. Good luck." Then he walked off, smirking.

Shikamaru looked up at Asuma's retreating back, confused, until someone stopped in front of him. Glancing forward, he froze. Damn. He was going to kill Asuma-sensei as well.

"Hey Neji."

A cool look. "Hello Shikamaru."

They ended up sitting on a low wall at the end of the market, where it was quieter and there were only a few people, none of whom had any interest in them. They were both quiet, looking in opposite directions as they each organised their thoughts.

Neji was surprised at his own feelings. For the past few days he had been eager to speak to Shikamaru and clear things up. But now he was here, he found he was actually mad at Shikamaru. Examining his own feelings, he reluctantly admitted the anger stemmed from hurt. Apparently Shikamaru would rather avoid him than try to sort things out. Did their friendship mean so little to him?

That thought made his fingers curl into the stone, sharp edges digging into the skin around his nails. The small prick of pain startled him, and he consciously relaxed, loosening his muscles. This was silly. He was being childish.

"You have been avoiding me."

Shikamaru almost flinched. He should have expected Neji to be blunt, but the accusing nature of the statement made him feel embarrassed and guilty. He nodded, then realised that Neji wasn't looking at him. "Yeah."

Turning his head, Neji's eyes caught Shikamaru. As always they were unreadable, mysterious – one of the few things Shikamaru could never figure out. "Why?"

'Why'? It was a good question. Should he be brutally honest, bare his soul and risk humiliation, rejection and disgust? Then again, he was a teenage boy. As a rule, they don't go for emotional confessions. Maybe he should stick to the bare necessities.

"I wasn't sure how you'd feel after…the kiss." Shikamaru refused to be embarrassed about that word.

Neji fought the blush that threatened to emerge. He wasn't going to get flustered over a simple word! And Hyuuga's didn't blush!

…Except Hinata, but she wasn't exactly the ideal model of Hyuuga values.

"I didn't mind the kiss. I did mind you staying away from me."

Now Shikamaru did flinch. Of course, Neji would've have taken it as a sign that he was uncomfortable with the situation. This was awkward. "I'm sorry." He muttered it quickly, getting it over with.

Neji smiled slightly. For some reason, seeing Shikamaru uncomfortable and repentant, apologising, made his anger go away. It was just nice to know Shikamaru didn't hate him. Being angry just seemed pointless with Shikamaru willing to admit he was wrong.

There was silence for a few seconds as they tried to figure out where to go now. Neither was willing to broach the topic of the kiss, but both knew they couldn't just ignore it either.

Deciding that since this was all his fault in the first place it was his responsibility to fix it, Shikamaru said, "I liked the kiss."

Neji looked away. "Me too," he admitted quietly. Then he looked back up. "But…"

"'But'?" Shikamaru repeated, encouraging him to continue.

Neji took a breath. "But I would rather not pursue anything further with you." He must have seen something flicker in Shikamaru's eyes because he hastened to explain himself. "I am training to become Jounin. Gai-sensei says I may be able to succeed in some months if I continue training hard. At this point in time I do not have the time or energy that I would want if I were to pursue a serious relationship." He smiled at Shikamaru. "If I were to begin something with you, I would want to devote everything to it. I cannot do that right now, and I do not want to settle for a lesser relationship."

Shikamaru stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck, before slowly smiling back. He felt like laughing, hugging Neji, crying, something! After all that, and Neji had sorted things out on his own. Everything was going to be alright.

And he could wait. He'd wait for Neji to become Jounin and Anbu and captain and however far he wanted to go. And he'd see if these feelings, these warm sparks glowing in his chest, kindled into a fire or burnt out. And if they just grew and deepened, well, he had faith in Neji. It wouldn't take him long to climb the ranks.

He could wait.

Though the shorter the wait, the better. "Want to go train?"

Neji stared into his eyes, his mind, seeing and memorising all his secrets and thoughts. Then, still smiling slightly, he shook his head and looked up.

"It's a nice day. I'd rather watch the sky."

Shikamaru grinned and nodded. "'Kay. Let's go watch clouds and birds together."

A/N: I am very, very sorry for the horribly long wait. I started writing this chapter before my exams, then it took me about two months to finish it off! In return this chapter is extra long, so I hope that makes up for the wait.

This was the first time I wrote most of these characters, so I would adore any concrit on characterisation! But any feedback is appreciated and adored! So I want to say thanks to: Daryn Maxwell, torib0o, SunSlayerMoonSlaughter, BrevityofWit, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, Wing It, AttentionDeficitDisorder, Hanai-kun, Jibun, DarogaDaae, eat.it.in.the.kitchen., essenceofthedark, judikickshiney, Absinthian Lies, Iscatian, escape5 and reaper118.

Wow, that was a lot! Thank you everyone, and everyone who is reading and enjoying this!