Sign Me Yours

Yey, next chapter. [8 Bonds start to form.

Golden Kitsune: I'm glad you like it! -hugs- Hopefully this chapter is just as good.

--

However, they didn't get the chance to talk because of what happened later that day, the attack of the Oto and Suna shinobi and the funeral of the Sandaime as well as several other things made a week pass before any of them would have the opportunity again. Having spent some time alone in his room, contemplating what happened the past days, among other things the truth about his father that his uncle had not told him before now. It was a mystery, and Neji could not stop thinking about it.

It was the same day he found himself walking back towards his regular training spot, as he had not had the time for the past days and he longed for some proper workout that did not include mulling over useless things; things of the past.

Shikamaru was lying down in the clearing, wanting to be away from everyone. With everything that had happened, his home was becoming chaos with how moody his mother was getting. Asuma hadn't called any meetings in a while, not that the Nara blamed him-- it had been his father that died after all. Ino was spending all her time and home and when he was with Chouji all he could about were the times as academy students when they would run into the late-Hokage.

He frowned, trying to push all those thoughts away and just stare up at the sky. Not that it was helping for once...

Neji arrived at the clearing, only to raise an eyebrow as he noticed he was not alone. What that boy was doing there, he did not know, but for some reason, he didn't feel disturbed by the fact. The boy had seen him do his morning exercise before, and he was not there to ogle his ass like the girl that had been with him the last time. From seeing them together during the exam, he assumed she was his teammate along with the chubby boy.

"Nara," he greeted him quietly, kneeling down almost beside him as he put down his bag, taking a few weapons from it; going to use them for his practice.

Shikamaru glanced over at him, watching him for a bit before looking back up at the sky. There was no use watching him now and he didn't think it would calm his mind more than the clouds.

"Hyuuga," he greeted back.

Standing up, Neji walked a little bit away from him before he started his exercise, not noticing that it was easier to focus this time. In the end he was barely aware of the others presence, the silence between them had become more comfortable.

--

A couple of hours later, Neji stopped what he was doing, deciding it was time for a small break like normal. Walking back to his bag and the Nara, he sat down. Taking his bottle, he drank some of it before glancing at the younger boy. It seemed that he had been out there longer than he had, and though it was not as warm outside as before, because autumn was coming, the sun was still shining brightly, and it didn't seem like the other had brought water.

"Water?" he offered, having a strange sense of déjà vu as things almost proceeded like the first time they had met in the same spot.

Shikamaru looked over at the question and sat up after a pause. He reached over, taking the bottle and drinking from it; this time making sure his lips didn't touch the bottle's neck.

"Thanks," he said, handing it back.

Just nodding his head in return, Neji put the bottle down, the silence once again surrounding them with the exception of the birds twittering, the bees humming and the light breeze rustling the trees. It was almost... enjoyable. And he had achieved a tad more respect for the other boy when he heard what had happened during the final part of the exams, except that he had yielded.

Shikamaru kept his gaze on the Hyuuga for a minute before turning his head again. "So... what was that paper about?" he asked, remembering it. He still kept it in one of his desk drawers, in case it was something important; though he couldn't figure out if it could be.

Chuckling softly, Neji gave him a wry smile, amused.

"You should know," he told him, looking away from him again. "You requested it yourself during the second test," he added, giving him a clue so he could remember.

Shikamaru blinked slowly before his eyes widened and he blushed a little. "Ah, troublesome..." he muttered, scratching his cheek. "That was Ino's idea, you know..."

"Mm." Neji just nodded slightly. Of course he had known. Well, not whose idea it had been, but that it had only been a ploy to flatter him.

"I knew," he smirked. "It was just too amusing not to," he added, noticing the other's blush. For some reason, it looked rather good on the other boy; not that the Hyuuga noticed such things. No, he didn't.

Releasing a sigh, Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, scowling slightly and looking at the ground. "At least someone was amused by that, I suppose," he said.

Neji nodded. "At least next time you know it won't work," he chuckled softly, watching the other boy in his embarrassment. However, he refused to admit that the look appealed to him. Taking another gulp of water, he got up, seeing as his break had passed.

Shikamaru snorted, reclining himself back on the grass again. "Maybe next time I'll ask for some of your hair instead," he said with a smirk, now teasing.

Spluttering slightly, indignantly a soft blush stained Neji's cheeks, barely there, yet still visible against his pale skin.

"Don't even joke about that." He looked away from the younger boy, mostly to hide the slight heat in his cheeks. It didn't make sense; the other boy was only teasing him a bit, so why was he blushing? Blushing! Hyuuga’s just didn't blush; well, other than Hinata, they just didn't.

Shikamaru chuckled, his smirk widening as he watched the Hyuuga from the corner of his eyes. "Why not? I'm sure a lot of people would kill to even just touch your hair," he said. "Would you rather be asked for something else? Like your clothes?"

"I think an autograph is enough," he coughed lightly. "Besides, I doubt anyone would want my clothes." He wrinkled his nose. Would someone want any of that from him, for real? Neji was seriously in doubt, it seemed strange. No, Neji would never understand idol-worshippers.

"You'd be surprised," Shikamaru said. "Although I think it's more to see you naked, than to actually have your clothes," he mused before rolling his eyes. "Women are just too troublesome."

"Wh-what?!" Neji blurted out, whipping his head around to stare incredulously at the younger shinobi, a nice, strong blush settling on his cheeks; left eyebrow twitching slightly.

"B-but..." he spluttered, not able to wrap his mind around the idea of anyone wanting to see him naked.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, subduing the urge to laugh at the older's expression as he lifted his upper body, supporting himself on his arms. "Oh, come on. Women like pretty boys. And, face it, the only person who could compete with you there is the Uchiha. It's not that hard of a concept."

"But... naked?" the Hyuuga covered his mouth with a hand, still twitching before he looked at the other, looking skeptic, as if he thought this had to be a trick of some sorts.

"Do... people really think about things like... that?" he asked after a while. Neji had never thought of such a thing before, to him it was a laughable thought, but... The idea of girls wanting to see him... naked... He paled and blushed at the same time. He was starting to feel slightly ill.

"Your teammate doesn't do that?" the Nara asked, surprised. He paused before making a face. "All mine does is talk about who's 'hot and who's not' and why they fall into that category," he said, using air-quotes with one hand.

He scowled and laid back down, using his arms as a pillow. "You can imagine how annoying she gets."

"Ah..." Neji felt quite disturbed from this revelation. Then Shikamaru's next words made him feel like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him. Did Tenten think like that too? Did she want to see him... in the nude? He felt a bit sick at the thought. Then again, hearing how Shikamaru described his teammate, he remembered the horrible girl that seemed to drag him along all the time.

"No... She does not," he replied. "Actually... she is usually complaining about how annoying the other girls are... at least, those that are like your teammate." His lips twitched slightly. Perhaps he had been lucky to have Tenten on his team. At least if you compared her to that girl Shikamaru was talking about.

"Well, you're lucky then," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes. "When it comes down to it, she's okay, but most of the time she's just too troublesome to deal with." At least, he thought to himself, he never had to worry about Ino fantasizing about him. That would just be creepy.

"I suppose..." he nodded, hesitating, he caught himself looking the other boy over once, and, finding nothing abnormal or repulsing about him, he hesitated a bit more before he, for once, let curiosity get the best of him.

"Does she... Do girls... want to see you naked?" he asked, feeling rather stupid for asking. Then again, he could not particularly see why someone would want to see anyone naked.

"Not that I know of," he said, shrugging. "Ino doesn't at least. Not like I'm anything interesting to look at anyway." He looked over at Neji again. "I know I don't have a fanclub at least."

Neji blinked. It didn't seem to make any sense to him. Why would he be more attractive than the Nara? He could see nothing wrong with him.

"Fanclub?" he asked. This... did not seem promising.

"You don't even know about that?"

Shikamaru sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I... don't think it's anything official but girls like to gather together to compare notes and gab about who they like." He shrugged. "I don't understand it myself, but it happens. And it's usually about yourself or Uchiha."

"Ah..." Neji turned to stare up at the sky, paling a little more. Meetings? Since when? To talk about him?

"That is creepy," he said in the end, not knowing what else to say.

Shikamaru smirked again and starting to shake his head before deciding that was more energy than needed. "Why do you think I try and stay away from them?"

Neji's lips twitched slightly.

"I see," he nodded, but then he remembered he was supposed to practice. Annoyed with himself for forgetting about it, he got up and started his exercises. However, while he went through familiar steps, familiar poses, his thoughts went elsewhere. Neji wasn't exactly known for being talkative, and yet he had talked a lot with this boy he barely knew. Somehow, he didn't mind the chit chatter they had shared. It gave him a very strange feeling. Was this how it was like having friends?

Shikamaru himself was wondering what was making him talk this much. The only other person he said this much to was his mother and that was to argue with her. It just didn't normally seem worth it for small talk. Why bother forcing conversation?

He sat up after a while, watching the Hyuuga as he ran through his exercises. He noticed after a while that Neji slowed down at a certain point during his rotation, almost like he was hesitating.

The other boy was so different from himself, but not in an annoying way. Perhaps that was why he didn't mind talking with him so much. Yes, that had to be it.

Being too preoccupied with his thoughts, Neji did not see where he was stepping and, all of a sudden, he found himself laying face in the dirt, having stumbled and fallen. Silence stretched a bit while he wondered how that could have happened. Neji just didn't lose concentration like that. He frowned, displeased with himself before he stood up, brushing dirt from his clothes.

Had Shikamaru been anyone else or with anyone else, he surely would have laughed. It wasn't everyday you saw a trained and skilled shinobi trip over himself, after all.

"You were favoring your left leg for a bit there," he observed aloud.

Gritting his teeth, Neji refrained from snapping at the other boy for pointing out his mistake, but then again, he was right, he had to face it that he had made a mistake.

"Hn," he just replied, starting all over again, this time concentrating. Actually, his mind reminded him after a while, he should be grateful that the other had not mocked him for his mistake.

Shikamaru smirked, knowing how irked the other was with himself. He sighed, glancing up at the sky before deciding that he should probably get back home before his mother took it upon herself to search for him.

He stood up, absently brushing off his pants. He turned his gaze back onto Neji, wondering if he should bother with a farewell or not.

Faintly registering that the other stood up, Neji was concentrating for real this time, not letting anything distract him from those familiar moves. He'd be damned if he let himself stumble once more, or make any more silly, or stupid, mistakes.

Deciding against disturbing the older boy, Shikamaru just turned and started walking towards the village. On a second thought, he stopped and called over his shoulder, "It'll probably start raining in an hour. You might want to stop before then."

If he didn't hear, it was his own fault.

Hearing the other boy call out, Neji stopped what he was doing, landing gracefully after what had been a complex kicking move. Looking after the other boy, he raised an eyebrow and looked up at the sky. Rain? Nonsense, the clouds did not look threatening and to him, there was no sign that it would rain later.

--

One hour and ten minutes later, a rather grumpy, soaked Hyuuga was stepping into his apartment (his Uncle had let him get one just outside the Hyuuga compound as long as he visited regularly). It was not his own fault, he decided, it had looked clear just up until it started raining. And what a rain.

He frowned. His hair would take hours to dry this way. Sighing, he started stripping down, deciding to take a shower. Nothing bothering to lock his door (it was a ninja village, after all), he stepped into the shower. However, what irked him the most was not the fact that his hair was wet, or that he was feeling cold and uncomfortable. No, what irked him most was that the younger boy had known exactly when it would start to rain. How?

Shikamaru scowled, walking down the streets, an umbrella in one hand and a package in the other. He stopped in front of the apartment complex and stared up at it before pushing the button to alert the resident someone was there to see them.

Seeing Lee and getting the information out of him was both a blessing and a curse. Now he had to actually go through with what his mom insisted he do, but on the other hand he didn't have to wander out in the rain.

Sometimes the Nara wondered if his mother was hypnotizing his father and him-- how else could she get them to do all they did? Honestly, he didn't see why he had to go bring Neji some food. He was a capable ninja and if he hadn't taken his warning earlier, a little rain wouldn't hurt him. But of course his mother didn't see it that way.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Neji grumbled slightly to himself. Well, at least he was just done with rinsing his hair. Getting out of the shower, he padded over to the speaker and turned it on. Glaring at his wet tracks on the floor, he turned to the speaker again.

"Who is it?" he asked, wondering who would be visiting him? The only ones that ever visited him were Lee and Tenten, sometimes Hinata or Hiashi, but he couldn't think of any reason why any of them would be visiting him at a time like this, while it was raining none the less. He'd expect them to stay indoors at a time like this. Well, maybe not Lee, but... sighing softly to himself, he awaited the reply.

"Tch, it's me," Shikamaru said, voice obviously showing his annoyance at being out there. "Nara," he added as an afterthought, not sure if Neji would recognize his voice through the intercom.

"Ah..." Neji blinked in surprise at the speaker. What was the Nara doing there? It was not like they hung out on a regular basis, or... well, they couldn't exactly consider each other friends or anything. They just happened to be in the same places a few times.

"…Come up," he pushed the button, unlocking the door downstairs to let him into the complex. The ‘what’ would have to wait until he came up. With that thought, Neji looked down at himself.

"Just walk right in, the door is unlocked," he added, letting him know he wasn't going to be there to open the door to his apartment, seeing as he had to get dressed.

"Mm," he sounded in acknowledgment, opening the door while the buzzer was still going. He closed the umbrella once inside, shaking it a couple times before giving up and just dragging it as he started up the stairs.

He stopped in front of the other’s apartment door and turned the knob, opening it. He glanced around and not seeing a holder just tossed his umbrella to the floor and stepped further in, closing the door after him.

Cursing the fact that the lazy boy had used so little time getting up the stairs, Neji left his hair half-brushed (not that it mattered, he did not care much about looking good for the other boy, and besides, his hair didn't look that bad when unbrushed either) and wrapped the towel around his waist. Sighing, he cursed the fact that he had not brought any clean and dry clothes with him to the bathroom, he stepped into his living room where the other boy was already standing.

"I'll be ready in a moment," he told him as he walked towards his bedroom, "just get comfortable." Hurrying up, not comfortable showing that much skin in front of anyone, Neji swept into his bedroom and got dressed quickly. Then he went back out to the other boy.

"Sorry, I was in the shower when you rang," he apologized for not being able to greet him properly.

Shikamaru shrugged, waving it off. "It's fine; not like you were expecting me."

He still stood despite what Neji had said, not sure how long he'd actually be staying here. No use sitting down only to have to get up a minute later.

"Ah, this is for you," he said, not quite looking at him as he offered over a wrapped bento box.

Neji blinked and looked down at the bento box, which looked much too big to eat alone. "Ah... thank you...?" Neji looked questioningly at the other boy, wondering what this was all about.

"If you don't mind me asking, what... why...?" he's unsure of how to phrase his question, but he assumed the other would get the idea.

Shikamaru sighed and finally looked at him. "Maa, my okaa-san insisted that I find you and bring something."

He shrugged, setting it down on a nearby table when Neji didn't take it. "I don't try to figure her out, just find a way to get her to stop screeching. It probably has something to do with forming friendships with other clans," he said, shaking his head and scratching the back of it in exasperation.

"I see," Neji nodded, before pausing, following the Nara with his eyes before something occurred to him. For the Nara's mother to make her son bring him food, she would have to have heard something about them spending time together. Almost raising an eyebrow, Neji refrained from asking how she knew; it was trivial anyway.

"Would you like to stay, then?" he asked, slightly amused at the younger boy's description of his mother. "It is too much for me on my own, and if your mother want you to form friendships with my clan, she probably intended for you to stay for a while." He pushed back the small voice in the back of his head that questioned him for giving a reason for his request. It was pointless and stupid, and was not like him at all.

Shikamaru looked out the window for a second before looking back at Neji. "Sure. Might as well stay until the rain lets up anyway," he said, sitting down at the table, sitting cross-legged.

"You have a spare pair of chopsticks?" he asked as he unwrapped the bento, revealing rice, steamed vegetables, and deer meat teppanyaki.

Nodding, Neji went to find them plates and chopsticks. He did have chopsticks, plates and bowls for more than just himself, even though he rarely used it. Putting it on the table, he sat down, crossing his legs as well.

"I hope your okaa-san is a good cook," he joked lightly, putting some on his plate, putting it down in an almost aesthetic way, the vegetables neatly beside the teppanyaki and a small pile of rice in his bowl.

Shikamaru smirked, gathering a good amount of the meat to put on his plate, not caring if it looked nice or not. Despite taking care of all the deer in Konoha, the Nara's rarely got to keep the meat for themselves, selling most of it to make money for maintaining the forest and medical experiments. So he was going to enjoy it while he could.

"She got better with time," he replied, half joking.

Lips twitching slightly in amusement, Neji muttered a soft 'itadakimasu' before he started eating, doing so slowly, really tasting the food instead of just swallowing it all hurriedly. Finding it actually rather tasty, he nodded slightly in approval as he took another mouthful. It was certainly much better than most food he ate. He knew how to cook, but he was not the best at it. He had never cared to hone his skills in that department though; it was merely to feed himself, not to make an impression on anyone. His food was decent enough, but this was delicious.

"Give her my compliments," he said after a while, remembering his manners, chewing on some vegetables.

Shikamaru nodded, swallowing the mouthful of food before speaking, "I will, but then don't be surprised if she gives you something daily from then on."

Neji raised an eyebrow at that before taking another bite. He could not say he would object if she did, he would be eating much better that was for sure, but he was unsure if he could accept such a thing.

"I cannot accept such I am afraid," he spoke as if his uncle or other members of his clan was present. "It would be too much, really. I wish to make no trouble for your okaa-san."

"It wouldn't stop her if she wanted to do it," Shikamaru said but just shrugged, taking another bite of food.

--

It was almost an hour later when they had finished most of the food. The Nara placed his chopsticks down on the holder, letting Neji have the last bites since it was made for him, after all.

When he had eaten the last of the bento, Neji bowed his head in thanks as he gathered their plates and bowls to put in the sink, intending to clean them later, before he returned to the table where Shikamaru was still sitting.

Shikamaru looked out the window again and frowned as it was still raining. With the food gone, there really wasn't a reason for him to stay. But he really didn't want to go out in that even if he did have an umbrella.

Seeing the other look out at the rain that was still pouring down, and now the wind had picked up quite a bit. Not even an umbrella would help in such weather.

"It seems you are staying," he concluded after a while, not even asking. It was obvious that the other boy did not want to go out in that weather, so it was his way of inviting him to stay until it stopped. Now, the only problem was finding something to do. He could not very well sit down and read a book while having a guest over, nor was he very skilled in the art of conversation.

Shikamaru nodded, leaning forward on the table and resting his head in his hand. "It's troublesome, but it's probably for the best."

After an awkward minute of silence, he looked over at Neji again. "Do you play shogi?"

Relieved the other had found something, Neji nodded.

"Yes, to some extent," he replied, getting up to find the shogi board he had standing on the shelf. It was a very fine board, befitting someone belonging to the main branch, not someone like Neji, but he had received it as a gift from his uncle, and as much he disliked the man, it would have been too rude to throw away such a fine gift.

"You may start," he said as he began setting the pieces.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at the board. It was an expensive brand, far more than he would ever receive unless he bought it himself. For not being a shogi-fanatic, the Hyuuga had an impressive board.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, moving to help him set up. "You sure?"

Noticing the Nara's eyes widen at the sight of his board, Neji chose to ignore it. Finishing setting the pieces, he looked to the younger boy and nodded.

"Positive," he confirmed what he had said previously. What host would he be otherwise? Despite being a terrible conversationalist, he still knew a lot of etiquette and rituals, which was a result of his clan being rather old-fashioned.

Inwardly shrugging, Shikamaru looked down at the board and reached over, moving a pawn eight spaces forward. He folded his arms on the table, waiting for Neji to make a move.

Contemplating how he should open, Neji used a moment before he made his opening move. This would be interesting. Neji was not a bad player, but he was playing against someone that was at least equal with him in the game (because he would not admit that the younger boy could possibly be better than him) and he looked forward to the challenge.

Shikamaru moved another piece forward, not paying too much attention yet and just getting a feel for how the other boy played.

Moving another piece, Neji looked up to study the other by while they played. It was interesting to see how unfocused the other boy looked at the moment, but then again, they had just started the game.