Break to Breathe

 

BREAK TO BREATHE

by Okami Rayne

Chapter Three

Noise pulled him from the black; a deep, feral rumble from somewhere far away, followed by a blustering howl and the sound of creaking wood.

Neji's eyes flickered open, slivers of glazed white attempting to focus in the darkness.

Where am I?

He drew a quiet breath and frowned at the tightness in his chest. It felt like he'd been kicked square in the sternum. Several times. He blinked slowly, listening to the harsh splatter of what sounded like rain. Shadows swelled across his vision and for a moment he wondered whether he was blacking out again. But as he watched the darkness shrink and swell, he realised it was shadow-play from candlelight. Distorted shapes danced across the walls.

Wait. Walls?

Awareness hit him like a freight train, bringing with it a horrible reality check. Neji tensed, his fingers curling against worn fabric. He lay at an incline on a lumpy futon, his torso raised as if to alleviate strain and keep his airways clear. He didn't want to remind himself why that was necessary.

Movement to his left drew his gaze. His focus fell upon the ember-end of a smouldering cigarette.

"Way to scare the hell out of me," Shikamaru drawled quietly, a stream of smoke drifting from his lips in a lazy spiral. "Guess we're even now."

Neji blinked and turned his gaze away, ignoring the dark eyes monitoring him with deceptive calm. Discomfort felt so far off the mark it was laughable.

Mark…

Neji quickly reached up to tap his forehead. His touch grazed the cool, smooth metal of his headband. A soft breath of relief fled his lips. He traced a pattern with the tips of his fingers - not the leaf symbol, but that of his cursed seal-mark. After a moment he lowered his hand, still sensing Shikamaru's eyes.

Stop watching me…Honestly, what do you expect? My gratitude?

Neji closed his eyes. Discomfort crawled through him, dragging a humiliated rage close behind. All the while he kept this face a stoic mask, determined to retain some defence.

A few heartbeats later, he cleared his throat.

"Where are we?" He croaked, not proud of the fact that he'd either been too busy hyperventilating or too busy slung-over-the-shoulder-unconscious, to even have noticed how they'd ended up in what appeared to be a guest room.

His eyes slipped open again. A rather dilapidated guest room. The walls groaned from abuse of the wind and the slap of leaves and rain scraped the cracked, rattling windows. He was surprised the noise hadn't roused him sooner.

"An old inn," Shikamaru supplied, tapping ash from his cigarette. "Well…sort of."

"Where?"

"Far enough away from where the others are camped."

Neji bristled and his voice hardened. "I don't need you to protect my dignity, Nara."

"Hn." He heard Shikamaru sniff. "Don't flatter yourself. The inn was closer."

Neji tightened his jaw and slowly, so as not to appear dramatic, rolled onto his side. He propped himself on his elbow, placing his back to Shikamaru. He regretted the unexpected pain of the position, but made no outward show of his discomfort.

Why am I aching like this?

He slid his palm to his ribs, feeling along the tender area with his fingertips. He resisted the urge to ask whether Shikamaru had 'accidently' dropped him – possibly down a flight of stairs. But the aching bothered him less than the fact that he was naked from the waist up. The faint itch of healing cuts reminded him of the shuriken wires. There was also a curious throb at the back of his head, sharp and tender as if he'd been struck – hard.

That bastard!

The faintest scuff of movement redirected his attention. He caught the scent of nicotine much too close.

"Hey," Shikamaru's hand settled on his shoulder-blade gently.

Neji scowled and twisted. Jerking his elbow, he cracked it sharply, catching Shikamaru in the jaw and dislodging that irritating cancer stick from the other teen's mouth. Though the Nara glared, he didn't retaliate in kind. He moved to retrieve his cigarette and crushed it out against the mildewed wall.

Neji met his dark gaze over his shoulder.

"Nice. Good to see you're still acting prematurely violent." Shikamaru snorted.

"Touch me again and you'll be prematurely dead."

For some reason Shikamaru smiled slightly. Neji glared. It wasn't supposed to be funny – not in the slightest. Anger kindled in his gut. The situation was humiliating enough without Shikamaru adding insult to injury. Shikamaru seemed to follow his train of thought and the lazy ninja shook his head in what Neji assumed was supposed to be an apology. Or maybe a mitigation of his next question.

"So…" The shadow-nin drawled, dragging the word out idly. "How's your head?"

"Considering you struck me hard enough to render me unconscious, perhaps it's not a good idea to remind me." Despite the thin layer of venom in his words, Neji couldn't help but wish the other ninja had hit him harder.

Hard enough to dislodge the memory of that blistering, brain halting kiss.

Bastard.

Neji turned his head away as if afraid his thoughts would be playing across his face. In the wan light, it was easy enough for his expression to be deceptive, but he wouldn't risk giving anything away. He'd already taken a crippling dent to his defences – that would not happen again.

The fact that he had the audacity to even touch me that way…

"Well you didn't really leave me a lot of options." Shikamaru shrugged, rubbing at the sore spot on his jaw. "Sorry." He didn't appear to be sorry at all.

It took Neji a moment to process that Shikamaru was talking about knocking him unconscious, rather than pinning him, then smashing their mouths together and pressing a knee non-too-subtly between his legs.

Not that he was still thinking about that.

Ridiculous.

"Hn." Neji made to turn onto his side again.

"You shouldn't turn on your side like that, it won't help with your breathing," Shikamaru advised, bracing a forearm across his knee as he moved to light up another cigarette.

Neji arched a brow. "But I'm sure that passive smoking will help."

"Touché," Shikamaru smirked, tucking the cigarette back into the packet. "Happy now?"

Far from it.

Neji flicked his gaze around the small room. Candles dripped wax in the corners, the flames wobbling on their wicks as an icy draught whistled through the cracks in glass and wood. He glanced up as the rafters supporting the ceiling gave a precarious groan.

That won't hold.

"Don't worry. It's pretty sloppy construction, but it'll hold out." Shikamaru yawned, rubbing at his eyes.

Neji grunted, not sharing the other ninja's confidence. Before a painful quiet could descend, he swallowed his pride and broached the inevitable, because he needed to know.

"How long was I…" He trailed off, his jaw locking angrily.

Shikamaru, for some reason, saved him further humiliation.

"An hour or so." The Nara waved a hand idly, as if brushing the topic aside. "Just get some rest."

"I'm not sick," Neji snapped.

Shikamaru ignored him. "It's not like we're going anywhere in this storm. We'll rendezvous with the others when it clears; if we're lucky, it'll have passed by morning."

Neji kept his eyes on the ceiling.

By morning…

Dawn had never felt so damned far away. Neji was usually patient and naturally comfortable with quiet stretches of time that others might have found tedious - but this was going to be a painfully long night. For a fleeting moment he wished he'd remained unconscious. Just the thought of his earlier slip caused an abrupt nausea to curdle in his gut. Utter disgust. How had he allowed something so ridiculous to best his control?

Pathetic.

Neji frowned and slowly settled onto his back again, drawing the sheets up over his bare chest, all the while pretending that he didn't notice those dark eyes tracking his movements. Shikamaru made no pretence at subtlety, blatantly studying him with those deceivingly drowsy eyes. As far as Neji was concerned, the bastard was doing it on purpose.

Is he trying to provoke me again?

The Hyūga began to wonder if Shikamaru actually possessed that eminent intelligence of his – which was questionable; especially considering the rash and uncharacteristically fiery attack at Neji's mouth.

It was just a shock tactic. A ploy…Why am I even thinking about it?

"I didn't know that you smoked," Neji murmured, attempting to divert attention away from himself and the unnerving thoughts he wasn't supposed to be having.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I didn't know you had panic attacks."

Neji closed his eyes. He should have seen that one coming. He'd left himself wide open – and it wasn't like Nara wasn't going to take a hit. He was a ruthless tactician after all. The manipulation in his earlier actions had illustrated that rather graphically.

Neji released a slow breath through his nose, attempting to slip into a meditative state. If he could centre his energy and examine his chakra network, he could try to identify and fix whatever had caused that stupid seizure in his system.

His attempt was cut short.

"You hungry?" Shikamaru rolled his shoulder with a yawn, crunching lean muscle.

Neji resisted the urge to scowl. He didn't respond. It was a stupid, worthless question. He opted for silence over sarcasm; an effective tactic that required absolutely no effort on either of their parts. The Hyūga hedged his bets on Shikamaru's laziness – and was shocked when the other teenager repeated the question.

"You used to be intelligent," Neji finally snapped. "Work out what it means when someone chooses not to respond to or acknowledge you."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Settle down, Hyūga, just checking that you're still breathing."

Neji shot a sidelong glare that would have chilled a smart man into silence. Shikamaru was supposed to be a smart man. He was also supposed to be looking and behaving smug, amused or semi-superior.

But he wasn't.

He didn't even look irritated. Those dark eyes watched him calmly. Neji frowned and turned his gaze away, not liking the probing, patient stillness in Shikamaru's eyes. It unnerved him. Not much did. And not usually eye contact. His pale, ghost-like eyes often caused people to avert their gazes when he bothered to respond to the staring. Making eye-contact alone was usually enough to get someone to back off.

But not Shikamaru.

No. The shadow-nin somehow managed to withstand the ice in Neji's eyes, all the while appearing unperturbed and at ease; almost as if it was too much of an effort to bother getting defensive. Neji felt his brow furrow sharply - a fracture in his mask.

He was used to being looked at, but not seen.

For some reason, Shikamaru's gaze made him feel exposed. Which was ridiculous. Hyūgas did not leave themselves open – anyone who tried to pry beneath their defences often lost. Painfully. They were not an easy breed to interpret or to gauge.

By definition, Neji had never doubted his ability to remain unfathomable; at least not until a few hours ago. Not until Shikamaru, who should have been too lazy to bother, had insisted on working out what was supposed to be indecipherable.

It was all supposed to have been different.

The lack of control tightened that knot in Neji's chest. The whole situation felt like an inversion of a natural order that he'd had come to rely upon. And now that precious order was wavering dangerously - like his breathing.

Dammit.

Neji's long fingers curled against the futon, almost forming a fist until he caught himself and forced them to straighten.

I 'will' control this. There is a reason I do not lose. This shall be no different. To lose to myself would be pathetic.

"You okay?" Shikamaru shifted.

"Yes," Neji snapped.

When did I become so transparent? He bit back the growl playing in his throat and shuttered his gaze.

"I'm fine," he added, his voice falling quieter.

He never saw Shikamaru's eyes soften.

Outside the storm rolled on, thunderous and turbulent.

---

Neji woke long before dawn.

The noise had disturbed him again; the incessant rattle of glass and hammer of rain pulling him from a dreamless sleep. Though his innate chronometer would have woken him either way, his mood could have been lighter. That irritating weight had not dislodged from his chest, but it was bearable. If he shifted his focus, he was certain he could ignore it.

Later, he would find the time to contain and control it.

The storm had passed, but the rain hadn't. It pelted down as strong as hail, thrashing sheets of water against the frail window. Despite the racket, Shikamaru hadn't stirred. Neji glanced from his distorted reflection in the window, to the lump buried beneath several threadbare blankets.

How on earth can he sleep through this?

Neji cocked his head, dark hair shifting with the movement as he calmly stepped towards the centre of the small room. The candles had melted into flat piles during the night, their wicks lost in puddles of wax.

Rather than remain idle, Neji slipped into his mud-spattered, blood-stained robe and tugged on his sandals. He made a silent exit from the room. He soon discovered that the "inn" was more of an abandoned shack. The weather-abused cabin had clearly been abandoned for a long time, to have fallen into such an appalling state of disrepair.

There were small signs that others had used it for the same purpose – a last-resort shelter against the elements. Thankfully the place was a one-levelled building, removing the risk of falling through floors. Even so, Neji erred on the side of caution. He stepped carefully, avoiding a rather precarious looking room that appeared burned out – he assumed it had once been a kitchen.

He searched for candles and found a couple of oil lamps instead. At some point during his 'hour or so' of shameful unconsciousness, Shikamaru had taken measures to secure the place, rigging up a few simple but effective traps. Neji tried not to appreciate the care the other teen had taken. He was content with remaining pissed off for a while longer.

After discovering that anything of worth or interest had either been stolen or damaged beyond use, he made his way back towards the appointed bedroom, slipping through the door as silently as he'd exited.

Shikamaru hadn't moved.

Neji made to toe off his left sandal, shifting his weight onto his right foot.

A floorboard creaked softly.

"Sneaky…" Shikamaru grunted from beneath the cocoon of blankets.

Neji rolled his eyes in an uncharacteristic display of expression he knew the other teen wouldn't see. Shikamaru could sleep through a hellacious storm, but stir at the faintest creak from a floorboard? Neji stepped over toward the dozing ninja, casting a faint shadow across the lump under the sheets.

"The storm has passed," Neji raised his voice above the clattering glass. "We should head out."

Shikamaru didn't budge or respond. Neji gave a mental countdown. Then his eyes narrowed.

"Get up, Nara."

Nothing.

Neji glanced around. His pale eyes settled on a dented bucket shoved to one side of the room, catching a monotonous fall of droplets that plummeted from a leak in the ceiling.

A slow smirk laced across the Hyūga's lips.

Childish but perfect.

Turning silently on his bare heel, Neji stepped over to the half-filled bucket. He kept his gaze on Shikamaru. No movement. A sense of pending triumph pushed a sadistic glean into Neji's eyes. Oh, he would enjoy bringing Shikamaru down a few pegs. Mindful of the floorboards, Neji crouched down and gripped the bucket.

With retribution singing in his veins, he stood up.

Then wished he hadn't.

Water and splinters crashed down on him like a shower of ice. He hunched instinctively, freezing on the spot as a choked gasp fled his lips.

The bundle of blankets stirred.

The sharp disarray of a ponytail emerged, followed by the rest of Shikamaru's head. The Nara's sleepy eyes shifted lazily from the bucket clasped in Neji's hands, to the murderous glare on Neji's face, and then to the barely discernable glint of wire rigged from the bucket to a trap above Neji's head.

"Yeah…real sneaky…"

Neji's glare turned glacial. But it was hard to look intimidating in his present state. Shikamaru simply yawned, shrugged, then burrowed back under the blankets with a groan.

"Ugh. Wake me when it stops raining."

Neji continued to glare. The dark hair which framed his face was plastered like a wet slap to the hollows of his cheeks, his long jet lashes pricked with crystalline droplets. His clothes dripped in tandem with the leak.

Finally, a muscle twitched in Neji's jaw.

He drew a breath and oh-so-calmly straightened. Then he stepped gracefully out of the cold puddle at his feet, turned a degree to his left – and violently lugged the bucket and its contents at Shikamaru…only to find another wire rigged to the handle, which jolted another strategically grooved beam, which swung down to belch more icy contents over the already soaked-through Hyūga.

After the loud splash there was utter silence, except for the rattling window.

The traitorous bucket bounced comically on the rigged string, appearing to float mid-air. It sloshed water out at Neji's feet in a gurgle, adding to the fresh puddle spreading out across the floor a very safe and very calculated distance away from Shikamaru.

The bundle of blankets began to shake. And not in fear.

Neji's eye twitched. Although he tried to ignore it, he could hear Shikamaru's soft, muffled laughter filtering through.

For some reason, it didn't offend him as much as he wished it would.

---

"Oi! You!" The abrasive screech of Naruto's voice sent birds into flight.

Shikamaru buried his face into his palm with a groan. "What a moron."

Neji paused abruptly beside him, glancing upward in the direction of Uzumaki's voice.

"Heeey!" Naruto's roar ricocheted again around the clearing.

Shikamaru sighed. So much for the team keeping a low profile in his absence. As if Naruto's yelling wasn't troublesome enough, Lee suddenly decided to burst from the undergrowth like some deranged animal, went to spear-tackle Neji – completely missed – and hit Shikamaru instead.

"Hey!" Staggering into a bush, Shikamaru shoved the green-clad teenager off him with a harassed growl. "Seriously, where the hell do you and Naruto get the energy?"

He watched Lee blink owlishly before the thick-browed ninja grabbed Shikamaru's wrist and tugged him free from the bush far too enthusiastically.

"My sincere apologies, Shikamaru-kun!"

"Ugh. Whatever." Shikamaru shook his head, brushing himself off.

"Neji-kun!" Lee twirled toward the unruffled Hyūga with a thumbs-up. "It is good to see that your most excellent reflexes are as sharp as ever!"

"Yeah, what happened to yours?" Shikamaru muttered, slightly winded. Seriously, where did Lee and Naruto get the energy?

Lee laughed sheepishly. "I shall have to move faster!"

"Well if Naruto hadn't screeched like a banshee," Neji said, glancing skyward toward the orange flash leaping across the canopy, "you may have surprised me."

Neji offered a faint smile. Lee returned it with a grin, leaving Shikamaru to wonder whether this was Neji's strange way of extending the hand of peace to his teammate. He doubted either would discuss the other night. As it was, Shikamaru and Neji hadn't spoken a word of what had transpired between them.

It's better that way. For now, anyway.

"HEY!" Naruto screeched, landing in a crouch beside Shikamaru. "Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru winced at the volume. "Quit shouting already."

"Where they hell were you two?" Naruto shouted. "I had shadow clones running all over the place!"

"Man, do you ever shut up?" Shikamaru rubbed at his nape, stepping over to the fire that Tenten was crouched beside. "I'll fill you in as we eat."

And he did.

By fabricating a convincing lie, which Neji supported with the occasional tilt of his head or an affirming hum between bites. Lee and Tenten listened as if spellbound, with Naruto occasionally interrupting.

"A diversionary tactic, huh?" Naruto frowned.

"Wow, Neji, that was pretty quick thinking," Tenten praised, her chin propped in her palm.

Neji avoided her eyes, humming quietly until Lee's camaraderie-like clap on the back almost caused him to choke.

Shikamaru tried not to laugh.

"An excellent plan, Neji-kun!" Lee commended as Neji straightened up again. "To make our enemy believe we our fellowship was divided! Presenting yourself as bait!"

"Yeah well, excellent plan or not…" Naruto shook his head, speaking around a mouthful of rice, "it would be nice if you filled us in next time, you know? Or gave us a head's up."

"It was spur-of-the-moment thinking, Naruto!" Tenten frowned, immediately coming to Neji's defence. "Just ask Shikamaru. It was a good tactic."

Shikamaru quietly glanced at Neji. The long-haired ninja remained focused on the food parcels he'd been dissecting for the past few minutes.

"Yeah." Shikamaru shrugged.

"So who the heck was the guy you fought anyway? He must have been pretty nasty if he got close enough to do that!" Naruto stabbed his chopsticks toward Neji's torn and red-stained robes.

"Yeah, are you okay?" Tenten frowned, reaching to touch the lacerated fabric.

Neji's jaw tightened. Only Shikamaru noticed.

"The guy's history now," Shikamaru interrupted, redirecting the group's attention and allowing for Neji to lean away from Tenten's hand. "Your toad oil helped with that, Naruto. Thanks."

"No problem!" Naruto grinned, his smile brightening up the previous shadow of suspicion on his face. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards his ninja bag. "Pervy Sage gave me a whole damn supply."

"Naruto, you really need to stop calling him that you know," Tenten began, swivelling on the spot to face the blond. "Tsunade-sama told you to start showing a little more respect to—"

"Oh give me a break, if you knew just how much of a pervert that old man was, you wouldn't be worrying about what Grandma Tsunade says I should be callin' him."

Shikamaru detected the beginnings of a heated debate and under the pretext of finding something better to do than listen to it, slipped from the circle to gather his things.

Neji was already moving to help Lee clear up the campsite. Rolling up the canvas for the tent, Lee updated Shikamaru on the outcome of the continued mission that he, Naruto and Tenten had completed. It turned out the Akatsuki impersonator they were tracking had more bark than bite, relying on a couple of mercenaries to do most of his fighting. It hadn't saved him.

"It seems that he merely wanted fame by association," Lee informed, bouncing back to his feet. "To strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, without the ability or the mettle to back it up when put to the test!" He struck an unnecessarily dramatic pose to illustrate his point. "A coward and a fraud!"

Shikamaru hummed distractedly. "Right. You guys have him secure?"

Lee nodded sharply and pointed across the clearing. Shikamaru flicked his eyes to the indicated spot. Their captive was securely bound by the base of a tree. To Shikamaru's surprise, the appointed guard for their prisoner was none other than the Hokage's pet pig, Tonton.

"What's the pig doing here?" Shikamaru frowned, swatting Lee's hand away from his mouth when the other ninja attempted to silence him.

"Ssh! Do not call her that!" Lee whispered. "She may hear you. Her name is Tonton."

"What's the pig doing here?" Neji asked, moving to stand beside Lee.

"Careful, she might hear you," Shikamaru muttered dryly. He ignored Neji's perplexed glance and turned his attention to Lee. "So, what is she doing here?"

"Tsunade-sama sent her as an envoy." Lee almost clicked his heels, his voice raising as he relayed the message. "The Hokage has summoned us back to Konoha. It would appear that she is in need of your services, Shikamaru!"

"That sounds kinda gross," Naruto laughed, earning himself a solid smack from Tenten. "Hey! Not my fault he's gonna service Grandma Tsunade!"

"Oh grow up, Naruto!" she scowled. "You're such a pig!"

Shikamaru heard Tonton squeal at the insult.

"Do not insult Tonton, Tenten." Lee wagged a finger.

"Hey! How about not insulting me?" Naruto gaped.

"Anyway…" Shikamaru groaned. He pinched the bridge of his nose, blowing out his cheeks with a sigh. "This probably involves more boring talks about defence strategies, huh?"

Lee nodded. "That is right. The Hokage trusts your judgement."

Figures. What a drag…

"I assume we'll be bringing this imposter with us." Neji inclined his chin toward the prisoner, his melodious tones falling quietly. "It would be wise to let Ibiki interrogate him, just to ascertain whether he knows more than he's letting on."

"Sounds like a plan." Shikamaru straightened up, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Let's move out."

Neji nodded and moved to retrieve his own bag. Shikamaru watched him for a long moment before glancing toward the bound captive.

"Okay. Naruto can carry the prisoner."

"What!" The blond wailed. "Why me!"

Shikamaru smirked.

Naruto scowled.

Lee almost volunteered himself with an ecstatic "pick me!" but Shikamaru was already two steps ahead.

Man, three years and its like they never grew up.

Shikamaru held up a set of tokens between his fingers, waving them around. "Well, I was gonna bet my 'all-you-can-eat' Ichiraku Ramen coupons that you couldn't make it back without dropping him, Naruto."

Naruto's wide eyes locked onto the coupons, his voice a reverent whisper. "All-you-can-eat?"

Shikamaru shrugged, swaying his hand towards Lee. Naruto's gaze followed the tokens like a dog with a treat.

"But if you don't want them, I'll give them to Lee," Shikamaru drawled with practiced disinterest. "I know he's always up for a challenge."

"On my honour I am!" Lee thumped a fist to his chest, vibrating with a non-infectious enthusiasm. It made Shikamaru tired just watching him.

"No way!" Naruto practically raced the green-clad ninja to the prisoner.

Great. Hassle diverted.

"Those coupons have expired," Neji noted, arching a brow as his pastel eyes shifted from the coupons to Shikamaru's face.

Shikamaru slipped the coupons away. "Yeah, but they don't need to know that."

Neji scoffed softly then moved away. Shikamaru watched him through his lashes, his attention shifting only when Tenten sidled up to him with a chuckle.

"Shikamaru you rat," she laughed. "Playing them off each other like that, it's almost cruel."

"Hey, I'm sure as hell not gonna do it and Neji is the group's eyes." Shikamaru gave a trademark shrug, his voice half-teasing. "And I couldn't ask the girl to carry the bad guy. That'd be really cruel of me."

"What! You think I can't?" Tenten jammed her hands at her hips, leaping to the defence of her gender before stomping off after Lee and Naruto.

Worked like a charm.

Left with a moment's quiet, Shikamaru cast a cursory glance around the clearing. A quick scan confirmed that any noticeable traces of their presence had been erased. Satisfied, he hefted another pack over his shoulder and turned toward his arguing teammates. The trio were engaged in a heated debate over who would carry their unconscious cargo, which Tsunade's pig seemed more than happy to abandon.

Tonton trotted over to Shikamaru, oinking something that was probably supposed to make sense before turning to lead the way.

"Uh, right." Shikamaru managed a bemused smile. "Alright, let's get moving!"

"Hands off!" Naruto screeched, his voice raising several decibels as Lee attempted to 'steal' the prisoner. "I'm carryin' this clown!"

"Hey!" Shikamaru tipped his head toward the trotting Tonton. "Come on, we don't have all day."

As the group began to mobilise, Shikamaru felt a brush against his shoulder. He hummed in question and turned his head.

Neji's hand dropped away. "Shikamaru…"

"Yeah?"

The Hyūga met his gaze and held it. "What happened before. We leave it here behind us. Where it belongs."

Shikamaru returned the look calmly. "I hear you."

And I can see through you too.

Though he didn't speak these words aloud, for some reason he sensed that Neji heard them. A silent communication passed between them. It wasn't cryptic, but it wasn't completely clear either. Something strange played behind Neji's straight-faced mask. Before Shikamaru could decipher what it was, the Hyūga's expression hardened back to stone, just as Naruto's voice barked across the clearing.

"Hey Shikamaru! Hurry it up! Apparently we don't have all day!"

"Yeah, alright!" the shadow-nin called over his shoulder.

When he turned back, Neji was already walking away.

---