Crossing Over (#2 In Shifting Series)

Shikamaru!!!

Sarah was sitting in the middle of a big pile of papers.  Across the room, Melissa was also sorting through the stacks.  She had to admit, the process was going a lot faster with her friend helping her go through the mess that Shikamaru and Naruto had going.  How could they not keep the filing system she had established going when she had left to take care of her boys?  She felt almost like slapping them both upside the head.  It was no wonder they were buried.  They had literally let it go all to hell.

Melissa had a goofy look on her face all day.  Sarah shook her head with a grin.  She had been so excited when she found out that she had been right and that Iruka was the one that Melissa had picked.  She had been even more excited when she found out that she had moved in with him the day before.  They were a perfect couple and complimented each other.  It made her happy to know that Melissa had finally found a good man.  She deserved to be loved and cherished.

Her smile suddenly disappeared as she found a paper dated four months passed from the Lightning Village.  As she read the urgent missive she felt her anger rise and did not realize that her Dojutsu had activated as she held the paper with shaking hands.  

"Sarah?" Melissa asked her with wide eyes.

"I'm going to kill him," Sarah whispered before coming to her feet in her anger.

"Who?" Melissa asked quickly getting to her feet as well.

Sarah shoved the paper at her and clinched her fists together at her side.  Melissa read the document and then gasped.  Then her face turned red as well as her anger matched Sarah's.  She silently followed Sarah out of the room, knowing exactly who her friend was about to kill.  Melissa was probably going to kill him too.  So much could have been averted.

The first office Sarah went to was empty and she abruptly turned around and went instead to the Hokage's office.  The guard at the door looked ready to stop her but the look she gave him stopped him in his tracks as she flung the door open.

Skikamaru looked up at the same time as Naruto as Sarah stormed into the office in full Dojutsu mode.  Melissa's face was just as angry as they came in but it was not Naruto that was getting the deathly looks.

"Shikamaru, I'm going to beat you into an inch of your life!" Sarah yelled.

"And I'm going to beat that last inch out of you!' Melissa yelled as well.

Naruto's mouth dropped open and Shikamaru backed away from the two women with wide eyes.  "What is this all about?"

Sarah grabbed the paper out of Melissa's hands and slapped it on his chest.  "Four months ago... Four months ago... We had a warning four months ago but because paperwork is a drag..."

She couldn't even finish speaking she was so angry.  Shikamaru looked at the paper and visibly paled.  Melissa poked him in the chest.  "She was almost killed because of your laziness and how many villagers were lost?  This is... This is... Unacceptable!  What the hell, Shikamaru?!"

Naruto had stood at that point and was making his way over to try to diffuse the situation.  Shikamaru raised his hand at him and shook his head.  "No, Naruto... They're right to be angry.  I really screwed up."  He then handed the paper to Naruto.

Naruto read it then sat down on the edge of the desk hard.  Remorse went over his face as he read the words.  "Four months we had intel that they had broken out of the prison... This is really bad.  We failed the village."

Sarah's blue glow and eyes simmered down and disappeared.  She was still angry but she knew that Shikamaru was feeling worse than any of them.

"No, I failed the village," he said softly.  "Man... I'm the drag.  I'm sorry Naruto, I failed you most of all. I should step down as your advisor."

Melissa poked him in the chest, "Don't you go feeling sorry for yourself.  Instead, learn from this and never let it happen again.  The village couldn't have a better advisor, so don't compound your mistake with another mistake."

Sarah folded her arms in front of her.  "No one knows about this but us four.  It would rip the village apart if they found out about this and Naruto is the only Hokage that we should have."  She took the paper from Naruto and set it on fire with her Dojutsu, "Melissa is right.  We need to learn from this mistake not create more."

Naruto's eyes widened, "But we should..."

"No," Sarah said.  "This stays between us.  Melissa and I will be staying late tonight and getting all of this paper sorted just in case there is more information like that.  You two focus on easing the suffering of the villagers that are still trying to recover from the attack.  None of us will say anything about this to anyone, that includes Kakashi, Hinata, Tamari, and Iruka.  This stays between us four."

Naruto did not look comfortable with what she was saying but finally nodded his agreement.  "Okay, it will stay just between us."