Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the story of Naruto, that lucky person's name is Kishimoto. Though I'd be quite happy to own several of the characters should he ever decide to give them up.

Warnings: No plot, no point, but not a PWP.

Notes: More pointless playing.

Why You Move
by Fairady

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Shikamaru pondered the board before him. There were three ways he could use his opponent's last move against him, and only one of those ways would backfire on Shikamaru in later rounds.

Huh. That wasn't normal.

If he was honest, normal had taken a flying leap out of the window sometime around the second game. The second game in two hours. Shikamaru knew his opponent was thoroughly distracted and not paying the least bit of attention to the board. If it were anyone else he would've chalked it up to some personal problem and suggested an end to the game. Because Shikamaru didn't want to play the sympathetic ear to someone else's problems, and more games would only give them more of a chance to open up.

Anyone else and he would've beat feet for the nearest hiding spot. But it wasn't anybody else, it was Gaara and Shikamaru had a hard time imagining what could have him so distracted from their game.

It couldn't be a personal problem. Gaara had a rather unique way of dealing with those very rare occasions. It usually involved a head on confrontation and blood. A brutally simple way of dealing with personal problems that was rather highly effective.

There had been no reports of trouble with Sunagakure lately so it couldn't have something to do with his Village. No secret wars brewing, and no threats from other countries. Suna was enjoying a slow restructuring that pretty much guaranteed it wouldn't be able to amass another war force for at least two years. Konoha was deterrent enough to keep any hostile invaders out of Suna's borders, in the unlikely event that Gaara's presence wasn't good enough to do the same.

Shikamaru had seen both Temari and Kankurou earlier in the day. Temari had insulted his manhood, and Kankurou had tried to grope him as he walked by. They'd both seemed perfectly fine to him, so it couldn't be a problem with his family.

Which left him with only one thing; absolutely nothing.

Most of the things that seemed to trouble people just passed Gaara right by. If it wasn't a direct threat to him, his Village, or his family he simply shrugged it off as being unimportant.

Shikamaru moved his piece. It wasn't one of the three moves he'd thought of earlier. It was a deliberately suicidal move that left his king wide open for attack. A move he normally wouldn't make.

Gaara's expression never changed as he immediately made his move. A knight to a corner in a flanking maneuver he'd been working on since the beginning of the game. Shikamaru's king was ignored.

Their games had never been about winning. In fact, they deliberately played to make a game last as long as possible, but Shikamaru didn't think that was the case here. He was pretty damn sure that Gaara never even noticed that his king was open. Which left Shikamaru in a very tricky position. Continue to ignore that anything was wrong, and get the hell out of country as soon as possible; or do the unthinkable.

Shikamaru steepled his fingers in front of him. The tips of each finger touching precisely. He debated each side of the position, letting the pros and cons slip through his mind.

Something was very wrong.

Shikamaru really didn't want to know.

But no one else played as good of a game as Gaara.

Who was still not entirely sane according to most standards.

What coward left his own friend in trouble?

Friend. Shikamaru blinked hands slipping apart in surprise. Well, hell, when did that happen?

"Hey," probably sometime after he'd stopped wondering if Gaara would kill him over a lost game. Sighing in defeat he sat up straight, hearing several cracks as his spine protested the sudden movement. He was going to regret this. He just knew he would. "Something wrong?"

Gaara's expression still didn't change, but Shikamaru could feel it as his focus shifted. From somewhere in that bent head of his to the guy in front of him. Most normal people would take that as their cue to back off slowly and run. Shikamaru only pointed at the board, "You normally would've had my ass for that."

Gaara reached out and picked Shikamaru's king up, turning it over in his hand. His expression finally changed. A slight shift of his mouth and a faint line in his forehead. Barely noticeable unless you'd had the dubious honor of watching that usually blank face for hours on end. Then, the shift and the line easily translated into a pensive frown akin to the ones most normal people wore when about to make a troubling confession.

Shikamaru was already regretting it.

"So troublesome," he muttered and slumped back against the wall. He should've minded his own business. He was in for it now.

"I'll be the next Kazekage," Gaara said with his usual bluntness, eyes slowly moving from the king to Shikamaru.

The words did not make sense. "What?" Shikamaru gaped.

"You heard me," Gaara said with a faint narrowing of eyes that was disdain. He hated having to repeat himself.

Kazekage, Gaara? Who the hell would be insane enough to-

Shikamaru shook his head and chuckled. Of course. No one ever complimented a Sand nin on their sanity. It wasn't a quality that Suna cared that much about. The Village was centered around power, the strongest was the best, and thus the best must rule. And no one was stronger than Gaara.

Taking it from that light, it was a surprise Gaara wasn't promoted sooner.

Wait. Shikamaru frowned his memory helpfully prodding him with every time he'd met Gaara in another country, every brief mention from a friend who'd seen him elsewhere, and the vaguely remembered reports of Suna's dealings with said countries. Stunned he looked up. "You've been Kazekage for the last year, haven't you?"

Gaara smiled. His lips barely twitched, but the corners turned up enough to give him away. "Not officially."

"No, just technically," Shikamaru tilted his head back against the wall and studied Gaara. For whatever reason, Gaara'd been going through a trial period for the position. Running most, if not all, of the duties he'd be expected to do upon official acceptance of the title. Which was rather impressive. Both for the sanity it suggested in Suna and the ability it showed Gaara had. "So, what has been bothering you?"

"I'll be Kazekage soon," Gaara studied the board with a sudden intensity that was unsettling. Seconds slipped by in silence. Using one finger, Gaara deliberately moved a piece. It wasn't a move that would keep the game going, but it was one that helped alleviate the huge disadvantage Shikamaru had him at. "It will be official soon, and I don't know how-"

Silence stretched out between them. Shikamaru didn't look at the board or think through several dozen different moves he could make. He watched Gaara and put aside his own feelings about Suna and sanity. That was all just the lead up to this. Whatever was said next would be the root cause of what had been troubling Gaara so badly.

Gaara looked up from the board with a faint expression that Shikamaru was startled to realize was unease, "I don't know how I am going to tell Naruto."

Oh. Shikamaru blinked, "Oh."

"Oh," Gaara echoed with the slightest of smirks. His unease melting into the mild edge of sarcasm that Shikamaru was afraid was being learned from Kankurou.

It wasn't a secret -to anyone in the world- what Naruto's ambitions were. Shikamaru personally thought 'I'll be Hokage!' had been the first words the guy had ever learned to say. Gaara's concern was valid. Naruto was one of the very few people he considered a friend after all, and friendship was still too new of a concept for him to want to risk any harm.

Huh. Shikamaru blinked as he realized abruptly that the fact that Gaara was telling him any of this meant that he considered Shikamaru a friend too. He shook his head and pushed that thought aside to be dealt with later.

If he knew anything about Naruto... "Don't tell him. He'll get over it," Shikamaru stated confidently as he moved a night back to guard his king. Covering the gaping hole Gaara had continued to ignore and giving him time to shore up his own defenses. "Naruto doesn't hold anything against anyone. He'll be happy for you when he finds out."

Gaara was silent. Pondering the board and Shikamaru's advice. He could almost see the gears turning behind that impassive face as the minutes stretched on. Indecision clearly effecting both his train of thoughts.

"It's not like you can tell him," Shikamaru eventually prodded. Not wanting Gaara to think overly much on this matter. "He's traveling too much to know where he is."

Unnerving green eyes flicked up to stare at Shikamaru. The pupil-less gaze seemed to slide right past him as Gaara considered the new information. Weighing it with whatever crazy thoughts he'd been considering before. A not faint at all smirk eventually tugged at his lips as he reached out and moved a piece. Taking advantage of the respite Shikamaru had given him. "It'll be a surprises then."

Shikamaru smirked back and let silence envelop them as he studied the challenge provided by the board. The tricky steps to make the game last longer unfolded slowly in his mind as he wondered how much more troublesome his life was going to get now that he was friends with the Kazekage.

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