They sat in the kitchen and talked, and in a way it seemed like the normalest scene in the world. True, Shikamaru's attention was still fixed to Nozomi, but at least he was there, appeared to listen, while Choji told Kurenai about his travels. This act of normality lasted until Nozomi got drowsy and Shikamaru handed her back to her mother.
When Kurenai and Nozomi had left, Shikamaru turned to Choji, his thin brows furrowed, his lips pursed as if he was trying to figure something out.
"Did you find them?", he asked after he had thought for a while.
Choji did not know how or what to reply. Maybe he should just pretend that he knew what he was talking about? But then Shikamaru probably would notice, and Choji did not want him to think that he didn't take him serious. He hoped that Kurenai would come back soon.
Shikamaru reached for the sugar bowl.
"They can't", he said in the most serious voice "pour water from it."
And with this he turned the bowl over and dumped its content on the kitchentable. Then he looked at Choji, his eyes begging him to understand.
But Choji didn't understand, he only chewed on this lip and blinked rapidly and Shikamaru wondered if he had even listened to one single word he had said.

Kurenai had just finished putting Nozomi to bed when the doorbell rang. This was odd, she thought, she didn't usual get a lot of visitors. She briefly wondered if Ino might have gotten the day off early, but soon decided that should this be the case, the girl probably had better things to do with such unexpectatly aquired freetime.
Whomever she had expected, it hadn't been Sai and she was even more surprised when he asked her about the copy of Shikamaru's wallpainting.
"It should be here somewhere", she said opening various drawers and pulling out different folders and loose pages that soon enough covered half of her desk and part of the livingroom floor.
"What do you need it for anyway?", she asked when she finally had found it.
"The Hokage asked me to -"
"I thought Kakashi didn't find anything?"
"Well, he wanted to check -"
He got interrupted as a shadow he had taken for that of the window's mutin, suddenly wrapped itself around the paper and snatched it from Kurenai's grasp.
"You mustn't show him!", Shikamaru pleaded, as he brought the drawing up in the air.
"Shikamaru...", Kurenai said, as soothingly as one can. She tried to step towards him, but found herself unabled move. She peered over at Sai, who seemed to have the same trouble, then at Choji, who stood a few steps behind Shikamaru in the kitchendoor, equally entangled in shadows.
"Shikamaru, let us go. We're not going to-"
"You don't understand!", Shikamaru's voice cracked, while the shadow holding the drawing began to shred the paper. It was this moment, when Nozomi started to cry. Shikamaru turned to the bedroom door, his hands still locked in the Rat Seal.
"Shikamaru, let me go!", Kurenai ordered, watched as his eyes wandered from her and Sai, to the bedroom door and up to the drawing.
The second Kurenai was free, Shikamaru cried out in pain. He fell to his knees, just as the torn bits of paper floated back to the ground, frantically scratching his hands, trying to get rid of what ever it was, that covered them. Immediatly Choji was by his side, took hold of Shikamaru's wrists, as his fingernails dug their way through his skin, deep enough to draw blood, while Sai picked up the remains of the drawing and quickly stuffed them away in his pouch.
"I'm sorry", Kurenai whispered as she knelt down infront of Shikamaru, who was struggeling to get free from Choji's grasp. She released her genjutsu, then waited a few seconds for Shikamaru to calm down, before she went to check on Nozomi.
Choji carefully let go of his friend, who was staring at his hands, examining the blood trickling down his fingers with the greatest curiousity.
"What happened?", he asked, but Choji didn't know what to tell him. He didn't really understand what had just happened himself. He picked up Shikamaru, who was too busy turning his hands in this and that direction and marveling at the way gravity played with his blood too object, and placed him on a chair in the kitchen. He couldn't find any bandages so instead used papertowles to wrap up Shikamaru's hands, which wasn't all that easy as Shikamaru simply refused to remain still. He was about done, when Sai came in.
"Shikamaru?", Sai said, speaking slower and little louder than usually.
"Why can't Kakashi see the drawing?"
Shikamaru stared at him.
"Why – Can't – Kakashi – See – The – Drawing?", Sai repeated, carefully pronouncing each single word.
Shikamaru kept staring. He frowned, then got up, slipped past Choji and Sai and shuffled to the bathroom.

"Sorry about that", Kurenai said when she came back.
"Did you get the drawing?"
Sai nodded, pointed at his pouch.
"Do you think, Shikamaru knows what it is?"
"I think he knows a great deal more than that", Kurenai said after a moment of hesitation.
"Why else would Madara make sure that he can't tell anyone?"
Sai thought about this. "So you think I shouldn't show the drawing to Kakashi?" "I don't know", Kurenai tucked her hair back behind her ear "As he already saw it-"
They heard something crashing, and Kurenai sight. She placed one hand on Sai's shoulder and led him towards her apartment door.
"Why don't you come back later, when Shikamaru's with Ino?", she suggested