Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Summary: He promised her, that he would always wait for her when she became bored with being famous and return home. He would be waiting at the corner for her. ONE SHOT. Shikamaru X Ino.
It was nearing five as he locked up his family pharmacy, Shikamaru Nara walked to the street corner in front of the main road.
It became a daily routine for him, he always went straight to the corner after work. He stood there from five to nine, hoping she would show up. It wasn't if she would show up, it was when. He wanted to be the first face, she saw when she returns home.
It had been five years since he promised, that he would always wait for her at the corner. The corner was between his store and her house. It was the place they always met at during their childhood. She said that in a joke-like manner, if she even became bored with the spotlights, she would always return to him at the corner.
He took her seriously and have never missed a day. Even through rain, snow, or sunny days; he stood there waiting for her. Some people had mistakenly thought he was a beggar and tried giving him some money. He just brushed them aside and say, "I'm not broke in the material sense, only in the emotional sense." They called him, "crazy," and walked away. His friends tried hooking him up with other girls, but his love for her never went away.
"Man, you have to realized that she became a big-time celebrity. She isn't going to come back to that dump. You need to move on," his friends constantly urged him.
"I promised her that I would always wait for her," he always replied. That was always the reply that end the conversion about moving forward from his promise to her.
She was the only one for him. Ino Yamanaka.
She was his love. He wanted to have a nice, little family with her. It would be the only constant thing in his life, that would be constant, if she stay with him. The only reason, she wasn't with him was because of her dream.
Ino wanted to become a famous actress. They fathers knew each others during primary school and became best friends. She was a childhood friends. He confined in her and she confined in him. In their small town, there wasn't any room for her to grow into a famous actress. She secretly told him, all of her wishes-to go big and make it.
"Hey, Shikamaru can you promise me something?" a ten year old, Ino asked.
"Sure...if it's not flower hunting again," he replied lazily. Remembering how he was stung by fifty bees trying help her make a mother day's present.
"Is not that," she replied laughing. "but it was funny. Whenever, I become famous...can you promise to always be there for me?"
"..."
"I'm serious, please. You're my best friend, you have to promise, please," she begged him.
"You're so troublesome. Yes, I promise to always be there for you," he replied smiling. There was nothing he could say no to when it came to her.
When she turned 19, she left their hometown. He tried begging her to stay. It didn't work and she haven't heard from her for over a year. Not even a phone call or letter. It wasn't until, he was walking to work during the morning, he passed the magazine stands.
She was featured on the front cover. He took out his wallet and paid for every magazines with her on it. He knew she made it. The magazines mentioned how she was a rising star, how good of an actress she was, her unknown past, and so much more. Chuckling to himself, he was the first to know of her potential to become a star.
Later that night, he received a phone call from her. The first in over a year. She was excited about how big her new role was and they talked just like old time. He then, promised her that he would always wait for her. There was a sad tone in her voice as she agreed that she would return to him. He knew it and she knew it, that the chances of her returning to her hometown after achieving stardom, was slim to none. She told him that he can keep hoping and it could slightly happen.
They conversions on that phone was one of the few she would ever make to him. She hardly found a chance to speak to him. If she did, the conversion would be cut short because of something work-related. He still treasured each conversion he had with her.
"You can continue hoping that I would return, I'm not going to shoot you down. But, I have to go now. It's business-related. I need to go. Bye, love you," she would always say that to him.
Most of news he received about her came from her interviews on magazines or television. They never really discuss her career during they conversion. He was mainly her rock she could always turn to when she was having a hard time. It broke his heart when he realized that she didn't see him as relationship material anymore; she now saw him as only a friend from back home. A friend that made her down-to-earth and real.
"What keep you sane as a big celebrity?" asked the interviewer.
"I have a really good friend at home, who I can always count on to listen to me. He keep me sane. He makes me realized, that I'm not a big-ego celebrity. I'm still the same person as I was, when I left. Without him, I don't know where I would be. He was the one who continues to support me from primary school to where I am now."
He continued to wait for her at the corner. Just hoping that she would return home and come to him. Just maybe after she fulfilled her dream of making it big, she would miss him and catch the latest flight back home.
Today, he saw a magazine cover with her featured on it. "INO QUIT SHOWBIZ! WANT TO GO BACK HOME? WHY?" In the featured article, she talked about how her dream about becoming famous was complete. She woke up, one day and realized that there was nothing left to compete in her goals list. The final quote she said was, "Home is where the heart is. That's where I'm going."
She was finally coming back home. His dream about starting a nice, little family with her can come true. He smiled and tossed the magazine into the recycle bin. She was finally coming back.
R&R