A Gift

Shikamaru gazed at the clouds drifting lazily in the sky. Shifting slightly, he attempted to expel the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Somehow he felt like he was due for one of those troublesome missions, but he wasn't. He had been granted a week of holiday by Tsunade, and lying on the lush grass watching the clouds was exactly how he wanted to spend it.

"Che," muttered Shikamaru. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't relax. Closing his eyes, he sifted through his memories, trying to find what was bothering him. Somehow he felt it had something to do with the loud blonde in his team.

A memory came unbidden for.

` It was a cloudy day, and the sky was full of the fluffy clouds Shikamaru loved to watch. But a girly voice interrupted his quiet 'meditating'.

"Shikamaru!" called the voice of Ino. "What?" asked Shikamaru irritably. Hadn't he made it clear he did/ not/ like to be disturbed during cloud-watching?

"Here," said a seven-year-old Ino, thrusting a brightly wrapped box at him. He scrutinized the box curiously.

"Go on, open it," urged the girl, watching him excitedly.

Shikamaru unwrapped the ribbon around the box.

"Fudges," stated Shikamaru. "Yep," announced Ino proudly. "I made it myself." He raised an eyebrow at her. "So?"

"Duh!" said Ino exasperatedly. "So you're supposed to eat it and say thank you."

"Um…why are you giving me fudges?" asked Shikamaru cautiously. Even now he had learned to watch out for Ino's temper.

Ino shook her head. "Jeez, you spend too much time watching clouds, Shika. It's you're birthday, dumb genius! Happy birthday!"

Abruptly, Shikamaru jolted back to the present. He had just remembered the source of his unease. Groaning inwardly, he stood up and started walking towards the Yamanaka flower shop, muttering to himself.

"How troublesome."

Hearing the doorbell ring, Ino looked up from the tulip she was tending to see who was entering the store.

"Yo, Ino."

Wait. She recognized that voice. "Shikamaru?" she asked. "Weren't you on holiday? What's the problem?"

Shikamaru snorted. Trust Ino to forget one of her big days. "Happy birthday, Ino," he said, smirking.

Ino's eyes widened. "Oh, right. It's my birthday! I can't believe I nearly forgot! I wonder whether my parents remembered, they're so busy…."

Aw man, why did he even bring up the subject? He just reminded her of something he hoped she'd forget. Feh.

Before Ino could continue, Shikamaru cut in. "How 'bout I treat you to some ramen and take you out shopping? I have no idea what you want so I'll let you pick."

Ino's mouth fell open in a comical 'o'. Recovering, she leapt up and ran upstairs, yelling: "Gimme a moment! I'll be right back!"

Shikamaru leaned against the wall lazily. However much he hated shopping (especially with a girl), making Ino unhappy had its consequences (like having your eardrums collapsed), and Shikamaru did not want to face them.

Ino reappeared in a set of nicer clothes, and Shikamaru had to admit she looked rather pretty. Not that he would tell anyone that.

"Well, come on," said Shikamaru, walking out the door. Ino went after him, gushing about how thoughtful and kind he was.

Humph, if you had remembered your birthday, you would actually be expecting me to treat you, and heaven knows what you would do to me if I didn't, thought Shikamaru disgruntledly, looking down his nose at the blonde who was clinging to his arm.

They arrived at the store which was Naruto's favorite hangout. As Shikamaru ordered two bowls of ramen, the store's regular customer appeared.

Seeing them, Naruto waved. "Hi guys! Since when do you two eat ramen?" he asked loudly, pointing a finger at them.

"You're not the only one who eats ramen, you know," retorted Ino as her and Shikamaru's bowls was served.

Naruto ordered a bowl for himself and sat down beside Ino.

"Soo," said Naruto slyly. "What's the occasion for you two to come out and eat together?"

Eyeing them, Naruto continued. "And sitting so close too," he snickered, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Dating, huh?"

Shikamaru stiffened. But before he could react, Ino whacked Naruto on the head. "How dare. You. Jump. To. Conclusions!" she shrieked at him. Shikamaru shook his head pityingly. Apparently Ino found another victim to deafen.

Naruto rubbed the swollen bump on his head gingerly. Ino reminded him so much of Sakura.

"What a volcano-ish woman," muttered Naruto. "At least my Hinata isn't violent."

Ino glared at him, and Naruto backtracked. He raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He turned to his ramen as it arrived.

"So what are you guys planning?" asked Naruto, slurping his ramen. "I've got a date with Hinata coming up."

Shikamaru coughed. "None of your concern," he mumbled. He would die of embarrassment if Naruto told the other guys he went shopping, and with Ino no less.

They finished eating and Naruto went his own way, skipping happily. Shikamaru and Ino made their way to the shopping complex.

Feh, who is Naruto to suggest that me and Ino have a relationship? Naruto's already got Hinata, no need to poke his troublesome nose into other people's affairs, grumbled Shikamaru in his mind. What the people would say if they suspected him going out with Ino….It was just too troublesome to deal with them.

Meanwhile, having cooled down, Ino was pondering Naruto's words in her mind. Was he implying that I was going out with Shikamaru? she wondered. Glancing at the man beside her, she suspected Naruto's words held more truth than she previously realized. Actually, it could be possible.

"How do I look?" asked Ino, turning a circle in front of Shikamaru.

He leaned back a little and appraised the cute outfit Ino was wearing. A cute, sleeveless white top with a baby blue band at the bottom paired with a soft-looking pale blue skirt complimented her sapphire eyes perfectly.

"You look….nice," said Shikamaru after some thought. He decided this was the number one outfit he liked to see on Ino.

No no no.

He shouldn't be thinking about Ino this way. She was…just a friend, not some girl he'd ogle at.

But hadn't Naruto said something about dating? Surely he was just joking. Or was he? Was it actually possible he could date the Yamanaka?

"Okay Shikamaru, I've decided," announced Ino, bringing him out of his monologue. "I'm taking this." She held up the cute outfit. (She changed that fast?)

He paid for it and they left the store, Ino clutching her present tightly. Walking her home, Shikamaru felt rather comfortable with Ino at his side, and seeing her smiling like a kid made him happy too.

As they arrived at Ino's home, Shikamaru waved her goodbye and turned to leave.

"Wait!" called Ino. Shikamaru paused, and Ino ran over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder affectionately.

"Shikamaru," she said softly. You've always been there for me and I want to..to…" She stopped, suddenly unsure of what to say. Immediately she tried to cover it up.

"I want to tell you…..thank you," said Ino. She glanced at the bag in her other hand. "For this. For everything. Most people won't go this far for me."

Shikamaru smiled. He already had an idea of what Ino tried to tell him. How about I answer you? he thought.

He traced a finger over her jawline gently. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips lightly against hers. Ino's fingers tightened on his shoulder in pleasure and disbelief.

"You're welcome," he murmured, and prising off Ino's fingers, he left, leaving her stunned.

A/N:

Reviews would be very welcome. Please tell me how I'm doing and how I should correct it if there happens to be any mistakes. As an added note, the timeline here is Shippuuden. There will be more chapters. Thanks for reading!

Naruto does not belong to me.