Title: You Should Know Who I love By Now

Pairing: ShikaIno

Summary: Ino asks Shikamaru a question that weighs heavily on his mind.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: This is just a small, simple fic, but it had to be written. Why? Because it just did. I have been a ShikaIno fan for a long while, and it's about time that I added something to the fandom.

"Shika, can I ask you something?"

Shikamaru glanced up at her from the book he was currently looking over and nodded his head, urging her to continue. Though to most it would seem as if his attention was diverted away from her, they both knew better. Even while his eyes were glued to the book in his hands, she had, and always would have his undivided attention. However, Ino failed to recognize his mannerisms for what they were at the moment.

Upon not hearing anything for a few seconds, Shikamaru closed the book in his hands and leaned back against the chair he was sitting in, watching her with intense eyes. It wasn't like Ino to be shy, especially around him. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, her next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Shikamaru, do you like Temari?"

Silence filled the table in the restaurant as Shikamaru pondered over what he'd just been asked. All while he was thinking, his attention still remained on her, his eyes roaming over her and catching everything from her shallow, nervous breaths to her fidgeting hands twisting the napkin she was holding. The silence was making her anxious, and while he wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and comfort her, he knew he had to keep his distance until they discussed this.

"You troublesome woman." He said with a frustrated laugh before his face became stoic again. "Why would you ask me that?"

"I think it's obvious why I would, Shikamaru."

Her tone showed her anger at being laughed at by him, but her eyes held the real truth. His features softened when he looked into her clear blue eyes and saw the one emotion she tried to hide from him.

Hurt.

"Ino…"

"I'm asking because of how you are around her!"

Tears slowly began making their way down her face, and it was all Shikamaru could do to keep himself from going to her and wrapping his arms around her. It killed him to see her cry. It had ever since he could remember.

"You treat her so much better than me. You have ever since the retrieval mission to get Sasuke. I remember how I rushed to the hospital as soon as I could when I heard you guys were injured. I went to Choji right away, because they said he was hurt really bad and I knew he needed me first. And after I finished seeing him and went to find you, I ran into your dad, and he said that you were upset and were crying. My heart broke for you, but before I could go to you, he said she was with you. And then he told me about how she talked to you, and that you just brushed it off."

"Ino, I –"

"I know," She smiled sadly at him, letting him know she wasn't holding it against him. "I understand. You'd had an extremely difficult mission, and you just found out all of our friends were still alive. And I know how your dad can be sometimes, so I understand. But it still planted a seed of doubt in my head. And then when she stayed to help teach at the academy…"

"Ino, stop." Shikamaru replied with more force than he meant to, which instantly caused her tears to flow more strongly than before.

"See? That's what I mean. Sometimes when you talk to me, you use a tone as if you are scolding a child. But if she says something similar, you smile at her, or brush off her comments with a joke."

She brought her hand to her face to wipe away the steady stream of tears, and Shikamaru clenched his fists around the edge of the table, wishing he could use his own jutsu to restrain himself from going to her. Seeing her so upset was killing him inside, and knowing it was because of his actions was enough to make him hate himself. Despite everything, he refused to move. She needed to say this, and he needed to hear it. They both had to have this conversation and see it to the end for the sake of their relationship. No matter how often he wanted to interject- to tell her how wrong she was- he had to know everything that was on her mind.

"What else, Ino?" Fists still clenched, he kept his face calm and his eyes trained on her.

"And when she taught at the academy, and even when she recently helped with the chunin exams, you just acted so… good to her. You were polite, and you did everything she wanted. And you smiled so much…"

She paused and lowered her head as a sob inadvertently shook her body. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look at him again. She was almost at the end, but she needed to say the one thing she was terrified of before she could let him speak.

"You never treated her like you treat me. So that's why I asked. I just want to know the answer, because if you do like her, then we can't be together anymore."

As soon as she'd said the last sentence, Shikamaru could no longer keep himself still. Summoning the waiter immediately, he paid for the appetizers they'd barely touched and stood.

He had to get them out of there, because what he needed to say to her, he needed to say without the possibility of interruption. Walking up to her, he took her hand and the two silently walked out of the restaurant into the chilly streets of Konoha. All while Ino silently followed him down the street, Shikamaru determinately walked in the direction of the academy. It was the only place he could think of that would be completely secluded this time of night, and he desperately needed to be alone with her.

Ino had been in a daze since they left the restaurant, numbly following him through the streets of the village. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have noticed by his tense shoulders and purposeful strides how much her words had affected him.

Shikamaru's pace slowed when they reached the school, and Ino let out a sound of surprise as they entered the front door of the building and walked the darkened hallway until they reached one of the seldom used classrooms on that floor.

Opening the door, he let her enter first and closed it behind them both. Ino walked toward the back of the room and sat down on one of the long benches in that row, her body half turned to the wall next to her. Since entering, she didn't turn to look at Shikamaru once. She literally didn't think she could. All their lives, he'd made it very clear what kind of girl he wanted to be with. She could practically quote it from memory. So when he told her he loved her six months ago, and that he wanted to be with her, she was taken entirely by surprise. She'd always felt more for him than any other guy, even Sasuke, and knowing he felt the same way about her was like a dream come true for both of them.

But since the sand ninjas had become more involved with the village, seeing the interaction between Shikamaru and another girl had caused her to see a different side of her boyfriend that even she didn't see that often, and it hurt her to think he could be that way with someone else. Saying as much to Shikamaru and seeing the reaction to her words was enough to make her feel embarrassed, as well as hurt. She never wanted to be the jealous type, especially when it came to him, because she knew how he felt about girls who acted that way. That was partly the reason she'd kept her feelings to herself. Now that she told him, she wondered if he would think less of her.

Hearing a noise next to her, she turned to see Shikamaru sitting beside her. Reaching out, he maneuvered her so her back was against the wall and she was facing him. Moving one of her legs onto the bench and leaving the other on the floor, he sat between them so he was as close as possible to her.

Ino let him move her and just watched, feeling as if her limbs were pieces he were setting up for a game of Shogi. Once he was satisfied, he used his index finger to gently lift her chin so her eyes could meet his.

"Ino." He said her name firmly, almost possessively to ensure that she was listening. Though there were no lights on, the room was illuminated by the soft glow of the street lights coming through the window near the front of the room. The small amount of light was enough that they could both see one another clearly. It was just the right amount of intimacy that he needed.

"Ino, I love you." He said this steadfastly, wanting to make sure she completely understood that before anything else was said. "I'm in love with you. I wanted to tell you that before we talk about this."

She nodded, but otherwise stayed silent.

He shook his head after a few seconds, truly at a loss for how to begin. There were a lot of things Ino addressed, and he wanted to be sure that he didn't miss a single issue. Thinking back on her words, he decided to start from the very beginning.

"In response to your first question; yes, I like Temari." He saw her flinch, but shook his head slowly. "I like her the same way I like Sakura, or TenTen, or Hinata. Probably also the same way that I like the Hokage."

Seeing Ino's body relax somewhat, he continued.

"In response to your observation that I treat her better than you…well, you might be right about that."

He paused for a few seconds to study her response to his words. Aside from wanting to be close to her, he made sure they were positioned that way so he could easily study her body language.

"I'll address the other points you made in a little while, but the one I want to focus on the most is the last one you made. You said that I never treated her like I treated you. And you're absolutely right about that. But I have a question of my own; why would I want to treat anyone else like I treat you?"

She didn't answer, nor did he want her to. His only purpose for asking the question was for it to be in the back of her mind as he explained about the other things she brought up.

"What my father told you that day in the hospital was right; I did brush off the comments Temari made. I purposefully chose not to answer them. I was in such a bad place. To this day I don't even think I've told anyone the full extent of my feelings during the entire mission. I had gotten to the point where I was willing to quit being a shinobi because of my cowardice, because I thought I was responsible for everything bad that went wrong."

Ino listened intently while he unconsciously ran his fingers up and down her leg that was on the bench next to him.

"And after I found out everyone was alright, I realized how much I truly owed to the sand ninjas, especially Temari. If it weren't for her, I probably would have been severely hurt, if not dead. So, I did my best to be civil, and to make them feel as welcome as I could. And in between showing them around and them helping out at the academy, I got to know them better. I started to consider them friends, but even still, I had to act a certain way. It takes a while for people to understand me, and the last thing I wanted to do was offend them with my lazy, standoff-ish attitude. So I laughed when I was supposed to, and spoke more than normal to show my thanks. That continued until they left, and I still act that way every time I see them."

Shikamaru stopped and studied her again, trying to gauge her reaction to what he'd said so far. He saw her nod slowly, and a smile crept to his lips. She was listening, and her body was still relaxed.

"Now, to the question I just asked you…"

He could no longer contain himself. Leaning toward her, he captured her lips in a searing kiss that left them breathless as he pulled back. Keeping the one hand on her leg, he moved his other hand to her face and stroked her cheek. Her eyes closed at his touch before opening again.

"I could never treat anyone the way I treat you, because no one could ever make me feel the way you do."

Ino's breath caught in her throat and her face grew hot at hearing him say those words.

"Ino," He let out a tired laugh. "you have always known which buttons of mine to push. Ever since we were little, you managed to figure out every possible way to get me flustered, irritated, scared, happy…every single emotion that a single human being can feel, you know each and every way to make me feel it. I know I may seem hard on you at times, and I'm sorry for that."

Moving closer, he pressed their foreheads together.

"You're just so hardheaded sometimes that I don't even know what to do with you."

She let a giggle escape, and his heart warmed at the sound.

"I can be myself around you. You know what every single tone I use means, and as much as I hate it, you can read me like a book. I can talk to you about anything, and you know the right time to tease and the right time to just be there with me. And I know all of those things about you, too. Am I right?"

She nodded against his forehead, and he kissed the top of hers before pressing his against it again.

"The bond we have, that's something Temari couldn't compete with in her wildest dreams. That's something no other woman could ever compete with. Do you understand me now?"

She nodded again and closed her eyes as he hugged her. A few more tears escaped, but he knew he could now do something about them. Moving back, he gently wiped her tears away.

"This was such a troublesome discussion. I wish you'd told me how you were feeling sooner."

"I'm sorry I didn't."

"Don't apologize. If anyone should, it should be me."

"Well, why don't we just call it even for now? Since you'll obviously do something wrong again sooner or later, you'll just owe me two apologies when that time comes. Deal?"

Rubbing the back of his head, he repeated the sentiment and leaned in to kiss her again, content that his love was happy once again.

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