Booby-Trap
The atmosphere was more than a little tense as the pair made their way quickly from tree limb to tree limb. An uncomfortable silence had fallen over them since leaving the village. Shikamaru chalked it up to the fact that Ino resented him and she thought much the same. Their friendship had become very strained after Asuma's death, after all.
As it was, the duo had been assigned to a covert spying mission and it was their goal to work together as a team to glean as much information as they could about Orochimaru and the whereabouts of Uchiha Sasuke. Things were beginning to come to a head as the Akatsuki and Orochimaru had recently made grand gains of their own. The current Hokage, Tsunade, had felt it a wise risk to send out the pair on this most recent intel gathering mission.
Personally, Shikamaru had felt it more of a risk than was necessary to take, especially since it was just the two of them, but being that he was only a lowly chuunin he didn't have much of a say in the matter. They were practically left defenseless. Aside from several of his shadow techniques, all they would be capable of doing, if discovered, was running and that really didn't matter much if the enemy happened to be faster than them.
It did, in some ways, make sense to send the two of them alone. Their abilities were strictly meant to help in gathering intel and, without a defender in the team, it essentially made it easier to get in and out with one less person to possibly be the cause of being discovered. It also made it less likely for the two of them to decide to take matters into their own hands. Not that Shikamaru was even the type of person to do that in the first place, but it was just another way to look at the situation.
Shikamaru gave Ino a look of concerned trepidation, but she wasn't paying attention. She was pissed off at him and he knew it. Things had been strained between them since Asuma's death, especially after their retribution mission.
Things in his life had just shifted. He was no longer a lazy good-for-nothing brat. He had goals and he realized that there were so many things that he wanted to do with his life before it suddenly came to a very real end. He wanted a wife, he wanted kids, and he wanted to leave behind a legacy for the next generation like Asuma-Sensei had. It may not have even just been his sensei's death that was the tipping point for him, but rather the fact that Kurenai-Sensei was pregnant.
Despite his new lease on life, he still thought of things logically. He knew what he wanted. He knew that he wanted Ino as that person to share the rest of his life with. He knew that he wanted her to bear his offspring, but she didn't know that because her head was so far up Sasuke's ass she couldn't see daylight anymore…
It was far less troublesome to just avoid her and his feelings and hope against all hope that someone else would come into his life to take his mind off of the vivacious blond beside him.
Ino couldn't help but resent the silence that had drawn out between them. Things were just so different now. Shikamaru wasn't the same person that he once was and she doubted that he ever would be again. Asuma's passing had really changed him for the worse and she just couldn't break down his walls anymore. She was so tired of trying to reach out to him and getting no response in return.
Well, she couldn't do it anymore! Especially after she found out that he was purposefully dodging missions with her. Oh yeah, she knew that he was avoiding her like the plague and it irritated her to a point that must have been unnatural.
Even now, he was maintaining a ridiculous amount of distance. Sure, they were running parallel to one another, but the wide berth of space that spanned between them was surely more than was necessary.
She turned her head slightly to glare at him angrily and noticed as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She knew that he had seen her glare; she knew that he was aware of her irritation, and still he rolled his eyes, averting his gaze from her to their path.
'He just rolled his eyes at me!' Ino thought ferociously.
That was the final straw. With her fury taking over her very being, Ino forged on ahead, breaking formation in her effort to get away from Shikamaru and her ever-growing agitation.
Why was he being like that?! What could she possibly have done to be resented and neglected like she was?! Why did it have to hurt so much?! Didn't they have a history? Didn't their past mean anything to him?! It had meant everything to her. For him to just ignore that history and throw it away ate at her and something clawed vicious inside of her belly.
Shikamaru watched on apprehensively when Ino suddenly took the lead position of the formation. She was getting too far ahead of him; if she continued on at the pace she was, he wouldn't be able to defend her if an enemy were to strike.
'No!' he thought desperately, fear clenching at his heart while she moved ahead blindly.
"Ino!" he shouted out to her, his emotions evident in the tone of his voice, but she didn't notice, "Get the fuck back here! Why are you breaking formation?!"
'I can't lose you too!'
His face was no longer an uninterested, aloof mask. He was truly fearful of losing her. If she dared a glance back it would be more than evident, but she ignored him pointedly. She wasn't slowing down!
The alarmed tone to Shikamaru's voice escaped Ino entirely as she pressed on. She was simply too livid to heed his warning and, in her anger, she failed to notice the trip wire…
All at once, Ino felt herself come to a jerked stop when her right leg nearly felt like it was ripped out of its socket. Her ankle had gotten caught on a line and, while taking note of this, she was too late to take notice of the fact that she was being dragged down to the ground by this line.
Shikamaru's expression was terrified as he caught sight of Ino's all too sudden stop. Her form began to descend rapidly toward the ground and all he could think to do was reach out to her; reach out to her and protect her with his very life, protect the one person in this world that he absolutely could not lose!
"Ino!" he shouted out to her while grasping onto her hand, but he hadn't gained his own balance in time.
Now, he too was being dragged down to the earth below them. Without so much as a thought, he wrapped his form around Ino like a shield. He had to protect her! She was all that he had left in this life!
Ino's breath left her as she descended toward the ground. Everything was just happening so suddenly. One minute they were off on their journey and the next she caught sight of his countenance while she was being dragged down by the trip wire. His expression was so frightened.
'You're afraid for me, Shika?'
Her heart throbbed painfully, be it in dread or something else she didn't know, as his tall, lean body came to wrap defensively around hers. In that instant, she was no longer scared. He was protecting her and she was safe and warm and something inside of her just woke up.
When next Ino became aware, they seemed to be underground. The soil beneath her was damp and moist and the only light that shone was from the opening of the trap. The air was musty and stifling. Ino coughed out when she inhaled the loose cloud of dirt they had disturbed upon coming to a rough landing.
Her body ached from the impact but, aside from that, she seemed to be in one piece. After assessing her own injuries, she turned to Shikamaru and began to panic once noticing a trail of blood flowing over his right temple from above his hairline.
"Shika!" she shouted in alarm, her heart hammering fearfully in her chest.
He did not stir at her sharp tone. Ino became anxious as her fingers flew over his chest and up to his carotid artery at the neck. An uninhibited sigh of relief escaped her when she felt the strong pulse at his throat.
"Oh, thank, kami!" she was so relieved she began to pant out in excess.
Her hands trembled while she fought back against the tears that were brimming in her eyes. It felt like she had nearly lost him. She choked back her sobs and attempted to concentrate on her chakra. She needed to heal him.
Her hands trailed up to situate themselves on either side of Shikamaru's temples. Moments passed while she attempted to gather her chakra into the palms of her hands in an effort to heal his injury, but to no avail.
"What's going on?" she thought desperately, her fear taking hold of her once again.
She couldn't use her chakra! Nothing was happening! She took a desperate look above her at the opening of the trap and took notice of a faint, pale, blue-green glow.
"Oh, no," she mumbled with a sense of helplessness taking over.
A chakra suppression barrier. Now, neither she nor Shikamaru could use their chakra, and they were deep, deep underground.
Ino continued to pant nervously as she reached back into her hip satchel. If she couldn't use her chakra to heal him, then she at least needed to stop the bleeding. Removing several wads of gauze and bandaging, she cleaned Shikamaru's injury and wrapped him as best as she could. Luckily, the injury itself was small and not very deep. Head injuries always did seem to bleed a lot more than others.
Her task completed, Ino finally managed to take a calm, soothing breath. Her adrenalin high was beginning to wear off and she could feel her limbs become numb and sluggish. All that she could really do now was sit and wait for Shikamaru to wake up. Hopefully his genius could be utilized to help them find a way to escape.
Shikamaru's head hurt! It throbbed and he could swear that there was a spike wedged into his right temple. There just had to be; there was no other way that his head would hurt this much without a spike poking out from somewhere!
Wincing against anything, he coughed out weakly, the air around him moist and dirty. Coughing just made it worse, but he couldn't help it!
"Oh, fuck," he mumbled lowly, daring to open his eyes just the littlest bit, "anyone get the number of the elephant that just ran me over?"
Talking just seemed to make him even more aware of the throbbing of his skull and brought his attention to his parched throat and dry mouth. What had happened?
"Well, it serves you right!"
Oh, shit, that just made his head feel like it was splitting in two. What was she going on about?!
"How could you do that, Shikamaru?!" Ino demanded, her earlier fears taking hold of her and spurring on her tirade, "How could you not think before you grabbed onto me?! I mean, come on! Even I would've known better! Not gonna help me all that much with you stuck down here too! Dumbass! Not to mention you're the leader of this stupid mission! You should've known better! How could you not be more responsible?!"
Despite the throbbing in his head and the newfound sensation of dizziness, Shikamaru managed to open his eyes fully to glare at Ino with a bored expression. 'Hello pot, thank you for calling me black,' he thought morosely, but made no attempt to fight back with her. That would just entice her to continue.
Putting her irritating tirade out of his mind, he managed to look around through his dizziness. Where the hell were they? Oh, right, they had tripped a trap. Well, Ino tripped a trap and he stupidly didn't think before reacting.
She really did have a point. It would have been better for one of them to be injured and trapped as appose to both of them. He had just been so worried for her safety that he didn't think! That was half of the reason why he didn't want to go on missions with her in the first place!
He didn't have time to worry about that now though. His keen gaze took in their surroundings, assessing the damage done and the current condition the two of them were in.
Looking up, he noticed the opening that they had fallen through was a good six meters above them and the surrounding walls were tapered and cylindrical as if in the shape of an elongated dome. It would be nearly impossible to climb to the top as the walls were slanted near the opening and standing one on top of the other's shoulders would also be useless. The area the two of them occupied was also no larger than a small bathroom. It was cramped, to say the least, and Shikamaru was all too aware that Ino was leaning up against the wall opposite him, no more than two and a half meters away. Maybe he could use his Kageyose no Jutsu to tie a tether to one of the aboveground trees and pull them out of there.
His mind made up, Shikamaru began to gather his chakra and formed the hand signs for the technique – rat to bird, "Kageyose no Jutsu!"
Nothing happened…
Ino's irritated lift of a brow drew his ire and he spat out at her, "What?!"
"It's not gonna work, dumbass! We're under the effects of a chakra suppression barrier!" she snarled, pointing up at the trap opening as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Well he hadn't seen it, so she could stop acting like a snarky bitch!
Now, this was a problem. They were deep underground, under a chakra suppression barrier and they had no way to get out. They had no viable means of reaching back to the village either. They were at least a day's travel away from their target. In fact, Shikamaru realized just a little too late, they had actually entered into enemy territory when they set off the trap.
Well this was just peachy.
Their mission was supposed to last for several days. Reach the enemy stronghold, take possession of one of Orochimaru's subordinates with Ino's Shintenshin no Jutsu, gather what information they could, and then make their way back home. They had even packed very lightly; not wanting to be slowed down or hindered by any gear. They only had maybe two or three days' worth of food and water between the both of them. By the time the village realized that they were missing it may already be too late…
'Well, fuck,' Shikamaru thought helplessly, restraining his features from showing the expression he felt.
Ino watched on while Shikamaru continued to study their situation. She knew that things seemed hopeless, but maybe, just maybe, he would be able to think of a way to save them. If not, they would surly die.
Her mind turned to a distraction, not wanting to think about how hopeless their current condition was. She began to think about how Shikamaru was avoiding her and set her mind to that for a diversion. Anger was a much better feeling to have at that moment than despair.
It truly baffled her that Shikamaru had been so easily able to detach himself from the group. After so many years together, to let the death of a loved one come between them, it seemed unfathomable to her. He acted like she didn't exist half of the time and it cut her deeper than any physical injury ever could.
She missed him terribly most of the time. She missed his blunt little quirks and his sarcastic yet realistic commentary. She missed lazy days spent cloud gazing with him and going out to get barbeque. She missed his presence so terribly that it was as if a part of her had gone missing since he began avoiding her.
After Asuma died, Shikamaru had hidden himself away from the world, holding in his grief around others and letting it out in whatever way he did behind closed doors, away from her. She had wanted so desperately to console him and comfort him, not only for him, but also for herself. Losing their mentor had left a huge, gaping hole in the Ino-Shika-Cho team that would most likely never heal completely.
It hurt immeasurably that Shikamaru had not felt comfortable coming to her in his grief. She had sought him out on more than one occasion and, each time, he just brushed her aside. She knew, better than most, the deep connection that Shikamaru had shared with their Sensei so it hurt her terribly that he hadn't wanted to confide in her. He just didn't want her anymore…
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Ino asked calmly, her eyes taking in his every move.
Shikamaru had not been expecting that. His gaze was drawn away from the assessment of their surroundings, falling on Ino. Her expression was bewildered yet guarded and she looked so utterly beautiful.
Shikamaru clenched his jaw and frowned deeply, hoping to stave off the current direction of the conversation. He didn't need this right now. It was already difficult enough being sent off on a mission with the woman that he loved, knowing that she did not return his feeling and worrying about her safety constantly, but then to have her on the verge of interrogating him was just too much at that moment.
Her nearness was on the edge of suffocating and he was hard pressed to subdue his facial expressions and bodily urges. His love for her had only grown after the passing of their sensei and their mission of vengeance. It had solidified after all of that. She was a strong and fearless woman; she relied on him as much as he relied on her and all he wanted was to have her all to himself. He didn't want to share her with that bastard Sasuke!
"What're you talking about?" he feigned ignorance, looking at her as if she were crazy for even mentioning such a thing at a time like that.
Ino gave a short, loud bark of a laugh, as if in stunned shock. He was going to play dumb then, was he? Well, she wasn't going to accept that answer! She was going to drag out the reason from him even if she had to strangle him in the process.
Her anger enticed, she moved forward to breathe within his personal space. She knelt down at his left and leaned in menacingly while glaring at him furiously.
"Don't even try to deny it, Shikamaru!" she shouted vehemently, the loudness of her voice ringing in his ears, "I know that you asked Tsunada-sama not to assign you any missions with me! I know that you've been avoiding me and I want to know–," but her tirade was cut off…
Half way through Ino's outburst, Shikamaru decided that it would be a good thing to shut her up. Her voice was hurting his head even more and she was so close to him that he could smell her. Her fiery blue eyes flashed in the dark dankness of their small prison and he no longer wanted to hold anything back. They were going to die soon anyways, so why not simply take what he wanted before they were too starved or dehydrated and to hell with the consequences?
His tongue pressed passed her lips as he effectively silenced her with the resoluteness of his kiss. She tasted like peppermint, and smelled like floral perfume, and she felt so good with her hands pressed to his chest in a steadying nature. He could hear her soft, angelic moan while his lips slanted over hers at a more comfortable angle to draw her deeper into the kiss. His fingers, buried at the short hairs near the base of her head, prevented her from retreating while he plundered her soft mouth with eager, hungry kisses.
Ino could hear her heart pounding in her ears intermingled with the uneven sound of Shikamaru's breathing as he kissed her thoroughly. She could feel his left hand caressing at the back of her skull and the pleasant throb of pleasure that pulsed in her pelvis. She had never been kissed before, much less like the way Shikamaru was currently doing. Her mind proceeded to go blank with the overwhelming sensations that his lips on hers elicited inside of her. Her hands had come to press into his chest when he jerked her forward against his mouth and the mesh covered skin of her knees bit into the rough ground beneath them.
Ino moaned out against his mouth, her own tongue brushing with his tentatively. It just felt so amazing. It felt so right to be kissing him right then, even though they were trapped underground and would most likely not survive the following week.
'Hold on!' she thought with a start, withdrawing from his kiss.
Her lips may have parted from his, but the hand at the back of her head kept her within close proximity as his lips trailed to the column of her neck. Her skin tasted just as incredible as her mouth. Shikamaru's opposite hand came up to grasp onto Ino's left in another attempt to keep her close to him. He didn't want her to think about the consequences. He wanted her to love him, even if it was just for that moment…
"Shika," he could hear her breath out into the dusty air, "wait, please," she begged softly.
Shikamaru didn't want to wait! He didn't want to comply with her wishes. He wanted to love her and be with her, was that so much to ask?! But, with a sullen growl, he did as she asked. He waited, but he still managed to keep her close. He would not risk letting her go.
Ino was relieved that he had stopped, but she was not in a comfortable position as her chest was practically pressed flush against his and her back arched sharply with her knees still planted on the unforgiving ground. She sought to achieve a more comfortable position and, in the process, straddled over Shikamaru's outstretched legs and sat on his knees.
His left hand still maintained the hold on the back of her head while his right grasped her left hand to his chest where she felt the overwhelmingly fast pace of his heart. He was on edge. Ino, for the life of her, could not understand what had gotten into him. Didn't he hate her?! Didn't he abhor her very presence?!
"What has gotten into you?!" she demands, her voice breathless and strained.
"I love you, ok?" he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Shikamaru couldn't look directly in her eyes. His gaze was transfixed on the pulse point at her throat and he wanted so badly to just kiss it, to kiss all of her and hold her and make her completely and irrevocably his.
Ino's chest constricted painfully. Had he just told her that he loved her? Well, that made absolutely no sense whatsoever! He had avoided her like the plague for months!
"Quit messing with my head!" she snapped, attempting to lean away from him.
Shikamaru refused to give her an inch and he proceeded to wrap both of his arms around her shoulders, affectively trapping her arms and hands against his strong, unyielding chest. With his newfound leverage, Ino was forced closer to him to the point of sitting in his lap.
"I'm not messing with you," he confessed evenly, his lips pressed to her ear as her chin came to rest at his shoulder.
Ino began to shake slightly. She was so confused. She had never in a million years expected something like this from Shikamaru of all people. He was so reserved and aloof. How could something like this possibly come to pass?
But, for some unknown reason, it just made sense to Ino. Who else would Shikamaru fall for but her, after all? Not to sound egotistical, but she was really the only woman in his life. She had always been there and had always taken care of him since the very beginning.
Ino even had to admit that she loved him in some way. Maybe not in the same way that he loved her, but she did love him. Who was she kidding? She loved him deeply and cherished him above all others, but he had never seemed attainable. Sasuke hadn't seemed attainable either, but she at least had Shikamaru by her side and, to her, that was just barely enough.
"Why did you wait 'til now to tell me?" she asked, her voice broken and confused.
"'Cause I know you don't feel the same," he began loosely.
He was comfortable with their position. Ino wasn't struggling against his hold and it was almost as if he were hugging her to him protectively as appose to restraining her. Her chin nestled in the crook of his shoulder and neck while she was straddled comfortably against his lap. He could feel her heat even through all of their layers and he was hard pressed not to act on his physical needs.
He knew that she wanted answers. After all, he was acting very contradictory at that moment and he was certain it would have frustrated any woman, not just Ino.
"It was always less troublesome to avoid you than it was to go after you. You made it very clear that you didn't want me," his tone was solemn, "I was never even a blip on your radar. But, now that I don't think we're going to make it past the week, I don't really see a good reason to hold back."
An awkward silence fell between the pair and Shikamaru began to wonder if she had even heard him. He only need wait another moment to receive her answer…
"Of all the stupid, lazy, half-assed excuses that you could possibly come up with!" she screeched out against his ear, "Are you serious right now?! After all that we've been through together and with how much of an effort that I put into our nonexistent relationship, you tell me that it was just too troublesome for you to ask me out?!"
Shikamaru sulked back against the wall, still not daring a glance at Ino. He could feel the anger radiating off of her in waves at this point. Well, at least she hadn't completely shot him down. If anything, she acted as if she were appalled that he was only just confessing his love to her now. Could this mean that she would actually reciprocate his feelings?
Well there was one way to find out…
"I can't believe you! I really just can't fathom the way that your mind works! How could you not say–AH!" her words were cut off by a heated moan when his hands, once wrapped securely around her back, came to settle on the swell of her ass while his hips pressed up into her heat, rubbing the hardness of his cock incessantly against her clit.
With her arms now free, Ino proceeded to wrap them around Shikamaru's neck and hold on for dear life while he ground up into her. Tantalizing jolts of pleasure coursed throughout her legs and belly and she couldn't hold in her eager sounds.
She wasn't fighting back, she wasn't even gripping at him anymore; all she was doing was moaning into his ear and making him harder with each passing moment. With her arms wrapped around his neck, her chest pressed flush against his and he could feel the softness of her breasts against him. Kami, how he had wanted this for so very long!
She was just so very soft and she smelled so incredible! Shikamaru buried his nose along the curve of her neck and shoulder to breathe her in while his lips attempted to blaze a hot trail along her collar bone. Her shirt was in the way!
Ino closed her eyes tightly against the throbbing sensation in her pelvis. She had never known that it could feel this good just to grind down against something. Her cheeks flared a dark red color as she took notice of just what she was grinding down on. Shikamaru was so hard; she had no clue it could be like this in the arms of a lover.
She was acutely aware of Shikamaru's hands when they left her bottom to trail up along her spine and around her waist before coming to a stop at the buttons of her midriff baring, purple top. She leaned back to allow him better access and was met with his eager mouth on hers once again. His kisses were intoxicating and deep, overwhelming her senses and adding sensation to her overly sensitized body. How was he so skilled at this?
Shikamaru plundered her mouth fervently while he worked impatiently at her buttons. He managed to release the first two before he overheard a familiar voice from aboveground…
"Hey, what's going on down there?!"
Shikamaru could feel his eyebrow twitch with agitation when Ino broke away from his kiss with a startled gasp. Of all the times for them to get rescued; couldn't it have happened after he had his way with Ino?!
"Go the fuck away!" he shouted indignantly, before glaring heatedly at Ino when she slapped his hands away from the front of her top and moved to back up off his lap.
"Shika!" she chided sharply and flushed heatedly as he grabbed roughly at her hip and forced her back onto his lap where she managed to feel his erection digging up against her covered opening incessantly.
This was absolutely embarrassing! Not only was she a disheveled mess, but she was caught straddling Shikamaru in an obviously inappropriate position and there was going to be absolutely no explaining it away…
"Whoa, hey you shouldn't be doing something like that on a mission!" Kiba called down to them with a wolfish grin on his face; obviously he had interrupted a private moment.
"Can you just come back in, oh, I don't know, three hours or something?" Shikamaru practically begged while glaring heatedly at the Inuzuka. He wasn't nearly finished with Ino.
"Haha, sorry, Shikamaru," Kiba chuckled with little remorse, "It's not mating season right now. Hey, Hinata, they're over here."
Ino's mortification intensified when the lavender eyed heiress peered down at them before a sense of realization came upon her serene features, "Oh, OH! Oh my! My humblest apologies for interrupting!" she shouted with a red flush consuming her pale face, turning to scurry away in the hopes of giving the couple their privacy.
Kiba just snickered at the scenario while calling out to Hinata again, "Hey, get back here! We need to get them out!"
"No, it's ok, you can just leave us down here," Shikamaru grumbled, completely serious as he looked to Ino unhappily.
He didn't want to leave this place. He didn't want to let her go again and lose her completely now that he had confessed his feelings to her. Now that she would be free, surly she would resent his actions and ignore him like he had been ignoring her, but for an entirely different reason. He didn't want to leave this place because it was the only place that he could truly have Ino all to himself…
Ino was far too embarrassed to really say much and the expression that Shikamaru gave truly puzzled her. It was like he had given up before even starting, as if her were resigned to his fate. Her expression became concerned as he stared regretfully passed her shoulder at the opposite wall.
"Quit messing around, Shikamaru," Kiba chastised, now beginning to feel irritated at the shadow wielder's dismissive tone, "We gotta get you guys back to the village."
"Back?" Ino finally asked, her gaze coming to acknowledge Kiba once he tossed down a line to the pair.
"Yeah, the mission's been canked," he explained while Shikamaru and Ino made their way up the tether, "The current target site's been cleared out. Recent intel had just come in and Tsunade-sama sent us out here to get you guys."
Once safely above ground, Shikamaru's disappointed expression fell to the trap entrance. It was over, he supposed, but could he really leave it at that?
"That would've been nice to know before sending us out here," he grumbled irritably.
"Yeah, well, you know what they say: hindsight's twenty-twenty," Kiba explained with an uninterested shrug and moved in the direction of their village, expecting the other three shinobi to follow his lead.
The trek back to the village was as silent as the one away from it had been. Kiba and Hinata could feel the air of tension that strung between the members of team ten and became slightly anxious. Neither of them knew how to make the situation any easier, so they continued to remain quiet while the shadow wielder and the telepath remained introverted.
It was as if things had reverted to the way they were before they fell into the trap. Shikamaru was distant and quiet, but Ino knew that he was thinking. He was formulating a plan of some sort or reorganizing his emotions and he needed the space.
She admittedly needed space as well. She needed to cool down her heated hormones! Her body still throbbed and tingled from his touch and some part of her wished that they hadn't been interrupted. Would his confession still stand once he had made up his mind? Ino hoped that he wouldn't just pretend that nothing had happened; she didn't think she would ever be able to pretend after what had transpired between them.
Shikamaru was, in fact, analyzing his options. He could go full bore and insist that Ino accept his feeling and succumb to his will. That would not go over well, he was certain of it. He could pretend that it never happened. That would not go over well with him and his frustrated, excited body. And he could give her an opportunity to make up her own mind. She would do that either way, but at least he could possibly be in control of it. That seemed like the best possible course of action at the moment.
It didn't take the group much longer to arrive back at the village and much less time to report in with Tsunade-sama. The Hokage listen intently while Shikamaru and Kiba relayed the most recent mission information to her. With a resolute nod, she dismissed Ino and Kiba, asking that Hinata and Shikamaru stay.
Ino didn't want to leave. She hesitated, looking between the Hokage and Shikamaru, and was only set into motion when Tsunade lifted a perturbed eye-brow at not having her request heeded. Ino took a step back with an audible gulp and gave Shikamaru a furtive glance when she turned to exit the office. He did not return her gaze and Ino left with a disheartened expression.
Things were apparently back to square one again, if not less.
Ino sat up in bed, back resting against the nearest wall, while she sorted through her feelings. She had never expected for things to change so drastically between her and Shikamaru.
From the beginning, their relationship had been tenuous at best. He was always acting like a brat before they had become genin. He never had any motivation to do anything and she always forced him along. Once entering into the academy, things had not improved much. He was still lazy and unmotivated, but he had a goal, be it a selfish one. He wanted to become a shinobi so he could be his own boss and do whatever he wanted. After becoming a chuunin, things finally began to change for what Ino thought was the better. Their team had bonded so very closely after the exam. She considered Shikamaru to be her friend. She began to rely and depend on him. During missions spent together, he hardly needed to explain his plans; she and Choji understood his train of thought. Ino had grown especially close to Shikamaru, spending time cloud gazing with him when they weren't on missions and when she wasn't working at the flower shop. Things had just been so easy between the two of them before…
Ino sighed heavily. Not only did she lose her Sensei, but she also lost her best friend.
The reason for his distance was still fresh in her memory.
It was always less troublesome to avoid you than it was to go after you. You made it very clear that you didn't want me. I was never even a blip on your radar.
If she knew that she was a blip on his radar she wouldn't have acted that way! He never showed her any signs! He was just there most of the time! Ino suddenly realized that was more than she could say about Sasuke. Shikamaru was actually there for her; he was always by her side.
A shudder quaked through Ino's body. That was his sign. Being near her, supporting her, taking care of her was his way of showing her that he cared. He had done that practically her whole life! Had he always loved her?
How must he have felt, after all of those years she spent pinning over the Uchiha? Did it hurt him knowing the way she felt? Even if it did, he was still there beside her. He never abandoned her, until after Asuma died.
Why had things changed so much after that? Was it getting harder for him to ignore his feelings for her at that point? Was he then avoiding her to avoid the pain being around her made him feel?
Ino cradled her head in her hand, feeling the beginnings of a headache. She was beginning to stress out. Shikamaru had turned her world upside down and then chose to ignore her again! It wasn't fair of him to do that to her!
She did have feelings for him, feelings that she knew were stronger than friendship, but could they really make it? Could they really be a couple? Could they really be happy together and supportive of one another? Could she imagine marrying him and having children with him? Ino was startled to discover the answer to all of these questions was a resounding yes…
She was shocked out of her thoughts by a knock at her window. Ino turned to see Shikamaru on the other side. Her heart skipped a beat before she moved to let him in. Her eyes took in his every action as he came through the opening gracefully to stand in the middle of her room.
The silence spread through the space between them, much as it had earlier, before Ino broke it, "Hey," she murmured uncertainly, turning from the window to face him.
"Hey, sorry, I'm just trying to get my thoughts together," he apologized, still not facing her.
The silence only lasted maybe another minute or two before Shikamaru regarded her with a calm expression. Ino knew better though. She could tell he had something planned and his mind was still calculating all of the potential outcomes.
"I'm skilled at planning out battle strategies, but this is something entirely different," he muttered, his expression turning morose.
Ino just rolled her eyes at him flippantly and came to stand no more than an arm's length away. Maybe her nearness would spur him into action.
"Just tell me what you're thinking," Ino prompted with an air of patience.
"Tsunade-sama assigned me to another mission," he began, noticing Ino's puzzled countenance he continued, "I'll be gone for a week."
Ino had not expected him to be talking about a mission! Why wouldn't he broach the subject of his confession already?! She was beginning to get frustrated and it must have shown on her face, for Shikamaru began to speak again.
"I'm not gonna take it back," he began resolutely, his eyes fixed on Ino's firmly, "I love you. I meant it. I know you may not feel the same for me, but I can't help this feeling. I haven't been able to help it for a long time now."
Ino could feel her heart pounding in her chest. He confirmed it. He confirmed his confession. She didn't know how to react though. She was frozen to the floor and Shikamaru must have sensed her hesitation, because he looked away from her with a saddened expression.
"Shika–," she began tentatively, but was interrupted.
"Don't give me an answer now," he said, almost pleadingly, "I want you to think about it and give me your answer when I get back, alright?"
Ino's expression bordered on irritation, "This is beginning to feel strangely like an ultimatum," she murmured when he moved passed her to exit her room through the way he entered.
"It's not," he assured, an apologetic expression on his face, "Well, I didn't mean for it to be anyway."
Ino watched him as he stood out on her roof, gazing in at her with an expression she had never witnessed before. His smile was soft, for once not an arrogant smirk or a bored frown. His eyes were deep, dark and almost pleading and filled with so much…love…
"I don't want to wait any longer than that, Ino," he added, "I think I've waited long enough for you. If you don't love me back, then I want to move on. I don't want to waste another moment of my life being an indecisive coward."
Ino loved him; she really and truly loved him. She wanted to tell him now, "What if I already have an answer?" she asked, her voice sounding desperate as she peered outside the window while Shikamaru moved to the edge of the roof.
He looked back at her with a comforting smile, "I want you to think about it, alright?" his expression became heated and determined before he added, "Because, if you say yes, I will never let you go."
Ino nodded in understanding, a heated blush overcoming her face and a chill running through her limbs at his resolute words of adoration. She loved the idea of always being with him. She already didn't want him to let her go.
"If I see you on the day I get back, then I'll know your answer. If I don't see you," he trailed of while looking away with an expression that almost resembled defeat, "Well, let me put it this way: I really hope I see you when I get back," he finished and turned to grin at her widely before hopping down to the ground.
Once he passed underneath the awning and Ino could see him again, she shouted out, "Be careful!"
"I always am!" Shikamaru called back, choosing to not engage her with his eyes, "After all, I've got someone to come back home to!"
Shikamaru happened to be at the head of the group on their return back from the mission. The previous week had seemingly lasted much longer than it should have and he was anxious to get back. He wanted to see Ino. He wanted to see her beautiful, smiling face at the gate waiting for him. Would she be there? He was restless, to the point where he just wanted to get it all over with.
"Man! Slow down, Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted somewhere from behind him, "Konoha isn't going anywhere!"
The shadow wielder chose to ignore the jinchūriki, continuing to press on. He couldn't wait another moment to know if Ino would return his feelings. He needed to know!
Upon reaching the gate, his keen, dark eyes scanned his surroundings. There was no familiar blur of purple, or shock of platinum blond hair, or brilliant blue eyes there to meet him. A defeated expression overtook his features.
She wasn't there.
Shikamaru clenched his jaw against the overwhelming sense of disappointment. His heart ached and his body shuddered with the feeling of rejection. He didn't know why he felt so surprised. He should have known that Ino wouldn't return his affections. She had never given him a single inkling of an indication that she was in love with him. He had projected his feelings and desires on her and she hadn't known how to react. The kiss didn't matter to her. His confession didn't matter to her. The feelings just weren't there for her.
She didn't love him.
Shikamaru was hard pressed to restrain his frustrated expression from his team when they came to a stop behind him.
"There, see? It's still here," Naruto muttered sarcastically, slightly winded from the exertion it took to keep up with Shikamaru. After all, he and Kakashi had done the brunt of the hard work and his chakra was low.
"That's enough, Naruto," the copy ninja chastised from behind the blond, his dark right eye keenly assessing the situation and taking note of Shikamaru's tenuously maintained control.
He could tell that the Nara was feeling distraught, but Naruto was a little less aware than one his rank and age should be. Something had been eating at the shadow wielder much of the mission and he suspected that the issue had just been resolved. Judging by his frustrated demeanor the conclusion was not a positive one.
"Shikamaru," Hinata spoke softly, approaching said man with a gentle expression, "If you like, I can report into Tsunade-sama?"
Shikamaru just shook his head. He appreciated the heiress' concern and Kakashi's seeming awareness. However, he wanted to complete the mission. He needed to do it, to simply help keep his mind off the truth. He needed a distraction now, just until he calmed down a little, and reporting their findings to Tsunade-sama would be a good start.
"Nah, it's alright," he assured with a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I go it. You guys go home and rest up."
With that, he made his way to the Hokage's office, doing anything and everything he could to take his mind off the fact that Ino didn't love him in return.
"So, the mission was a success?" Tsunade asked evenly, her keen eyes taking in Shikamaru's haggard appearance.
"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed with a nod, "Hinata was able to locate the enemy stronghold and asses that there were a minimal amount of targets. Naruto and Kakashi took out the majority of the enemies and destroyed the complex. There's nothing left, one less base of operation to deal with."
"What about your own attribution?" the Hokage asked with an appreciative smile.
"I didn't do nearly as much as everyone else. I just coordinated everything with them behind the scenes with Hinata."
"You never give yourself enough credit, Shikamaru," Tsunade chastised gently with a shake of her head, "Alright, well that's all. I give you and your team leave for a few days to replenish your strength. I recommend you go to the hospital and have your injuries healed and your energy restored, you look worn out."
"That's just your nice way of saying I look like shit, isn't it ma'am?" Shikamaru asked with a grin.
"Essentially," Tsunade agreed with a smirk, "Now get out of here, I have work to do."
Shikamaru chuckled lightly and bowed respectfully before taking his leave, on his way to the hospital. He still needed a distraction from his thoughts and some physical therapy and a little TLC might do him some good. He and Hinata had managed to take down a good handful of runners after Kakashi and Naruto destroyed the complex. Most of them had been injured from the collapse of the compound but they still managed to put up a decent struggle.
Upon entering the hospital, he was greeted with the familiar face of Sakura. She smiled at him warmly while he approached her at a sluggish pace, "Hey, there, Shikamaru! Back from your latest mission I see. Did everything go well?"
"As good as can be expected," he answered, returning her smile with a weak one of his own, "You busy? I could use a little bit of the healing touch."
Sakura just smiled wider and led him into the nearest patient room. She instructed him to remove his vest and get comfortable on one of the two hospital beds while she gathered together several ointments, balms and his medical file.
"You know, Ino could just as easily do all this for you," Sakura mentioned, taking notice when Shikamaru flinched. She hadn't yet touched him, so she could only assume that it was her words that were the disturbance.
"Yeah, I know," Shikamaru responded, not meeting Sakura's gaze as he pouted on the gurney.
Sakura just shrugged at his uninformative words, "Where does it hurt?"
"My stomach, back and right hand," he answered, following Sakura's prompting hands as she lifted the back of his shirt to deal with that mentioned injury.
Shikamaru gave a relieved sigh once Sakura's bare hands brush along his injured spine to begin healing him. In the silence that followed, he thought about Ino. Where was she? Was she at home or out shopping? Was she thinking about him? Was she aware that today he would be returning? Had she, maybe, forgotten or was she more than aware that her actions had practically destroyed him? Had she thought about him at all while he was gone?
He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. She consumed his thoughts and made it difficult for him to focus. More than one time during his mission he had endangered his team because of his wandering mind. Would he ever be able to truly get over her or would he keep endangering the other people he cared about? He would need his time off to figure things out and come to grips with his feelings. Maybe Sakura could tell him about Ino, she may be able to put his mind at ease.
"How has she been the last week anyways?" he asked cryptically, attempting to garner information from the pink-haired medical-nin.
Sakura was no fool. She knew that Shikamaru was fishing for information about her best girlfriend. The only thing that she didn't know was what it was he wanted to hear, "Oh, she's doing alright."
"Alright?" he persisted.
"Yeah, she's been acting weird lately," she elaborated slightly, "She seems unfocused and more flighty, like she's had something on her mind. I tried teasing her with a few comments about Sasuke, but she didn't even take the bait!" she finished with an incredulous look on her face, "You don't happen to know what's up with her, do you, Shikamaru?" she asked with an almost knowing smile.
He had not been expecting Sakura's answer. Ino was acting differently? Why would she be doing that if she didn't care about him? Why would she be acting any differently if she had made up her mind about him; if she had made up her mind to ignore his feelings?
He was getting ahead of himself. Just because she was acting differently didn't mean she had accepted his feelings and decided to return them. After all, she hadn't even been waiting for him. She was absent and had not yet made an appearance.
Ino was a sensory ninja. She should have known that he was back in the village by now, at least, and she had still yet to approach him. He had his solid answer.
He had made it very obvious – If I see you, you love me and if I don't, you don't. He had made himself very clear. He had even made it apparent that he wanted to see her when he got back. He had said as much! So just because she was acting strangely, it didn't mean anything…
Not much else was discussed between the two chuunin. After his injuries were healed and a fair amount of his chakra had been replenished, Shikamaru took his leave with a short farewell. He was finally calm and resigned to his fate. Now, all he needed to do was go back home, wallow in his misery for a few days and then move on with his life, no matter how difficult it would be.
Upon reaching his house, he called out to his family blandly, "Tadaima!" but received no response.
Good, he was alone and his parents wouldn't bother him. With a loud sigh, Shikamaru moved toward his room. Nothing about the dwelling was different, so he took no notice once entering. He slid the door to his room shut and turned to open the shoji that lead outside to the Zen Garden. He needed to just sit and mediate outside for a while, but he never made it that far.
His astute gaze took in the sight of Ino while she knelt on his futon. She had apparently taken it upon herself to take it out from its storage and lay it out in the middle of his room. This was just something Shikamaru happened to take notice of as his mind was mostly focused on the fact that Ino was practically naked, aside from some lacy purple lingerie.
It felt like Ino's heart was going to pound its way out of her chest. She had already been overly nervous, thinking that she was being far too audacious in her actions, but she wanted to make a statement. She wanted Shikamaru to know she was his. She wanted him to know she was tired of waiting as well. She wanted him to know she returned his love and was ready to take the next step. However, that didn't keep her from twitching nervously at every single noise she heard in his empty house while she waited for his return anxiously.
Now that he was standing before her, taking in the sight of her with a stunned expression on his face for what felt like forever to her, she was feeling the urge to run and hide.
It had taken everything in her to do this! It had taken all of her willpower to purchase this ridiculous underwear and parade her body around his room. It had taken all of her resolve to take out his futon and sit on it like a doting wife waiting for her loving husbands return. She was running low on her determination as he continued to stare at her.
'Ok, that's it!' she thought frantically and moved to stand rigidly, "I can't do this," she muttered, turning to escape.
Suddenly, her body came to a jerked halt and she found herself unable to move forward, or at all for that matter. What was going on?! Ino swallowed thickly when her body moved against its own volition to turn back around and face Shikamaru.
His expression was a cross between smug and elated. His hands were held in front of him in the familiar sign of rat for his Kagemane no Jutsu. Once the jutsu was cast, Shikamaru let his hands fall to his sides and began walking forward steadily. Ino's own body mirrored his movements until she came to a halt less than an arm's length away.
Realization dawned and Ino opened her mouth to berate him, "How dare you use this jutsu on me, Shika!" she shouted vehemently, still unable to move, "I thought you told me you would never use this on–!" but her words were cut off.
"Is all of this for me?" he asked in a hushed whisper, his tone reverent as his eyes studied each and every one of her soft curves wrapped so temptingly in the deep purple lingerie.
Ino gasped out softly at his words and expression. He truly loved her; it was written upon his features as plain as day. How could she possibly have been so blind to this? Her body felt warm, wrapped in the heat of his soothing chakra. It was as if she could feel him physically embracing her through his shadow attached to hers. His hand rose to brush lightly against her cheek, her own hand mimicking the gestures
"– all of you–," was all that Shikamaru heard her say. Her words were no more than a soft, timid whisper. When it looked as if he hadn't fully heard her, she repeated more firmly, "You can have all of me, only if I can have all of you. That's the deal," she was trying to be firm and flippant, but failing miserably. Shikamaru could feel her trembling nervously under his touch, "Take it or leave it," she finished, swallowing thickly against her nerves.
Shikamaru just grinned down at her happily before answering, "I think I'll take what I can get," he murmured heatedly, leaning forward to press his lips to hers.
"Shika," she breathed out imploringly, "release me."
He blinked a few times before realization finally took over, "Oh, right, sorry," he apologized with a soft chuckle, raising his right hand to his chest, "Relea–,"
He wasn't even able to finish the single word before Ino's arms came up to wrap around his neck tightly and her eager, heated lips pressed against his own. Shikamaru blinked, shocked, when her fingers wound through his hair, breaking the tie that held it all back. His eyesight was obscured momentarily before he decided to close them and respond in kind to Ino's fervent advances.
Ino gasped out in surprise when she felt Shikamaru's hands come to grasp underneath her bottom and lift her up into his arms while kissing her back enthusiastically. Her legs came to wrap around him as he moved to sit on the softness of his futon with Ino sitting comfortably astride his lap. The irony of the position was not lost on her and she broke away from the impassioned kiss to look down upon Shikamaru suspiciously.
Shikamaru grinned up at her knowingly after assuming the positon that they were once in at the bottom of the trap, "I thought we could take it from where we left off," he murmured heatedly while his lips grazed along the skin of her bare collar bone.
Ino shivered at the caress and sifted her fingers through his loose hair. Honestly, he could do just about anything he wanted to her and she would put up very little protest. The heat she endured a week ago in the trap was consuming her body once again while his lips continued to caress over her skin. Ino could hardly stand it anymore.
Shikamaru grinned happily against Ino's chest when he felt her shudder. She was being very receptive to his touch and he wondered just how far she was willing to go to please him.
"I like this," he complimented, lifting one hand from the swell of her bottom to play with the dark purple strap of her brassiere before his eyes met hers confidently, "How about you take it off for me?"
Ino blushed heatedly at his request, looking off to the side when he smirked at her assertively. He was being cocky and it was frustrating. How was it that he had so much control over his urges while she couldn't keep from blushing and trembling at the simplest touch? She wanted to rile him up a little bit, but she didn't have the slightest idea of how to go about it. Shikamaru was always just so calm and collected while she was easy to agitate and excitable.
"Alright, I'll do it," he shrugged, slightly disappointed that Ino hadn't done as he wished.
"No," she snapped, withdrawing from him slightly when he lifted his hands from her bottom to undo the hook and eyes, "I'll do it," she amended bashfully, reaching back her own hands to unhook the closures.
Shikamaru watched her with a fascinated expression, taking in her every move as the band went slack and the cups fell forward slightly with the weight of her full breasts. The bashful look on her face was doing something to him. He could hardly hold back his urge to just simply take her. The very sight of her excited him beyond all reason. He knew that he needed to pace himself, though. If he went faster and further than Ino was willing then things could turn out disastrous.
Ino moved to wrap her arms around her chest shyly when the straps fell away from her shoulders. She took a deep steadying breath and withdrew each arm before taking the bra into her hand and allowing it to fall to the floor beside the futon. She resisted the urge to cover herself again and clenched her eyes tightly against her nerves, not wanting to take in Shikamaru's expression just yet. Despite her nervousness, she could still feel the unmistakable throbbing in her lower belly and between her thighs. She wanted Shikamaru, she just didn't really have a clue what to do besides let him guide her.
Ino flinched, more in surprise than anything else, after she felt Shikamaru's thumb pull across the peaked nipple of her left breast. Her spine straightened considerably, arching toward his touch, and she couldn't help but let out a strangled moan at his attentions.
"Kami, you are beautiful, Ino."
Her eyes shot open in surprise, a pleasant chill running through her limbs, and she found herself being engulfed in his dark, heated eyes.
She truly was pure perfection, plain and simple. Her skin was utterly flawless, her hair pale and silken, her eyes a deep, everlasting blue, tinted darker in desire. She was absolutely exquisite and she was finally all his.
Shikamaru could hardly restrain himself at that point. Every cell in his body was screaming to claim the woman who sat across his lap, but he endured. He would not rush her. He would cherish her and worship her body until she could no longer take it.
He pressed his lips within the valley of her breasts while placing a steadying hand between her shoulder blades. He moved forward to lay her out along the futon and withdrew to marvel at her further. Her cheeks were tinted pink with the color of her blush and her bluer than blue eyes took in his every move.
Ino watched with acute interest while Shikamaru knelt between her thighs on the futon. His every movement was accurate and precise as he began to undress, first removing his vest, next his long sleeve, black shirt, then his pants. Each piece of clothing removed excited her further until she was to the point of wanting to press her thighs together to relieve a minimal amount of the pleasurable tension.
Once undressed, Shikamaru came to loom over her body. His eyes bore deeply into hers before his lips descended to envelop hers in a deep, exploratory kiss. His hips came to settle against her own and she could feel how exited he was; the hardness of his cock pressed against her hip insistently through their undergarments. The rest of his weight settled upon her lightly and the simple pressing of his body on top of hers made her stomach clench with need.
Her body was so very soft beneath his, her lips inviting and tempting. Shikamaru felt little need to rush any of his actions. He wanted to savor every caress and kiss like it would be his last. His hand, not supporting the weight of his upper body, trailed along her bare skin, eliciting goose bumps in its wake.
Ino broke away from the kiss to tilt her head back and moan out softly as his thumb stroked against the peak of her breast once again. With his lips no longer occupied with her own, she felt him trail heated, open-mouthed kisses along her neck and down to her collar bone, his free hand trailing lower and lower with the sinking of his mouth. Did he mean to–?
Shikamaru relished the throaty moan that Ino let out once his fingers stole beneath her panties and parted her folds gently. She was so very wet and sleek and he thrilled at the thought that he had made her this way. By now, his lips were kissing at her tight belly, his tongue lapping out against the soft skin and swirling around her navel, making the muscles beneath jump haphazardly.
Ino's fingers clenched within the bedding beneath her while Shikamaru continued to descend down her body. His fingertips managed to find the sensitive bundle of nerves at the epicenter of her thighs and began to press and rotate over it slowly. Her body was no longer her own once she pressed her hips up into his caressing hand.
"Oh, kami, Shika!" she panted out, her hooded gaze watching him intently when his lips moved from her belly button to the bone that jutted out from her hip.
She watched with enrapt fascination as he bared his teeth and bit her gently, causing a jolting, pleasurable, pin prickling sensation to throb between her thighs. With little hesitation, she lifted her hips, indicating to Shikamaru that she wanted him to remove her last article of clothing.
He smirked up at Ino confidently, wasting no time in baring her completely to his eager eyes. The first thing he took notice of, as he came to sit back on his heels in the process of removing her panties, was that she was shaven bare. His stomach clenched fervently and his cock twitched impatiently. She had prepared for this.
"All mine," he whispered out greedily.
Ino blushed heatedly at his words. She now lay naked before him and gasped when his hands lifted her knees to bend and spread her legs. He made no hesitation to lie down on his stomach and press his open mouth to her heat.
"Ah!" Ino gasped out, her hands moving to grasp at his hair when his tongue parted her folds and his upper lip pushed back the hood that covered her sensitive bundle of nerves.
Shikamaru relished the wanton sounds that she made while his tongue played along her clit, altering between long firm up and down strokes, slow leisurely swirls and gentle sucking. Before too long, he had her wiggling impatiently on the futon with her hips pressing up into his mouth. She was near her edge and he wanted to bring her over.
Ino panted out urgently, unable to catch her breath, continuing to thrust up into his mouth. One more firm grind and she was falling over the precipice, her toes curling and her insides twitching haphazardly with her orgasm.
Shikamaru withdrew from her with a satisfied expression, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand while sitting back to watch Ino pant exhaustedly. Her eyes gazed up widely at the ceiling before coming to take in his smug expression. She didn't have the fortitude to chastise his cockiness. She simply rolled her eyes at him and sat up on her elbows after catching her breath.
"What about you?" she asked shyly, her cheeks tinted pink again with her blush.
"What about me?" he parroted, his grin growing lecherous.
"Don't be like that," Ino did scold him then, "do you want…?" she trailed of bashfully, casting her gaze to the side while pressing her thighs together nervously.
"Only if you do," Shikamaru admitted, his smile becoming soothing, "I'm just happy that you're finally mine."
Ino looked at him with an expression of wonder. He was willing to hold off his own release until she was ready. She couldn't imagine it. After all, she had come into his room, dressed in sexy lingerie so that she could sleep with him, but was she really ready? She knew that Shikamaru was the only one for her. She knew that he would never leave her. So there really was no rush, was there?
"I don't know if I'm ready to go all the way yet," that saying just sounded so juvenile to her, "but I want to do something for you."
Shikamaru's answering grin made her shiver with anticipation, "Come here then," he urged, moving to take away his last article of clothing.
Ino watched with a sense of curiosity when he came free from his undergarments. She had never seen a man fully naked before and she became fascinated once Shikamaru was revealed to her eyes.
"Give me your hand," he ordered gently, leaning back on his elbow and spreading his legs wider for Ino to kneel between them.
Ino accommodated him, grasping his hand with her own. She watched with an eager gaze as he wrapped her hand around his shaft with his own hand on top of hers. He let out a soft breath and his features contorted into an expression of strained concentration. Her heart swelled with excitement at his unknowing lack of control. Maybe she could make him as restless as he made her.
"Like this," he instructed, his voice huskier while he tightened her grip around him slightly and moved their hands along his cock.
Ino watched while he tilted his head back and let out a throaty groan. She could feel her insides clenching tantalizingly at the sight. Without any further urging, she took charge and moved her hand at her own pace, all the while taking close note of each and every expression Shikamaru made.
Ino experimented to find the things that he seemed to enjoy the most, altering speed and pressure, pressing her thumb to his tip, twisting her hand. It didn't take her very long to find the highlights of what he enjoyed most or the rhythm that made him pant out eagerly and thrust gradually into her hand.
Shikamaru could not manage to hold back his fervent breaths. Sometime during Ino's ministrations he found himself lying on his back with his hands fisted tightly in the bedding. Her touch was tentative and foreign to him and he was not able to restrain the occasional thrust of his hips. He ground his jaw tightly against the urge to moan, his body shuddering uncontrollable with her next firm caress. He was nearing his release. With little thought, he reached out for Ino's free hand and gripped it tightly.
Ino squeezed back against his desperate grasp with a soft, encouraging smile. Maintaining the rhythm of her hand along his cock, she whispered her urge for him to finish.
With a deep heated groan expelled through clenched teeth, Shikamaru managed to finish, spilling out over Ino's pumping hand while tilting his head back so far the tendons in his neck stood out. Once the pleasant thrumming of his body stilled, he gazed up at the ceiling lazily, attempting to catch his breath while Ino chuckled at him.
"What?" he muttered, lifting an eyebrow at her while reaching out for his underwear.
"Now you know how it feels," she grinned, referring to how she had felt after her earlier release while appreciating the effort he put in to wiping off her hand.
"Yeah, it's different when someone else is doing it for you," he grumbled in a half-hearted attempt to sound aloof while cleaning up the rest of the mess before throwing his boxers off to the side of the futon.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino asked threateningly, putting up little resistance when Shikamaru grasped her arm and pulled her down to lay comfortably against his chest.
"Nothing, really," he answered, dragging his fingers over her shoulder and neck, "just that it's not the same as me doing it myself."
Ino blushed hotly against his torso at the thought of Shikamaru masturbating. It really was an erotic notion. She never once thought that she would envision Shikamaru of all people masturbating! What had come over her within the last week?!
"What're you thinking about?" Shikamaru grinned, noticing her pink cheeks.
Ino shook her head dismissively, "Nothing, I just think you're turning me into a pervert."
His light chuckle shook her head laid out over his chest. This really was right. Being with Shikamaru was easy and comforting like it always had been. The only difference was that love and sex were now added into the equation. It was effortless, but loving your best friend just seemed to be that way.
Ino smiled softly while drawing lazy circles over Shikamaru's upper body. She was happy; she really couldn't recall the last time in her life that she felt this satisfied and content. It was amazing that her happiness had been with Shikamaru all this time and she hadn't realized it up until that point.
"What're you thinking about?" she returned his earlier question.
"I'm thinking that booby-trap was the best thing that ever happened to me," Shikamaru responded with a wide grin before he felt Ino poke his side teasingly.
It really had been the tipping point of his life to end up trapped with her. It took the possibility of dying for him to finally just let everything out. He hoped that in the future it wouldn't have to come to that. He wanted to no longer have any hesitations when it came to how he felt about Ino.
Following his own wishes, he whispered out "I love you," into the silence of the room, his fingers still playing along the plains of Ino's bare skin.
The answering words came so naturally, "I love you too," she whispered, knowing that there would never be another person in the world that she could say that to so easily.
A/N: I've never written a non-AU for this pair so let me know if I got anything wrong. I'm still not even completely done watching the show…I'm somewhere in the lower 200s and I've been watching the dubbed version. Please leave a review if you enjoyed the story!