I do not own Naruto

New to relationships

Just friends?

After Naruto had gotten Sasuke to remember where he belongs, and to come back to the village as an ally, and not an enemy, Naruto was sent on a few missions. He was sent with Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji to find information on Pain, the one who killed Jiraiya. Shikamaru, Choujji, and Naruto seemed to get along quite well, Shikamaru especially. They were good friends the three of them, but Ino wasn't that close to Naruto, in fact, she barely knew him at all. Only the annoying, bratty, idiotic Naruto form the academy. Even though he had matured quite a bit, he was still that goofy guy that seemed to lighten up the mood. She got along great with her two team mates, but never really talked to Naruto on the first few missions they were on together.

She began to see why people that spent time with him liked him so much. He was nice, caring, and determined. He had a presence that seemed to impress people, even if he was still just a kid. He was quickly becoming one of the village's strongest shinobi, surpassing many of his former teachers. He had a will of iron, an unbreakable wall of fortitude at his disposal. And he was willing to give up everything, his dreams, his happiness, and his life, to save those he was close to.

They had been talking with one another more and more lately, he always seemed to give the group confidence when they seemed at a loss. Whenever she was sad, he could easily cheer her up, which she admired about him. She could say that they were slowly, but surly, becoming friends.

His sacrificial mentality was shown to her on their last mission together, before Naruto was temporarily hospitalized.

They were in a remote village located on the border of the land of rain. They had gotten information that Akatsuki members were there on orders. When they arrived, they found that one of them was missing, and the other seemed to be eager for a fight. Of course, Naruto gladly accepted, but Shikamaru was worried because he knew that even though Naruto was exceptional as a fighter, Akatsuki members where usually smart. However, he didn't stop Naruto, for he had faith in him.

Ino looked on in concern as Naruto charged at the guy, gaining speed. The guy didn't move and when Naruto landed a kick to his head, didn't budge. They were all shocked, then the guy lifted his arm, grabbing Naruto's shoulder, and squeezing. To everyone's horror, they all heard cracking, as Naruto was thrown back towards them. It was obvious that this guy was strong, if he could break Naruto's collar bone, and shoulder blade with one hand. Ino gasped and covered her mouth when that had happened.

"Naruto…" yelled Shikamaru as he ran over to him, Ino and Chouji right behind him.

Naruto didn't hesitate to get back on his feet, "Naruto, let us handle this, you're too injured." Ino pleaded.

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry, but now I really wanna kick this guys ass." He said as he grinned towards her and looked back at the guy, who was still just standing there. She was amazed at his pain tolerance, and his determination to fight. The three sighed and reluctantly stepped away to give him some space. Naturo smiled as he brought up his hand, beginning to gather the chakra in his palm to form the rasengan. Since the sage training that he had gone through, he was now able to form it on his own, without shadow clones. This impressed the three who hadn't seen any new techniques yet, granted it wasn't new, but he was definitely stronger.

He rushed the guy, who wasn't intimidated at all, "Rasengan…Impulse!!" yelled out Naruto as he struck the guy.

"Impulse?" questioned Shikamaru in confusion; he had never heard Naruto use that before.

"Maybe its new." stated Chouji, who looked on in interest.

They watched the small explosion of earth as Naruto jumped back, looking as though he wasn't injured at all.

"That's it, how's that supposed to do anything?" asked an unimpressed Shikamaru.

Naruto only chuckled, "Take a look for yourself." The team watched as the dust cleared and gasped at the sight of the guy, on the ground, unconscious.

"What the hell?" questioned Chouji.

"Yea, if your kick didn't do a thing, then how did that little rasengan thingy do that?" asked Shikamaru, Ino only looked on in confusion.

"It's a new technique, it's not only a rasengan, I used the natural energy around his body right before the attack and pulled away all of his spiritual energy, making it impossible to use chakra. So he couldn't do anything and got hit with the full blast." Naruto explained with a grin.

"Natural energy?" questioned Ino.

Naruto sighed, and proceeded to explain Natural energy and what he was taught. Everyone listened intently, seemingly impressed.

"Well Naruto, I guess you've improved more than I thought." said Shikamaru as he looked back at the guy.

Naruto felt something that wasn't right and turned to Ino with wide eyes.

"What is it Naruto?" she asked, feeling a blush creeping on her cheeks.

Then she heard chuckling form behind her, there was a second Akatsuki about twenty yards away.

"So, you took out my partner, very nice job." He said as he chuckled again.

Naruto clenched his fists in anticipation of an attack. Then the guy drew a sword from a sheath on his back, aiming it at Ino.

"Now die." He yelled as he laughed maniacally. Rushing towards Ino with incredible speed, she couldn't move if she tried. She closed her eyes tight, waiting for it to hit, when she heard it hit, but didn't feel anything, accept for something wet and warm seeping through her cloths. She quickly opened her eyes.

"Naruto!!" she cried out. He had jumped in the way of the guy's blade so that Ino wouldn't get hurt. It pierced right through his chest and out his back, only inches from Ino's neck. She felt tears stirring in her eyes, thinking of the worst.

"Sorry about your cloths Ino." He said, with a seemingly happy tone, obviously trying to lighten the mood, if that was even possible.

She watched as he formed chakra around his hands as he would with a chakra blade to make it sharper, then he pulled back his arms and thrust them into the guys stomach and ribs. He yelled out in pain as Naruto pulled away his hands, and blood started to poor out of the guy. He wasn't hit anywhere fatal, Naruto made sure of that. Shikamaru used his shadow technique to hold the guy as Chouji used his attack to take him out.

"Naruto what the hell were you…" Shikamaru started as he ran to him, but was cut off.

Naruto chuckled, "Well that was a close one huh?" is all he managed to say before falling to his knees, spiting up blood.

"Still an idiot."

"Naruto…" yelled Ino as she grabbed him to prevent him from falling, further injuring himself. She quickly looked over him, taking off his jacket and shirt to see the wound clearer. She blushed a dark red, but quickly regained her composure considering the situation.

"Well, he wasn't hit in any vital areas, but we need to get him back to Tsunade-sama quickly." She said as Chouji took him out of her hands. Shikamaru grabbed the guy Naruto had knocked out so they could interrogate him, and they headed back to the village quickly. Ino was standing there glaring at the corpse of the one who stabbed Naruto before taking a deep breath and following after them.

--

He slowly opened his eyes, looking around at his surroundings; he was in his usual hospital bed. He sat up, and wiped his eyes, trying to see clearer. Then he felt himself in a tight embrace. It was Sakura, who had come to be one of his closest friends.

"Oi…Naruto, glad to see you made it." said Shikamaru with a grin.

"Yea….you shouldn't pull stunts like that anymore." added Chouji as he munched down on some chips.

"Naruto…it's never easy with you is it?" Sakura asked sarcastically as she smiled at him.

"Idiot…" said Sasuke who was grinning, sitting in the corner. Everyone laughed until someone interrupted.

"You had us all worried sick." blurted out Ino, a bit angry at everyone's seemingly calm attitude.

Everyone looked at her with furrowed brows, "Calm down Ino, I'm fine." said Naruto.

"Yea…well you shouldn't do stupid things like that, stop playing around with your life like its nothing." She yelled out as tears started forming in her blue eyes. Now everyone was staring at her in confusion, Naruto is in life threatening situations like this constantly, why was she so upset this time.

"I only did it because I didn't want you to get hurt." He said calmly. She only glared at him before turning around in a huff and storming out of the room.

"Okay then…." said Shikamaru.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Naruto in concern.

"I don't know…I'll talk to her." said Sakura as she hugged him again and got up to leave.

--

That was her last mission with him for a while; however, every time she heard that he was in the hospital, she would hurry over to make sure that he was okay. He would always smile at her when she came in, trying to calm her down, but she was always upset about it. She didn't like it when he was hurt.

--

Now let's skip a few years and see how things turn out for the village.

--

Ino was now twenty years old, living by herself in an apartment. She had become a Jonin like most of her age group was at this point. She was also a member of the Anbu for her information gathering skills; she was considered one of the village's top shinobi. She was on her way back to the village with Shikamaru and Hinata form a secretive mission in the land of Waves. They had completed it without a hitch and would give their report to the Hokage, then get some much needed rest.

They knocked on the door to the Hokage's office; "Come in." they heard.

They walked in and stood in front of his desk, he was looking out the window, not really paying attention to their entrance.

"How'd everything go?" he asked quietly.

"Fine, everything went as planned." Shikamaru answered.

He turned around in his chair and smiled, "Well that's great." They then proceeded to report to him on the mission.

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem Naruto." Shikamaru said as they walked out the door.

"Ino, can I speak with you?" Naruto asked as the door was about to close.

Shikamaru and Hinata looked at him in confusion but continued on; Ino turned around and looked at him in confusion also, as she walked up to the desk.

"Take a seat." He said gently.

She sat down, "What is it Hokage?" she asked nervously.

He chuckled, "You can call me by my name you know."

"But you're the Hokage, it would be….." Naruto cut her off.

"I don't care what I am, I would just rather have my friends call me by name." he said with a smile.

She also smiled, "Okay, what is it Naruto?" she said his name teasingly.

"That's more like it….anyways, Sakura left for a week to go on a trip with Tsunade, as you probably know, and she left this for you." He said as he handed her a letter.

She took it, looking at it in confusion before opening it up and beginning to read. They had become good friends with one another, considering they didn't fight over Sasuke anymore. They had just grown away from the unfounded crush they had on him.

Ino,

When I get back, I better find out that you have a boyfriend. You've been single for as long as I can remember, find someone who makes you happy.

Because when I get back, I'll find someone too, but I'll probably find someone first because of my womanly charm.

She furrowed her brows in anger, but, Sakura was right, she hadn't had a boyfriend since she briefly, very briefly at that, went out with Neji, who was her first and only boyfriend, and they never actually kissed. Well, they kissed, but not passionately, just little pecks. She was twenty years old, only ever had one boyfriend and barely ever kissed a boy. She sighed at how pathetic it was. Sakura and Naruto had gone out for a few months, but were forced to break up. They still liked each other, but they had 

separated because of issues with the village at the time, they just couldn't be together for dangers sake. Now, however, they are very, very good friends, and still have feelings for one another, however, they never got back together. Naruto wasn't too worried about it, as long as they could still be good friends he was fine with it, and so was she. She knew that he had been Sakura's only boyfriend, but at least it was better than her pathetic two weeks with Neji. She didn't actually know much about Naruto's love life, even though they were good friends.

Shikamaru was going out with Temari, Neji was with Tenten, Hinata and Kiba, the list went on and on, but she had no one.

"Whats wrong?" he asked in concern, noticing her angry, yet sad expression.

She looked up at him, noticing his slightly longer hair; he was much taller than back then and more muscular. He didn't wear a Hokage jacket, or anything showing rank for that matter, only his forehead protector. His orange jacket with black flames coming from the bottom was on a chair in the corner of the room, he was only wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, that showed his body off very well, and a pair of pants. She blushed and looked back down to the floor; she thought he was cute back then, but now, she could only say…that he was HOT!!

Naruto smiled noticing her blush, "Ino?" he questioned again.

She looked back up, "Oh…it's nothing…" she said quietly, looking back at the floor again.

"Sure it's not." He said as he sat back in his chair, sighing and turning to the window. Ino had looked up at his remark and frowned.

She sighed, and put the letter on his desk so that he could read it, then she looked at the floor with a depressed glare. Naruto turned to the letter to read it, then he frowned and looked at her.

"So it's a challenge then?" he managed a smile for her.

She looked up and chuckled, "Yea…I guess….so it looks like I lose."

"Why's that, you have a week, it should be simple for you to find a boyfriend."

"I haven't had a boyfriend in over five years, what makes you say that I'll find one in only a week??" she asked getting frustrated, "None of the guys in the village ever ask me out." She said quietly as she looked at the floor again, Naruto noticed her depressed state.

He smiled, "That's because they are too intimidated by you." He said as he turned to the window again. She looked up at him in confusion. "You're one of the prettiest women in the village after all, half of them are just too nervous to ask you." He said as he turned back around.

She blushed at his comment and looked away, "And the other half?" She asked, growing a smile, he always seemed to be able to cheer her up.

"Well…you're one of the villages top Shinobi, most guys don't like powerful woman." He said with a grin.

She smiled again at his compliments, but he was right, a lot of the guys in the village were probably way to intimidated by her, granted, she wouldn't want to even think about going out with most of them. There were only a select few that she would even consider going out with, and, Naruto was one of them, but she was way too nervous to ask him out.

"So what about you, why don't you have a girlfriend?" she asked, gaining a grin.

Naruto sighed, "Well, truth be told, my last…and only girlfriend was Sakura, and…..I just never felt comfortable asking anyone." He said calmly, as if he didn't care that he was telling her.

'He really hasn't had a girlfriend in that long, that's surprising; he was kind of cute back then. And he was a good shinobi, but I guess his annoyingness drove them away.' She thought to herself as she chuckled silently.

"Even with all the girls chasing you around?" she asked.

"Well…yea…they only want me because I'm Hokage…they don't care about me."

"But still…." She was cut off.

"I don't want a girlfriend that only wants me because of my title; I don't care how long it's been." He said sternly. Ino smiled at him, he wanted someone that he could care about, not just someone to fool around with, and she respected him for that, most guys only want the fooling around part.

"I just think it's strange that someone like you doesn't have a girlfriend." She said as she got up to leave. Naruto was still turned to the window, she was waiting, hoping that he would turn and say something, but nothing came. She frowned and turned to the door, she opened it and waited again, but again, nothing, "Well, see ya later." She said as she was about to close the door.

"Ino??" she heard from his office.

She looked back in, "Yes?"

"Do you wanna get some breakfast tomorrow. We haven't done that in a while." he asked calmly, still not turning to her. She took a minute to take in what he just asked, then her stomach started to twirl in nervousness, but she also felt warm and happy.

"Sure…" she said, gaining a warm smile.

"Awesome…see you tomorrow." He said as he turned his attention to some paper work, letting out a drawn out sigh.

She chuckled, "Alright…see you then." She said as she closed the door. Walking to her apartment with a smile still plastered on her face. She thought that he was only seeing it as a date between friends, just to cheer her up a bit. But she wanted it to be more than that; she wanted it to be the real thing.

--

When she woke up, she smiled, remembering that she was going to breakfast with Naruto. She got up and went to take a shower, put on her cloths, and went to the door. When she walked outside, she saw Naruto leaning against the building opposite her apartment.

She smiled, "Naruto." She called out as she walked over to him.

"Oh…hi Ino…you ready?" he asked with a big grin.

"Yea…let's go."

They walked to a small restaurant in the village and took their seats. She was surprised that he hadn't taken her for ramen. They ate their breakfast, and talked about current happenings. Then Naruto remembered something from the past.

"Ino…that time a while back when we were on that mission and I got stabbed by the akatsuki guy, why were you so upset?" he asked.

Ino took a minute to remember, then frowned, "I was just so confused as to why you would sacrifice your life for mine, we didn't even know each other that well." She said, looking down at her lap.

"You were an ally, and, maybe not a close one, but you were still a friend, and…" he stopped for a minute, "After the way I grew up, not having any friends or family, only people who hated me, when I got a new friend, I couldn't give them up for anything, even if it meant giving away my life." He said sternly. Ino was looking at him wide eyed, she remembered how the people of the village used to treat him, then she started to tear up at how sad he must have been.

"Why are you crying?" he asked in confusion.

She wiped away her tears, "Oh…nothing…it's just…I was so mean to you when we were still in the academy…everyone was." she said between sniffles as she really started to cry.

She heard him chuckle, "It's not funny." She yelled.

"Maybe it's not…but that was a long time ago." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

She calmed down a bit as he started talking again, "Oh yea…and another reason I jumped in front of you….was because I kinda had a little crush on you." He told her as he began to chuckle once again.

She smiled, 'So he actually liked me.' "Well…since you said that…I can tell you this….I was really only upset because I liked you…and I was afraid that you would….you know…"

They both laughed for a minute as they continued to reminisce about the past.

After about two hours, she looked at a clock on the wall. But before she could say anything, Naruto began.

"Well, that was fun, but I need to get to the office." He said as he got up and walked her out the door.

"Okay, I'll see you around, and thank you." She said with a smile as she walked off, but turned around at his sudden question.

"You doing anything for dinner?" he asked casually as he walked backwards with his hands in his pockets.

She turned around and smiled, "Nope."

"Then it's a date." He said with a grin as he turned around and continued towards the Hokage tower.

'A date…' she said in her head, still only thinking that he was doing it as a friend, but she smiled regardless.

--

Naruto found himself walking down a street towards Ino's flower shop, he was thinking of her a lot today. He didn't get as much work done as he usually would have. He waited outside, leaning against the wall. A few minutes later, he heard the door open, Ino locked it and turned in surprise.

"Naruto…sheesh….you scared me." She exclaimed as she walked up to him and smiled, he was also smiling as they started walking down the street to the restaurant.

They entered and found some seats, after having a small chat with the waiter, they ordered dinner. They talked about the past again; stories about missions and stuff along those lines, and Ino continuously apologized for the way she used to think of him. He, of course, didn't really care about the past, so he forgave her easily, trying to make her stop talking about it. They talked a little more until they realized how late it was. They left the restaurant and Naruto walked her to her apartment.

"Thanks Naruto." She said as she opened the door.

"No….thank you." He said as he walked down the street. She watched him until his silhouette disappeared. She closed the door and smiled.

--

It was the next afternoon when she was working behind the counter at the flower shop. She had been thinking about him all morning. She just couldn't get her mind off of him, almost ignoring customers. Then, all of a sudden, the person she had been daydreaming about walked in. He had his big smile as he walked up to the counter.

"Hey Naruto." She greeted happily.

"Hi…" he replied as he grew a grin. He leaned on the counter looking into her eyes, which made her blush and look away. "Come on…it's not that hot in here." He said teasingly, he then began to laugh when she gently punched his shoulder.

"Do you need something?" she asked nervously, with a hint of frustration from his comment.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something today."

She smiled, "How's lunch sound?"

"Great."

"I can go in a half an hour, how's ramen?"

He chuckled, "That's fine, see you there." POOF!! And he was gone. 'A shadow clone.' She thought, then she smiled and sat in a chair in the corner to wait for the half hour to pass by.

--

She left the shop at the designated time, locking the door, and putting up the closed sign. She walked down the street to the ramen stand where Naruto was already seated. She walked up to him quietly, and poked his sides, causing him to squirm at the funny feeling.

"Hey there." He said in a chuckle.

"Hey." She replied as she sat down on the stool next to him.

They were brought two bowls of ramen and began to eat, Naruto of course, eat almost three times as much as her. She watched him eat with a warm smile on her face.

She started to think about him more, then she remembered that he had gone out with Sakura for a few months. She began to get jealous of her friend, thinking of all the things they probably did. She felt herself droop, thinking that she hadn't done anything; she was as innocent as a child.

"Whats wrong?" he asked in concern.

She looked up quickly, "N…nothing."

"Ino…" he said in a way that made her want, no, need to ask him.

"Well…I was thinking about how you dated Sakura and I was wondering if you two ever…you know…." She started to blush at the thought. "She never told me anything."

Naruto noticed and chuckled a bit, "No…we didn't." he said casually again, he didn't seem to care if she knew everything about him, and that made her feel good, special almost.

She was almost expecting him to ask the same question, but he never did. She again admired him for this, for not pushing her to tell him anything she may not want to. But, she wanted to, she felt she had too.

"Me and Neji didn't either…actually, we never even kissed, besides little pecks." She said, looking to the ground, almost ashamed. Naruto noticed her mood, and frowned.

She didn't need to ask him if he and Sakura had kissed, for she saw them frequently pecking each other goodbye or hello, and occasionally the more passionate kiss, and once, a full blown make out session.

They had finished lunch and he was walking her back to the flower shop. He entered with her and asked if he could buy some flowers.

"And who are they for?" she asked with a grin.

"Someone special." He replied as he grew a warm smile.

She felt herself feel sick almost, he had made her feel good again, and now he was going to give some flowers to another girl. But she kept her composure and smile, selling him the flowers, which happened to be her favorite, and waved him off as he walked out the door.

She sat in her little flower shop for the rest of the day feeling down. She thought that she and Naruto might actually have something going, but then he had to go and buy flowers for another girl. Every time she saw a female her age walk by, she frowned, only deepening her sadness.

Finally it was time to close up and head home for some much needed sleep. But she knew she wouldn't just do that, she felt like crying at her pathetic and lonely self. She walked through the streets, looking down at the white ground. It had started to snow a few hours ago, and since it was night, it was freezing outside, Christmas was about a month and a half away, and she had no one to share it with. Granted, she would go to friend's houses and hopefully be invited to a party or two, but she didn't have anyone for herself, no boyfriend. She sighed and walked up the steps to her door, finally looking up, she almost gasped.

I'll be in the office until around 11, so if you want, we could get some dinner again. If not then, have a good night.

She read the note attached to a bouquet of flowers, the same flowers she had sold him that afternoon. She almost started crying at how happy she felt, he was sweat, and she could never refuse an offer like this, considering who it was from. That little gesture made her feel warm, made her feel, joyful. Maybe she wouldn't be alone forever after all.

So, she walked to the Hokage tower, humming to herself as she walked. When she got to the doors to his office, she stopped dead. She was nervous, really nervous, and after a few minutes, she finally managed to knock on the door.

"Come in."

Opening the door and walking in a few feet, he looked up to see her, gaining a bright smile, "Well hey, I didn't think you would come."

"Of course I would…." She said teasingly.

"Well, I guess we can go now, I'll just finish this up tomorrow." He said as he stood up and walked to get his jacket.

They walked outside and it had begun to snow again and relatively hard too. He walked her to the restaurant and they had a nice meal with a good conversation. When they finished, Naruto walked her to her apartment, when she turned around to say goodnight, she didn't expect what happened next.

Naruto had leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. The warm feeling overwhelming her, she felt her stomach twirl and a tingling sensation run down her back. It was really just a regular kiss on the lips, but she felt like it was her own corner of paradise. It had only been a few seconds, and he had already said goodnight and started walking off, obviously a bit embarrassed at what he did, she only smiled warmly and walked inside. She jumped onto her bed, and fell asleep, feeling wonderful.

--

She was in the flower shop the next morning, once again daydreaming. She couldn't stop herself, and when her father noticed her not paying attention, he gave her the day off to get herself together. She was walking through the snow filled streets. She didn't know what to do, she didn't want to go home, and she wasn't sure if she should go see him. Then, she noticed an orange jacket out of the corner of her eyes; she smiled and ran up to him.

"Hey there." She said, coming up beside him.

"Oh…hey Ino, what's up?" he asked happily.

"Not much…just trying to find something to do." She said with a frown.

"Uh….well I'm not busy right now…so come with me." He said as he started to run off. She smiled and chased after him.

"Where are you taking me?" She yelled out behind him.

"A place." He said, teasing her, and only making her curiosities peek.

Then they arrived, it was a good sized pond, frozen over, and a small shack next to it. She watched as Naruto went up to the shack and talked to the man in the window, then he walked up to her with two pairs of skates. He sat down on a bench and started to put his skates on.

"Naruto, I don't kno…."

"Don't worry about it." He said, motioning for her to put her skates on. She sighed and reluctantly put them on, following him to the pond.

He got on slowly; getting balanced, then he skated to the center and turned around. "Come on…don't be shy." He said, beckoning for her to come.

She sighed again and got onto the ice, almost immediately falling on her tush. She heard Naruto chuckle as he skated over to her.

"It's not funny." She said in a huff.

"It kinda was." He said, holding out a hand for her. She grabbed it and got up, punching him lightly for laughing, he then held onto her for support and showed her how to do it. After a while, she got used to it and was having a lot of fun. Then, she lost her balance and knocked right into Naruto, causing them to both fall to the ice, Ino on top of Naruto. They laughed for a minute or two until slowly subsiding and staring at one another.

"Ino….sorry about last night, I don't know what…." He was cut off by Ino's lips placed firmly over his. She wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, and he put one hand on her head, and the other on her back. He ran his hand through her silky blonde hair, causing her to slightly moan at the sensation. He sucked on her upper lip before she forcibly shot her tongue into his mouth. They wrestled tongues for a few minutes before she slowly pulled away, opening her eyes. Naruto also opened his eyes and looked at her, with a bit of shock. She blushed and got up quickly, taking off her skates as fast as she could.

"I…I need to go." She said nervously, then she ran off down the street, still trying to get on her boots.

Naruto sighed and got up, 'That was better than any of Sakura's kisses…' he thought to himself as he smiled and got up.

--

"Come in." Naruto said sadly to the person knocking. He was worried about Ino, for after she had run of a few days ago, he hadn't seen her since.

"Hey Naruto." said Shikamaru as he walked in.

"Hey…how'd it go?" He asked, gaining a little enthusiasm towards his friend.

"It was okay, boring though."

"Yea, I bet."

"Anyways, I gotta get home…" he said lazily as he put a packet onto Naruto's desk containing the mission report.

"Yea, alright…oh, have you seen Ino lately?" he asked.

"Why?" Shikamaru raised a brow.

"Just wondering." He said calmly.

"Well, I saw her sitting on a bench in the park on my way here, she seemed really upset and wouldn't talk about it." He said walking out the door.

Naruto sighed, why was she upset, then he decided to go see her, maybe she would still be there.

--

He was happy to see that she was in fact still on the bench, and she did seem to be very upset about something. He walked slowly up to the bench and took a seat next to her. She looked up in surprise before turning her head from him.

"What do you want?" she asked with a very sad tone of voice.

"Not much." He replied.

"Then why are you here." She said, getting frustrated.

"Shikamaru told me you were here."

She didn't say anything, only looked at him for a moment before looking ahead.

"Why did you run off the other day?" he asked teasingly, gaining Ino's attention.

She sighed, deciding it best to tell him, hopefully he would still want to be friends, "After I kissed you…I was afraid you might not want to see me again, so I ran away."

"Why would you think that?" She didn't say anything, only looked up at him, "I kissed you the night before, didn't I?"

She turned away, blushing at his comment. Then she gasped when he gently grabbed her chin and turned her to face him, leaning into her face. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, a warm, comforting kiss. He slowly licked her lips which sent shivers down her spine; she smiled and kissed him back, her heart pounding away. Then he pulled away and looked towards the sky.

"I like you Ino…and not just as a friend." He told her. And with that, she lunged herself towards him, pulling him into a deep embrace that he returned. After a few minutes she let him go and gently leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile, or, at least until she looked at him and leaned up, giving him a little kiss and laying on his lap, falling asleep.