Disclaimer: The Naruto characters do not belong to me. The song is "Here By Me" by 3 Doors Down. Beautiful song.
Author's Note: ShikaIno fluff. Dedicated to my sister, who has converted me adoring to this paring.
I hope you're doing fine out there without me.
Shikamaru sat leaning against a young cherry tree, watching the winding dust road that lead away from Konoha. He was wearing his fishnet shirt and pale green pull-over vest, and his brown pants and blue shoes. The cool breeze lightly caressed his face and ruffled his spiked up dark brunette ponytail. His muddy eyes were wide with thoughts and uneasiness. He had been waiting there for an hour, anxious to see a certain purple-clad kunoichi floating down the road. She was on a mission with their teammate Chouji in the Sound Village, and the two were supposedly returning today.
An hour ago.
Hence, Shikamaru was quite scared. His heart was twisted with fear of the fates of his comrades. But, as he sat thinking, he realized that he was more scared for Ino. The blonde ninja had a way of falling into the clutches of danger, and this time Shikamaru wasn't there to keep an eye on her.
He scowled inwardly. He was like an overprotectice parent; always checking on Ino's well-being. But he couldn't help it. It was as inevitable as the rage he felt simmering under his skin whenever she was injured. To see blood dripping past that delicate skin was unbearable. Ino was a queen among peasants, and deserved to be treated as such.
'Cause I'm not doing so good without you.
Shikamaru sat around and did a lot of thinking. It was a hobby of his, just existing somewhere and letting his thoughts run wild. But thinking at his favorite cloud-watching spot two days prior, something had dawned on him.
His Ino was out there alone. Sure, Chouji was with her. But what if Chouji was captured? And Ino had to fend for herself? He couldn't bear the thought of her being by herself, let alone hurt or dead.
He knew he was just running through silly "What if?" situations in his head. But having an IQ over 200, he could think of intricate ways for each of them to work. And, sadly, these situations were making him all the more anxious.
The things I thought you'd never know about me.
In all of Shikamaru's pondering, he had thought a great deal about Ino. The way her pale blonde bangs framed her perfectly-shaped face, the way her sea blue eyes glowed when she hit a target. How small she felt when he held her unconcious form in his arms. The way her body tensed up whenever she was enraged, the way she shook uncontroably when she cried.
She was beautiful to him in any mood. She was like the sister he never had, but he loved her more than he could ever love a family member. Fighting by her side was like fighting with all of his soul, because she was the other half of him. He couldn't imagine going a day without her, but he never had the courage to say it out loud.
Were the things I guess you always understood.
A small girl in a fluffy white dress was walking on a grassy slope, smiling innocently. She spotted a person lying in the grass, so she skipped over to greet him. "Hi!" She twittered like a little bird.
The boy looked up at her with liquid chocolate eyes, his expression unchanged. His brunette hair was pulled up into a ponytail on top of his head, and he was wearing brown pants and a dark green tee-shirt. "Yeah?" He asked the strange child that had approached him.
She stood over him, staring for a minute. "What ya doin'?" She asked him, giggling.
The boy rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile at her. She was so happy, he just had to feel happiness growing inside of him. "Watching the clouds."
"May I join you?" She inquired, blue-green eyes glowing with excitement.
He didn't see what she would find so thrilling about cloud-watching, but he loved the idea of spending time with the pretty girl. "Sure." He said, trying to remain nonchalant. He patted the grass next to him. "You can sit here."
She squealed with happiness, making him grin, and plopped down next to him. She folded her arms behind her head, just like his were. Her short pale blonde hair was splayed around her head, making her look like an angel.
The two kids sat there for a while before she spoke again. Her voice was like a melody to him, so lovely and full of intelligence. "What's your name?"
"Shikamaru. And yours?" He blushed slightly, but she didn't see because both their gazes were turned towards the pale blue sky.
"Ino." She laughed as she spoke. "I'm five years old. My parents own the flower shop, and I'm going to become a kunoichi."
Suddenly, an woman's voice sounded from the direction she had come from. "Ino!"
She sat up and smiled down at Shikamaru. "That's my mommy, I have to go. But I hope I see you again some time! Bye, Shika-kun!" She sang before standing and dashing off towards the sound of her mother's voice, fluffy white dress billowing behind her.
Shikamaru thought a little. He realized that she was the same age as him, and would very possibly be in the same age group at the ninja academy as him. He smiled softly to himself, a bit more excited to enter the life of a shinobi.
So how could I have been so blind for all these years.
Shikamaru stayed unmoving in his spot beneath the cherry tree as the sun fell in the sky. The anxiety in his eyes gave away his emotions at the moment. Several blossoms from the tree were dislodged by the wind and drifted down towards him, grazing the skin on his face on their journey to the ground.
He became more anxious. He didn't like the idea of Ino traveling at night; there were so many dangers, so many threats. Part of him wanted to stay where he was and try not to worry, and the other part of him yearned to run down the road and find his friends.
I guess I only see the truth through all this fear of living without you.
Suddenly, Shikamaru saw two small figures come over a hill. They paced quickly in the dirt road, on route to Konoha. His eyes widened, and he pinched himself to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep.
But as the two travelers drew closer, he saw the round shape of Chouji and the tall, graceful figure of Ino. He stood up and ran as fast as he could down the road to meet them, kicking up dust with his shoes.
And everything I have in this world,
He went flying at them. Chouji sidestepped Shikamaru's outstretched arms, but Ino didn't avoid him in time. The shadow-nin wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him. He bowed his head, taking in her sweet scent. The fragrance of sweet fruit came off her, filling his nose and reassuring him that she was safely with him. He rested his face in the crook between her shoulder and her neck, breathing deeply.
"Shika-kun..." She said, at loss for words. Chouji, who had turned towards the two to observe, snorted and turned back towards Konoha.
And all that I'll ever be,
"Ino." He whimpered. "Ino-chan...promise me you'll never leave without me again. I can't stand not being with you. It simply tears my heart apart." It was too late to go back from the desperate hug.
It could all fall down around me.
All she could do was wrap her arms around his waist and turn to his ear. "I promise." She consoled him, not being able to move because he was holding her so tight.
He loosened his grip, letting her pull back away from him a little. She could see his eyes were filled with something she rarely saw in them; weakness. She blinked her aqua blue eyes, and then a crooked smile formed on her dusty face.
Much to his suprise, she pressed her forehead against his neck. "I missed you." It was all that she could mutter as he twined his arms around her shoulders again. He kissed the top of her head.
"I love you, Ino-chan." His voice was a ghostly whisper, faint with emotional exhaustion.
There was only one way she could answer that.
She pulled back once more. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she tilted her face up towards his. She stood on her tip-toes and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was fleeting, but a thousand words were spoken through it.
He let her go, but reached down to grasp her hand. His long fingers ticked her palm as they made their way down to where they belonged; laced with hers.
Just as long as I have you.
The two walked into Konoha as the sun set over the horizon. There was a pink haze over everything, and the village looked like a painting before them. The little houses looked peaceful, the trees looked like an artist had splashed various colors of green onto a canvas.
And so the two walked into the village, hand in hand, ready to face the world together.
Right here by me.