The Virtuosic Fool

Virtuoso

— n , pl -sos , -si 1. a consummate master of musical technique and artistry 2. a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity 3. a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects 4. obsolete a scholar or savant 5. ( modifier ) showing masterly skill or brilliance: a virtuoso performance

1620, "scholar, connoisseur," from It. virtuoso (pl. virtuosi ), noun use of adj. meaning "skilled, learned, of exceptional worth," from L.L. virtuosus (see virtuous). Meaning "person with great skill" (as in music) is first attested 1743.

Chapter 1: Brother and Sister

Women, Nara Shikamaru honestly didn't understand them. They acted in unpredictable ways, and unpredictable ways were not acceptable for a male member of the Nara clan... unpredictable women usually led to a lifetime of 'sorries' and sleeping on the couch. Yamanaka Ino was one such unpredictable woman. It was one thing to mourn the death of a friend or pet, but a plant? Shikamaru feared that with this new development of emotional depth Ino might've finally lost it.

"Ino," he sighed deeply, a cross look fanning across his face, "It's not that big a deal if a few of your plants died while you were on a mission. It happens."

Ino frowned at him as she smoothed some of the dried up leaves, a small pout that other men would've found adorable, but Shika just found irritating. "Of course you wouldn't understand Shikamaru; you don't give a damn about anything except shogi and go." Ino said angrily, "My plants are my life." She thrust her dead plants into Shikamaru's face as if to accentuate what she said. "My life."

Cooly Shikamaru pressed the pot away from his face, "Language." he warned, before continuing. "They're a few plants, you can grow more. It's not like you family doesn't own a flower shop."

Ino heaved a frustrated sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you? Having a plant die is like having a friend die! Each plant has it's own personality and spirit, one can never replace another!" She flicked her hair over her shoulder, almost as if to add dignity to what she'd said.

She was this attached to few roots and buds. Shikamaru rolled his eyes to the ceiling and prayed that Ino would realize how stupid she sounded. "It's a plant, not a person Ino." He briefly watched her under hooded eyes, praying to Kami that she didn't throw the porcelain pot at his head.

"Shut up!" She moved to cover her other flowers from him, "They'll hear you!" Shikamaru let out a deeply irritated huff of air as he watched her incredulously. "Are you serious?" he asked her.

Ino glared at him, "It's been scientifically proven that if you talk to plants, they grow faster Shikamaru. Which means they can hear everything we're saying right now- which means you need to watch yourself." She paused for a minute, "It's a good thing you weren't the one born into the Yamanaka clan, you'd kill all of the flowers from laziness and lack of faith!"

Shikamaru looked at her with a dry expression, "I can not believe you." he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose after he caught a glimpse of the dirty look she sent him. "If it's that big of a deal then you should have someone watch them while you're gone."

Ino shook her head absently and looked at him, "Who?" she asked, "Everyone's always so busy these days."

Shikamaru decided not to answer, he figured she knew what he was thinking but wouldn't say.

"I know you'd do it if I asked, but I feel like that would be placing a burden on you. All you'd say to me for the few weeks afterwards would be 'What a drag...'." She mimicked Shikamaru with a deep voice that sounded a bit hoarse. "I don't like the feeling of owing anyone anyways."

Shikamaru only grunted in response. Ino took that as a sound of agreement.

Pensively, Ino put down the ceramic pot holding the bleeding hearts. She dug her hand into the dirt and pulled the plant out from the roots, before moving to the sliding glass door leading to her porch, which she promptly opened and threw the plants out of. Someone yelped in the streets as plants rained from the sky. Ino dusted her hands off, frowned, and ignored the complaining person.

Shikamaru just sighed and watched her silently, before putting his head down on the tiled bartop and closing his eyes. Some sweet funeral for her 'friends', she'd better not do that with me when I die. He thought, his eyebrow twitching slightly.

Stepping back inside to the small apartment Ino closed the door behind her. "What was it you were here for anyway Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru peeked at her over his crossed arms. "Nothing, Choji was just wondering if you wanted to do anything for dinner tonight." readjusting himself, Shikamaru leaned on his splayed out arms. The cool tile bit at the underside of his arms.

Ino glanced over at him while trying to lock the glass door back. "Tonight?" She asked, fidgeting some more with small knob. "Will you help me?"

Blankly, Shikamaru stood up from his perch at her kitchen bar and walked towards the troublesome door. Ino moved away as he moved towards her, without realizing. He reached out to turn the knob and flicked it down with ease.

"Seriously?" Shikamaru said, glancing at Ino from the corner of his eye. "Is there a reason you had me get up from my seat?"

Ino picked at her nails distractedly and shook her head, "I just thought you looked a little too comfortable."

Shikamaru glared at her silently while moving back into the center of her apartment. Ino tried not laugh at his sullen expression.

"Tonight?" Ino asked again, as Shikamaru went to lay face down on her couch. Ino refrained from smacking the back of his head as she headed towards her kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Shikamaru grunted from the other room and in response Ino asked, "I'm sorry what was that?"

"Geeze Ino, yes tonight!" Shikamaru said briefly lifting his face from Ino's couch pillow. When he returned to the warm cavern of fluff he couldn't help but notice it smelled like her, fruity and floral. "I'm recognizing this pig's scent. I need to get a girlfriend." he muttered to himself.

"Did I just hear you say you got a girlfriend?" Ino said walking back into the den with a hopeful expression on her face, before sitting on the couches arm. She played with the idea of sitting on the actual couch for a moment and then decided- Fuck what Shikamaru thinks.

"Need to get one." Shikamaru said, not moving from his position when he felt the brief dip of cushions.

He felt Ino pick up his legs and sit on the couch, before placing them on her lap. "Boundaries." Shikamaru muttered, Ino really needed to learn what was acceptable in society and what wasn't.

"Forget 'em." Ino replied. She glanced down as Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably on her lap before settling in the nook where her stomach met her thighs. She was surprised that he had the gaul.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to sit up and get in her face just so that she would see him roll his eyes. " You know, for a girl whose so obsessed with boys you're not very cute." he said instead, leaning up on his arm. He watched her with a certain warmth in his eyes, only Ino could be so irritating and it not really bother him.

"When you're involved cute leaves the building." Ino said quietly, leaning her head back and breathing through her mouth, her glass of water rested in her right hand.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Shikamaru said, turning his head to glance at her. She'd let her hair down, the crisp sunlight from the fall sunset made it sparkle, and Shikamaru admired it silently for a minute before thinking to himself. That's a liablility.

Ino rolled her head to the side and barely lifted her lashes to look at him. "No."

Shikamaru watched her for a few moments. "Well it sounded like one." he replied, quickly adding on, "You really need to cut your hair. Someone's going to end up using it against you when you're out on a mission."

Ino sighed tiredly and nodded, "I know."

Shikamaru gave her a dry, questioning look. "If you know then why haven't you done it?"

Ino glanced over at Shikamaru once more, a lingering gaze that made Shikamaru feel uncomfortable. She looked as though she was measuring him up. "Just because."

Shikamaru made a noise as he went to bury himself in her pillows again, "Ah, you are the most irritating person."

Ino didn't answer him and a few moments of companionable silence followed. She relaxed in the couch, her muscles slowly releasing all the tension from the days training while she also watched Shikamaru sprawled across her couch and lap, he looked so at ease. She wondered if he felt comfortable enough to let her get as close as she wanted to with him, or if he was just too lazy to push her away. She figured the latter.

Shikamaru had started to fall asleep when Ino broke the silence, "Where are we going to dinner?"

Groggily Shikamaru turned to her and yawned as he answered, "I have no clue, Choji just said he wanted to get some dinner."

"Cover your mouth." Ino said as she set her glass down on her coffee table, "I guess that means Choji's deciding."

Shikamaru scoffed as he retaliated with, "Yeah, and I guess that means I'm paying."

Ino smiled as she looked over at him, "See, that's why I love you so much Shikamaru." Her sky blue eyes twinkled in the light.

Shikamaru just cast her a sarcastic smile, "The feeling is mutual."

Ino narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before lifting his legs off her lap. "It's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend with that attitude." she rose from the couch and put his feet back down in her place, Shikamaru's eyes closed when his legs hit the warm place where she had been sitting. Warmth, Kami why must I evade sleep when it calls so enticingly to me? It's not natural.

"It's not like I've been trying." Shikamaru answered, "Women are troublesome."

Ino snorted, "I think you're just afraid."

Shikamaru looked at her with an irritatingly concerned expression. "That wasn't very ladylike." His brown eyes were staring at her openly, Ino thought it was very unnerving. Sometimes she couldn't help but think that Shikamaru had the eyes of a pervert, what with the way they were always half-lidded or squinting.

"When you're involved ladylikeness leaves the building." Ino said, repeating the words she said before.

Shikamaru ignored her and went on. "I think you need a boyfriend. Remind you that you're a girl." he sat up from his position on the couch and scratched at the back of his neck. A few stray hairs fell out from the back of his ponytail, but he let them be, too lazy to fix it.

Ino watched him from her standing position. "I know very well that I'm a girl. I think you just choose to overlook it sometimes."

Shikamaru grimaced and stood and walked towards the door. Without realizing the implication it left he said, "I wish I could forget you were a girl." Opening her front door he stepped out, when he didn't hear her following he looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

Ino's sweet blue eyes never left his as she stepped forward, "I know, I'm too beautiful for you to ignore Shikamaru. I think we should just drop the pretenses and have sex, right now."

Shikamaru didn't show a hint of surprise, though it did take him a moment longer to form a response. Different scenario's ran through his head, all of which included him and the very blond, very beautiful kunoichi. "Excuse me?" he said slowly.

Ino burst out laughing, "You should've seen your face!" She clutched at her middle and kept laughing, "Oh wow, oh wow, that was good. Ah, that was good. I needed that." Ino wiped at a tear that was forming at the corner of her cerulean eyes.

"Mah, Ino seriously, saying things like that will get you into trouble." Shikamaru said, a frown forming on his face at record speed.

"You're one to talk! Saying things like 'I wish I could forget you were a girl." Ino said, looking at him with mirth in her eyes. "You do know what that sounds like right?"

Shikamaru sent her a blank stare.

"Oh Kami, you don't, do you?" There was a moment's silence. "It's practically like you're admitting you're attracted to me." Ino continued, smiling from ear to ear. The idea was too sweet to let go of, Shikamaru actually admitting he was attracted to her.

A look of disgust crossed Shikamaru's face, "Definitely not." he said, shaking his head at the thought.

Ino's smile fell, "Well there's no reason to be rude about it."

"I'm not being rude, I'm being honest." Shikamaru said walking further outside of her door, Ino followed him quickly and shut the door behind her. "Just the idea of kissing you makes me want to throw up."

Ino tried not to look too hurt, "Well it doesn't exactly turn me on either, but I don't make disgusted faces like that." she tugged at a loose thread on her top, scowling when the thread just grew longer.

Shikamaru looked over at her, his hands in his pockets, and sighed when he noticed her hurt expression. "Listen Ino, you're like my sister, it's not that you're not pretty."

Ino glanced at him sharply, "It sounds like you're trying to let me down easy. Don't get the wrong idea Shikamaru, I don't like you." she dropped the thread she had been fingering.

"I can't say anything right with you, can I?" Shikamaru asked, exasperated.

"Aparently not. I think you just get tongue tied by my intimidating beauty." Ino said, flipping her long hair over her shoulder, she'd decided to leave it down.

Shikamaru led her down the steps and in the direction of Choji's home. Ino followed quietly behind him, making mean faces to his back the entire time.

They walked in companionable silence, Shikamaru deciding to ignore her last comment. The sun was setting on Konoha and it was fall, leaves littered the streets, crunching beneath their feet. Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the warm feeling of friendship humming between them. It wasn't uncommon that silence's like this fell with them. Shikamaru liked to protect his wedding tackles with all his might, and Ino had a bad habit of knocking him wherever she could when she got angry. Which seemed to be garunteed whenever he spoke with her.

Ino liked the silence too, whenever Ino went out with Choji the sounds of plastic bags and crunching chips always came along as well, and with Sakura the girls were always either laughing at some unfunny joke or talking non-stop, constantly cutting each other off, anxious to get their words out to the other. It was one of the things that Ino admired most about Shikamaru, he knew how to keep company as well as keep quiet.

Though with the silence, it often led to too much thinking, at least on Ino's part. The comments earlier made by Shikamaru rang through her consciousness with alarming clarity, she knew that they were just friends and she was fine with that, but Ino didn't like to be dubbed as the 'sisterly' friend- it was too final. Ino liked to have some chance with every guy in the village, and 'sister' status definitly rang unavailable. Not to mention should Shikamaru not like the guy she did end up with, did that mean he would be overprotective?

Maybe it was her hair, he'd mentioned it earlier, said she needed to cut it. Ino thought guys liked longer hair, something about the way it lay across pillows, did that mean Shikamaru didn't like it? Should she cut it?

"Do you really think I need to cut my hair?" Ino asked, looking at him with a worried expression.

Shikamaru hated when she asked him things like this. "Yes Ino, it's a liability."

Ino shook her head, "No, I mean, does it look bad?"

This was probably the only thing that Shikamaru really didn't like about Ino, at least off the top of his head, she tried to impress everyone too much. "Ino," he sighed, "It doesn't look bad. I just think you need to cut it, how does looking bad compare to being dead?"

Ino nodded, silently contemplating. Would she still be Ino if she cut her hair? For some reason she got the idea that she wouldn't be, plus she didn't want Forehead to get the idea that she was a trendsetter. "I don't know Shikamaru. My hair's what makes me, well, me." Ino said, casting him a sideways glance.

Shikamaru's eyes closed in annoyance, another irritating thing about Ino, she had confidence in the most shallow of aspects. "Whatever." Shikamaru didn't want to be the one to start the 'You are You' lecture on Ino, he'd leave sappy things like that to Sakura, or Kurenai, or even Choji, just anyone but himself.

Ino pouted, "I want your opinion Shikamaru."

"I already gave you my opinion Ino." Shikamaru said, walking through the gates to Choji's home. Choji's mother waved to them from the garden and they waved back simultaneously.

"I know, but I want to know if you think I'd look better with shorter hair." Ino said, fingering the white blond strands.

Shikamaru cast her an incredulous look over his shoulder. "Seriously Ino? I don't know if you'd look better with-"

"Hi kids!" Choji's mother cut him off, and he turned to her with a surprised smile. Shikamaru always had the best of manners to parents, except for his own.

"Hello Mrs. Akimichi." Ino said with a small smile.

"Choji's inside, on your way out make sure not to wake Chouza. He just got back from a mission." Choji's mother said with a happy smile.

"Of course Mrs. Akimichi." Shikamaru said, waving goodbye as they stepped closer to the house. She returned the wave, before going back to her garden.

"I love her, she's always so nice." Ino said, glancing back at her one more time.

Shikamaru opened the door and held it for Ino, "As I was saying, I don't know if you should cut your hair Ino."

Ino rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her as she stepped in and followed Shikamaru to Choji's room. "Don't be ridiculous, I'm sure you have some idea of whether or not I'd look good with short hair."

Shikamaru gave a long sigh as he stepped into Choji's room, Choji smiled upon seeing them enter but his smile fell quickly as he noticed the annoyed expressions on both their faces. "What's up?"

"Ino wants to cut her-" Shikmaru started, "Shikamaru won't give me his-" Ino said at the same time.

Choji rose an eyebrow in questioning, "Huh?"

Shikamaru glanced at Ino before starting, "Ino wants to know what I think she'd look like with short hair, and I keep telling her that I don't know."

Choji looked at Ino quickly, "Seriously?" he asked, his mouth falling open, a bag of chips forgotten beside him and the T.V. relaying instructions on how to make an Unagi dish rather loudly. "Your hair hasn't been cut in years Ino, why are you asking about it now?"

Ino glanced to Shikamaru, and Shikamaru boredly glanced at the television. "No reason, I just thought maybe it was time for a change."

Choji knew that couldn't be right, Ino would never cut her hair without a good reason- she'd spent long enough trying to grow it out, but he kept his mouth shut and instead just answered with, "You wouldn't be you, Ino. It's like your thing." a smile crossed his face at the odd image of Ino with a bob.

Ino smiled, "Thank you."

Shikamaru ignored the tone in her voice, Choji picked up on the inflection but decided not to make anyone uncomfortable by asking why it was present. Instead he clapped his hands together, stood from his bed, and stretched his arms before stepping between his two best friends. He threw an arm across each of their shoulders, "I thought we'd go to this new place in town for dinner, you know, test the waters." a wide hungry smile overpowering his face.

Ino giggled as she glanced at Shikamaru across Choji's broad chest. "How much is 'testing the waters' going to cost me?" Shikamaru asked, glaring at the giggling blond.

"Not much." Choji said, winking at Ino.

Shikamaru's look of disdain was so strong that Ino had to pull away from Choji to calm her laughs.

Ok, first Naruto fanfic ever so I'm a bit nervous. My main goal is to keep Shikamaru in character (a difficult task considering the genre, Adventure-Angst-Romance) as well as Ino, Choji, and Temari. Speaking of, Temari will play a VERY large part of this story, in fact, she should be showing up somewhere in the next two chapters. I'm probably going to come back and edit the first few bits of this chapter, simply because I'm not too sure about the one on one convo. between Ino and Shikamaru. I'm afraid I might have made Ino, I don't really know, too childish maybe?

First few missions will probably show up in a two or three chapters, and they'll be very important missions (to the storyline) as they impact the characters greatly. Um, I'm pretty sure the pairings I'll include ShikaTema, ShikaIno, and InoOC. I'm still unsure whether I'm even going to THINK about bringing the pairings of NaruHina, NaruSaku, and SasuSaku into the mix, that'll bring on a whole 'nother ball game. Tell me in a review if you think I should, I'm always happy to hear your opinions. :)

It's surprisingly easy to write about Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. I like these three, conversation and flow is very easy for me to follow with them. Becuase of this, I'll probably be updating fairly quickly. I can't make any promises though, I have a bad habit of writing something and then re-reading it and hating it, and when that happens I have to start over from the beginning. :/

Also, I don't have a BETA, so I have to re-read, edit, look for OOC-ness, and all that Fun Stuff. So, if anyone can maybe tell me how to get a BETA or Co-Author it would be GREAT/AMASING! :)

Reviews are the Catalyst to this 'Mad Writers' experiment, so if you want to see results faster- REVIEW! :D