Happy - Till Death Do Us Part
Ino's eyes opened slowly to the sound of her alarm clock. "10 am." She reached over and turned it off. Her eyes still felt tired but she pushed herself out of bed. She slid on a pair of clean panties and looked for a clean shirt. She mumbled an unsavory phrase as she pulled a dirty shirt from her hamper. "To depressed to do laundry. Man I'm sickening." The shirt had only been worn once before, but still. She put it on and started her search for pants.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Unmatched clothing, messy hair pulled into a bun, no makeup. "A pitiful flower." She quickly looked away from herself and headed to the kitchen. "Good morning mother." She said hearing her mom cooking breakfast. Ino sat herself down at the table.
"Good morning." Her mother replied softly. When she turned to look at Ino she seemed concerned for her appearance. She couldn't complain, her own appearance was not much better. She set the plates down on the table and began eating with her daughter in silence.
"What an awful state we are in." Ino thought to herself as they ate. "Dad wouldn't want to see us like this." It hurt to talk about him. "Are you going with me to see dad?" she managed to get out.
There was sadness in her mom's voice as she spoke. "No, I think today I'll go see Yoshino." Ino seemed disappointed she didn't want to go alone. "We were thinking it might be good to spend some time together, so we don't mope around all alone. You should spend some time with Shikamaru too."
It was true Shikamaru and Ino were going through the same pain. They both lost their fathers in the war.
"Shikamaru act's like it didn't happen." Ino said sourly.
"Ino," Her mother said softly. "Please help Shikamaru." Ino found this funny, her mom asking her to help HIM, when she was in need of help too. "If he keeps it all in, it might turn into anger and then hate."
"Fine." Ino said standing up rather abruptly. "I'm leaving."
Ino picked and wrapped two flowers in the shop. One for each grave she would visit that day. She left the shop at a brisk pace but as she got closer to the grave yard her feet began to slow. She stood outside the grave gates for a few minutes until she pushed herself in. Shikamaru was already there standing over his father's grave. He seemed to be discussing something Ino listened.
"We got to say goodbye, but I don't feel any better about this." Shikamaru said. "Mom's strong, I think she will be ok." He looked over his shoulder to see Ino. He raised his hand in a lazy wave acknowledging her presence. Ino approached and she lay the flower down upon Shikaku's grave. "Choja isn't taking your deaths to well either." Shikamaru continued.
Ino butted in, "But Ino-Shika-Cho, circle will never be broken." She reminded. "It will continue on, right?" she let a slight smile cross her face.
"Yea." Shikamaru relied. "I guess." There was a women he was interested in. "Just don't know if I have room in my heart for love right now." He looked to Ino, as did her best to hold the smile. "Yea." He said more firmly with a nod in agreement.
"Don't worry Shikamaru, We will all get through this." She said almost as a promise. She placed her hand on his shoulder in slight encouragement. "I'm going to go talk to my father now." She said. Ino placed the flower at his farther headstone. A moment of silence she gave him, although her head with spinning. Memories of the past she would never forgot. "Word's he will never say again." Her mind said. "Places he will never again take me." Her knees began to weaken. "Never again..." Tears started down her cheeks as her legs gave way below her. She started to gasp for air giving herself a panic attack.
"Ino!" Shikamaru said sharply. He pulled her up and embraced her tightly, her legs still like jelly. "Ino snap out of it." He insisted, her legs stiffened and held her weight. Still she was gasping and crying. "Darn it Ino." He grabbed her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. "Stop it. I'm here." Her breathing started to slow. He hugged her until her breathing was regular.
"I'm sorry." She whispered tears still flowing down her cheeks.
"I'm taking you home." He insisted. When Ino was able to walk he took her hand and led her. They walked silently to her house, her mother wasn't home. Shikamaru already was aware of this, his mother had told him. He took Ino into her room oddly this was his first time in her room. He helped her lay down on the bed she didn't let go of his hand.
"Lay with me?" She asked. He lay down on her bed and held her as she cried. He had almost fallen asleep listening to her sorrow. The tears stopped and Ino let out a long sigh. She learned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He was a bit shocked to say the least and no longer sleepy.
"Ino…" He started to say. Until she pulled his weight, up over her. He looked down into her eyes; he learned in and kissed her. In this moment he couldn't think of anything but her lips on hers. He pulled away for a moment waiting for her to say something.
"I don't want to think of anything else." Ino said. "But us, this, right now." She took his hand and placed it on her breast. "Make the pain go away." He nodded in agreement with her statement. Together they did make the pain go away. Twice. It wouldn't be the last time either.
When day turned into night Shikamaru kissed Ino's forehead. "I have to go." They both knew that. "My mom will be worried." She knew that too.
The next morning Ino felt slightly refreshed. She decided to task herself with doing her laundry. She met her mom the kitchen for breakfast with the morning before. "Good morning mother." She said.
"Good morning." her mom replied. "You seem a bit better today. Doing your laundry I see." She smiled. "I was thinking, if you wouldn't mind." That got Ino's attention. "I might go stay at Yoshino's for a couple weeks."
Ino instantly liked this idea. "Mother, you must do what makes you feel best."
"Do you want to come -"
"No." Ino said rather suddenly. "No, no. I'll be okay here."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and you can even have Shikamaru come check on me, to be sure." She pointed out. "Maybe I'll get him to open up a little bit about his emotions."
"Okay, but if I get word you're not doing well…"
"Don't worry mom." Ino couldn't wait to help her mother pack. By that afternoon Ino found herself alone in the kitchen. Thankful her mother had gone. She decided to cook something for dinner. A dinner for two, she hoped anyway. She hummed as she prepared fried wantons. "Easy." she was pleased. "Next, Simmered beef atop steamed rice." Then she decided to challenge herself.
She cut small carrots into thin rectangles. "One green bell pepper chopped. Cabbage chopped." She continued until she had pork Yakisoba. She felt proud as she placed each dish on the table. Now only one thing was missing. Well a person really. She started out a window for, god knows how long. Until she heard a knock at her door. She was happy to see Shikamaru on the other side of the door.
"It smells good." He noted stepping in. "You cooked?" They are and made small talk. Shikamaru had seen Chouji and told Ino he really wanted to check on her. "So you should make an effort to go see him before he comes over here." Ino gave a slight laugh in response. When they finished eating Shikamaru washed their dishes as Ino disappeared into her bedroom. He approached the door slowly. "Ino?" he asked. She was laying on her bed in a rather seductive pose. He gulped and headed in closing the door behind him.
This time Ino put in effort to be in control and please him. When they finished she slid off him and laid down next to him. "Can you stay the night?" she asked breathing rather heavily.
He learned over on top of her and kissed her. "Why, wanna go again?" he smirked. She gave him a soft slug to the shoulder in protest. He kissed her again, "Okay, I'll stay." Ino felt so much better sleeping with someone next to her. A warm body there telling her she is not alone. She woke up before Shikamaru and made omelets it seemed to get him out of bed. They ate at the table and talked more normally then they had been. "Are you going to see Choji today?" Shinkamaru questioned.
"I think, I'll try." She said. He looked at her almost not believing her. "I will, I will. What will you be doing today?" she asked.
"I'll check in with my mom first. I'll be sitting in on some boring meetings. Check for letters from Suna." He said with a shrug.
Ino wanted to question that last part. "Better be work related." Why wouldn't it be? "Will you come back tonight?" she asked. He nodded in response. "I'll make dinner again." Shikamaru left and Ino washed the dishes. She found herself walking towards Choji's house. This would be the first time she talked to someone other than her mom and Shikamaru. She wasn't even able to rise her hand to knock on the door when it flew open.
"Ino!" Chouji said pulling her into a hug.
"Cho- Choji." She said, slightly embarrassed.
He chuckled and let her go. "You don't look as thin as I thought you'd be."
"I'm always thin." She said with a flip of her hair. He smiled at her. Ino spent some time with Chouji but slipped away before she heard Choza would be home. She stopped at a little shop on her way back to the house to get some ingredients for dinner. When she got home and started to unpack the food she recalled how, life does go on. Cooking was a good distraction. She decided to make a meal a bit more complicated this time.
When Shikamaru arrived he seemed rather upset. "I went with our mothers to the graveyard today." Ino seemed upset of being reminded. "Ya, same feeling." He said "I also have some paperwork to do." Ino instantly wanted to make him feel better. She pulled him to her bedroom; they instantly got down to business. After much moaning and groaning they finished. Shikamaru got up to use the restroom.
Ino took this opportunity get dressed. She noticed what seemed to be a slip of paper sticking out of Shikamaru's pants on the floor. She couldn't help it, she quickly pulled it out and started to read it. She bit her lower lip. "A letter from Temari." It seemed harmless enough. "Is this the letter from Suna he was waiting for?" She wondered. She folded it back up and slipped it back into the pocket of the pants. "I'm going to heat up dinner." She said loudly.
After dinner Ino was disappointed to hear Shikamaru had to return home. She would have to sleep alone tonight. She swore she would have him make it up to her tomorrow. They continued to see each other daily and Ino was finding herself wanting to leave the house more and more. She was even able to think about her father without bursting into tears. "I'm finally happy, I can live again." She smiled to herself. She was able to talk to Sakura about how hard it had been on her this whole time. She didn't reveal her new relationship with Shikamaru.
Ino found herself in bed with Shikamaru she whispered words into his ear. "Shikamaru, I love you." She moved her hips slowly waiting for his loving reply.
He was shocked, utterly and completely shocked. He didn't know how to reply, so he said the words she wanted to hear. "I love you too." She smiled and they continued. She seemed more into it after they had said 'the words' he started to wish he hadn't said it. He finished inside her as he had always done. He wanted to retreat and think about what had just happened. Could her love her, after so many years of being just friends. He lay in bed awake all night as she slept soundly next to him.
Although it was awkward for three weeks Shikamaru kept telling himself he could love Ino. At least it made him feel better about sleeping with her every day. Of course he did love her, some place in his heart. He just didn't know if that love with the right kind of love. Or the same kind of love she felt for him.
"Here's the letter." A women's voice said handing him a parcel.
Shikamaru opened the letter and read it. "Man, this is gonna be troublesome." He thought shoving the letter in his pocket. He still had time to decide if he loved Ino. "Some time… Troublesome."