I was walking down the streets of Konoha going to my favorite spot in order to do my favorite hobby

Clouds

I was walking down the streets of Konoha going to my favorite spot in order to do my favorite hobby. Chunnin exams had just ended and I have had a lot of work to do. I tried to escape from doing it, but that Suna kunoichi can be troublesome sometimes. So since last week I wasn't allowed to go see my clouds.

But now I'm free to just look at them and relax. I wanted some time on my own so I could think about an issue that has been bothering me. Well, actually it's not a something but a certain someone. I am considered to be a genius, but even I can't understand why this is happening to me. I've konwn her my entire life and I've liked her ever since, but now I just can't get her out of my mind. Chouji believes that I've been like this because I have some troublesome feelings for her, but that's just impossible. I mean, I cannot possible lo...

As I reach the place where I plan to spend the rest of the day, I begin sensing some very familiar chakra. I wanted to spend the day alone just looking at the clouds and trying not to think about her, but I think that won't be possible. Troublesome...

As I get closer, I start hearing a low noise that was like some kind of ...sob?

"Ino?"

"S-Shika! H-hi", she said, trying to clean her eyes so that I didn't noticed she had been crying. Was she actually sobbing and not being loud and bossy? Strange...

If I didn't know her I would ask her what was going on, but I know she is going to tell me about her problem eventually. After all I know her like I know my own shadow. But as clouds float by and I begin feeling sleepy I notice she is not going to talk. Well I guess I just don't know her quite well. She is always very troublesome ...

I was about to say somethig when she began talking again.

"S-Shika, can I ask you something?" It seem that I do know her well.

"W-Why when I'm in lo-love with someone, he's in love with someone else? I-I mean, is there something wrong with me? "

"You mean Sasuke?" Of course she does. He came back to Konoha two months ago and we all know the only reason he returned is because of the pink-haired med-nin. Now here I am, comforting my best friend and possible crush because that Uchiha chose Haruno and not her. It hurts me to see that's she's suffering for a guy that's too blind to see what he is missing. If only she could just love me instead of him. Wait, did I just say love? So maybe my unconscious knew the answer all this time. Just great...

" Actually I don't . And you haven't answered my question." She has stopped sobbing and started being bossy. I guess that couldn't last long.

" Well... I guess there's nothing wrong with you. That guy is not worth it. If he doesn't love you back, then it wasn't meant to be. Someday you'll find someone that will see just how great you are." When I heard myself saying that, I couldn't help blushing.

"Shikamaru you just don't get it, do you? I thought you were a genius but now I see you are so dense! Why can't you understand my feelings?!"

She quickly got up and was about to leave, when I understood what she meant. She was talking about me all the time! So I did the only thing I could think of.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to me. As our faces are inches apart, my brown eyes lock with her beautiful cerulean ones. My lazy heart was beating so hard I thought it would get out of my chest.

"Shika..." I heard her mutter.

"Who told you I was in love with someone else?" I whispered as I closed my eyes and started leaning forward...

When our lips parted, I smirked as I saw her expression of hapiness change into one if disbelief.

"So, it was me? But why?" She asked confused.

I shrugged and simply replied, "You are the most troublesome woman of the planet..." She looked at me with that Ino Yamanaka look on her face before letting me finish. "But I guess that you are my troublesome woman and I wouldn't want it to be any other way."

She embraced me and we started heading back to the village with our hands intertwined.

I knew that going cloud watching would somehow solve my problem.