Here is my first one-shot for ShikaIno week on tumblr. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

First Meeting

His mother had told him for a few days already that his father's friend is coming over for a visit and that he was to play with that friend's daughter.

Shikamaru thought as he pouted, "There is no way that I'm playing with a girl; they're troublesome."

But inevitably, he had to listen to his mother; otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand listening to a long lecture about him being polite to girls. He didn't even know how to interact with a girl his own age. He was six years old, but he had acted more like an old man; he loved to just laze about and liked games and puzzles that older men would play. The only time he tried to act like his own age was when he was playing with Chouji whom he befriended because the other kids wouldn't let him play ninja with them. They hit it off pretty well because Chouji was a kind, humble little boy but often lacks self-confidence.

He doesn't know whether or not if he will even be able to tolerate this girl; whoever she is. So now he is in his room, lying on his bed, dreading this little "playdate" as his mother had called it.

He heard his mother call him, "Shikamaru, come down, they're here."

He sighed in exasperation and then he slowly got up from his bed and then sluggishly walked down the hall and into the living room where his parents were waiting with a man with long, blond hair tied in a ponytail and a small child standing behind him. He couldn't tell what she looked like and he somehow thought it was weird. He came closer and stood next to his parents, and then curiously tried to peek at the girl even though he claimed to dread to meet this girl.

Shikaku knelt down beside him and told him, "Shikamaru, this is my best friend and teammate, Inoichi Yamanaka, say hello."

He directed his attention to the tall man in front of him and then he did what his mother always told him to do, be respectful to any adult he meets, "Hello, Yamanaka-san, it's nice to meet you," he says before bowing.

The man before him chuckled, "He might even be a bit more polite than you were when we first met Shikaku."

Shikaku chuckled, knowing that his son is every bit like himself; it was just that his mother is watching him like a hawk, that he has to be polite. Inoichi knelt down to Shikamaru's level and then replied, "Hello, Shikamaru, you've gotten big since I last saw you. Of course, you were a baby when I first met you."

Then he turned his head slightly towards the little girl behind him and then said to her, "Go ahead and say hello."

The little girl slowly moved from behind her father and came into Shikamaru's full view and he was slightly surprised. He saw that the little girl had short blonde hair with a red hair clip near her left temple. She was wearing a pink dress with a purple skirt over it and boot–like sandals. But what stuck out most to him were her eyes; eyes that were as blue as the sky that he liked to look at when cloud-watching. Admittingly, he thought she was cute.

She spoke while smiling, "Hello, I'm Ino Yamanaka, it's nice to meet you, Shika."

Then he slightly scowled and then he replied, "Don't call me that."

Ino but rebutted, "But your whole name is too long to say, so I'm just going to call you Shika."

"But that's not my name," Shikamaru argued.

Ino then replied, "Too bad, I've already decided that I would."

Then she gripped his hand and pulled him towards his back yard and now Shikamaru instantly regretted coming out of his room at all.

Hours later, Shikamaru had to endure the many various games that she wanted to play, including hide and seek, tag, and even ninja. And frankly, he was exhausted and he never felt the need to relax than now. Since Ino was occupied with some little flowers he took this opportunity to do some cloud-watching. He had laid himself down on the grass and had his hands behind his head, and proceeded to watch the clouds.

But then as he was getting comfortable, Ino asked in curiosity, "Why are you staring at the sky?"

Shikamaru answered plainly, "I'm not just watching the sky; I'm watching the clouds."

Ino asked, "Why?"

Shikamaru sighed and then decided to humor her, "I like to watch the clouds; they drift on by with the wind blowing them through the sky. I wish to be like one."

Ino watched the sky and then gave her opinion, "That's a silly wish…"

Shikamaru scowled as he suddenly sat up and was about to retaliate but then she added, "But I suppose that makes you a big dreamer and Daddy says that if someone dreams big, they are a good person even if that dream might be silly."

Shikamaru was stunned; did she just compliment him? Then he felt something fall lightly on his head and he realized that it was a flower crown that she was apparently weaving.

She had proclaimed, "You may have a silly wish, but I like you."

Then she did something else unexpected; she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then whispered, "Thanks for playing with me, even if you didn't want to."

Shikamaru's cheeks were bright red and he sat there and unconsciously touched his cheek where she kissed him. Soon she had to leave and they all said good-bye.

Ino smiled at him and then said, "I hope we'll be best friends for a long time, Shika."

Shikamaru mumbled ahlf-heartedly, "Don't call me that, Ino."

Ino giggled and then left with her Dad.

Shikamaru watched her leave and then sported a little grin on his face, "Best friends, huh?"

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