Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto.
Author's notes - My friend wanted me to write her an InoxShikamaru story a long time ago...I kept putting it off. I was totally uninspired to write this. Finally, something happened her life that was so terrible that I though writing a fic on a little bit the way she feels would make her feel better...(it'll probably make the pain worse...) Um...so, I warn you for character death (even though the character is already dead) and spoilers if you only read the American translated Naruto Manga...
She touched the cold stone with her fingertips and dug her nails into his engraved name. The stone was colder then ice and after being there for only a few long weeks, chips were on the sides and curves of the stone. "Hisashiburi..." She mumbled. Two people in her life had now been taken away from her. One a Sensei, and the other a lover.
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Ino remembered years ago when she had first became a Gennin. Chouji and Shikamaru were the last two people she wanted to be on a team with. The three of them were so different and, so far, had nothing in common with each other. Asuma-Sensei had made them share a little bit about themselves before they embarked on regular-Gennin missions. Chouji's story was simple and expected. He loved food, especially barbecued pork, and Ino had known he was the son of her father's friend and the family had an unhealthy obsession with food. Stuffing his face full of barbecue seemed to be his specialty.
Shikamaru was everything Ino hated. Lazy, undetermined, smarter then she, and not Sasuke. She hated the thought of being with him for the rest of her youth. His specialty, other then cloud-envy, was the shadow paralases jutsu. The only thing she found useful in him.
"So, what do you do for fun, other then stalk Sasuke?" He asked her after Asuma-Sensei decided to let them ask any type of questions.
Ino glared at the brunette. "Flower arrangements."
"Flower arrangements?" He repeated, puzzled.
The blonde then nodded. "When I arrange flowers, the world gets quiet..."
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Ino's fingers traced over the name written in the stone and she mouthed out each of the characters written upon it. "Hisashiburi." She said from her quivering lips.
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She remembered the day Shikamaru became a Chuunin. Herself and Chouji were ecstatic for their teammate. Though his fight was lost after allowing Temari of the Sand to win the match shortly before time was up. Running low on Chakra and saying that only having more work would be too troublesome anyway, did not make a Shinobi. Ino's gift for her teammate was a small arrangement of flowers in a tiny green vase. It was nothing like the basket of fresh fruit she gave Chouji a year later.
When Ino had advanced at the same time as Chouji, she was surprised to see Shikamaru had given her, her own flower arrangement. Even if it was full of a few dandelions and near-dead Cosmos together in a container. She took it happily and set it by her bed to see each morning she awoke. The flowers had died within three short days, but Ino kept the small plastic container that they came in.
The next big event in Ino's life had been the death of her beloved Sensei. She had never felt so cold before, and each passing second felt like an eternity.
A member of a group called Akatsuki had taken him away. Asuma-Sensei had left Ino with tears and a smile as he told her to stop with the dieting shortly before he died. He died there in front of his three pupils. Leaving a wife, an unborn child, and three distressed Chuunins.
Shikamaru had taken up smoking for the next little while, but the smell only brought back memories which Ino found unbearable. She never wanted to have someone so closer to her ever die again.
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"Hisashiburi..." Ino repeated as she softly began to cry as she marked her fingers over the date of death. She pulled out a large bamboo case and set it down in front of her.
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With the three year anniversary of their Sensei's murder, Ino-Shika-Chou finally were advanced to Jounin's. It was the first time they felt so much joy since the birth of his son. The birth of his child caused pain for Kurenai and his pupils as they realized the child would go on living without a father-figure. Shikamaru had told Kurenai earlier in her pregnancy that he would protect the child, and it was enough to dry Kurenai's tears. Modeling out the vest once more to show that she was now a Jounin to satisfy Ino, all you can eat barbecue for Chouji's needs, and then a nice couple of cool hours under the stars for Shikamaru satisfied each pupil that night and made them forget that their Sensei was gone.
Being a Jounin though did not satisfy Ino's desire to be loved by a man. She was highly envious when Chouji announced that he did have a girlfriend, and that they were to be wedded. It shocked Ino to see that someone as skinny and as beautiful of herself was still free. Sakura had informed Ino that things like that took time and before she knew it she would be dating a wonderful man. Ino failed to realize that the man she would soon fall in love with was one she had known and been so close to since they were Academy students.
Dating Shikamaru was harder then either of them figured it would be. Arguments erupted often about the petty things, (such as Ino's beauty-obsession and Shikamaru's laziness). It was a large surprise to everyone when Shikamaru had asked Ino to marry him, in which she tearfully and joyfully agreed.
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Ino opened the bamboo case where a beautiful flower arrangement lined with Yews for sorrow, a red Rose for love, a pink Carnation to represent that she would never forget him, Stephanotis to say that she was still having happiness in their marriage, and a magenta Zinnia to represent to lasting affection she had for the man. "Shikamaru..." She choked out in tears as she put the lid of the bamboo case in her jacket.
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Everyone in the village agreed when they said that Ino and Shikamaru had the most beautiful wedding since the Uchiha Sasuke's wedding to Haruno Sakura. White roses for purity were aliened by Ino upon white satin sheets. Shikamaru hated how much white there was. But it was simple and plain like himself. Tinges of lilac went around and the smell of flowers made it heavenly. Ino's life could only be full of happiness from there on.
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She sobbed into her hands as she continued to kneel at the grave. Life had not been fair to her for eight years.
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"Can't you wait? I have something important to tell you." Ino said nervously as Shikamaru was about to head out the door for a A-ranked mission.
Shikamaru slipped his arms through his vest. "I'm late Ino. A lecture about my tardiness isn't something I want to hear Naruto go on about tonight." He kissed his wife softly on the cheek. "We'll be back in three days."
Ino returned the kiss on the cheek. "Alright...I love you."
"I love you, too."
That was the last time Ino had spoken to her husband. The enemy was too strong for the group and Ino's hopes could only be so high when Sakura came rushing to her house four days later screaming that one of them had died. Her face paled as she was told by Naruto that he had been killed in the battle.
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"The baby is kicking, Shikamaru..." Ino told the stone. "I can feel him kicking whenever I think about you..." Her lips felt numb as she explained to her dead husband about the baby he never knew about. "Kurenai-Sensei is going to help me get through this...just like you did to her..." Ino continued to cry.
A large gust of wind sent chills down Ino's spine and made the flowers dance. She put one of her tiny hands onto her stomach and she stood up, tears blowing off of her face from the wind and her eyes still stuck onto the engraved name.
"Hisashiburi...Nara Shikamaru..."
Author's notes - For those who don't know, Hisashiburi means it's been a long time in Japanese. Well, not my best work...but I'm highly satisfied with it. Yes, yes, I know there are plenty of you 'haters' out there and think Shikamaru needs to be with Temari, but let it go and enjoy the world of fandom. My friend adores the InoxShikamaru pairing, so it's an InoxShikamaru story she was given.
Thank you for reading.