Say It, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…It's as simple as that…

Genre: Well, this is not like my regular romantic comedy plot stories…okay...well it sort of is...there'll be a small 'dramatic' scene near the end…but the conclusion will be pure fluff! So I guess it's a dramatic romantic comedy?? haha

Warning: Shikamaru is VERY OOC in this story (and so might others)...but I love him this way too...hehe…

It started about a year ago when she turned 18 and it's been going on ever since then…

She wasn't sure how or why it happened…it just did

She often found herself asking, 'Why me?' but she would never ask him that out loud.

…So she decided to let it go and just deal with it…

And before she knew it….it had become an everyday part of her routine…

Say It - A ShikaIno story.

"Ino…" The familiar low voice spoke, breaking the blonde's concentration.

Ino Yamanaka inwardly sighed and her eyes continued to scan the open scrolls on her desk, ignoring the call of her name as if she heard nothing at all.

"Ino…" The voice repeated again, this time a little bit louder then before. The blonde finally took the time to glance at the speaker (who was currently sitting on a chair to her right).

"What is it?" she asked, although she knew what would come next. She used her right hand to quietly tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"I love you"

Ino held back the urge to growl at the young man.

"Shikamaru…" She began, her eyes still looking over the scroll. "…shut-up…" the blonde kunoichi finished as she dipped her quill pen in ink and started to take notes on her paper.

Shikamaru Nara silently shifted in his seat and proceeded to watch the Yamanaka intently.

After a few minutes of jotting down notes, Ino sighed again.

"Stop staring at me…" The young woman said as she eyed him, a frown beginning to appear on her beautiful features.

Shikamaru stared at her some more before he decided to speak.

"Not until you say you love me back" The shadow manipulator stated, his expression blank. Ino glared at him from the corner of her eye.

"That's not funny…"

"Whoever said it was a joke…?" The Nara retorted, snorting.

"…Shikamaru…" The blonde kunoichi warned.

"…Ino…" he replied, just as sternly.

Ino's grip on the pen tightened and she had the urge to throw it at a certain someone…

"…What're you even doing here anyway??" She mumbled as she unrolled another scroll, ignoring their last conversation topic.

Shikamaru looked at her again before replying.

"I heard you've been working really hard these past few weeks and I just wanted to see how you were doing" he casually explained.

Ino snorted.

"Speaking of working really hard…isn't that what you should be doing right now Mr. number-one-strategist-in-Konoha?" Ino pointed out as she twirled her pen between her fingers. She gazed at her teammate who looked unfazed by her comment.

"Unlike someone here, I'm not a workaholic…and besides…there hasn't been anything troublesome going on lately…"

Ino managed to work up a small smile despite the tension between the two. Shikamaru did have a point. What with the members of the Konoha 11 becoming recognized everyday, outsiders would cower at the thought of invading Konohagkure.

The once lazy ninja (still in some ways) quietly stared at the beauty before him as she lost herself in her thoughts.

Before Ino could fully lose herself in the past, Shikamaru's voice once again broke through to her.

"I love you Ino" He said in broken sing song voice.

Ino immediately frowned and turned to glare at him again.

"Well I don't like you so stop saying that!" The mind controller huffed, turning back to her work once again.

Shikamaru propped his elbow on the desk and rested his cheek against his closed fist.

"I won't stop saying it until I hear those three words from you" he stated, back to his old blank expression self. Ino gave him a look before turning back to her work.

"Well too bad for you because I'll never say it!" Ino muttered as her pen resumed gliding across the paper.

Shikamaru yawned, trying to repress it by holding his hand in front of his mouth.

"Then I'm never giving up until you say it"

Ino could have burned a hole through her paper by how hard she glared at it with almost murderous intent.

"You know…" The Yamanaka paused as she reread a passage and jotted down a few notes here and there. "…usually when someone is rejected, they would stop pressing the person about it…it makes them look clingy…" she concluded as she tapped her fingernails on the wooden desk in a rhythmic fashion.

Shikamaru remained unfazed and lifted his teacup up to his lips. He sipped from it lightly, setting it down with a small clink.

"…not if that person is worth it…"

Ino's pen stopped just above her paper and the ink from the tip began to drip down, creating different sizes of ink blots. The sound of Shikamaru sipping his tea brought the aquamarine-eyed lass back to reality. She cursed as she looked upon her now ruined paper.

As the girl tried her best to erase the ink blots, Shikamaru stood up from his seat and heedlessly walked over to her. He hovered above her and set down his empty teacup on the tray that lay a few feet in front of the young woman.

Ino was well aware of the fact that Shikamaru had brought his face next to hers and that she could feel his hot breath tickling her ear.

"And you Ino…are definitely worth it…" he whispered sexily into her ear, his lips barely brushing it as he got back up and left her room, mumbling a quick thanks for the tea.

Ino's hand gripped the scroll so hard to the point that she almost crumpled it, not aware of the fact that her face had turned a dark shade of red.

"…Stupid Shikamaru…" she grumbled as she tried her best to get back to concentrating on her work.

Ino's smile suddenly twisted into a scowl as she saw the one person she most wanted to avoid making his way to her table.

"Shikamaru…" Ino growled warningly as the shadow possessor walked up to the four ladies.

"Hey" Shikamaru greeted casually as he stood before the four, a cigarette present in his mouth.

While Ino's rage quietly bubbled up, Shikamaru took the time to greet Sakura, Hinata and Tenten.

"What are YOU doing here?!" The blonde made no attempt to hide her displeasure.

Shikamaru made a look.

"Just wanted to tell you that training is off because Chouji and I are going to be busy the next few days" he said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, exhaling the smoke from his mouth. Ino swatted the smoke away, trying to disperse the tainted smell.

"Oh...okay then…" She relaxed, seeing that Shikamaru hadn't mentioned the three cursed words yet.

Thinking Shikamaru was done, Ino turned back around towards the three girls, continuing her earlier conversation.

Sakura, Tenten and Hinata though…had their eyes glued to another person…

They watched Shikamaru with a hesitant look displayed on his face. The Jonin was too lost in his thoughts to even notice the stares from the girls as they anxiously awaited his next move.

The girls watched soundlessly as the shogi player took the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it to the floor, grinding it with his foot casually.

"Ino…" He spoke calmly from behind the florist.

Ino stopped what she was saying and balled her hand into a fist underneath the table. She swiftly turned her head around, her ponytail almost whacking the boy in the process.

"What?!" She nearly shouted in an exasperated voice. She didn't like it when people interrupted her talks.

Wordlessly, Shikamaru lifted her chin gently and placed a quick peck on her cheek.

"I love you" he said for the nth time as he grinned at her cutely, walking away from the frozen stiff group of girls.

Sakura and Tenten's squeals snapped the furiously blushing blonde out of her reverie and she stood up, slamming her hands on the table loudly.

"WELL I DON'T LIKE YOU ONE BIT NARA!!" Ino yelled, dismissing the stares aimed her way.

"And don't kiss me again! Your breath smells disgusting!" she added as she shook her fist violently in the air.

Shikamaru gave her an acknowledging wave before he disappeared around the corner.

As she continued to glare at the long gone Jonin, the mind user shook violently in frustration and abruptly sat back down with a huff. Sakura and Tenten stopped laughing and looked at the florist with raised brows. Ino narrowed her eyes and frowned.

"What?!" she growled as she met their gazes. She crossed her arms haughtily. Sakura smirked.

"Aww Ino…that was so sweet!" she giggled. Ino rolled her eyes at the maturity level of her friends.

"Shut-up forehead! I don't like Shikamaru! He's just teasing me, that's all!"

As the words left the Yamanaka's mouth, Sakura and Tenten stared at her in shock. Ino sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"I don't think he's teasing you Ino-san" Hinata spoke knowingly. Tenten nodded.

"Yeah, he's totally serious about you!" she chimed in as she folded her arms across the table, leaning into it for support.

Ino snorted.

"Shikamaru? Serious? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life!" Ino waved her hands at the girls, trying to emphasize her point.

Sakura pursed her lips together.

"I still can't believe he'd court you for this long already…" Sakura thought aloud, her elbows propped up on the table with her hands cupping her cheeks.

"He's not courting me!" Ino spat in annoyance.

The three girls gave her the look in response.

Ino sighed.

"…I don't know why either…you'd think getting rejected this many times would crush his manly pride by now…" Ino rolled her sky blue eyes, resting her chin in her palm.

"Maybe you're not rejecting him right…" Tenten inferred as she played with her straw between her fingers. Ino's head rose up and she looked at the weapons expert in question.

"Ino! Come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" she asked surprised.

"I'm not in the mood to play guessing games Tenten" Ino muttered, glaring at the girl.

"She means whenever you reject Shikamaru-san, you say 'I don't like you' instead of 'I don't love you'…" Hinata stated calmly as she lifted up her teacup with both her hands and took a long sip.

Ino sat up quickly as the words sunk into her. Her eyes widened.

"…You're right!…I never realized…" The mind controller confessed. The three girls gave knowing looks to each other.

Ino clapped her hands.

"Okay! Then the next time I see Shikamaru, I'll reject him the right way!" she grinned to herself. She happily scooped up her ice cream and took a bite, savoring the chocolaty goodness.

The other three girls frowned slightly, each chewing on their bottom lip nervously.

"…Are you sure about this Ino?" The Godaime apprentice asked, a little unsure about Ino's resolve.

Ino pouted, frowning at her best friend's question.

"Of course I'm sure! I don't like Shikamaru that way! He's only a friend after all…"

Hinata held back the urge to point out that Ino had used 'like' instead of 'love' again.

The three girls had no more say in the matter when the girl rose from her seat.

"I'm sorry guys…I have to help out my mom at the flower shop today…thanks for treating me!" She said as she grabbed her purse and waved to the girls before turning on her heel and heading back home.

Hinata, Tenten and Sakura stared at the blonde's retreating back.

"Should we stop her from committing the biggest mistake of her life?" Tenten asked as she watched Ino turn the corner and disappear completely. Sakura shook her head.

"No…Let's just watch her from afar…it's better if she realizes it on her own…"

"She'll be fine…trust me…" Hinata reassured as she calmly drank her tea. Sakura and Tenten didn't miss the hint of amusement and certainty in the Hyuga's voice.

Ino hummed to herself as she happily almost skipped through the streets of Konoha. She frowned as Sakura's voice cut into her currently victorious stated mind.

"…Are you sure about this Ino?"

The question played in her head like an annoying broken record.

Ino waved her hand at the imaginary chibi Sakura, muttering an "of course I'm sure forehead girl!"

As the young Yamanaka made her way home, she peeked inside Yakiniku Q and saw Shikamaru sitting across from Chouji. Chouji examined the different books spread open around his friend nervously.

"Urr Shikamaru…I know you need to get this finished by tomorrow and all but don't you think it's a bad idea to have all these books so close to the grill…?" Chouji exclaimed as he tried to get the cloud gazer's attention. Shikamaru mumbled a "Hn" and continued to flip through the pages of the books.

Ino curiously lifted the flap and entered the restaurant, walking towards her teammates.

"Hi Chouji, Shikamaru…" Ino greeted as she stood before the two boys with a smile. Chouji looked away from the shadow user and his eyes lit up seeing his friend.

"Hey Ino! It's been awhile!" Chouji exclaimed as he patted a seat next to him for her to sit in. It was rare seeing both members of his team at the same time. He was hoping Team 10 could eat together again like old times. Ino shook her head.

"I'm sorry Chouji…I'll only be a second…I need to talk to Shikamaru…" Ino apologized as she turned towards the deer boy.

"Hey Shikamaru…" Ino said almost mutely.

For some reason she found her face feeling mysteriously hot and she felt like she had to avoid looking at him.

Shikamaru glanced at Ino as he finished reading a section.

"Oh, hey Ino" he said before burying himself back into the books.

'Well…I guess it would be easier to say if he didn't look at me…' Ino thought to herself, shrugging slightly.

"Um, well…I just wanted to say…umm…I...I don't lo--...lo--" Ino tried to say, unconsciously playing with her fingers.

Funny…

…why couldn't she say it??

"…well…I just wanted to say that I don't…love…you…" she mumbled hesitantly, barely saying the last part audibly. She fidgeted in her spot and looked at Shikamaru as he muttered a quick "uh huh" in response.

She didn't know why but at that moment something tugged at her chest. Shaking off the feeling Ino clasped her hands.

"Soooo...you're okay with us just being friends…?" Ino persisted on, leaning closer to look at Shikamaru's face.

The shadow user finally took his eyes away from the book.

"What? Oh! Uhh yeah…friends…whatever…" He muttered quickly as he once again jotted notes down and flipped several pages of the books.

Ino smiled gratefully, placing her hand over her heart.

"Well…I'm glad to hear that…"

She glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped.

"Oh no! I have to go! I'll see you two around!" Ino picked up her purse and rushed out of Yakiniku Q in zero flat.

Chouji stared after Ino as she hurriedly left the restaurant and stared back at Shikamaru. He stood up from his seat and smacked the lazy ninja on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for Chouji?!" Shikamaru growled as he rubbed the back of his head in pain.

"For someone with an IQ of over 200…you're pretty stupid…" Chouji frowned as he glared at Shikamaru.

"Chouji….can't you see I'm having a crisis here?! I have no time to converse with you!" Shikamaru explained as he waved a book in his hand to accentuate the predicament he was in.

"But…" Chouji began to protest as he looked outside of the restaurant to where Ino had run off to.

Shikamaru held his hand up to his friend as he sat crossed legged, trying to figure out a way to finish his assignment in time.

"Sorry pal…but can you tell me later…?" He eyed his best friend from the corner of his eye and went back to reading the texts. "Aughh I can't believe I just remembered having this assignment half an hour ago" he muttered under his breath, scratching his head in frustration.

Chouji sighed.

"Alright…it's your lost my friend…"

Shikamaru was too engrossed in his research to catch Chouji's last words...

Ino walked home slowly as she looked up at the clouds drifting by…

She smiled.

"I'm glad Shikamaru finally agreed to us being just friends…" the blue-eyed girl stated as she placed her hands behind her back, a hum playing on her lips.

"Although…I'm sorta surprised he would give in so easily…"

Ino tilted her head to the side, her lips set in a firm line.

She shrugged…

"Well…whatever…" she dismissed as she entered the Yamanaka flower shop.

Ino fidgeted in her seat, tapping her pen repeatedly on her wooden desk. She sighed, leaning back in her chair and stared blankly at the ceiling.

'He hasn't been around lately…' The florist found herself thinking as she placed her hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling some more.

She sighed for the millionth time and sat up, straightening herself while picking up her pen and continuing to look over her report.

A few minutes later, Ino began to lose focus on her paper. The words had mysteriously turned into strange symbols and she found herself bored out of her mind.

She set her pen down, drumming her fingers on her desk as she hummed to a tune.

"I love you Ino…"

His words chose that particular moment to play in her head.

Ino frowned, checking behind her to see if she wasn't just imagining random voices.

She scratched her head confusedly…

"Urgh…Something's wrong with me..."

She shook her head as she tried to concentrate on her work once again.

After a few more minutes of trying to concentrate, the blonde found looking at the scrolls and books to be painful to her eyes. Ino sighed again, resting her forehead on the cool desk as she stared blankly at the ground.

"It's odd…for once Shikamaru isn't here to pester me and I STILL can't concentrate on my work!" She muttered almost inaudibly.

"I wonder where he is…I haven't seen him in three days…" Ino turned her head, her cheek resting on the table. She stared at the clock on her wall which read 4:37 PM.

She stood up lazily.

"Well…it's no use pondering about it at home…" She yawned as she stretched her arms in the air.

She made her way to her closet to find a pair of clothes to change into.

Ino frowned as she walked the busy streets of Konoha. She had looked for Shikamaru in all the places she could think of. The training grounds, his house, Chouji's house and his favorite cloud gazing spot.

She frowned even more when she asked herself why she was doing this.

"I hope he's not avoiding me…maybe he took it harder then I thought…" The young Yamanaka theorized as she turned the corner just in time to collide into another person, ending with the two of them crashing to the ground.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going you moron!" Ino yelled unhappily as she rubbed her throbbing head.

Ther person groaned.

"Sorry Ino…" came his voice as he helped her up. Ino rubbed her butt.

"Yeah…you better be sor—Shikamaru?!" she paused to gawk at the lazy ninja as he brushed the dirt off his pants.

Ino had a million questions to ask him but found her throat unexpectedly dry.

"Shikamaru! Hurry up!" A voice yelled in the distance.

The blonde took her eyes off the shadow user to see the sand kunoichi, Temari making her way towards them. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Oh crap! I forgot! Sorry Ino…see you around--hurry up Temari!" he shouted as he grabbed the sand nins hand to Ino's surprise and the two began to run towards who knows where.

She continued to watch, startled as Temari bopped Shikamaru playfully on the head shouting "YOU'RE the one who should hurry up, lazy ass!" with her hand still held in his.

Ino ignored the giant throb in her chest and just stared as the two blended in with the crowd.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Well he sure got over it fast…." she muttered icily, grumpily making her way back to her house.

"mghh what a waste of time…" Ino mumbled as she trudged back home, kicking an innocent rock on the way.

She halted when she saw Naruto hovering over a claw machine, desperately trying to win a cute fluffy pink stuffed bear. Ino walked up to him, a smirk on her lips.

"Aren't you a little too old for stuffed animals?" She asked innocently, watching the 19 year old. Naruto looked up at her while putting coins in the machine. He grinned cheekily at her.

"Don't be ridiculous Ino! I'm getting this for Iruka-sensei's daughter!" Naruto said matter of factly as he grabbed the joystick, shifting it slightly to the left. Ino watched silently as the claw barely missed its target and raised up, empty handed. Naruto cursed silently and placed more coins into the machine while she stood silently in amusement.

As Ino watched the future Hokage put coins in the machine for the sixth time, she sighed, crossing her arms.

"You know Naruto….it'd be so much easier to just buy a stuffed bear for her…I mean, before you spend away all of your money…" The blonde kunoichi shook her head.

"No way! I'm not giving up!" The blonde said as he carefully moved the joystick again, pressing the red button to lower the claw down.

"Well too bad for you because I'll never say it!"

Shikamaru yawned, trying to repress it by holding his hand in front of his mouth.

"Then I'm never giving up until you say it"

Ino stared grimly at Naruto when she was reminded of a certain lazy shinobi.

"…But no matter how many times you try…you'll never get it…the machine is probably rigged…" she found herself protesting quietly.

Naruto gave her a smile before fishing through his pocket for more coins.

"That may be so…but seeing Chisami-chan's eyes light up after knowing her onii-san worked so hard to get her the bear makes everything worth it" he beamed at her as he found the desired amount of change.

"…usually when someone is rejected, they would stop pressing the person about it…it makes them look clingy…"

"…not if that person is worth it…"

Naruto inserted the coins in the machine again and held the joystick in his hand, moving it even slower to the left, he examined the position of the bear and the claw before pushing down on the red button. The claw dropped down in an instant, lifting the bear up along with it.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered as the claw dropped the pink fluffy bear into the compartment. He lifted up the plastic cover and took out the bear, holding it up to show Ino while giving her a peace sign.

"And you Ino…are definitely worth it…"

He grinned again like a little kid and rubbed his nose proudly.

"Haha, see Ino…I told you I'd…EH?! INO?!" Naruto stared alarmed as the blonde stared back at him with tears in her eyes.

"W-Was it something I said?!" Naruto said as he touched the girl lightly on the shoulder.

Ino shook her head, wiping her eyes.

"No…I'm fine…just got something in my eye…Well, I better go…see you around Naruto…" Before the genki boy could interrogate her any further she turned around and ran away, her hands quickly wiping her tears away.

"Well I don't like you so stop saying that!"

"I won't stop saying it until I hear those three words from you"

She swallowed down her sob.

"Shikamaru…you liar…!" Ino choked out as she made it to her house, swinging the door open loudly and making her way up the stairs regardless of her fathers' calls.

She opened her bedroom door and slammed it shut, making sure to lock it.

Ino collapsed on her bed, her face engulfed in her pillow.

Minutes passed by and her muffled sobs quieted down, she turned around to face the ceiling and her hand lightly brushed her eyes.

"Why am I even crying…?!" She glared through her blurred vision. She clutched the fabric of her chest, trying to make the pain stop. She hugged her pillow close to her, bringing her knees up to her chest in a fetal position.

"Soooo...you're okay with us just being friends…?"

The shadow user finally took his eyes away from the book.

"What? Oh! Uhh yeah…friends…whatever…"

Ino bit back a sob as she hugged herself tighter. The scene with Shikamaru and Temari played over and over in her head.

"Then I'm never giving up until you say it"

"You stupid liar…" she whispered quietly before she her eyes fluttered shut…

Ino shivered when her eyelashes fluttered open to meet darkness. She rolled over on her side and glanced at the clock on her night stand that read 12:30 A.M. The mind possessor groggily sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She shivered again as a breeze found its way to her from the open window.

Quietly, she silently stepped off the bed with a small creak and she hugged herself for warmth.

'Maybe I should've worn something else to bed...' Ino thought as she looked down at her skimpy silk night gown. The florist made her way to her open window, scratching her head.

"I thought I remember shutting this…" Ino groaned as she closed the window shut. She froze when she felt another presence in her room.

"It's okay…it's just me…" A voice said from across the room before she had the chance to grab the kunai on her desk.

Ino hesitantly turned around to find Shikamaru standing a few feet behind her. She rubbed her eyes again incase she was dreaming. The supposed illusional Shikamaru quirked a brow at her.

"What?" He grumbled as he tried his best not to have his eyes roam Ino's very inviting body.

"Are you….real…?" Ino asked dumbly.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome woman…" he muttered as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

Ino gasped silently.

"Shi-Shikamaru! What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?!" the girl hissed quietly as she backed up against her window, trying her best to cover herself with her arms. Shikamaru slouched lazily.

"I ran into Naruto a couple of hours ago and he told me something interesting…" Shikamaru said as he took out a cigarette, placing it in his mouth.

"…he told me about a blonde blue-eyed damsel in distress…" he finished almost teasingly as he took his lighter out to light his cancer stick. The small flame allowed Ino to see his face through the darkness. Ino cursed. Damn Naruto and his big mouth…

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. She leaned back against the window, a questionable look on her face.

Shikamaru would have believed her if it weren't for her slightly puffy eyes.

"You sure…?" the genius asked as he took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling the smoke. Ino coughed as she once again swatted the smoke away.

"Don't smoke in my room! You'll get the ashes all over the floor!" she frowned. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I'll throw it away as soon as you tell me why you were crying…" he said as he sat down on Ino's bed, placing the notorious cig back in his mouth.

Ino glared daggers at the young man.

"Like I said….I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Shikamaru looked at her doubtfully and withdrew his breath, once again dispersing smoke around the room.

"...Does it have something to do with Temari…?" Shikamaru asked.

Seeing as how Ino froze at the comment, Shikamaru took it as a 'yes'.

"Just so you know…there's nothing going on between us…we were both just late for a meeting…" Shikamaru explained as he stared at her. Ino snapped from her thoughts.

"...It's..." she paused as the scene played before her eyes again.

"It's not any of my business…I don't know why you're telling me this…" she muttered, avoiding his gaze while her hands gripped the hem of her night gown tightly.

Shikamaru's ears perked up when he heard her mumble something else under her breath.

"Mmm…?" he questioned as he kept his stare on her, his hand cupping his ear. Ino knew that if she didn't say anything, he would surely pester her about it until she confessed.

"that...doesn't explain why you never came over….yesterday or the day before…" Ino mumbled shyly, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. She began to play with the ribbons on her dress.

To her surprise, Shikamaru laughed.

"Wha-What're you laughing about?!" Ino glared at him again, her cheeks burning hotly.

"I told you didn't I? That I'd be busy the next few days…" Shikamaru said matter-of-factly.

"What are YOU doing here?!"

Shikamaru made a look.

"Just wanted to tell you that training is off because Chouji and I are going to be busy the next few days…"

The blonde kunoichi stared at him, slapping her forehead as the information sunk into her.

"You should've made it clearer idiot! I totally worried about you for--" she slowed down, covering her mouth with her hands before she exposed herself any further.

Shikamaru blinked.

Ino blinked back.

The smug look on the shogi player's face told Ino everything.

"…were you…worried about me…?" he questioned, an almost sly grin tugging at his lips.

"What?? NO!"

"…And this afternoon….were you….jealous…?"

Ino glared at him again.

"NO!" She half yelled.

"really…?" Shikamaru questioned, cocking his head to the side. Ino nodded.

"Ino…" He said softly…

"…say it…."

a pause...

"say what….?"

Shikamaru scowled. Troublesome woman indeed…

"Say…'I love you'…" he tried again.

"…."

"say it" The shadow nin commanded, his patience wearing thin.

another long pause...

"….NEVER…."

Shikamaru growled, standing up from the bed. Ino stood there like a deer caught in head lights. She gulped, hoping that Shikamaru wouldn't do something irrational like trying to pounce on her when knowing her parents room was just beneath them..

"Okay then…fine…" he said smoothly and instead of walking up to Ino, he strolled over to her door and opened it casually.

"If you don't say it…I'm calling your parents up here…"

"WHAT?!" Ino hissed silently.

'he wouldn't…he's totally bluffing…' Ino thought to herself.

"Come on Shikamaru…I'm eighteen…I'm not scared of my parents!" she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to reason with the Jonin.

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Alright…" he took out the cigarette in his mouth, crunching it with his fist and tossed it into the trash can swiftly.

He began to inhale sharply, his face aimed at the dark hallway outside her room.

Ino's eyes widened and the next thing she knew, she had run across her room and tackled Shikamaru to her bed in seconds, creating as less sound as possible. All that sounded was Shikamaru gently closing the door before the blonde attacked and the small thunk of the bed as they both landed on top of each other.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" Ino whispered into his ear, her heart beating erratically against her chest.

Shikamaru chuckled.

"See? Was that so hard?" he asked as he took the opportunity to hold her close by the waist. The blonde blushed as he gently lifted her face up and stared into her sky blue orbs.

Ino averted her gaze away from his.

"Stop staring at me…"

Shikamaru chuckled.

"NEVER…" he muttered darkly before he claimed her lips with his own. The creak of floorboards made Shikamaru reluctantly stop the kiss.

"What is it…?" Ino whispered, her cheeks still flushed from the kiss. Shikamaru gently held his finger up to her lips, listening intently.

Silence.

"…it's nothing…." he said as he once again brought his face to hers, tasting her sweet lips. He nipped on her bottom lip softly, asking for permission to enter. Ino's mouth opened hesitantly, a moan escaping from her lips.

Before Shikamaru could get any further then that, Ino's door suddenly slammed open and the light was turned on, temporarily blinding the two lovers.

Ino broke the kiss unwillingly and turned around.

Her face paled.

"D-Da-Dad?!" She sputtered, her eyes widening in shock.

It didn't help the situation any more when Ino had realized that during the kiss, Shikamaru had slid his hand under her night gown and was now groping her rear while her panties were being exposed to him.

Even though he couldn't see Inoichi's expression because Ino was currently on top of him, thus blocking his view; Shikamaru felt the murderous intent that began to build up in the air.

Ino turned back to Shikamaru and gave him a secretive look, he understood, slightly nodding his head.

In a flash, Ino jumped off her bed and blocked Inoichi's way as Shikamaru darted for the window.

"WAIT! GET BACK HERE NARA!!" Inoichi hollered as he tried to free himself from Ino's grasp.

Strange how he never noticed his daughter's strength til now…

Shikamaru quickly opened the window, looking back as Ino struggled to hold her father back.

"Bye Shikamaru! I love you!" Ino grinned and managed to wave, even in her unpleasant situation.

He grinned back at her.

"I love you" He said back, jumping out the window and into the dark night.

"Hey…" Ino greeted as she sat down next to the lazy ninja who appeared to be sleeping.

Shikamaru opened and eye and looked at her.

"I see you're finally un-grounded…" he muttered, smirking as Ino leaned in to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Ino rolled her eyes, she lifted her head and laid down next to him, her eyes watching the clouds float by aimlessly.

"Yup! Although I think it's best if you stay away from my house for a couple of more…….years?" Ino laughed as she found Shikamaru's hand and held it with her own, their fingers entwined.

Shikamaru chuckled, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Never…" he lazily mumbled, his eyes still closed.

Ino watched him silently and studied his face carefully. She turned over on her side and began to trail her perfectly manicured fingertips along his face tenderly.

"I love you Shikamaru…" She said as she began to lower her face to his, her eyes closed.

The shadow user grunted in reply.

Ino opened her eyes, a frown plastered on her face. She lifted her face up, looking at him.

"Well…?" She questioned as he made no attempt to move.

"Well what?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"Aren't you gonna say you love me too?" Ino pouted cutely.

He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"no"

Ino's eyes flashed in anger and she whacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow! Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru said as he sat up, rubbing his shoulder to relieve the pain.

"Why won't you say it?!" She questioned angrily.

"Because…" he glared at her.

"I've told you those three words so many times this past year to last you a decade!" he rolled his eyes, lying back down on the grass.

Ino gaped at him.

"And besides, it's YOUR turn to make up for the amount of times I've 'courted' you" he stated matter-of-factly, remembering how troublesome this year had been to him.

The next thing he knew, Ino was walking away, shouting "You're unbelievable!" with her hand print adorning his right cheek.

Shikamaru bit back a hiss as he touched his cheek, making a note to watch out for that next time…

He looked back at the clouds with his hands resting behind his head and he shrugged.

She'll come back to him.

He was sure of it...

And when she does, he knows she'll say it again…

Fini

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